Chapter 48: The Best Healer in the Shinobi World
In the heart of the Land of Grass.
On a large bridge, Jiraiya and Orochimaru lay hidden on either side, concealed within the trees, alert and ready for any unexpected developments.
Standing atop the bridge, Tsunade crossed her arms, exuding a bold and heroic air. With a calm expression, she said, "You must be the leader of the Grass Village. We in the Leaf Village have received intel that a squad of elite Stone ninja, disguised as our Leaf shinobi, are planning to attack you and blame it on..."
Facing a masked ninja across from her, Tsunade spoke steadily while pulling out a brown-green scroll of information.
The masked leader of the Grass Village replied hoarsely, "You large nations speak so much of righteousness and justice, yet all you do is burn, kill, and plunder in secret. You Leaf and Stone ninja have brought your war into the Land of Grass, and now you claim it's for our benefit?"
Hearing this accusation, Orochimaru's eyes remained indifferent and emotionless from his position in the woods, while Jiraiya fell into a brooding silence.
However, Tsunade, engaged in the information exchange on the bridge, merely scoffed and replied, "Is this your first day in the shinobi world? The entire shinobi world works like this. Large nations bully the Land of Grass, just as you in the Land of Grass bully even weaker countries."
"We're all shinobi. In this world, even we in the big nations can't guarantee peace for ourselves; just managing our own situations is already difficult!"
Raised in a prestigious family of Hokage, Tsunade had a broader view than most. Her clan, the Senju, had a long history chronicled in thick volumes filled with tales of war.
She wasn't a saint; she could only do what was within her power to ensure peace and stability for her country.
The Grass ninja leader across from her responded to Tsunade's retort with a raspy, self-mocking laugh.
"Just as Princess Tsunade says, this world belongs to the strong. So, I wonder if this information might earn me the friendship of Lady Tsunade?"
Both parties threw their scrolls forward, choosing to exchange information.
The moment Tsunade opened the scroll, her pupils shrank. Instantly, the scroll ignited and turned to ash in the wind.
The Grass leader sighed inwardly. Grass Village didn't want to act like a weather vane, but had no choice. The Stone Village wanted to use them, but he couldn't afford to anger the Leaf Village either.
All he could do was sway between both sides, hoping to buy some breathing room for his village.
"I understand," Tsunade replied, putting on a cheerful facade and laughing boldly. Meanwhile, she subtly signaled to Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
**[Danger! Ambush!]**
But as the two prepared to turn away, a dozen Stone ninja, identifiable by their unique red half-sleeves, suddenly appeared in the distance.
"Haha, thanks to the Grass leader! We've surrounded them. Let's kill the Leaf shinobi together!"
Boom!
At the sudden appearance of the Stone ninja, a glint of shock crossed Tsunade's eyes, while the Grass leader was visibly horrified.
"We agreed on three days from now!"
In that moment, he realized everything. He had been tricked by the Stone Village.
From beginning to end, the Stone Village had never trusted him; they'd simply been using him.
"Retreat!" Tsunade reacted instantly, shouting as she punched the bridge with all her might.
Monster Strength Punch
Boom!
Under the terrifying power, the solid cement bridge began to collapse, and Tsunade shouted coldly, "The Stone ninja have us surrounded. Break through!"
Just then, the piercing cry of a Leaf Village messenger hawk rang out in the sky! At the same time, a message fell into the hands of Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
"Damn it! Now the intel arrives!" Tsunade cursed as she burned the message, then disappeared into the forest without looking back.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru realized the gravity of the situation and immediately formed a three-man combat formation, swiftly retreating.
"There are traps in the forest. They'll only buy us a little time. We need to break through now!" Orochimaru, ever the strategist, knew that if the Stone Village had set this up, the encirclement would be complete. Their only option was to break through as quickly as possible.
Stand and fight? The Stone Village had sent an army of over a thousand ninja.
"I, the Toad Sage, haven't made a name for myself in the shinobi world yet. There's no way I'm falling here!"
Jiraiya, running at full speed, let out a hearty laugh, his determined gaze fixed on the path ahead as he shouted, "Let the Toad Sage lead you through this, and we'll become heroes of a new era for the Leaf!"
Seeing Jiraiya's antics, Orochimaru didn't have time to call him an idiot. With perfect coordination, he completed his hand signs just as Jiraiya jumped high, aligning himself at an ideal angle with Orochimaru.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough"
The two of them unleashed their jutsu simultaneously. With their combined chakra, flames erupted like a raging dragon, intensifying under the powerful gust, creating a torrent of fire that engulfed a large area of the forest.
Screams and the sounds of jutsu echoed from within the fiery torrent.
Amidst the chaos, Tsunade, listening carefully, pinpointed enemy locations and flung kunai charged with explosive tags with deadly precision.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Under the dense rain of kunai and the terrifying force, even the air seemed to tear. The kunai buried themselves into the Stone Village's earth-based defenses, triggering explosions that tore gaps in the Stone barriers. Fire surged in, reducing the trapped ninja to charred corpses.
With their strength and flawless teamwork, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru managed to hold off their attackers, their combined skill enough to threaten Kage-level opponents.
In mere moments, the Stone ninja suffered significant losses, while the three pushed forward without hesitation.
"Damn it, this was a trap!" The usually light-hearted Jiraiya was now utterly serious, releasing jutsu after jutsu.
Orochimaru called out decisively, "Don't hold back your chakra! Push through!"
If they tried to conserve their chakra now, they'd be surrounded—and even double their chakra reserves wouldn't save them then.
"Summoning Technique"
Tsunade summoned three slugs, two of which quickly burrowed into the armor of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Indeed, Tsunade deserved her title as the best healer in the shinobi world!
(End of Chapter)