A monster that felt oddly familiar?
Tsunade didn't pay the crazed creature any mind. She stood motionless at the entrance of the casino, flipping through her memories, searching the depths of her mind for the faint sense of familiarity. Then—
The dusty images buried deep in her memories were brushed clean, resurfacing vividly.
A hidden underground lab, heaps of documents on a cluttered desk, hideous creatures caged like experiments, and... the familiar figures of Jiraiya and Orochimaru standing beside her.
"Ugh, it brings back unpleasant memories," Tsunade muttered, cracking her knuckles with the sharp sound of popping joints.
The monster before her... she had indeed seen it before. But it wasn't a living creature back then—she'd only seen its design on a blueprint. Long ago, when the Sannin were still together, the Third Hokage had tasked them with capturing a former friend who'd resorted to forbidden jutsu for power. Though that friend wasn't their equal in strength, his sense of danger was incredibly sharp.
Their mission failed, and all they found were remnants of research and failed experimental creatures. Tsunade had seen a sketch almost identical to this creature in those records; this couldn't be a mere coincidence.
"Burial Hoo! Thought you'd died ages ago," Tsunade sighed, gathering her chakra into her feet. In a flash, she launched herself like a cannonball toward the incoming creature. As it opened its mouth to bite her, Tsunade's fist struck its skull with full force.
BAM! CRACK!
The sounds of impact and cracking bone mingled, impossible to tell which came first.
Even after years away from the battlefield, Tsunade's skills hadn't dulled. As a medical ninja, she'd kept herself in peak condition; her monstrous strength that once terrorized the Sand, Cloud, Stone, and Mist villages hadn't waned. With a single punch, she shattered the monster's skull, the fragments embedding into its brain, snuffing out its life.
The corpse dropped heavily onto the cobblestone street, leaving a crater upon impact.
"Lady Tsunade, are you all right?" Shizune hurried to her side, concerned.
"What could happen? Shizune, clean this mess up and find someone from the Hoozuki family to handle it... wait." Tsunade's voice trailed off as she sensed several intense killing intents rapidly approaching.
This kind of bloodlust? Connected to Burial Hoo?
Tsunade leapt onto a nearby rooftop to meet the incoming threat. She normally wouldn't get involved in such matters, but this wasn't a typical situation.
She wasn't well acquainted with Burial Hoo, though Jiraiya and Orochimaru were. Yet, having recalled him, she couldn't just walk away.
To her surprise, she didn't find the faded figure from her memories but instead encountered a white-haired Mist ninja, a young Uchiha, and another boy with white hair—all familiar faces.
"Lady Tsunade?" Uchiha Itachi paused and bowed respectfully.
"Lady Tsunade, good day!" Kimimaro greeted politely as well.
"Itachi? Kimimaro? And a Hoozuki kid?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the three.
"Lady Tsunade, you're here!" Suigetsu scratched his head, clearly uneasy. It wasn't the Sannin title that unnerved him; rather, he was face-to-face with the doctor who'd saved his life. He couldn't help but feel tense. Without her, he'd likely be nothing but bones buried six feet under.
It wasn't just him. Itachi and Kimimaro, Tsunade's former patients, were also present, each greeting her respectfully despite Kimimaro's normally reserved demeanor.
"What are you three doing together?" Tsunade sighed inwardly.
What was this, the "Terminal Trio"?
Four years ago, at the request of the Nara family, Tsunade returned to treat Akimichi Torifu. On the way, she encountered Itachi and Kimimaro. Noticing Itachi's rare, complex illness, which could easily become fatal if left untreated, she'd taken an interest and studied it while treating Torifu.
However, before she could cure Itachi, Kimimaro fell ill with the Kaguya clan's inherited disease, something she'd only read about in ancient texts.
To complicate matters further, Itachi and Kimimaro were members of the Konoha-Mist Defection Task Force. One day, a delegation arrived to visit them, led by Hoozuki Suigetsu. Upon examination, she found yet another hidden illness.
So, the three ended up under her care. Without her, none of them would have survived past twenty.
"Uh, Lady Tsunade, we're here chasing that monster," Suigetsu admitted.
"You're chasing that creature?" Tsunade blinked, eyeing the former patients before her. "What's going on? Explain."
"Uh…"
Suigetsu hesitated. This mission, ordered as an S-rank classified operation, was strictly confidential. Even for comrades, details weren't to be shared unless absolutely necessary. But standing before him was Tsunade—this couldn't be judged by ordinary rules, could it?
Beside him, Itachi and Kimimaro remained silent, knowing that with Suigetsu present, they wouldn't have to explain. Not speaking would save them the trouble.
"Still keeping secrets?" Tsunade guessed instantly, familiar with Konoha's protocols. Though the rules might have evolved over time, they weren't abolished entirely.
"Honestly, I've encountered this monster before, so… spill it."
"Right!" Suigetsu instantly complied.
Since Tsunade clearly knew more, confidentiality no longer applied. Besides, there was no chance Tsunade would lie about something like this. And even if she did, what could they do? Not even the captain would reprimand him over this!
Within two minutes, Suigetsu spilled everything.
Just earlier, in the Sumiryu Mountains, as Ringo Ameyuri unleashed a lightning attack on the creatures, the monsters merged into a single giant beast. Of the three resulting creatures, Ringo's lightning took down one, and Uchiha Chisato's wind blades destroyed another. The third fled toward Hananou Street. Suigetsu, Itachi, and Kimimaro pursued it here, only to find Tsunade had already taken it down.
"Twelve Guardian Ninja… Homa?"
Tsunade furrowed her brow.
She'd thought this connected to Burial Hoo, but Suigetsu's account didn't mention him at all. Instead, they spoke of Homa, a figure she'd never heard of, who had apparently assaulted the Mist, Cloud, and Stone villages, abducting those with Kekkei Genkai… how bold!
But...
It all seemed unrelated to Burial Hoo.
Had she not seen this unnaturally formed creature, she might have dismissed her suspicions. But her instincts warned her otherwise.
"This doesn't add up. Homa… there's something off here," she muttered, piecing together the clues. So many possibilities arose, but none led to a solid conclusion.
"Lady Tsunade, have you encountered Homa before?" Suigetsu ventured cautiously..
"Before you mentioned him, I'd never heard the name Kazuuma. I know about the Twelve Guardian Ninja, but Kazuuma… that's a first for me." Tsunade glanced at Mangetsu Hozuki with a serious expression and said, "However, I have seen that kind of creature elsewhere—I'm not lying about that. As far as I know, those creatures shouldn't have anything to do with this Kazuuma… Anyway, based on what you just said, you're heading back to the mountains to investigate, right?"
"Yes, Kakashi and the others are still waiting for us in the mountains."
"Alright, I'm going with you."
"Huh? Um…"
"Is there a problem?"
"…Fine!"
Mangetsu Hozuki agreed readily.
After all, from Tsunade's tone, it seemed like she might indeed be connected to their mission somehow. Plus… if Tsunade insisted on joining them, he couldn't exactly refuse, could he? It's not like he could just knock her out—and besides, he probably couldn't even if he tried. Even if he could, if he did lay a hand on her, he'd have endless troubles waiting for him afterward.
So, from the moment she spoke up, he had no real choice but to accept.
"You guys go pack up—the body is an important piece of evidence," Tsunade said, seizing command without hesitation.
"Itachi, Kimimaro, move quickly."
Deputy Captain Hozuki followed her lead, exercising his authority.
The two young men had no choice but to follow orders and prepare the massive body… but with something that big, it didn't seem possible to fit it all into a single sealing scroll without dismembering it a bit. After all, the space inside a sealing scroll is limited.
The creature's arrival and defeat happened so suddenly.
The townspeople fleeing hadn't even gotten the news yet and were still frantically escaping along Baikou Street. As for those who had stayed behind, or hadn't managed to run in time, they began cheering when they saw the creature was down, though no one dared approach its body.
Besides,
Shizune was still guarding the creature's corpse.
Tsunade had sensed the killing intent and rushed off, but Shizune stayed behind to guard the body, preventing anyone from approaching. As a skilled medical ninja, she could see at a glance that the creature's body had all sorts of twisted signs—this was definitely not a normal life form.
Who knew if the corpse might carry some unknown danger.
Until—
Itachi Uchiha and Kimimaro arrived.
Shizune recognized both of them.
With Tsunade's phobia of blood, she hadn't been able to perform surgeries for some time, so Shizune handled all the bloodier treatments. When it came to treating Mangetsu Hozuki, Itachi Uchiha, and Kimimaro back then, Shizune had performed all of their surgeries.
"Itachi, Kimimaro, you two?"
"Lady Tsunade sent us to deal with this," Itachi explained briefly, cutting off any questions Shizune might have had.
Then, cradling her pink pet pig, Shizune quickly found Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, this is…"
"Shizune, hurry up and get ready—we're going into the mountains."
"What? What?!"
Shizune was stunned.
What did she mean by 'going into the mountains'?
"Hurry, I'll explain on the way. Just get ready quickly."