A dense and ancient forest stretched out endlessly.
Falcons and eagles spread their wings, swiftly gliding through the uninhabited region, resembling a tropical rainforest.
Tsunade sat cross-legged on the back of a hawk with a dark expression on her face, while Kei stood behind her, continuously scanning the dense forest ahead.
After returning to Konoha, he had already studied the pathways of chakra flow in the eyes of all Hyūga clan members. Through numerous attempts and explorations, he could now activate the power of the Byakugan to detect even the faintest chakra reactions from over twenty kilometers away.
His field of vision had already surpassed his previous maximum sensory range.
"Pidgeot, fly in this direction!"
After scanning for a moment, Kei noticed a large cluster of chakra reactions and a peculiar structure resembling ancient ruins. He raised his hand and used chakra to guide Pidgeot toward the direction of the structure.
Pidgeot slightly tilted its body, adjusted its course, and accelerated once more.
Looking at Tsunade, who was still sulking, Kei lightly kicked her on the rear.
"Come on, it was just a small misunderstanding."
"Cut the crap! Find me a punching bag to vent my anger!" Tsunade slapped his lower leg with a powerful smack, her teeth almost grinding in frustration.
Yesterday, this bastard behind her had disappeared, and during that time, her body had been corroded by an energy even more advanced than senjutsu chakra. She had barely let out a scream before completely losing consciousness.
When she woke up, it was already past midnight.
Seeing the anti-perception barrier, anti-spying barrier, and soundproofing barrier in the Hokage's office, she initially thought Kei was simply avoiding distractions to help her improve her strength. She even felt a little touched.
Who would have known, the moment the ANBU entered, their first task was to clean the couch...
Such an unusual act naturally made her suspicious.
And when she questioned them, a newly recruited female ANBU stuttered for ages, her gaze flickering between Tsunade and Kei several times before finally saying, "If we don't clean it, bacteria might breed."
Tsunade wasn't an idiot! How could she not understand the implication?
Upon further questioning, she realized that not only this ANBU, but also the second ANBU squad that had taken over the shift, the third squad currently on duty, and even the people who had tried to deliver reports in the afternoon but were stopped at the door...
They had all misunderstood!
Even though no one showed any unusual expressions, sitting in the Hokage's office, she felt like she was on pins and needles, completely restless. It was all because of this bastard behind her. What "improving her strength"—he clearly had ulterior motives.
He, he, he… Though the ulterior motives were real, so was his silent dedication…
"It's here." The white glow in Kei's eyes slowly faded.
With a light tap of his toe against Pidgeot's back, swiftly descended, diving toward a location that resembled ancient ruins.
When they were less than ten meters from the ground, it vanished into smoke.
Kei and Tsunade leaped into the air, landing at the entrance of the disguised ruin—Ancor Vantian.
Her thunderous roar shook the air, causing dust to fall in waves.
Having removed the "pseudo" label from her Natural Sage Body, Tsunade walked forward without even activating the Sage Art Yin Seal, yet the immense natural energy still surged toward her. Several dragon-shaped sage chakra auras coiled around her body in an instant.
With a single punch, she smashed open the massive stone-covered gate.
She stepped into the fortress, seeing enemy ninjas wielding various weapons rushing toward her. She stomped her foot, and lunged at them.
Splatter— Splatter— Boom— Boom—
Blood splattered everywhere as one Sora ninja after another was either pierced through the chest or had their heads blown apart.
The supposedly powerful kunai launchers and wind blade cannons, capable of rivaling chunin-level attacks, failed to leave a single scratch on her.
Under the bright white lights of the corridor, the scene turned into a blood-drenched hell in an instant!
Shrill alarms echoed throughout Ancor Vantian.
Her figure turned into a streak of white light, weaving through the stronghold, mercilessly reaping the lives of the Sora ninjas who dared to attack her.
During the Second Great Ninja War, the Sora ninjas had launched a large-scale attack on Konoha. The assault caused massive civilian and ninja casualties, with the destruction and economic losses being immeasurable.
When they attacked, she was right there in Konoha. There was no way she would show mercy to them.
"Still haven't extracted the Zero-Tails yet?" Kei fully activated his perception ability, mapping out the entire structure of the fortress in his mind.
Inside the fortress's core control room, a muscular and burly man was barking orders at hundreds of Sora ninjas, his face filled with rage.
Perhaps Tsunade's overwhelming strength had been too much to handle, Shinnō knew he was no match for her.
A large number of Sora ninjas were now gathering at the chakra absorption device deep within the control room.
However, the Zero-Tails, the dark chakra entity created by the Sora ninjas in the original story, was nowhere to be seen yet!
The entire fortress trembled with a deep, echoing hum. Vast amounts of chakra flowed through the absorption device, circulating throughout the fortress.
Standing in the control room, he placed one hand on a mysterious mechanical device, rapidly absorbing the chakra extracted from the ordinary Sora ninjas.
As the leader and a top-tier medical ninja, he had mastered the forbidden techniques of body regeneration and body reactivation, and he had even stolen the Eight Gates technique!
Confident that, as long as he had enough chakra, he could even defeat Tsunade.
But all of these ambitions and fantasies vanished instantly the moment Tsunade kicked open the control room door!
Just one single punch, and the body he had prided himself on as being indestructible was pierced through by Tsunade's fist!
Even as his Body Revival Technique desperately repaired his gaping chest wound—
"Oh?" A soft exclamation escaped Tsunade's lips.
And before Shinnō could react, his arms, legs, and entire body went completely numb, as if he had become a slab of meat waiting to be butchered on a cutting board.
His body collapsed helplessly to the ground.
Tsunade formed hand seals, and a chakra scalpel as thin as a cicada's wing appeared at her fingertips.
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
In just three seconds, she had completely sliced open Shinnō's abdomen, carefully observing his internal chakra flow system.
"Hmm... The technique is similar to the Ninja Art Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique, but the principles are completely different..."
"A-Ahh... Urgh..." A bloodcurdling scream had barely begun to escape his lips, before Tsunade's fingers lightly tapped the base of his neck, severing his pain receptors.
"Why do you suddenly have the same hobbies as Orochimaru?" Watching this stomach-turning scene, Kei rubbed his chest subconsciously.
Damn... Thank god that all the times Tsunade punched his chest before, she wasn't using a chakra scalpel.
Not only did she slice through the skin, but she also cut open ribs and tendons that were blocking her view, this was brutal as hell!
"Tch. When I was studying human anatomy, Orochimaru was still playing with snakes."
Tsunade scoffed, rolling her eyes. She casually restored Shinnō's chest, letting his Body Revival Technique Jutsu continue healing him.
"H-How could this happen... How could this happen...?" Shinnō mumbled in despair, staring up at Tsunade, who now stood over him like a towering executioner.
"I've seen your medical ninjutsu... I've seen your monstrous strength... But you weren't this strong before! How did you do it? How—"
If Shinnō had kept his mouth shut, it would have been fine, but the moment he spoke, Tsunade's expression darkened once again.
"I traded my lifetime reputation for this! Got a problem with that?!"
With that, she stomped down, shattering Shinnō's skull and sending him off to meet the Sage of the Six Paths.
Kei stared at Shinnō's lifeless body, offering him two seconds of silence.
Dude, if you lost, you lost. Why the hell did you have to run your mouth?
From the way Tsunade had acted earlier, it was clear she was planning to capture him alive and hand him over to the interrogation department.
He talked himself straight into the afterlife.