The next day, just as the sky began to brighten, Sora woke from his light sleep.
He extended his perception towards the "Traveler's Lodge" opposite. Tsunade's chakra reaction was still inside the inn, but her aura carried a hint of turbidity, like that of a hangover.
'Indeed... she probably drank quite a bit last night.'
Sora thought, feeling speechless.
It seemed that drowning her sorrows in alcohol after losing money was already Tsunade's standard procedure. Disturbing her at this time would definitely be asking for trouble.
He patiently went through his daily training routine in the room, while also paying attention to the movements across the street.
Time passed minute by minute. It was not until the sun was high in the sky, the time when the sun shines on one's backside, that the stagnant chakra in the opposite inn began to slowly flow and become active again.
After quite a while longer, the inn's door was finally pushed open.
Tsunade walked out, yawning. Her face still showed clear signs of fatigue and a trace of lingering alcohol. Her golden ponytail was also somewhat loose.
Shizune followed behind her, holding Tonton in her arms, her face full of worry and helplessness.
'Finally awake... it's almost noon.'
Sora stopped his training posture and stood up.
Tsunade and Shizune checked their direction and began walking towards the road leading out of town. It seemed they intended to leave this place and head to the next location.
Sora watched for a moment, then quietly left the inn and followed them from a distance.
He did not deliberately hide his presence. With Tsunade's abilities, she had probably noticed this "little tail" that had been following her at a distance since yesterday.
She was just in a bad mood and couldn't be bothered to deal with it.
Sure enough, after leaving the town and entering a quiet forest path, Tsunade, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
She did not turn around, but spoke somewhat impatiently.
"Kid, aren't you tired after following for so long? Come out."
Shizune was startled and immediately looked back warily.
Sora stepped out from behind a large tree, took off the mask on his face, and revealed his true appearance.
"Lady Tsunade, Miss Shizune, it has been a long time."
Tsunade turned around, crossing her arms, which lifted her breathtakingly ample bosom. She looked at Sora with a scrutinizing and displeased gaze, annoyed at being disturbed.
"It's you... did the old man send you? Really persistent."
"The Hokage is very worried about you. He hopes you can return to Konoha."
Sora said calmly, directly stating his purpose.
"Hmph! Worried?"
Tsunade sneered, a flash of pain and irritation in her eyes. "Go back? Go back and watch those kids die one by one on the battlefield, with rivers of blood flowing?!"
Her voice unconsciously rose.
"Lady Tsunade..." Shizune called out softly in concern.
Tsunade waved her hand sharply, cutting Shizune off. She stared at Sora, her tone becoming dangerous.
"Kid, since you also have the Uzumaki clan's bloodline, disappear from my sight right now. Go back and tell the old man I won't return. Don't send anyone else to bother me!"
Before the words finished, Tsunade's figure suddenly blurred.
The next moment, she was already in front of Sora. Her seemingly fair and slender fist, carrying a terrifying force of wind, shot straight towards Sora's face.
The air where the fist passed groaned under the overwhelming pressure.
Super Strength.
This punch held nothing back. Clearly, she wanted to use absolute force to make Sora back down, or simply knock him out so he couldn't follow anymore.
Facing this sudden, mountain-shattering punch, Sora's eyes remained calm and undisturbed.
Dodge?
With his true strength and speed, even without activating the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he could easily evade it.
But... a thought flashed through his mind.
Take it head-on.
This was a perfect chance to test the results of his recent training in "Super Strength." Moreover, when dealing with a strong-willed powerhouse like Tsunade, showing sufficient strength might actually earn a bit of respect and make future negotiations easier.
In that split second, Sora made his decision.
He seemingly casually raised his right fist. Chakra, following the "Super Strength" technique, gathered instantly at his knuckles.
There was no earth-shattering aura, no cracking of the ground beneath his feet. It was just an ordinary-looking punch, meeting Tsunade's terrifyingly powerful fist.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune screamed in fright. She could already imagine the gruesome scene of Sora's arm breaking, him vomiting blood and flying backward.
A trace of surprise and confusion also flashed in Tsunade's eyes. This kid's reaction... was too calm.
Boom.
The two fists collided without any fancy moves.
A muffled, thunderous explosion erupted.
A visible shockwave spread out from the point of impact, blowing Shizune back several steps.
However, the expected scene of Sora being sent flying did not happen.
Both of them simultaneously jolted backward slightly, then stood firm.
Tsunade's fist was steadily blocked by Sora's seemingly ordinary punch, unable to advance any further.
Although the ground beneath Sora's feet cracked in pieces from bearing the immense force, his figure stood firm as if nailed to the ground.
It was as if he had just received a gentle breeze, not a blow that could shatter rock.
"What?!"
Shizune stared, dumbfounded, unable to believe this scene before her eyes.
This boy, about the same age as her... had actually so easily blocked Lady Tsunade's Super Strength? And he seemed to have strength to spare?
The surprise in Tsunade's eyes deepened. She slowly withdrew her fist. The anger on her face faded quite a bit, replaced by a complex expression.
"Not bad, kid."
Tsunade shook her hand as if that had just been a warm-up. "It hasn't been that long since we last met, not only have you mastered Super Strength, but you can use it to this extent... you haven't disgraced what I taught you."
She could feel that Sora's punch, while its power and the degree of chakra concentration were still slightly inferior to hers, his grasp of the essence of "Super Strength," the technique of concentrating force into a point, had truly captured its essence.
This definitely wasn't something achievable just by good talent. It must have required unimaginable effort and sweat.
"Lady Tsunade taught well. I have only gained some slight insights."
Sora also withdrew his fist, his tone still calm, as if he had done something trivial.
"Slight insights?"
Tsunade snorted, but her tone softened considerably. "Your 'insights' are no small matter... It seems the old man sending you wasn't completely useless. At least, you're much stronger than those previous wastes."
She was referring to the previous Anbu members who had come to find her but were easily dismissed by her.
"The Hokage only wishes to convey the village's will, and also... the situation at the front lines where the wounded urgently need top-tier medical ninja."
Sora brought up the mission again. This time, however, Tsunade did not immediately get angry.
She fell silent for a moment, her expression....
"The wounded... I know. But what can my returning change? I... I can't face those..."
Her voice grew low. The psychological shadow brought by her hemophobia prevented her from continuing.
Shizune looked at her with concern.
Sora knew that verbal persuasion was useless now. He took out a blank scroll and a small box of ink paste from his ninja tool pouch.
"Lady Tsunade, I understand your meaning. The mission requirement was to make contact with you and convey the Hokage's order. Now the contact has been made, and the order has been conveyed."
Sora presented the scroll and ink paste to Tsunade, his tone flat.
"Please press your fingerprint here, proving you have received the order but refuse to return. This way, I can report back to the Hokage and prove I did not fail in my duty."
Tsunade looked at Sora's calm face, then at the scroll in his hand. She suddenly let out a derisive laugh.
"Heh... you kid... fine, I'll press it!"
She seemed too tired to argue further. She directly extended her thumb, pressed it into the ink paste, then firmly stamped her fingerprint on the blank space of the scroll.
"Take it and report back!"
She tossed the scroll back to Sora. "Tell the old man my attitude won't change. Don't send anyone else!"
Having said that, she didn't look at Sora again. She turned and strode away. Shizune quickly bowed apologetically to Sora, then hurried to catch up with Tsunade.
Sora put away the scroll bearing Tsunade's fingerprint, watching their figures disappear at the end of the road.
The mission was, in a way mutually understood without words, "completed."
Now, it was time to handle his own matters.
It was time to go find some suitable "experimental materials."
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