The ground trembled under the aftermath of Tsunade's last strike. Shards of stone and gusts of wind scattered across the training field. And then, through the haze of dust and shattered debris, Naruto's figure reappeared—completely unscathed.
He stood several meters behind Tsunade, calm and steady, not even a wrinkle on his jacket. Beneath his feet gleamed a special kunai etched with the mark "I was here."
Having mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, Naruto could have counterattacked her just moments ago. But he didn't. After all, Tsunade wasn't his enemy.
"Not bad, brat," Tsunade said as she straightened up, brushing the dirt from her knuckles. Her eyes burned with anger—and a faint thrill that only real battle could bring.
She was a descendant of the Senju clan, one of the legendary Sannin, a woman forged in war. The will to fight was in her blood—it had merely lain dormant, never extinguished.
Naruto smiled lightly. "Lady Tsunade, don't forget, we still have a bet to settle."
"You've been waiting here just for that, huh?" Tsunade pointed at the green crystal necklace resting against her chest, the same one that once belonged to her grandfather. "Fine then. If you win, this necklace is yours. But if you lose… I'll build a monument for you."
She cracked her knuckles, her tone hardening. "But dodging alone won't save you!"
Before Naruto could reply, Tsunade's chakra surged like a storm. Her feet tore through the ground as she launched forward, fists blurring into a whirlwind of strikes.
Each punch carried monstrous power—enough to shatter boulders and crush steel. Her fists overlapped in a storm of motion, sealing off every angle of escape.
Any ordinary shinobi caught in this barrage would've been reduced to pulp in seconds.
But Naruto wasn't ordinary.
Since childhood, he had trained under Guy's punishing regimen, pushing his body to the limits day after day. His strength, reflexes, and endurance had been tempered into something extraordinary—no weak points left.
In the narrow space between Tsunade's relentless strikes, he moved like a leaf on the wind—light, precise, untouchable.
A sidestep. A backbend. A twist of the hips. A soft shuffle of his feet.
Every motion flowed perfectly into the next, his body barely grazing Tsunade's blows as they passed.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Each missed strike split the ground, sending stone flying and dust surging skyward. Under Tsunade's monstrous strength, the battlefield itself seemed to groan in pain.
"Hah!" Tsunade snarled, eyes flashing. Frustrated by his evasions, she gathered her strength for one overwhelming blow. Her fist rocketed toward Naruto's chest like a cannon shot.
And yet, it hit nothing. The image of Naruto dissolved into mist.
"Running away won't win you this fight," she said through gritted teeth. His speed was too fast—and that teleportation jutsu made him even harder to catch.
If Naruto wished, she might never land a single hit.
Naruto smirked. "Come on, Lady Tsunade. This time, I won't dodge."
"Don't underestimate one of the Legendary Sannin, brat!" she roared.
Tsunade leapt high into the air, her leg arcing down like a comet.
Her heel smashed into Naruto's crossed forearms with the weight of a falling meteor.
"BOOOOM!"
The explosion of force ripped through the ground, carving a crater nearly ten meters wide. Dust and shattered stone shot skyward in a choking cloud.
Within the haze, Tsunade frowned. Instead of the satisfying crush of victory, she felt something else—the hard resistance of solid steel.
How could this boy's body feel like iron?
Even more surprising, the recoil numbed her leg slightly. The sheer resilience in his frame was beyond belief.
"Haah!" Naruto exhaled sharply and pushed outward with both arms.
His strength burst forth like a tidal wave, breaking Tsunade's stance and forcing her back several steps. The two of them now stood apart, separated by the smoking pit left between them.
As the dust cleared, Naruto's form came back into focus. His sleeves were torn, exposing lean, muscular arms covered in faint bruises—but his expression remained calm.
He flexed his wrists and elbows, small cracks sounding in the quiet aftermath.
"You really live up to your legend, Lady Tsunade," Naruto said, shaking out his arms. "When it comes to raw strength, there's no one in the shinobi world who can match you."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, her anger giving way to respect. "You're tougher than you look, kid. To take that hit and still stand… you've got guts."
Her smirk sharpened, eyes blazing once more. "But you're still not there yet!"
Naruto's grin widened. "Then let's keep going!"
Without hesitation, he lunged forward, his golden chakra flaring faintly. No ninjutsu, no tricks—just pure, refined taijutsu.
Tsunade met his charge head-on, stomping hard enough to crack the earth beneath her feet.
The clash of their fists resounded through the air—raw, unfiltered power against unyielding will.
All hesitation vanished from Tsunade's mind. No more phobias, no more fear of blood, no more grief. In the heat of this battle, all the burdens she carried seemed to burn away.
This was the kind of fight that reminded her she was alive.
Close combat. No distance. No retreat.
Their fists collided, elbows clashed, knees struck, every impact ringing with the sound of steel and bone.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
The air around them rippled with shockwaves. Naruto's movements blurred, his fists and feet striking with precision honed by endless drills—aiming for her joints, ribs, and weak points.
Tsunade's brute force countered each attack head-on, her fists cleaving through the air like hammers of war. Even the air cracked beneath the weight of her blows.
Naruto's strikes were sharp and fast, but every time he connected, the sound was like hitting tempered steel.
He twisted his hips and whipped a kick toward her head—a blur of motion too fast to follow.
Tsunade ducked just in time, her twin ponytails whipping wildly in the gust. Her right foot swept low, cutting toward his stance like a viper's strike.
Naruto leapt straight up, and the spot where he had stood exploded beneath Tsunade's kick.
The shockwave sent another wave of dust across the training ground.
And there they stood—two warriors, one legendary and one rising—locked in a battle that shook the very earth beneath them.
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