Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!
Chapter 557: Limbo: Border Jail

Chapter 557 - 557: Limbo: Border Jail

"Sarutobi-sensei."

Tsunade had barely flown a short distance before she spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi lying on the ground.

Most of his body was buried beneath the dirt, and the blood around him had long since dried.

Heart pounding, Tsunade rushed over, carefully brushing away the layers of soil as she called out to him in a soft but urgent voice.

Hiruzen remained unresponsive, his eyes tightly shut, his body motionless.

Only the faintest whisper of breath proved he was still alive.

"Summoning Jutsu."

Without hesitation, Tsunade performed the jutsu, summoning a slug clone to attach itself to Hiruzen's body.

A soft green glow enveloped her right hand as she pressed it firmly against his chest.

With her chakra guiding it, his heart—on the verge of stopping—began to beat once more.

Thump... thump-thump...

With each strong, steady pulse, a look of pain crossed Hiruzen's aging face.

"Sensei! Sensei!"

Tsunade called out again, her voice thick with urgency.

At last, his eyelids fluttered open.

"I'm... still alive?"

His cloudy eyes struggled to focus, barely making out the blurred figure hovering above him.

"Sensei, I'm going to save you."

Tsunade gently withdrew her hand and immediately began assessing his injuries.

The deep scar across his chest was gruesome but, thankfully, not fatal.

The sheer force of the Super Shinra Tensei had ravaged his internal organs, and his body bore numerous fractures—she didn't even want to count how many bones were broken.

If she hadn't arrived in time, he would have stood no chance.

After what felt like an eternity of tense, meticulous healing, Hiruzen's breathing finally stabilized.

It was no longer weak and erratic.

"Thank you, Tsunade..."

"I owe Konoha... and all of you... an apology."

His voice was frail, yet he forced a faint smile.

At that moment, for the first time in a long while, he no longer felt abandoned.

"Sensei, don't say that. It's in the past now."

"We need to get you to Shikkotsu Forest—this place is too dangerous."

Tsunade had always held a deep, unshakable bond with her teacher.

Her eyes burned red, her voice tight with emotion.

"Alright... I'm old now... I'm no use anymore."

"But you must defeat Madara."

With those final words, Hiruzen slowly closed his eyes.

In an instant, the slug clone fully enveloped him.

A moment later, with a puff of smoke, both he and the slug vanished without a trace.

Only now did Tsunade have a moment to look up and assess the battlefield.

The clash of three titanic forces raged on.

Though the Armored Outer Path Susanoo was struggling against the assault, Madara's sheer strength allowed him to hold his ground—if only barely.

Her gaze shifted toward her grandmother's side of the battlefield.

The four reanimated First Generation Kage were being utterly overwhelmed, unable to retaliate.

Every attack from Fugaku's black Susanoo forced them further back, pressing them into a corner.

Orochimaru's wooden golem relentlessly advanced, restricting their movement, squeezing their battlefield tighter and tighter.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Tobirama wove between them, striking with expert precision.

Every attack landed exactly where it needed to, gradually wearing them down.

Then, in a swift motion, Mito seized the opportunity.

With a flick of her wrist, Adamantine Sealing Chains shot forward, coiling around the four Kage like living serpents.

The unbreakable chains locked them in place.

By the time Tsunade finally arrived, the battle was already over—

The four First Generation Kages had been sealed.

"Is it draining a lot of your chakra?"

Tsunade's concerned question wasn't directed at Mito or Tobirama.

Her gaze landed on Jiraiya and the others as she swiftly retrieved several specially made military ration pills from her ninja pouch.

"I can still hold out," Jiraiya replied, but Orochimaru's hand was already reaching out, his actions betraying his words.

"Give me two more," Jiraiya added after swallowing one, realizing it wasn't enough.

Of everyone present, his chakra reserves were likely the weakest.

"Don't push yourself too hard. If you're exhausted, take a break," Tsunade said, handing him three more pills, her voice filled with worry.

She couldn't bear the thought of Jiraiya getting seriously hurt in this intense battle due to sheer fatigue.

"Don't worry, I know my limits."

Jiraiya swallowed the pills in one gulp, and within moments, his chakra began to recover rapidly.

"We probably won't be of much help in that fight over there," Fugaku said after taking his own ration pill, his gaze fixed on the three colossal figures locked in battle. A trace of unease flickered in his eyes.

He could clearly sense the terrifying power radiating from those combatants.

And he knew—no matter which of them he faced, it wouldn't be an opponent he could take on alone.

"That doesn't mean we sit this out."

Tobirama cast a glance at Fugaku and, for some reason, saw a reflection of Kagami in him.

Never in his life had he imagined that the Uchiha, whom he once saw as dangerous, would one day stand side by side with Konoha.

Maybe that was why, as he looked at Madara's arrogant and domineering figure, the fire of anger inside him only burned hotter.

Why is that man still so infuriating?

"Even ants can bring down an elephant."

"We strike from both sides."

"Go!"

Mito didn't wait for a response. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, she shot forward.

The others followed without hesitation, and Tsunade immediately entered full Tailed Beast Mode.

A massive Tailed Beast Bomb formed before her in an instant.

With a sharp aim, she fired it straight at the side of the Armored Outer Path Susanoo.

"Madara, when will you finally come to your senses?"

Hashirama watched Tsunade and the others charge forward, feeling as if the tide of battle was slowly shifting in their favor.

"You're celebrating too soon, Hashirama."

The armored Susanoo continued retreating, but as the Tailed Beast Bomb hurtled toward him, a mysterious smile crept onto Madara's face.

"Something's wrong."

Kawakaze's expression changed as he suddenly realized what was about to happen.

"Stop! Get back now!" he shouted in alarm, but it was already too late.

Boom!

The Tailed Beast Bomb detonated violently against the Armored Outer Path Susanoo.

Cracks immediately spread across its blue armor, webbing across its massive frame.

Yet, Madara remained unfazed.

It was as if this outcome had already been accounted for.

"Limbo: Border Jail."

The words left Madara's lips in a chilling, emotionless tone.

In an instant, his Rinnegan pulsed with an eerie, unsettling energy.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Eight powerful blows landed simultaneously.

Thanks to his earlier instinct, Kawakaze had sensed the invisible attackers and barely managed to dodge in time.

But Hashirama wasn't as lucky.

A shadowy force struck him squarely, launching him off the Great Buddha like a ragdoll.

He flew backward, spiraling through the air like a kite with a broken string.

As for Tsunade and the others—

The sudden, unseen assault slammed them to the ground, leaving them struggling to get back up.