"No way..."
Kushina stood there in a daze.
Memories of the past with Eiji flashed constantly in her mind.
"What is your name?"
"Ryūzaki, Ryūzaki Eiji."
"I'll give you this bag of candy as a gift, as proof of friendship."
"Eiji, you must do your best in the match!"
"Don't worry, I won't lose."
"Next time, how about I protect Eiji instead?"
"No way, wouldn't that make me look totally uncool?"
"Hehe, then Eiji, you won't lose, right?"
"Don't worry, if I lose, wouldn't that be totally uncool? I don't want to die so early."
"You have to be careful, absolutely! Absolutely no dying on me, okay?"
Then the scene in her mind shattered like a broken mirror, and the image of Eiji lying on the ground with lifeless eyes staring up at the sky was deeply branded into her mind.
Kushina's eyes were hollow, and her legs lost strength as she collapsed to the ground.
◇
Dead. A single strike had pierced straight through his heart.
Tsunade knew that even if she immediately administered medical treatment, it would be utterly meaningless at this point. The Mystical Palm Technique fundamentally lacked the ability to restore internal organs, let alone a crucial part like the heart.
"Eiji!!!" Tsunade screamed heart-rendingly, then glared at the Third Raikage as if she wanted to kill him. "Bastard! I'm going to kill you!!!"
She no longer cared about anything else. Even though there was a dangerous barrier defense like the Four Violet Flames Formation in front of her, she still intended to charge through by force to save him!
"Tsunade! Calm down!"
Seeing Tsunade lose her sanity, Jiraiya hurriedly held her back.
"Get lost, Jiraiya!!!"
"No way, getting close to the barrier will burn you! Besides, the battle is already over, and they will have