The instant Tsunade stepped through the portal, an indescribable sense of weightlessness seized her insides.
She gritted her teeth, forcing down the discomfort churning within her.
The Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead grew faintly warm, and chakra circulated automatically, protecting the vital points throughout her body.
The sensation lasted about three seconds.
Perhaps less, perhaps more.
Then the darkness receded.
Tsunade's feet touched solid ground.
Almost instinctively, she bent her knees and crouched, reaching into her ninja tool pouch with her right hand and gripping three kunai between her fingers.
Her left fist clenched, chakra gathering rapidly, ready to unleash her Chakra Enhanced Strength at any moment.
Her eyes quickly swept her surroundings.
Utter silence.
Those were the first words that came to Tsunade's mind.
The ground beneath her feet was some kind of grayish-white rock, perfectly flat, without a single crack or marking.
In the distance, clusters of enormous stone pillars rose from the ground, exceptionally thick yet bearing no trace of carving, simply standing there bare.
The sky overhead was gloomy, casting a faint shadow over her heart.
Tsunade held her breath and listened closely.
There was no sound of wind here.
No dripping water.
No chirping insects or birdsong either.
There was not even a sound other than her own footsteps.
Her breathing seemed particularly jarring in this space.
Tsunade's gaze swept every inch of the ground, searching for any sign of living things, even an ant, a blade of grass, or a trace of moss.
But there was nothing here.
This space seemed utterly devoid of life, leaving only grayish-white rock and endless emptiness.
"So this is the alternate space..."
Tsunade murmured softly, her voice sounding particularly clear in the deathly silence, yet particularly small.
Maintaining her guarded stance, she took a slow,