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Chapter 64: The War Escalates Further – Tsunade Heads to the Battlefield
"Clap clap clap." Applause rang out from the distance.
After Ling Yu finished his demonstration, Tsunade and Mikoto walked over toward him and Kushina.
"As expected of my little brother—no matter what, you're always impressive!"
Tsunade came right up to Ling Yu, pulled him into her arms without hesitation, and praised him generously.
Though she still didn't fully understand the training methods Ling Yu wanted to teach them, his earlier performance had indeed been spectacular.
"Um… Kushina, are you okay?"
Mikoto hurried over to her best friend, gently covering her hand and looking at her with concern.
"Hmph, I'm fine."
Kushina finally came back to her senses. Glancing at Ling Yu, who was still being hugged by Tsunade, she puffed out her cheeks and huffed coldly, threatening him:
"If Ling Yu doesn't treat me to a luxury ramen feast, I swear I'm never speaking to him again."
She had originally thought this would be her chance to finally beat Ling Yu up. Instead, she ended up being the one toyed with—turned into a complete clown.
If she could do it over, Kushina swore she would never help Ling Yu again.
"Mmm…"
Under Tsunade's "face-washing" attack, Ling Yu eventually struggled free from her embrace—reluctantly, because he didn't want to get too addicted to it.
Boing~
The moment his head pulled away from Tsunade's massive chest, those enormous assets bounced twice more, leaving Ling Yu staring wide-eyed.
Truly… these things are the root of all evil.
Quickly suppressing his thoughts, Ling Yu walked over to the still-pouting Kushina, pinched her cheeks, and promised:
"Don't worry. Today it's not just a luxury ramen feast—everything on the food street is on me. Eat as much as you want."
Seeing how upset Kushina looked, Ling Yu knew he had to coax her properly. Otherwise, she really wouldn't speak to him for a while.
"Hmph. At least you know what's good for you."
A flash of triumph passed through Kushina's eyes. Her anger instantly vanished.
Mikoto watched the whole exchange in amazement.
My best friend was just kindly comforting you, but you wouldn't listen and kept pouting. Then Ling Yu says a few words and your mood flips completely? Isn't that a bit too much?
Is this what they call a plastic friendship?
"Alright, everyone gather round. Let me explain the two skills I'm going to teach you today."
After pacifying the sulky Kushina, Ling Yu gathered the three girls together and began explaining the Haki he wanted to teach them.
"What I just used was Observation Haki and Armament Haki…"
"Not only can it sense enemies' presence from kilometers away and read their next moves—at its peak, it can even briefly foresee the future?"
After hearing Ling Yu's explanation of Observation Haki, Tsunade's heart was filled with shock.
Battles between jōnin allowed absolutely no carelessness. If she could master Observation Haki…
She would gain the initiative in every fight, greatly increasing her chances of victory.
Moreover, Observation Haki also provided early warnings and reconnaissance—far superior to even the Byakugan, Konoha's current strongest scouting tool.
If she mastered it, she wouldn't even need a dedicated scout on missions anymore.
"Then how does Armament Haki compare to Iron Body?"
Mikoto also noticed that Ling Yu had mentioned Armament Haki greatly enhanced defense—and it sounded similar to the Six Powers' Iron Body.
"Iron Body only boosts defense, and it has the flaw of preventing movement while active—so it's inferior."
"Armament Haki not only increases defense but also boosts attack power. At higher levels, it can even coat weapons."
"So overall, Armament Haki is stronger."
Ling Yu seriously compared the two for the girls, then gave Tsunade a meaningful glance and smiled:
"This skill is especially perfect for you, Sis. Once you combine it with Super Strength, the effect will be unimaginable."
In short, for a close-combat fighter like Tsunade, these two Haki skills were a perfect match.
If she could master them, her strength would rise significantly. On the battlefield, she could detect enemies early, gain the first move, and avoid sneak attacks.
"Since you all understand, let's start training."
Seeing that the three girls had no objections, Ling Yu began guiding them in Haki training.
…
Over the next month, Ling Yu focused entirely on teaching the three girls how to use the two types of Haki.
Perhaps because the training was quite difficult, Tsunade had only just touched the threshold of Observation Haki. With a bit more time, she should fully master it.
Kushina progressed the fastest.
Because she refused to stay at the bottom in strength, Kushina trained harder than anyone else—and had already learned Armament Haki.
Mikoto, on the other hand, spent less time on Haki training because she was busy mastering her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But thanks to the immense mental strength granted by her Eternal Mangekyō, she quickly mastered Observation Haki. Armament Haki was still a work in progress.
Honestly, with Mikoto's current strength, Armament Haki wasn't even that necessary.
Once she fully mastered her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo, the overwhelming defensive power alone would let her dominate the battlefield.
Afternoon – Senju Residence
Since Tsunade was heading to the battlefield tomorrow, the group decided to have a farewell dinner at Ling Yu's house tonight.
Tsunade was still at the Hokage Tower attending a meeting and wouldn't return until evening.
Meanwhile, Ling Yu and Kushina had nothing to do, so they sat on the sofa watching TV while Mikoto prepared dinner in the kitchen.
Ling Yu had originally wanted to help, but Mikoto gently pushed him out, saying this meal was her heartfelt gift for Tsunade—she wanted to handle everything herself.
Since that was the case, Ling Yu let her be. It also gave him more time to relax and watch TV.
Perhaps because the meal was specially for Tsunade, Mikoto took a long time preparing it—nearly two full hours.
"Dinner's ready! Come help carry the dishes!"
When the food was finished, Mikoto poked her head out of the kitchen and called to Ling Yu and Kushina, who were still glued to the TV.
"Coming!"
They had been waiting eagerly and were already starving. Hearing Mikoto's voice, Ling Yu and Kushina jumped up and hurried into the kitchen.
Setting the table didn't take long. With the three of them working together, the table was soon filled with a lavish spread of dishes.
"Perfect. Now we just wait for Big Sis Tsunade to come back, and we can eat."
Clapping her hands with satisfaction, Mikoto smiled at the abundant feast covering the table.
"Wow! So much food!"
Kushina was already drooling, itching to sneak a taste.
Mikoto noticed her sneaky hand and frowned, about to scold her—
Click—
At that moment, the front door opened. Tsunade walked in from outside.
"Big Sis Tsunade! Perfect timing—you must be starving. Let's eat, let's eat!"
Kushina immediately pulled her hand back, put on a bright smile, ran over, and dragged Tsunade to the table—then pushed her down into a chair.
"Alright, I'm starving too."
Tsunade sat down and looked at the feast spread before her. Her appetite instantly flared up.
She had been in meetings all day and hadn't even eaten lunch.
"If that's the case, then let's dig in!"
With Tsunade—the guest of honor—finally here, Mikoto no longer held back Kushina and Ling Yu. She gave the signal.
"Alright!"
The moment Mikoto spoke, everyone grabbed their chopsticks and began devouring the food.
"So delicious! As expected of Mikoto's cooking."
"Mm mm! Mikoto's food is the best in the world!"
The meal left everyone completely satisfied. They showered Mikoto with praise, and she smiled happily inside.
After dinner, the four of them sat contentedly on the sofa—resting and watching TV.
"Sis, what did you discuss in the meeting today? Are you heading to the battlefield in the Land of Rain tomorrow?"
Once they had rested enough, Ling Yu finally asked Tsunade about the meeting.
This morning, while they were still training, an ANBU ninja had urgently called Tsunade away. She only returned now.
Even the ANBU messenger had seemed rushed—something unexpected must have happened on the battlefield, prompting the higher-ups to summon Tsunade and the others for an emergency discussion.
"Today's meeting was mainly about the sudden shift in the war situation. Tomorrow I'm being reassigned to the battlefield in the Land of Rain to counter the Sand ninja who've started launching sneak attacks."
"I don't know what's gotten into the Land of Wind and Land of Earth—they've turned all their attention toward us and the Land of Rain. Our frontline ninja have already been ambushed several times."
"The Land of Lightning joined the war at that time too—attacking the Rock ninja and cutting off their advance. But the Sand ninja's offensive is still fierce."
"Orochimaru and Jiraiya were already summoned by the Third Hokage yesterday to reinforce the front lines. Tomorrow I'll lead Konoha's support unit to link up with them."
Tsunade didn't hide anything—she honestly explained the entire war situation discussed in the meeting.
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