Chapter 281: Tsunade’s Age?
The dry autumn wind whipped up sand and dust, sweeping over the towering rock walls surrounding the Sand Village, emitting a wailing sound.
An unusual tense atmosphere permeated the village, especially in the heavily guarded Anbu-exclusive training base.
On the sandy ground in the center of the base, more than thirty ninja stood solemnly.
They represented the Sand Village’s current top combat forces.
Experienced Anbu elites, battle-hardened jonin, special jonin with various specialties, and elites proficient in sealing jutsu and manipulating eerie puppets.
Among them were the white-haired Chiyo with her brother Ebizo; Baki, the steady and capable right-hand man of the Kazekage; Yura, Fugai, Yakura, Ryosuke, Kozuki, Sabaku, and others.
Fourth Kazekage Rasa stood in front of everyone, having changed into a dark battle suit convenient for movement, with a white robe symbolizing the Kazekage’s status draped over it, his expression as cold and steadfast as a rock.
He had no superfluous pleasantries, his gaze sweeping over every elite present, his voice steady and powerful as he directly announced the purpose of this emergency assembly.
“According to confirmed intelligence, an unprecedented giant creature has appeared in the northern ‘Sea of Death’ area.” He deliberately paused, drawing everyone’s attention to a high focus.
“Preliminary judgment: its form resembles a Tails beast, but… it has ten tails.”
Rasa’s words were like dropping a massive boulder into a calm lake, instantly causing intense commotion and incredulous murmurs among the crowd.
“Ten tails?!”
“How is that possible?!”
“What a joke!”
Especially those who had personally experienced the One-Tails Shukaku’s rampage, like Yakura and Baki, their faces instantly became extremely grave, even ugly.
Shukaku’s sky-obscuring sandstorms and malicious chakra were indelible terrors in their memories.
And now, a Ten-Tails that might be even stronger than Shukaku, something they’d never even heard of?!
Just this thought was enough to make these seasoned veterans feel a chill down their spines.
Rasa raised his hand, suppressing the on-site commotion, his voice carrying authority: “The intelligence has been verified through multiple channels and is absolutely reliable. Whatever it is, since it has appeared within the Land of Wind, we must uncover its origins and purpose!”
His gaze sharply swept over the crowd: “Our mission has two objectives: first, capture this ‘Ten-Tails’ if possible—it will greatly enhance the village’s strategic power; second, if capture proves difficult, at least ascertain the reason for its appearance, ensure it doesn’t threaten the oasis towns in the Land of Wind’s heartland, and absolutely prevent it from approaching the Sand Village! This is the highest priority task—no failures allowed!”
The command was issued, beyond doubt.
Though their hearts were filled with shock and doubt, all the ninja present straightened their backs and responded in unison: “Yes! Lord Kazekage!”
Rasa gave everyone half an hour to prepare.
The team immediately dispersed, with jonin squads, sealing squads, medical squads, communications squads, and others swiftly heading to their respective stockpiles for final equipment checks and resupplies according to their functions.
In the passage to the equipment depot, the tall and thin Yura, whose face carried a hint of sinister aura, looked at the busy medical squad members and couldn’t help muttering lowly to his colleague beside him: “Tch, for a large-scale mission like this, it would be great if Yashamaru were still around—his medical ninjutsu and trap setups would save us a lot of trouble.”
As soon as he spoke, Baki, whose face had been consistently gloomy, immediately cast a stern gaze and lowly rebuked: “Yura! Watch your words!”
Yura suddenly realized his slip, quickly shut his mouth, and guiltily stole a glance at Fourth Kazekage Rasa in the distance, who was quietly discussing with Chiyo and Ebizo.
Yashamaru, as the younger brother of Rasa’s late wife, had been an outstanding jonin of the Sand Village, especially skilled in medical ninjutsu and precise bomb trap setups, an excellent support in missions.
However, not long ago, Gaara, whose One-Tails Shukaku had lost control within him, causing mental instability, had accidentally killed his uncle who had always cared for him.
This was how Rasa had announced it publicly, but the incident carried all sorts of eerie undertones and was a sensitive taboo topic in the village.
On the other side, the young special jonin Kozuki, a kunoichi skilled in sealing jutsu with a still somewhat childish face, quickly caught up to her teacher Yakura.
“Yakura Teacher!” Kozuki’s tone carried tension and a hint of excitement: “Do we need to prepare any specific sealing talismans? I heard…”
Yakura stopped, turned around, her face resolute, but at this moment, her eyes seemed to hide a faint trace of daze.
She interrupted Kozuki, her tone unexpectedly curt: “Kozuki, go prepare your standard ninja tool pouch first. The sealing squad has unified arrangements. I… I need to prepare some things alone.”
Kozuki was stunned for a moment, watching Yakura’s slightly hurried departing back, and scratched her head in bewilderment.
‘Yakura Teacher seems a bit off today…’ she thought to herself, but soon attributed it to the pressure of facing an unknown powerful enemy—after all, Yakura had experienced Shukaku’s rampage too, so being cautious was normal.
Yakura didn’t head to the public equipment depot but went straight back to her simply furnished home with a small training room.
She closed the door behind her, leaned against the cold door panel, and took a deep breath.
She walked to the corner of the training room and mechanically inventoried and organized standard ninja tools like kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags.
However, just as she picked up a new roll of explosive tags, a sudden, irresistible wave of intense drowsiness swept over her brain like a tide.
Her movements froze, her eyes instantly becoming vacant and lifeless.
On the back of her right hand, a faint red mark flickered slightly before vanishing.
At this moment, Yakura’s consciousness seemed temporarily stripped away.
Her body, as if manipulated by invisible threads, stood rigidly in place, a faint and special chakra fluctuation merging into an invisible “Chakra Network” through some means beyond normal perception.
Brief intelligence on the Sand Village elite unit’s assembly, target Ten-Tails, departure time, and rough personnel composition was quickly transmitted out.
This was the passive effect of Uchiha Hikari’s Mangekyo Sharingan dojutsu “Engraved Tsukuyomi.”
The “spy” implanted with the engraving would trigger this subconscious hypnotic control upon encountering key information or missions related to the Land of Stars in their consciousness, automatically relaying intelligence back through the preset “Chakra Network.”
In the Land of Stars, specialized intelligence personnel received and screened these information fragments from all directions, piecing together valuable intel.
Moments later, Yakura shook her head sharply, her eyes regaining clarity.
She looked blankly at the explosive tag in her hand and around her.
“What happened? Just now… was I too tired?” she muttered to herself, rubbing her somewhat swollen temples, dismissing it as brief mental fatigue from overtraining due to recent tense border situations.
Not daring to delay further, she quickly packed the necessary ninja tools and hurried out, heading to the designated assembly point north of the village.
By the time she arrived, most personnel had already assembled.
Yakura’s gaze swept over the team, quickly spotting her disciple Kozuki in the sealing squad area.
However, the next moment, her pupils contracted sharply.
Among the experienced ninja of the sealing squad, a short figure that clashed with the surroundings stood out glaringly.
It was a seven-year-old red-haired boy, wearing a slightly oversized brown robe, clutching a worn little bear doll tightly in his arms.
He kept his head down, obvious unease and fear on his pale little face—he was the son of Fourth Kazekage Rasa, the One-Tails Shukaku’s jinchūriki—Gaara.
Yakura’s brows immediately furrowed, and she strode quickly to the jonin squad area, to Team Leader Baki responsible for coordinating this operation, and asked: “Captain Baki, why is Gaara here?! He’s still just a child! Facing that unknown monster is too dangerous!”
Baki crossed his arms, his face equally grave. He glanced at the small, lonely figure in the distance, sighed, and lowered his voice: “Yakura, you think I want this? I know full well he’s still a child.”
His gaze turned to Rasa’s cold, hard back, his voice carrying helplessness and resolve. “But this is Lord Kazekage’s command.”
“What we’re about to face is something possibly more terrifying than Shukaku. If things spiral out of control, we need to ensure we have sufficient means to respond. The power inside Gaara… is the final insurance.”
Hearing this, Yakura’s heart sank sharply.
She understood Baki and Rasa’s plan.
They intended to use Gaara, this seven-year-old child, as a trump card to be played if necessary!
She looked at Gaara’s uneasy eyes, then at Rasa’s expressionless profile, a complex emotion surging in her heart.
At that moment, Rasa turned around, his gaze sweeping over the fully assembled team, confirming everyone was in position.
He had no superfluous mobilization, just raised his hand and swung it forward forcefully.
“Depart!”
The command was concise and cold.
The special action unit of thirty-six people, led personally by Kazekage Rasa and encompassing the Sand Village’s top combat forces, slithered out like a silent sand snake, leaving the village and charging toward the unknown peril of the “Sea of Death” amid the rising winds and sands to the north.
………………
The dry wind carried sand grains, passing through the broken walls and ruins of Sand City, emitting a wailing sound.
Tsunade slowly opened her heavy eyelids, her vision filled with a rough ceiling built of sand and stones.
She found herself lying on a haystack in the corner of a crude sand-and-stone hut, covered with a somewhat worn but still clean wool blanket.
She propped up her somewhat dizzy head and sat up, memories flooding back like a tide.
The confrontation with the mysterious black-haired boy, the earth-shattering battle of the two terrifying Tails beasts in the distance, and… that faint blood scent from him that instantly robbed her of combat ability.
Tsunade shook her head forcefully, suppressing the associations with “blood” deep in her heart, took several deep breaths, and tried to calm her still erratic heartbeat and breathing.
She stood up, moved her somewhat stiff limbs, confirming that aside from the psychological effects of her hemophobia, her body was fine.
Pushing open the creaky worn wooden door, Tsunade stepped out.
Outside was an ancient city ruin half-buried in yellow sand.
Crumbling walls, toppled columns, weathered stone carvings—all told of time’s ruthlessness and past glory.
Scorching sunlight poured unabated onto this silent relic, the air filled with sand and dry scents.
And farther away, that heart-palpitating scene persisted.
The giant beast hundreds of meters tall with ten tails was firmly bound by several massive black rods and chakra chains, emitting pained and angry roars, its massive body twisting futilely, shaking the earth slightly.
The dark red Nine-Tails Fox Demon lay atop the Ten-Tails, greedily devouring the other’s vast sea-like chakra, dark red energy visibly surging into its body.
“Lady Tsunade! You’re awake!”
Shizune’s surprised call came from nearby.
Tsunade turned to see Shizune standing by what appeared to be a long-dried ancient well, holding a wooden bucket half-filled with clear water, her feet beside Tonton, who oinked “oink oink” as if expressing concern.
Shizune hurried over with the bucket, worry on her face: “How do you feel? Anywhere still uncomfortable?”
Tsunade waved her hand, indicating she was fine, but her gaze involuntarily scanned the surroundings, searching for the boy’s figure.
“Just the old ailment—I’ve recovered. Where’s that kid?”
Shizune raised her hand, pointing to the top of an ancient tower in the ruins that was relatively intact but half-collapsed: “He’s there.”
Tsunade looked in the direction Shizune pointed.
Atop the weathered tower’s broken walls, a black figure sat quietly at the edge.
His back to them, facing the distant “feast” between the Tails beasts, the hem of his black miko robe fluttering slightly in the dry wind, like a cold audience watching a play.
Tsunade’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She walked to the bucket Shizune brought, bent down, cupped icy clear water in her hands, and splashed it forcefully on her face.
The biting chill instantly dispelled the last trace of drowsiness, fully clearing her mind.
Water droplets slid down her smooth cheeks and golden hair, dripping onto the scorching sand with a faint sizzling sound.
She straightened up, said nothing more, gathered chakra faintly underfoot, and with a few light leaps, ascended the ruined tower, landing steadily beside Menma, both gazing at the scene beyond common understanding in the distance.
The wind atop the tower was stronger, billowing their clothes.
Menma seemed to have long sensed her arrival, didn’t turn, just slightly turned his face, and said flatly: “Awake?”
His gaze briefly lingered on Tsunade’s water-glossed golden hair and her face made even more alluring by the water droplets, especially her impressive figure outlined more strikingly by the wet clothes.
‘Speaking of which, Tsunade’s over forty by age, right? She’s maintained herself well…’ An impure thought flashed in his mind, then he dismissed it.
Tsunade didn’t mind his glance; her mind was on the puzzle before her.
She cut straight to it, her voice probing: “Still don’t know your name, descendant of the Uzumaki Clan.”
She deliberately paused slightly on “descendant,” observing his reaction.
This boy harbored too many contradictions and improbabilities.
Uzumaki bloodline, Uchiha Sharingan, Hyuga Byakugan, and those two unheard-of Tails beasts.
But she remembered the Nine-Tails was clearly in Konoha!
And Ten-Tails?
She’d lived over forty years and never heard of any Ten-Tails.
Menma’s lips curved into a faint, slightly mocking smile: “Descendant? I’m hardly a descendant.”
“Our Uzumaki Clan, though long past the glory of Uzu Village, still has bloodline-pure clan members—counting carefully… about six or seven.”
Several names and figures flashed quickly in his mind.
Uzumaki Kushina, Karin Uzumaki, Nagato, Hinoaka, plus himself and Naruto.
This didn’t even count some scattered undiscovered clan members.
“Six… six or seven?!” Tsunade’s eyes widened, her face full of disbelief, her voice unconsciously rising.
“You say the Uzumaki Clan still has six or seven bloodline-pure clan members?!”
This number was a massive shock to Tsunade, who had witnessed Uzu Village’s destruction and believed the Uzumaki Clan extinct.
In the ninja world, a family with special bloodline limits or secret techniques retaining six or seven pure-blooded members, likely all with considerable strength, was already a non-negligible mid-sized ninja clan!
Many small ninja clans might nominally have dozens, but those truly inheriting core abilities and reaching ninja standards were often this number or fewer.
She lowered her head, brows furrowed tightly, deep in thought.
This news was too shocking, forcing her to reassess many things.
For instance, with so many Uzumaki survivors, why hadn’t Konoha found more?
Had they not found them, or…
At the same time, the more Tsunade looked at the boy’s face, the stronger the inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if she’d seen him somewhere, yet she couldn’t recall no matter what.
This familiarity itched at her heart.
She raised her head, pressing again: “Then, your name? A Uzumaki clansman with so many secrets must have a name, right?”
Menma saw from Tsunade’s persistent questioning that she wouldn’t drop it without an answer.
He naturally couldn’t tell her his real name “Uzumaki Menma” now.
Meeting Tsunade’s scrutinizing gaze, Menma revealed a smile with a hint of mystery and said clearly:
“You can call me—Shura.”
These two words boomed like thunder in Tsunade’s ears again!
“Shura?!”
She instinctively stepped back half a pace, her eyes bulging wide.
Tsunade carefully examined this black-haired boy who looked only fifteen or sixteen, handsome yet with boyish innocence, unable to connect him to the ninja world-shaking “Shura” that terrified major ninja villages!
That “Shura” had founded the rebellious Land of Stars, slaughtered countless nobles and daimyo, his notoriety widespread.
Twice infiltrated the heavily defended Konohagakure like it was empty, even snatching four precious Byakugan from the Hyuga Main Family right before numerous Konoha elite ninja!
That “Shura” dealt a heavy blow to the Cloud Village, famed for its martial faction and two perfect jinchūriki with the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails—rumor had it even Fourth Raikage and those two jinchūriki were seriously injured by him, his infamy enough to hush children there!
To achieve that, Tsunade believed even the three Sannin together could manage, but any one alone absolutely could not!
In Tsunade’s, and even all ninja village high-level officials’, imaginations, the “Shura” capable of such earth-shattering feats with such terrifying strength would at least be an imposing, unfathomable middle-aged powerhouse or sinister elder, if not a fanged demon.
Yet before her…
This guy leisurely sitting atop the broken tower watching the “scenery,” even with a youthful air…
Was actually the “Shura” stirring ninja world storms, headache-inducing for the Five Great Nations?!
The huge contrast left even the worldly Tsunade speechless for a moment, staring incredulously at this self-proclaimed “Shura” boy, as if to see right through him.
【PS: Today’s illustration, opening at a certain site, pray!】
