"It seems letting you enter the Ninja Academy was useful after all. Your Shurikenjutsu is decent, but it's too straightforward."
Tsunade lightly tapped her foot to dodge and made a casual comment toward Shizune.
Clang, clang, clang!
However, the next moment, the sound of metal clashing came from behind her.
Several shuriken had changed direction and were flying back toward her again.
Tsunade sensed it immediately. She tapped the ground and flipped backward, narrowly dodging the incoming shuriken.
After landing, she looked at Seiryū with a hint of admiration in her eyes and praised, "You really are something, kid. You managed to pull this off?"
This kid was impressive.
He had instantly judged the trajectory of Shizune's shuriken and predicted her movement.
Then, with a single well-placed shuriken, he used the collision to alter the path of her weapons.
This kind of vision and judgment was far beyond what a fresh Genin should be capable of.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm also skilled in Shurikenjutsu."
Seiryū smirked, but his movements didn't stop.
Using Shunpo, he lunged toward Tsunade once again.
"Take this!"
"Your strength is still far off."
Facing his incoming punch, Tsunade didn't dodge. She threw a punch of her own.
Boom!
Their fists collided, and in an instant, chakra surged and exploded.
The impact generated a deafening roar.
The ground beneath them sank, and fine cracks spread outward.
Thud, thud, thud—
Seiryū felt an overwhelming force travel through his arm, forcing him to stumble several steps back.
In terms of raw strength, Seiryū, whose body wasn't yet fully developed, was no match for Tsunade.
He steadied himself and shook out his numbed arm, grimacing.
"You really show no mercy. You're just a bully who picks on kids!"
Tsunade stood her ground, her expression calm, but her tone provocative.
"Stop whining. If you don't want to wash my feet, then take these bells."
"Who said I don't want to? Just wait."
Seiryū snorted, formed hand seals, and created several clones that all charged at Tsunade.
"???"
Tsunade thought she had misheard, but she assumed it was just a challenge to snatch the bells.
She smiled, then stomped on the ground.
Boom.
The ground cracked violently.
Large boulders rose from the courtyard and surged forward in a straight line, crushing three of Seiryū's clones.
They burst into white smoke.
Bang!
At the same time, as if Seiryū had thrown a smoke bomb or used a technique, a large cloud of red smoke exploded outward, quickly filling the area and blocking vision.
Using the smoke as cover, Seiryū leapt forward.
Chakra erupted from the pressure points on his feet, propelling him with explosive force.
Swish, swish, swish—
He changed direction multiple times, leaving behind afterimages in the red smoke to confuse any attempts at tracking.
As he approached Tsunade, a glowing Rasengan formed in his right hand. He thrust it forward.
"Rasengan!"
Though her vision was obscured by red smoke, Tsunade didn't panic.
She chuckled lightly.
"You really are a kid. You think a smoke bomb is enough to make me lose track of your attack?"
The rotation of the Rasengan caused the surrounding smoke to twist unnaturally.
Using this abnormality, Tsunade pinpointed Seiryū's location.
Just as the Rasengan was about to hit her, she reached out and grabbed Seiryū's wrist with her right hand.
A beautiful smile curled on her lips.
"You're underestimating me. I'm a battle-hardened shinobi."
Boom!
Her other fist smashed into Seiryū's body.
She had assumed it was a clone, since another Seiryū was already circling to her side, going for the bells.
But the moment her punch landed, she felt it.
This wasn't a clone.
"You—"
Tsunade was shocked. It was actually the real body?
She thought Seiryū wouldn't be foolish enough to send his real body in as a decoy.
She hadn't held back on that punch.
"Who told you I was a clone? Surprised? Unexpected?"
Seiryū took the full brunt of the punch, a sharp pain spreading through his chest as if his bones were cracking.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The Rasengan dispersed as he lost focus.
This bad woman really didn't hold back.
Just one punch, and he was coughing blood.
But it was all part of the plan. He could take it.
And clearly, Tsunade was caught off guard.
She froze for just a split second, and Seiryū seized that opening.
"You've exposed a flaw!"
Seiryū swallowed the blood in his mouth, but a wide grin stretched across his face.
He formed a one-handed seal with his left hand and pointed his right at Tsunade.
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa! Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen!"
The two Bakudō struck Tsunade directly, restraining her movement.
"I've got it!"
At the same time, one of Seiryū's clones reached her and went straight for the bells on her waist.
"A surprise, indeed. But still too naive!"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
Seiryū's tactics had caught her off guard, but there was no way she would let him win so easily.
Boom!
Chakra exploded within her body, flooding her limbs.
Through pure strength, she forcefully broke free of the Bakudō's bindings.
Then she turned and kicked, bursting the approaching clone into smoke.
The red smoke on the battlefield gradually dispersed.
Tsunade stood calmly, one hand on her hip, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear.
Looking at Seiryū, who had retreated some distance, she smiled.
"You are indeed far superior to your peers."
"But this test isn't just to gauge your strength. It's to test teamwork. You won't be able to touch these bells alone."
Tsunade glanced at Kurenai and Shizune standing beside Seiryū.
"Only by working together will you have a chance."
Hearing that, Seiryū smirked.
"Who says we're not working together? Haven't I already drawn your attention?"
At that moment, Shizune spoke up with a playful tone.
"Do you think I'm Shizune?"
Kurenai echoed in the same voice, "Do you think I'm Kurenai?"
Seiryū laughed.
"Now you've truly exposed a flaw, bad woman!"
Tsunade's strength was overwhelming. They couldn't win by force. They had to rely on misdirection.
And Tsunade knew little about Seiryū's techniques. That lack of intel could be deadly.
"Hmm?"
Just as Seiryū finished speaking, Tsunade suddenly sensed something and turned her head toward a certain spot, her expression changing.
"This is—"
There, another Seiryū appeared out of thin air, a smile on his face.
Whirrr, whirrr, whirrr—
In his hand, a Rasengan the size of a basketball spun wildly, roaring as it stirred the air.
"Great Ball Rasengan!"
"Good kid, I underestimated you!!"
Tsunade cursed under her breath and crossed her arms in defense.
Chakra surged over her forearms, condensing visibly to shield her.
Concentrated chakra provided a powerful defense.
Boom!!
The Great Ball Rasengan slammed into Tsunade's arms.
A powerful force exploded on impact, blasting her backward with a roar.
At the spot where Tsunade was being pushed toward, the figures of Kurenai and Shizune appeared.
They had been waiting there.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)