Tsunade wasn't caught in the genjutsu.
As the world's foremost Medical Ninja, the moment she sensed something was wrong, she instantly severed the signal transmission through her auditory nerves. Sound-based genjutsu only worked if one could hear, if you couldn't, it had no effect.
Fukasaku and Shima quickly dispelled the genjutsu affecting Jiraiya and Gamabunta, while Tsunade did the same for Katsuyu.
"Little Jiraiya," Fukasaku said with a grave expression, "as expected of Konoha's prospective Hokage, what terrifying genjutsu mastery…"
Shima nodded in deep agreement. "If it weren't for our Frog Song buying us just enough time to cast a counter-technique, even we would've been caught."
Jiraiya didn't answer. His face was tense, and his heart felt heavy.
Even without using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Sage Mode, or Susanoo, Uchiha Gen was already this troublesome. How terrifying would he be if he actually went all out?
Could it be they couldn't even force him to use them?
He remembered that Uchiha Gen had demonstrated Ryuchi Cave's perfect Sage Mode before the Third Hokage himself…
"Seniors," Gen said calmly from atop Manda's head, hands clasped behind his back. "If this is your limit, I think it's time to end this."
"You little brat, don't look down on us!" Tsunade barked, frowning deeply. "Katsuyu, go!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Katsuyu surged forward at full speed, her massive body crawling rapidly across the barrier floor while spitting large streams of pale yellow corrosive acid.
Inside the narrow space of the barrier, the advantage tilted toward Katsuyu, her slower speed mattered little when there was so little room to evade.
Without Gen needing to say a word, Kyouki reacted. Flames rippled in the air as her massive draconic body materialized, expanding rapidly. Her mouth opened, spewing pure white fire that shimmered like molten rock.
The superheated breath instantly evaporated the acid midair. The white flames spread and redirected with her head's movement, forcing Katsuyu into a tight corner.
Just then, a massive water bullet shot forth, followed by a continuous torrent that blocked Kyouki's breath. The clash hissed violently, filling the barrier with clouds of steam.
"Sage Art Wind Release: Dust Cloud!"
Shima leapt high into the air, spewing a powerful gust from her mouth that whipped up dust and sand. The barrier was soon cloaked in a mix of white steam and earthen-yellow haze.
"Sage Art: Swamp of the Underworld!"
While Gen's vision was obscured, Jiraiya slammed his hands onto the ground. A massive swamp silently appeared beneath Manda. The serpent thrashed instinctively as his huge frame began to sink.
But Uchiha Gen merely smiled faintly, his fingers flashing through seals.
"Sage Art: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A torrential surge of water burst from his mouth, an endless flood that filled the entire barrier. In moments, the water level rose dozens of meters, transforming the entire battlefield into a vast inland sea.
The swamp vanished, swallowed by the flood, freeing Manda once more.
Now, only those capable of flight remained above the surface; everyone else floated amid the waves.
With a splash, Gen leapt from Manda's head and pressed his palms to the water's surface. His chakra flared outward in waves.
"Sage Art: A Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
Empowered by natural energy, the technique was far beyond Kisame's version.
Thousands of sharks, each the size of a great white, took shape from the water, dividing into two swarms: six hundred toward Jiraiya, four hundred toward Tsunade. The surface boiled with countless dorsal fins cutting through the waves.
Manda wasted no time either; seeing an opportunity, he lunged toward Gamabunta. His speed in water was no less fearsome than on land.
Overhead, lightning rained from the dark clouds as Kyouki released Exploding Flame Bullets, detonations echoing through the chamber.
For a moment, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Katsuyu, and the toad elders were completely overwhelmed. Attacks came from every direction, lightning, fire, water, and beasts, colliding in violent bursts that churned up towering waves.
The barrier had become a deathtrap. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide; every inch was under Gen's control.
Although the Uchiha Flame Formation could be forcibly broken by combined effort, under Uchiha Gen's constant pressure, there was simply no opening.
"Heh… let's raise the pressure a little more."
He knew these attacks wouldn't defeat them, they'd only buy time. But that was enough.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Gen pressed his palms onto the water again, this time releasing an even greater surge of chakra. The water rippled and solidified, taking on shapes, dragons, tigers, serpents, birds, fish, and countless others; each shimmering with chakra and natural energy.
The entire barrier came alive as these liquid creatures lunged toward the Sannin from all directions.
Unlike the sharks, these beings didn't dissipate upon destruction; as long as Gen maintained control, they regenerated endlessly. Burn one, crush one, blast one, it would re-form within seconds.
With so much water present, there was no end to them.
If Gen wished, he could even imbue them with soul energy from the Soul-Soul Fruit, giving them independent will, living Homies made from the very battlefield itself. Then Tsunade and the others would be surrounded above, below, and all around.
The relentless onslaught forced Jiraiya and the others to fight desperately. Only Fukasaku and Shima still had the breathing room to cast techniques.
But even the two elder toads couldn't eliminate this endless tide.
After a few failed attempts, they leapt off Jiraiya's shoulders, charging across the water toward Uchiha Gen.
Jiraiya, Gamabunta, Tsunade, and Katsuyu all moved to cover them, exiting Sage Mode to free up chakra for defense.
Gen remained unbothered. "Trying to interrupt me?" he murmured. "Dream on."
Kyouki surged forward in an instant. Seeing her approach, the toad elders dove into the water, but the moment they did, countless liquid beasts turned on them from every angle.
The water itself was their enemy.
If not for their agility, they would have been crushed instantly. They resurfaced, panting, dodging desperately as water whips and hands lashed toward them.
Forced back, they landed on Gamabunta's head, gasping for breath.
"Huff… honey, could this be…?" Shima panted.
"Huff… it must be Ryuchi Cave's signature Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation," Fukasaku replied grimly.
"But that guy hasn't entered Sage Mode. How can he even use Sage Arts?"
"Even without transforming, we can feel Senjutsu Chakra inside him… his control must be perfect."
"Then what are we still fighting for?!" Shima croaked. "Tell Jiraiya to stop! Gamabunta's bleeding all over, how many bugs will he have to eat to recover?"
"Yes, there's no point continuing. I'll just-"
A terrified scream cut her off.
"Tsunade!" Katsuyu cried anxiously.
To keep up with Gen's offensive, Tsunade had been pushing forward beside Katsuyu, until she saw it; the blood spreading through the water, staining Gamabunta's body red.
Her hemophobia, suppressed for years, suddenly flared with crushing force. Even blocking her vision and smell couldn't stop the panic from seizing her.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted, shocked, and immediately rushed to her side.
Gen noticed her condition instantly. With a gesture, he signaled Kyouki and Manda to halt all attacks. The sharks and beasts melted back into the water, vanishing.
Splash!
Jiraiya dove beneath the surface, searching frantically. But by the time he resurfaced for air, Tsunade was already in Uchiha Gen's arms.
He froze, eyes wide.
Tsunade trembled violently, her beautiful face pale with fear as she muttered, "Blood… blood…" over and over.
When Jiraiya reached them, he found her already dry, Gen had evaporated the water from her clothes with a controlled Fire Release.
Jiraiya's expression twisted with frustration. He'd missed the sight completely.
Even the toads, snakes, and Katsuyu had witnessed the scene, though none of them cared in the slightest—they simply didn't share human aesthetics.
"How is she?" Jiraiya asked anxiously.
Gen, now seated calmly atop Kyouki, replied, "She's fine. It's just her hemophobia acting up."
"This is fine?!" Jiraiya snapped, incredulous.
"Of course," Gen said with a faint smile. "Because I can cure it."
"You can what?"
Jiraiya stared at him, dumbfounded. "Tsunade herself couldn't cure it! How could your medical ninjutsu possibly surpass hers?"
From behind, the great summons gathered, watching. Fukasaku and Shima stood on Gamabunta's head, curious and wary.
"As the saying goes, a doctor cannot heal herself and this is an illness of the heart," Gen said evenly. "That's why Senior Tsunade couldn't overcome it. I, on the other hand…" He smirked. "Watch closely."
Gen raised his right hand, gently lifting Tsunade's chin. Their eyes met, hers glassy and unfocused, his calm and unshakable.
"You're seriously using genjutsu on Tsunade while she's in the middle of an episode? Are you even human?!" Jiraiya shouted, lunging forward.
"Shut up and watch," Gen snapped without looking at him. "If you think you can do better, go ahead."
Jiraiya froze mid-motion. One glance from Kyouki and Manda, both glaring sharply, was enough to make him back off in silence.
"Senior Tsunade," Gen said softly, his voice low and hypnotic, "you have hemophobia, correct?"
"I… do," she murmured in a daze.
"No, you don't. It's only an illusion you created in your mind, a delusion born of guilt and fear. In truth, you are perfectly healthy."
Uzume!
The pupil of Gen's right eye rippled faintly as an unseen power spread outward. The mysterious ocular jutsu subtly rewrote Tsunade's thoughts, dissolving the phobia from the inside out.
Two breaths later, Gen snapped his fingers. A soft pop echoed. The haze in Tsunade's eyes vanished, clarity returning to her gaze.
She blinked, realized her position, and instantly slapped Gen's hand away. "You little brat! How dare you flirt with me?!"
"Let go of me right now!"
Gen answered casually, "I wasn't flirting with Senior Tsunade. You fainted during the spar and fell into the water. I rescued you and performed CPR, that's all."
"It was an emergency lifesaving procedure. Surely you wouldn't blame me for that, would you?"
Every being present, human, toad, slug, and snake alike, visibly twitched. He said it with such a straight face it almost sounded believable.
Tsunade frowned, suspicious. "Jiraiya, is that true?"
Jiraiya gave a stiff, pained smile. "It's… more or less true."
"'More or less'? Either it is or it isn't!" Tsunade huffed.
"Doesn't matter," Jiraiya said, extending his left hand toward her face while slicing open his wrist with chakra-coated fingers. Blood welled up instantly.
Tsunade blinked. "Jiraiya, are you insane? Why are you hurting yourself?"
"Huh?" Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You're… not scared?"
"Scared? Of what?" she said, baffled. "I'm the world's top Medical Ninja, why would I be afraid of blood?"
Her tone was matter-of-fact, almost irritated.
Jiraiya just stared at her blankly. Genjutsu… cured hemophobia?
He stood frozen in disbelief, questioning his entire existence.
On Gamabunta's head, Fukasaku and Shima exchanged a stunned look. Healing psychological trauma with genjutsu, this was something even the sages of Mount Myōboku had never heard of.
Unbeatable. Completely unbeatable. They silently admitted defeat.
Tsunade suddenly felt the weight of Gen's hand still lingering on her waist and glared. "How long are you going to keep holding me? Let go right now, or I'll make you."
If it weren't for his terrifying strength and the fact that he'd just saved her, she probably wouldn't have warned him first.
Gen chuckled lightly and withdrew his hand.
Tsunade's waist, firm yet soft, strong yet delicate, was unlike any he'd ever felt. Truly exquisite. He couldn't help wondering what other parts might share that perfect balance.