Kinoshita Nagatoshi watched as the sensory team captain blocked Tsunade's path.
A pleased smile tugged at his lips.
"Well done, kid. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you with Lord Ōnoki."
In his mind, Nagatoshi had already started picturing the scene of the Third Tsuchikage personally commending him.
But to earn that reward, there was one condition:
This woman must be captured.
His expression turned ruthless.
"This time, I won't give you another chance.
Break her legs!
Let's see how far she thinks she can run then!"
His cruel order rang out—
completely unaware that danger was already closing in.
...
Surrounded from both sides by Iwagakure shinobi, Tsunade had truly run out of options.
She'd been careless.
Her original plan was to shake off her pursuers, find a safe place to recover some chakra, then continue the escape.
But she hadn't expected the enemy to have this many backups waiting in ambush.
Her chakra was nearly depleted.
At this point, trying to break free from so many shinobi was nothing more than wishful thinking.
If only there were reinforcements, Tsunade thought bitterly.
But we're so far from Konoha's base camp… even at top speed, it's probably impossible for them to get here in time.
Her heart clenched.
If she still had chakra left, she might've risked a fight.
But right now? It was hopeless.
If I get out of this alive, she promised herself,
I'm going to invent a jutsu that lets me recover chakra in a pinch.
Tsunade clenched her fists, prepared to die rather than let Iwagakure take her research.
She still had a few of the salamander poison sacs with her.
If they tried to capture her, she'd bite into them and take her own life.
She'd rather die than let Iwagakure get their hands on her work.
As the Iwa shinobi slowly closed in, Tsunade reached for the poison sac.
But then—
she noticed something odd.
The sensory team captain in front of her made a strange move.
Because they were face to face, Tsunade could clearly see every movement he made.
The captain, who had just been advancing steadily, suddenly showed a flicker of caution in his expression.
Then his face relaxed, and he looked at his squad captain behind him, displaying a hesitant look, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't
But in the end, cruelty hardened his gaze, and he still lunged toward her.
Just then, a sharp scream burst from behind her.
And immediately after, a familiar voice echoed through the chaos—calm, cold, and unmistakably his:
"I heard you want to lay a hand on my woman?"
Tsunade's body shuddered.
She would never mistake that voice.
It was Hoshiyomi Gekkō.
Hoshiyomi came to save me!
For a second, Tsunade's eyes brimmed with the urge to cry.
But she forced herself to stay focused—the danger wasn't over yet.
The sensory team captain was still charging at her.
Her battered body reacted a step too slow, and she knew she wouldn't be able to fully dodge.
Fine, she thought grimly.
I'll just take the hit and heal myself later.
In her heart, though, she had already relaxed.
Even if Hoshiyomi had come alone, she still trusted him completely.
Maybe it was love.
Or maybe it was a bond forged through years of shared danger.
Back in Land of Whirlpools, even with traps all around, Hoshiyomi had saved her.
She believed in him now, just as much as she had back then.
Sure enough, a Wind Blade shot out from the forest, forcing the sensory team captain to retreat.
At the same time, a howl pierced the air—a sharp, wolfish cry.
A giant white wolf burst from the trees.
It was Lobo, spraying multiple Wind Blades from his mouth, scattering the Iwa shinobi into chaos.
Tsunade seized the chance, slipping out of the encirclement.
"Are you alright, Tsunade?" Hoshiyomi asked, stepping to her side.
"I'm fine."
Seeing Lobo's massive form, Tsunade felt even more certain of one thing:
With Hoshiyomi here, everything would be alright.
Meanwhile, the Iwa-nin stood frozen, eyes darting between the sudden appearance of one man, one wolf, and… the corpse of Kinoshita Nagatoshi lying on the ground.
A single sword slash had ended Kinoshita Nagatoshi's life.
The strike came silently, unleashed while Hoshiyomi was hidden with the Transparent Escape Technique.
By the time the gleam of the blade appeared, it was already too late to dodge.
In fact, only the sensory team captain had noticed Hoshiyomi's approach.
And he had intentionally kept quiet.
People always have to pay for their actions.
He'd done it on purpose.
Why should he protect someone like Kinoshita Nagatoshi?
That guy had humiliated and scolded them non-stop.
Besides, Nagatoshi was basically useless—dead weight.
Without him, the sensory steam captain's contributions would shine even more.
His plan was simple:
If the squad captain died, and he led the team to capture Tsunade afterward, the credit would belong to him alone.
He had already sensed it—
Konoha's reinforcements consisted of just one man and one wolf.
They still had nearly forty shinobi left, including ten elite and regular jōnin.
With that kind of advantage, could those two really kill them all?
Impossible.
So he kept his mouth shut, letting Hoshiyomi kill Kinoshita Nagatoshi, eager to snatch up the rewards for himself.
Now, standing confidently before the group, the sensory team captain shouted:
"Don't panic!
Squad Captain Kinoshita's dead, but that's no reason to lose your heads!
I've already scanned the area—the enemy has only one man and one wolf.
There's nothing to be afraid of!
Just use a single jutsu each, and we can wipe them out!"
He raised his voice again, trying to stabilize the shaken troops:
"Don't worry! Once we bring Tsunade back to Iwagakure, I'll personally report to Lord Ōnoki and make sure everyone here gets credit!"
Hearing that, the Iwa shinobi calmed down.
Their panic from Nagatoshi's sudden death faded, replaced by dangerous grins.
They closed in, surrounding Hoshiyomi and Lobo, eyes gleaming with malicious intent.
Hoshiyomi let out a sigh and shook his head as if in disappointment.
He casually held his Mikazuki Munechika, the famed crescent blade, and began counting their numbers with the tip of his sword.
"One… two… three… looks like there's thirty-seven of you."
Then he smiled faintly.
"Well, since that's the case—
I hereby announce: you're already surrounded."
His voice was calm, almost lazy.
"You have two options."
"Drop your weapons and get out of here."
"Or—"
His sword tip pointed at Nagatoshi's corpse on the ground.
"Become fertilizer for this swamp, just like him."
The Iwa shinobi's grins twisted into outright laughter.
"Hahaha! This guy's got a screw loose!"
"Coming here with just one man and one wolf, thinking he can get away with Tsunade? What a joke!"
"Best laugh I've had all year!"
Someone mocked in a fake serious tone:
"Whoa, everyone be careful! He said we're surrounded!
Hahahahaha!"
Their laughter rang out, reckless and contemptuous.
To them, Hoshiyomi was just a strong but delusional madman.
But in the crowd, one person's face froze.
His eyes narrowed, staring at the sword in Hoshiyomi's hand.
After double-checking again and again, he finally couldn't help but shout out:
"Wait!
That sword… and that sword technique…
You—you're Konoha's Silver Moon!"