Such grievous wounds, on anyone else, would have meant certain death long ago.
Yet here, though Tsunade coughed up blood without cease, she still glared viciously at Yuto, gasping for breath.
The vast chakra gathered by the Yin Seal continuously surged toward Tsunade's abdomen, rapidly healing her caved-in chest!
Katsuyu, who had caught Tsunade, also split off miniature versions of itself from its massive body, attaching them to Tsunade's chest to swiftly repair her injuries.
Yuto's face wore an indifferent expression as he walked slowly toward the spot where Katsuyu and Tsunade lay.
"You cannot stop me."
Yuto lifted his gaze to the Katsuyu, as large as a small mountain, that stood blocking his path, his tone calm.
"I am not like the two from Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave."
Katsuyu's soft voice drifted over, falling upon Yuto's ears.
Yuto arched an eyebrow slightly, naturally understanding the meaning behind Katsuyu's words.
Though Lady Katsuyu could not stop him, by the same token Yuto could not slay the Katsuyu before him either.
After all, this was only a small fragment of Lady Katsuyu's true body.
This was also why Yuto had only slain Manda and Gamabunta at the outset, rather than striking at Katsuyu directly.
Katsuyu could split into countless smaller entities, so pure physical attacks dealt no real harm to Lady Katsuyu.
"Are you going to stand in my way?"
Yuto's tone remained even, but as the words left him, a sky-rending killing intent billowed forth from his body, forming a terrifying pressure that ground down upon Katsuyu.
He had no truly effective means against Lady Katsuyu herself, but destroying the Katsuyu before him posed no problem.
What was more, Lady Katsuyu had no way to deal with Yuto either.
This much!
Had been clear to both sides ever since the time Senju Hashirama had fully summoned Lady Katsuyu and still could do nothing against Yuto.
Faced with the terrifying killing intent Yuto unleashed, Katsuyu seemed utterly unaware of it, gently shaking her head.
"I have lived for over a thousand years, existing through several eras. Whether you choose to destroy the shinobi villages does not interest me."
"However, among all my summoners across the generations, little Tsunade is one I have grown rather fond of."
Katsuyu's antennae-like eyes gazed down at Yuto, her voice remaining soft and gentle.
For a moment.
Katsuyu and Yuto stared at one another in silence, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere spreading between them.
Yet this suffocating tension did not last long.
"Lady Katsuyu... don't... bother with me."
Tsunade had finally stopped coughing blood, and she spoke in a frail voice.
Hearing Tsunade's words, Katsuyu drew back the aura she had been radiating, lowering her head slightly as her two antennae-like eyes regarded Tsunade gently.
"Rest easy, little Tsunade. Your wounds are not severe."
Katsuyu spoke softly.
With that, she raised her head once more to look at Yuto opposite her.
Katsuyu's mouth shifted slightly, and a massive scroll was spat out from within, crashing to the ground not far from Yuto.
"This is the Shikkotsu Forest summoning scroll. By signing a contract upon it, one may summon a portion of my body."
"Additionally, I have observed that within your Kirigakure there appear to be those who use Sage chakra, though they are all half-skilled at best."
"If one can persevere in Shikkotsu Forest, it is an excellent place to cultivate natural chakra."
Katsuyu spoke to Yuto in an even tone.
These two gifts might seem priceless in the eyes of others, but to Lady Katsuyu they were nothing of consequence.
Given her enormous size, there was no ninja in the entire shinobi world capable of summoning her in full.
Summoning only a portion of her body was, to Lady Katsuyu, no different from someone taking her out for a casual stroll.
As for who summoned her, Lady Katsuyu did not particularly care, for she herself was unlike the other two great sages.
And Shikkotsu Forest was filled with natural energy everywhere, whether one could master it depended entirely on one's own ability.
If one failed to learn, it had nothing to do with Lady Katsuyu.
Seeing the scroll land before his feet, Yuto's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam, and he likewise withdrew the terrifying aura he had been radiating.
This was truly an unexpected harvest.
Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Sage Lands, was likewise one of the three best places to cultivate Sage Mode.
In a sense, any one of the sage lands could serve as the foundation of an entire shinobi village.
What was more, Lady Katsuyu was an exceedingly rare medical-type summoning beast across the entire shinobi world.
One had to admit.
The fact that all three of the shinobi world's great sage lands were concentrated in Konoha truly made it worthy of being called the chosen village.
Had it been one of the other two sage lands offering their summoning scroll before him, Yuto might not have felt so at ease.
After all, in the battle just now, Yuto had slain Manda and Gamabunta, which was tantamount to making enemies of Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave.
Looking at the summoning scroll of Lady Katsuyu before him, Yuto's killing intent vanished in an instant.
A brilliant smile spread across Yuto's face, and without a moment's hesitation he stored the Shikkotsu Forest summoning scroll away.
Such a boon.
Why wouldn't he take it!
"In my attack just now, I held back."
Yuto wore a smile as he spoke lightly to Lady Katsuyu.
This was the truth.
With Yuto's strength, had he truly intended to kill Tsunade, she would have died long ago—how could she possibly have had the time to heal?
Yuto had never planned to kill Tsunade in the first place.
After all, Tsunade was the Hokage of Konoha; keeping her alive was more useful than killing her.
In truth, had the standoff continued a little longer, Yuto would have eventually agreed as well.
What he hadn't expected was that by holding out a while longer, he would gain such an enormous boon.
Lady Katsuyu, hearing Yuto's words, clearly realized something as well.
Looking at the bright smile on Yuto's face, Katsuyu's antennae-like eyes could not help but contract slightly.
"Lady Katsuyu, why did you give..."
Tsunade had naturally seen Lady Katsuyu hand the summoning scroll to Yuto, and her face filled with panic as she spoke in a frail voice.
But before Tsunade could finish, Katsuyu gently shook her head and looked at her.
"Little Tsunade, this is all I can do to help you."
Katsuyu's soft voice reached Tsunade's ears, carrying a note of apology.
Had it been an ordinary enemy, Lady Katsuyu would not have minded holding Konoha's defense a while longer.
But facing a powerhouse like Yuto, holding out a little longer served no purpose.
For Lady Katsuyu to have done this much was already the height of loyalty, for she was only protecting Konoha for Tsunade's sake.
For a being like Lady Katsuyu, who had lived over a thousand years, the rise and fall of countless nations and factions had been witnessed.
Now.
Since she had received Yuto's assurance that he would not kill Tsunade, Lady Katsuyu naturally had no reason to remain any longer.
A great plume of white smoke rose from Katsuyu's body, and the next moment, the Katsuyu as large as a small mountain had vanished.
Tsunade sat weakly on the ground, her eyes burning with murderous fury as she glared at Yuto not far away.
If looks could kill, Yuto would have died a thousand times over in Tsunade's gaze.
"Lord Hokage of Konoha, you are now my prisoner."
Yuto wore a faint smile as he walked toward Tsunade.
"Kill me!"
Tsunade's face was deathly pale as she clenched her fists and roared at Yuto.
"A dead Hokage is not as valuable as a living one."
"Besides, I just made a deal with Lady Katsuyu."
Yuto spread his hands, a helpless expression on his face.
SWOOSH!!
Just as Yuto drew ever closer to Tsunade, a blue silhouette charged toward him at blinding speed.
"Release the Lord Hokage!!"
Might Guy came sprinting across the ground from afar.
With every stride forward, a terrifying burst of chakra erupted from Guy's body, and his speed grew faster and faster.
Guy's form had already become a streak of green.
By the time he closed to within a hundred meters of Yuto, Guy had already opened the Fourth Gate—the Gate of Pain.
Tangible chakra surged across his entire body, and his speed doubled in an instant.
Nearly like teleportation!
Guy appeared directly in front of Yuto.
Dynamic Entry!
With a low roar, Guy raised his leg and kicked fiercely toward Yuto's position—but he was not kicking at Yuto himself, rather at the ground before him.
BOOM!
With a tremendous crash, the ground before Yuto was instantly kicked into a massive crater, stones flying in every direction.
The sheer force sent up a huge cloud of dust that swallowed the vision of everyone around.
Guy, riding the recoil from kicking the ground, doubled his speed once more and shot toward Tsunade's position.
From the very beginning, Guy had never intended to fight Yuto; his goal was to rescue the Hokage.
In an instant!
Guy appeared near Tsunade, reaching out to seize her.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Return of the Land!"
Yuto's indifferent voice came from within the dust cloud.
But with a muffled rumble from the ground, a slab of stone gleaming with a metallic luster rose up before Tsunade, blocking Guy's path.
Seeing this, Guy did not hesitate for a moment.
His body twisted into the air, spinning rapidly.
Konoha Strong Whirlwind!
Carrying astonishing power and speed, his spinning back kick slammed into the stone slab, which looked sturdy beyond compare and gleamed with metallic luster, instantly shattering it to dust.
But when Guy charged through, he found that Tsunade was no longer where she had been.
Only then did Guy notice that a golden chakra chain had already bound Tsunade and dragged her to Yuto's side.
The dust cloud cleared at that moment.
Yuto's figure reappeared before Guy.
"You want to rescue someone—did you ask for my permission first?"
Yuto's expression was calm as he regarded the blazing Guy opposite him.
But no one noticed.
Deep within Yuto's eyes as he looked at Guy, there was a rare hint of gravity and excitement.
"It seems simply rescuing her is out of the question."
Guy's gaze flicked briefly to the pale Tsunade at Yuto's side, his expression growing heavy.
If that was how it had to be, then he would stake his life!
"The lotus of youth must bloom in this moment!"
"Might Guy, the Blue Beast of Konoha, enters the fray! Eight Gates Released Formation—Gate of Limit, Open!"
With a mighty roar, tangible chakra swiftly enveloped Guy.
Guy stomped hard against the ground, the earth beneath him exploding as a powerful shockwave erupted from his feet.
In an instant, Guy vanished from where he stood, charging toward Yuto at blinding speed.
Konoha Adamantine Whirlwind!
Guy's foot, wreathed in pale blue chakra and trailing a sharp crack of displaced air, swung savagely at Yuto's head.
Yuto's eyes flickered slightly as he raised his arm to guard his body, instantly blocking Guy's attack.
The terrifying force, the instant it touched Yuto's arm, vanished silently without a trace, without producing even the faintest sound of impact.
Guy's expression did not change in the slightest.
His body twisted violently in midair, and he raised his arm, slamming it toward Yuto's heart.
Konoha Rock-Breaking Rise!
The heavy impact struck Yuto's body once more, but just as before, it had no effect whatsoever—Yuto's body did not shift even an inch.
Seeing his two consecutive heavy strikes accomplish nothing, Guy's eyes shifted, and he swiftly leapt backward, appearing a hundred meters from Yuto in the blink of an eye.
"That kind of force is nowhere near enough, Guy. I have been waiting to fight you."
"Show me your Eight Gates!"
Yuto looked at Guy in the distance, cracking his neck, a rare excited smile spreading across his face.
Compared to the eager Yuto, Guy's expression grew only heavier.
Even knowing from the start that Yuto, the First Mizukage, possessed terrifying strength, without clashing directly one could never comprehend just what level such monstrous power had reached.
And in that brief exchange just now, Guy had begun to glimpse a thread of that bottomless strength.
"Eight Gates Released Formation—Gate of View, Open!"
Guy let out another mighty roar, and a terrifying, blazing green chakra enveloped his entire body.
A tremendous boom erupted from where Guy stood, and in the next instant he was already charging at Yuto.
At the same time, Yuto moved as well.
Though Guy had moved first, Yuto appeared at the midpoint before he did.
"Konoha Super Heavy Strike!"
With a roar, Guy gathered all the green chakra in his body into his right fist and slammed it forward.
Yuto likewise raised his fist and threw a punch of his own.
This time, Yuto did not absorb the force and chakra from Guy's fist—it was pure power against pure power!
Their fists collided in midair with a thunderous boom!
The ground beneath where they clashed split open with a massive fissure, and terrifying shockwaves swept outward in all directions!
"Not enough!"
"Far from enough!"
Yuto's lips curled slightly, and he let out a hearty, exhilarated laugh.
Yuto's locked fist surged with fresh force, and with one punch he sent Guy hurtling away.
[
Dear Readers,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to you today because things have become genuinely difficult, and I need to be honest about where I stand.
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