Direct confrontation was impossible, but Raj protected itself with Needle Jizo.
Simultaneously, its tail swelled, its fur sharpening into razor-sharp spikes, transforming into a hammer-like weapon that struck behind Tsunade, redirecting the iron ball's trajectory.
In the next instant, Raj vanished again.
Boom!
With a single strike, Raj's tail collided with Tsunade's swiftly reacting finger.
The impact felt like being hit by a train, sending it flying backward before it could even register the pain.
But Tsunade glanced down at her finger.
Three or four bloody holes.
'Blood!'
Her body trembled uncontrollably, her other hand shaking as it reached out.
Her usually steady Chakra felt erratic and difficult to control.
Hemophobia.
Raj, who had been sent flying and was preparing to counterattack, immediately recognized Tsunade's trembling form in mid-air.
He remembered that her hemophobia hadn't yet been cured.
Without hesitation, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back.
Seeing the blood-soaked holes in her finger, he immediately understood: she'd been pricked by a cat hair needle.
'This little bit of blood triggers her condition? And she still dares to challenge this cat? How dare she underestimate me!'
Raj was at a loss.
He couldn't think of a dignified solution, and after much deliberation, he resorted to using his saliva.
Small Iron Cannonball.
After rinsing away the blood, Raj covered Tsunade's finger to keep her from seeing it.
Though she still trembled slightly, she gradually calmed down.
With clumsy movements, she began healing her own hand.
After another rinse from Raj, she finally stopped shaking.
However, the energy she had barely recovered from beating up Jiraiya had been nearly extinguished.
She slumped into a seat, silent and dejected.
After a few seconds, she sighed softly and said, "Little one, now do you understand why I left Konoha all those years ago?"
"Meow~ Afraid of blood?"
Raj feigned ignorance, after all, he was just a cat and couldn't possibly understand such a condition.
"It's called hemophobia-a fear of blood. As a doctor, this condition makes it impossible for me to stand at the operating table. And I'm Konoha's..."
Tsunade sighed deeply.
Years ago, she had single-handedly revolutionized the Medical System and reached the pinnacle of Medical Ninjutsu, earning the adoration of every Medical Ninja in Konoha.
She was practically revered as the Medical God of Konoha.
But as a "god," she was terrified of blood.
Wasn't that a joke?
Raj pondered for a moment, then carefully said, "Meow~ But since you've returned, everyone's been so excited. They seem really happy."
"That's because they think I can still do it, but the truth is, I'm already..."
Tsunade's mood darkened.
She was deeply shaken, especially since Raj's attack hadn't caused any real damage.
Without her hemophobia, she could have healed it in half a second.
But now, even such a small wound was enough to render her incapable of fighting.
"Fight with your eyes closed, meow?"
"Uh..."
"As for medical treatment, you can control it remotely, meow. I heard you have a Ninjutsu technique that can heal an entire village, or you could teach your students that."
Raj offered various suggestions, some impractical, but others feasible.
Tsunade paused for a moment, then shook her head.
"Coordinating with Slug for treatment isn't that simple. How can I heal injuries I can't see? As for teaching students..."
She circled back to her earlier dilemma.
If she couldn't even stand at the operating table, how could she teach through demonstration?
At best, she could only lecture verbally.
What difference would such a teacher make?
At least, in her view, her presence or absence seemed to make little difference.
Of course, the primary issue remained her psychological trauma.
The pain of losing her loved ones echoed in her mind constantly.
Closing her eyes or blocking her ears wouldn't solve it; her condition was a mental illness, not a simple aversion to blood.
"Even if all else fails, you could be a mascot, meow."
"A mascot... Ha, never mind. I'll teach you a technique. See if you can master it. This is a secret art of the Senju Clan, so if you learn it, you can't teach it to anyone else without my permission."
Tsunade paused, then sighed.
"Of course, if I die someday, then you can do as you please."
"Meow?"
'What Secret Technique? Judging by the demonstration earlier, and considering what I'm capable of learning, it must be Superhuman Strength... But can I actually master Superhuman Strength?'
Before learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, he would have been brimming with confidence.
Raj believed his past-life memories, combined with his innate genius, meant there was no Ninjutsu he couldn't learn.
But after witnessing the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had to admit that his past-life memories were utterly useless.
The two systems were fundamentally incompatible.
Even throwing a kunai required a series of precise calculations.
To master such techniques, one either needed to be a prodigy like Obito, blessed with a special bloodline, or... cheat.
Raj glanced at the System, feeling slightly reassured.
No matter what it was, there was no technique he couldn't learn.
Some required a bit of effort, while others came naturally.
"The Senju Clan possesses countless Secret Techniques, but I've only mastered a few. You saw the power of my finger strike earlier, right? That's actually a specific application of Chakra, currently known only to the Senju Clan. My grandfather taught it to me, and since you've caught my eye today, I'll pass it on to you."
Tsunade sat down, having recovered from her earlier fear of blood, and resumed her cheerful demeanor.
"You're going to teach me Superhuman Strength?!" Raj exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.
He had wanted to learn this technique before, but it required over ten thousand Points, and he hadn't considered it essential enough to spend them.
Still, who would turn down a powerful skill if they could get it for free?
While it wasn't Wood Release, Tsunade didn't know that technique herself anyway.
"Just a trial run," Tsunade said with a slight smile. "I never imagined my Second Grandfather's Flying Thunder God Technique would ever be learned by anyone outside our clan. And now, not only has someone mastered it, but even a cat... Heh, a cat learning it is quite amusing. But whether you can master it depends entirely on your own skill."
She then explained the principles behind Superhuman Strength.
Though it appeared to be a form of Taijutsu, Superhuman Strength was actually a Nin-Taijutsu technique.
It required incredibly precise Chakra control, making it extremely difficult to learn.
To date, neither Hashirama Senju nor Tobirama Senju had ever taught it to anyone outside their clan.