Tsunade, Kai, and Mikoto looked at the large sealing matrix dissolving in the air and looked at one another before Tsunade reminded her apprentices, "We still aren't clear from the previous situation. Remain alert."

The trio climbed up the edge of the cliff only after making sure that no ambushes were laid down for them.

*Poof*

Tsunade made a discreet hand seal and the next second, a perfect copy of her emerged into existence with both of their chakra getting equally divided into the two, making it even impossible for the current Kai to know the difference between Tsunade and her shadow clone unless he saw it himself. But the two made yet another hand seal, further halving their chakra and still managing to have chakra reserves way more that Kushina herself.

The moment Tsunade nodded, the three clones dispersed while the real Tsunade looked at Kai and Mikoto, "Let's go. If we're really being pursued, it's a matter of time before we're found out but the clones should distract anyone ahead. Meanwhile, we'll take the longer route."

What Tsunade said was true indeed. Even if they did turn into birds, their chakra would be utilized and any sensor worth his salt would find them. Even before that, to pass off as any species of bird, they needed to completely study its patterns and behavior to avoid suspicion and they did not have time for that.

'So... isn't it better to transform into some underground animal instead and dig deeper into the ground where chakra sensing is somewhat restricted and the fact that nobody would really focus underground...' Kai wondered as they prepared themselves mentally for anything that could possibly be thrown at them.

---

Team Tsunade constantly moved from one branch to another in the dense forest of the Land of Fire while keeping sparse with the traps unlike before but their traps only grew more deadly and unexpected. They adopted traps that, if successful, would accumulate poison of various kinds in their enemies. The various traps itself was laced with the tiniest amount of poison possible to not alert the enemies.

"Hng?" Tsunade grunted after an hour or so before she sported a massive scowl.

"There WAS an ambush over the same path we took before. My clones only managed to sense five shinobis, all masked but they seemed to know about my skills... extensively. The clones only took one of them out... They've come prepared. Mikoto, protect your eyes if they catch up. They would aim for Sharingan because it's a troublesome ability." Tsunade didn't have any word of advice for Kai given that he was their scout in the war alongside Hizashi and did an amazing job in the first place.

Even without needing her to speak anything, Kai's awareness spread out. He had developed his own way of battle in various situations but he mostly utilized close-quarter combat techniques in tandem with either venom-laced Kunai or Genjutsu. Ninjutsu, for Kai, was far more effective in setting up a territorial advantage than directly attacking an enemy, especially in war, since most ninjutsu would alert the nearby shinobi.

Now that he was with a team, his conditions changed, too. He knew that Tsunade was more of a Taijutsu practitioner and even she couldn't use the Chakra Scalpel Technique in the battle due to the sheer focus it utilizes and instead uses another jutsu that enhances her damage output by several layers. Mikoto, on the other hand, had developed and steered into the class of ranged shinobi and rarely entered a direct conflict but as Tsunade remarked... Sharingan was a freaking hack that could cause enemies a lot of trouble.

So... Kai himself was the least favorable target amongst his current team and that gave him the predictable advantage of choice.

They managed to travel for another hour safely but that was about it.

"Two of them seem to be affected enough," Kai noted as Tsunade and Mikoto nodded. But it still irked Kai how easily their pursuers seem to realize which direction and tracks Team Tsunade would use... if it wasn't clear before that their pursuers were intimate with the choices a Konoha nin would make then it was becoming increasingly clear now.

Even if one of the better assault teams of Konoha just by the sheer virtue of Tsunade's love taps, the trio knew NOT to stop and let the enemy surround them. They'd either keep moving and keep the advantage of the distance or fight while moving, aiming for one-shots and were aware that the enemy would be doing the same.

This was no sparring and there is only one way to end this quickly. With—

'Fatality!' Kai rumbled with a deep voice inwardly, smirking short after as he suddenly formed a hand seal which made air visibly ripple around him as a thick trail of mist began to ooze from his body. Had he stayed in one place, the mist would have grown outward but moving made it so that the thick trail followed them.

Mikoto frowned and hissed, "Stop doing that! It will—"

"No..." Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "Good work. Let's see the result."

Kai snickered as he formed one earth and one water clone that rushed into mist before the mist now began to grow further while Kai's earth clone was designed to follow the water clone. This was one of the many flaws of the two elemental clones— ingenuity and Kai wondered if he could somehow share his senses with them.

"Sensei, what's going on?"

"Kai would usually lure the enemies in the trail of smoke with the belief he was moving while carefully hiding in the trail of mist himself. His water clone would be the one moving and constantly creating mist. This tactic allowed him to slay a team of 4 Iwa Nin in Amegakure and this feat was in my report, too..."

Mikoto frowned as Kai drawled, "I'm trying to assess if the enemy has their hands on our report, too. If it's true, then you're in luck Mikoto-chan, you just became our ace!"

His chortle did not make Mikoto feel any better... well, she DID feel a little better being called an ace and all that but still...

A few minutes later and Kai's brows twitched. "The Water clone was found and removed Too bad I don't get any experience like the shadow clones are functioned to do, huh."

"Stop being a sass queen and report about the Earth Clone," Tsunade snorted.

"It's still there."

"Hmm," Tsunade nodded, a little relieved. Hiding in the mist is just one part of the tactic in the mist. The other was using the Earth Clones to destabilize the enemy the moment they show any weakness.

"Ah, it's gone now," Kai reported the next second, making Tsunade scowl.

'It couldn't be Sensei, right?' Tsunade frowned. War reports are considered S-ranked Secrets similar to Anbu Corps information but there are others besides the Hokage that can have a look at the reports, especially during the war. For instance... the elders, the Jonin Commander, or the Commander of the Anbu Corps.

But before she could think any further, Tsunade stopped in her tracks and frowned for a second before sending a disastrous punch near the trunk where she stood, and only then did Mikoto and Kai caught the sight of a tiny... strangely painted bug that was squashed into ink, its chakra so minuscule that even Kai hadn't registered it.

They didn't wait for an explanation from Tsunade but moved instead and their Sensei huffed in anger, "That's a technique known as Super Beast Imitating Drawing. Consider it a more animated but offensive offshoot of Fuinjutsu and it's full of sneaky skills. And..."

Tsunade hesitated for a second before she steeled her heart, "If this technique is here, there is no reason to discredit that other secret techniques may also be present. Steel your minds for any form of possession techniques."

'That's Yamanaka Clan's quirk, right?' Kai and Mikoto blinked.

"Powerful genjutsu traps may just be the norm to affect our timing," Tsunade added with a frown and looked a little unsure.

"Maybe there's an Uchiha in there, too," Mikoto scoffed with a frown as Tsunade was just trying to maneuver around the obvious.

"There... may just be one," Tsunade whispered as Mikoto's eyes twitched while Kai had trouble resisting the urge to smile.

"Didn't they use any special technique against your clones?" Kai inquired.

"No, which makes their strength even more obvious," Tsunade narrowed her eyes as her expression grew sullen, "It's a shame..."

"What is?" Mikoto blinked.

"That we have to kill such quality shinobi... well, I only expect the two of you to hold them off till I'm there if we are intercepted."

The duo nodded while Mikoto activated her Sharingan. While Kai had to grind his sensory skills... with SP, all Mikoto needed was to expend a bit more chakra to have a range of detection similar to him and even more precise in close-range.

'Maybe... I really should get a Byakugan...' Kai scowled before removing that thought for the time being. Nothing good comes from... unplanned greed.

Soon, their advantage of distance was getting smaller and smaller. The opponents were clearly stronger than Kai and Mikoto physically and Tsunade having to keep her speed around the duo's match made it so that the six opponents, two of whom showed signs of instability due to the poisonous traps from before, were upon Team Tsunade and sensible enough, Kai and Mikoto instantly found their targets in the weakened opponents while Tsunade snorted and growled, forming a set of hand seals and smacking the ground.

'Summoning Technique!'

A large plume of smoke instantly covered a small section of the forest and Mikoto instantly flickered with Kai as the opponent's first act was, as predicted, to surround the team.

'Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!' One of the assailants let out a dome of whipping wind from their body that instantly dispersed the smoke while two sharp clangs of metal rang.

Kai narrowed his eyes at the masked opponent who even went above and beyond to cover their heads and not reveal a strand of their hair. Their masks were flat with only thin slits for their eyes as his Kunai was parried by the man's short sword.

Mikoto, on the other hand, was even more relentless as she instantly entered into a bladed weapon with the other Kunai user.

These two assailants were the only ones who were weakened somewhat by their traps.

On the other hand, the remaining four opponents looked at the giant slug towering over them with Tsunade standing on top of its head. With its length easily surpassing eight meters, the giant whitish slug had three blue long streaks running down its body. Yet the four shinobi looked prepared for anything that may come their way but unlike Mikoto and Kai, Tsunade wasn't keen on starting a battle where she would fall at a disadvantage pretty quickly.

'Tsunade-sama,' the optical tentacles of the slug moved slightly as a subservient and gentle voice echoed in Tsunade's head as she merely hummed in acknowledgment while keeping her gaze on the four as if trying to discover something essential.

"Katsuyu," Tsunade couldn't communicate similar to her summon, "The moment one of them moves, spray them with your acid."

The giant slug's other two sensory tentacles swayed slightly as the tension around them only grew.

The noise of the metallic clash of Tsunade's apprentices and the other two shinobi tackling them didn't bother the main party.

"Identify yourself," Tsunade remarked coldly knowing full well that it wasn't about to happen but all she needed were a few seconds.

"Careful," one of the four shinobi spoke with a callous tone and moved the next second, causing the remaining three to shift instantly as miniature slugs tore out from the ground and pounced on the four individuals while the giant slug sprayed a burst of corrosive yellow acid and silently Tsunade's body submerged into the slug's liquid physique.

"Tch," one of the four shinobi clicked their tongue as Tsunade's body was ejected from the side of Katsuyu's body at high pressure and she targeted the same individual that clicked his tongue for the briefest moment.

*Buzz*

A wave of tiny bugs flew out from the sleeves of one of the shinobi but Tsunade seemed pretty intent on taking care of her target.

Yet not the least bit intimidated, the figure stretched his hand out and held his palms with a gap in between to look through his hands as if targeting Tsunade with a scope.

'Mind Transfer Technique!'

The individual's body fell to the ground as if a puppet losing its strings while Tsunade stopped in her tracks and then she quickly formed hand seals yet, the next second—

*Poof*

This Tsunade dispersed into a plume of smoke while the insects rushed past the smoke and toward the slowly awakening shinobi of their team. After all—

*Crack*

A punch tore through the man's abdomen as Tsunade shot out from the ground, this time, smirking coldly and hissing, "Did you fuckers think I don't know how to tackle your clan techniques?" And while she spoke, she pulled the man impaled on her fist as she sensed a chakra reaction from him and tore him in a bloody half before he could actually activate the suicide seal and threw one half of the bloody chunk towards the insects with a force that crushed quite a dozens of the buzzing critters.

***

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