Blocking the Road

The three left the restaurant and continued down the street, looking for an eyeglass shop to have a pair of tinted plain glasses made for Tsunade.

But they did not know that Miyamoto had learned of their whereabouts the moment they left the restaurant.

"Hey, beautiful?" Yizhe, who was walking ahead, turned and called out to Tsunade.

"What is it?" Tsunade was leisurely taking in the local sights and customs of the Land of Iron as she lazily responded.

"You have all the money, and you gamble every day. What are we supposed to eat?" Yizhe asked helplessly.

He hoped to persuade Tsunade to give back at least some of the funds.

"Look, Shizune has been with me for so many years, and she has gotten by just fine, hasn't she?" Tsunade gestured toward Shizune with a meaningful glance.

"Lady Tsunade..." Shizune cast Tsunade a resentful look and let out a weak groan.

Who knew how much bitterness that single sound contained!

"All right, all right!" Tsunade felt a little embarrassed under Shizune's stare. She turned and said, "Starting today, you'll have company!"

"Aren't you bad at fighting? Having this kid accompany you will be perfect! Otherwise, every time something happens, I have to step in and handle it. Where would that leave the dignity of one of the Three Legendary Ninja?"

"Beautiful, the moment you looted my entire fortune, you already gave up any right to talk about dignity!" Yizhe shot back without mercy.

"What did you just say? I didn't hear you. Say it again?" Tsunade cracked her knuckles, producing a series of sharp pops.

"I said I should go out with Sister Shizune to set up a stall, earn money to serve you, and protect Sister Shizune well. I can't keep making you take action. We have to uphold the prestige of the Three Legendary Ninja!" Seeing that she looked ready to start fighting again, Yizhe hurriedly changed his tune.

"But I don't know anything about medical arts. What if I can't be of any help?" Yizhe asked tentatively, hoping to gauge her attitude.

He wanted to see what Tsunade truly thought, and whether she was willing to teach him.

"Your hand injury hasn't healed. Don't recklessly form hand seals or use ninjutsu!" Tsunade did not answer him directly. Instead, her expression turned stern as she continued, "For now, accompany Shizune on her house calls and protect her. Slowly learn some basic medical knowledge first. As for everything else, we'll talk after I heal your injuries!"

"Oh..." Yizhe agreed, his heart full of thoughts.

Although Tsunade had not said whether she would take him on, letting him study under Shizune meant there was at least a turn for the better. It was not completely hopeless.

Just as his thoughts wandered, a group of black-clad samurai surrounded them and blocked their path.

"Kid, didn't I tell you to go catch someone? Why are you hanging around with these two women? Do you still want me to treat your injuries?" With that shout, the black-clad samurai parted to make way for a somewhat familiar figure.

Yizhe looked closely. The man wore luxurious clothes—it was Doctor Miyamoto.

"My apologies, but I no longer need your treatment, Mr. Miyamoto!" Yizhe replied politely with a smile.

He had encountered Tsunade, a pinnacle figure in the medical world. Why would he place his hopes on someone whose medical skills were uncertain?

Yet in Miyamoto's eyes, Yizhe's courteous response became a form of contempt.

Miyamoto thought Yizhe was looking down on his medical skills!

However, when he saw the blonde beauty behind Yizhe, he had no choice but to suppress the anger in his heart.

Putting on the appearance of a gentleman, he forced a smile at Tsunade. "Beautiful, I have searched so hard for you!"

"Why are you looking for me?" Tsunade knowingly asked, continuing to file her nails without even bothering to look up at him.

"Debts must be repaid. That is only natural, right?" Miyamoto asked righteously.

"Right."

"Then... beautiful, how about you pay me back?" Miyamoto stared fixedly at Tsunade and swallowed.

"I don't have it!" Tsunade answered bluntly.

"Then... that makes things difficult, doesn't it?" Miyamoto pretended to be troubled.

He paced around for a few steps as though pondering a difficult problem. Then his face suddenly lit up, as if he had come up with a brilliant solution. Excitedly, he said, "How about... I take a loss? Marry me and use yourself to settle the debt!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Miyamoto's intentions became obvious. The money was only an excuse; what he truly wanted was her.

He stared at Tsunade with blazing eyes, not even noticing the drool dripping onto his clothes.

"Marry you?" Tsunade also pretended to think seriously. Then she suddenly said, "It's not impossible."

"What!" Shizune and Yizhe were both startled.

"Lady Tsunade, what are you saying?" Shizune quietly tugged at Tsunade's sleeve.

Tsunade ignored her and continued, "How about we make a bet?"

"A bet?"

Miyamoto had been overjoyed to hear Tsunade relent, but he was also confused. He did not know what she was planning.

"Do you see that guy with the injured arm?" Tsunade pointed at Yizhe in front of her.

"Mm!" Miyamoto nodded.

"He is my newly recruited guard. If your samurai can knock him down, I'll marry you! If they can't, then our debt will be wiped clean. How about it?" Tsunade said excitedly as she looked at Yizhe, as though she had found an interesting new toy.

"Deal!" Miyamoto glanced at Yizhe's hands and agreed at once.

"Get him!" With a wave of his hand, the samurai behind him immediately drew their swords and charged at Yizhe.

"Kid, this is your test for becoming my disciple! If you can't protect your master, what kind of disciple are you? Remember, if you lose today, don't even think about becoming my disciple for the rest of your life!" Tsunade fanned the flames from behind, afraid he would not give it his all.

Isn't it usually the 'master' who protects the 'disciple'? Why has it become the 'disciple' protecting the 'master' with her? Yizhe was a little bewildered.

In truth, Tsunade's provocation was unnecessary.

Even if she had said nothing, Yizhe would have fought with all his strength. He knew Tsunade was merely amusing Miyamoto!

But Miyamoto's appearance was truly nauseating. The man deserved a beating!

Miyamoto had seen Yizhe's injured hands and believed victory was already assured, which was why he had agreed to the wager so readily.

But the actual battle became completely one-sided. The samurai he had carefully raised were utterly incapable of withstanding Yizhe.

Yizhe came from a taijutsu family. Though his hands were injured and he could not use the Gentle Fist, his taijutsu foundation remained. Using only his legs and elbows to unleash powerful, rigid taijutsu attacks, dealing with these samurai was effortless.

"See that, little Shizune? That is combat talent! He can fight like that without even using his palms! Now look at yourself—despite being a Chunin, you can't even beat this injured Genin brat!" As she watched Yizhe fight, Tsunade kept scolding Shizune from the side, looking thoroughly disappointed in her.

"But I really don't like fighting!" Shizune muttered.

"Sigh..." Tsunade looked at her helplessly and continued, "With this kid around, I can finally relax from now on! I won't have to work so hard, constantly cleaning up after you like before! You've completely disgraced one of the Three Legendary Ninja!"

After hearing that, Shizune stuck out her tongue and did not dare respond.

Yizhe moved freely through the crowd of samurai, his every movement flowing like drifting clouds and running water. With every sweeping kick and every elbow strike, another man fell.

Fewer and fewer samurai remained standing in the field!

Each time another man fell, Miyamoto's face turned a shade paler. By the time every samurai had collapsed, he was completely bloodless.

"Th-this... my lord..."

"Fighting openly in the streets—do you truly think no one in the Land of Iron can stop you?"

Just as Miyamoto trembled and prepared to beg for mercy, a booming voice exploded beside everyone's ears. Immediately afterward, an overbearing aura spread through the area.

The powerful surge of air sent snowflakes whirling through the air, obscuring everyone's vision.