"You two brats go first."
Tsunade frowned, catching sight of Leaf ninjas arriving for backup in the distance. The past few days of hiding and evading the Hidden Sand's pursuit had left her travel-worn and disheveled. A fire of suppressed rage was burning in her chest.
She swallowed a special food pill tailored specifically for her own body. After her chakra was replenished, she turned her head to face the pursuing group of Sand ninjas.
"You really enjoy chasing people, don't you?"
Tsunade slammed a fist into the ground with violent force, causing the desert floor to roll and surge like a massive wave.
Earth Style: Earth Wave!
She possessed the [Earth] chakra nature transformation and was capable of using Earth Style ninjutsu. The only reason she rarely used them was that her monstrous strength was usually enough to settle any fight. Currently, she was suffering from hemophobia and could not stand the sight of blood; over the past few days, she had exerted careful control to inflict internal injuries only, ensuring she wouldn't have to see a drop of red.
Using [Earth Style: Earth Wave] served the same purpose. As long as she could break the enemies' legs without drawing blood, it was enough. As a master of the medical arts, achieving this was trivial for Tsunade.
"Aaargh!"
"The sand... the sand is moving!"
Starting from the boundary of Tsunade's fist, a vast fan-shaped area of the desert began to shake like the swells of the ocean. The range and power of a ninjutsu are determined by one's understanding of [Nin] and their chakra volume. Tsunade, carrying the blood of the Senju clan and possessing the Strength of a Hundred Seal, released this technique across an incredibly wide area.
For a moment, wails of agony filled the air.
Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi heard the commotion behind them, thinking to themselves that she truly deserved the title of Sannin. Soon after, Kurenai's thoughts drifted back to Kiyoshi. She worried whether he could make it out safely.
"Don't worry about him; Kiyoshi will get out safely." Asuma wasn't great at comforting people and could only scratch his head.
"Sand ninjas! Do you intend to tear up the alliance treaty?" The arriving Leaf ninjas were furious to see the noble Lady Tsunade looking so exhausted.
They immediately unleashed their specialized ninjutsu to intercept the pursuit. Needles, Fire Style, and Wind Style techniques flew wildly, turning the scene into total chaos. Suffering from the irregular, shifting sand beneath their feet, the Sand ninjas couldn't maintain their footing, let alone find the leverage to jump away. They could only watch as a black cloud of ninjutsu flew toward them. Over a dozen Sand ninjas died in the first clash.
"Damn it, the Leaf ninjas are here."
Fujuro stamped a foot heavily into the desert, creating a crater five meters in diameter and disrupting Tsunade's Earth Style technique. Now that contact had been made with more people, more Leaf reinforcements would surely follow. The mission to suppress the news was officially declared a failure at this moment!
"Retreat!"
Fujuro was a taijutsu specialist, and his personality was just as decisive. He chose to retreat without a moment's hesitation.
"Phew..."
A breath escaped Tsunade's crimson lips. A ninjutsu of that scale was a significant drain even for her. Just as she prepared to drag her weary body back into the Land of Fire to recover her chakra, she spotted a black speck flying toward them from the sky.
A vulture? That was her first thought.
But as the black speck drew closer, allowing her to make out a silhouette, she dismissed the idea. A possibility suddenly struck her.
'Could it be Kiyoshi Uchiha?'
Other Leaf ninjas noticed Tsunade staring at the sky and looked up curiously. Nobuhiko Hyuga's Byakugan widened as he pointed upward.
"There's someone flying in the sky!"
At those words, everyone fixed their eyes upward. They began to grow wary of the newcomer's identity; if it were someone from the Sand, another fierce battle would follow.
"Any identifying features?" the Leaf ninja Nara Jiro asked.
"The Uchiha fire fan crest."
"Uchiha?"
Kurenai heard this and her face filled with disbelief. She had never heard that Kiyoshi could fly. Flight was an extremely rare ability that very few ninjas possessed; most relied on avian summoning beasts to achieve it.
"Lady Tsunade, I've returned."
Kiyoshi's figure slowly descended from the sky, gradually reducing the air vortex surrounding him. This desert was seemingly endless. After escaping Chiyo a few days ago, Kiyoshi had consistently searched for high ground to use this gliding method to cover distance.
"You've got some tricks, kid," Tsunade chuckled. She hadn't expected Kiyoshi to return in such a manner; it was truly surprising.
"Kiyoshi, are you injured?" Kurenai ran over to ask. She could see his robes had turned brown—the mark of dried blood.
"No," Kiyoshi shook his head.
The blood was all from Sand ninjas; he had very few wounds on himself. Over the last few days, he had encountered Sand patrols, but it had always been a close call without real danger. With the Great Snake Substitution available, he could avoid any serious injury by shedding his outer skin. He had already used this move to bypass damage several times. One had to admit that Orochimaru was a master of survival; this was the technique he used most. Once Kiyoshi acquired Soft Physique Modification, his survivability would increase even further.
"Don't worry about me so much, Kurenai," Kiyoshi smiled faintly.
"We are... teammates, after all," Kurenai whispered.
"Oh, so we're only teammates?" Kiyoshi's tone seemed to carry a hint of disappointment.
"Eh?" A flash of panic appeared in Kurenai's red eyes.
What did that mean? In Kiyoshi's heart, was their relationship more than just teammates?
"Yeah, definitely teammates!" Asuma didn't catch the subtext. Steeped in the Will of Fire and being a true-blue Sarutobi, Asuma had a special feeling for the word "teammate." To him, it was a sacred word where "Bonds" were born.
"Let's... let's keep moving. The Sand might catch up again," Kurenai said, lowering her gaze and quickly turning away.
Watching Kurenai's shy reaction, Kiyoshi's ocular power rose slightly, a faint crimson glint appearing in his eyes. This was the joy of cultivation. Taking a blank sheet of paper and staining it with one's own color was a truly delightful sensation.
"Then let's go."
When he opened his eyes again, the glint had faded into calmness. This trip to the Hidden Sand had been a massive harvest. Not only had he completed his plan perfectly, but he had also gained ocular power and several ninjutsu. He had planted seeds with Pakura and Maki, waiting for the next opportunity to let them grow.
There was Pakura, who wanted to wash away her humiliation, and the kind-hearted Maki, who had leaked ninjutsu for her teacher. These were Kiyoshi's "ocular power packs," becoming the peerless nutrients for his continued growth!
But those were matters for the next meeting. He needed to wait for the right timing. The one closest to Kiyoshi now was... Mikoto. With the Great War about to break out, Mikoto and Fugaku would surely not be taking any further steps in their relationship.
Several days passed. Kiyoshi returned to the Hidden Leaf.
***
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