"The rest is up to the others."
After showing off, Tōshirō had very little chakra left.
The situation looked promising. Tsunade directly flew to the vicinity of the stone monument. In mid-air, she twisted her waist, clenched her fist, and her arm turned pitch black. Having gathered her strength, she slammed her fist down, striking the huge stone monument.
"Boom!"
The punch was powerful and heavy. The large stone monument was shattered, raising a cloud of dust.
Tsunade darted to Tōshirō's side, cupped his face with both hands, and kissed him on the mouth, replenishing his chakra.
Besides its ability to absorb chakra, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal Kiss could also replenish chakra through a mouth-to-mouth transfer.
While Tōshirō was practicing this ninjutsu, Tsunade, as his training partner, naturally learned it as well.
"Oh no…"
Ichihime, who was entangled with the Leaf Ninjas, was stunned when she saw this scene.
Hiten seized that fleeting moment of distraction. Moving diagonally, he adopted the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams Palms starting stance.
His index and middle fingers aligned, forming a sword-like gesture, and he rapidly jabbed a flurry of pinpoint strikes at Ichihime's limbs and body parts, performing a series of pressure point attacks.
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Each strike accurately hit Ichihime's pressure points, sealing off her chakra flow.
Ichihime possessed Body Regeneration and Body Activation ninjutsu, making ordinary attacks largely ineffective against her.
However, even such powerful ninjutsu had a weakness: if her chakra points were sealed, her body would become that of an ordinary person.
Ichihime was furiously struck at her pressure points like a wooden stake, her legs scraping the ground as she was pushed back.
After completing the combo, Hiten thrust both palms forward, striking her chest.
Ichihime, like tattered cloth, flew out of bounds and lay on the ground, struggling to lift her neck.
"Damn it."
"I can't use chakra…"
Tōshirō, having refilled his chakra, instantly moved close. An ice sword pierced the ground and then stabbed into her chest, going straight through.
Tōshirō's blood-colored eyes reflected her gradually paling expression: "It's over…"
Ichihime, her heart pierced by the ice sword, spat out large mouthfuls of blood. She had no last words, only looked at Tōshirō's crimson eyes with an incredibly venomous gaze.
She was probably cursing him to hell with the most evil curses in the world…
Tōshirō didn't know. He only knew that she had a deep-seated hatred for him and the Uchiha clan.
If Tōshirō felt pity for her, it would be cruel to himself and his clan.
So, Tōshirō would kill her without hesitation.
Hiten, who had witnessed Tōshirō's ruthless act, watched him quietly, as if re-evaluating him with his gaze, thinking about what words to use to report Tōshirō's actions to the Third Hokage.
Just then, a Leaf Ninja approached, his tone carrying a hint of complaint: "Tōshirō, your methods are too brutal. This woman could use ninjutsu similar to Wood Release; she should have been captured alive."
Tōshirō chuckled awkwardly: "Oh, my bad, I really didn't think of that."
With that, he waved to Tsunade: "Tsunade, can you revive her?"
Tsunade was about to go check when a heart-wrenching, shrill scream suddenly came from nearby.
Everyone turned their heads and saw a person emerging from the Zero-Tails in the distance, shouting and screaming, his eyes bloodshot with excitement, as if he had lost his mind. Countless yellow tentacles surged from his body like waves.
"Boom, boom, boom…"
The wildly growing yellow tentacles crashed against the ceiling, seemingly trying to pierce it, causing large amounts of rock to collapse and fall.
"That monster has lost control! Everyone, retreat quickly…"
Through his Sharingan's insight, Tōshirō saw the chakra within the Zero-Tails erupting very unstably and urgently shouted.
Everyone quickly retreated from the scene, running headlong. Along the way, they encountered bewildered Sky Ninjas, whom they ignored and bypassed, quickly escaping the mobile fortress.
At this distance, they were safe. Tsunade exhaled and turned to her team, saying, "Is everyone alright?"
After speaking, she suddenly realized someone seemed to be missing. Her eyes widened: "Tōshirō, where did that guy go!?"
Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes meeting, and for a moment, they didn't know what to say.
"Damn it, what is that guy doing!?"
Tsunade didn't understand what Tōshirō was up to. With his strength, he should be the least likely to fall behind.
Unless… that guy intentionally lagged behind!
Realizing this, Tsunade cursed, "Seriously, what is that guy thinking!?"
Someone suggested, "Um, Tsunade, should we go back and save Tōshirō now?"
Tsunade immediately dismissed it without hesitation: "No need."
"Huh?"
"If that's all it takes, he wouldn't be the man I'm interested in," Tsunade's voice carried a hint of pride.
"…"
Tsunade grumbled, "He's really causing trouble. When he gets back, I'll definitely have to punish him severely."
A female ninja gossiped, "Punish what? Make Tōshirō kiss you?"
Tsunade froze, raised a small, flushed fist, and said indignantly, "Are you looking for a beating? You dare to joke with your captain?"
"Just kidding, just kidding, Captain Tsunade, don't be angry."
"Hmph, what do you mean, 'just kidding'? When we get back to the village, I'll deal with you."
"Nooooo…"
The joy of victory made everyone burst into laughter.
Deep Below
In the main room, Tōshirō came to a pillar near the treasure and fumbled around, as if trying to trigger some mechanism.
The ceiling continued to collapse with falling rocks, urging Tōshirō to make a quick decision.
He fumbled for an unknown amount of time. Just as he was about to give up, he casually swiped, seemingly triggering some kind of aurora. Vertical text scrolled upwards, illuminated by a light source, reflecting the characters.
"Click," a gap opened on the surface of the vine-wrapped pillar, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside, a scroll tied with rope lay quietly, with the character "Secret" written on the outside.
"Found it, I finally found it…"
Tōshirō was in a great mood, laughing heartily.
In the original story, Shinno seemed to have taken out the "Regeneration Technique" from this very spot and tossed it to Sasuke to take back to Orochimaru.
Although the people and timeline didn't match, Tōshirō, trying his luck, unexpectedly found it.
With this, he would have a few more advantages when facing that old man's future attacks.
Just as he was about to open it for inspection, the ceiling suddenly collapsed, dropping a large rock directly towards Tōshirō.
Tōshirō quickly dodged to the right, clicking his tongue.
"Forget it, I should leave here first."
He had the item anyway. It would be embarrassing if he couldn't escape in time and crashed.
^^^^^^^^
"Captain Tsunade, why hasn't Tōshirō come out yet?"
Someone saw that the mobile fortress had already sunk into the seabed, and Tōshirō still hadn't emerged, causing them concern.
"You ask me, who do I ask?"
Tsunade snapped, "It'd be best if he died. I could get a new boyfriend."
Although she said that, she was actually very worried about Tōshirō in her heart. Even though he was strong, who knew what could happen.
"Damn it, why aren't you coming out yet…"
After waiting for a long time, just as Tsunade was getting restless and about to dive in herself to retrieve him, a head broke the surface of the water, accompanied by a splash, raising waves.
Tsunade was startled and quickly ran over, scolding him fiercely: "Idiot, where did you go?"
"Oh, were you worried about me?" Tōshirō grinned, "I'm so happy."
"Pfft, who's worried about you?" Tsunade raised her small, pink fist and pounded him hard on the chest. However, the moment her fist made contact, it softened, merely tapping him symbolically, and her voice became gentle: "Don't ever act on your own initiative like that again."
Tōshirō looked into her eyes: "Tsunade…"
The female Leaf Ninjas, eating popcorn, commented, "Captain Tsunade is truly sharp-tongued but soft-hearted…"
Tsunade turned around, looking fierce, and roared at the troublesome group: "Hey, are you looking for a beating!?"
"Captain Tsunade, you're so scary!"
This female Leaf Ninja wrapped herself around Tōshirō, clinging to his clothes, looking terribly afraid.
Tsunade gritted her teeth: "Tōshirō, move aside! Watch me beat him to death."
"Tsunade, let it go…" Tōshirō laughed, "Getting hit by your fist could accidentally kill someone."
The female Leaf Ninja agreed: "Exactly!"
Tsunade gnashed her teeth: "You guys, don't think that just because Tōshirō is protecting you, I won't hit you. When we get back to the village, I'll deal with you."
The female Leaf Ninja shivered and begged for mercy.
Tsunade snorted.
Just then, a voice interrupted their playful banter. Hiten asked, "Tōshirō, where exactly did you go just now?"
At the mention of this, everyone's gaze turned to Tōshirō, their eyes filled with confusion.
Tōshirō had anticipated such a question and provided his prepared explanation: "While I had the time, I wanted to see if I could find any treasures."
"I see. So, did you find anything?" Hiten specifically asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Tōshirō said with a regretful expression, shrugging his shoulders.
Hiten nodded.
"You guy, you made me worry just for such trivial matters."
Tsunade was very dissatisfied with this answer.
"Sorry, sorry, I won't do it next time," Tōshirō apologized, naturally extending his arm around Tsunade's. "Let's go back."
"You're too close to me."
"What does it matter?" Tōshirō casually hooked his arm around Tsunade's shoulder and draped it across her back, walking ahead.
Hiten followed behind them. Taking advantage of Tōshirō's blind spot, he quietly activated his Byakugan, hoping to discern something from him, but found nothing.
"Did he really not find anything?"
"Was he overthinking it?"
Tōshirō's lips curved upward as he walked ahead. The Byakugan had x-ray vision, so he wouldn't be foolish enough to keep it on himself.
The scroll was now in his summoning animal's mouth.
He would open and study it properly once he returned to the village.
Fire Shadow's Office
Deep in the ocean, Shinno continued to sink with the body of the Zero-Tails.
"I hate it so much…"
"Uchiha Tōshirō, I must kill you…"
It was precisely this immense hatred that allowed him to cling to life, relying on the Zero-Tails' power, to this day.
But that was all he could do. Forget about getting revenge on Tōshirō; he was barely able to sustain his own life.
Soon, perhaps even before his life force completely dwindled, he would be torn to shreds by the creatures living in the ocean.
"I'm not reconciled…"
"I still need to get revenge…"
Shinno screamed hysterically in his mind.
"Whoever can give me the power for revenge, I am willing to offer everything, including my soul."
"…"
The only response was the coldness and weight of the seawater.
Just as Shinno felt despair, something colder and darker than the seawater echoed in the silent depths of the ocean.
"Then offer everything to me…"
Shinno was startled: "You are…"
"Mōryō…"
Fire Shadow's Office
"Thank you for your hard work…"
The mission was completed smoothly, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was very pleased.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
Tsunade was the main leader of this mission, so only she needed to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Are you going on a date with Tōshirō?" Hiruzen Sarutobi teased.
"Sensei Hiruzen, what are you talking about?"
Tsunade blushed slightly.
"Haha, just kidding. You should rest well these next few days. I'll find you for missions later."
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, no longer teasing Tsunade.
"Honestly…" Tsunade pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction, then left the office.
Shortly after she left, a ninja with white eyes entered the Hokage's office to report on the mission.
Having resolved the matter of the Sky Country, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a good mood and said with a smile, "Ah, Hiten. Is there anything you need to report to me?"
Hiten nodded: "Yes, I'm here to add details about this mission."
"Oh, details."
Hiten wasted no words, lowering his voice and getting straight to the point: "Yes, regarding Tōshirō."
Hiruzen Sarutobi keenly noticed the unusual atmosphere, but he didn't think too much of it, his face still holding a smile: "What's wrong?"
Hiten closed the door and spoke a few words in a hushed voice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just been smiling, gradually stopped smiling.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this…"
A certain man's frequent words to him couldn't help but resurface in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
In the past, he had never taken those words seriously.
However…
Now…
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, slowly walked to the window, and with a sigh, smoke escaped from his mouth.
"Danzo, perhaps you were right…"
"I truly do regret it now…"
(End of Chapter)
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