After Tsunade was forcibly diverted from the previous topic by Xing Liu, she had completely forgotten about the matter and, after both sides agreed on a time, they each went back to their respective homes.
The night passed without a dream, except for suddenly being called over by an old man who claimed to be a god and scolded him once more. However, Xing Liu still felt that he had slept quite well.
Hmm... he really did sleep well.
Just a moment ago, he wanted to figure out which rooster was raising a ruckus before sunrise with its incessant "cock-a-doodle-doo." Was it really necessary to crow so loudly, even if it wasn't asking for anything?
Spring had long since passed.
After a while, the rooster's clamor abruptly ceased. Xing Liu wasn't sure if the bird had been punished by some kind-hearted soul, but it let out a final long crow before it succumbed to eternal slumber.
Sigh… "I didn't expect that the noisy alarm clock that had disturbed my sleep for two and a half years would just disappear like that…" Xing Liu sighed and then fell back into deep sleep.
This time, no one would disturb his rest, right?
"Knock knock knock—"
"Not again, who's banging on the door so recklessly this early in the morning?!" Xing Liu, who had just been about to enjoy a long-awaited nap, was once again interrupted by the incessant knocking.
Bang bang bang— Crash!
The sound of the door being forcibly broken open signaled that it had finally been breached after standing strong for so many years.
"What the hell! I was just a little late, how could they go and break my door down?!"
Having hastily thrown on some clothes, Xing Liu saw that his door was now in tatters on the floor, with the one responsible for the damage still awkwardly holding a pose as though knocking.
"I thought your door was due for a replacement, so I came over to test its sturdiness," the culprit said nonchalantly.
"Unfortunately, after being corroded for so long, it turned out to be this weak…"
Instead of believing the person's nonsensical words, Xing Liu would rather believe that they were a defenseless lady.
"Tsunade-dono, didn't we agree that our meeting time wasn't this early? Plus, even if we go now, the gambling hall is still closed, right?" Xing Liu, a little helpless, looked at Tsunade, who was flustered. Even if they were in a hurry to visit the gambling hall, they couldn't enter if the door was still shut.
And even if they went early, there wouldn't be that many people around, would there?
If the gambling hall was empty, it would be better to gather a few people to play cards instead. Those people would rather spend money at the gambling hall than play with a few friends. It was obvious they were after the lively atmosphere.
After Xing Liu's interruption, Tsunade finally remembered why she was there.
"Alright, enough of this nonsense. I came to find you because Sasuke has suddenly gone missing." Tsunade explained that she had sent someone to protect Sasuke last night because she was worried about him.
But today, when the guard changed shifts, that person discovered that Sasuke had vanished without a trace.
"Oh? I didn't expect that little brat would actually head over there." Hearing that Sasuke had disappeared, Xing Liu wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he thought it was only natural.
After all, after seeing his own incompetence, Sasuke would undoubtedly be desperate for power.
The curse mark that Orochimaru had placed on him was one of the crucial ways Sasuke could quickly obtain great strength.
"So, rather than working hard to develop his own strength, he's more inclined toward the power that others give him?" Xing Liu muttered to himself.
"What's all this about developing and giving power? Aren't you surprised that Sasuke suddenly disappeared?" Tsunade asked, looking at him.
"Surprised? If I were surprised, I wouldn't have used my position as his teacher to warn the little brat last night."
"Though it seems that this brat still couldn't resist the temptation of that power." Xing Liu added, his voice trailing off.
The reason Orochimaru had branded Sasuke with the curse mark was that he coveted Sasuke's young body, as well as the Uchiha clan's treasure—the Sharingan.
When Orochimaru had joined the Akatsuki, he had long been envious of Uchiha Itachi's body.
Itachi's body wasn't just young but also possessed a fully evolved Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, due to Itachi's overwhelming strength, Orochimaru could only watch from the sidelines, lusting after that body.
Now, Orochimaru turned his attention to the younger, weaker Sasuke.
And seeing Sasuke's desperation for power, Orochimaru easily implanted the technique to seize Sasuke's body, embedding it within Sasuke's own form.
"So, are we just going to watch Sasuke fall into Orochimaru's camp?" Tsunade asked.
"Don't worry, everything that's happening is within my expectations." Xing Liu casually waved a fan, pretending to be an oracle with an air of mystery.
"Fine, if you, as his teacher, are so calm about it, then I, as an outsider, can only be useless no matter how panicked I get." Tsunade said with a mischievous grin, looking at Xing Liu.
"Well, since you're already up, how about we stretch a little?" Tsunade suggested with a smirk.
"Huh? Do you mean…"
"…"
Ten minutes later, Tsunade was lying on the ground, breathing heavily, while Xing Liu, standing nearby, seemed unsatisfied, licking his lips.
"I didn't expect you to be all talk. I hadn't even started warming up, and you were already lying on the ground."
"I—what?! We agreed to fight using just our physical strength, and yet you shamelessly used Sage Mode?!" Tsunade groaned, completely losing her dignity as one of the Legendary Three Ninjas.
Xing Liu's Sage Mode had completely countered her immense strength, and even though she gave it her all, she couldn't break through his defenses.
Sigh… "I didn't use chakra or anything. In a 1v1 situation where I don't use any other methods, no one's really going to fight you seriously, you know?" Xing Liu said, then suddenly remembered a woman who was known as "Little Chili Pepper."
If that woman were here, perhaps she could have fought Tsunade evenly without using chakra.
---
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