"Jundo!"
Nara Hisahiro shouted to his Akimichi clan companion.
"Understood!"
Akimichi Jundo's arms swelled in size once again.
A small portion of Nara Hisahiro's shadow detached and, like a black tentacle, reached into Akimichi Jundo's ninja tool pouch and retrieved a box.
Seeing this, Hardy grew anxious.
They're popping pills now?!
That's not fair at all!
If he pops a chili pill and goes into Butterfly Mode like Akimichi Choji did during the Fourth Great Ninja War, even a Jonin would have a hard time fighting him. How are we supposed to stand a chance?!
Fortunately, there were only two empty slots in Akimichi Jundo's box.
The green spinach pill slot was already empty, meaning he'd already taken the spinach pill, which boosts his power to three times its usual limit for a short period—enough to go toe-to-toe with the puppet brute.
As for the red chili pill, it grants the Akimichi ninja immense power, but at a huge cost—without sufficient preparation, swallowing it could kill the user before they even get to attack the enemy.
Normally, Akimichi clan ninja only carry the green spinach pill and the yellow curry pill on missions.
The latter isn't as deadly as the chili pill, but its effects are short-lived, and once it wears off, the user is left completely drained and unable to fight.
But it's still dangerous!
"Super Multi-Size Technique!"
Akimichi Jundo's body swelled, more than doubling in size, transforming from a chubby 1.7-meter-tall man into a giant over three meters tall!
And he was still growing!
"That's enough, Jundo!"
Nara Hisahiro shouted.
Hardy quickly pulled the big guy back, calling for Baki and Pakura to retreat as well.
Akimichi Jundo's massive form was already drawing attention on the battlefield.
Several Sand Jonin were already heading their way.
"These kids really are a handful,"
Nijima Tsugio sighed as he watched Akimichi Jundo, now the size of a small hill, and began using ninjutsu to engage him.
At this size and strength, he could pose a threat even to Jonin-level opponents.
But no Jonin would be foolish enough to engage an Akimichi clan ninja in close combat under these circumstances.
They'd just use their mobility and long-range ninjutsu to kite him.
No matter how big you get, you're still flesh and blood—a Jonin's ninjutsu is powerful enough to injure you.
And once the yellow curry pill's effect wears off, the opponent will be nothing but a lamb to the slaughter.
Of course, in battle, Akimichi clan ninja usually have support from the Nara and Yamanaka clan members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, to help restrain the enemy.
But right now, Hardy, Baki, and Pakura were chasing after Nara Hisahiro and the Yamanaka clan ninja.
The battle raged fiercely, and the fighting on the other fronts was even more intense than on Hardy's southwestern front.
Orochimaru, Jirai...
Konoha's elite forces also launched a full-scale assault from the east, attempting to break through the blockade and rescue Tsunade and Kato Dan.
The fighting in the northeast was somewhat less intense. Hanzō, unlike the Konoha shinobi, would not risk everything to save Tsunade, but as an ally, he still put forth his due effort.
Meanwhile, the scale of battle within the dense forest was no less fierce than in any other direction.
In fact, one could say this was the true main battlefield.
According to Chiyo's prior tactical arrangements, Tsunade and Konoha's elite jōnin, Mokume Okigatana, had been successfully lured away, leaving behind too few people to adequately protect Kato Dan, who was using the Spirit Transformation Technique.
By the time Tsunade and Mokume Okigatana, with the help of Kato Dan's spirit form, finally managed to break free from their entanglement, Dan's physical body had already been gravely injured by an Iwagakure Explosion Release shinobi while left unprotected during the battle.
All that awaited Tsunade was the agony of watching her beloved die before her eyes.
The battle raged on into the late hours of the night.
Nearly exhausted, Hardy swallowed a soldier pill and used his dwindling chakra to bandage Baki's wounds.
Yakura leaned against a bloodstained rock, surveying the battlefield strewn with corpses. Beside her was the severely damaged, now one-armed puppet master.
The young boy, on the other hand, was relatively unscathed—though he had suffered some injuries, his combat ability remained intact.
The Konoha shinobi launched a total of three assaults. The most dangerous nearly broke through their lines, but they quickly retreated. It was during that attack that the puppet master's puppet was infiltrated by the Aburame clan's insect users, causing a malfunction that allowed other Konoha shinobi to tear off one of its arms.
Several minutes later, they finally received word from Chiyo.
The eastern defensive line had been breached by Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who succeeded in rescuing Tsunade.
However, according to the battle report, Kato Dan—the only Konoha ninja proficient in the Spirit Transformation Technique—had been gravely wounded by an Iwagakure Explosion Release shinobi. Even by the standards of skilled medical ninjutsu users, such injuries were deemed fatal—beyond even Tsunade's ability to save him.
Though they had failed to eliminate Tsunade, the formidable healer, killing Kato Dan—a master of the Spirit Transformation Technique and a silent assassin and intelligence gatherer—was still a significant blow to Konoha.
All in all, the results of this battle were quite encouraging.
Of course, Sunagakure and Iwagakure did not yet know that the outcome of this battle was not limited to Kato Dan's death—Tsunade had also developed hemophobia.
"Thank you, Hardy."
Baki, exhausted, leaned against a tree stump and expressed her gratitude to Hardy.
Hardy waved his hand, indicating there was no need for thanks.
He was simply too tired to talk.
"Hardy-kun!"
A young Sunagakure shinobi approached, supporting a wounded comrade.
This ninja, Ryosuke, had lost a leg.
"Ryosuke, he…"
"Ah, just lay him down."
Hardy took a swig from his canteen and glanced around.
Many Sunagakure shinobi had suffered serious injuries.
They were all seasoned veterans, and basic battlefield first aid was not an issue. However, in this era before medical ninja had been widely deployed, even someone like Hardy, who knew basic medical ninjutsu such as the Hemostasis Technique, was a rare asset.
"If anyone is seriously injured, I can use medical ninjutsu to treat you temporarily. But I'm not a professional medical ninja—my skills are limited. I can only help alleviate your injuries and buy you more time for proper treatment."
"Hardy-kun, thank you!"
Ryosuke's companion helped him to the side, bowing deeply despite his own injuries.
Hardy poured the remaining water from his canteen over his head.
The icy sensation quickly revived him, and he began treating Ryosuke's wounds with the Hemostasis Technique.
Though he didn't consider himself a good person, Hardy also didn't see himself as cold-blooded.
After all, he had lived in Sunagakure for many years. The village had treated him well and nurtured him to where he was now—he felt a sense of belonging.
It was only natural to lend a hand to comrades in need.