Training Ground Two.
Gisei Shiraishi and Tsunade stood facing each other, ten meters apart.
Orochimaru stood in the center of the field, acting as the referee. From the sidelines, Jiraiya and the Third Hokage watched the impending battle closely.
Gisei began to calculate how best to take Tsunade down.
She was undoubtedly a master of taijutsu; getting tagged by her "Monstrous Strength" fist would be, to put it mildly, very unpleasant.
Defeating her wasn't the hard part for him right now; the real question was how to do it.
Should he end it in one blow with a head-on collision?
That might be a bit difficult using only the strength he had revealed so far. Besides, seeing that arrogant expression on her face made Gisei irrationally angry.
He felt it was necessary to have a good "exchange of feelings" with her.
After thinking it over, Gisei revealed a weird smile.
"Start!"
The moment Orochimaru shouted, he used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish to the sidelines. He had no interest in getting caught in the crossfire of whatever this was about to be.
Gisei didn't make a move immediately. Instead, he stood relaxed and smiled. "Tsunade, I'll give you a three-move handicap first. That way, you can't say I bullied you later."
Hearing this, Tsunade practically exploded.
"What did you say, you bastard? It seems you still don't know your place!"
As she spoke, Tsunade clenched her fist and charged straight at him.
Gisei didn't even attempt to dodge. Since he said he'd give her a three-move handicap, he meant it.
Bam!
Tsunade's fist smashed into Gisei's body, but there was no impact—she punched right through him. His form dissolved into hundreds of butterflies that scattered into the air before reassembling behind her.
Gisei appeared behind Tsunade, smiling. "That's one move."
Without even looking, Tsunade spun and unleashed a devastating kick.
Monstrous Strength!
The ground of the training field instantly cracked and shattered under the force.
Unfortunately, Gisei had already dissolved into butterflies again, fluttering away to reform in front of her. He wore the same maddening smile. "Two moves."
This time, seeing Gisei appear right in front of her, Tsunade didn't attack immediately.
"Butterfly Clone? You don't really think you can beat me just by hiding behind cheap tricks, do you?"
Gisei blinked innocently. "I said I'd give you a three-move handicap."
Furious, Tsunade smashed the clone with a single punch, dispersing it instantly.
Hundreds of butterflies flew toward the center of the training ground, gradually coalescing until Gisei appeared again in the flesh.
"Three moves have passed. My turn."
Gisei began to form hand seals.
"Ninpo: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!)
The Shadow Clone Jutsu was something he had picked up after entering the Anbu; he didn't use it often because, frankly, Shadow Clones weren't as convenient as his Butterfly Clones.
Using it now, however, he had other intentions.
Four Shadow Clones appeared and immediately flickered to the four corners of the training ground. They began forming seals in unison.
"Water Style: Water Shockwave!!"
Water Shockwave was just a C-rank ninjutsu that summoned a large volume of water to attack the enemy. The more chakra used, the more water was summoned.
Gisei wasn't using his clones to attack Tsunade directly; he just wanted them to flood the field.
Meanwhile, the real Gisei in the center began forming different seals. He prepared a barrier technique to enclose the entire training ground, forming a closed space that would trap the massive volume of water inside.
Tsunade didn't understand his intention at first, but when the water level began to submerge her feet, she realized what was happening.
Her Monstrous Strength would be severely dampened underwater. After all, water is soft; you can't punch it effectively.
Thinking quickly, Tsunade flickered in front of a Shadow Clone and smashed her fist into it.
But the clone didn't poof into smoke as she expected. Instead, a few butterflies fluttered out from the impact site.
Tsunade was stunned. She punched it again.
Again, only a few butterflies flew up.
"Genjutsu?"
She suspected she had been caught in an illusion. It was common knowledge that Shadow Clones popped immediately upon being hit.
She formed a seal and shouted, "Kai!"
The scene in front of her didn't change in the slightest. Refusing to believe it, she threw another punch, but the result was the same.
"It's useless. My Shadow Clones are different from the standard issue. There is a core inside. Unless you find the specific butterfly that acts as the core, you can't destroy the clone."
Gisei's voice drifted into her ears.
"A core? Combining the Butterfly Clone and Shadow Clone... what a troublesome guy."
Finding one specific butterfly among hundreds while underwater was undoubtedly a nightmare task. Moreover, the water level was rising fast; in just a few seconds, it had already reached her calves.
Tsunade channeled chakra to her feet and stood on the water's surface. She charged toward the real Gisei in the center of the field.
Gisei still had no intention of dodging; he just stood there and let her hit him.
The moment her fist connected, Gisei dissolved into a puddle of water and vanished into the flood.
Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down and analyze the jutsu's weakness.
She assumed Gisei wanted to use Water Style to restrict her taijutsu movements. But she wasn't a novice who didn't know how to walk on water. Even if it was annoying, the influence on her combat ability wouldn't be that significant.
The water level was still rising.
Tsunade frowned as a darker possibility crossed her mind. Does that bastard intend to drown me?
Impossible. How much chakra would be needed to fill a barrier this size?
And even if he had that much chakra, she couldn't breathe underwater—but did he have a way to?
The more she thought about it, the uglier her expression became. Tsunade walked to the edge of the barrier.
Chakra began to erupt violently around her.
She bent her right leg, then snapped it straight, unleashing explosive power instantly!
Boom!
The barrier rippled violently like the surface of the water beneath her feet, but in the end, it held firm.
Gisei appeared behind her. "This barrier isn't that simple to break. Even if the Third, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya joined forces outside, they wouldn't be able to break it without finding the correct method."
Tsunade turned to look at him. "What is your goal here? Why expend so much effort to create an environment for Water Style?"
"Compared to Water Style, aren't you more skilled in Lightning Style?"
Gisei reached out and curled his finger at her provocatively. "You know I'm skilled in Lightning Style, so guess why I'm using Water Style instead?"
"Using water to conduct electricity? Or do you just want to drown me? Do you have a gill technique or something?"
Gisei shook his head. "Wrong guess. Don't worry, I definitely won't use Lightning Style. I'm using Water Style because I want to have a nice, long chat with you about all the resentment I've built up over these years."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You want to defeat me with Water Style?"
"Can't I?"
"You... you really are arrogant!"
"Compared to your arrogance, I'm still far behind."
The three spectators outside couldn't hear the conversation inside the barrier, but they could clearly see that Tsunade was being severely countered.
The Third sighed. "That girl is definitely going to lose. Why did you two let her mess with him?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Winning or losing isn't certain yet. Tsunade isn't an opponent that can be defeated so simply."
Jiraiya nodded. "That's right. Although Tsunade relies on taijutsu, her battle IQ is the highest among us."
The Third glanced at his two disciples and shook his head helplessly.
Gisei wasn't inferior to Tsunade in any aspect, and now that he had established such a massive geographical advantage, the gap was undeniable.
In the Third's eyes, he could already see the outcome: Tsunade was about to be left without any way to fight back.
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P.S After this chapter, there will be no more proofreading. Some small mistakes with names might slip through, but overall it should be fine. I'm continuing the translation only for the readers who enjoy this novel - personally, I'm not one of them.
I'll keep going for now and we'll see if people are interested. If they are, I can translate a bit more.
Anyway, thanks for reading.