Within the puppet formation—
Tsunade's chest rose and fell sharply as she panted.
Fighting an entire puppet army alone had finally begun to tax her stamina.
Sasori only needed to twitch his fingers.
She had to smash and crush each enemy with her own fists and legs.
Though she held the field, the physical cost was real.
Sasori looked at her proudly.
"When you die, I'll turn you into one of my prized collections."
"Accept your fate."
Tsunade clicked her tongue.
"Getting cocky already?"
"It's too early to celebrate."
"Who wins isn't decided yet."
Sasori smirked.
"You're almost out of stamina."
"Still pretending?"
Tsunade smiled faintly.
"I've spent some energy."
"But dealing with you?"
"More than enough."
Sasori didn't believe a word of it.
"Is that so?"
"Then show me."
The Seal Breaks
Tsunade brought her hands together.
"Don't blink, kid."
Sasori's brows twitched again at that word.
Kid.
He snapped his fingers—
Dozens of puppets surrounded her.
"Die!"
Tsunade leapt—
Stepping directly onto the weapons aimed at her.
Then calmly said:
"Yin Seal… Release."
"Ninjutsu: Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique!"
Black markings spread across her body like branching veins.
Sasori's eyes narrowed.
Strength of a Hundred?
What was that?
Even Orochimaru looked surprised.
"So you've been developing something too, Tsunade."
She replied coolly:
"Nothing new."
"I've simply been storing chakra for years."
What Is the Strength of a Hundred?
The technique was simple in principle—
Years of accumulated chakra, released all at once.
No hand signs needed.
Automatic regeneration.
In battle—
It was like activating invincibility.
Fatal wounds?
Meaningless.
Tsunade's earlier hesitation had been due to risk—
Closing distance under heavy fire meant potential lethal injury.
Now?
Injury didn't matter.
As long as she prevented visible bleeding—
Her hemophobia wouldn't trigger.
She could tank the damage and go straight for Sasori's core.
Sasori still didn't grasp the danger.
He commanded the puppets to crush her.
But this time—
Tsunade didn't retreat.
She charged forward.
The All-In Assault
Sasori's eyes flashed coldly.
So she wants to gamble everything?
"Hundred Puppet Performance — Thousand Needles Chaos!"
Poisoned senbon rained across a wide area.
Dodging fully was nearly impossible—
And Tsunade didn't even try.
She simply controlled each wound with medical chakra.
Don't bleed.
That's all.
She kept advancing.
Sasori frowned.
What is she doing?
Poison should slow her down—
Why isn't she faltering?
He knew his toxin was lethal.
There was no time for her to create an antidote.
Correct.
She hadn't.
She was suppressing the poison's onset using her regeneration.
Delaying it.
Just long enough.
She was close now.
Very close.
Sasori still refused to retreat.
If she wanted to fight to the death—
He'd oblige.
"Hundred Puppet Performance — Toxic Piercing!"
Blades and senbon struck.
Tsunade was riddled with needles.
Like a human pincushion.
Yet—
She kept moving.
Sasori's smile faded.
Why isn't she collapsing?
Then—
She was in front of him.
"It's over, kid."
"Take this punch."
He had focused too much on controlling the puppets.
Too late to dodge.
CRACK!
His puppet body exploded into fragments.
Not Dead Yet
Tsunade exhaled slowly.
Finished.
She turned—
"Not yet."
The broken body twitched—
And reassembled.
Tsunade's eyes sharpened.
He was still alive?
Sasori rolled his neck.
"That punch was strong."
"Too bad."
"This body doesn't feel pain."
Tsunade scoffed.
"Turning yourself into a puppet isn't impressive."
"You're just a walking corpse."
Sasori remained calm.
"Eternal beauty."
"That is art."
"Fragile life means nothing."
Tsunade had no patience for philosophical nonsense.
Just break the core.
That was the key.
Sasori had already begun to panic.
If she found the true core—
One strike would end him.
Dozens of remaining puppets surged forward—
Each now approaching elite jonin level.
Both sides had expended over half their chakra.
If no breakthrough came—
It would become a battle of endurance.
Final Exchanges
"Toxic Spray!"
"Monster Strength: Heaven Kick!"
The battlefield shook.
Neither yielded.
Sasori laughed bitterly.
"I've really become a spectacle…"
Tsunade smirked.
"Not yet."
"I'm about to make you one."
Her eyes locked onto his chest.
That bright red core.
Hard to miss.
Sasori felt it instantly.
She noticed.
Danger.
She lunged.
He panicked—
Throwing everything forward to block.
BOOM!
Seven or eight puppets were obliterated instantly.
He narrowly escaped death.
But now—
He had almost nothing left.
A puppet master without puppets—
A fatal weakness.
Sasori cursed inwardly.
If that punch had landed—
He'd be finished.
And she was targeting the core relentlessly.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Still—
He refused to call for help.
He despised Orochimaru's condescension.
He would not give him the satisfaction.
"Spiral Slash!"
"Needle Rain!"
He unleashed everything left.
Tsunade clicked her tongue.
Even cornered—
Akatsuki members were stubborn.
From the sidelines—
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"So puppet arts end here?"
"Impressive to push Tsunade this far."
He murmured:
"Pain said we must assist one another…"
"I'm not ready to leave Akatsuki yet."
"Hmm… what to do?"
Genma and the others' expressions changed.
Was he going to interfere?
They immediately stepped forward.
"You won't disturb Lady Tsunade!"
Orochimaru's eyes turned cold.
"Insects."
"Step aside."
Before they could react—
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Snakes shot from his sleeves—
Binding all three instantly.
"Now do you understand the gap between us?"
They struggled helplessly.
Too strong.
He leapt into the battlefield.
Tsunade halted her assault briefly.
Orochimaru smiled playfully.
"The great Sasori of the Red Sand…"
"Why so pitiful?"
"Need help?"
Sasori exploded with fury.
"Slippery snake!"
"Get lost!"
"Don't ruin my fight!"
✨ Want to read ahead?
You can access advanced chapters on Patreon ♥
patreon.com/c/InkWhispers151
Every bit of support helps unlock bonus chapters and keeps the story moving.
💬 10 reviews → extra chapter
💙 100 Power Stones → extra chapter
Thank you for supporting my work! 💫