Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

At the Konoha encampment, chaos reigned. The ground was littered with unconscious and wounded shinobi.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, having returned from their successful flank attack, were met with this devastating scene.

"Let me see," Tsunade said, her brow furrowed as she immediately began using medical ninjutsu to assess the condition of the injured.

"What happened? Where's Captain Torifu?" Jiraiya demanded, grabbing a nearby shinobi.

"It was the leader of the Land of Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander. He used poison. The commander was covering our retreat and was poisoned as well. He's unconscious now..."

"What? Even Captain Torifu..."

"Tsunade, how is it?" Orochimaru asked.

"This poison is extremely potent and takes effect quickly. A standard antidote won't be enough to clear it," Tsunade said grimly. "But I can formulate a cure. Just give me some time."

"Alright." Orochimaru turned to Jiraiya. "Let's go help Captain Torifu with his other duties for now."

"Oh, right."

In less than a day, Tsunade had prepared the antidote, successfully saving the lives of many ninja, including Akimichi Torifu.

By this time, Hanzo had regrouped his forces and was launching a direct assault.

"Here, this is the last of the antidote," Tsunade said, handing vials to Orochimaru and Jiraiya. "We can't let Hanzo spread his poison gas on our side, or Konoha will surely lose. So, it's up to the three of us to go and take care of that guy."

"Ha, that was my plan exactly," Jiraiya said, his anger barely contained at the sight of so many fallen comrades.

"If he wants to get close enough to release his poison mist, he'll have to keep his subordinates at a distance. We'll seize that opportunity to intercept him," Orochimaru analyzed calmly. "However, to prevent any surprises, we should take a few extra squads with us on this mission."

"Right. We're counting on you," said the now-conscious Akimichi Torifu. "Be careful. Besides his poison, his mastery of Water Style is nearly on par with the Second Hokage's. I will command the main front. While you three hold off Hanzo, we will take care of the other Rain ninja."

"Good. Leave it to us!"

A little over ten minutes later, the ambush unit was assembled. In addition to the standard Hyuga and Aburame clan members, who were excellent sensory ninja, the rest of the squad consisted of ninja who specialized in Fire and Earth Style. Fire to counter the poison mist, and Earth to counter his Water Style.

Soon, the two armies clashed. Large-scale ninjutsu collided, and the battle instantly escalated to a fever pitch.

Slightly behind the front lines, Tsunade and the others waited patiently. The Hyuga clan ninja scanned the battlefield with their Byakugan.

But it was a member of the Aburame clan who made the first discovery.

"My insects have found someone with a potent poison in their body, radiating a terrifying chakra."

"Direction and position! Hyuga, confirm!"

"That's right. It's Hanzo of the Salamander. He's approaching from the side with a dozen or so men."

"Alright, it's our turn!" Tsunade slammed her fist into her palm. At her command, the entire ambush squad set out, successfully intercepting Hanzo just as he was about to enter the main battlefield.

"Hanzo of the Salamander, your opponent is us!"

"Heh, glad I made it in time."

On a nearby hillside, Kaito was crouched down, watching the classic battle through a pair of binoculars—Hanzo, the "Demigod of the Shinobi World," versus Konoha's three outstanding young ninja: Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.

The fodder characters with them were quickly taken out of the picture, leaving the four of them to engage in a fierce battle.

Oh, Hanzo's releasing his poison mist. Too bad for him, Tsunade's medical talent surpasses even Chiyo's; dealing with poison is a piece of cake for her. See? Told you so. Just pop an antidote and they're fine. Hmm, why'd they stop moving? Is he praising Tsunade? Ugh, come on, get on with it!

Kaito was watching the fight as if it were a movie, providing his own running commentary. The viewing conditions were less than ideal. He couldn't hear the sound effects, and the rain was falling, making everything damp and annoying.

Fortunately, Hanzo was also in a hurry and didn't want to waste time with monologues. The fight continued.

That's more like it. Kaito chewed on a piece of dried meat and gave Hanzo a thumbs-up. Oh, the Sannin are using their Summoning Jutsu first? Huh, they're big, but they don't look like Gamabunta or Manda. Are they the B-team?

Hanzo summons his salamander in response. But fighting three-on-one is still a bit of a disadvantage. Faced with three giant beasts, Hanzo uses Water Style—no, at this scale, it should be called Lake Style. Combined with his salamander's poison spray, it's become a Sea of Poison jutsu. The scale is too massive; a little Earth Style can't possibly stop that.

Tsunade and the others are fine since they took the antidote, but their summons aren't so lucky. Hmm, the slug should be okay. Looks like they sent all the summons back, probably to conserve chakra.

Heh, the Sannin are going for close combat? Surprise, surprise, Hanzo is also a master swordsman. Seeing the Sannin's battered appearance, Kaito chuckled, then put himself in their shoes. Hmm, if I were fully buffed, I could probably trade a few blows. With the interference of Ice and Lightning-type moves, it would likely be an even match. But that's too much trouble. It's better to just use an ultimate move.

After a long and intense battle, Hanzo finally seized an opportunity, using Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation to severely injure Jiraiya, who had jumped in to protect Tsunade. Orochimaru's subsequent Hidden Shadow Snake Hands failed to bind Hanzo, who dodged with a Body Flicker Technique.

At this point, all three of the Sannin were nearing their limits.

"Alright, now it's my turn." Kaito had finally gotten the perfect opportunity he had been waiting for. A golden light enveloped his body, and he shot forward like a bolt of lightning, instantly crossing several hundred meters to appear between Hanzo and the Sannin.

"Who are you?!" Hanzo was the first to react.

"Kaito? What are you doing here?" Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise as he recognized the figure before him. Tsunade and Orochimaru were equally astonished.

"I came especially for you all," Kaito said with a laugh, his expression gradually turning serious. "Do me a favor and stop this fight."

"?" Everyone was completely baffled.

"You're just a kid, and you dare to tell me what to do?" Hanzo tightened his grip on his sickle, his anger rising. He had already been considering a retreat, given his forces were losing on the main front and he was making no headway against these three. But the decision to stop was his to make. For some random kid to pop out of nowhere and start giving him orders? Impossible! Did the Demigod of the Shinobi World have no face to save?

"Kaito, what are you talking about?" Jiraiya was also getting angry. "Just manage your sanctuary. You don't need to worry about what's happening here. This guy isn't as easy to talk to as we are!"

"Indeed," Orochimaru nodded. "If you truly want to stop the fighting, it would be better to join forces with us and kill him."

Tsunade remained silent, using the time to treat Jiraiya's injuries.

"So you all know each other. If you want to team up, then come on," Hanzo said without a trace of fear. "Let's see how much strength you have left."

"Sigh. Will you people please just listen?" Kaito sighed. "Sorry, but as I've said before, I'm neutral. I'm telling both sides to stop fighting. If you're not happy about it, I'll just have to beat both of you."