Xuan Yuan Corps Attacks

"Not going to rest a little longer?"

Sōji's voice came from above, still calm. "Maybe you could lean on my shoulder. It's free. I won't charge you."

Tsunade froze for a moment, then raised her head to look at the boy standing in the sunlight.

He looked as he always did, black cloth over his eyes, blind cane in hand, his slender frame standing straight.

The sunlight coated his silver-white hair with a soft glow. There was no expression on that still-youthful face.

Yet Tsunade felt that there had been something different in what he had just said.

She stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly laughed. "Brat, it'll be another ten thousand years before you can flirt with me!"

Sōji's brow twitched. "Ten thousand years? Isn't that a bit too long? Forget it, then. I have no intention of living into a decrepit old monster!"

"Kid, are you calling me old in a roundabout way?" A vein bulged on Tsunade's forehead.

"That's your misunderstanding. Or rather, you might just care too much about your age." Sōji's tone remained calm, though his feet obediently took two steps back.

Creak... creak...

Tsunade stood up and clenched her fists with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Good boy, you've got quite the nerve!"

"Looks like you won't learn to respect your elders without a lesson, huh?"

Seeing this, Sōji quickly raised both hands. "Don't, Lady Tsunade. I still have two surgeries to perform later!"

"It's fine. Shizune can handle that level of work alone. Prepare yourself!"

The instant she finished speaking, the ground beneath Tsunade's feet shattered into a spiderweb of cracks, and she shot toward Sōji at an unimaginable speed.

The next moment, a fierce gust howled past.

Sōji truly hadn't expected Tsunade to actually attack. It was too late to dodge, but he still condensed Cursed Energy and chakra over his entire body.

Taking one punch shouldn't kill me, right? Sōji thought.

Pop~

Huh???

A warm, moist sensation pressed against his forehead. Even after Tsunade straightened up again, Sōji still hadn't quite reacted.

"Thanks for earlier. You stopped me from continuing to embarrass myself in there, so consider this your reward." As she spoke, Tsunade lightly flicked Sōji's forehead.

"Ah..."

Sōji paused, then laughed in a teasing tone. "Heh, what kind of reward is that? You're taking advantage of me, Lady Tsunade!"

Yet Tsunade suddenly found it rather amusing.

This kid usually acted mature and composed, never leaving any gaps in his words or actions. He was even slicker than those old hands who had spent over a decade in the ninja world.

But in that instant just now, she had clearly felt this brat's nervousness.

Tsunade withdrew her gaze and looked toward the distant treetops.

"All right, stop standing there like a post." Her usual lazy tone returned. "I'm fine now. Let's go back and prepare for the surgery!"

"All right, let's go!" Sōji's voice returned to its usual calm.

However, Tsunade clearly saw the corner of his mouth curve upward.

It was faint, so faint that it was almost imperceptible, but she still saw it.

She suddenly realized that when this kid smiled, he looked like a twelve-year-old child. Not like his usual calm, overly mature self.

Tsunade took off the outer robe and casually tossed it to Sōji. "This is yours."

Sōji caught the robe without saying anything.

Tsunade stretched, her long golden hair gleaming in the sunlight.

Her face was still a little pale, but that lazy, carefree air had returned.

"Let's go see how that dark-skinned kid is recovering." With that, she headed toward the stone house.

After taking two steps, she stopped without turning around.

"...Brat."

"Hm?"

"Don't tell anyone about what happened just now."

Sōji gave a slight nod. "Understood."

Tsunade continued forward. After a few steps, she suddenly added, "And..."

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

Her voice was soft, so soft it seemed as though the wind might scatter it, but Sōji heard it.

He looked at that golden silhouette, at her loose hair cascading in the sunlight—lazy and casual, yet carrying an innate imposing presence.

He stood where he was, holding the outer robe as warm sunlight fell over him. Suddenly, he felt that today's sky seemed a little bluer than usual.

Just as the two returned to the stone house to prepare for the second surgery, Sōji's expression suddenly tightened. He raised his hand and fired a long needle wrapped in chakra.

The needle pierced through the wall, pinning an ant-sized insect dead against the mottled stone surface.

Everyone looked at Sōji in astonishment, but he merely gave a calm reminder. "Someone's coming. Be careful!"

The Fourth Raikage reacted first. His gaze sharpened as he spun around, blue-violet lightning bursting across his body. Amai instinctively drew a kunai and stepped in front of Karai.

The gauze in Shizune's hands slipped to the floor, while Sōji flashed in front of her, the Six Eyes beneath the black cloth operating at full force.

"Five chakra signatures. They're strong, nearly all at elite jonin level, and they're approaching rapidly."

The moment he finished speaking, five figures descended from the sky and landed in the clearing before the stone house.

Dust filled the air.

Sunlight formed a blinding halo behind them.

The man in the lead was tall and thin, wearing a dark gray cloak. His hood covered most of his face, revealing only a pale chin.

The man to his left was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, with only a pair of cloudy eyes exposed.

To his right stood a burly man. Behind them were two figures of almost identical build, dressed in black bodysuits.

Five people, five completely different oppressive auras. Yet they shared one thing in common: each of them carried that nauseatingly dense chakra presence.

Explosive Insects. Countless Explosive Insects.

The leader raised his head, revealing a pair of dead-gray eyes beneath his hood.

Those eyes swept across the stone house, then the four people at its entrance, before finally settling on the Fourth Raikage.

"The Raikage of the Hidden Cloud."

His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper scraping together. "Return the Land of Cedar's secret technique."

The Fourth Raikage said nothing. He merely stepped forward, the blue-violet lightning around his body condensing further as a wave of force swept outward.

"Fourth Raikage, your current condition isn't suited for prolonged combat. Let us join in, but you'll have to pay us with two more ninjutsu."

A lazy voice sounded from behind. Tsunade walked up beside the Fourth Raikage.

The Fourth Raikage glanced at her, then at Akoi and Karai, who had just undergone surgery, before finally nodding seriously.

"Deal. But don't underestimate them. We'll attack together. I'll cover you."

"Leave it to me!" With that, she clenched both fists and stepped forward.

Though her face still held a trace of pallor, the daze in her eyes had vanished. All that remained was the sharpness of one of the Sannin.

She stopped beside Sōji and reminded him in a low voice, "When the fight starts, protect Shizune. Don't move around recklessly. Your condition isn't suitable for exposing too much."

Sōji tilted his head slightly. "What about you?"

A bloody smile curved Tsunade's lips. "I've got a bellyful of anger with nowhere to vent it."

As she spoke, she rolled her wrists. "These punching bags delivered themselves right to my door. Perfect."