"Wait… what's going on? Why are you in such a rush?"
Ruo Feng stopped in his tracks and looked at Nawaki in confusion.
He had barely stepped into the classroom when Nawaki barged in, grabbed him, and dragged him out without explanation. Even now, Ruo Feng had no idea what was happening.
"Hah…" Nawaki let out a long breath before staring at him seriously. "My sister's in big trouble. And the root of it… is you."
That only made Ruo Feng more puzzled. He walked over to a patch of grass and sat down.
"What happened to Sister Tsunade? Did her mission fail?"
"Nawaki… you still remember those two medicinal ingredients, right?" Nawaki asked, a trace of anticipation in his voice.
Ruo Feng narrowed his eyes. "You mean the Kirin Blood Essence? Don't tell me… Sister Tsunade actually took it?"
Thinking about the two Kirin Blood Essence pills Tsunade had taken, Ruo Feng still felt a little annoyed—but not nearly as angry as before.
After all, he possessed the Garbage Station, a mysterious conduit capable of drawing discarded items from countless worlds. Compared to that, Kirin Blood Essence wasn't irreplaceable. Besides, he knew very well that only Tsunade could truly unleash its full effect. For ordinary people, it would be nothing more than an extremely precious healing medicine.
At that moment, Nawaki bit his finger and formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
A puff of white smoke appeared—and within it, a small slug.
Ruo Feng stared in surprise. "The Summoning Jutsu? You actually signed a summoning contract?"
Nawaki chuckled. "It's my sister's summon. She had me sign the contract too. Anyway… let Katsuyu explain."
The tiny slug looked at Ruo Feng and spoke gently.
"Nawaki-sama, Ruo Feng-sama. Lady Tsunade has sent word for me to deliver a message."
Nawaki didn't seem surprised. Clearly, he already knew part of it.
Katsuyu continued:
"Lady Tsunade fought in the Land of Earth. She eliminated over two hundred Iwagakure chūnin and nine jōnin. When she encountered the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, she severely injured him—at the cost of one of her own arms. She later broke through the encirclement. Her arm regenerated within a day."
Ruo Feng's eyes widened slightly.
"All of this was made possible by the medicinal ingredient you provided, Ruo Feng-sama. It allowed Lady Tsunade to unleash unprecedented power."
"She is currently on her way back to Konoha and will arrive in a few days. She asked Nawaki-sama to make preparations. And she also said… when she returns, she will have a thorough 'discussion' with you, Ruo Feng-sama."
Ruo Feng snapped out of his shock.
"She's that fierce?! I knew her vitality was monstrous, but I didn't expect it to explode to this level…"
He remembered clearly—the first time he saw Tsunade at the hot springs, when she guided him in chakra control. The life force within her body had felt overwhelming, almost suffocating. It wasn't that she lacked power—she had simply never fully unlocked it.
In the future, she would create forbidden techniques like the Creation Rebirth and the Strength of a Hundred Seal—methods that refined the immense vitality within her cells into a unique form of chakra, granting regeneration rivaling the First Hokage.
With Kirin Blood Essence forcefully stimulating her dormant vitality, combined with the recklessness of youth and her enemies' lack of preparation, this outcome wasn't impossible.
But injuring Ōnoki?
Even if it was a mutual exchange of injuries—and even if Ōnoki underestimated her—that was still outrageous.
However…
Ruo Feng frowned.
"Why did she tell Nawaki to prepare? Prepare for what?"
Nawaki looked equally confused. "Yeah… I was wondering the same thing."
Suddenly, Katsuyu let out a startled cry.
"Ah! I nearly forgot! Lady Tsunade warned you both to be on guard. Iwagakure may seek revenge. It seems Lord Ōnoki, after witnessing her power, remembered that Nawaki-sama possesses the potential to inherit the First Hokage's physique… and has ordered an assassination."
Silence fell.
Ruo Feng's mouth twitched.
"Assassination…? Can that old man Ōnoki act any more predictably? And… I'm not on that list, right?"
Katsuyu shook her head. "No. Iwagakure is unaware of the connection between you and Lady Tsunade."
Ruo Feng exhaled in relief. He wasn't afraid of being targeted—but being randomly hunted by the Third Tsuchikage was definitely unpleasant.
And just as he relaxed—
A killing intent sliced through the air.
Ruo Feng's eyes snapped toward the forest.
"Who's there?!"
A kunai shot out from the trees—straight at Nawaki.
Nawaki startled. "No way! That fast?!"
He spun aside, barely dodging. Without Ruo Feng's warning, he might not have reacted in time.
Swish! Swish!
Three figures burst out of the forest.
Ruo Feng sighed. "Nawaki… you've really dragged me into this one."
Nawaki scratched his head awkwardly. "How was I supposed to know? I just got the message this morning. It's only been a few hours—how did they track us so quickly?"
Katsuyu said urgently, "Nawaki-sama, Ruo Feng-sama—I will stall them. Please escape at once."
She leapt forward.
One of the Iwa shinobi sneered.
"Heh. We got word from our scouts and happened upon this perfect opportunity. Looks like even the heavens want us to earn merit today."
"A Senju heir… and Tsunade's favored brat. Just two academy students."
He twirled a kunai between his fingers.
"We may be civilian-born shinobi, but dealing with two unripe kids? That's easy."
The three Iwa ninja exchanged a glance and charged.
One of them drew his kunai—
—and lunged straight at Ruo Feng.
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