Fighting a tailed beast with nothing but flesh and blood?
Had Uchiha Yusuke already reached the level of that freak Third Raikage?
Rumor had it the Third Raikage could tear the Eight-Tails apart with his bare hands using nothing but his monstrous Lightning Release Body Technique.
And now Uchiha Yusuke hadn't even used ninjutsu—he'd split a Tailed Beast Bomb open with nothing but the sword in his hand.
From that alone, Uchiha Yusuke seemed even more outrageous than the late Third Raikage.
Of course.
Yagura Karatachi hadn't fully transformed yet, so the power of his Tailed Beast Bomb was somewhat discounted.
But even so—
Uchiha Yusuke's body being comparable to a tailed beast was an undeniable fact.
The Raikage usually relied on speed to evade Tailed Beast Bombs. Uchiha Yusuke, however, had faced it head-on without falling behind.
Across shinobi history, not many people had ever accomplished that.
With the situation turning extremely unfavorable, Yagura gritted his teeth, ruthless resolve flashing in his eyes.
I can't lose like this.
I have to preserve the dignity of the Mizukage!
Driven by that will, the Three-Tails' chakra surged violently from within him.
Yagura forced everything out of himself, making one final struggle.
Boom!!
A terrifying energy wave instantly swallowed the entire battlefield.
Dust and smoke billowed upward, and both Yagura and Uchiha Yusuke vanished from sight.
"Yusuke!"
"Mizukage-sama!"
Unable to see what was happening, the watching shinobi called out anxiously.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm."
Using the recoil from the jutsu, Yagura was the first to escape the smoke's range.
Uchiha Yusuke also reappeared.
On the surface, it looked like neither side had won.
But through his Sharingan, Uchiha Yusuke had clearly sensed it in that clash—
Yagura had been injured by his Sky-Splitting Slash.
Yagura wanted to maintain his Mizukage's face, and Uchiha Yusuke had no intention of exposing him.
To Uchiha Yusuke, defeating the Fourth Mizukage wasn't even particularly glorious.
After all, during the war against Kumogakure, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito Nii—and even the so-called strongest "A–B Combo"—had all fallen to him.
There wasn't any deep hatred between Uchiha Yusuke and Yagura.
Besides… if you counted the days—
Tobi and Pain were about due to make their move on Kirigakure.
With those people involved, Yagura was destined to fall into Akatsuki's hands sooner or later.
Since fate was already set, Uchiha Yusuke didn't need to go out of his way to change history.
Because of Rin, Tobi's feelings toward Kirigakure were abysmal.
If he wanted to vent by creating a "Blood Mist Village," Uchiha Yusuke wasn't interested in interfering.
After all, neither Tobi nor Pain's Six Paths were ordinary opponents.
Unless it was necessary, Uchiha Yusuke didn't want to provoke them yet.
With the fight halted, Kirigakure's ANBU and Konoha's three shinobi all rushed forward.
"Mizukage-sama, are you alright?"
"Yusuke, how are you?"
Yagura and Uchiha Yusuke both waved a hand, signaling they were fine.
But Uchiha Yusuke knew perfectly well—during that final collision, Yagura had been hurt badly.
Yagura cleared his throat and, forcing down the pain inside, spoke.
"I won't pursue the matter of you crossing the border without permission."
"Let's end it here today."
Hearing that, Uchiha Yusuke nodded.
Since Yagura had already backed down, there was no need for him to press the issue.
The mission of gathering intelligence and training his subordinates had gone smoothly, and he'd even used the chance to sharpen his swordsmanship.
This trip outside the village had been a rich harvest for Uchiha Yusuke.
Next, he needed to rendezvous with Tsunade's squad, then return to Konoha together.
Seeing that Uchiha Yusuke didn't keep pushing, Yagura quietly let out a breath of relief.
He hadn't even shown Isobu's full form—
Yet Uchiha Yusuke hadn't even revealed his Sharingan.
If they kept fighting, Yagura would lose without question!
And once he lost, the Fourth Mizukage's authority would be shattered.
With the two major figures reaching an understanding, no one else raised objections.
Yagura left in a hurry with Kirigakure's ANBU, while Uchiha Yusuke's squad set off toward the Land of Wind.
At the border of Sunagakure.
Tsunade and her squad had been wandering around here for days.
They'd gathered plenty of rumors, but they still hadn't found any sign of Akatsuki members.
The Land of Wind was dry and scorching; whenever the wind picked up, it filled your mouth with sand.
Tsunade didn't want to stay in a place like this for even a second longer.
But the thought of losing to Uchiha Yusuke on this mission instantly refueled her drive.
As she walked, Tsunade ordered her squad members:
"You three, stay sharp."
"We have to find where those Akatsuki bastards are!"
Shiranui Genma, a senbon clenched between his teeth, couldn't help complaining silently.
We've been wandering for days and haven't seen a ghost.
Why not just head back already?
Genma loved to gripe, but he didn't dare act out in front of Tsunade.
He knew that princess's temper.
If you ran your mouth in front of her, you'd get punched and still have nowhere to complain.
Genma didn't dare speak up. Aoba Yamashiro and Iwashi Tatami? They were even more cowardly—like quails.
Genma was at least a tokubetsu jōnin. Those two had only just made it to chūnin.
Still—
Being assigned as direct bodyguards for the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, and now Tsunade, meant the three of them had their share of good fortune.
If they trained hard, making tokubetsu jōnin in the future wasn't out of reach.
The three followed Tsunade onward, gradually crossing into the Land of Wind.
The Land of Wind was nothing like the Land of Water.
After the Third Shinobi World War ended, Sunagakure had formed an alliance with Konoha.
Tsunade bringing people into the Land of Wind wouldn't be seen as illegal entry. If anything, she might even be treated as an honored guest.
On the surface, Suna was currently Konoha's little brother.
A heavyweight like Tsunade was not someone Sunagakure's leadership would dare neglect.
Chiyo and Ebizō and the rest of the hawks had already retired. The newly appointed Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was clearly less hardline than his predecessors.
After days of marching through the desert, Tsunade's mood was sour.
If she weren't worried about being outdone by Uchiha Yusuke, she might've thrown down the mission and quit long ago!
Just as Tsunade and the others were about to find a place to rest, two mysterious figures wearing straw hats and black cloaks with red clouds suddenly appeared before them.
Seeing that distinctive outfit, Tsunade and her three teammates instantly lit up.
Black cloak with red clouds. A two-man team.
Could these be the Akatsuki members Uchiha Yusuke had mentioned?
The moment that possibility hit her, Tsunade cracked her knuckles, excitement surging.
Perfect timing!
I've been looking for you two forever!
Sensing someone blocking the way, the two figures stopped.
One of them looked at Tsunade and chuckled.
"Didn't expect to run into you here."
"Long time no see, Tsunade."
Hearing that eerie voice, Tsunade immediately knew who it was.
"Orochimaru… I didn't think you'd join some ridiculous organization like this."
Orochimaru explained with a serious expression.
"Cooperating with others is simply the fastest way to unravel the truths of this world."
"Only when the wheel begins to turn can I taste real pleasure."
Tsunade clicked her tongue.
"You haven't changed."
"Still spouting nonsense."
They'd barely exchanged a few words when Orochimaru's partner couldn't hold back and snapped.
"That's enough, you slimy snake."
"I don't like making people wait—and I hate waiting for others."
Orochimaru's voice was already bizarre, but somehow his teammate's was even worse.
Tsunade and the three squad members all turned to glance at the figure lurking inside Hiruko.
Crawling along the ground, and with such a strange voice…
What kind of monster was this?
Feeling their odd stares, Sasori of the Red Sand let out a cold laugh.
"Art isn't something just anyone can understand."
"Do you want to become part of my collection?"
Genma and the other two were utterly lost.
Art?
Collection?
What the hell was he even talking about?
Tsunade raised an eyebrow slightly.
From Sasori's words, she heard unmistakable malice.
Sasori looked at Tsunade and said flatly,
"I heard you're the greatest medical-nin in the shinobi world."
"I wonder how you compare to me."
Hearing that, Tsunade actually smiled.
So you want to fight?
Perfect. That's exactly what I want.
As Tsunade faced the mysterious Akatsuki member, Genma, Aoba, and Iwashi immediately assumed battle stances too.
Tsunade waved at them.
"You three stay where you are."
"I'm enough on my own."
The three wanted to say something, but remembering Tsunade's temper, they chose the sensible path—obedience.
The Third Hokage's order was to ensure Tsunade's safety. As long as she came out fine, they were happy to take it easy.
With Tsunade's combat power, she almost never lost in a one-on-one.
If they didn't interfere and instead focused on guarding against Orochimaru, it was actually a better arrangement.
On Akatsuki's side, Orochimaru clearly had no intention of stepping into the fight either.
Sasori's feud with Tsunade?
He only wanted to watch from the sidelines.
Sunagakure and Konoha had fought for years. Tsunade had clashed with Sasori's grandmother, Chiyo, many times on the battlefield.
Sasori's parents had also been slain in the Second Shinobi World War by Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
Even if Sasori had turned himself into a puppet devoid of emotion, deep down he still carried intense hatred for Konoha.
Tsunade was the First Hokage's granddaughter, the Konoha princess appointed by the Fire Daimyō.
On top of that, she was a world-renowned medical expert.
Sasori, a master of poison, naturally wanted to challenge her.
On the surface, these two had nothing to do with each other.
But in truth, they were practically destined rivals.
This encounter…
Tsunade and Sasori were bound to stage a fierce clash.
A breeze stirred the sand. Tsunade and Sasori faced each other.
War was about to erupt.
Tsunade sprang forward, throwing the first punch toward Sasori.
Sasori's movement was extremely nimble. With a side glide, he slipped away.
But—
Tsunade's punch carried absurd power. Even in the desert, it had devastating lethality.
Boom!!
The flowing sand was smashed into a massive crater. Sasori wasn't hurt, but the sandstorm blasted him, leaving him covered in dust.
From within Hiruko, Sasori spoke in that hoarse voice.
"Such terrifying brute strength…"
"Worthy of the legendary kunoichi."
Tsunade glanced at him and replied coolly,
"You're not bad either."
Tsunade recognized immediately that Sasori was using Sunagakure's puppet techniques, passed down through generations.
Hiding inside Hiruko should've made him clumsy—yet his movements were still incredibly flexible. That surprised her.
Sasori's eyes flickered as he stared at Tsunade.
"I heard you've identified Chiyo's poisons on the battlefield many times."
"I wonder if you can handle my new toxin."
Tsunade sneered.
Using poison in front of me?
That's like performing genjutsu in front of an Uchiha.
She'd seen even Hanzō's Ibuse poison.
Tsunade didn't believe some unknown puppet master could surpass Hanzō in poison.
"Hiruko: Tail Stinger!"
Sasori attacked in anger.
Facing the sudden strike, Tsunade didn't panic at all.
As an elite medical-nin, her footwork had been honed to perfection.
Sasori's attack was fast—but hitting Tsunade was still extremely difficult.
Tsunade slipped aside, dodging the scorpion tail, then counterattacked instantly.
"Heavenly Kick of Pain!"
Sasori shot upward. Hiruko opened its mouth and unleashed a sweeping barrage of toxins.
"Hiruko: Needle Eight Wave!"
The needle attack was extremely fast, but it still couldn't touch Tsunade.
With the initial probing failing, the fight returned to a tense stalemate.
Sasori calmly began calculating.
Tsunade's movement was too agile. To threaten her, he needed wide-area coverage attacks.
Once he understood that, Sasori immediately revealed Hiruko's signature trump card.
"Secret Technique: Thousand Arms!"
Thousand Arms was a hidden cannon built into Hiruko's left arm—packed with cylinders stuffed with more than a dozen poisoned needles each.
When fired, the cylinders scattered in all directions.
As they dispersed, the needles inside launched outward as well.
Unlike Needle Eight Wave, which blasted dense poisoned needles straight ahead, this mechanism used the internal design of the cylinders to fire the clustered needles like buckshot.
It covered both points and wide area, raising the chance of poisoning to absolute certainty.
It was a weapon Sasori designed specifically to counter nimble opponents—
Perfectly suited for Tsunade.
Faced with the dense poisoned swarm, Tsunade activated her Chakra Scalpel.
If she couldn't dodge—
Then she'd crush it head-on.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Poison needles were knocked to the ground one after another. Thousand Arms was dense enough, but its power was correspondingly reduced.
Once again, his trump card was neutralized. Sasori's expression darkened.
As expected of a medical-nin.
This woman is unbelievably troublesome!
And yet—
Challenge only made it more exciting.
Tsunade's strength didn't frustrate Sasori; it ignited his fighting spirit instead.
An opponent even Chiyo couldn't defeat—
He would defeat her with his own hands.
That would be the ultimate proof that a puppet master's art had reached its peak.
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