And I Will Establish True Order!

The one who had arrived was Tsunade.

Before coming to Konoha, she had just won dozens of games in a row at the casino in Tanzaku Town.

Given her luck at always losing whenever she gambled, Tsunade felt a faint sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, the more she thought about it on the way, the more uneasy she grew. In the end, she hurried back to Konoha with Shizune.

After returning to the village, she made inquiries and quickly got up to speed on the recent upheaval.

Jiraiya had mysteriously vanished after returning to the village. Then, just a few days ago, the purple giant exclusive to Lord Hokage had appeared in the village once more, and someone had spotted a gigantic Toad.

A faint, terrible possibility surfaced in Tsunade's mind—Jiraiya was most likely dead or gravely injured.

Uchiha Yoru's lips curled into a contemptuous smile as he looked down at her with detached eyes.

"As a Konoha Ninja, Jiraiya failed to fulfill his duty. He even dared to resist me, the Fifth Hokage."

"His actions have strayed far from the Will of Fire. He's a rogue ninja!!"

"Of course I couldn't let him live."

At those words, Tsunade's expression darkened instantly, and her fury nearly erupted.

"You've killed so many people and used fear to suppress the populace!" she rebuked him sharply.

"You want to utterly destroy the peaceful lives our ancestors fought for and we've strived to preserve—you terrorist!"

Faced with Tsunade's furious roar, Uchiha Yoru merely smiled, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Peace?" His voice was low and mocking. "The peace you speak of is built on nothing but false promises."

He slowly rose and took a step forward. The aura around him changed abruptly.

"You pay lip service to protecting peace, but what about the truth? How many people have died on the battlefield? How many families have been torn apart? Konoha's 'peace' just lets some people live comfortably."

"And I will establish true order."

Tsunade fixed him with a piercing gaze, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"True order? By your definition, that means making the whole village submit out of fear?"

Uchiha Yoru didn't answer. He only gave a cold laugh as scarlet Sharingan slowly emerged in his eyes.

Tsunade knew that a fight today was unavoidable.

"If we can't settle this with words, then..."

Tsunade took half a step back. Her toe ground the stones beneath her foot to dust with a harsh scraping sound.

The diamond-shaped seal on her forehead suddenly burst open. Her violent chakra churned the air, as though the energy gathered beneath her foot could tear even the wind apart.

"Heavenly Foot of Pain!!!"

Her target was Uchiha Yoru, standing atop the Nine-Tails.

But Uchiha Yoru was faster. Flying Thunder God activated in an instant, and he vanished.

The Nine-Tails wasn't so lucky. Although Uchiha Yoru had controlled it with a genjutsu, he hadn't suppressed its instincts. A thunderous crash of pain split the earth as Tsunade kicked the Nine-Tails hard in the head. Enraged, it swung its massive claws and slammed them toward the tiny bug above it!

Tsunade reacted quickly, using the Body Flicker Technique to dodge before the Nine-Tails' attack landed. She touched down steadily in the distance.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at the spot where Uchiha Yoru had just vanished.

"That guy's speed..."

The image of a junior once hailed as the "Yellow Flash" surfaced in her mind, a Flying Thunder God user who had struck fear into the entire Ninja World.

Just then, a low voice rang out behind her, cold and merciless.

"If it were Senju Hashirama, I might have been a little interested."

"But you... you're too weak."

Tsunade spun around, fists clenched, her fighting spirit surging.

The force of her punch compressed the air until it exploded. A violent shock wave tore through the ground, sending rubble flying like raindrops.

But her punch hit nothing but air—Uchiha Yoru had vanished again.

Tsunade jerked her head up. Uchiha Yoru's figure had appeared in the distance, his scarlet Sharingan reflected in her pupils and a contemptuous smile on his lips.

"That brute strength of yours... As expected, compared to Senju Hashirama, you're nothing but a failed descendant."

"You bastard!!!"

Tsunade roared. Chakra erupted beneath her feet, shattering the ground as she shot skyward like a cannonball, charging straight at Uchiha Yoru!

But just as she was about to reach him, Uchiha Yoru vanished at even greater speed.

Her expression shifted. She forcibly twisted her body, adjusting her posture with a burst of chakra, then slammed down onto the ground, leaving a huge crater.

"That guy..." Tsunade's gaze turned grave, a trace of unease rising in her heart.

Uchiha Yoru stood with one hand in his pocket, looking down at her as if a cat toying with a mouse.

His voice was calm and playful. "No matter how strong your monstrous strength is, it's useless."

Tsunade took a deep breath and steadied herself. Her eyes swept across the surroundings as she rapidly analyzed Uchiha Yoru's abilities.

"Flying Thunder God, Sharingan, Susanoo... This guy's fighting style is practically a fusion of Uchiha Madara and Namikaze Minato's strengths..."

Tsunade spun around, her fist wrapped in raging chakra as she swung it at Uchiha Yoru behind her!

"Don't underestimate me!"

Her punch was blindingly fast. The air compressed with a low boom, as if the whole space trembled under Tsunade's presence.

But her fist struck nothing.

Uchiha Yoru vanished once more, as if he had never been there.

Flying Thunder God!

Tsunade's heart sank. Only then did she realize she had fallen into a trap.

The next second, a sharp gust of wind swept in from the side!

"!!!"

Tsunade's eye twitched. She jerked her head aside as a long, powerful leg swept past her cheek.

Her reaction had been quick, but she was still a moment too late.

"Thud!"

Uchiha Yoru's knee slammed squarely into Tsunade's abdomen. The violent force sent her flying, and she crashed into the ground, leaving a huge hole!

"Lady Tsunade!"

"I'll help you!"

Shizune cried out in alarm in the distance and was about to rush forward when the world suddenly spun around her.

She faltered, her pupils contracting—the entire world warped, and her consciousness plunged into darkness.

Uchiha Yoru didn't even glance at Shizune. With one hand in his pocket, he strolled toward Tsunade.

Amid the rubble, Tsunade panted heavily and struggled to stand. Cold sweat ran down her forehead from the agonizing pain in her abdomen.

"Damn it..."

She had barely pushed herself up when a cold hand clamped around her throat and lifted her roughly into the air!

Tsunade's pupils contracted. She struggled to break free, but Uchiha Yoru's hand was like an iron vice. No matter how hard she strained, she couldn't budge it.

"Too weak."

Uchiha Yoru's voice was utterly cold. His scarlet Sharingan glimmered with an eerie light in the darkness.

"You're not even worthy of making me fight seriously."

Tsunade glared at him and summoned the last of her strength to raise an arm. But Uchiha Yoru only smiled faintly, and in the next instant—

Her consciousness sank completely into darkness.

The battle was over.