As the white fog dissipated, revealing the massive slug Tsunade had summoned, a murmur of astonishment rippled through the group.
"That's Tsunade's summon… but wasn't she supposed to be unconscious?" Zuo Wei muttered, disbelief etched on his face. They had used information from Sarutobi Hiruzen, special potions, and curses to lure Tsunade into a trap, assuming she'd be powerless once exposed to Chomei's chakra. But somehow, Tsunade was back on her feet, her gaze steely and sharp.
Takikage, sensing the danger, narrowed his eyes. "If Tsunade's still conscious, it could expose Takigakure's involvement. Let's leave before she discovers us and pin the blame on Hiruzen."
The Takigakure ninja quickly melted into the shadows, leaving behind the chaos they had wrought.
Meanwhile, other ninja villagers noticed the massive chakra wave pulsing from the area. Takigakure's own forces appeared swiftly, using the excuse that *Nanabi Chomei* had broken free and martial law was needed to contain the situation, effectively barring anyone from approaching.
---
In the thick of it, within the chakra barrier, Tsunade had regained consciousness, and Reiki lay beside her, exhausted and unconscious. She gently touched his forehead, taking in the scene of the bodies strewn around her. It didn't take much to understand what had happened.
"Tsunade-sama… your condition…," one of the enemy ninjas stammered.
"I'm recovered," Tsunade replied with a deadly calm, her voice low and steady. "And as for you…" she added, her fists clenched, "you're about to pay for what you've done."
With a powerful release of chakra, Tsunade's energy erupted around her, forming a barrier of sheer power that radiated outward. Her fists flew like missiles, and with one crushing punch, she sent the seven-tailed beast, Chomei, sprawling.
As Chomei regained its footing, its gaze filled with panic at the human standing before it. "A… Senju…," it rasped, shuddering as memories of another powerful Senju who once hunted tailed beasts flashed through its mind. Fearing capture, Chomei instinctively surrounded itself with an armor of metal minerals, trying to shield itself from her blows.
"Trying to run, huh?" Tsunade's eyes glinted. She darted forward, reading Chomei's movements with ease, and shattered the tailed beast's armor with a well-aimed punch. Before the beast could gather itself, Tsunade launched another blow, sending cracks spidering across the armor.
Realizing it was no match, Chomei desperately tried to charge a Tailed Beast Bomb. But before the energy could fully coalesce, Tsunade struck again, dispersing the charge and knocking the beast back.
---
As this one-sided beatdown continued, Reiki slowly regained consciousness. He blinked, watching the scene before him. *Is this really a tailed beast?* he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips. *Tsunade-sensei's making it look easy.*
Finally, as Chomei's armor crumbled completely, revealing its true insect-like form, Reiki shuddered. "Ugh… looks like a giant bug."
At that moment, his system chimed.
> **[Ding! Injury detected. Would you like to attempt treatment?]**
Reiki raised an eyebrow in surprise. *The system can detect the injuries of a tailed beast?*
"Teacher!" he called out. "Can we stop for a moment?"
Tsunade paused mid-punch, her fist hovering in the air. "You want me to… stop?"
Reiki grinned, scratching his head. "I want to try treating it. Besides, a tailed beast is still a living being. Maybe I can learn something from healing it… maybe even make a friend out of it?"
Tsunade stared at him, stunned. "Healing… a tailed beast? Reiki, I'm not sure that's even possible."
"I just want to try," he replied, shrugging. "What's the harm?"
With a sigh, Tsunade stepped back, allowing Reiki to approach the now trembling Chomei. Reiki popped an intermediate recovery potion into his mouth, feeling his chakra levels fully replenish. He approached the tailed beast with a calm and respectful air.
"Chomei," he said gently, "I'm not here to harm you. Let me help."
>>>>>
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