Retsu's gaze swept past the chaotic battlefield below.
Far behind the front lines, on the rooftop of Konoha Hospital, a blond woman formed hand seals. Vast chakra surged out as an emerald-green glow, blanketing one wounded ninja after another.
Those shinobi who'd been pierced through by Hollows—injuries that should've meant certain death—were having flesh regrow and bones knit back together under that green light.
Retsu could feel it: an ultimate art that toyed with "life" itself as if it were in the palm of one's hand.
It was the complete opposite of the path she walked.
She had exhausted the sword to sever everything, to pursue pure "death."
And that woman… was creating the most tenacious "survival."
How interesting.
A long-forgotten tremor stirred awake from the depths of her soul—
A bloodlust that had slept for a thousand years.
She needed an opponent.
Someone who could endure the full edge of her blade… and not die so easily.
This woman in front of her fit perfectly.
Retsu's figure vanished from where she stood.
Tsunade was maintaining Katsuyu's split bodies at full capacity, providing remote healing to the entire battlefield.
Sweat had already beaded on her forehead. Her chakra consumption was enormous.
Suddenly, an icy chill crawled up from behind—making every hair on her body stand on end.
Death itself, condensed by countless slaughters.
Tsunade whipped around.
A woman in a white haori, with a long braided hairstyle, was already standing behind her—without Tsunade having the faintest idea when she'd arrived.
The woman wore a gentle smile, but her eyes were hollow like an abyss.
"Your healing technique is remarkable," Retsu said. Her voice was soft—yet it made Tsunade's heart tighten.
"Who are you?" Tsunade demanded, dropping fully into a combat stance.
"Gotei 13. Captain of the Fourth Division. Retsu."
Retsu smiled as she began untying the braid at her chest.
As the braid fell loose, her entire aura transformed.
Her long hair spilled over her shoulders, and beneath her collarbone, a vicious brand was revealed.
The First Kenpachi—an unparalleled great sinner in Soul Society's history.
"Finally… I've found you."
"A foe who can let me swing my blade to my heart's content… without me having to worry you'll die too easily."
Her gaze locked onto Tsunade, brimming with the hunter's excitement at spotting prey.
"What is your name?"
"Tsunade."
Tsunade spat the name out, her expression grim to the extreme.
From this woman, she felt a terrifying power that could destroy everything.
This person… was a monster unlike any Tsunade had ever seen.
"Good, Tsunade."
Retsu murmured the name like she was savoring something delicious.
She drew the zanpakuto at her waist.
The blade gleamed with a cold light under the moon.
"Let's skip the probing and show our true skill."
In the next instant, she chanted the release.
"Bankai: Minazuki (All Things End)."
The world changed.
The rooftop underfoot, the distant buildings, even the moon in the night sky—everything vanished.
In their place appeared a boundless sea of blood.
This wasn't genjutsu.
Tsunade could feel the liquid beneath her boots—cold, slick, and violently corrosive.
Her combat boots were dissolving fast.
The zanpakuto "Minazuki" had disappeared, becoming part of the blood sea itself.
Retsu stood at the center of the sea. The blade in her hand had turned dark red, dripping blood identical to the liquid around them.
"Come. Let's butcher each other until one of us turns to dry bones."
Retsu vanished instantly.
A blood-red line flashed past.
Pain tore through Tsunade's right shoulder. The wound burned as if strong acid had been poured on it—hissing as it corroded inward.
So fast!
Tsunade's heart sank. She immediately poured chakra into the injury, covering it with green medical ninjutsu light to halt the corrosion's spread.
But Retsu didn't stop.
Blade-light flared again, slashing in from all directions—so fast Tsunade could only see streaks of blood-colored afterimages.
Tsunade pushed her taijutsu to the limit, dodging and blocking again and again.
Every time she failed to evade in time, another bone-deep gash opened on her body.
The blood sea's corrosion grew stronger. Numbness was already spreading up from her feet.
If this continued, defeat was inevitable.
So Tsunade stopped dodging.
She let Retsu's blade spear straight through her abdomen.
Agony exploded through her. The corrosive power began shredding her organs with mad violence.
"Have you given up?" Disappointment surfaced on Retsu's face.
Tsunade smiled.
"The fight's only just starting!"
The diamond-shaped violet mark on her forehead unlocked instantly.
"Ninpō: Sōzō Saisei (Creation Rebirth)!"
"Byakugō no Jutsu (Strength of a Hundred Technique)!"
Black markings spread from the seal in an instant, crawling across Tsunade's entire body.
This was the enormous chakra she'd stored for decades—her final trump card as the greatest medical ninja.
The horrific abdominal wound regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Corroded flesh was forcibly expelled, and brand-new cells divided and regenerated at an absurd rate.
In a single breath, every wound on Tsunade's body vanished—restored as if nothing had happened.
The disappointment in Retsu's eyes disappeared, replaced by an even more feverish joy.
"That's it! That's the feeling!"
She yanked her blade free, ready to strike even harder—
But Tsunade wouldn't give her the chance.
Byakugō no Jutsu didn't just unleash healing.
It also unleashed Tsunade's terrifying strength—peerless across the shinobi world.
Ignoring the blade edge right in front of her, Tsunade poured the full power of Byakugō into her right leg.
The blood sea beneath her caved inward from the force, forming a massive whirlpool.
"Tsūtenkyaku (Heaven-Shattering Kick)!"
A heavy kick that condensed life and power to their ultimate extremes smashed down toward Retsu's head.
This one kick was enough to shatter a mountain peak!
Retsu's smile vanished. Her eyes sharpened.
She raised her blood-red blade overhead, meeting Tsunade's heel head-on.
A formless shockwave exploded outward from the two of them, rippling in all directions.
The shockwave swept across the hospital building—making the entire structure quake violently as countless windows disintegrated into dust.
Retsu was forced down by the monstrous impact. Her knees bent, and the rooftop cracked and collapsed inch by inch beneath her.
Her hands clenched on the blade—her tiger's mouths split open, blood streaming down.
Tsunade pressed her advantage, launching a storm of attacks.
Fists, elbows, knees, heels—every part of her body became a lethal weapon.
Each strike carried the power to split mountains and shatter stone.
Retsu no longer tried to take the blows head-on. Her movement turned elusive, and her blade became layers of blood-colored barriers, constantly shedding Tsunade's force.
The ultimate clash of swordsmanship and taijutsu played out on the tiny rooftop.
Death and regeneration were displayed to their fullest on the two women's bodies.
Fresh wounds kept opening on Tsunade—only to heal in an instant.
Retsu's sword became faster and more vicious, each cut aiming straight for Tsunade's vital points.
The tempo was suffocating.
But Tsunade's heart kept sinking.
She could feel it—Byakugō's stored chakra was being consumed at a terrifying rate.
Every regeneration was burning her life.
On the other side, Retsu looked suppressed… yet her breathing remained steady, and the battle intent in her eyes only grew more intense.
Tsunade understood.
This woman wasn't even using her full strength.
She was enjoying the slaughter—savoring Tsunade as a "won't die" opponent.
And if they kept going, the one who ran out first would definitely be Tsunade.
At that point… it would be real death.
Tsunade threw a heavy punch to force Retsu back, then deliberately opened distance.
"We're done."
Panting, she released Byakugō no Jutsu. The black markings slowly receded.
The pleasure on Retsu's face also faded. She looked at Tsunade, clearly unsatisfied.
"Why stop? We still haven't decided a winner."
"If we keep going, I'll die," Tsunade said bluntly.
She could feel it—this woman really would kill her, without hesitation.
Retsu fell silent for a moment. The blood-red world slowly peeled away as the Bankai was withdrawn.
Everything returned to normal—except the rooftop, which had completely collapsed, proving just how terrifying that battle had been.
"Your medical ninjutsu is excellent," Retsu said as she sheathed her blade. The bloodthirst and madness vanished, and she became once again the gentle Fourth Division captain.
"If you have time, come to Soul Society sometime. We can exchange medical knowledge."
"Your swordsmanship is strong too," Tsunade said, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth as she met Retsu's gaze.
"Next time we get the chance… we'll settle it."
The First Kenpachi truly lived up to her name.
Two top-tier female powerhouses from different worlds—at this moment—developed a strange sense of mutual respect.
The battle ended.
But Konoha's chaos had only just begun.
With captain-class powerhouses being pinned down by Konoha's Kage-level fighters, the Espada—who had been holding back—finally bared their fangs.
Following that great person's orders, they began their own "hunt."
An even larger-scale melee was about to erupt in every corner of Konoha at once.
And far in the rear, Shinju watched everything through monitors with cold calm.
All combat data—including Retsu's "Minazuki" and Tsunade's "Byakugō"—was collected in full… and analyzed.
(End of Chapter)
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