"I'm going to die... I'll die..." Naruto stood frozen, muttering under his breath over and over.
He had never encountered death before and was now completely panicked.
Why? Why did it have to be me? Why would she try to kill me?
Tsunade remained deep in thought for a while before turning her gaze back to Naruto.
The moment he met her eyes, Naruto felt as if he were staring at the Shinigami (the god of death) himself.
His emotions completely overwhelmed him. Tears suddenly burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam.
"Help me! Save me! Jiraiya-sensei, save me..."
Completely lost, he could only keep repeating those words over and over.
Even Nine-Tails felt somewhat flustered, but compared to that, right now this seemed like a great opportunity to break free from its bindings.
"Brat, stop groveling to that pathetic man! Remove this seal and you'll become stronger than him!"
"Hurry up and remove the seal!"
"Faster! Remove it!"
Nine-Tails' roars grew louder and louder, gnawing at Naruto's mind like claws scraping stone.
Jiraiya, however, remained unaware of all this.
At the moment his attack was blocked, he finally arrived in front of Naruto.
The Iron-Armored Frog's body landed on the ground, blood splattering everywhere, staining a large area of earth red.
Reflecting on everything that had just happened, Jiraiya's gaze toward Tsunade finally changed.
He was just a child, and yet Tsunade had used a deadly technique against him.
Tsunade had changed. She was no longer the person he remembered; she had become someone who callously took innocent lives...
Jiraiya steeled his resolve—there was no holding back anymore.
"Step aside!" Tsunade coldly barked.
Jiraiya gave her no reply.
[Earth Release: Bottomless Swamp]
Suddenly beneath Tsunade's feet appeared a massive swamp.
Yet she merely smiled faintly. From the wooden clone standing on solid ground, several vines sprouted out, wrapping around her real body, attempting to pull her away from danger.
Jiraiya grinned confidently too.
[Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet]
Blazing flames surged forward, aiming at Tsunade's real body wrapped in vines, about to land on the ground.
[Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall]
Still, the wooden clone performed the hand seal.
A line of wooden pillars emerged from the earth, bending into an arch to block Jiraiya's attack.
The flames continued burning, but Tsunade already stood in a safe place.
Though unsurprised by the outcome, Jiraiya still couldn't help curling his lips slightly.
"She's tough to deal with."
Just then, an evil and furious presence erupted.
A cold dread settled in Jiraiya's chest as he turned, witnessing red chakra from Nine-Tails already enveloping Naruto's body, his eyes transformed into bestial pupils.
"Naruto... calm down!"
Right now, Nine-Tails controlled Naruto's consciousness—friend or foe meant nothing anymore, or rather, it simply didn't care.
His hands became claws of crimson chakra as he slashed toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya barely dodged, quickly increasing the distance between them.
In an instant, one fiery red tail already soared behind Naruto.
The second tail was slowly forming...
Jiraiya watched the scene with concern. Eventually, his expression turned complicated as he shifted his gaze to Tsunade.
She had the First's necklace and had awakened Wood Release—both could suppress the Nine-Tails.
So in the end... could they only rely on her?
But just now...
Tsunade's eyes also darkened.
It wasn't because of Jiraiya—she was simply afraid the Nine-Tails would cause a massacre.
As tailed beasts, they lacked humans' concepts of good and evil or any principles at all—they existed only to unleash their power.
There was no way they could allow it to reach full strength, much less break free.
If Tsunade could use techniques like Great Wood Figure or Wooden Dragon—and even more powerful Wood Release moves—what threat could even a fully formed Nine-Tails pose?
Unfortunately, she hadn't learned those yet, let alone be able to use them now.
A quick comparison revealed that her Wood Release surpassed Yamato's but fell far short of Hashirama Senju's level.
"Tsunade, where's your necklace?" Seeing her seemingly lost in thought, Jiraiya couldn't help but ask.
"The necklace is drawn from my power," Tsunade coldly replied before beginning to weave chakra with a series of hand signs.
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At the moment the Nine-Tails' red chakra surged, everyone inside the Daimyo's mansion was shocked, staring anxiously toward the source.
"What is that?"
"How did something like this appear inside our palace?"
"Can Lady Tsunade handle it...?"
"Your Lordship, please don't step outside!" The guards blocked Hidenaga White Zetsu, who tried to peek out.
Outside the palace, within the capital city, the red chakra shot into the sky, staining part of the heavens blood-red, drawing attention from countless people.
"That direction… isn't that the Daimyo's Mansion?"
"Could someone be attempting an assassination?"
"That chakra isn't ordinary at all." A seasoned Suna ninja muttered, "This violent aura feels exactly like Gaara back then…"
A ninja from Konoha stood momentarily stunned before his face paled. "Why would it show up there? Oh no…"
[Bringing Down the Hammer]
Tsunade extended her palm toward the Nine-Tails, a "seat" character appearing at its center.
This technique carried a hypnotic effect capable of lulling the Nine-Tails into slumber.
Four tails of chakra emerged from the beast—it roared furiously at Tsunade over and over, as if trying to drown out its own fear.
Wood Release? Hashirama Senju? Kaguya Ōtsutsuki? I fear none of you bastards!
The sky is vast for me to roam, the sea boundless for me to sail!
Just wait!
One day, I'll come for every last one of you!
Tsunade scowled. "Where do you think you're going, Nine-Tails?"
"The Bringing Down the Hammer effect isn't strong enough. Looks like I'll have to beat some sense into it first."
Muttering to herself, Tsunade summoned three wooden clones. With herself as the fourth, they boxed in the Nine-Tails from all sides.
Tsunade grew more confident with each strike, employing various Wood Release techniques. The Nine-Tails was both cowardly and furious. Although the level of Wood Release techniques Tsunade had mastered wasn't powerful enough to decide the outcome in a single blow, every time her techniques drained its chakra, it became increasingly annoyed.
In Kaguya Palace, Hiroki couldn't help but smile slightly, "The Nine-Tails has guts, just not enough to back them up."
Jiraiya stared intently at Tsunade and her several wooden clones as they fought the tailed beast alone. Distracted by Tsunade's attacks, the Nine-Tails' tails stopped multiplying.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, Tsunade thrust her palm forward at the Nine-Tails. [Bringing Down the Hammer]
This time, the technique worked far better than before. Gradually, the Nine-Tails' chakra surrounding Naruto visibly faded away, his Tailed Beast Transformation disappeared, and the small figure of Naruto reappeared before Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Naruto lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground.
Jiraiya instantly relaxed.
He glanced at Tsunade and noticed her eyes hardening into a frosty stare, as if preparing for another move.
Could it be...?
A flash of dread surged through Jiraiya as he rushed forward, throwing himself in front of Naruto.
With a *thud*, branches pierced through Jiraiya's chest. Blood splattered into his eyes, and Tsunade looked stunned, her expression one of disbelief.
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