Chapter 11 — Ameyashiki Toshi vs. Tsunade
Tsunade clenched both fists and stepped slowly toward the source of the sound.
"Orochimaru — come out! Since when do you hide like a coward?" she barked.
Her eyes scanned the clearing. On one umbrella stuck a kunai.
"Lady Tsunade, be careful — this is suspicious," Shizune warned as she hurried up behind her, sensing the ambush before them.
Tsunade yanked the kunai free and inspected it. At first glance there was nothing extraordinary, but anger flared in her chest and she shouted, "Orochimaru, what do you think you're doing?!"
Both women realized at once this was a trap: whoever set it up was hiding, unwilling to show their face. An umbrella planted in the ground felt ominous, and a faint blue chakra clung to the kunai in Tsunade's hand. Why would Orochimaru arrange a rendezvous like this? Had she come here to meet him — or merely to camp?
If a single Sannin already made her vulnerable because of her hemophobia, the thought of facing another Sannin at full strength chilled her. She might not stand a chance.
High in the tree, Toshi's grip tightened on a wet branch; cold sweat slicked his brow and his forearm trembled. He wiped his face, forcing himself to press forward — he had to act now. If Orochimaru arrived while he was still exposed, he would be discovered and killed. But if he could strike and kill Tsunade quickly, there might still be a chance to escape.
He'd weighed the odds. There was one more thing he had to confirm: did Tsunade really suffer from hemophobia? As a shinobi, he couldn't trust secondhand intel — he needed to see for himself. If she didn't, he'd flee immediately; if she did, he'd strike.
Tsunade's hand — wrapped in blue chakra — was just about to touch the umbrella.
"Snap!"
Toshi yanked the thin line.
The umbrella popped open. The blood-stained cloth flapped free, exposed to the gray, dripping sky.
As Tsunade's gaze fell on the red cloth, the hand she had extended froze midair. The blue chakra vanished in an instant.
"Aaah!"
Her pupils constricted; terror spread across her face. She stumbled back several steps, collided with a tree, and sank slowly to the wet ground. Her whole body trembled; her teeth chattered uncontrollably as she crossed her arms and hugged herself, overwhelmed by panic.
Shizune quickly shielded Tsunade's eyes and crouched down, snatching up the blood-soaked cloth before hurling it as far away as she could.
As the red fabric vanished from sight, Tsunade's trembling began to subside. She gasped for breath, sweat and rain mixing on her pale cheeks.
Not far away, Toshi's lips twisted into an elated grin. Seeing the Tsunade—the Legendary Sannin—reduced to a quivering wreck thrilled him.
He leapt down from the tree, splashing through the puddles as his hands flashed through seals.
"Water Style: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
The rain around him suddenly stiffened midair, as if obeying a command. In the next heartbeat, countless droplets shot forward like bullets toward Tsunade.
The air hissed with their velocity; if unguarded, even Tsunade would be riddled with holes.
But years of battle honed her reflexes beyond human instinct. The moment she heard the sound of jutsu forming, her body reacted on its own.
Brilliant blue chakra flared around her hands. With a roar, she swung both arms forward. The air before her shattered like glass, a wall of pressure blasting outward and deflecting the rain bullets in a single wave.
Through the dispersing mist, she saw the attacker.
"Of course it wouldn't be that easy to kill you," Toshi sneered. "As expected from one of the Legendary Sannin—Lady Tsunade herself."
There was no respect in his voice, only mockery. Rage burned through Tsunade's veins.
"You dare ambush me?! Who the hell are you!?"
Her fury crackled like a storm, but Toshi showed no fear. If anything, he looked ecstatic—his eyes gleaming as though she were a mountain of gold standing before him.
"My name is Ameyashiki Toshi, a Chūnin," he declared proudly. "And the man who'll send you straight to hell! Hahaha!"
When did insects like this forget who they were talking to?
Tsunade's right hand clenched tight, her chakra spiraling violently around her.
"Since when do worthless trash like you think they can mess with me!?"
She stomped the ground. The earth cracked beneath her heel, fissures spreading like lightning as shockwaves cut through the air.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished—then reappeared right in front of him. Her chakra-charged fist howled through the rain, tearing the air apart as it flew straight for Toshi's chest.
Panic flared across Toshi's face. Desperation overtook reason.
He slashed his own arm with his kunai, blood spurting from the fresh wound—tiny droplets splashing across Tsunade's face.
The metallic scent hit her nose. Her body froze. Her pupils dilated in terror. The blood on her skin seemed to burn.
Tsunade staggered back, trembling violently, her hands lifting to her face. When she saw the red staining her palms, her composure shattered completely.
Now!
Toshi hurled his kunai with all his strength.
The blade struck true, burying itself into Tsunade's arm. A sharp cry of pain escaped her lips.
"Water Style: Shockwave!"
He formed new seals, inhaled sharply, and exhaled a massive torrent of water. The compressed surge hit Tsunade like a battering ram, slamming her into the mud with a deafening boom.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune flung several kunai to block his advance, then ran to pull her master to safety.
Toshi easily deflected the knives, smirking as he stalked toward them.
"I'll kill you!" Shizune shouted, drawing her kunai and lunging forward.
But Toshi sidestepped smoothly, driving his foot hard into her abdomen.
Shizune doubled over, spitting saliva as she was flung aside like a broken doll, collapsing several meters away.
"Ha! Who would've thought—the great Tsunade of the Sannin, dying by my hand!"
He laughed madly, eyes glimmering with greed, as if he could already see the piles of money her bounty would bring.
"Shizune… you bastard…"
Tsunade's voice trembled with fury. She gritted her teeth, body shaking, her mind teetering between rage and panic.
Toshi twirled his kunai with a wicked grin and sauntered toward her.
"What a shame," he sneered. "Such a beautiful woman, about to become a pretty pink skeleton."
Even he wasn't immune to desire, seeing her fierce, alluring figure so close. But he knew he couldn't afford to hesitate—he had to finish this quickly and flee before anyone arrived.
In the distance, Renjiro watched the scene unfold. He made no move to intervene. His expression remained calm, detached.
He understood something vital—
Even ordinary people, when cornered at death's edge, could awaken terrifying strength.
And Tsunade… was anything but ordinary.
He waited.
Waited for that final spark.
Toshi grinned and raised his kunai high, aiming straight for Tsunade's throat.
"Die!"
CRACK!
A thunderous sound split the air.
Toshi's body bent grotesquely mid-air before he was hurled backward at blinding speed, crashing through a tree with such force that the trunk split clean in two. The upper half of the tree toppled and slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.
"Kh… cough!"
Blood gushed from his mouth as he lay broken in the mud. His chest caved inward—his ribs shattered beyond repair.
He couldn't move. Could barely breathe.
He'd die within minutes.
Tsunade's right hand, still glowing faintly blue, trembled as the chakra dissipated. Her eyes blazed with fury.
"I'm not someone just anyone can kill!" she roared.
She stumbled forward, struggling to stay upright, searching for Shizune. Life-rich chakra pulsed around her hands as she healed herself and steadied her breathing.
Her silhouette slowly disappeared into the curtain of rain.
As Toshi's vision blurred and darkness crept in, another figure appeared above him.
"Well, well," the newcomer said softly. "Still breathing, huh?"
He crouched, eyes gleaming.
"Guess I'll be the one to finish the job."