Desert winds swept fine grains of sand across the battlefield, howling through the chaos.
Tsunade stood at the very front.
Her golden hair whipped violently in the wind as her light-brown eyes coldly stared at the massive Sand force ahead.
Three to four hundred shinobi had formed a fan-shaped encirclement.
At their head stood a middle-aged shinobi.
Ebizō.
He was the commander responsible for Sunagakure’s assault on the Konoha medical unit.
The importance of medical ninja was self-evident to every major village.
Targeting them first was a standard strategic priority in many wars.
Ebizō kept his hands tucked inside his sleeves.
His expression was calm, as though victory were already within his grasp.
“Princess Tsunade.”
“Surrender.”
Ebizō spoke slowly.
His voice was hoarse, yet carried an unmistakable pressure.
“You’re surrounded.”
“If you continue resisting, you’ll only cause more unnecessary casualties.”
Tsunade didn’t answer.
Instead, she slightly turned her head toward the medical ninja and combat shinobi behind her.
“Everyone.”
“Close ranks around me.”
Her voice wasn’t loud.
But it carried unquestionable authority.
The Konoha shinobi, who had been somewhat panicked, quickly reorganized.
The medical ninja moved toward the center.
The combat shinobi formed a defensive perimeter around them.
Ebizō narrowed his eyes.
He seemed somewhat surprised by Tsunade’s composure.
A Sand Jōnin beside him couldn’t help but whisper:
“Lord Ebizō…”
“If we delay any longer, Konoha reinforcements might arrive.”
Ebizō raised a hand, signaling him to be silent.
His eyes remained fixed on Tsunade.
“Your final chance, Princess Tsunade.”
He still didn’t want to give up the medical ninja standing before him.
Tsunade looked at him.
A cold smile appeared on her face.
“You talk too much.”
The instant she finished speaking—
She stomped on the ground.
BOOM!!!
The earth instantly shattered.
Her terrifying strength sent a wave of sand exploding outward.
The Sand shinobi at the front were caught off guard and forced several steps backward.
Seeing Tsunade’s unwavering determination, Ebizō stopped talking.
His eyes became sharp.
“Attack!”
His voice thundered across the battlefield.
“KILL!!!”
Three to four hundred Sand shinobi erupted into action simultaneously.
“Wind Release: Sandstorm Formation!”
“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”
“Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm!”
The battlefield was instantly filled with raging wind.
The clicking of puppet mechanisms accompanied the storm of attacks.
“Tsuchi Release users, move forward!”
“Defensive formation!”
Tsunade had already spent enormous amounts of chakra.
She had been treating the wounded and fighting at the same time.
Her reserves were nearly exhausted, and her body was approaching its physical limit.
But even so—
She remained at the front, directing the defense.
Several shinobi moved forward and rapidly formed hand seals.
“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!”
Walls of earth rose from the ground.
They barely managed to block the first wave.
But there were simply too many Sand shinobi.
The attacks were too dense.
The second wave immediately followed.
“Medical ninja!”
“Protect the critically wounded first!”
While giving orders, Tsunade charged directly into the enemy formation.
Her fist shattered a puppet.
She immediately grabbed a Sand shinobi by the throat and slammed him into the ground.
“Don’t let them get near the wounded!”
The Konoha shinobi gritted their teeth and held the line.
But the difference in numbers was simply too great.
As their numbers dwindled, the defensive perimeter continued shrinking.
Ebizō stood on higher ground, coldly watching the battlefield.
“It’s over.”
But just as the Sand forces were about to break through the final defensive line—
BOOM!
A blazing Fire Release technique descended from above.
It tore a gap through the Sand formation.
“What…?”
Ebizō frowned.
Through the smoke, a figure shot into the battlefield like lightning.
A pair of crimson Sharingan shone brilliantly through the sandstorm.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Uchiha Chiya had finally arrived.
The wind howled.
The killing intent on the battlefield was as sharp as a blade.
Tsunade stared at the figure who had suddenly appeared.
Her pupils contracted.
Her golden hair was whipped into disarray by the storm.
Her breathing became rapid.
Uchiha Chiya.
The man who had disappeared on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
Her man.
And now—
He was standing directly in front of her.
His crimson Sharingan were particularly striking beneath the swirling sand.
Tsunade’s heart jolted.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened.
He…
He’s really alive!
In that instant, all her exhaustion, anger, and despair were swept away by an almost suffocating surge of joy.
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to call out to him.
But she immediately bit her lower lip and forced herself to remain calm.
Not now.
She suppressed the emotions surging through her and restored her determined expression.
But the slight trembling of her fingertips betrayed the turmoil inside her heart.
Chiya had used Fire Release to carve a path through the Sand formation and had finally reached Tsunade.
Her face was covered with dust.
The exhaustion in her eyes made it obvious that she had already reached her limit.
“Leave the rest to me.”
Chiya gently rubbed her head.
He felt a pang of heartache.
She had come to the battlefield because of him.
And now she had pushed herself to the brink after being attacked.
Now that he was finally here, how could he allow her to continue standing in front of him?
Tsunade had none of her previous arrogance left.
Looking at Chiya, a beautiful smile appeared on her face.
“Mm.”
Ebizō coldly watched the scene.
A mocking expression appeared on his aged face.
“Heh.”
“An Uchiha?”
He sneered.
His gaze moved between Tsunade and Chiya.
“When did the princess of the Senju clan become so close to an Uchiha?”
A Sand Jōnin beside him showed disdain as well.
“The Senju and Uchiha were supposed to be mortal enemies.”
“Looks like they’ve thrown away their family feud and gotten involved with each other.”
“The princess of the Senju clan, whom we considered such a troublesome opponent…”
“In the end, she’s just blinded by love.”
The surrounding Sand shinobi whispered among themselves.
Ebizō slowly raised his hand.
The Sand forces behind him prepared to attack.
“If you’ve chosen to disgrace yourselves…”
“Then die here together.”
“Attack!”
The Sand shinobi erupted.
Three Jōnin charged directly toward Tsunade.
Another ten elite shinobi moved to seal off every possible escape route around Chiya.
Tsunade gritted her teeth.
Her stamina and chakra had already been severely depleted by the endless fighting and medical treatment.
Her movements were even slower than before.
A Sand Jōnin seized the opening and rapidly formed hand seals.
“Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!”
Tsunade barely managed to twist her body aside.
Chiya immediately rushed forward.
His kunai pierced toward the man’s throat.
But in that instant—
A puppet’s chakra threads wrapped around Tsunade’s wrist from behind.
The threads violently pulled.
Tsunade was dragged to the ground.
“Tsunade!”
Chiya’s pupils contracted.
He tried to rush back toward her.
But the surrounding Sand shinobi blocked his path.
No…
She can’t hold on much longer!
Chiya’s expression suddenly became ice-cold.
The three tomoe in his Sharingan began spinning rapidly.
Then they twisted.
Merged.
And transformed.
The ordinary crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan became a six-petaled blood-red spider lily.
“Yomi no Higan!”
In an instant—
Blood flowed from Chiya’s eyes.
The world seemed to freeze.
An invisible domain suddenly expanded around him.
Every Sand shinobi within its range froze in place.
Their movements stopped.
Their skin rapidly dried and cracked.
Their life force was drawn from their bodies like water rushing into a whirlpool.
They didn’t even have time to scream.
One after another—
They became dried corpses.
THUD.
The bodies collapsed onto the sand.
Ebizō’s expression finally changed.
“What…”
“What kind of dōjutsu is that?!”
Tsunade was equally stunned.
She stared at the countless dried corpses.
Then at Chiya’s cold expression.
And finally—
At those eerie Mangekyō Sharingan.
But she quickly recovered.
Taking advantage of the chaos among the Sand forces, she tore through the puppet threads binding her wrist.
With a single motion, she broke free and sprang to her feet.
But before she could rush excitedly toward Chiya, she noticed the bloodshot veins around his eyes.
Blood was flowing down his face.
“Chiya!”
She shouted.
“Are you all right?”
“Don’t push yourself!”
Chiya didn’t answer immediately.
He merely turned his head slightly.
A familiar smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t worry.”
“I’m not that easy to bring down.”
The Sand forces began to waver.
But Ebizō quickly restored order.
“Don’t panic!”
“His dōjutsu must have limitations!”
“Spread out!”
“Use ranged attacks to wear him down!”
Chiya heard him.
He gave a cold laugh.
The pattern in his Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotated.
“Wear me down from a distance?”
“Then I’ll be looking forward to seeing you try.”
His gaze locked directly onto Ebizō.
An invisible wave suddenly surged forward once again.