"Why do we even need him here in the first place?"
Irina muttered, her voice laced with frustration.
Her discontent stemmed largely from her inability to negotiate with Karasuma, who stood a bit further away, carefully observing the tense confrontation.
She cast a resentful glance at Tsuna, her cheeks flushing red with a mix of humiliation, irritation, and some unexplainable feeling. Her pride had taken a hit, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed by how often she'd been outmaneuvered.
"Just you wait..." she mumbled under her breath, her tone almost petulant.
Karasuma noticed Irina's flushed face as he briefly glanced her way. He assumed her redness was due to dissatisfaction with the current situation and shook his head slightly before refocusing his attention on the grassfield.
"I'm not sure, but since Korosensei specifically asked for him to be here, he must have his reasons..."
Karasuma murmured, his gaze fixed on the ongoing confrontation.
Tsuna had been full of surprises since joining Class E.
Despite thorough checks into his background, Karasuma had found no explanation for Tsuna's exceptional martial arts skills. However, Karasuma had noticed a significant shift in Tsuna's behavior after the tragic loss of his mother in a car crash a few months back.
Since then, Tsuna had become almost obsessively focused on training to his limits.
"He's incredibly talented then," Karasuma thought, recognizing that there was nothing else that could account for Tsuna's rapid improvement.
That kind of talent was rare, and Karasuma knew it could be valuable.
"...I have to recruit him," he concluded, seeing the potential that Tsuna could offer to the country.
"Hmph, so it's you..." Kaede sneered, her eyes locked onto Tsuna with a hateful glare. "I thought we were waiting for someone important, but it turns out we're waiting for a nobody."
"Haha, you seem quite excited to see me, little girl..."
"You... What a hateful fellow..."
Tsuna chuckled, clearly amused by her hostility as Kaede growled angrily, her frustration only making her look like an adorable chihuahua in his eyes.
"Kayano-san, it's dangerous to keep using those tentacles. If you don't remove them and get treatment immediately, your life could be in danger!" Korosensei warned sharply, his tone filled with concern.
"These?"
Kaede scoffed, waving off his concern.
"What are you talking about? They're in perfect condition..."
She smirked, her tentacles moving lightly to emphasize her point. "You can't bluff me with those measly warnings, Korosensei. I'm not a kid anymore."
Korosensei's unease grew, knowing all too well the truth behind his warning
"Kayano..." Nagisa's voice cut through the tense atmosphere as he looked down, his expression troubled. After a moment, he asked softly, "...was everything an act? All the fun we had, all the sorrows, and our struggles throughout this semester..."
"It was an act," Kaede retorted sharply, her words slicing through the air.
The faces of everyone in Class E shifted with disbelief and hurt. "I'm an actor, after all..."
On the side, Tsuna observed the unfolding drama, letting the students confront their emotions.
He turned to Korosensei and asked quietly, "Do you have a plan?"
"No," Korosensei murmured, his gaze fixed on Kaede. "But I need to remove those tentacles from her body, or she might lose her mind and go berserk..."
Tsuna considered this, then replied, "I know an efficient way to solve this, but I doubt you want to take that route, right?"
"..."
Korosensei understood the implication behind Tsuna's words and shook his head firmly.
"She's a student of mine..."
And Aguri's little sister.
Korosensei's voice held a quiet resolve.
The thought echoed in his mind, strengthening his resolve. Tsuna nodded, recognizing Korosensei's commitment, "Then we need to find a way to get these tentacles out of her without causing too much harm. It won't be easy. How skilled is she with them?"
"Skilled enough to be a real threat," Korosensei admitted, his tone somber.
"..."
Tsuna fell silent, his eyes scanning the scene.
The rest of the students were still grappling with Kaede's accusations, struggling to understand why she believed Korosensei was responsible for her sister's death. To them, it seemed absurd, a claim born from grief and anger.
"I can distract her for a while," Tsuna finally spoke, his voice steady. "Do you think you can get it done in a short time?"
Korosensei nodded, determination flashing in his eyes. "Yes, it's possible. But how will you distract her?"
A smirk curled Tsuna's lips as a mischievous glint flickered in his eyes. "She's been a naughty little girl... It's time she learns a lesson."
Kaede's agitation spiked with every word they spoke.
Their attempts to persuade her felt like knives twisting in old wounds, their words hollow and meaningless. They spoke as if they understood, but they knew nothing of her pain, nothing of her sister.
The tentacles around her began to writhe, glowing with a sudden, intense heat as she screamed, "Shut the fuck up!"
"What do you know about me!? What do you know about my sister!? Shut up!"
Her voice cracked with raw emotion.
"That...!"
Korosensei's eyes widened in alarm as he saw the flames engulfing her tentacles.
The fire would only worsen the instability between the tentacles and her body, accelerating the danger. He immediately tried to reason with her. "...Kayano-san, don't do that!"
"Shut up!"
Kaede's voice was laced with fury as she swung her tentacles, igniting a ring of fire that separated the students from her, leaving only Tsuna and Korosensei within the circle.
Her eyes darkened, a twisted smile curling her lips as she chuckled darkly, "Enough with the talk no jutsu bullshit! I'm going to kill you right now!"
"Kayano!"
"Please, stop!"
The students cried out in desperation, their voices tinged with fear.
But their pleas fell on deaf ears as Kaede's expression twisted with madness. With a crazed look in her eyes, she launched herself at Korosensei, her flaming tentacles swinging wildly in his direction.
BOOM!
The ground shook as Kaede's tentacles slammed into the earth, sending a shockwave across the field. Tsuna swiftly leaped away from the impact, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.
"..."
Kaede's focus was entirely on Korosensei.
Her tentacles moved in a blur, a fiery streak of destruction as she relentlessly attacked, each strike aiming to land a decisive blow.
Korosensei matched her speed, narrowly avoiding each fiery lash, but the heat radiating from her tentacles was intense, turning the grass field into a smoldering battlefield.
The flames from her tentacles crackled like a volcanic eruption, sending waves of heat that distorted the air around them.
The sheer speed of her attacks was overwhelming.
"...Ito-kun..."
"I know..."
They had miscalculated Kaede's power!
"I can't even see it with my naked eyes..."
Tsuna muttered under his breath.
Kaede's tentacles were faster than before, moving with a speed that made them nearly impossible to track. Tsuna's instincts were the only thing allowing him to follow their movements.
Chakra surged through Tsuna's body, activating every cell and heightening his senses.
His figure blurred as he darted across the scorched battlefield, his speed shocking everyone who witnessed it.
But Kaede, driven by rage and heightened instincts, sensed his approach. Tsuna's eyes narrowed as he felt an imminent attack, his instincts screaming at him.
He ducked just in time, feeling something whistle past where his head had been a split second earlier.
While doing so, he adjusted his footing, aiming to close the distance between them.
But...
"...!"
Another attack came from below, faster than he could react. His instincts flared again, warning him to evade, but it was too late.
"Shit..."
He raised his arm to defend himself, but Kaede's tentacles struck with terrifying force.
BAM!
The impact sent him flying across the field, his body tumbling through the air before crashing into the ground. Smoke and dust billowed as he skidded across the earth, finally coming to a stop against a massive rock with a resounding thud.
"Senpai!"
The cries of the Class E students echoed across the field, their voices filled with fear and concern. They stared at the spot where Tsuna had crashed, terrified that Kaede's attack might have been fatal.
Shrouded in smoke and debris, Tsuna frowned as pain coursed through his body. Despite adjusting his position to absorb some of the impact, his body was hurting as he mumbled, "I definitely need to go all out then..."