---
"Hateful!"
Kurenai's frustration was palpable. "Are all the Hidden Stone ninjas turtles? Do they only know how to hide?"
They'd been operating in the Land of Grass for over a month. Combat encounters had been sparse—a deliberate strategy by Iwagakure to avoid direct confrontation.
Rin seemed to want to comment but held her tongue. Her nature was fundamentally different from Kurenai's. She didn't want anyone hurt, which meant she didn't want to fight.
Tsunade glanced at Hanekawa, whose eyes were closed in concentration.
Her suspicions were confirmed. Iwagakure's strategy matched exactly what the boy had predicted weeks ago. Konoha wasn't their primary concern. But if they kept avoiding engagement like this, would the Hidden Cloud believe it?
Tsunade's mind churned. She had a nagging feeling Iwagakure was planning something dramatic—a move designed to completely lower the Hidden Cloud's guard. But what?
"Southeast. Four Hidden Stone ninjas, all chunin-rank."
Hanekawa's eyes opened.
"Southeast?" Tsunade refocused. "The Aburame scouts found a major outpost in that direction. If they're moving around instead of staying put..."
"They're on assignment," Hanekawa finished.
"Then we hunt them." Tsunade's expression hardened. "Capture one alive. I want to know what they're doing."
---
The ambush was textbook.
Rin used her Spirit Transformation Technique to possess one of the Stone ninjas while Hanekawa and Kurenai handled the other three. It was efficient, brutal, and left no witnesses—Hanekawa made sure of that.
When they returned to Tsunade, Hanekawa relayed the information: routine patrols. Multiple teams rotating through the area.
"They're guarding something," Tsunade said quietly. "The base has secrets."
"Then we investigate," Hanekawa said.
Tsunade stood. "Let's go."
---
The stronghold loomed ahead—earthen walls three meters high, reinforced and imposing. Hanekawa closed his eyes, extending his perception.
"Anti-perception barrier," he reported. "Sophisticated work."
"Barriers block chakra, not souls," Tsunade said. "Rin, scout ahead. Pull back if anything feels wrong."
Rin nodded, formed her seals, and her body went limp as her spirit slipped free.
She drifted through the barrier undetected, taking in the layout. The base was larger than expected—roughly a hundred ninjas, maybe more. She was counting when the world erupted in purple-red flame.
The fire shouldn't have touched her. Souls existed on a different plane.
But this fire was different.
Rin accelerated, her spirit form flickering backward as the flames pursued her. A middle-aged ninja materialized—purple clothes, crimson beard and hair, radiating heat so intense the ground beneath him began to melt.
He threw a punch.
The air twisted. Reality seemed to bend. Flames shot skyward, and the earth liquefied.
Then water wrapped around Rin—a protective cylinder forming in an instant.
Hanekawa had sensed her distress.
"Withdraw!" His voice cut through her mind.
Rin snapped back into her body just as the water wall exploded outward. A massive fist had punched through it.
The middle-aged ninja stood before them, wreathed in lava, his chakra absolutely monstrous.
"Lava Release," Tsunade said calmly. "Inhuman chakra reserves. You're the Four-Tails jinchuriki."
"Rōshi." The man grinned. "And I just arrived in the Land of Grass to find the legendary Tsunade waiting. How fortunate."
His chakra erupted outward—a visible wave of power that made the air shimmer. Lava coated his entire body, transforming him into something barely human. The nearby Stone ninjas retreated from the heat.
Hanekawa's mind raced. Molten Chakra Mode. Defense and offense both skyrocket. Combined with taijutsu, he's nearly unstoppable.
But not invincible.
Rōshi charged Tsunade without preamble.
She wrapped her arm in chakra and met his fist. The collision sent shockwaves rippling outward—cracks spider-webbing across the ground, dust clouds rising.
Rōshi slid back several meters, impressed. "As expected of Princess Tsunade!"
But Tsunade's expression was tight. Direct contact was risky. The lava could burn through even her enhanced body.
Ten minutes, she thought. Minato should arrive in ten minutes.
Hanekawa moved.
Water Style: Water Rush Wave!
A torrent erupted from his hands, rising like a tornado before crashing down as a waterfall. Rōshi simply laughed.
"Water Style is weak to Fire, but ordinary water won't touch me!"
He formed seals. Lava Release: Burning River Rock!
Magma balls fell like meteors, evaporating the river in seconds.
Hanekawa was already moving to his next technique.
Water Style: Great Explosive Water Wave!
He poured everything into it—every ounce of chakra mobilized and released through his throat. Water surged outward in concentric waves, layer upon layer, until the entire stronghold was enclosed in a spherical prison of seawater.
The Stone ninjas scattered in panic.
Rōshi's molten chakra mode flickered, dimmed by the constant water pressure. More importantly, in this environment, water-style users received exponential power boosts.
Hanekawa drew the Thunder and Fire Sword.
He pointed skyward and breathed fire—a dragon of flame spiraling upward to meet the clouds. The sky darkened. Thunder rumbled.
Then rain began to fall.
"Teacher," Hanekawa said, his voice steady. "I'll take the lead."
Tsunade blinked. When did this brat become strong enough to fight a jinchuriki?
"Ridiculous!" Rōshi's voice boomed with fury. "You dare challenge a jinchuriki, boy?"
His chakra surged again. Four tails materialized behind him—a half-transformation that made the very air vibrate with power.
Hanekawa didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward into the rain, sword raised, ready to buy time until Minato arrived.
Just ten minutes, he thought. I can hold for ten minutes.
The rain fell harder.