In his opinion, the way those two looked—either they were engaged, or something else was going on. Shikaku had said it half-jokingly, half-strategically, to draw Kaito, the mysterious lone warrior, closer to Konoha's ranks.

Just as Shikaku finished speaking, a sharp voice suddenly called out from behind him, sending a chill down his spine.

"Shikaku! What did you just say?"

He turned around to find Tsunade standing there, a faint, terrifying smile on her face. Black flames crackled around her as she waved her hands slowly, the aura of a Kage unmistakable.

She had returned to her tent to formulate an antidote for Chiyo, but she couldn't focus—the image of that man lingered in her thoughts. Eventually, Tsunade gave up trying to concentrate and instead used the Healing Palm Technique to treat the burn on her hand.

Just as the treatment ended, a loud explosion echoed in the distance, and her tent trembled. Instinct kicked in—top-tier combatants were clashing.

Thinking of her recent encounter, her heart skipped a beat.

"He couldn't possibly be going after Chiyo, could he?" she murmured, suddenly anxious.

Pushing open the tent flap, she stepped out only to find a messenger from Shikaku heading toward her. They exchanged a look and rushed toward the source of the noise. As they reached the edge of the camp, they heard Shikaku shouting.

Tsunade, already annoyed, grew angrier as the implication of his words hit her. A fiancé?

So that's what led to this.

"Tsunade! Lady Tsunade! You're here!" Shikaku greeted her, his smile forced.

"Yes, I'm here! Shikaku, tell me—when did I get a fiancé? Why don't I remember such an important detail?" Tsunade asked, clapping his shoulder with enough force to make him stumble.

Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Shikaku answered carefully, "Tsunade-sama, it's a morale tactic. A temporary solution to ease Konoha's troops."

"So, you're using my name to boost morale." Tsunade's grin widened, and a crack split the earth beneath her feet. Her patience was running thin.

Boom!

Another explosion rang out in the distance.

"That—was that a Tailed Beast Ball? And... is that a dragon?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Yes. The Thunder Dragon and the Tailed Beast Ball," Shikaku confirmed. "That dragon is linked to the White Lightning Kekkei Genkai. Extremely powerful."

He glanced at Tsunade. "The man called Kaito is the same masked figure Jiraiya-sama warned us about."

"Who's he fighting?"

"Rasa, Ebizo, and the One-Tailed Jinchūriki," Shikaku answered grimly.

Tsunade stiffened. Her heart felt inexplicably uneasy. "Should we support him? With Konoha's might, we can push back the Sand forces."

Shikaku shook his head, motioning to the well-organized Sand forces nearby.

"Those are Rasa's elite troops. It would be a long, drawn-out fight. Even if we wanted to help Kaito, we might not get there in time."

What he didn't say aloud: most of them couldn't even participate in a fight at that level. Maybe Tsunade could—but if she left, who would hold back Chiyo?

And then there was her hemophobia. Her condition.

"Lady Tsunade," Shikaku said after a pause.

"What now?"

"Do you know Lord Kaito?"

"He's masked. How should I know if I know him?" she snapped.

"But the fact that he sought you out means he knows you. If possible, please try to keep Lord Kaito in Konoha. A man of his caliber could bring Konoha into a new golden age."

Tsunade scowled but didn't respond. His words lingered in her thoughts, stirring a strange excitement in her chest.

Roar! Roar!

The ground trembled as Shukaku emerged—massive, talisman-covered, and radiating wild chakra.

"Hahaha! I'm finally out!"

The monstrous cry sent waves of disorientation through both armies. Lower-level shinobi clutched their heads, disoriented and nauseous.

"The One-Tailed Shukaku... he's finally here," Tsunade muttered.

"Don't you dare die, Kaito… or I'll never forgive you."

Across the battlefield, Kaito calmly faced Shukaku.

As far as Tailed Beasts went, they were powerful, but not enough to faze him.

"You must be the masked man Bunpuku mentioned," Shukaku growled, an evil glint in his eye.

"Yes," Kaito said with a nod.

"Then DIE!" the beast roared.

Turning to Rasa and Ebizo, it shouted, "Stay back! If not for our shared goals, I'd crush you too!"

"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet!"

Opening its maw, Shukaku fired a massive, compressed sphere of wind chakra—like a cannonball howling through the air.

Kaito didn't flinch. He raised his hand.

[Lightning Barrier!]

Crackling lightning formed a dome around him just as the wind projectile reached him.

BOOM!

The sphere exploded against the barrier, unleashing a wild storm of razor-sharp wind blades across a 100-meter radius.

Yet the lightning shield stood firm. Immovable. Unyielding.

Kaito remained calm inside the storm. Unshaken. Untouched.

__

100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter

200 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters

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