Chapter 41: Really the Last Time
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In three days, the four of them had taken out five outposts.
The mission had gone remarkably well—twenty-seven Cloud-nin had been eliminated in total.
Most were genin and chūnin, with only two jōnin among them.
But for a team on their first mission together, this was nothing short of a miraculous achievement.
Night fell.
No light remained.
The four were bundled in their sleeping bags, but none of them slept.
They were laying a trap.
Around dusk, Tsunade had noticed they were being tracked.
Whoever was following them was skilled—they hadn't been able to pinpoint their location.
Sasame and the others had been active in this area for three days. Even if the Hidden Cloud Village was slow, they would've noticed by now.
So, it wasn't surprising that they'd been found.
On the contrary, Tsunade, confident in her abilities, had decided to give their pursuers a chance to strike.
Sasame glanced at Kabuto and Shizune nearby.
The four of them were inside a large tent but spread out.
He shifted closer to Tsunade.
"What is it?"
Tsunade opened her eyes and asked.
"Nothing."
Sasame kept his voice low. "I just wanted to be closer to you."
He leaned against her shoulder, cheek pressing against hers.
Tsunade stiffened slightly, her gaze flicking toward Kabuto and Shizune. "They'll notice."
"They won't. They're pretending to sleep. As long as we don't make too much noise, it's fine."
Instead of pulling away, Sasame nestled even closer.
Tsunade sighed inwardly but didn't argue further, quietly savoring the moment.
At the same time, there was an undercurrent of tension—the thrill of possibly being caught.
Because of that, she remained on high alert the entire time.
Not just for enemy attacks, but also to make sure Kabuto and Shizune didn't notice.
Tsunade felt like she'd never been this vigilant, not even when facing the legendary Hanzo of the Hidden Rain.
Wait—
No!
She was supposed to be keeping her distance from Sasame. How had things ended up like this?
Tsunade… Tsunade, how could you let yourself fall so far?
He's just a child. He doesn't know any better, but you—you should.
Yet as she looked at Sasame's delicate face in the dim light, she couldn't bring herself to push him away.
Fine. One last time. Really, the last time.
Next time, I won't let it get this far.
Otherwise… what will happen in the future?
Sasame would grow up. He'd marry, have children.
And she? She was just his guardian—his older sister.
Lost in thought, Tsunade's hand moved on its own, brushing against Sasame's cheek.
If it's really the last time… maybe I can indulge a little more?
Just then—
A flash of lightning split the sky.
Tsunade's expression darkened.
Sasame immediately pulled away, hands forming seals.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Chakra surged into the ground, and a barrier of water erupted just as the lightning struck.
The impact shattered the wall in less than a second, but it bought them enough time to react.
"Move!"
Sasame leapt back.
Kabuto tossed a smoke bomb, obscuring all four of them.
But in the next instant—
Tsunade shot forward like an arrow.
Under the moonlight, Sasame caught a glimpse of her face.
She looked furious.
He blinked, unsure why.
"Eight hostiles," Kabuto reported after a quick scan. "Two of them have unusual chakra—likely jōnin."
"The Hidden Cloud still doesn't know Lady Tsunade's identity," Shizune noted, arming the poison needles on her right arm. "If they did, there'd be more of them."
No sooner had she spoken than a deafening explosion rocked the area.
They all recognized it—Tsunade's monstrous strength.
"She's already engaged," Kabuto said, his hands glowing with chakra scalpels. "Seems like she's in a particularly bad mood today."
Sasame smirked but didn't respond, already rushing out.
Nearby, Tsunade was fighting two opponents at once—and dominating.
The remaining six Cloud-nin had formed a perimeter.
The smoke obscured their vision, but it didn't stop them.
The moment Sasame appeared, their jutsu activated.
Lightning crackled, spreading rapidly.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A serpent of water materialized mid-air and crashed into the lightning, dispersing it.
Shizune raised her arm.
In the darkness, poison needles shot toward the enemy.
With Sasame drawing their attention, no one noticed—
Until a scream tore through the night.
One Cloud-nin collapsed instantly, the toxin lethal upon contact.
There was a saying: the best poisoners were often the best healers.
Tsunade was no exception.
The venom she brewed was something few could counteract.
"Watch out! These aren't ordinary genin!"
The remaining Cloud-nin tensed.
Every shinobi carried antidotes, but their comrade had died before he could even reach for his.
That meant this poison was something else entirely.
As the smoke thinned—
Kabuto threw another black pellet, identical to the smoke bomb.
The Cloud-nin weren't fools.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gust of wind erupted from one of the chūnin, trying to disperse the smoke.
But the pellet wasn't smoke—it was an explosive tag.
BOOM.
Fire lit up the night.
"You sneaky bastards!"
The Cloud-nin's curses were drowned out by the blast.
Kabuto paid them no mind, vanishing into the chaos.
The explosion had broken their formation.
He reappeared behind one of them.
The chakra scalpel—a medical ninjutsu meant to heal—became a tool of death in his hands.
Precise. Instant. No chance to resist.
Sasame didn't idle either.
"Water Release: Rapid Water Shots!"
High-pressure streams of water fired from his hands, suppressing the remaining Cloud-nin.
Between his attacks, Shizune's needles flew.
If they dodged everything, Kabuto would finish them.
This was their teamwork—their battle rhythm.
In minutes, all six were dead.
Of course, the main reason was simple: they were weak. No jōnin among them.
Meanwhile, the two Cloud jōnin were struggling.
Each of the Five Great Villages had its own specialty.
The Hidden Cloud's was nin-taijutsu.
The Raikage lineage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was unmatched, with the Fourth Raikage rivaling even Minato Namikaze's speed and evading Sasuke Uchiha's Amaterasu—earning him the title of the second-fastest man in the shinobi world.
These two jōnin were nowhere near that level, but they were no slouches either.
With their enhanced speed and strength, most jōnin would've been overwhelmed instantly.
But they'd run into Tsunade.
She matched their speed.
And her strength eclipsed theirs entirely.
Her attacks came in relentless waves—they could only dodge, never counter.
Tsunade was in a foul mood.
These idiots had ruined her moment.
Her fist clenched, gathering an immense amount of chakra.
Weaving through their strikes, she drove it straight into the first jōnin's gut.
The force tore him apart.
Blood sprayed.
"What the—?!"
The surviving jōnin paled.
She was holding back?!
Tsunade didn't give him time to process it.
Her second punch landed.
No amount of toughness could withstand her full power.
By the time Sasame arrived, the scene was gruesome.
As expected of Tsunade.
Even beyond her medical ninjutsu, her taijutsu was terrifying.
Tsunade's anger faded as she took in the carnage.
She might've gone a bit overboard.
Then she noticed Sasame watching—and panicked.
Does he think I'm some kind of monster now?
She wiped her hands instinctively, but her clothes were already drenched in blood. It was pointless.
"Sister, it's over," Sasame said, stepping forward. Seeing her actions, he added, "We have time. You should go clean up and change."
His tone was calm.
Tsunade relaxed slightly and nodded. "Let's move out first."
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