Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 323 Backstab

It is located near the border of a country where the Land of Fire, the Land of Water, and the Land of Earth meet.

The weather was overcast, as if the whole world was shrouded in gray and white, making it appear particularly gloomy and somber.

However, at this moment, Aokiji's mood was even more gloomy than the gray sky.

He hadn't slept all night and had been traveling for two days straight.

But even so, we've only just arrived at our destination.

Before us lay a canyon, flanked by steep, precipitous mountain walls that formed a natural barrier; this was the only way to enter the country.

This is it...

Sweat streamed down Aokiji's face, and his eyes were gloomy.

He fought a fierce battle with Kakuzu, which greatly depleted his chakra. In addition, he was traveling and had no time to rest. Even a perfect Jinchūriki like Aokiji was almost exhausted.

This is the worst state Aokiji has been in in recent years.

A worried voice came from within him: "Aokiji, you look very tired..."

Aokiji's eyelids drooped: "It's nothing..."

As they were talking, Aokiji, who was on his way, suddenly noticed several figures in the canyon ahead. Even from a distance, he recognized one of them immediately, even though he could only see the outline of his body.

"Tsunade—!"

Aokiji's loud shout, filled with joy, swept away the gloom ahead, like the dawn breaking through the darkness.

As if she heard someone calling her, Tsunade, who was walking in front, paused slightly and subconsciously turned around.

The next second, a figure that was all too familiar came into view.

"Aokiji, what are you doing here?"

Upon suddenly seeing Aokiji, Tsunade's expression was a mixture of joy and surprise.

Seeing that Tsunade was unharmed, Aokiji felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

"You still haven't answered me, what are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, looking confused. "And, I remember you weren't going to...?"

Aokiji's gaze fell on the masked Anbu member beside Tsunade. He chose not to explain and instead asked, "You're going to represent Konoha in forming an alliance with Kirigakure and Iwagakure, right?"

Tsunade was a little confused: "How did you know?"

In this critical moment, Aokiji disregarded the presence of others and bluntly stated, "Don't go, it's a trap."

Tsunade's expression faltered for a moment, then her brows furrowed: "A trap?"

Aokiji's expression was solemn as he firmly stated, "That's right."

Tsunade asked, "How did you know?"

Aokiji was silent for a moment.

He obtained the information unintentionally through interrogation using his Sharingan.

Someone used their dark past to lure them out, all to get them away from Tsunade, and then tricked them into joining the alliance by giving them a mission, so they could kill them.

Aokiji believed he was very clean and could not possibly have a criminal record.

Unless someone is monitoring you from the beginning.

You can figure it out with a little thought.

Madara Uchiha...

Only this guy has the ability to use absolute force to make Kakuzu betray him.

Thinking about it this way, this old man may have anticipated that I would deliberately use my Sharingan to interrogate the target.

Although we don't know exactly how this guy orchestrated things, one thing is certain: Danzo probably wanted to kill him during this process.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was cunning, he wasn't so ruthless as to use Tsunade as bait.

It's likely that Hiruzen Sarutobi's injury was inextricably linked to Madara Uchiha, all in order to allow the extreme Danzo to rise to power, thus facilitating a larger scheme.

Fortunately, Tsunade had not been captured yet, Aokiji thought with a glimmer of hope.

Faced with Tsunade's questioning, Aokiji couldn't come up with a good explanation for the time being, and could only say in a forced way, "Let's put this matter aside for now, you come back to the village with me first."

Clearly, this kind of thing wouldn't be approved by the ANBU members around Tsunade: "Hey, Aokiji, there's a limit to jokes."

Aokiji didn't even glance at the ANBU member, selectively ignoring him; from beginning to end, he only had eyes for Tsunade.

Tsunade fell silent, deep in thought.

Aokiji's actions provoked strong dissatisfaction from the Anbu:

"Aokiji, you're too arrogant."

This time, Aokiji reacted, its scarlet eyes glancing sideways with a faint warning.

He has absolutely no intention of joking right now.

The ANBU ninja felt as if he had been struck by a sword when he was glared at by that look. It was his duty, so he braced himself and met Aokiji's chilling gaze.

"I see……"

Tsunade looked up and smiled slightly: "Let's go back first."

Aokiji opened his mouth, his expression brightening with joy.

The face beneath the ANBU ninja mask was filled with disbelief: "Tsunade, is Your Excellency really going to do this?"

Without hesitation, Tsunade replied, "Yes, I trust Aokiji. He wouldn't lie to me."

Aokiji felt a warm glow in his heart. Nothing was more comforting than his girlfriend's unconditional trust, which even eased his tension.

The ANBU ninja wanted to try again: "But, what about Lord Danzo...?"

"I'll explain over there."

Aokiji observed Tsunade's sense of responsibility and nodded slightly, revealing an expression of approval that she truly lived up to her reputation as "the woman I admire."

The ANBU ninjas could not change Tsunade's will and could only sigh helplessly.

Tsunade looked at Aokiji and smiled gently, "Let's go back first..."

Aokiji nodded and was about to move when he suddenly noticed something strange in the air. Without thinking, he spread his arms and created a hemispherical igloo centered on himself, covering everyone around him.

In an instant, a series of explosions occurred on the surface of the snow house, producing a large amount of smoke that obscured the view.

As the sound subsided and the smoke gradually dissipated, Aokiji's gaze passed through the snow house that had been blasted open and looked at the densely packed figures standing above the canyon. His expression darkened.

Damn, did the enemy arrive so quickly?

Aokiji stared intently ahead, holding his breath: "Tsunade, hide behind me, I'll lead you through the encirclement."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade slowly walked behind Aokiji.

With such a large number of enemies, and with no idea how many traps they have laid ahead, breaking through using conventional methods is simply wishful thinking.

Therefore, only unconventional methods remain.

With a thought racing, Aokiji planned to use the Tailed Beast Ball to clear a path, then transform into the Five-Tails form to lead Tsunade and the others through the encirclement.

This will consume a lot of chakra, making the already scarce chakra even worse.

Of course, his chakra level is relatively low compared to Aokiji himself; compared to others, he is far superior.

Aokiji began to mobilize the tailed beast chakra within his body, intending to enter a half-tailed beast state.

"Pfft."

A sudden pain shot through his back, interrupting his entry into Tailed Beast mode.

While he was off guard, Tsunade, who was behind him, stabbed him in the back with a kunai.

Aokiji's wide eyes were bloodshot, and he staggered forward a few steps, dripping blood.

He turned around, an expression of disbelief on his face.

A sadistic smile crept across Tsunade's lips.

If the pretense continues, it will be easy for flaws to appear.

Aokiji's pupils were bloodshot, his eyes blazing with a frenzied, intense red light: "You're not Tsunade. Where is the real Tsunade?"

P.S.: Updated first, revised later.

(End of this chapter)