But with the battle approaching, Tsunade pushed her thoughts aside and agreed to Kazuyama Gekkō's plan.
"Let's go, I'll come with you. If it works, it'll be a big achievement."
"I'm just worried... Come on, we haven't even gone yet! How do you know it won't work? Kazuyama, you little brat, there's no time to waste—let's move now!"
Tsunade had always been decisive. Once she made up her mind, she acted on it. She grabbed Kazuyama and was about to leap out of the camp.
The sheer force nearly flung him away. That monstrous strength of hers—it could send half a mountain flying with one punch. He had no desire to experience it firsthand.
"Hey! Hey! Put me down first! We can just fly there, no need to run!"
"And we can't summon at their doorstep either! Are you trying to make sure they see a giant slug show up?"
That finally talked some sense into Tsunade. She let go of Kazuyama's collar, and he nearly fell flat on his back.
Damn, that strength is insane.
Who in the world would've been interested in Tsunade in her past life? One wrong move in bed and you'd be dealing with broken bones or torn ligaments. Tsk tsk... but to be fair, when she claimed to be the strongest in the ninja world, she really wasn't exaggerating.
Too bad—some things just aren't meant to be enjoyed.
"You're right. But Katsuyu is massive. Even if we teleport in with the Flying Thunder God Technique, the noise from landing will give us away."
"Exactly. So summon her now, and we'll fly from a hidden spot."
Without hesitation, Tsunade bit her finger and slammed her hand to the ground.
Boom!
With a burst of white smoke, the massive slug appeared before them.
Good thing they were at the front of the camp. If they'd summoned her inside, how many tents would've been crushed?
"Good evening, Lady Tsunade."
"Katsuyu, we'll be counting on your strength in the next phase. No matter what we ask, I hope you can endure it."
Tsunade spoke with slight embarrassment, while Kazuyama went off to gather explosive tags.
Katsuyu was puzzled. It was the first time Tsunade had ever spoken to her like that—strangely cautious.
As more and more explosive tags piled up, Katsuyu grew even more confused.
What are they planning?
Perhaps sensing her summon's confusion, Tsunade jumped onto Katsuyu's head and began explaining the plan.
The more Katsuyu heard, the more horrified she became.
Even with all her years of wisdom and experience, she couldn't stop herself from wanting to crush the person who came up with this insane plan—no, grind them into powder!
This was outrageous... outright abuse! No matter how resilient she was, this was going too far.
Split herself up, strap on explosive tags, and blow herself up?
Good grief! Which bastard thought this up?!
Tsunade looked at the now fuming Katsuyu, feeling a bit awkward. What could she say? She had agreed to the plan too.
"Lady Tsunade! Tell me who came up with this plan—I promise I won't eat them!"
Katsuyu's voice was usually gentle, but now it carried a sharp edge. You could almost call it... a fierce pout?
Still busy moving the explosive tags, Kazuyama looked up instinctively when he heard her voice.
Big mistake.
The moment he did, Katsuyu spotted him. Don't even ask how.
As one of the Three Sages, his scent was unmistakable. And as the heir to Ryūchi Cave, Kazuyama carried that distinct serpent smell, instantly giving him away.
"Hmph! The heir of Ryūchi Cave, huh?"
"So it really was your idea! As expected, all you long worms are rotten to the core!"
"That big purple snake was already terrible. Now you show up—and you're even worse!"
Kazuyama was dumbfounded. What the hell?
He knew the three great sage regions didn't get along—but why was she going off on him?
Okay... yeah, the plan was his idea.
"Yes, it was him. The idea to use the slugs was all his."
"But given the current situation, you'll have to make a sacrifice. The offensive from Iwagakure is intense."
Tsunade informed Katsuyu about the venomous bees, and the news genuinely shocked her.
Man-eating bees? It sounded absurd, but after seeing the state of Konoha's defenses, she had no choice but to believe it. If that was really the case, then there was nothing she could do. Not even she could handle swarms of bees numbering in the thousands.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Katsuyu fell silent.
They resumed work, and soon a large batch of explosive tags was ready. Kazuyama estimated that there were at least ten thousand.
"Lady Tsunade, shall we move out?"
"I'll use Flying Thunder God to teleport us to a spot relatively close to the border of the Land of Grass."
"Then we'll begin the operation."
Tsunade nodded, then gave Katsuyu an apologetic look.
"Katsuyu, I'm counting on you."
"Hmph, I know!"
Kazuyama grinned, ordered the explosive tags to be placed next to Katsuyu, and pressed one hand against her body. Damn, that texture—unbearable!
He placed his other hand on the tags.
"Everyone, wait for our good news."
"Enough talk! Move already!"
Prompted by Tsunade, Kazuyama activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In an instant, he, Katsuyu, and the explosive tags vanished from the outskirts of the Konoha camp...
They reappeared at the bottom of a valley.
The sound of flowing water caught Tsunade off guard. The valley was pitch black, with only a faint sliver of light filtering from above.
"You damn—"
"Shh!"
Kazuyama quickly hushed her. Realizing they had reached the Land of Grass border, Tsunade swallowed the rest of her words.
"I picked this place on purpose. It's a bit dark, but it's safe."
"And there's plenty of space. Don't get worked up—let's get this done fast."
Tsunade nodded, then turned to Katsuyu.
"I'm counting on you, Katsuyu."
Without a word, Katsuyu began to split. In a flash, the once massive slug divided into countless smaller ones. The sight made Kazuyama's scalp tingle.
"I'm good on Katsuyu's end, but how are you going to keep them from being spotted?"
"Heh, just watch."
Kazuyama chuckled, clasped his hands together, and a surge of Ryūchi Cave's energy burst forth.
"Hmph, Senjutsu from that stinking snake's domain? This kid's got some nerve."
A tiny Katsuyu had somehow appeared on Tsunade's shoulder, casually commenting.
The rest of the slugs had already begun attaching the explosive tags.
"Coiling Serpent Technique..."
"Three Snake Princesses, lend me your strength..."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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