- Nothing Gained!

Chapter 125 Nothing Gained!

Roar--!

The puppet let out a deafening roar, a sound that was no longer a simple, mechanical boom.

Instead, it carried a kind of fury and madness akin to that of a wild beast, as if this creation pieced together from sand and bones truly possessed its own will.

The sound waves crashed back and forth in the hall, causing dust to fall from the rock walls and even the air to tremble.

A shockwave, visible to the naked eye, swept out of its body and spread outwards in a ring.

It swept up all the gravel, sand, and bone fragments, forming a turbid shockwave.

Everyone was involuntarily forced back several steps, and the Root ninjas raised their arms to block in front of them.

Shisui dodged the flying bone fragments, while Shizune crouched in the corner with Tuntun in her arms, shielding the little animal with her body.

But Kakashi did not back down.

His Lightning Blade was like a sword forged from lightning, its blue-white light leaving a blinding trail in the dim hall. The blade pierced the crack in the puppet's chest cavity as smoothly as a hot knife through butter, with almost no resistance.

Lightning exploded inside the puppet's body, spreading along the skeleton to every corner.

It instantly carbonized the surrounding sand, emitting a pungent, burnt smell, mixed with the fishy odor of the sand being burned.

However, his brows furrowed suddenly.

The blade encountered an obstacle, not a layer of sand, nor the ordinary bone it had encountered before, but a layer that was harder and denser.

It was as if all the bones inside the puppet came to life in that instant, frantically contracting, converging, and stacking, layer upon layer, enveloping the scarlet core.

Those layers upon layers of bone shields, each bone tightly interlocked, fit together perfectly, like the most solid armor.

Kakashi flicked his wrist, and several pieces of bone flew out from the crack, landing on the ground with a crisp sound. They bounced a few times and rolled into the dust.

It's blocked!

Although Raikiri was powerful, it could not penetrate such a thick defense in one strike.

The electric current traveled across the surface of the bone shield, leaving behind charred marks, but it could never penetrate into the core.

Kakashi could sense that the tip of his blade was less than an inch away from the core, but that inch felt like an insurmountable chasm.

He gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and sprang backward, flipping in the air before landing steadily on the ground.

The lightning on the short sword slowly dissipated, leaving the blade covered in black carbonized particles and white bone fragments.

His right arm trembled slightly; Raichet's outburst had exceeded his tolerance.

But his gaze remained sharp, fixed on the slowly healing crack in the puppet's chest.

"Its skeleton can move to protect its core!" Kakashi's voice rang out through the smoke and dust, tinged with seriousness. "It will take even greater power to break through it!"

Inside the hall, smoke and dust filled the air, and sand flew everywhere. Although the puppet's limbs were bound by rocks, its core defense was difficult to break through.

The crimson light flickered erratically through the gaps in the bone shield, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, like a resentful eye mocking everyone's efforts.

Meanwhile, the rocks binding the puppet's limbs are being eroded by sand and gravel.

The sand grains clung to the rock surface like ants, gradually breaking down and peeling away the stone. Cracks spread from the edges of the rock towards the center, becoming deeper and denser.

Before long, the puppet will be able to break free of its restraints and regain its ability to move.

time is limited.

Tsunade stood not far away, breathing rapidly, her chest heaving noticeably faster than usual. The intense chakra aura on her fist slowly subsided.

It wasn't a retreat, but rather a regrouping of strength; her gaze pierced through the smoke and dust.

He stared intently at the shimmering red light in the puppet's chest cavity, his eyes showing no fear, only an almost tyrannical determination.

"Let's do it one more time!"

The fact that puppets, no matter how violently they are beaten, will not cause blood to splatter and will not trigger her hemophobia has become her greatest advantage at this moment.

She can throw punches without restraint, without worrying about losing her fighting ability after seeing blood.

However, the Yin Seal within her body had been modified by Izumi.

However, due to the seal of Konoha, she is unable to freely release the seal and reach her full combat power as before.

Even so, Tsunade is still Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade-hime, a being comparable to a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Blue chakra surged from the soles of her feet, enveloping her legs like flames and making her trouser legs flutter in the wind.

She crouched slightly, then leaped up suddenly, her figure like a cannonball launching into the air, tracing an arc in the sky, her right leg raised high overhead, brimming with the power of her entire body.

"Sky Guard Kick!"

Jade feet descend.

That kick, carrying immense force, slammed down hard on the puppet's remaining chest cavity.

With earth collapsing and mountains splitting, what core, what skeleton, what massive size—all should have been shattered before Tsunade's full-force attack.

boom-!

A deafening roar, like a thunderclap, shook the entire hall violently.

The sealing spells on the rock wall lit up simultaneously, as if even they could not withstand the impact.

The ground cracked open in large patches, centered on Tsunade's landing point.

Cracks spread outwards like a spider web, extending from the center of the hall all the way to the base of the wall.

The gravel and pebbles were shaken high into the air and then fell heavily back down, making a series of loud cracking sounds.

Countless plumes of smoke rose, enveloping the entire hall in a grayish-white mist.

Visibility dropped to less than two meters, and only the outlines of people could be vaguely seen in the smoke and dust.

Silently coughed a few times and covered his mouth and nose with his hand. Kakashi squinted, his right eye trying to penetrate the smoke and dust.

Shisui's Sharingan was still clearly visible in the smoke and dust, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

As the dust settled slowly, everyone's eyes turned to the spot where Tsunade had landed.

The area had become a depression of rubble and gravel, crisscrossed with cracks, and the underlying rock layers were faintly visible.

But the puppet—it's gone!?

The massive replica of the tail, made of sand and bones, was nowhere to be found.

There were no remains, no fragments, and even most of the bone fragments and sand that had been scattered on the ground were gone.

It was as if it had never existed, as if the fierce battle just now was merely an illusion.

The only things left were the deep cracks in the ground and the lingering smell of burning in the air.

A fist swung horizontally, the resulting gust of wind dispersing the last wisps of dust.

Tsunade stood in the center of the depression, her face so gloomy it could drip water, her right fist clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.

She stomped hard on the ground again, sending shards flying and cracks spreading several feet further in all directions.

"Spiritual communication technique —"

Her voice was forced out through clenched teeth, each word filled with barely suppressed anger.

"That guy is definitely watching this place!"

Her gaze swept across the hall like a hawk's, from the walls to the dome, from the dark to the light, leaving no stone untouched.

She seemed to be looking for something—a hidden door, an observation hole, or any corner where someone could hide.

She didn't believe the puppet would disappear for no reason, and she didn't believe the man would ignore this place.

He must be watching from somewhere—he must be!

But the rock face remained cold, and the sealing spell remained silent.

Her senses spread outwards, the tentacles of chakra reaching into every possible corner.

However, they were unable to penetrate the dense seals and thick rock layers to find any trace of the other party.

This feeling, like being manipulated without being able to even touch the opponent, made her extremely unhappy.

Her gaze instantly fell upon the Root ninjas who were quietly retreating.

His hands clenched so tightly they cracked, his knuckles making a series of crisp popping sounds.

"Tell me everything you know!"

Her voice was calm, but that calm was more terrifying than a roar, like the final silence before a storm.

She strode toward the people of the Root, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly.

As Tsunade approached, his brows furrowed slightly beneath his mask.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and pressed it down, making a "steady" gesture, and then slowly backed away.

He knew this person's temperament all too well; a head-on confrontation with Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, was not a wise move.

"Retreat!" His voice was low, so low that only the Root ninjas around him could hear it.

Upon seeing them trying to escape, Tsunade flew into a rage and roared, "Trying to run?"

Bang-!

The smoke grenade exploded at her feet, and thick white smoke instantly filled the entire area, with a pungent smell hitting her nostrils.

Tsunade punched to disperse the smoke, but when the smoke cleared, the Root group had vanished without a trace, even their footprints had been deliberately erased.

"Damn it—" Tsunade snorted angrily, kicking away the pebbles at her feet. "I'll settle the score with Danzo sooner or later."

This time, they came up empty-handed, finding nothing at all except the place where they had been imprisoned.

An abandoned underground base that had been emptied out, and those who had imprisoned her for half a year had not even left a trace.

She stood in the center of the devastated hall, silent for a long time, the flames in the brazier flickering, casting alternating light and shadow on her face.

"Lady Tsunade." Shizune, carrying Ton-Ton, cautiously approached, her voice tinged with uncertainty, "What do we do now?"

Kakashi also sheathed his short sword, wiped the bone fragments off the blade, and put it back into the scabbard at his waist.

He raised his head, his right eye fixed on Tsunade's retreating figure, waiting for her next move.

Tsunade took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She turned around, the anger on her face having subsided considerably.

Instead, she wore a tired and helpless expression. She waved her hand, her tone impatient, but the murderous aura she had just displayed was gone.

"What else can we do? Find a hotel to rest, and then give the kid a medical check-up."

Although she is domineering, short-tempered, and prone to violence, she will still keep her promises.

The Third Hokage asked her to examine Kakashi's body, and since she had agreed, she wouldn't go back on her word.

Kakashi's expression relaxed slightly, and his tense shoulders relaxed. Finally—he could complete the mission.

"Let's go." Tsunade strode towards the exit without looking back. "I never want to come back to this awful place again."

Shizune, carrying Ton-Ton, jogged after them, and Kakashi followed.

The sound of the three people's footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, growing farther and farther away, fainter and fainter, until finally swallowed by the darkness.

The hall fell completely silent.

Only the cracks in the ground, the bullet holes in the walls, and the lingering smell of burning in the air prove that a fierce battle once took place here.

The flames in the brazier finally burned off the last bit of grease, flickered a few times, and went out.

Darkness enveloped everything.