Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

Chapter 88 Tsunade: That bastard schemed against me!

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and the deal was finalized.

Orochimaru arrived as promised and handed over the container containing the First Hokage's cells and preliminary research data to Izumikawa.

At the same time, the One-Tailed Beast's chakra was exchanged for fragments of the Eight-Tailed Beast, and both of them obtained what they wanted.

Izumikawa picked up the small bottle of first-generation cells, and could feel the slight warmth emanating from the bottle on his fingertips.

The cells inside the bottle rippled slightly, as if breathing, carrying a strange pulse of life that made the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

Just by holding it like this, you can feel its incredibly tenacious life force. Once you inject chakra and provide it with nutrients, it will grow wildly, like a wildfire.

He carefully put the first-generation cells and research data into his pocket; this was the biggest piece of the puzzle.

Izumi looked up at Orochimaru across from him. He knew what the other was thinking, so he calmly said, "The deal is done. I have sent Tsunade and Shizune to Tanabata Street."

"I imagine Konoha will receive the news soon."

Orochimaru stared at the sealing jar in his hand with his snake-like eyes, his gaze slowly wandering along the sealing patterns on it.

The familiar technique seems to be inherited from Konoha, belonging to the same sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan.

"Tanpaku Street, huh? —"

He repeated the words softly, as if he were savoring them.

"It's a nice place."

The two were currently not far from Tanabata Street, the very place where Izumikawa had captured the extremely rare character Tsunade.

Orochimaru turned his head to look at the city lights in the distance, the dim yellow lights floating like fireflies in the night.

"Would you mind if I double-checked?"

Izumi Kawa spread one hand out, looking calm and composed.

"Please go ahead."

Orochimaru lightly bit his fingertip, formed hand seals, and pressed them to the ground.

"Spiritual communication!"

Smoke billowed up, and a small snake emerged as summoned.

Those are the fastest and most stealthy snakes in the Earth Dragon Cave.

Orochimaru whispered a few instructions, and the little snake suddenly disappeared into the ground, rushing towards the distant lights.

As Orochimaru's summoning beasts, they were extremely familiar with Tsunade's aura.

Not long after, news came back that Tsunade was indeed in Tanabata Street.

Orochimaru's lips slowly curled upwards, revealing his signature wicked smile.

"I think we'll have many more opportunities to collaborate in the future."

"nature."

Izumi smiled slightly. Their eyes met, and they seemed to see a similar depth in each other's eyes.

In their pursuit of immortality, they simply took different paths.

The night was deep, the lights on Duanbu Street flickered, and the crowd was noisy.

Tsunade and Shizune stood on a street corner, gazing at the bustling night market before them, feeling as if they were in another world.

"That guy—he just let us go like that?"

Tsunade frowned slightly, muttering to herself that her experiences in the enemy base were etched into her mind like an indelible mark.

After the man told them they were free, she fell into a coma. When she woke up, she and Shizune were already on this short book street.

Even more bizarrely, between periods of unconsciousness and lucidity, they remained standing, as if their bodies did not belong to them during that time.

Even she herself couldn't find any clues to this hidden danger.

From the moment of her release, she has been constantly examining herself, but she can't find any trace left by the other party.

She also carefully examined Shizune's body, but even with her mastery of human anatomy and her precise control over chakra, she couldn't find a trace of it.

If there was indeed tampering, there's probably only one possibility: the other party's methods were integrated into the [Yin Seal] on their bodies.

Thinking of this, Tsunade couldn't help but grit her teeth.

I never imagined that the person who stole her skills would be able to do this.

However, their [Yin Seal] had already taken shape and they had never tried to remove it. She couldn't say what the consequences would be if it were removed.

"Lady Tsunade?"

Silently call her name.

Tsunade snapped out of her reverie, her gaze hardening: "Shizune, tell me in detail how he constructed the [Yin Seal] within your body."

"Ever since I was arrested and he started messing with us, I've been examining myself, trying to find out how he controlled us."

She paused, her voice turning somber: "But the result—it was terrible, I didn't find anything he left behind."

"Then there's only one answer: he altered the [Yin Seal] within our bodies."

Tsunade's expression was solemn.

Jingyin lowered her eyes slightly, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks.

That memory is so vivid that it floods back whenever it's mentioned.

Shizune's body trembled involuntarily as the opponent's chakra relentlessly invaded her body, the feeling of ruthlessness seeming right before her eyes.

The feeling was strange, a mixture of pain and indescribable sensations, like being torn between pain and healing, feeling like one's body didn't belong to oneself and had nowhere to escape.

Silently recounting her past experiences, her voice trembled slightly.

As Tsunade listened, her expression grew increasingly solemn, and her gaze towards Shizune at the end held a complex mix of emotions.

After a long silence, she let out a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I'm afraid—only by completely breaking the [Yin Seal] can we possibly escape his control."

She looked at Jingyin with a serious expression.

Once completely removed, it means that silence can never be rebuilt, because the talent of silence can only go so far.

Perhaps the experience the other party gave her can help her rebuild, but—that's only a possibility.

"You can choose not to undo it." Tsunade's voice was calm and serious. "After all, you've always wanted to successfully build it. If you completely undo it, on your own—I'm afraid you'll never be able to do it again."

Jingyin raised her head, her gaze unwavering.

"I want to cancel it."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was incredibly firm.

"I don't want to be controlled by others. Even if that's the [Yin Seal] I've always wanted."

"What I obtain by relying on others is not my Shizune ninja way."

Tsunade gazed at her, her serious expression gradually melting away, a hint of relief appearing in her eyes.

She raised her hand and gently patted Jingyin's shoulder, her gaze filled with a hint of doting affection, before clenching her fist slightly.

"Then let that guy who underestimated us fail in his mission."

"No luck!"

Shizune also clenched her fist and swung it forcefully.

Soon, since their belongings had been returned to their owners, the two found a hotel to stay at in Tanabata Street.

Back in their room, they checked each other's bodies again and found no suspicious marks.

The only remaining trace is the brown diamond-shaped "Yin Seal" between his eyebrows.

Tsunade said in a deep voice, "I'll go first. Completely remove the [Yin Seal], and you guard it for me."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"

Silently, she sat down and stood guard beside him.

After graduating from the Ninja Academy, she stayed by Tsunade's side for many years.

Whether it was Tsunade fleeing in panic after losing a bet, or the other party throwing a tantrum after getting drunk, she was always there to take care of them.

These past experiences have made their relationship more than just that of master and disciple; it's more like that of family.

Tsunade trusted her.

She slowly closed her eyes, formed a hand seal, and activated the [Yin Seal].

Brown lines spread from between his eyebrows and covered his entire body.

To completely break the seal, the first step is to drain all the chakra within.

"untie!"

Tsunade gave a low shout, and the hand seals in her hands kept changing.

The lines on his body faded inch by inch, receding from his limbs toward his brow, until finally, only the brown diamond-shaped mark between his brows stubbornly remained.

She gritted her teeth and resolutely activated the final seal.

The diamond-shaped mark vanished instantly!

However, the expected relief did not come.

"Lady Tsunade!!!"

A silent gasp suddenly rang out.

Tsunade felt a heat between her eyebrows, and a strange chakra burst forth from there.

In Shizune's eyes, the [Yin Seal] mark that had already dissipated reappeared.

The only change was that the color had changed from the original brown to a shocking scarlet.

The red lines spread rapidly, as if alive, and in the blink of an eye, they covered Tsunade's entire body again.

Tsunade also sensed the change within her body; a portion of her chakra went completely out of control and automatically constructed a new [Yin Seal].

This time, she was unable to budge it even an inch.

Aside from the right to use it, she lost the possibility of rescinding it.

"Solve! Solve!! Solve!!!"

Unwilling to give up, she repeatedly formed hand seals and uttered low chants, but they were like stones sinking into the sea, receiving no response.

Finally, she slumped down on the tatami mat, utterly defeated.

Her long, golden hair fell loosely, covering her shoulders and face in a disheveled manner, obscuring her expression.

"I've fallen for their trap—" she murmured to herself, her voice barely audible, "I've fallen for their trap—"

The room fell into a deathly silence.

A moment later, Tsunade abruptly raised her head, her clenched fist trembling slightly from the force, and gritted her teeth as she cursed, "That bastard tricked me!"

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, her gaze fixed on Jingyin, her expression gloomy.

"You should try it too."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Silently responding, she had already vaguely guessed Tsunade's intention, because she herself had also thought of that possibility.

She closed her eyes as instructed, mobilized her chakra, and attempted to completely release her Yin Seal.

As expected, it didn't budge.

Shizune opened her eyes, her gaze filled with bitterness, and slowly shook her head.

Tsunade looked at her and closed her eyes tightly.

His chest heaved violently, and his breathing was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Finally, she could no longer suppress her anger.

"asshole-!!!"

A loud shout pierced through the wall, and the entire hotel seemed to tremble three times.

The guests next door, unable to bear it any longer, angrily came over, wearing their coats, and banged on the door, ready to have a good argument with them.

His response was Tsunade's iron fist.

With a deafening roar, half of the hotel wall collapsed, and roof tiles rained down. The residual force of the punch even made the entire building teeter on the verge of collapse.

When the smoke cleared, the guest was already lying in the ruins, having fainted from fright.

Tsunade stood there, still catching her breath, when the punch finally brought her back to her senses.

She looked at the mess in front of her, her expression changed, and she grabbed Jingyin.

"Walk!"

The two disappeared into the night in a disheveled state, leaving behind the half-ruined hotel and the gradually rising screams.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.

Izumi's eyebrows twitched slightly, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

He did indeed tamper with Tsunade's Yin Seal.

But what remained at the beginning was merely a forced addition, like welding.

If someone skilled in sealing techniques were to investigate carefully, it might not be impossible to break the seal.

But if Tsunade herself were to attempt to completely break the seal—

The hidden door will then be triggered, quickly reconstructing the [Yin Seal].

This reconstruction, however, will be permanent.

"Now, no one can solve it anymore."

Just like with silence, they will become his puppets.