"Thud!"
Tsunade's figure crashed hard to the ground. She strained to lift her head and glanced back—two pale hands pinned her arms with unyielding force. She struggled a few times, biting down on her lip in anger.
"Damn it…"
If her chakra hadn't been sealed, that hateful woman named Robin would never have been able to press her to the floor.
"Tsunade…"
Jiraiya grit his teeth, weaving through the pirates blocking his path as he sprinted toward her.
"I'll get you out of here… I swear!"
With a roar, he ran while forming seals; his chest swelled, then he spat a torrent of toad oil, and a heartbeat later he exhaled flames to ignite it—forcing a path open through the pirates.
"Gamayu Endan (Toad Oil Flame Bullet)!"
"Tsunade…" Hope sparked in her eyes. She watched Jiraiya with growing expectation and inched toward him little by little.
"Naruto-kun entrusted you to me. Did you think you could escape from my hands?"
Robin rose to her feet and walked to Tsunade's side. She lifted her right heel and stamped down on the back of Tsunade's head, pinning her so she couldn't move an inch.
"You damn woman…"
Tsunade ground the words between her teeth. In her eyes, Robin was Naruto's most loyal hound; no matter how she pleaded, this woman's face remained cold.
"Shut up." Robin pressed down harder with her foot, then lifted her gaze to the onrushing Jiraiya. Crossing her arms, she called out:
"Manzai Chihong: Kyodai Ki (Ten-Thousand Blooms: Giant Tree)!"
In an instant, tens of thousands of arms sprouted, weaving into the alabaster hand of a giantess. In a blink, the pale hand turned pitch-black as Busōshoku Haki (Armament Haki) coated it. Five fingers hammered down from above.
Jiraiya didn't flinch. Robin alone stood between him and Tsunade. He raised his right hand, a vast azure sphere churning into being.
"Ōdama Rasengan (Big Ball Spiraling Sphere)!!!"
"Naruto-kun hasn't used that in a long time…"
Robin's haki-blackened giant palm slammed down, colliding with Jiraiya's Ōdama Rasengan.
Booming thunder shook the air.
Jiraiya felt his body sink; everything below his calves plunged into the churned earth. He stared up at the immense hand, teeth clenched.
"I'm this close… Tsunade…"
He tried to one-hand a seal—ready to lash out with his hair.
But Robin was faster.
"Jūroku Rin Hana Hiraku (Sixteen-Fold Blooming)!"
Petals unfurled behind Jiraiya; arms blossomed from the air itself, clamping firmly onto his jaw and wrenching it back.
"Ghh—t-too tight—!"
Pain ripped a cry from him. Just before his neck could be snapped, he flashed a seal and escaped with Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique).
"Pop!"
A wooden log took his place. The massive palm crashed down, pulverizing the log and stamping five colossal prints into the ground all around.
Cold sweat broke over Jiraiya's brow. He couldn't make sense of Robin's power—nothing like ninjutsu; it felt more like a bloodline limit, yet… different.
"With me here, you're not taking this milk-cow anywhere…"
Robin fisted Tsunade's hair and simply sat on her back. More giant, porcelain-white hands burst from the earth and began whack-a-moling at Jiraiya.
He could only dodge in ragged spurts—while guarding against the next wave of pirates closing in. Bitterness crept into his heart.
"Tsunade… damn it. I really can't save you alone, can I?"
Jaw tight, he tore his eyes off Tsunade. He stamped forward and bolted—straight past her, to the far side—refusing to linger a second longer. With this woman who could spawn arms everywhere, saving Tsunade was impossible. If more "monsters" arrived, he wouldn't just fail to rescue her—he'd die here.
Seeing Jiraiya turn away, Tsunade bit her lip without meaning to, fists clenching—then a sudden thought struck her.
"Jiraiya!!!"
"Menma is Naruto!!!"
"He's Minato's kid!!!"
"Shut up, you cow!" Robin kicked Tsunade over, then planted her heel on Tsunade's mouth. Her eyes stayed cold—but she didn't go further. After all, even here in Naruto's homeland, Naruto hadn't hidden who he was; his people still called him "Naruto-sama." Even if his identity leaked, it shouldn't affect him much.
Muffled beneath the heel, Tsunade could only whimper; not a word made it out. But her shout had already reached Jiraiya—one of the Three Sannin, and in the original story, Naruto's teacher.
He froze where he stood and turned, stiff as a board, to look back.
"M-Menma… that brat from Konoha?"
"Tsunade, what kind of joke is that? He's not even ten, I saw him not long ago—how could he possibly…"
Jiraiya shouted, but Tsunade couldn't answer.
"No way… Naruto…"
He clawed at his hair in disbelief. He'd only just taken Naruto as his disciple, and Tsunade had immediately claimed that "Menma" was Naruto. Naruto's face flashed again and again in his mind: golden hair, blue eyes, those whisker-marks—like a pocket-sized Minato. The resemblance was uncanny. He'd chalked it up to coincidence. Now… it was clearly the same person.
"Naruto… why!?"
He panted, struggling to comprehend how that blond kid from Konoha could be this strong. At Naruto's age, Jiraiya had been the bottom of his class.
Just then, golden light flared in the sky. Naruto drifted down and set his feet beside Tsunade. Seeing him arrive, Robin started to report.
"Naruto-kun, this cow blurted out your—"
"I know."
Naruto cut her off with a small smile. Under everyone's gaze, he hauled Tsunade up, then lifted his chin toward Jiraiya and grinned.
"Jiraiya… sensei."
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]