The Chaos Rush wasn't entirely ineffective against Hyuga Mirai, but with his mastery of Rotation, he could nullify its impact.
After sending Tsunade flying, Hyuga Mirai finally took a moment to heal himself. The Chaos Rush functioned by converting chakra into electrical energy, disrupting the body's natural responses. However, all he needed was a well-executed Mystical Palm Technique to restore the affected areas, making it a relatively simple task given his chakra control. That said, few could achieve what he just did in such a situation.
"Your strength is undoubtedly the greatest in the shinobi world, but your speed is lacking. While the Strength of a Hundred Technique allows you to exchange injuries for damage, you struggle against fast taijutsu specialists, Princess Tsunade."
As he walked toward her, Hyuga Mirai spoke in a calm tone. He knew she was using this time to heal herself, but it didn't concern him.
Once her wounds were healed, a flicker of anger crossed Tsunade's face. "Brat, don't underestimate me!"
With that, her Shunshin speed increased. Having activated the Strength of a Hundred Technique, her body remained in a state of passive regeneration, allowing her to recover rapidly from any injuries. This granted her the ability to unleash chakra explosively without reservation, pushing her body beyond its limits.
Even so, her speed still fell short of Hyuga Mirai's.
Once he shed his training weights, his agility was enough to force Orochimaru into a desperate retreat. Compared to him, Tsunade was still a step behind.
Boom!
Crash!
Each of Tsunade's punches shattered the ground, leaving deep craters, while her kicks could snap trees with trunks over two meters in diameter with ease. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't land a single hit on Hyuga Mirai.
Instead, she was repeatedly struck and sent flying by his relentless attacks, forced to expend chakra to heal the internal injuries inflicted by his Gentle Fist.
The forest around them suffered from their battle. Trees lay in ruins, and the ground was riddled with hundreds of craters of varying depths.
As time passed, the intensity of their fight gradually waned.
"Cough, cough!"
Tsunade coughed up a trace of blood, her breathing slightly ragged as she leaned against a tree for support.
Her excessive chakra and stamina consumption had reached its limit, making it impossible to maintain high-intensity combat any longer. She was fortunate that she wasn't much older yet—if several years had passed, her combat abilities would have deteriorated significantly. Forget keeping up with Hyuga Mirai—she might not even last a few exchanges before being defeated.
'This brat is unbelievably strong. His chakra and stamina seem endless. If this drags on any longer…'
Tsunade felt an unsettling sense of unease. She wasn't sure why, but the moment she encountered this white-eyed brat, an uncontrollable rage surged within her, compelling her to step in and subdue him.
It was likely the same kind of emotion that stemmed from betrayal. Back at Konoha Hospital, she had genuinely considered taking Hyuga Mirai as her disciple. His status as a branch family member of the Hyuga clan and a Konoha shinobi didn't matter to her. Though they never officially became master and student, she had been serious about teaching him.
Whenever he posed an advanced medical question, she would go out of her way to find the answer and provide a response the next day. She hadn't even been this diligent with Shizune's training.
Despite his unorthodox views, Hyuga Mirai's talent and personality resonated with her. She had trained him wholeheartedly, hoping that even after she left, Konoha's medical system wouldn't collapse.
Yet, things had taken an unexpected turn.
"Princess Tsunade, it seems your hemophobia is cured," Hyuga Mirai remarked, pointing at the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth with a slight frown.
This was unexpected. He had initially planned to exploit her hemophobia, rendering her defenseless and taking her back to their base for "persuasion." But contrary to his expectations, Tsunade had simply wiped the blood away and continued fighting as if nothing had happened.
"Hemophobia…?"
Tsunade snapped back from her thoughts and touched the blood on her lips.
In the past, she couldn't even stand the sight of blood. But now, despite seeing her own, she felt nothing.
Rather, the burning rage in her heart had drowned out all other emotions.
"Hmph. I should be thanking you," she sneered, though inwardly, she knew she was in trouble. The Strength of a Hundred Technique was running out of time.
Once it ended, her physical condition would sharply decline, drastically reducing her speed and strength.
"If you really want to thank me, then show it with your actions," Hyuga Mirai said before suddenly vanishing with Shunshin.
The next moment, he appeared before Tsunade, his palms flashing in rapid succession, striking her shoulder and thigh in an instant.
The unexpected attack disrupted her balance, preventing her from using Shunshin to escape.
At the same time, Hyuga Mirai expanded his Gentle Fist domain, the veins on his face bulging as he activated his Byakugan.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Two palms!"
"Four palms!"
...
"Sixty-Four Palms!"
In just a few seconds, Hyuga Mirai had completed all sixty-four strikes, sealing off Tsunade's chakra points and preventing her from healing herself.
Some points remained unsealed due to excess fat, but that hardly mattered. The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms wasn't just about blocking chakra flow—the sheer force behind each strike was enough to leave Tsunade severely battered.
It was like a powerful warrior hammering her body relentlessly with a spiked mallet. The only reason she survived was her exceptional physique. Anyone else would have perished long before reaching the full sixty-four strikes.
"This is the end, Princess Tsunade. You people are all so stubborn. Here I am, working tirelessly for the peace of the shinobi world, yet you cling to your so-called ideals of peace while doing everything you can to stand in my way."
Hyuga Mirai walked forward, preparing to take Tsunade with him. Someone of her caliber could still be useful. Talented shinobi were rare, and if properly guided, Tsunade had the potential for even greater achievements.
Unfortunately, war and her hemophobia had wasted much of her potential. Had she focused more on research, surpassing Orochimaru in human biology wouldn't have been difficult.
Just as he was about to lift her, he suddenly frowned.
"A toad?"
From a few hundred meters away, a large toad was hopping toward them. It was an unusual sight—this area was dense woodland with no sign of water, yet here was a lone toad appearing out of nowhere.
"Jiraiya!?"
The toad suddenly opened its mouth wide, and from within, Jiraiya emerged—wounded, but still standing.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
Without hesitation, Jiraiya unleashed a fire jutsu. The flames, infused with oil, burned hotter and longer than ordinary fire jutsu, surging toward Hyuga Mirai with deadly intensity.
Jiraiya's goal was to force him back, but Hyuga Mirai wasn't about to let Tsunade go. With a swift motion, he grabbed her and evaded the attack.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom!
Realizing he couldn't free Tsunade with conventional attacks, Jiraiya burned through his chakra reserves to summon two of Mount Myoboku's great toads—Gamabunta and Gamaken. Even if that troublesome purple snake showed up, these two could hold their own against it.
"Tch, what a nuisance," Hyuga Mirai muttered, assessing his remaining chakra. Less than sixty percent remained, and gathering natural energy now would take too long.
"I won't let you take Tsunade, Hyuga Mirai!"
Jiraiya's expression was grim. He swiftly painted two crimson lines across his face and brought his hands together in preparation.
"Going for those two toads, huh?"
Hyuga Mirai calculated his odds. Without Sage Mode, he could only match Jiraiya in combat. Using his battle armor would give him an edge, but it wasn't worth revealing yet.
If he insisted on taking Tsunade, Jiraiya would keep him locked in battle. There was only one option left.
"Well, I suppose today isn't my day. There's always next time. But if I'm leaving empty-handed, I might as well make it worthwhile," he said, forming a hand seal while gathering a small amount of natural energy to refine sage chakra.
Orochimaru had developed the cursed seal even after obtaining Sage Mode training. Hyuga Mirai, on the other hand, had superior methods for harnessing Sage Mode, so he never bothered with Orochimaru's imperfect seal.
Still, he had acquired it. And now seemed like the perfect time to put it to use.
Bite!
Hyuga Mirai sank his teeth into Tsunade's neck, injecting a mix of sage chakra and Yin Release chakra into her system before using a sealing technique to solidify the curse mark, ensuring its complete integration.
"AHHH!"
As the cursed seal took hold, Tsunade screamed in agony, her body wracked by the sudden invasion of raw natural energy.
"Tsunade!!! Gamaken, stop him!" Jiraiya roared in desperation.
"I understand. Though I'm not very agile…"
But before the massive toad could act, Hyuga Mirai had already vanished with Shunshin.
"Jiraiya, you have a choice—chase me, or save her."
With those final words, Hyuga Mirai disappeared into the forest.
Jiraiya clenched his fists, seething with frustration. But after a moment's hesitation, he made his decision.
He had to save Tsunade.
(End of Chapter)
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