Ryun stayed in Otogakure for two days. After fully mastering the usage of Samehada, he wrote a letter to Orochimaru, who was far away on the Wind-Fire battlefield, and then headed directly to the Lightning-Fire battlefield.
When Ryun's figure appeared in the tent at night, Tsunade hugged him and cried until she was drenched in tears.
So much time had passed, and she had already learned everything about what happened to Ryun. Tsunade truly felt heartache for this younger brother, and even developed resentment towards the cowardly and incompetent Konoha higher-ups.
Ryun had clearly saved Kushina, which was a great service to Konoha. Yet, in the end, he not only received no rewards or praise, but was forced to become a sacrificial pawn to appease Kumogakure.
Most crucially, after Ryun's supposed death, that damned old man couldn't even protect Ryun's mother, leading to Asuka's suicide and ultimately creating a human tragedy.
Even after all this, Kumogakure still launched a war. Stupid Konoha not only crippled itself but also nearly shattered morale because of it...
The incompetent Konoha higher-ups faced much criticism. If Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't stepped forward to take responsibility and announced he would resign after ending the war, the war might not even be winnable now...
"Ryun, Konoha wronged you, and I wronged you too..."
Tsunade held him, crying uncontrollably. She felt deeply guilty for failing to help Ryun avoid that misfortune.
She originally didn't want to trouble Ryun by writing to him, but Konoha, fighting on three fronts, was really on the verge of collapse. Even children who had just graduated from the ninja academy were being sent to the battlefield.
For Konoha's sake, no matter how much Tsunade despised those higher-ups, no matter how much she didn't want to trouble Ryun, she had to follow orders.
She hadn't held out much hope that Ryun would come, even with her personal request and the talking points Konoha taught her... but this child still came after all!
Tsunade didn't know if it was her personal request that worked, or if this child still loved Konoha in his heart and couldn't bear to see it defeated...
"That matter has nothing to do with you, Sister Tsunade. There's no need to blame yourself." Ryun reached out and patted her back, trying to break free, but Tsunade only held him tighter...
"No, not only did I fail to help you, but now I'm asking you to come help me..."
Tsunade temporarily released Ryun, wiped away her tears, and looked at his face, feeling moved.
"I'm just here to settle accounts with Kumogakure. It has nothing to do with Konoha," Ryun stated coldly.
"I know..."
Tsunade said, nodding repeatedly, before hugging him tightly again.
Ryun said he didn't come to join the war to help Konoha, so it must be because of her personal request that he was willing to come... Thinking of this, Tsunade was even more moved, and her embrace tightened further...
"Sister Tsunade, could you loosen your grip a bit... I can hardly breathe..." Ryun said with a pained expression.
That pair of immense softness didn't bring Ryun any peculiar sensation; all he felt was suffocation. Moreover, this woman was incredibly strong. Being squeezed so hard left Ryun feeling entirely unwell...
Hearing this, Tsunade quickly let go of him, then scratched her head with an apologetic, silly smile...
"Ryun, can you defeat that Third Raikage? That guy's power is too immense. He's a taijutsu master who simultaneously possesses the 'Strongest Spear' and the 'Strongest Shield'. Even my Strong Fist couldn't break through his 'Lightning Release Armor'..."
Tsunade took Ryun's hand and led him to sit down, then began explaining the intelligence on the Third Raikage.
Tsunade had already fought him once. Previously, because the entire Konoha couldn't find a single strong enough person to break the Third Raikage's defense, Tsunade, who excelled in the strong fist style, was transferred to the Lightning-Fire battlefield front lines.
Unfortunately, she still couldn't break the 'Strongest Shield'. She lost that battle, and the entire Konoha ninja army was consequently routed once.
"Has your hemophobia gotten better..." Ryun couldn't help but ask. Someone in Tsunade's condition really wasn't suited for the battlefield. Where on the battlefield is blood absent? How could Tsunade still manage to fight the Third Raikage?
"No... but when I wear this, the hemophobia doesn't trigger..." Tsunade said, pulling out a special pair of goggles.
Wearing these special goggles, the terrifying crimson blood appeared as a different color, so she wasn't as afraid anymore...
"..."
Ryun briefly tested the goggles' function and fell silent for a moment.
Even suffering from hemophobia, this woman Tsunade was still willing to fight for Konoha. One had to admit she truly loved that village.
"By the way, how did you know about sister's hemophobia? Very few people know about this. Did Orochimaru tell you?" Tsunade asked curiously.
"Mm..."
Ryun nodded casually. Actually, Orochimaru hadn't told Ryun about this, but he knew Dan Katō had likely met the same fate. His death meant Tsunade would probably end up the same way.
"You've always been paying attention to sister, but I couldn't help you when you needed it most. I'm really too useless..."
Tsunade took hold of Ryun's hand again, her face full of self-reproach and guilt.
She had misinterpreted his intentions again... Ryun didn't come to the Lightning-Fire battlefield because of her, nor had he been deliberately paying attention to her...
"..."
"You don't owe me anything. I already said that matter has nothing to do with you. Let's not talk about those things anymore..." Ryun waved his hand helplessly, actively changing the subject.
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about those depressing matters..." Tsunade wiped her tears and then diligently ran to pour Ryun a cup of tea.
"Can the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist technique penetrate that Third Raikage's 'Lightning Release Armor'?"
After accepting the tea, Ryun continued asking for intelligence on the Third Raikage.
"The Gentle Fist technique can penetrate the Lightning Release Armor, but the damage inflicted on the Third Raikage is very limited. Moreover, the Hyuga clan's signature Gentle Fist ability to block chakra points doesn't work on him..."
"That guy's internal chakra is terrifying, like a tailed beast without a tail... His chakra is immense, and its flow speed is extremely fast. The moment the Hyuga clan seals his chakra points, the next instant the chakra within him violently bursts through the blockage..."
Tsunade explained the situation in detail. The Hyuga Gentle Fist technique Ryun mentioned was also not a match for the Third Raikage.
It wasn't that the Gentle Fist technique itself was ineffective. That internal energy is specifically designed to counter opponents with high external defense. However, the truly capable elites within the Hyuga clan are ultimately too few. The root cause is the people, not the technique.
Hearing that both the strong fist and gentle fist posed no threat to that strongest Raikage, Ryun wasn't particularly surprised.
After all, he was a man who could face the Eight-Tails head-on in a straight fight without losing ground. An ordinary ninja wouldn't find it easy to defeat him.
Konoha, having no way to deal with him, sought out Ryun through Tsunade, believing that only that kind of mysterious and powerful genjutsu might be the key to defeating the strongest Raikage!
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