Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!-Chapter 438: Sharp and Unrestrained

As the two armies faced off once more across the vast battlefield, a suffocating tension spread, shrouding the land in an oppressive killing intent.

"Ōnoki, I'll say it again."

"It's not too late to surrender."

The Third Raikage took a few steps forward, his deep voice booming with overwhelming dominance.

"Do you ever get tired of repeating the same nonsense?"

Ōnoki's expression remained unmoved—this kind of trash talk had no effect on him.

"If you won't think about yourself, at least consider your men."

"Are you really going to lead them to their deaths?"

The Third Raikage smirked, his scornful tone a poor disguise for his attempt at psychological warfare.

"That's none of your concern."

"The Land of Earth will not give up an inch of its land. That is our bottom line."

Though Ōnoki was known for his temper, his influence and strength in Iwagakure were second to none.

"Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

Someone in the ranks started the chant, and soon the Iwa ninja were shouting in unison, their voices shaking the sky.

The Konoha ninja, caught off guard by the sudden outburst, hesitated. Should they join in or stay silent?

"Hmph."

"Seems like there's nothing more to discuss."

With a cold snort, the Third Raikage surged into battle.

Clad in his blue Lightning Release Armor, he shot forward like an arrow aimed at the Iwa forces. At the same moment, the Kumo ninja let out a battle cry and charged forward.

"Those two, they're mine."

Nawaki's lips curled into a smirk as his gaze locked onto the Fourth A, who was wearing the same Lightning Armor as his father. Beside him stood a younger shinobi—none other than Killer Bee.

This was the AB combo that had taken down Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki.

"Don't underestimate them."

It was hard to tell whether Ōnoki's warning was sincere or not, but he didn't wait for a response before soaring forward to intercept the Third Raikage.

The clash of two Kage-level forces sent shockwaves rippling outward, clearing a vacuum around them.

The sheer force of their impact sent ninja from both sides flying, a testament to the terrifying power of veteran Kage.

"Hey, you two are up against me today."

Nawaki blocked the AB duo with a simple Water Release technique, his stance radiating arrogance.

"A Konoha ninja?"

"It's not too late to turn back now."

Killer Bee frowned, while the Fourth A was far less polite.

If he could avoid making an enemy of Konoha, he would prefer not to fight, but looking at Nawaki's stance, it was clear this battle was inevitable. He merely stated his position out of principle.

"Yeah, that's not happening. Orders are orders."

Nawaki spread his hands with a helpless shrug, showing that there was no room for negotiation.

"Then don't blame us if you get yourself killed."

Killer Bee had yet to achieve perfect control over the Eight-Tails, and the influence of the Tailed Beast's chakra made him especially irritable.

With a quick spin, the octopus-like tails behind him lashed out at Nawaki midair.

"Lightning Release: Lariat!"

The AB duo's coordination was seamless—just as Killer Bee attacked, the Fourth A leaped high into the air, aiming for Nawaki's blind spot.

Shrouded in Lightning Release chakra, his speed was like a bolt of lightning, and his Lariat reached Nawaki even before Killer Bee's attack.

"Not bad."

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Nawaki's eyes—this was probably the fourth-fastest opponent he had ever fought.

Then again, maybe not. He reconsidered, deciding that the Fourth A probably didn't make the top four.

Whatever. Top ten, maybe. No need to overthink it.

It was rare to encounter someone this fast outside of Konoha.

"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"

Nawaki wanted to test the Fourth A's taijutsu.

Executing a flawless spinning kick, his right leg became encased in solid rock.

With his monstrous strength and Earth Release reinforcement, this modified version of Konoha's Strong Whirlwind clashed directly with the Fourth A's Lariat.

Before Killer Bee's stunned eyes, A was sent flying through the air, completely overpowered.

Boom!

A thunderous crash echoed as the Fourth Raikage slammed into the ground, embedding himself deep into the hardened earth.

If not for his Lightning Release Armor's incredible defense, that blow alone would have been enough to cripple him.

"Tch, not as impressive as I thought."

Nawaki clicked his tongue in disappointment.

But he didn't stop moving—he reached back and pulled out Samehada.

Against chakra-heavy opponents, Samehada was practically a cheat code.

Just as Killer Bee's tails reached him, Samehada blocked them.

The white bandages wrapped around the sword shredded apart, revealing the blade's jagged spikes as they burrowed deep into the Eight-Tails' flesh.

Samehada's grotesque face twisted in satisfaction—it was feasting on the chakra.

"What the hell?"

Killer Bee looked back in shock, only to see one of his tails vanishing. The sudden weakness that followed made his heart sink.

"This is a sword that eats chakra. Pretty cool, right?"

Nawaki rested Samehada on his shoulder, its jagged spikes morphing back into smooth, hair-like strands.

"One of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist—Samehada."

The Fourth A climbed out of the crater, introducing the weapon to Killer Bee with a grim expression.

This Konoha ninja... was terrifyingly strong.

In just a brief exchange—and despite striking first—both he and Killer Bee had already suffered injuries.

And Nawaki stood there, completely at ease, as if he had barely exerted himself.

"Come on, show me what you've got."

"Is that the strength that killed the Five-Tails Jinchūriki?"

His taunt made Killer Bee's blood boil, though the Fourth A remained calm.

"You bastard, what the hell are you acting so smug about?"

As Killer Bee recovered from his temporary weakness, his Eight-Tails tentacles reappeared behind him.

"Kids shouldn't use foul language."

"It's annoying."

Nawaki's playful smile disappeared as his tone turned ice-cold.

Maybe in Konoha, he was the easygoing older brother.

But outside Konoha—he was the ruthless Fire Squad Captain of the ANBU, a man with countless kills to his name.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

With swift hand seals, Nawaki spewed out a high-pressure jet of water, cutting a direct path toward the AB duo.

"Dodge!"

Acting fast, the Fourth A kicked Killer Bee aside and dodged out of the attack's path.

But he had no idea that the Water Severing Wave could be controlled mid-flight.

Nawaki ignored the slower Killer Bee, instead focusing entirely on the Fourth A.

The relentless water jet pursued him like a curse, forcing him into an endless retreat.

The battlefield wasn't that big—despite trying to move toward less crowded areas, several unlucky Kumo ninja were still caught in the attack, sliced clean in half. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

The sight was gruesome, but Nawaki remained completely unfazed.

"Eh, whatever. Can't be bothered to chase him."

Nawaki casually cut off the technique—the Tailed Beast chakra he had absorbed earlier had run dry.

Even in battle, he was annoyingly efficient with his resources.

Looking at the jagged cracks left behind by the attack, the Fourth A felt a chill down his spine.

Could he even survive a direct hit from that Water Release?

"If he knew how to seize the moment and switch targets, that brat would already be dead."

Ōnoki had been observing from afar.

That jutsu—it was the Water Release Technique of the Second Hokage.

A waste, he thought. Nawaki was still too young and reckless.

If he had focused on eliminating one opponent first, the other would have been easy to deal with.

Luckily, Ōnoki hadn't realized that Nawaki was deliberately sparing Killer Bee.

Otherwise, how else was he supposed to make this fight last?