Chapter 90: Tsunade's Special Role
Su Xiao quickly charged toward the three Kage, but he didn't use his full speed to avoid being surrounded and attacked by them.
Among the three, Tsunade was the most severely injured. Even though she had activated the Hundred Healings Technique, that technique wasn't infinite recovery; it consumed her stored chakra. By now, Tsunade's stored chakra was nearly depleted.
Although Onoki and Gaara weren't heavily wounded, their chakra reserves were also almost gone.
Su Xiao's combat strength allowed him to handle a single Kage alone—this was a conclusion he'd reached through practice. If he faced two Kage simultaneously, he could at most stall them. Going up against three at once might get him killed.
Of course, this assumed the three Kage were in good condition, not half-dead as they were now. Given their current state, Su Xiao had no problem taking them on 1v3.
Their condition was indeed poor, but that didn't mean the three Kage had completely lost combat capability. They still had the strength for a desperate last stand.
Higher-intensity battles awaited Su Xiao later, so he absolutely couldn't get injured here. His stock of recovery items was nearly exhausted, and Karin had long since vanished in the chaotic battlefield—she'd most likely fled.
Just as Su Xiao reached the front of the three Kage, a sturdy figure had already charged at Gaara.
That's right, the one rushing in to assist was Amu. As for why it targeted Gaara, it was because among the three Kage, Gaara was the easiest to bully—or rather, Gaara's offensive capabilities were the weakest.
Tsunade's monstrous strength punches were practically main tank killers. Amu absolutely couldn't withstand them; a few hits would send it back for "factory repairs."
As for Onoki, he was even more troublesome. Who knew if this old man could still use Dust Release.
As Amu charged forward, crushed stone flew up beneath its feet. It lowered its head, its ox horns aimed straight at Gaara, clearly having activated its Unyielding Charge ability.
Boom!
Amu slammed headfirst into a wall of sand. Sand sprayed everywhere, and behind it, Gaara's forehead bulged with veins.
Amu shook its head, breaking free from the sand, wisps of cold mist rising from its ox horns.
This was what it meant when enemies met, eyes blazing with hatred. Back during the Five Kage Summit, Gaara had teamed up with Kankuro and Temari to beat down Amu, who was blocking their path. Though Amu was simple and honest, it held a grudge.
A red gleam flickered in Amu's eyes as it bared its flat teeth. Once battle began, Amu became a bloodthirsty warrior—either its core alchemical array shattered, or the enemy fell beneath its feet.
Boom, boom, boom…
Amu rammed and pounded Gaara repeatedly. Gaara, already exhausted, could only defend with his sand.
On the other side, seeing Amu holding Gaara at bay, Su Xiao suddenly accelerated.
"Hokage, don't let him get close. Your—"
Before Onoki could finish his sentence, he found Tsunade already blocking in front of him.
"Tsuchikage, there's only one chance. Can you still use Dust Release?"
Tsunade's words had barely left her mouth when a long blade slashed toward her face. She dodged almost by instinct.
Clang.
A strand of golden hair was severed as Dragon-Slaying Flash sliced past Tsunade's cheek.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique."
A conical beam of light floated between Onoki's hands. He didn't activate the Dust Release immediately but waited for Tsunade to create an opening, aiming for a one-hit kill. The chakra he had left wasn't enough for another use of Dust Release—this was his last chance.
Su Xiao noticed Onoki's movements, but his real target wasn't Tsunade—it was Onoki.
In this situation, killing Tsunade first and then dealing with Onoki was the best choice. However, Tsunade had another use; Su Xiao needed to experiment with something on her.
Tsunade sidestepped to avoid Su Xiao's slash. Before she could straighten up, she punched toward him.
That's right, punched. Other people's fists struck; Tsunade's fists *smashed*.
Facing this seemingly ordinary, slow punch, Su Xiao immediately stepped back. He didn't want to test how strong Tsunade's power was.
Tsunade's fist brushed past Su Xiao's ear. His black hair was blown back, and his face stung faintly.
If he took that punch, even if it didn't hit a vital spot, Su Xiao would most likely be severely injured. However, Tsunade's condition was poor, and her speed was far too slow compared to normal.
As Su Xiao dodged Tsunade's punch, he stepped forward, closing the distance until he was almost pressed against her. Suddenly, he raised his leg and drove his knee hard into Tsunade's abdomen.
Bam!
Tsunade's body flew backward. Su Xiao leaped sideways to change position, so that Tsunade, mid-flight, was now between him and Onoki.
Onoki's expression turned extremely grim. He hesitated, debating whether to attack even if it meant hitting Tsunade.
In that moment of hesitation, a cyan metal wire coiled around Tsunade.
Zzzz~
Tsunade was entangled by the Realm Severing Thread. She immediately struggled to break free.
Pfft.
Blood sprayed as the thread cut into Tsunade's flesh. The Realm Severing Thread had far surpassed its former self—not only had its quality been upgraded to Dark Purple, but Su Xiao had also reinforced it to +.
If Tsunade had a body as tough as Amu's, she might have been able to break the thread with her "monstrous strength." Unfortunately, her body couldn't fully withstand that power. Rather than being pure physical strength, Tsunade's "monstrous strength" was more like a precise method of chakra control.
Just as the Realm Severing Thread cut into the flesh of Tsunade's arm, a faint blue electric arc flickered on Su Xiao's left hand—it was Cyan Steel Shadow energy.
The Cyan Steel Shadow energy latched onto the Realm Severing Thread, using it as a conduit to instantly surge into Tsunade's wound. Tsunade let out a pained cry and vomited a large mouthful of blood.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World."
A white beam shot toward Su Xiao, fast and urgent, coinciding with the moment he released the Cyan Steel Shadow energy.
A 30-point-strength energy shield appeared beside Su Xiao. He immediately severed his energy link with it, allowing the shield to have its own independent gravity.
Bam!
Su Xiao slammed into the energy shield, shattering it. Using the recoil, his body flew sideways.
Whoosh~
The Dust Release beam disintegrated a large crater in the ground but failed to hit Su Xiao.
"It's not over yet."
Onoki roared, controlling the Dust Release beam to pivot.
Boom.
An explosion erupted beside Onoki's cheek. His ears rang, and then he felt something pierce his temple.
Just as Onoki realized something was wrong, his temple felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer. Then, darkness engulfed his vision.
With a thud, Onoki's corpse hit the ground, a bloody hole blown through his temple.
[You have killed Onoki of the Two Scales.]
[Tip: The Hunter is participating in a large-scale plot event. World Source cannot be obtained temporarily. It will be settled uniformly after the event ends.]
[Treasure Chest obtained (Light Gold) (Due to assistance from plot character Uchiha Madara in combat, this reward has been reduced by 40%).]
…
Killing Onoki didn't yield World Source immediately; it would have to wait until the large-scale plot event ended. Still, he'd gained a Light Gold treasure chest in advance.
This Light Gold chest was undoubtedly one of the highest quality among Light Gold chests. Su Xiao hadn't expected that joining forces with Madara to kill an enemy would only reduce the reward by 40%. He'd originally prepared for a 60% to 70% reduction.
After all, when Onoki fought Su Xiao, he was nearly exhausted and couldn't concentrate fully. So when Su Xiao shot him with the Hunter's Gun, the explosive needle pierced his temple and detonated, killing him instantly.