Chapter 111: I'm HIM moment!

"Shit!"

Some of them cursed aloud, their eyes squeezed shut as the smoke and dust engulfed the area where Tsuna had crashed.

The air was thick with tension, and the once bright hopes of the students dimmed in an instant.

Rio and a few of the other girls clamped their hands over their mouths, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"S-Senpai..."

She whispered, her voice trembling.

Tsuna's initial movement had stunned them; he had moved so fast that they could barely see anything but a blur. For a fleeting moment, they had felt a surge of hope, believing that with both Korosensei and Tsuna present, saving Kaede was a piece of cake.

But that hope was cruelly shattered.

Even Korosensei was now on the defensive, dodging Kaede's relentless assault with visible distress. And Tsuna, despite his incredible speed, had been swatted away so suddenly.

The reality of the situation hit them hard.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"

Kaede's frenzied shouts echoed across the battlefield, her tentacles thrashing wildly as Korosensei grunted in frustration while keeping up with her relentless attacks.

Nagisa watched on as he murmured, "Is this really impossible?"

His gaze locked onto Kaede, conflicted emotions swirling within him.

"It's still too early to lose hope..."

Karma's voice cut through the rising tension, snapping everyone back to reality.

Eyes widened as they focused on the thick smoke where Tsuna had crashed hearing some movements from within as a figure suddenly leaped high from the cloud of debris, landing atop the massive rock before falling to his knees.

"Tsuna-senpai!"

Relieved shouts echoed through the field, the students' fears momentarily lifted. Terasaka was unable to contain himself, pumped his fist into the air, "Hell yeah, I knew it!"

"...?"

His outburst earned him a few side-eyes from his goons, who remembered his past grievances with Tsuna.

"Ahem..."

Terasaka coughed awkwardly, trying to brush off the attention. But given the intensity of the situation, his goons decided to let it slide.

Itona stared at Tsuna with a mix of awe and disbelief. "He's still able to move after that attack?" 

He knew better than anyone how powerful Kaede's tentacles were—those swings were devastating, enough to kill or cripple an ordinary person.

Yet, there stood Tsuna with his eyes still as sharp.

It was clear to Itona that Tsuna was definitely able to continue the fight!

"That was pretty heavy..."

Tsuna muttered as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Every inch of his body ached, as if he'd been hit by a truck. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, nerves frayed from the impact.

The pain was sharp and unrelenting, but he forced himself to stay on his feet, eyes narrowing as he assessed the battlefield.

The once lush grass field was now a charred wasteland, barren and smoking.

Even Korosensei, usually unflappable, seemed caught off guard by the extent of Kaede's rampage.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"

Kaede's voice rang out, each word dripping with a crazed desperation.

Tsuna could see it in her movements—the way she relentlessly pushed herself beyond her limits. Her veins bulged unnaturally, the color darkening to an ominous shade, especially where the tentacles sprouted from her body.

The skin at the base of her neck had taken on a bruised, almost blackened hue, a clear sign that the tentacles were wreaking havoc on her body.

He glanced at the other students, their faces twisted with a mix of fear and concern.

Despite Kaede's earlier claim that everything had been an act, they couldn't hide their worry. They believed their bond with her was real, and it hurt them to see her like this—driven to the brink of madness by her own power.

As Tsuna placed his hand over the buckle of the weights strapped to his body, he paused as he saw something incredible right before his eyes...

"Ito-kun!"

Korosensei's face suddenly appeared inches from his own, startling him into blinking in confusion.

"...?"

"Sorry, I can only project my face like this," Korosensei explained, his voice tinged with clear distress, "I don't have much leeway with Kayano-san's relentless attack on my main body..."

"..."

Tsuna's lips twitched in mild annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

The fact that Korosensei could send out a clone—even just a face—while enduring Kaede's ferocious assault was nothing short of astounding.

Glancing over at Korosensei's main body, which was narrowly dodging Kaede's crazed strikes, Tsuna shook his head in disbelief, "It's actually pretty impressive..."

"Thank— No! We don't have time for that!" Korosensei's voice suddenly rose in urgency. "We have to remove her tentacles ASAP! They're generating such extreme heat because she's pushing herself beyond her limits, with no regard for her own life. At this rate, she'll burn out—literally. Her life force is being drained with every second!"

"And if we wait any longer, these tentacles might root themselves into her nerves, making it impossible to remove them!"

Korosensei's expression was tense, his voice betraying the seriousness of the situation.

Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed as he processed this information, realizing things were more dire than he'd anticipated, "We need to act fast, then..."

"Yes, exactly! I have a plan," Korosensei continued. "Kayano-san is hell-bent on killing me, so I intend to give her what she wants, just long enough to make her lower her guard. Ito-kun, could you—"

"Wait, what do you mean by 'giving her that'?"

Tsuna interrupted, his voice sharp with concern.

Korosensei's words were reckless, especially given the gravity of the moment.

"..."

A brief silence fell between them as Korosensei hesitated before finally explaining, "I'll let her destroy my heart. She'll definitely drop her guard then..."

"And then what? You're just going to die?"

Tsuna's frown deepened, genuine worry etched across his face. The sincerity in his concern warmed Korosensei's heart as a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Don't worry about me, I won't di—"

But before Korosensei could explain that he wouldn't die, Tsuna's voice erupted, "No, don't— You can't die before you pay me, you bastard!"

"..."

Korosensei's moment of warmth instantly evaporated, his expression turning as white as paper with his expression turned neutral.

Even his main body, despite the chaos surrounding it, seemed to slump in defeat. With tired eyes, he looked at Tsuna whose eyes were blazing with concern.

A deep sigh escaped him, realizing these burning eyes looked like a dollar sign now, "Of course, what was I expecting..."

If Korosensei died, Tsuna knew he'd lose out on his commission, a rare chance for easy money, and Tsuna wouldn't let that slip away without a fight.

Karasuma wouldn't be able to threaten the government as convincingly as Korosensei!

"Don't worry, let's stick to the original plan. I'll distract her," Tsuna said calmly.

As he spoke, he began to slowly unbutton his shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles beneath. The female students below quickly covered their eyes, though many couldn't help but peek through their fingers, their cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"She's too fast for you," Korosensei warned, frowning as he watched Tsuna remove what looked like a heavy buckle from around his waist.

Tsuna tossed it to the ground casually, but Korosensei shook his head in disbelief.

"Just a little weight won't make much of a diff—"

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed through the field as the weight buckle hit the ground, creating a small crater.

Billows of smoke rose from the impact, leaving everyone, including Korosensei, staring at Tsuna in shock with their jaws nearly dropping to the ground.

"Alright, now it's a lot lighter," Tsuna chuckled, rolling his shoulders as if shedding a heavy burden.

His gaze locked onto Kaede with renewed determination.

This time, he was ready to properly deal with this "naughty little girl."