Lin Cheng vs. Tsunade

"Brother! How could that guy treat you with such an attitude? It's too much!"

In the jungle, walking beside Lin Cheng, Kimimaro muttered with an indignant expression.

"He is a poor soul who loved his master deeply, yet mistakenly believed his master intended to kill him, leading him to kill his master by accident.

He is highly guarded now and trusts no one!

It's only natural!"

"Oh~ So where are we going now, Brother?"

"To find someone who can cure your Shikotsumyaku."

"Uh~ I'm sick? Brother, don't scare me like that!"

Hearing Lin Cheng say this, Kimimaro's handsome little face couldn't help but twitch.

"Hmph! You expose your bones every single day; bacteria crawl into your body the moment your skin splits open.

It accumulates over time—do you really think your body can hold up?"

"...Is that why you don't let me use my bloodline power, Brother?"

A flash of emotion crossed his eyes as Kimimaro pouted and muttered.

"Yes, until this hidden danger is resolved, I can never be at ease regarding your health!

Besides, with our current strength, even if you don't use the power of Shikotsumyaku, we are more than capable of handling anything!"

"Big Brother still doesn't want Little Kimimaro to protect you!"

Curling his lips, Kimimaro threw a small tantrum.

"How could that be? When Big Brother gets hurt, that will be the time for you to show your might!"

Watching Kimimaro put on a disgruntled act, Lin Cheng laughed and brushed him off.

"Hmph! You're clearly just humoring me!"

Turning his head away, Kimimaro sulked.

"Haha! Hahaha!"

Amidst their laughter, the two once again set off on their journey to find Tsunade.

This time, Lin Cheng swore he would find her.

In the blink of an eye, another half a year passed, and Lin Cheng and Kimimaro had just turned nine years old.

Based on the intelligence the brothers had gathered, they finally found Tsunade—known to gamblers as the "Sucker"—in a bustling gambling street.

The noisy shouts of betting on big or small completely masked Lin Cheng's observation of Tsunade.

Watching Tsunade lost in the intoxication of gambling, Lin Cheng shook his head and chose to bet the opposite of her!

And indeed, Tsunade's reputation as the "Sucker" did not disappoint him.

In just a short while, Tsunade, who had millions earlier, had squandered it all!

Meanwhile, Lin Cheng had made a small profit of over a hundred thousand.

Watching Tsunade leave the casino with a look of annoyance, Lin Cheng followed closely behind her.

"Kid! I'm warning you! If you dare to keep following me, I'll cripple you!"

Leaving the gambling street and arriving at a secluded, deserted spot, Tsunade, who had been walking in front, suddenly turned around, raised her right hand, and clenched her fist in a threat.

"Hey! Don't be like that, Big Sister! Everyone knows you're a 'Sucker'!

But they don't know that this 'Sucker' is about to leave this place.

I just wanted to follow you to make some money, that's not too much to ask, right?"

Waving his hands and shrugging with a shameless air, Lin Cheng, disguised as a middle-aged gambler, said with a roguish smile.

"Kid! You think you can fool me with such a low-quality transformation technique? You're courting death!"

In an instant, a furious Tsunade used the Body Flicker Technique to teleport right in front of Lin Cheng, her Strength of a Hundred Fist aimed straight at his forehead!

Feeling the pressure from the wind of her punch, even the carefree-acting Lin Cheng couldn't help but break into a cold sweat!

Sidestepping Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Fist, Lin Cheng hurriedly retreated.

However, Lin Cheng had underestimated Tsunade, one of the Sannin!

Since she had already closed the distance, how could she possibly let Lin Cheng pull away again?

"Heavenly Foot of Pain!!"

With a violent shout, the ground near where they were fighting was shattered!

Caught off guard, Lin Cheng lost his balance!

"Die!"

Seemingly having anticipated this result, the prepared Tsunade punched the off-balance Lin Cheng, sending him flying!

In an instant, Lin Cheng—who had never been injured in Kimimaro's eyes—coughed up blood for the first time and was sent reeling backward!

His original transformation technique dissipated the moment he was injured.