Centipede Dance

The same tactic wouldn't work twice, and Tsunade knew that very well.

Besides, there were no more weapons left in the scroll for another long-range, wide-area sealing attack.

This time, she could only wait cautiously for Mimi to attack first.

Taking even one hit from herself would mean certain death.

Her opponent knew that too, so landing a hit would be difficult.

She could only counter whatever came her way.

"That layer of mucus is a bit troublesome."

The ordinary Kikaichū had been restricted. In principle, this was no different from facing Susanoo's Absolute Defense.

The ordinary Kikaichū were ineffective either way.

But here's a joke.

"Absolute Defense."

"Big Forehead, today I'll teach you a lesson: the thicker the armor, the harder the beating."

As she spoke, Mimi drove her sword into the ground and began forming hand seals.

Insect Secret Technique: Vacuum Poison Bullet

Wind bullets the size of pellets shot continuously from Mimi's mouth.

Fast, relentless, and deadly.

Purple Wind Release.

Many of the shinobi present were puzzled.

Purple Wind Release?

Was this some strange nature transformation?

But someone recognized it.

A woman's anxious voice rang out from outside the arena, shouting almost at the exact moment the attack began.

"Get out of the way, Tsunade!"

It was Grandma Mito!

Without the slightest hesitation, Tsunade, who had been preparing to punch straight into the attack, followed the advice from outside the arena.

Wind Release of this level wasn't harder than her fist.

But she instinctively dodged at the last possible moment, looking thoroughly disheveled.

"Tch!" Mimi spat softly.

What a despicable adult.

The Vacuum Poison Bullets struck the targets behind Tsunade one after another, leaving small pits from the Wind Release. They didn't look particularly powerful.

The crowd, however, erupted in an uproar.

Tsunade looked over. Purple traces rapidly climbed up the large tree behind her, and moments later, she sensed it withering.

As everyone watched, the entire tree snapped from the point of impact and toppled to the ground. Unlucky purple liquid churned and bubbled like magma around the wound.

Poison!

That was seriously poisonous!

"Such a dangerous technique!! That Aburame brat!"

"She'll die!"

"Even a graze will kill her!"

The crowd had already retreated from Tsunade's attacks. Now that they were facing Mimi's assault head-on, they instinctively moved even farther away.

At this point in history, Medical Ninjutsu was still underdeveloped, so poison was considered extremely dangerous by everyone.

It wasn't actually poison.

But everyone who knew what they were looking at understood.

Watching Mimi's assault through the Crystal Ball, the Third Hokage's eyes lit up.

A combined nature transformation technique?

It could already rival a Kekkei Genkai.

What an extraordinary talent.

But someone else recognized it even more clearly.

"Kekkei Tōta..." On a large tree some distance away, Uzumaki Mito let out something close to a moan.

"What kind of little Monster is this?!"

The surrounding Anbu shinobi exchanged glances at her words.

"Whirlpool-sama, what is that?"

"A Kekkei Tōta formed by combining three nature transformations."

Uzumaki Mito said, "It's Aburame Shiki's specialty. Many of your fathers died to this technique."

The four Senju Anbu exchanged glances.

"It is even more dangerous than Dust Release from Earth Country. A graze means death. It's utterly lethal!"

In the arena, Tsunade swallowed hard, clearly realizing it.

In terms of lethality, the two of them were evenly matched.

"Little Tsunade, if necessary, you can use me as a shield."

The Slug's gentle voice came from within her robes.

Tsunade couldn't help nodding at that. She looked at Mimi, her gaze turning fierce.

Since you started this, I'll finish it.

Tsunade didn't know the proverb, but she had no time to worry about that now.

"Here I come, Big Forehead. One careless move and you'll die," Mimi said as she pulled her sword from the ground. She ran a finger along the blade, coating it in a vivid purple sheen.

Insect Secret Technique: Poison Coating

Tsunade's expression grew even darker.

She hadn't taken that sword seriously before.

At worst, it would leave a hole, and she'd recover in less than a day.

But now...

Even a graze was unacceptable.

"Whirlpool-sama, should we stop this examination?"

"No. Let everyone witness the Konoha Princess's talent and bearing." Uzumaki Mito smiled confidently. "Let them see whether she has enough strength to lead everyone."

"Yes, Whirlpool-sama."

Uzumaki Mito looked at Mimi, a smile in her eyes.

What an adorable child. Let me see whether you truly possess the strength your grandfather claimed—enough to support Senju Tsunade.

Mimi charged straight forward!

Tsunade's pupils suddenly contracted, then she broke into a savage grin.

Come on! That's exactly what I wanted!

Insect Secret Technique: Centipede Dance: Devouring Dust

Straight at her? Not at all.

Everyone knew that centipedes crawled.

And Mimi suddenly struck a bizarre pose before everyone's eyes.

She threw herself forward, pressed her abdomen against the ground, and slithered across it at centipede-like speed, driving herself forward solely with the tips of her feet.

The posture looked both ugly and horrifying, like a giant insect crawling along the ground.

Combined with the impression she usually gave people, it made many of the girls shriek in succession.

It was ugly, but practical.

An attack from so close to the ground was extremely difficult to defend against.

The sword in her hand was like a venomous fang, concealing a lethal threat and ready to bite into someone's foot at any moment.

In fact, that was exactly what it was.

A true venomous fang.

"An idea that defies imagination!" The Third Hokage slapped the table in delight, immediately recognizing how troublesome it would be in actual combat.

On a battlefield filled with flying weapons, this technique would allow Mimi to weave freely through the chaos while racing along the ground.

In essence, it was a tactical crawl.

In grassy terrain, she would be no different from a lethal centipede lying in ambush.

Then there was that bizarre method of generating force.

The Third Hokage could only make out a simple application of Wind Release and a film of Chakra covering the portion of her abdomen touching the ground.

It seemed to use the same principle as Water Walking, maintaining a smooth film between her abdomen and the ground.

It didn't need to be sturdy. It only had to remain smooth and reduce friction.

That way, force from her feet alone was enough to provide powerful propulsion.

Her free left hand, meanwhile, gripped the ground to control her direction.

"As expected of you. What an unexpected idea."

Watching Mimi rush toward her at ground level, Tsunade felt her entire body go numb.

She forced down her visual discomfort and prepared to attack, but something felt indescribably strange.

What exactly was it?

"Tsunade has no experience dealing with attacks from this angle," Uzumaki Mito said. "So she isn't accustomed to the rhythm of generating force."

As soon as she finished speaking, the two closed in. Tsunade even took a step forward and raised her foot to kick Mimi.

But because her stance wasn't the one she normally used to generate force, the attack's power was sharply reduced without her realizing it.

"What a terrifying Aburame brat!"

Many of the shinobi watching noticed the trick.

Facing Tsunade's incoming kick, Mimi merely raised her right hand slightly, aimed the sword tip at Tsunade's foot, and accelerated forward again.

That kick didn't have enough power to break Mimi's assault.

Tsunade noticed it too.

She halted her movement and jumped, avoiding Mimi's blade.

She had retreated.

After landing, she began to think.

This abrupt assault hadn't been part of Tsunade's battle plan.

Mimi paused as well, then stayed close to the ground and slowly circled around Tsunade.

Like a centipede stalking its prey.

Patient, like a seasoned hunter.

"Wow, that's terrifying~" Seeing Mimi like that, Chiri commented from the side as she rubbed the goosebumps rising on her arm.

She wondered how she could deal with this technique.