Human strength has its limits.
This is why the "high as a kite" DIO once had that famous exchange with JoJo.
DIO:"JoJo, being human means having limits."
"I've learned one thing from my short life: the more a person schemes, the more likely they are to be tripped up by an unexpected situation."
"Unless... they transcend humanity."
JoJo:"What on earth are you talking about?!"
DIO (pulling out the Stone Mask):"I'm throwing away my humanity, JoJo!"
At this moment, Akimichi Choza wasn't quite as deranged as DIO, but he felt the weight of those limits just as deeply—even if, in his Butterfly Mode, he looked less "human" than DIO ever did.
The drawback of taking the Red Chili Pill before the effects of the Curry Pill had fully faded manifested much faster than usual. Furthermore, every strike in Butterfly Mode effectively burns through one's entire chakra pool to maximize power, which had drastically accelerated Choza's exhaustion.
Thus, just as he reached the final layer of the encirclement—just as the path to freedom opened up before his eyes—he collapsed.
He prayed for his chakra to hold on for just a moment longer. Just one more second. Just one more punch. But his body refused.
"Choza!"
Tsunade and Minato, having just escaped the Moving Earth Core trap, watched in horror as Choza fell. He was now gaunt, every ounce of his fat burned away to fuel that final push.
"Now! Quick, kill him! Don't let them escape!"
The tables had turned. The Iwa Jonin had been watching in a mix of shock and fury as Choza tore through their ranks like a god of destruction, killing a Jonin and a dozen Chunin to pave a way for his teammates. Now, seeing Choza fall and his chakra wings vanish, they were ecstatic. They roared orders for the ninjas on the final line to strike, desperate to kill Choza and pin down Tsunade and Minato before they could close the distance.
Tsunade realized that even with a Body Flicker, she couldn't reach Choza before the enemy. Her mind flashed back to the tactic Minato and Choza had used earlier.
"Minato! Formation 4!"
With a sharp command, she didn't even wait to see if Minato was ready. She grabbed him by the collar and hurled him forward like a javelin.
Minato didn't have the breath to point out that this was definitely not how Formation 4 worked. The moment Tsunade gripped him, he'd guessed her intent. Despite nearly being choked by the force of her throw, he braced himself the moment he went airborne.
Flying through the air like a human torpedo, Minato wished his feet had actual engines. Below him, the Iwa Genin had already drawn their shuriken. If he didn't do something, Choza was going to be turned into a pincushion before he could land.
I have to do something!
Minato forced himself to stay calm, his mind racing for a solution. But he hadn't officially learned the Flying Raijin yet; he hadn't even laid eyes on the scroll. Even if he wanted to risk an experimental attempt, he had no idea where to start.
The only thing he could do was draw his own shuriken and fire them with everything he had, hoping to deflect the blades aimed at Choza's vitals.
Zip! Zip! Zip!
Just as he feared, the Iwa ninjas—realizing they couldn't reach Choza before Minato landed—unleashed a volley of steel.
But the real threat wasn't the shuriken. It was the Iwa Chunin. They had been weaving signs the moment the order was given, and their high-level offensive jutsu were primed and ready to fire.
Just as Choza was about to be impaled by a hail of blades and skewered by a forest of rising Earth Spears, a sudden, violent gale erupted. The wind acted as a shield in front of Choza, swirling outward to buffet the Iwa ranks.
Wind?!
Minato, whose eyes had been filled with despair, froze for a split second before a surge of pure joy hit him.
It's Hatani!
He didn't see him yet, but he knew that specific style of wind manipulation. It had to be his dear otouto.
The reinforcements had finally arrived!
Sure enough, as the gale subsided, a flash of white-light appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye. A phantom-like figure flickered through the crowd, moving with such speed it was impossible to track.
Konoha's White Fang!
Minato recognized Sakumo Hatake instantly. After all, following that legendary battle where he decimated the Sand puppet brigade, there wasn't a young ninja in Konoha who didn't idolize the man.
"Sakumo?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened with relief and surprise. She had expected Hatani to bring the cleanup squads, but she never imagined he would return with a unit led by the White Fang himself.
"Retreat! Fall back now!"
That shimmering blade-light had the same effect on the Iwa Jonin as a bucket of ice water. They knew Sakumo never traveled alone. The realization that their attempt to kill a Sannin had failed was bitter, but they were seasoned enough to know when the hunter had become the prey.
If they didn't run now, they were dead.
But Tsunade wasn't about to let them walk away.
With her fighting spirit reignited, she leapt onto the back of Katsuyu—who had finally squeezed out of the pit—and searched the battlefield from her elevated vantage point.
Finally, she spotted a familiar face: Kyu.
She dove from Katsuyu's head like a plummeting star, hurtling straight for the man who had ambushed her brother.
The other Iwa Jonin saw her coming. They also saw Kyu. And then, they collectively turned and ran in the opposite direction, putting as much distance between themselves and Kyu as possible.
They hadn't forgotten how Kyu was perfectly willing to kill his own comrades for a "victory." They had no loyalty to a man like that.
You said you'd do anything for the village, didn't you? they thought coldly. Well, now it's your turn to sacrifice yourself so the rest of us can escape.
The Iwa Jonin were making a fatal mistake, however: they were underestimating Sakumo Hatake.
Sakumo was a lethal combatant, yes, but he wasn't just a mindless killer. A man who could lead a vastly outnumbered force to crush an elite puppet brigade was, above all else, a master tactician.
His initial, overwhelming display of violence against the Iwa Chunin wasn't just to save Choza—it was to force the enemy to scatter in panic.
An enemy that stays together is a wall. An enemy that scatters is a harvest. For a unit of master swordsmen, a pursuit against a fractured, fleeing enemy wasn't a battle—it was an execution.