Deep within the dense forest.
Word of Tsunade's squad's arrival quickly reached the Hidden Cloud strike team.
Without a moment's hesitation, their captain ordered an immediate retreat.
This war had dragged on too long, and everyone knew what it meant to face one of the Legendary Sannin. No one wanted to go head-to-head with this monster-strength woman.
They scattered explosive tags, forcing the Konoha shinobi to fall back.
Leaving behind two mangled corpses, the Cloud squad slipped away without further losses.
Tsunade's squad gave chase for a while but, seeing the enemy fleeing at full speed, chose to turn back.
Their top priority was still the protection of the logistics team.
Just then, from a clearing in the woods, Hyūga Honma's urgent shout rang out:
"Captain Tsunade! Someone's injured!"
Tsunade rushed to his side. On the ground lay a young shinobi, clutching his bleeding abdomen, lips bitten pale with pain.
"What happened?" Tsunade demanded, voice low and tense.
"Ambushed—stab wound, blade went right through," answered a male shinobi beside the victim.
Tsunade pulled the wounded ninja's hand away. Her eyes widened instantly—this was bad.
Whoever wielded that blade was an expert. One thrust, straight through a vital point.
The wound was just below the ribs, at the intersection of chest and abdomen—
a spot packed with crucial organs, one of the body's deadliest weak points.
If a pierced heart meant instant death, then a ruptured diaphragm meant a slow, agonizing end.
The spleen was likely shattered, and the torrent of blood was proof enough.
"Hold down his arms and legs!"
With a sharp command, Tsunade pressed her hands to the wound.
Mystical Palm Technique flared to life, emerald light streaming from her palms.
Instantly, wisps of white smoke rose as the wound began to close before their eyes.
Relief bloomed on everyone's faces—
As expected of Lady Tsunade. One move, and the wound was already healing.
But Tsunade's expression was grim.
The spleen was nothing like other organs—fragile, easily ruptured, and hard to mend.
She focused, pouring chakra into the wound, determined to finish the job.
Then, out of nowhere, a searing pain shot through her heart.
Her vision went black.
What... what's happening?
As her mind clouded, Tsunade could barely make out Hyūga Honma's distant, furious roar.
In the next instant, the unremarkable Konoha shinobi who'd been standing beside Tsunade and Honma suddenly lunged.
A pitch-black palm pierced straight through Tsunade's back—driving through her heart.
Hyūga Honma's eyes went wide. Without thinking, he unleashed a furious Gentle Fist strike.
Thud!
With a dull crash, the "ordinary" shinobi was blasted into a tree.
His Konoha uniform peeled away, revealing bone-white skin on one side—and jet black on the other.
Half white, half black—a twisted, inhuman figure emerged.
"Captain Tsunade!"
Cries of horror erupted. Chaos swept the clearing.
Tsunade collapsed, the light already fading from her eyes.
The heart was the source of all strength.
Not even the greatest medical ninjutsu could save her now.
Hyūga Honma shielded her, while the other two squad members charged at the black-and-white monster.
At that moment, another pale creature poked its head out from a tree trunk.
"All done?"
"All done!"
"Good. Let's get out of here and wait for that guy to walk right into our trap!"
Speaking in cryptic tones, the two monsters ignored the charging Katō Dan and Kimoku Kōtō, melting into the ground.
At that moment, as everyone's attention was elsewhere, Tsunade struggled to finish a string of hand seals.
With her blood-soaked hand, she slapped the earth.
Poof—!
A cloud of white smoke exploded.
The two monsters instantly halted their retreat, staring at the smoke.
Everyone else turned to look as well.
But when the smoke cleared, there was nothing inside.
"What the hell? Where'd she go?"
The black-and-white monster muttered, eyes fixed on the empty spot.
Right then, a familiar silhouette appeared above its head.
Rinjin hung upside down from a tree branch, his gaze locked on Black Zetsu.
"Looking for me?"
His voice was cold as death—a chill wind blowing up from the banks of the underworld.
At the sound, Black Zetsu didn't even look up, but instantly dove into the ground, vanishing in terror.
Rinjin simply watched him go, making no move to stop him.
He'd guarded against everything—except this. He never imagined they'd target Tsunade.
A pierced heart. Tsunade was dead, no doubt about it.
It seemed he'd have to use Reanimation Jutsu.
With a sigh, Rinjin dropped from the tree. Ignoring the wary stares around him, he knelt beside Tsunade.
"Unlucky girl, can you still talk?"
At his words, Tsunade struggled to lift her eyelids. Through the haze, she caught sight of that familiar, infuriating face. A faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Rin... Rinjin, am I... dying?"
"You're dying," Rinjin replied, raising an eyebrow, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Hurry up and get going. While your corpse is still warm, I'll—"
Whatever he meant, Tsunade glared at him with her last ounce of strength—then slipped away for good.
Nearby, Hyūga Honma's face was icy.
"Sakuho Rinjin! Move aside! You—"
He never finished. From the ground, a swarm of burning explosive tags erupted.
Reacting instantly, Rinjin scooped up Tsunade's still-warm body.
The others scattered just in time.
Boom!
A deafening explosion tore the ground apart, rocks and earth flying everywhere.
In midair, Rinjin summoned a shadow clone and handed over Tsunade's body.
"Take her to Amegakure. I'll catch up."
The clone nodded and vanished with Tsunade.
As Rinjin finished, a man in a black mask appeared atop a distant tree.
For a moment, their eyes met—and a pair of blood-red eyes stared back at him.
These eyes resembled those of Toad Sage Mode—horizontal, but with black pupils and blood-red sclera.
Blood Dragon Eyes?
As Rinjin muttered to himself, he suddenly realized—his body was frozen, unable to move.
At that same moment, countless White Zetsu burst from the damp earth, surging toward the remains of Tsunade's squad.
It looked like Black Zetsu had planned this ambush down to the last detail.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds