How on earth did she escape?!

The thought shocked him, but then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a golden figure, like a bolt of lightning tearing through the chaos, rushing out from a crack in the rock wall on the side of the canyon that had not yet completely collapsed.

It was Tsunade.

Her condition was appalling. A few new wrinkles were clearly visible on her once-smooth cheeks, and the purple, diamond-shaped mark on her forehead was dim and lifeless, like an extinguished star. Her soaked, blonde hair was tangled against her pale face, and blood clung to the corners of her mouth. Her right arm, in particular, was a mangled ruin, its sleeve torn to shreds. The bare arm was covered in horrific, bloody holes left by Samehada's barbs, deep enough to reveal the bone. Blood gushed out like a stream, only to be washed away by the relentless rain. With every movement, the arm swung limply, a testament to the severe injuries it had sustained.

It seemed her terrifying regenerative ability was finally useless.

But her eyes were sharper and crazier than ever before. Those eyes, burning with amber flames, were locked on Kisame. She pushed her speed to its absolute limit, completely ignoring her own injuries and the danger of the continuously collapsing canyon below, and dived toward the area where Kisame was without a moment's hesitation.

"It's not over yet, Shark-Face!" Tsunade's roar pierced through the cacophony of the collapse, carrying with it a desperate determination and a cold, sharp murderous intent.

"You're courting death!" Kisame was instantly furious. This woman, not only had she not died, but she even dared to charge him again?! What a disgrace! The fury of being fooled and the murderous intent of being underestimated instantly overshadowed the shock of the collapse and his own injuries.

Kisame forcibly suppressed the surging blood and the painful restlessness coming from his body, steadied himself, and landed on a falling boulder. "Perfect! That saves me the trouble of looking for you! We can be buried here together!"

Kisame roared, quickly forming a series of hand seals and pouring out his chakra recklessly. This time, it was no longer a wide-ranging water attack, but a single, focused strike, concentrated to the extreme.

"Water Style: Water Flow Spear!"

Hiss!

A slender yet highly condensed line of high-pressure water, emitting a dazzling blue light like the javelin of a death god, instantly tore through the chaotic curtain of rain and flying gravel. The speed of the water spear was so fast it was almost beyond visual detection, and it accurately predicted Tsunade's diving trajectory, aiming directly for her waist and abdomen. With this strike, Kisame was determined to cut her down completely, along with her insolent arrogance.

Seeing this, Tsunade's diving figure did not pause in the slightest, her eyes still fixed on Kisame's shark-like face, which was twisted in a mask of shock and anger. Just as the water spear was about to touch her waist, Tsunade's intact left hand suddenly stretched out, her five fingers spread wide. An extremely thin, almost transparent layer of light-blue chakra instantly covered the front of her palm. This layer of chakra was as thin as a cicada's wing, but it vibrated at an incredible speed, forming a miniature, invisible barrier.

"Chakra Scalpel Shield!"

SCREEEEEECH!

A sharp, grating sound of friction and cutting was heard as the water spear, powerful enough to slice through steel, slammed heavily into the thin, vibrating chakra barrier. The brilliant blue light of the spear ground violently against the invisible shield, their energies annihilating each other in a chaotic spray. The water spear was abruptly blocked, turning into a storm of high-pressure water blades that splashed in all directions, flying past Tsunade's body and cutting several deep, bloody wounds on her waist and legs.

Tsunade's body shook violently, and the palm of her left hand was instantly torn open, blood pouring from the new wound. The severe pain made her vision go black, and her dving momentum came to a jarring halt.

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