The desert wind swept up fine grains of sand and howled across the battlefield.
Tsunade stood at the very front. Her golden hair lifted in the wind, and her bright brown eyes stared coldly at the dense mass of Suna-nin forces ahead.
Three to four hundred ninja closed in from all sides in a fan formation, led by the middle-aged ninja at the front.
He was Ebizo, the commander of this Suna-nin operation to strike the medical ninja.
The value of medical ninja to every major village goes without saying.
Targeting medical ninja first was in fact a priority strategic requirement for many villages.
Ebizo held both hands inside his sleeves, his expression calm, as if victory was already certain.
"Princess Tsunade, surrender."
Ebizo spoke slowly. His voice was hoarse but carried an undeniable pressure.
"You are already surrounded. Any further resistance will only add to the casualties."
Tsunade did not answer. She only tilted her head slightly and said quietly to the medical ninja and combat forces behind her.
"Everyone, close in around me."
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an authority that could not be refused.
The Konoha ninja who had been somewhat panicked quickly adjusted their formation. The medical ninja were protected in the center, and the combat forces formed a defensive ring on the outside.
Ebizo narrowed his eyes slightly, seeming a little surprised by Tsunade's calm.
A jonin beside him wearing a Suna headband could not help but say quietly.
"Ebizo, if this drags on any longer, Konoha reinforcements might arrive."
Ebizo raised one hand to signal him to be quiet, his gaze still fixed on Tsunade.
"Last chance, Princess Tsunade."
He said slowly.
He still did not want to give up the medical ninja in front of him.
Tsunade looked at him. The corner of her mouth lifted into a cold smile.
"You talk too much."
The words had barely landed when she stomped the ground hard.
BOOM!
The ground cracked instantly. The terrifying monstrous force kicked up a storm of sand. The Suna-nin at the front had no time to react and were knocked back several steps.
Seeing the determination on Tsunade's face, Ebizo said no more. His eyes became sharp.
"Attack!"
Ebizo gave the order sharply.
"Kill!"
Three to four hundred Suna-nin erupted at the same time.
"Wind Release, Sand Storm Formation!"
"Wind Release, Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Release, Gale Palm!"
Along with the Wind Release came the overwhelming clatter of puppets surging forward.
"Earth Release ninja to the front, defensive formation!"
Tsunade had been draining herself nonstop, both healing and fighting. Her chakra was nearly exhausted, and her body had been pushed to its absolute limit.
But even so.
Tsunade still stood at the very front, issuing effective commands.
Three to five ninja stepped forward and rapidly formed seals.
Earth Release. The Earth Flow Wall rose from the ground and barely blocked the first wave of attacks.
But the Suna-nin were far too numerous, and the attacks were far too dense. A second wave followed immediately.
"Medical ninja, prioritize protecting the critically wounded!"
Tsunade commanded while charging into the enemy formation and smashing a puppet with her fist.
She grabbed a Suna-nin by the neck with her other hand and slammed them hard into the ground.
"Do not let them near the wounded!"
The Konoha ninja gritted their teeth and held the line, but the gap in numbers was too great. As their numbers thinned, the defensive line was slowly pushed back.
Ebizo stood at an elevated position and watched the battlefield with cold indifference.
"It is over."
But just as the Suna-nin were about to break through the final defensive line.
A rumble.
A blazing Fire Release descended from above and instantly tore open a gap in the Suna-nin's assault.
"That is..."
Ebizo's brow furrowed slightly.
Through the dust and smoke, a figure shot into the battlefield like lightning. A pair of crimson Sharingan eyes stood out sharply through the sandstorm.
"Sorry. I am late."
Uchiha Chiya had finally arrived.
The sand and wind howled. The killing intent on the battlefield was as sharp as a blade edge.
Tsunade looked at the figure that had appeared so suddenly. Her pupils contracted sharply. Her golden hair was tossed by the fierce wind. Her breathing quickened.
Uchiha Chiya... The one who had gone missing on the battlefield of the Land of Rain.
Her man.
He was now standing right in front of her. His crimson Sharingan eyes were startlingly vivid against the endless yellow sand.
Her heart lurched hard. Her fingers tightened without thinking.
He...
He really was still alive!
In that instant, all the exhaustion, anger, and despair were swept away by a joy so intense it was almost suffocating.
She opened her mouth as if to call out something, but then bit down hard on her lower lip and forced herself to stay calm.
'No. Now is not the time.'
She pushed down the surge of emotion. Her eyes became firm again.
But the faint trembling at her fingertips exposed the violent turmoil inside her.
Chiya used Fire Release to clear a path, broke through the Suna-nin's barrier, and came to Tsunade's side.
Tsunade's face was streaked with ash and dust. The exhaustion in her eyes made it clear she had already reached her limit.
"Leave the rest to me."
Chiya ruffled her head with a somewhat tender look.
She had come to the front lines for him, and now she had been ambushed and worn down to this state.
Now that he had arrived, how could he let Tsunade stand in front for him any longer?
Tsunade had none of her earlier pride left.
Looking at Chiya, a moved smile appeared on her face.
"Okay."
Ebizo watched this quietly from a distance, a faint sneer rising on his aged face.
"Ha. Someone from the Uchiha clan?"
He let out a scornful laugh. His gaze swept between Tsunade and Chiya, his tone contemptuous.
"Since when did the princess of the Senju clan get so close with someone from the Uchiha?"
The Suna-nin jonin beside him also showed a look of disdain and added quietly.
"The Senju and the Uchiha are supposed to be mortal enemies."
"Looks like they threw away the clan feud and got together. How disgraceful."
"The princess of the Senju clan, who we thought was such a fearsome opponent, turns out to be just someone ruled by her feelings."
Listening to the chatter of the Suna-nin around them.
Ebizo raised his hand slightly to signal the Suna-nin forces behind him to prepare to attack.
"Since you have both chosen to fall this low, you can die here together."
"Attack!"
The Suna-nin erupted instantly. Three jonin charged straight at Tsunade, while ten other elite ninja sealed off every possible escape route for Chiya.
Tsunade gritted her teeth. Her stamina and chakra had been completely drained through round after round of healing and fighting, and her movements were now half a step slower than before.
One Suna-nin jonin caught the opening and rapidly formed seals.
"Wind Release, Vacuum Wave!"
Tsunade barely twisted her body to dodge.
Chiya rushed forward and drove a kunai into that person's neck.
Using that gap, Tsunade was caught from behind by puppet strings wrapped around her wrists, and she was yanked violently to the ground.
"Tsunade!"
Chiya's pupils shrank. He tried to rush back, but was blocked firmly by the Suna-nin.
'This is not good.'
'She cannot hold on any longer!'
The expression in Chiya's eyes suddenly turned ice cold. The three-tomoe pattern in his Sharingan spun wildly, then twisted and merged.
The tomoe, originally a deep black, became a six-petal crimson spider lily pattern.
"The Far Shore of the Yellow Springs!"
In that instant, as drops of blood fell from his bloodshot eyes, the world seemed to come to a standstill.
With Chiya at the center, an invisible domain spread outward in a flash. The movements of every Suna-nin nearby froze completely.
Their skin withered and cracked at a visible rate. Their life force was pulled away like a tide receding. They did not even have time to scream before they collapsed as dried husks, falling to the ground one after another.
Ebizo's expression finally changed.
"What is this ocular jutsu?!"
Tsunade was stunned as well. She stared at the dried husks scattered across the ground, and then at the strange Mangekyō Sharingan in Chiya's eyes on his cold and sharp face. Her heart was shaken deeply.
But she quickly came back to herself, seizing the moment of chaos in the Suna-nin forces.
She drove her fist into the puppet strings binding her, shattered them, and leaped to her feet.
Before she could rush to Chiya's side with excitement, she saw the bloodshot state of his eyes and the blood rolling down from them.
"Chiya!"
She called out loudly.
"Are you all right? Do not push yourself!"
Chiya did not answer. He only turned his head slightly. The corner of his mouth lifted into a familiar smile.
"Relax. I am not going to fall that easily."
The Suna-nin forces began to waver, but Ebizo quickly steadied them and called out sharply.
"Do not panic! His ocular jutsu must have limits! Everyone, spread out the formation. Wear him down from range!"
Chiya let out a cold laugh at that, the pattern inside his Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotating.
"Wear me down from range? I would like to see that."
His gaze locked onto Ebizo, and another invisible pulse radiated outward.