Nineteen: How about this, you change the spider to a blue-silver color, and cosplay Tang Sect's Senju Asura.

What is this brat from the Uchiha clan saying!!!

Tsunade's face turned as red as a monkey's backside because of Sakuya's words.

The arm she was wrapping around Sakuya's went completely rigid.

What did he mean by "because I'm here"?

Was he... was he confessing his feelings to her?

Would it be inappropriate for her to accept just like that? Should she be more reserved or something?

No, no, no!

She was nine years older than him!

Could they really be together with a nine-year age gap?

Wouldn't people laugh at them?

Even if he didn't care about the age difference, she was Senju and he was Uchiha!

The conflict between their two clans for the past thousand years was right there in front of them.

They were sworn enemies!

Even though they were now comrades in the same village, surely those Senju elders wouldn't approve of them being together, right?

Besides, didn't he have a huge problem with her before? He even targeted her like that at the Hokage meeting!

Although what he said was correct, the words were truly harsh.

If he liked her, then why would he say those things to make her hate him?

Could it be... could it be that he did it to get her attention?

The young girl, who had read countless romance novels, instantly "got" it.

Her second grandfather once said that the Uchiha were a twisted clan; they didn't express their feelings for their companions openly, but rather in ways they thought were appropriate.

Could it be that he had been secretly in love with her for a long time?

Were the things he said at the previous Jonin meeting also meant to make her notice him?

That would explain everything.

No wonder he had taken such good care of Nawaki on the way here, and now, he had been the first to sense her crisis and risked his life to run over and save her. Just moments ago, he had blocked so many attacks for her and even given her his gas mask.

He... he... he...

If Sakuya were a dating sim system, he would be able to see that Tsunade's favorability toward him was skyrocketing wildly along with her wild imagination.

However, he had no time to pay attention to such things.

The smoke in the air gradually dissipated.

It revealed the current state of Kidoyun.

He had clearly destroyed three of his Kirin Arms just a moment ago; logically, his combat power should have been severely crippled, and the Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique he had followed up with should have been enough to finish him off. But why did it feel like...

As the dust settled, Kidoyun, still entangled by the fire dragon he had unleashed, revealed a ferocious expression.

His entire body was covered in golden armor.

"Ninja Art: Spider Sticky Gold."

Kidoyun panted heavily, shouting the name of the golden armor on his body.

"It's the same substance as the previous attack. Are they all creations of your secret technique?"

Sakuya tightened his grip on Tsunade on his back and scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision, noticing that other Jonin were gradually catching up, and there seemed to be more and more of them.

Although these Jonin were of average strength and only Kidoyun was truly powerful, there were simply too many of them.

Not to mention, they were fighting in an environment filled with poisonous mist.

It was like playing a Pokemon battle; the opponent's Groudon had already undergone Primal Reversion and set the weather, yet you were still there foolishly trying to use water-type skills.

With neither the time, the place, nor the people on his side, insisting on staying on the field to keep throwing skills would be absolutely insane.

"Let's get out of Tea House City first."

Sakuya turned his head and said, "Tsunade, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

With Sakuya's gas mask, the toxins in Tsunade's body had naturally stopped worsening. Furthermore, having taken a Military Ration Pill when she found the chance, her chakra was gradually recovering. As long as she kept suppressing the toxins with medical ninjutsu for a little while longer, she would be able to force out the numbing and painful Salamander poison from her body.

But while she was temporarily alright, what about Uchiha Sakuya?

She could see that ever since he started tangling with Kidoyun, Sakuya's face had been turning increasingly pale.

This was a sign that the poison in his system was becoming more and more severe.

"Don't worry, I can still hold on."

Sakuya naturally knew he was poisoned, but he was different from Tsunade.

Tsunade excelled in Water Style, Earth Style, taijutsu, and medical ninjutsu; without an understanding of toxicology, she was essentially helpless against this kind of airborne lethal poison.

His greatest specialty was Fire Style, which, in a sense, was the most suitable means of dealing with the poisonous mist at this moment.

Fire grows with the wind.

Every time he unleashed a Fire Style ninjutsu, he scorched the surrounding air into a vacuum.

As the flames devoured the oxygen, they also incinerated the poisonous mist floating in the air.

Although a new wave of toxic mist soon drifted over with the air and surged into his body with every breath, his rate of poisoning had slowed down significantly compared to Tsunade.

"Hold on tight, we're moving!"

Sakuya gripped Tsunade's thighs, pressing her body firmly against his back, while his eyes swept across the area, revealing a scarlet, ferocious gaze.

The genjutsu within his Sharingan instantly ensnared two charging jonin. He kicked them away, and in the moment he sent them flying, he grabbed one of their fingers to weave hand signs before leaping high into the air.

Fire-natured chakra condensed in his mouth once more; Sakuya opened his mouth and spewed out a surging wave of flames.

Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!

The wave of fire instantly engulfed three or four pursuing ninjas, but soon, several golden, kunai-shaped Spider Sticky Gold projectiles flew toward them, controlled by Kidoyun and several other ninjas from the Tsuchigumo Clan.

"Watch out, there are explosive tags on them!"

Tsunade shouted.

"I can see them!"

Sakuya stomped heavily against the city wall, leaning backward while carrying Tsunade. The moment his left hand gripped the top of the wall, the Spider Sticky Gold carrying the explosive tags slammed into the spot they had just occupied. The explosive tags attached to the sticky gold flashed, erupting with tremendous force.

But this was exactly what Sakuya had been waiting for!

A massive fireball condensed before his lips, and he spat it out. Utilizing the immense recoil generated by the fireball and the explosion of the tags, he vaulted over the wall with Tsunade in tow, sprinting for a short while longer before coming to a stop beneath a tree far outside the city.

"Finally out!"

Sakuya gasped for air, his breaths coming in heavy gulps.

Only after leaving the poison zone could one truly appreciate the taste of fresh air.

But now was far from the time to rest.

Watching the ninjas leap from the city wall and continue their pursuit, Sakuya set Tsunade down by the tree.

"Sakuya!?"

"Rest here for a moment."

Sakuya comforted Tsunade, the Three Tomoe in his pupils spinning with increasing intensity.

In just a few seconds, those ninjas had surrounded them once again.

However, after being chased for so long, even a clay figure would have a temper. Now that they were no longer suppressed by the poison zone, it was no longer a matter of Sakuya running away.

He tore the remaining spider silk from his left hand and scanned his surroundings with an expressionless gaze.

Finally, he fixed his eyes on Kidoyun, who was left with only three arms.

Unlike before, he was standing atop a massive spider summoning beast, his expression fierce.

Spiders and web restraints—if that Sticky Gold were blue and silver, you could cosplay as the Senju Asura from the sect next door.

Sakuya thought to himself with a sarcastic mental jab.