Haruto Saito, Jiraiya, and Tsunade originally stood in a triangular formation—Haruto in the northwest corner, Tsunade near the northeast corner, and Jiraiya at the entrance of the cave!
As soon as they all moved, Haruto and Jiraiya quickly closed in on each other, while Tsunade immediately changed direction, also moving toward Jiraiya. She needed to intercept Haruto. Jiraiya was a ninjutsu specialist, and while his close-combat abilities weren't weak, he wouldn't stand a chance against Haruto, who possessed top-tier assassination skills.
Elite assassins were almost always formidable close-combat fighters!
Thus, Tsunade did everything she could to ensure Haruto didn't get too close to Jiraiya.
The three figures moved rapidly toward a single point, but Haruto's speed was even faster, exuding a terrifying aura as he closed in on Jiraiya.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!" Jiraiya exhaled a massive fireball.
It was only a B-rank ninjutsu, but compared to the Flame Bullet technique that Haruto now mastered, Jiraiya's fireball was much smaller in size. However, it was incredibly fierce, with an extremely fast trajectory!
Haruto weaved through the attack with swift, deceptive movements, leaving afterimages behind as he zigzagged forward, successfully dodging Jiraiya's fireball. He was now less than five meters away!
A sudden flash of a blade!
Haruto drew the katana strapped to his back with a swift horizontal slash as he lunged forward!
Jiraiya had no time to form hand seals. He leaped sideways to evade while simultaneously throwing several kunai at Haruto!
But Haruto abruptly changed his movement, flipping mid-air to dodge the kunai as his speed exploded!
He was… running away?!
Yes! With Jiraiya stepping aside, Haruto suddenly dashed at full speed toward the cave's exit!
Even Haruto, who had been closely observing, was stunned.
Wait… was he bluffing the whole time? Was he seriously trying to run?!
Haruto's reaction caught everyone off guard!
At first, he had acted as if he was invincible, as if none of them were worthy opponents, radiating an overwhelming presence to intimidate them. But after just one exchange, he suddenly decided to flee?!
For the first time, Haruto felt that he might not be the most shameless ninja—Haruto Saito was!
Where was his pride?
His beliefs?
His dignity?!
Haruto's retreat was completely different from when Haruto had previously fled. Back then, Haruto and a few Uchiha had encountered a Sand Village squad—it was an ambush, not a mission, so he had the freedom to escape. But Haruto had tracked them down from miles away with the explicit goal of killing Haruto, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. By running away now, he was essentially abandoning his mission!
Not only was this a violation of the ninja code, but it also went against the very core beliefs of a shinobi!
Despite his severe injuries, Haruto moved even faster than Tsunade, dashing out of the cave in a single breath, vanishing into the misty rain-soaked forest, sprinting away at full speed.
"We can't let him escape! He'll bring the entire Rain Village army here!" Tsunade yelled.
"Yes, yes! We absolutely can't let him escape!" Haruto shouted as well.
The three of them rushed out of the cave in pursuit. Tsunade was the fastest, staying right on Haruto's heels. Jiraiya followed, while Haruto lagged behind. He could have used his Black Martial Flash technique to intercept Haruto, but he doubted he would succeed—it was far too risky!
In the dense forest outside the cave, the four figures moved at high speed, the distance between them shifting.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Tsunade, while running, flung five kunai with immense force, the piercing sound of their flight cutting through the air as they shot toward Haruto!
Haruto twisted mid-air to avoid them, but at that very moment, Tsunade's monstrous strength exploded beneath her feet. With a thunderous boom, the ground cracked open, and she launched herself like an arrow, instantly catching up to Haruto mid-leap, her fist smashing toward his back.
"Heh!"
Faintly, Tsunade heard Haruto chuckle coldly.
In that split second, Haruto forcibly twisted his body mid-air, turning to face Tsunade. His icy gaze locked onto hers, and at the same moment, a crescent-shaped arc of light flashed—his blade slashing forward with lightning speed!
A trap!
Tsunade realized it too late—Haruto had never intended to flee. He was creating a one-on-one combat scenario!
She instantly switched tactics, frantically swinging her kunai to block the incoming blade.
Haruto's katana moved like a ghostly blur, slashing dozens of times in mere seconds!
But Tsunade deflected every strike!
The two exchanged blows in mid-air before crashing to the ground, their battle continuing at breakneck speed.
Tsunade was struggling—she had no chance to counterattack! Her monstrous strength was wasted on defense, barely making a difference in this situation. Worse yet, she was using a short weapon, putting her at a severe disadvantage!
Haruto's blade rained down like a relentless storm, while Tsunade was like a lone boat caught in the tempest, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.
Then—she saw it. A flaw in Haruto's movements!
Without hesitation, she clenched her left fist and swung a devastating punch at him, intending to force him backward.
Haruto shot her a mocking glance—he didn't even dodge!
Instead, his blade abruptly shifted direction, slicing toward the opening Tsunade had left after throwing her punch!
Her face paled.
There was no time to pull back.
Slash—
Boom—
Both were sent flying backward at the same time!
Haruto's body hurtled through the air like a cannonball, crashing through two massive trees before tumbling to the ground.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye!
Jiraiya sprinted forward, catching Tsunade as she fell, while Haruto, still over a hundred meters away, leaped through the treetops, witnessing the aftermath.
Haruto had slashed Tsunade's shoulder, while Tsunade had landed a direct punch on his shoulder.
But Haruto had done it on purpose.
It was a battle strategy—a trade of blows!
"Damn it!" Tsunade cursed, clutching her left shoulder, her eyes flashing with pain.
"How bad is it?" Jiraiya asked urgently, prying her hand away. Her shoulder had been pierced through, even damaging the bone—blood poured out uncontrollably!
Tsunade's heart pounded in fear. The injury could have been much worse—had she not instinctively channeled chakra to her shoulder to lessen the impact, it wouldn't have been a simple stab wound; her entire arm might have been torn off.
"I'm here!"
Haruto rushed over, immediately forming hand seals.
"Healing Palm Technique!"
A soft glow enveloped Tsunade's shoulder as Haruto placed his hand over the wound. Since the injury was a narrow but deep puncture, it was relatively easy to heal the flesh. The wound visibly shrank at an astonishing rate. However… the bone damage was another issue—Healing Palm couldn't fix that instantly!
Tsunade's left shoulder, along with her entire arm, was practically crippled. She could still move it, but the pain would be unbearable, and her mobility severely impaired.
"Hahaha!"
A chilling laugh echoed through the forest.
Haruto, who had been lying under a tree several meters away, suddenly sprang to his feet. He cackled as he rolled his shoulder, loud cracking sounds coming from his joints.
"He's… fine?!" Haruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
How was that possible?!
Was Haruto even human?!
Tsunade had nearly killed him with her first punch—why was he seemingly unscathed now?
"It's a seal! The curse mark on his body is a seal!" Tsunade gritted her teeth.
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