Tsunade made her way southeast. Suspecting an ambush, she didn't move quickly, instead focusing on observing her surroundings—looking for traps or hidden enemies.
Yet what puzzled her even more was that she encountered no resistance at all. No ambushes. No signs of enemies—until the three enemy ninja mentioned in the mission finally came into view.
Could the problem be… with them?
Remaining cautious, Tsunade didn't immediately strike. She first observed from the shadows.
The three men wore dull gray garb. Even in the rain, their heads were wrapped in cloth, and they all wore forehead protectors bearing the symbol of Sunagakure—the Hidden Sand Village.
Given that the three great villages had all deployed forces into the Land of Rain and that the war had reached its boiling point, any encounter between Konoha and Suna shinobi would, without question, end in battle.
This fit the expected profile of an enemy unit, but it still left Tsunade uneasy.
Was this really a genuine scouting party… or were they planted here, hoping to trick her into killing foreign ninja for someone else's agenda?
After a brief pause, she made her decision.
These three were clearly Sand reconnaissance shinobi. They had penetrated far behind enemy lines, close to Konoha's rear support. There was no reason to let them walk away.
After a moment of preparation, Tsunade's finger gently tugged at an almost invisible thread.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The moment she did, the perimeter trap set by the Suna nin was triggered. Several kunai sprang out from various hidden angles, shooting toward her.
Almost simultaneously, the three enemy ninja—on high alert due to their deep infiltration—immediately responded. Weapons were drawn, and one of them shouted gruffly:
"Who's there?!"
One of the Chūnin began forming hand signs the moment he spotted the silhouette among the leaves. He planned to engage only briefly, then retreat—the longer they delayed, the more danger they'd be in.
But that silhouette was already reacting—only not in the way he expected.
The figure was instantly pierced by several kunai, vanishing into a puff of smoke.
"A shadow clone!"
"Damn it, stay alert!"
But it was already too late.
A dark figure dropped from above. A small, pale fist came crashing down—looking deceptively delicate, but carrying unimaginable force.
Tsunade had already bypassed their perimeter unnoticed, and now came down from directly above them with a single, devastating blow.
Monster Strength!
Just before the punch landed, Tsunade hesitated—but only briefly—before deciding to use her full strength. She wasn't going to leave any of them alive.
Let's see what else you try to pull after I take these three out, "Lord God."
BOOM!
Chakra concentrated into a single point, then detonated with devastating force. The impact split the earth, launching jagged slabs of stone into the air like deadly spears—impaling all three Sand ninja instantly.
In a single exchange, they were wiped out—no time to run, no time to react.
The entire battle had lasted just seconds.
This was the overwhelming gap between a Kage-level ninja and standard Chūnin.
Watching this unfold through the interface, Nawaki couldn't help but marvel.
Tsunade may act like a bossy big sister around him, but deep down, she was a formidable shinobi.
In the future, the title of one of the Legendary Sannin wouldn't be earned for nothing.
With a thought, Nawaki issued the next message:
[Target eliminated. Mission complete. Reward distribution commencing.]
Just as Tsunade finished off the last scout, the mysterious voice echoed in her ear again.
Before she could respond, a pillar of gentle white light enveloped her. In the span of a single breath, her spent chakra was replenished, her physical fatigue erased completely.
Even her mental exhaustion—built up from days of relentless combat and stress—seemed to wash away, replaced by a refreshing clarity so powerful it nearly made her gasp aloud.
In less than a second, all the fatigue she'd accumulated from worrying about Nawaki and fighting on the frontlines vanished—leaving her feeling like she'd just slept for three full days.
"What…?"
A look of stunned disbelief spread across Tsunade's face.
As a master of medical ninjutsu, she knew very well: even the most advanced techniques could only heal the body, at most removing physical fatigue.
But this light—this force—had restored her mental exhaustion too!
What kind of power was this?
The more she experienced it, the more she realized how small and limited her own knowledge was. And as that realization settled in… doubt began to creep into her heart.
Could this all… actually be real?
"Of course it's real, my foolish onee-chan. Just accept this gift from your dear little brother with gratitude~"
Back in the hospital bed, a sly grin spread across Nawaki's face.
He had deliberately added a full recovery to the mission reward, knowing Tsunade hadn't rested in days and was on the verge of collapse.
And sure enough—it had paid off handsomely.
But when he thought about the 500 points the reward had cost, his heart ached a little.
If it weren't to lure her into the system, there's no way I'd burn so many points on just a beginner mission!
Killing a single Chūnin only grants 100 points!
Fortunately, Tsunade hadn't suffered any major injuries—just some mental fatigue—so the system hadn't deducted too many points for the full recovery. That gave Nawaki a bit of comfort.
I'll make sure to earn all those points back later!
Noticing Tsunade was starting to waver, Nawaki quickly sent her the exchange panel he had prepared in advance.
Of course, the version he gave her was heavily censored.
After all, this was the Naruto world. The available items had to match the setting—nothing too high-tech, magical, or totally out of place.
He disabled most of the "Lord God" category, removed large portions of the technology, magic, and mystic item lists, and completely disabled the Immortal Martial Arts category.
He only left behind options that Tsunade might reasonably believe could exist in her world.
Even so, when Tsunade saw the dizzying array of options…
Her jaw nearly hit the floor.
"This… this is Grandfather Hashirama's Wood Style Kekkei Genkai! Initial exchange requires 10,000 points—not including follow-up jutsu. Perfect exchange requires 100,000 points!"
"Tobirama's S-rank space-time jutsu, Flying Thunder God—direct learning, 20,000 points!"
"Sharingan? Base bloodline for 10,000 points, with each tomoe level costing an additional 10,000 points!"
"Kekkei Genkai… S-rank Jutsu… Dōjutsu… Taijutsu…"
Even Tsunade—princess of Konoha, personal student of the Ninjutsu Professor Hiruzen Sarutobi—couldn't help but be tempted.
Her family background might be exceptional, and she was never short on jutsu. But the exchange list included dozens of techniques and abilities even she had no access to.
Wood Style? That powerful bloodline had been lost since the First Hokage's death.
Sharingan? Please—Tsunade was a Senju, not an Uchiha. How could she ever possess it?
Flying Thunder God? As powerful as it was, she simply didn't have the aptitude for space-time jutsu. Even after poring over Tobirama's notes countless times, she hadn't grasped a thing.
But now… if this exchange list was truly real—
Tsunade's eyes paused on another section, where some even stranger names appeared:
"What are these…? Gura Gura no Mi? Pika Pika no Mi? Sword of Promised Victory? The Sword of Rupture - EA…?"