*Chapter 3: The Eyes Are the True Path of Ninjutsu!*

The unexpected activation of a mission and unlocking of new panel functions made Nara Raku feel quite excited.

The key point was that this B-level mission seemed like something that could be easily completed with the help of a powerful ally!

Three legendary Sannin versus an elite ninja? Clearly, the advantage was in their favor!

Nara Raku eagerly glanced at Tsunade by his side. Her profile, glowing in the faint moonlight, was like a valkyrie—invincible and radiant.

However... it didn’t seem like this was going to be an easy win after all!

Even though Tsunade’s charm was overwhelming, it didn’t cloud Nara Raku’s judgment.

At this stage, Tsunade was indeed powerful and highly respected.

But that didn’t mean her weakness could be ignored—hemophobia!

During the Second Great Ninja War, Tsunade had experienced the deaths of both her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan Katō.

Even the finest medical ninjutsu couldn't save them once their lives were extinguished.

The pain of these personal losses left Tsunade with deep emotional scars, leading to a phobia of blood—an ailment nearly fatal for a ninja!

The mere sight of blood could render the "greatest healer in the ninja world" powerless, leaving her trembling and completely unable to fight.

This was a secret known only to a select few in Konoha.

‘Can Tsunade defeat the Iwagakure Jonin before her phobia kicks in?’

Nara Raku looked at Tsunade, then at the empty road ahead, uncertain of the answer.

Tsunade, seemingly brimming with confidence, was thinking about the same question.

If it weren't for her hemophobia, she could easily take down an entire squad of such enemies, smashing them one by one like she was squashing moles.

But she had hemophobia!

If her enemy bled, she might lose all her combat abilities.

Even if their own team was injured and bled, the result would be the same.

‘I have to defeat him without any injuries!’

Tsunade’s gaze was resolute.

‘Or finish it with a single strike!’

Normally, capturing a spy ninja was far more valuable than killing them.

But Tsunade wasn’t confident she could capture a Jonin-level opponent without getting hurt. The risks were too high!

Facing the enemy, since capture wasn't an option, the only choice was to kill him on the spot.

For someone as skilled in medical ninjutsu as Tsunade, “killing without injury” wasn’t a particularly difficult feat.

Using the A-level medical ninjutsu, Chakra Scalpel, she could cut through internal muscles, blood vessels, and even bones without leaving any external wounds, causing fatal damage.

But the real challenge was that the enemy spy wasn’t an ordinary foe. He had mastered the rare "advanced invisibility technique," and Tsunade's sensory abilities couldn’t accurately detect his position or posture.

Both healing and offensive medical ninjutsu required extreme precision.

Attacking an invisible enemy with the Chakra Scalpel carried the risk of missing the vital area.

If lucky, it could result in a one-hit kill.

But if unlucky, it might cause minor injuries and bleeding, turning the tide of battle in an instant…

‘It seems I’ll have to adapt my strategy based on how the battle unfolds.’

While pondering, Tsunade solidified her plan.

‘What a hassle! If only I didn’t have to worry about this kid next to me...’

She turned to look at Nara Raku, who was staring ahead at the empty road with a serious expression. She sighed inwardly.

Oh well! She had agreed to take on his B-level mission after all.

"There’s no such thing as a perfect ninjutsu. Every ninjutsu has its flaws."

Tsunade reached out and gently patted Nara Raku's head.

"Kid, let me teach you how to counter an invisibility technique like this."

Invisibility, or "Tōton," was a special bloodline limit ability held by the Moonlight clan of Konoha, allowing them to erase their presence and become completely transparent.

Tsunade was familiar with this because it was incredibly difficult for ordinary ninjas, especially those without special abilities like the Uchiha or Hyuga clans, to counter it.

She also had “help” from her teammate, who had long pursued invisibility techniques for... his own reasons.

Because of these factors, Tsunade not only understood how Tōton worked but also knew how to counter it.

Can’t see the invisible enemy? No problem!

Just make them unable to stay invisible!

‘Still, I can’t help but feel envious of clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga at times…’

The blonde powerhouse from the Senju clan couldn’t help but sigh.

At that moment, Iwagakure Jonin Daishi remained perfectly still, his body transparent and hidden.

Ninjutsu: Camouflage Concealment.

This was a high-level secret technique from Iwagakure, which allowed the user to turn invisible and suppress their presence.

Against most enemies—except for clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga—Daishi could easily escape detection with this technique, making it his primary method of spying on Kikyo Castle.

Of course, as Tsunade had mentioned, no invisibility technique was without flaws.

One of Camouflage Concealment’s weaknesses was that it couldn’t eliminate the sound of air displacement caused by high-speed movement.

Continuing to gather earth chakra, Daishi planned to make his escape.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could take down Tsunade, even with a "burden" by her side.

‘At least my mission is almost complete. I should just retreat now.’

Daishi cleared his mind, watching Tsunade and Nara Raku closely.

Then, at the moment Tsunade reached out to touch Nara Raku’s head, Daishi's eyes lit up.

"Now! Earth Release: Rising Earth Spears!"

Earth chakra surged through his body, into the ground, creating a series of towering, sharp spears that erupted toward Tsunade and Nara Raku, sending dust flying everywhere.

“You think such slow earth jutsu can hit me?”

Tsunade swiftly grabbed Nara Raku by the collar and leapt backward, dodging the incoming spears with ease.

Amid the dust and spikes, Tsunade’s eyes locked onto the area where the earth spears originated.

Should she attack? The thought crossed her mind.

No. The distance is too far—I can’t guarantee a one-hit kill.

Tsunade dismissed the idea of attacking but didn’t forget her lesson for Nara Raku.

"Watch closely, kid!"

As they soared through the air, Tsunade channeled chakra into her body, enveloping herself in a vibrant green aura.

"Superhuman Strength!"

Tsunade’s signature technique allowed her to channel chakra into raw physical power.

In an instant, a powerful gust of wind swept away the dust and revealed Daishi, who was still visible after his earth jutsu failed.

Tsunade, seeing her enemy exposed, hesitated for a split second but allowed him to escape underground.

‘Finally! My chance has come!’

Though the enemy had disappeared underground, Tsunade remained calm, knowing this was part of her plan.

Raising her fist, she unleashed her full strength:

"Superhuman Strength!"

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, countless fragments of dirt and rock shot out from the point where Tsunade's punch landed, spreading rapidly in all directions. The newly risen forest of earthen spears shattered like fragile reeds, each one splintering and collapsing.

Deep cracks, sharp as if carved by knives and axes, spread out like a spiderweb, expanding rapidly. The previously flat ground was now torn apart by Tsunade’s terrifying "punch of monstrous strength," leaving a pit nearly ten meters wide!

Nara Raku raised his arms to shield his face from the flying debris, his gaze catching sight of the devastated ground, battered by the giant's monstrous strength. His eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

Is this the power of the greatest healer in the ninja world?

Absolutely terrifying!

Thick, dark red blood oozed from the cracks in the ground, and some drops had stained Tsunade's fists.

“Blood…”

The blinding red reflected in Tsunade's clear brown eyes. The fierce and mighty princess of monstrous strength trembled, her face turning pale. She collapsed weakly into the pit.

Nara Raku ran over from behind, intending to help Tsunade up, but the ground suddenly emitted a strange noise.

Crack!

At the edge of the broken pit, an eerie, human-shaped mound of dirt, covered in blood-red cracks, rose. The original yellowish-brown earth had been completely stained by the crimson blood, and the pungent scent of blood filled the night air.

"That ninja spy didn’t die?”

Tsunade’s pupils contracted sharply. She tried to muster some strength and courage from her trembling body, but the overwhelming sight of blood seemed to drag her back to the battlefield of the Second Great Ninja War.

Overwhelmed by the scent of blood, the once heroic Princess Tsunade became as fragile as a wilting flower.

“The Nara clan…”

“Don’t look.”

A slender, pale hand gently covered Tsunade’s trembling eyes, and Nara Raku’s calm voice sounded in her ear.

“Leave it to me for now.”

Just as Raku spoke, the blood-soaked mound broke apart, revealing the figure inside.

The Iwagakure spy, Daishi, was covered in wounds, his flesh mangled and bloodied, with hardly a piece of intact skin left. But in his otherwise unremarkable black eyes, a terrifyingly intense light of life still shone.

Had he not sped up his hand signs, had he not used his most practiced Earth Release technique, and had he not tapped into his survival instincts… he would have surely died from that woman’s punch!

Even so, Daishi’s body was riddled with fractures and bleeding wounds. Without immediate treatment, death was almost certain.

So this is the power of the legendary Sannin?

Despair-inducing strength!

What a shame...

“Hahahaha!”

Staring at the collapsed Tsunade in the pit, Daishi let out a chilling, owl-like laugh.

“So this is Tsunade? Such a powerful ninja, yet she mysteriously lost her fighting ability? Exhaustion? Or... is there another reason?”

Unable to figure it out, Daishi simply stopped thinking. Struggling, he pulled a bloodstained kunai from a hidden pouch in his clothing, its dark red tip aimed straight at Tsunade and Nara Raku, exuding an undisguised killing intent.

“The head of a Sannin… let me take it!”

“Lord Third, my mission... is complete!”

Standing behind Tsunade, Nara Raku calmly covered her eyes, his gaze fixed on the Iwagakure spy.

With the boss unexpectedly out of commission, I guess it’s my turn!

[Shadow Gathering Technique!]

A silent shadow tendril snaked out from beneath Raku’s feet, tracing up his right leg to his lower back, slipping into his ninja tool pouch, and skillfully retrieving a specially prepared kunai tied to a timed explosive tag.

Swoosh—

A flash of cold light streaked through the air as the pitch-black kunai shot out from behind Nara Raku. The explosive tag ignited mid-air, trailing smoke and sparks.

“An exploding kunai?”

Daishi didn’t catch Raku’s throwing motion, but with just a simple sidestep, his jōnin-level reflexes allowed him to easily avoid the projectile.

“Too slow, kid!”

Even in his severely injured state, Daishi’s combat experience and reaction speed were far beyond Raku’s ability to keep up with.

But Nara Raku never expected to kill a jōnin with just one kunai.

Boom!

A loud explosion sounded behind Daishi, and the bright firelight illuminated his already bloodied figure, casting him in the grotesque image of a demon. His shadow stretched long across the ground.

The hot shockwave surged forward, and Daishi felt a slight burn on his back, his injured body almost stumbling from the blast.

‘That was a high-level explosive tag! I must be cautious! That kid might have more tricks up his sleeve!’

Daishi, ever cautious, refrained from advancing and instead tried to probe further with his words.

“This is your last—”

Boom!

Before he could finish, Daishi’s voice was drowned out by yet another explosion from behind.

But this time, it wasn’t from an explosive tag.

Brilliant light erupted from behind Daishi, magnifying his already extended shadow several times over.

Nara Raku hadn’t just thrown an ordinary explosive kunai; it was a kunai with a flash bomb attached!

In the instant the flash bomb went off, Daishi’s shadow perfectly overlapped with Nara Raku’s!

Dark shadows surged in Raku’s eyes, and countless shadow tendrils rose behind him.

The blinding light of the flash bomb cast a fierce glow across Nara Raku’s face.

Pitch-black pupils and pure white sclera combined to form eyes that seemed like they belonged to a ghost from the depths of hell.

“Listen... the corpse is speaking.”

[A-Rank Jutsu: Pitch-Black Eyes]

[Jutsu Description: Nara Raku’s self-created technique that perceives spiritual energy with jet-black eyes.]

[Jutsu Effect:

In Pitch-Black Eyes mode, he can see the presence and flow of spiritual energy in unobstructed visual environments.

In Pitch-Black Eyes mode, he can perfectly control his own spiritual energy and Yin Release chakra, allowing him to instantly cast any of the Nara clan’s shadow techniques without needing hand signs.]**

[Jutsu Rating: Eyes are the true path to ninja techniques!]

In the official data book, the Nara clan’s secret techniques are all classified as “Secret Art: No Rank,” with the only A-Rank technique being [Shadow Clutch Jutsu] (the one Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino use together during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the shadow yo-yo…).

This book contains a bit of creative liberty regarding the Nara clan’s [Shadow Techniques] ranking system. Just a heads-up.

(The chapter ends.)