"If that's the case… then there's no way left to escape."
As she spoke, Tsunade leaned back, her body resting against the tangled vines. She took a deep breath.
Just as she was about to say something more, another shinobi beside her clenched his teeth and suddenly stood up.
"Tsunade-sama, this time I'll be the one to lure the enemy away."
"You—"
Tsunade sprang to her feet, about to speak, but he interrupted her.
"Tsunade-sama, you're far more important than I am. And you're a medical ninja—
so it has to be me."
This shinobi, like Hyūga Yuchen, was a Special Jōnin.
They were also the only two Special Jōnin left in the unit Tsunade had led.
After speaking, he didn't wait for Tsunade's response. He turned and dashed off in one direction.
Seeing this, Tsunade clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.
Shinobi were rigorously trained, yet even so—
when facing a situation like this, even knowing it was only a matter of dying sooner or later, few were truly willing to face death head-on.
A shinobi like this—
Each one was outstanding.
Each one was a hero.
After a long while, Tsunade lifted her head again. When she opened her eyes, her expression was cold and utterly calm.
"Yuchen. What's the situation?"
"Tsunade-sama, the Iwa shinobi have been drawn away. There's a gap in one direction."
"Good. We move!"
Tsunade took a deep breath, determination filling her eyes.
She had to survive.
If only for those who were willing to give their lives for her—she had to live.
A lone figure sped across the muddy ground, moving as if barely touching the earth.
To ordinary people, this speed would be nothing more than a fleeting afterimage.
Ahead of Yuya, what still seemed some distance away had already begun to take shape—
A vast, dense forest.
When it became clearly visible, Yuya finally slowed down. From this point on, he had to be cautious.
This was already close to Amegakure.
Rain shinobi could appear at any moment—and even encountering Hanzō the Salamander directly wasn't impossible.
Even so, Yuya didn't hesitate.
No matter how dangerous it was, he had to come.
Not just because he was a Konoha shinobi, or because he was a Special ANBU acting under orders.
Back when Yuya had been weak—
Tsunade had once clashed head-on with the Uchiha Clan to save him.
She had even stood her ground against Uchiha Jingyama to protect him.
She had given him the Strength of a Hundred–style monstrous strength scroll,
and with that power, Yuya had defeated countless enemies.
Taking a deep breath, Yuya plunged straight into the forest.
"Keep chasing!! She can't have gotten far!"
"Damn it—she must not be allowed to escape! Absolutely not!!"
Several Iwagakure shinobi shouted furiously as massive numbers of Iwa forces surged forward through the forest.
Among them were Iwagakure ANBU.
Their faces were twisted with cold killing intent and raging fury.
Ahead of them, a single figure fled at full speed—
Tsunade.
But her condition was terrible.
She carried several severe wounds she hadn't treated at all.
It wasn't that she lacked time—
She lacked chakra.
At this point in time, Tsunade had not yet mastered the Strength of a Hundred Seal, so her strength had not reached true Kage-level—
even quasi-Kage was pushing it.
The fact that she had held out this long was already the absolute limit of what she could do.
Hyūga Yuchen was gone as well.
Earlier, when they had been surrounded yet again, Yuchen used his Byakugan to identify two possible paths and helped Tsunade break through.
During the breakout, with Tsunade's assistance, Yuchen had—just before dying—taken down an Iwagakure Jōnin with him.
That was one of the reasons the Iwa forces were now completely enraged.
The ambush had become a total failure.
Even killing Tsunade now wouldn't be enough to salvage it.
The leading commander, Iwagaki, had bloodshot eyes and was nearly frantic.
This was no longer about whether he could continue commanding troops—
It was about how he would face the overwhelming wrath of Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage.
The Iwagakure forces had gone all out.
Nearly every shinobi in the forest had converged here—
over thirty to forty people.
And this was already far fewer than before.
When they first ambushed Tsunade's unit, there had been sixty to seventy of them.
Nearly half were now dead.
Ahead, Tsunade never once looked back.
She was running purely on willpower, squeezing out the last remnants of her body's potential.
Hyūga Yuchen's sacrifice had opened a path.
Ahead of Tsunade was the forest's edge—and the direction did not lead straight toward Amegakure.
If she could get out there, she might still escape.
That hope alone was what had kept Tsunade on her feet until now.
Yet deep down, Tsunade knew—
Even if she escaped the forest, she would never evade pursuit on the open plains.
Unless…
Konoha reinforcements arrived.
But there wasn't even a shadow of a Konoha shinobi in sight.
This was deep within the Land of Rain.
It was unrealistic to expect Konoha to deploy a rescue force here.
"So… this is where it ends?"
As the Iwa shinobi drew closer behind her, unwillingness flickered in Tsunade's eyes.
Her speed slowed.
No matter how she clenched her teeth, she couldn't go any faster.
Just as the Iwagakure shinobi were about to catch her—
A figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
It flashed into existence and arrived directly before her.
Tsunade instinctively threw a punch—
But she no longer had any strength. Her fist was easily caught.
Then, in the next instant, she saw who it was.
Because this was a rescue mission, Yuya hadn't exposed himself openly.
He wore a cloak and a mask.
At a glance, it was clear—
A Konoha ANBU shinobi.
Seeing him, Tsunade finally let out a breath she'd been holding.
Konoha ANBU had arrived—
there was hope.
At the same time, she felt something strangely familiar about his presence.
But from his silhouette alone, she couldn't recognize him—
Yuya had changed far too much.
The moment she relaxed, her body went limp with exhaustion.
She was about to fall from the tree.
Yuya immediately reached out, gently catching Tsunade in his arms, then leapt down to the ground.
At that moment—
The Iwagakure shinobi arrived.
And just after Tsunade had relaxed, her expression suddenly changed again.
Looking at Yuya's back, she couldn't help asking:
"Don't tell me… you're the only one here?!"
"It really is just me."
Yuya shrugged and replied softly.
That voice felt even more familiar—
Yet she still couldn't place it.
And Tsunade's face turned pale once more.
Only one person?
How could a single shinobi possibly save her?!
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789