Most of the force had been absorbed by the earth and river.
The problem was, sometimes a minor injury was worse...
"You like writing by the river, huh? Perfect. I'll give you a little tap on the chest right here in the water."
Tsunade charged into the river, her hand seizing Jiraiya with brutal precision and dragging him out of the water.
Jiraiya gasped for breath, but his despair deepened when he realized she was using healing techniques to mend his broken bones.
'Are you a demon?!'
The terror of nearly being beaten to death years ago resurfaced.
His mind raced, desperately searching for a way to save himself, just as Raj had done earlier.
The next moment, he shouted, "No, it wasn't me! The Dead Black Cat came up with this story..."
"It did? Then I'll smash it!"
Tsunade tossed Raj aside and began pummeling Jiraiya with both fists, deliberately targeting fleshy, non-vital areas.
This wasn't out of concern for him, but simply to prolong the beating and avoid causing immediate bloodshed.
Raj, thrown into the air, swiftly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to a mark on a nearby tree.
From his hidden vantage point, he trembled as he observed the scene.
'Good thing I'm smart. Otherwise, I'd be getting tossed around like a ragdoll and beaten while constantly healing myself.'
"It's true! It was its idea! I... Ugh! Aaaah!"
Thud!
Another punch sent Jiraiya crashing into the river.
He was quickly hauled out and healed, but the spectacle was so brutal it was almost unbearable to watch.
From a distance, all that could be seen was a flurry of splashing water and intermittent screams, creating a sort of mosaic effect that preserved a sliver of Jiraiya's dignity.
Of course, that sliver was barely enough.
At least the Yamanaka Clan youth hiding in the nearby forest, drawn by the commotion but too afraid to intervene, knew exactly who was being beaten and who was doing the beating.
By the end, the river's flow had been temporarily disrupted.
Dangling by his collar, Jiraiya could barely speak, his words slurring as he begged for mercy.
"Spare... spare me! I... I just... just..."
"Just what?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
If not for her hemophobia, her first punch would have left Jiraiya with internal injuries.
Instead, she was being "gentle," merely inflicting superficial pain and perhaps breaking a few ribs-injuries that would heal quickly under the care of the Divine Hands Physician.
The real problem was the excruciating pain.
Jiraiya didn't understand what was happening, but it felt like his pain receptors had been amplified beyond endurance.
"I just... I just wanted to write, so... so..."
Bang!
Tsunade clenched her fist, flexing her fingers.
Her body felt stiff after so long without a fight.
It was all Jiraiya's fault for writing such a moronic novel.
And to make matters worse, he'd written her into it, portraying her as a "youthful-faced bombshell."
He'd dredged up embarrassing childhood incidents, fictionalized them, and even added a disclaimer: "Based on true events."
Had his skin grown too thick from lack of beatings?
Jiraiya lay sprawled on the ground like a lump of mud, his ribs broken and healed repeatedly by Tsunade's masterful Medical Ninjutsu.
Now, dragged to his feet, he stared at her with utter despair, pleading, "I was wrong! I was really wrong..."
"Tell me, what exactly did you do wrong?"
"Uh..."
Another round of beatings followed.
One of the Three Legendary Sannin getting beaten this badly?
Jiraiya's situation was truly pitiful!
Raj felt genuine sympathy and admiration.
This guy knew how to handle Tsunade's fury-no resistance, no arguing, just taking the beating until her anger subsided.
But Jiraiya probably hadn't anticipated Tsunade's rage lasting this long, nor her vicious method of healing him between blows.
No wonder.
She'd been suppressing her anger the entire journey, and Jiraiya had just stoked the flames by teasing her on the tree.
Her pent-up fury finally erupted.
Of course, the real trigger was his betrayal by Black Cat.
"What's happening...?"
From behind, Minato rushed over, only to find a crowd gathered.
After a few glances, the onlookers scattered, too afraid to watch any longer.
He peered through the gaps and his eyes lit up.
'Tsunade? She's back!'
Years ago, Tsunade had left Konoha, and few knew where she'd gone or where she was now.
With war looming, many in the village had discussed searching for her, but now she'd returned on her own.
This was great news!
'Except for Teacher...'
'Hiss... This is truly tragic.'
'What exactly happened between Teacher and Tsunade?'
The scene was so terrifying that even Minato dared not approach, observing only from a distance.
Eventually, he dispersed the others and retreated to camp himself.
With Tsunade present, Jiraiya's life was certainly not in danger-at worst, he'd be beaten half to death, but even that could be healed.
The command issues at the front lines were troublesome, but Tsunade had returned, hadn't she?
It wasn't that Minato was heartless.
He understood some of the history between his teacher and Tsunade, knowing that many of their troubles were self-inflicted by his teacher.
"Aiya, stop fighting! You'll kill him if you keep going..."
Jiraiya's anguished screams echoed through the air.
By the end, Raj couldn't bear to watch.
This wasn't the time for schadenfreude.
The more brutally Jiraiya was beaten now, the greater the likelihood of retaliation from him later.
However, Raj found some consolation in the substantial points he had earned.
After spending two thousand points earlier without much return from Kakashi and the others, his total had now surged to seventeen or eighteen thousand.
This was all thanks to Tsunade and Jiraiya's efforts.
The risks were high, but the rewards were so great that taking on the risks was worth it.
"Wrong, wrong,"
"Wrong... flat, flat..."
Jiraiya had been beaten to the point of incoherence, but he had hit the nail on the head.
What Tsunade cared about most was that trivial incident from their childhood - the fact that he had distorted her character.
"Flat? Hmph."
Boom!
With one final punch, Jiraiya finally lost consciousness, a faint smile still on his face.
'Finally fucking free.'
With a medical prodigy like Tsunade around, even passing out required her permission.
That was the truly terrifying part.
After finishing with Jiraiya, Tsunade looked up at Raj perched in the tree.
This cat wasn't as innocent as it claimed.
She crooked her finger, and Raj understood, leaping down from the tree and running over willingly.
There was no escape, and his life wasn't in danger.
With Points to be earned, what did a few punches matter?
"How do you want to die?"
"Meow~ Beautifully?"
"Feeling smug, huh?"
"Meow~ I was wrong. I got carried away for a moment."
Such a cheeky cat!
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, lifted Raj, and scrutinized it.