"That bastard is trying to take to the skies again! Katsuyu, can you stop him?" Tsunade asked, watching Deidara as he mounted his giant clay dragon, attempting to ascend once more.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Katsuyu replied.
"Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid!"
The large Katsuyu unleashed another massive stream of acid.
Sizzle!
The C2 dragon was quickly corroded by the acid. Not only was its body riddled with holes, but its wings also became perforated, drastically reducing its flight capability. Although it struggled to flap its wings, its ascent slowed more and more.
"Yaaah!"
A loud shout came from below. Tsunade had grabbed hold of the Fire-Breathing Dragon's claw and, with incredible strength, lifted it into the air.
After spinning it several times to build momentum, she hurled the Fire-Breathing Dragon straight toward Deidara and his struggling C2 dragon.
The two massive clay beasts collided midair. The tremendous impact compressed the points of contact into a flattened disc, and the C2 dragon completely lost its ability to fly, plummeting toward the ground.
Boom!
Deidara leapt off the dragon, throwing out a clay bird in midair to ride and continue ascending. However, a figure suddenly emerged from the side.
It was Tsunade!
Deidara was startled. How could this be? Wasn't Tsunade still on the ground?
Looking down, he confirmed that another Tsunade was indeed still on the ground. Could this one be a clone?
The airborne Tsunade smirked wickedly. "Kid, did you really think I wouldn't know how to use clone techniques?"
The reason Tsunade rarely used clones before was because, as a Taijutsu-focused ninja, clones were almost redundant for her.
Shadow Clones could cast ninjutsu and genjutsu, but they were ineffective for Taijutsu combat since even a small amount of damage would dispel them.
However, just because she rarely used them didn't mean she didn't know such basic techniques. And this wasn't just a Shadow Clone—it was a more advanced clone technique.
This clone had stealthily clung to the Fire-Breathing Dragon earlier and used it to get close to Deidara in midair.
Deidara, preoccupied with dealing with Katsuyu's acid earlier, had temporarily lost control of the battlefield. He failed to detonate the Fire-Breathing Dragon when Tsunade grabbed it and didn't notice the presence of the clone.
"Clay Myriad Snake Hands!"
In this critical moment, Deidara reacted as quickly as he could.
Countless clay white snakes shot toward Tsunade, coiling and wrapping around her.
Tsunade, however, paid them no mind. The Yin Seal on her forehead spread across her entire body.
As long as she had the Strength of a Hundred Technique, this level of attack wasn't worth dodging. The high temperatures and shockwaves from the explosions couldn't destroy her body faster than the Strength of a Hundred Technique could regenerate it.
Not to mention, her Strength of a Hundred Technique had become even stronger now!
"Katsuyu, lend me your Sage Chakra!" Tsunade shouted, her voice filled with determination. She could already envision herself pummeling this brat into the ground.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" the small Katsuyu on her shoulder replied, beginning to infuse her body with the unique Sage Chakra from the Shikkotsu Forest.
"Kid, disappear from this world!"
With this, I'll erase my greatest disgrace. Of course, this is also Lord Danzo's will.
Boom!
Tsunade emerged from the fiery explosion, her right fist glowing with a green light.
Unlike the green glow of ordinary medical ninjutsu, this light felt more domineering, purer, and more advanced.
"Die, kid!"
Tsunade's fist, imbued with unimaginable strength and dense Sage Chakra, was no longer a mere physical attack.
Thud!
Deidara's abdomen was struck with such force that he nearly spat out the clay he was chewing.
Like a meteor, he crashed toward the earth. The Sage Chakra continuously obliterated his Clayified body. Despite his attempts to replenish himself by consuming more clay, the rate of destruction far outpaced his recovery.
Deidara's body was almost entirely destroyed. In three to five minutes, he would lose all ability to move, rendering him completely vulnerable. A single additional Sage-empowered Monster Strength Punch from Tsunade would be enough to kill him outright.
Yet, Deidara showed no panic. Instead, a sly smile appeared on his face.
"Tsunade, this is my escape route. You've fallen for it!"
As he rapidly approached the ground, there was no expected impact. Instead, he fell into a deep hole that had been quietly dug earlier by his clay earthworms.
The hole was deep enough to shield him from the upcoming explosion.
Though his landing was far from graceful—he collapsed at the bottom of the hole like a pile of clay—Deidara managed to form a hand with the remaining clay, raising two fingers.
"Art is an explosion!"
"Ha!"
On the surface, Tsunade landed heavily, searching for Deidara's whereabouts.
Staring at the bottomless hole before her, she recalled Deidara's smile and words. A sense of foreboding washed over her.
"Damn it! Lady Tsunade!"
"The enemy has distanced himself from us!" Katsuyu realized, but it was already too late.
The Clay Myriad Snake Hands, the Fire-Breathing Dragon, and the C2 Great Dragon had surrounded Tsunade and Katsuyu, transforming into a blazing inferno.
"Art is an explosion!"
"Ha!"
"Shock Value from Tsunade +3000" "Shock Value from Katsuyu Sage +3000" "Shock Value from Jiraiya..."
The thunderous explosion and blinding light were visible throughout Konoha, generating Shock Value not just from Tsunade and Katsuyu Sage but from nearly everyone in the village.
However, as the threshold for Shock Value had reached near-Kage levels, the number of people in Konoha who could still provide significant Shock Value to Deidara had dwindled to just a handful.
Of course, regardless of others' reactions, the battlefield now only had Tsunade and Katsuyu left.
"Lady Tsunade!"
In the distance, several small Katsuyus merged into a car-sized form, wriggling quickly toward the center of the explosion.
"You're still alive!" Katsuyu exclaimed in surprise and delight. From its perspective, there was no way Tsunade could have survived such an explosion.
After all, accelerated regeneration wasn't the same as absolute defense. When the damage was too severe or too rapid, even accelerated regeneration couldn't keep up.
The large Katsuyu crawled over Tsunade's aged and battered body, releasing chakra to heal her quickly.
"Hmm?"
"This is the power of Asura. Which generation of Asura does this feel like?"
"Ah, right."
"It's the previous generation's Asura, Hashirama Senju. So Tsunade transplanted his cells? No wonder she's grown so much stronger."
"But why does her body also have another power? This power feels like a cage, imprisoning her."
"This sensation... it's the feeling of the Mangekyō Sharingan. It stems from Indra's power."
"Honestly, Hagoromo, why did you have such troublesome children?" Katsuyu's antennae twitched as it appeared deep in thought.
"Not long ago, Gamamaru even sent someone to ask for my help in guiding fate back on track."
"In that case, I'll take Lady Tsunade back to the Shikkotsu Forest for treatment. After all, she's a key figure in the destiny of this world."
With a poof, Katsuyu vanished, taking Tsunade with it.
As someone who had received perfect Hashirama cells, Tsunade hadn't awakened Wood Release like others. Those who could use Wood Release did so because their own cells were replaced by Hashirama's, granting them the ability.
The higher the proportion of Hashirama's cells in the body, the stronger the Wood Release.
But Tsunade was different. She already carried Hashirama's bloodline, so her cells were highly compatible with his and weren't significantly replaced. Naturally, she couldn't use Wood Release.
This had frustrated Danzo for quite some time.
However, he soon realized that while Tsunade hadn't awakened Wood Release, she had gained other benefits.
Her vitality, chakra reserves, and physical constitution had all been greatly enhanced, nearing Hashirama's original level.
From an omniscient perspective, her body was gradually transforming into a Sage Body—this was the true benefit she had gained.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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