Warm and soft sensations lingered on Miki Yūya's face.
Miki Yūya's mind went blank, blood surged upward, his vision darkened, and he completely passed out.
Before his nosebleed had time to flow, he fell straight down and collapsed unconscious on the spot.
When he opened his eyes again, he did not know how much time had passed. The room was deathly quiet, and the figures of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Naruto were long gone.
Only Shizune sat by the table, holding that pink little pig Tonton, looking at him with a helpless expression on her face.
Seeing Miki Yūya open his eyes, Shizune spoke softly in explanation:
"You're awake? Lady Tsunade wanted to go over herself to make things clear to Orochimaru."
"Lord Jiraiya was worried that Orochimaru might set a trap, so he went along to help earlier and left me behind to take care of you."
Miki Yūya rubbed his throbbing head. The memory of that ultimate impact still lingered, his earlobes were slightly hot, and he still felt a bit dazed.
"They all left?"
"Mm."
Shizune nodded, packed up a simple bag, and spoke.
"Lady Tsunade instructed me to bring you back to Konoha first once you wake up, and not to linger here for further check-ups."
Miki Yūya yawned and waved his hand dismissively.
Let them go.
Aside from gamblers and scoundrels, he had long grown tired of this wretched little town, and going back to fleece Konoha for compensation sounded much better.
"Fine, then let's get moving."
The two packed up briefly and walked out of the tavern side by side with the little pig Tonton.
Yet the moment they stepped out the door, a group of figures instantly surrounded them!
A dozen or so menacing men, every single one of them wearing fierce expressions and wielding clubs and staves, blocked their way. At the front stood the owner of the town's casino, his face covered in flesh and his eyes fixed sinisterly on the two of them.
"Don't move!"
The casino boss stepped forward, directly blocking their path, and spoke viciously:
"That woman Tsunade hasn't cleared her gambling debts yet! Do you think you can just pat your asses and leave?"
Miki Yūya froze on the spot, his face a complete mask of black question marks.
"Shizune, then I'll be leaving first. You can stay behind and be their hostage."
With that, Miki Yūya tried to leave, but the casino boss waved a hand, and a crowd directly blocked Miki Yūya's path.
"Kid, I said you aren't going anywhere. That woman can leave, but you, kid... with your delicate skin and tender meat, and you're so young and handsome-hehe, you're staying!"
!!!!
What?
Looking at the fleshy-faced casino boss in front of him, Miki Yūya was dumbfounded. What did he mean the woman could leave, but he had to stay? Damn it, are you out of your mind?
Damn it, even if he died, he would never submit.
After just one second of thought, Miki Yūya threw a punch straight into the casino boss's left eye. The punch, imbued with Haki, sent the boss flying instantly.
"Get lost!! Damn it, I never thought the Shinobi World would have someone like you. Let me tell you, I am straight as an arrow!!! I don't like men, and even if I die, I will never submit."
"Disgusting!! I spit on you!"
"Disgusting!!"
The moment the casino boss was sent flying, the dozen or so thugs around him had already intended to step forward and catch him. Upon hearing Miki Yūya's words, the expressions of these fierce-looking thugs changed drastically, one and all.
What?!! Their boss was actually a gai-
No wonder their boss usually looked at them with gazes that were somewhat off.
At this thought, and seeing the casino boss flying toward them, the group scattered instantly, not daring to touch a single source of bad luck.
A dull thud echoed against the ground.
The casino boss hit the ground, his whole body aching all over. Half of his face instantly turned bruised and swollen, his head buzzed, and he miserably propped himself up from the ground.
The moment he raised his head, he saw his dozen or so subordinates looking at him with terror and strange expressions, instinctively taking half a step back. The gazes they cast his way were full of subtlety, wariness, and a desire to keep their distance.
Those gazes were as if they were looking at some kind of perverted freak!
The casino boss's blood pressure skyrocketed on the spot, his anger surging straight to his head, and he was almost blown into a rage by the looks from these subordinates!
"What kind of looks are those on your faces?!"
"What are you dodging for?! When on earth did I ever like men?!"
Trembling all over with fat, he pointed at himself, full of aggrieved anger, and roared through clenched teeth:
"I am a loyal reader of Icha Icha Paradise! I've read through countless beauties! I only like women!!"
"You stinky brat deliberately twisted my words! You maliciously slandered my reputation!
You're framing me with groundless accusations!!"
He would never carry this black pot of "liking men" for the rest of his life!
Miki Yūya had originally thrown his punch with blazing momentum. Hearing this, his eyes widened in fury, and he almost jumped on the spot with anger, retorting righteously and with absolute confidence!
"Slandered you?! I twisted your words?!"
"Who was it just now staring at my delicate skin and tender meat, calling me young and handsome, telling Shizune to leave and singling me out to stay?!"
"If you don't like men, why did you praise my looks? Why were you staring at me? Why did you insist on keeping me all to yourself?!"
"Showing hospitality for no good reason means you're either a thief or up to no good! If you're not a pervert, what are you?!"
Miki Yūya was righteous and stern, with absolute confidence.
That "you stay" from earlier had made his scalp tingle and his entire body crawl with disgust; it was almost enough to give him a lifetime's worth of trauma!
As soon as those words came out, the expressions of the dozen surrounding thugs changed drastically once again!
In unison, they backed away by another large margin, quietly exchanging glances as the gossip and wariness in their eyes nearly overflowed.
The boss was still making excuses!
He had specifically kept a handsome guy behind by himself, and he still claimed he wasn't doing it?!
Looking at his subordinates' increasingly abnormal expressions, the casino boss's mentality completely collapsed.
He took several heavy breaths, pointed at Miki Yūya's bandage-wrapped head, and defended himself loudly with a sincerity that was utterly absurd:
"So what if I praised your delicate skin and tender meat?!"
"You do have delicate skin and tender meat! Your skin is better than most girls in town! That's the truth!!"
"And so what if I praised you for being handsome?!"
"Take a look at yourself! Even though your head is wrapped in bandages and you still have bruises on your face!"
"Your brows and eyes are sharp, the angles of your face are distinct, and your temperament is unruly and unique!"
"Even while you're recovering from injuries right now, it can't hide your dashing, sharp edge! You're simply top-tier handsome material!!"
"I'm praising someone's appearance based on the facts! Is that a crime?!"
The entire scene fell instantly dead silent!
The wind stopped, the voices vanished, and the movements of every single thug froze completely.
A dozen fierce and murderous casino thugs turned their heads in unison, earnestly and meticulously sizing up Miki Yūya before them.
The bandages couldn't hide his bone structure, and the bruises couldn't block his temperament.
His sharply angled profile, upright stature, and unruly, cold gaze-even battered and injured, he was indeed more prominent and dazzling than all the young men in the town combined.
The crowd of thugs nodded one after another, their gazes incomparably sincere.
--The boss was totally right!
He really was handsome!
He really did have delicate skin and tender meat!
The next second, this group of thugs who had just been full of terror and keeping their distance from their boss had their mentalities reset instantly. In unison, they gripped the wooden staves, iron rods, and kunai in their hands, their expressions fierce as they closed in once more, trapping Miki Yūya tightly right in the center!
Not a single inch of escape!
Miki Yūya:
"Damn it, there's no way to refute this guy, and the system didn't give any Observation Haki prompts. It looks like these guys really aren't bullying me after all."
Even so, Miki Yūya was still unwilling to stay, and he raised a hand.
"Is it my fault I'm handsome? What the hell does Tsunade's debt have to do with me?"
The casino boss sneered, righteous and confident:
"How does it not concern you?"
"You're her exclusive follow-up patient!"
"Your meals, lodging, check-ups, follow-up consultations, and recuperation these past few days have all been billed to her medical account!"
"If she doesn't settle the bill, your medical fees mean not a single penny has been paid!"
"Today, either you settle the bill for her, or none of you are leaving!"
When those words came out, Miki Yūya was laughed into fury right on the spot.
It was simply absurdism opening the door for absurdism-absurd to the extreme!
Tsunade the heavy gambler owed money; why should an outsider like him foot the bill?!
The brows and eyes beneath Miki Yūya's bandages instantly turned icy cold. With his hands shoved into his pockets, his arrogant momentum maxed out once more.
"I see this group of town trash has grown tired of living."
"A bunch of small-town nobodies who can't even step through the Konoha Gate dare to come shaking me down for money?"
The expressions of the casino crowd shifted.
Miki Yūya held his head high and chest out, spouting wild talk without holding back in the least.
"Do you have any idea what kind of standing I have in Konoha?"
"Konohamaru! The Third Hokage's own grandson!"
"He's no match for me."
"Do you bunch of country commoners dare to try and porcelain-touch me?"
"Commoners are commoners, villagers are villagers-do you understand the Immortal and Mortal Divide? One day in heaven is a year on earth."
"Are the horizons of ordinary people worthy of speculating on matters concerning villagers?"
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +3]
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +4]
With that, Miki Yūya directly threw another punch straight into the casino boss's right eye, sending him flying once more.
[Ding! Armament Haki +0.5]
The boss on the ground wore a face turning alternately green and white, provoked to fury.
"Villagers, is it?!"
"We don't dare mess with the Sannin Tsunade, but we can't handle a patient with his head wrapped in bandages?!"
As his words fell, five Genin and two or three Chunin leaped out from the crowd instantly!
They were all ninja hired by the casino to watch the house and chase down gambling debts. Of course they wouldn't dare deal with Tsunade, but dealing with a Konoha villager? Wasn't that easy as pie?
Killing intent locked onto Miki Yūya instantly!
Shizune's nerves tightened instantly, and she instinctively moved to block in front.
Yet who would have expected-
Instead of dodging or evading, Miki Yūya actually took the initiative to step forward, thrusting his thick bandage-wrapped forehead straight at them!
He tilted his head, wearing a completely broken-can-break expression of utter arrogance.
"Come on!"
"Hit right here!"
"If you've got the guts, crack my skull open!"
"I am Tsunade's exclusive patient!"
"Tsunade, one of the Sannin of the Shinobi World, is protecting me!"
"Even Orochimaru didn't dare touch a single hair on my head earlier!"
"You bunch of third-rate country ninja, hit me to death if you've got the guts!"
The group of Chunin and Genin froze on the spot, their raised hands unsure whether to drop or strike.
Strike?
If they actually beat Tsunade's patient to death, when the Sannin came to hold them accountable, they wouldn't even know how they died!
Not strike?
Being mocked right to their faces by a patient in public meant their dignity was completely wiped out!
The group was blocked into a state of mental explosion, reduced to cursing on the spot while not daring to make a move.
The casino boss trembled all over with rage, roaring through clenched teeth:
"Good, good, good! You're not afraid of death, right!"
"Tie them up! Take them all!"
"I want to see if Tsunade is going to let her patient, her attendant, and her pet all get detained just to dodge a debt!"
At his order!
A dozen thugs swarmed forward, giving no chance for resistance whatsoever.
Shizune's strength was limited, and she was subdued instantly.
The little pig Tonton squealed as someone lifted it up.
Miki Yūya was not about to stand still and do nothing. He immediately released his Conqueror's Haki, startling everyone. The very next moment, the five Genin and three Chunin struck together; the moment Miki Yūya struck a pose, he was pinned down.
The group was escorted under heavy guard straight toward the open ground outside the town.
The wind here blew with a desolate, murderous aura.
In the distance, three opposing figures were already visible-
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Naruto were confronting Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi!
At this moment, Jiraiya's face was deathly pale, his breath chaotic, and his entire body covered in faint toxins. It was obvious he had been poisoned for a long time and had completely lost his combat capability, able only to stand and watch the battle with difficulty.
Just as Miki Yūya and his group were escorted to the outer perimeter of the battlefield...
At the center of the battlefield, everything changed in an instant!
Kabuto Yakushi's eyes turned vicious, and he slashed a blade across his palm!
A deep gash instantly opened in his palm, and bright red blood came gushing out!
The blood splattered, spraying straight toward Tsunade on the wind!
Splat-!
Tsunade's pupils contracted sharply!
The taut aura around her shattered in an instant!
Every trace of her overwhelming presence vanished. Her entire body stiffened, her knees buckled, and her face went deathly pale. That splash of crimson left her frozen in terror, all strength draining from her!
Kabuto seized the once-in-a-lifetime opening!
He planted a precise kick in Tsunade's lower abdomen!
Bam!
Tsunade grunted in pain and staggered back several steps, nearly collapsing to the ground!
The entire battlefield fell deathly silent.
Everyone being held captive on the sidelines stared, dumbfounded!
Shizune cried out in panic:
"This is bad! Lady Tsunade has severe hemophobia! The sight of blood makes her body freeze up, leaving her unable to fight!"
Held in place by the others, Miki Yūya's mouth twitched wildly. He burst into furious curses, his voice ringing across the wilderness!
"You've got to be kidding me!!"
"Tsunade Senju, you're a complete quack!!"
"You're a medical ninja!!"
"And you're afraid of blood?!"
"No wonder you haven't cured me after treating me for so long!"
"A half-baked fraud of a medical ninja, and you're afraid of blood to boot!!"
"Your medical skills are trash, your character is trash, and your conduct at the gambling table is even worse!"
"You won't repay what you owe, and you run from your debts! First you screwed over Konoha, now me!"
"I was just an innocent bystander! You dragged me into this, forced your debts onto my tab, and now I've been kidnapped!"
The Casino Boss and his people erupted too, roaring furiously one after another!
"Aha! So you really were trying to skip out on your debts!"
"You're pretending you can't win because you don't want to pay, huh? You're both Sannin, yet you can't beat a man with useless arms."
"Tsunade of the Sannin? The Senju princess?!"
"All I see is a deadbeat who won't pay her debts!!"
"Not a shred of professional ethics!!"
"Your medical skills are so bad, you turned a perfectly decent Konoha villager into this vulgar, morally bankrupt animal!"
"Your patient has no decency, and you're welching on your gambling debts!"
"Even if Orochimaru takes you away today, you still have to settle up with me!"
"Otherwise, we'll plaster notices all over Konoha's entrance right now!!"
"We'll make sure the entire shinobi world knows Tsunade Senju's name!"
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +9] [Ding! Conqueror's Haki +13]
System notifications went wild in Miki Yūya's mind. A few words from him had set this mob of troublemakers ablaze, and now every one of them was attacking Tsunade and piling on the pressure.
At that moment, Tsunade's fury blazed completely out of control. Not only was she taking a beating, but a whole crowd was piling on her too. She utterly lost her composure!
Before you continue