Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

The moon shone brightly, and the ground was a mess, with patches here and there, uneven and crisscrossed as if chewed by a dog.

A gentle night breeze blew, scattering some dust on the ground. The rolling of pebbles revealed a raised patch of ground.

Izumi's long white hair flowed freely, her hands were clasped together in front of her chest, her body was surrounded by a faint blue chakra, and wisps of lightning crackled around her. Her eyes, painted with red eyeshadow, looked down with a slightly condescending gaze.

Below, in the shattered ground and deep crater, Tsunade was already panting heavily, and the chakra she was unleashing was far less abundant than before.

"What are you waiting for?"

Tsunade looked up at the man, unable to understand why he had been fighting her with equal strength until now.

Even with the immense chakra unsealed from the Yin Seal, she could not escape physical and mental exhaustion.

The person in front of him, however, was becoming increasingly adept at manipulating chakra during the battle, and even the lightning chakra mode that had surfaced was now becoming more and more restrained.

He seemed to be a monster who constantly evolved and grew in battle, completely unaware of exhaustion or the amount of chakra he possessed.

As the moon rose and the night deepened, the journey occasionally gave her a chance to catch her breath, but it did not defeat or capture her.

Tsunade, who wanted to stall for time, did just that, and now that enough time had passed and the other side still hadn't caught Shizune, that was enough.

So Tsunade questioned him, staring at the Kirigakure traitor in front of her, asking what he wanted to get.

"I'm waiting for your chakra to run out. I want to see how long your stockpiled chakra can last, how much you have, and to what extent you can utilize it."

The veins in Izumi's right eye bulged again as he scrutinized Tsunade with his Byakugan, which could perceive chakra, and saw through her body.

Watching the flow of chakra within the other's body, Tsunade's Yin Seal had almost exhausted the chakra it could provide.

So he slowly said, "But now it seems that it's almost done."

"Whether it's the amount you accumulate, the speed at which it's released, or the degree to which you utilize chakra, even if you're a medical ninja, you can't use it perfectly."

"The [Yin Seal] technique is excellent, but it's a pity that you stopped there, no longer pursuing further research or optimization."

In his view, besides the tailed beasts, which are natural aggregates of chakra that can continuously increase their chakra and even be reborn after death, there are other species that can also generate chakra.

Only Tsunade's Yin Seal can serve as a means to store chakra and further grant all ninjas incredible power.

For a ninja, chakra is a fixed amount, and once refined, it needs to be used up, a usage that he finds utterly absurd.

The Yin Seal is the only legitimate way for a ninja to accumulate chakra, but once unsealed, the chakra will be uncontrollably squandered, and can only be accumulated again.

"If Uzumaki Village had continued to exist, they might have been able to truly establish a training system for ninjas, allowing all ninjas to accumulate chakra and use it flexibly."

"Unfortunately, they perished too early, and their belongings were all seized and scattered, and the accumulated research was completely interrupted."

Tsunade was taken aback by Izumi's disappointed expression. She realized that he was serious, which was a great pity, and she even felt a little sad.

This prompted her to sneer, "The disappearance of Uzushiogakure is inextricably linked to your Kirigakure, and it's not just you who are involved."

"The Cloud Village must have been involved as well. Only the combined strength of at least two major ninja villages could have defeated the Uzumaki Village so quickly."

Izumikawa shook his head slightly, denying it, saying, "What does what Kirigakure is doing have to do with me? It might not even be Kirigakure's goal."

"The Third Mizukage was controlled a long time ago. It is very likely that the destruction of Uzushiogakure and the implementation of the 'Bloody Mist Village' policy were all done by that mastermind."

He even believed that these were the work of Madara Uchiha, or rather, Black Zetsu.

The opponent feared sealing techniques, which were the only means in the ninja world that could counter it, so it bewitched the elderly Uchiha Madara.

More than a decade or two ago, Madara Uchiha began to control the Third Mizukage until his death.

Madara Uchiha, in his sixties or seventies, was not so old that he needed the Gedo Mazo to prolong his life, so it was not impossible for him to do all this.

"What?! The Third Mizukage was controlled a long time ago!?"

"Who could control him? That's the Third Mizukage, someone who's been alive since the founding of the ninja village."

Tsunade looked shocked. Although she couldn't tell if it was the truth, the fact that it came from a rogue ninja from Kirigakure made it seem more credible.

Moreover, everyone believes that the reason for the other party's betrayal was to glare at him, but he possesses the Corpse Bone Bloodline and is also Qing's disciple, so he shouldn't need to do that.

If he defected because of this incident, then the fact that the Third Mizukage was controlled is probably even more plausible.

Tsunade had lost all will to fight; the chakra accumulated within the Yin Seal had been completely exhausted.

As the black markings on her body disappeared, a feeling of emptiness made her stagger.

I never imagined that one day I would be caught. What a disgrace!

Meanwhile, Izumi's Byakugan, which had been bulging with veins, finally shut down, having witnessed the complete opening and closing of the [Yin Seal]. All that remained was to directly attack Tsunade.

Looking at Tsunade, he said in a deep voice, "That's enough. It's time to control you!"

This made Tsunade snort coldly, revealing a hint of disdain. Trying to control her was somewhat wishful thinking.

Her mental defenses are quite formidable, especially with the [Yin Seal] still in place. Although the chakra within it has been completely depleted, its sealing effect remains intact.

Izumi didn't say anything, but instead took action, making a gesture towards the sky.

Momona, who had already captured Shizune, commanded the skeletal bird to fly over from a distance and land beside her.

"Lord Izumikawa, I have fulfilled my mission and captured this girl."

Looking at Shizune, who was tightly bound, Tsunade couldn't help but call out, "Shizune!"

Bound up like a caterpillar, Shizune revealed a hint of bitterness: "I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade, I ultimately couldn't escape."

As Izumi landed, he stepped into the large pit where Tsunade was. Facing Tsunade, who had once again roused herself and seemed determined to resist stubbornly, he merely extended his hand.

The cracked palm, blood flowing out, reached towards Tsunade's face. The ever-enlarging palm and the blood with a hint of rust caused her pupils to dilate in shock.

Blood, fresh blood!

Tsunade, who suffers from hemophobia, immediately triggered her symptoms, and her whole body began to tremble with fear.

But that large hand pressed mercilessly against her face, against her eyes and nose. The traces of blood, the scent, even the sensation of flowing blood, spread and climbed into her terrified heart.

"optimization!"

As Izumi whispered to himself, Tsunade's mental defenses crumbled instantly.