The Konoha training field.
Sasuke had changed into a sharp, battle-ready ninja outfit—personally tailored by Jiraiya.
She wore a loose white shirt on top, black pants below, ninja boots on her feet, and a sword slung diagonally at her waist.
"Lady Tsunade, maybe we should change the opponent?"
Looking across the training ground at Tsunade, who was also dressed for battle, Sasuke turned to Jiraiya with an awkward expression, clearly hoping her sensei would step in and say something.
It felt like overkill to have the Fifth Hokage herself come to test the results of two years of training.
The reason for this was that after hearing Jiraiya describe Sasuke's progress, Tsunade didn't quite believe it.
So she dragged both of them to the training field—under the noble excuse that she wanted to personally verify whether Sasuke had really improved as much as Jiraiya claimed.
Of course, Sasuke suspected the real reason was that Tsunade simply didn't want to deal with paperwork.
So she used this as an excuse to sneak out, leaving poor Shizune behind in the Hokage's office.
Jiraiya sat casually on a tree branch, hands behind his head, looking completely at ease.
"Relax, it's fine. Tsunade's the perfect person to test your progress. She's not like me. You go all out. Your sensei believes in you~"
He even gave her a thumbs-up, flashing his teeth as if they sparkled.
"What? You've been training under Jiraiya for two years and now you look down on me?"
Tsunade pretended to be displeased as she cracked her knuckles.
"Little girl, I was fighting on the battlefield before you were even born. No need to worry about me!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she slammed her foot into the ground.
Boom!
It was as if a massive boulder had crashed into the earth.
That terrifying force blasted downward, tearing apart the entire training field's grassy surface.
A wave of air surged up more than ten meters high, kicking up a thick curtain of dust that shot into the sky like a rising storm.
In the blink of an eye, Tsunade crossed the distance and threw a heavy punch with clenched fingers.
Boom!
A shockwave exploded from the tip of the fist, roaring like a cannon blast.
Even before the punch landed, the force of the wind alone made Sasuke's breath hitch.
Her hair flew wildly in the violent gusts, cheeks stretched as if pulled by invisible hands—like she was staring down a tsunami.
So this is... the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Senju Tsunade?!
"Lightning Style: Chidori Current!"
Facing Tsunade's monstrous punch, Sasuke cloaked herself in blazing white lightning, like armor forged from thunder.
The Chidori shifted and surged, forming sharp, crackling arcs like a hedgehog of energy.
The grass around her scorched, the very air turned searing hot, and violent arcs leapt out, weaving into a dense electric net.
"Spreading lightning chakra throughout her body to defend and attack at once?"
Tsunade's seasoned eyes immediately caught the essence of the technique.
For an average shinobi, there would've been only one choice—retreat.
But her gaze sharpened. She stepped forward with her left foot, directly entering the storm of lightning without hesitation.
Taking the full force of the Lightning Release with her bare body, the knuckles of her snow-white fist tightened until they paled.
Though her arm looked delicate, veins bulged like coiled dragons as she drove her fist into Sasuke—who hadn't expected her to charge straight through.
BOOM!!!
Sasuke had known Tsunade was physically strong, but she never imagined the woman could break through the Chidori Current head-on.
With just one hit, she was launched dozens of meters back, a roaring wave of air pressure trailing behind her.
She crashed through tree trunks like a cannonball.
"Tch, that monster strength of hers just keeps getting more terrifying," Jiraiya said, perched on a branch nearby.
Watching Sasuke get blasted away, he didn't look concerned at all.
In fact, he smirked. "Finally, someone who can teach that brat a lesson."
"Ah—damn, I might've overdone it a bit!"
Only then did Tsunade realize she'd let herself go in the heat of the moment.
She turned and caught sight of Jiraiya's smug face, and instantly blew up.
"Quit gawking and help her already! I lost control for a second. Damn it, I hope she's not seriously hurt…"
"Ha, no need to rush like that, Tsunade."
Jiraiya remained calmly seated, like an old fisherman waiting for a bite, and said in a relaxed tone, "That kid isn't as fragile as you think. The real fight is just about to begin!"
"What?"
Tsunade froze for a brief moment, but her heart suddenly skipped a beat—as if she had sensed a terrifying presence.
She turned her head toward the trees that had been snapped in half at the trunk. Through the cloud of dust and smoke, a figure slowly emerged.
"As expected of Lady Tsunade. That punch of yours... even I almost got into real trouble."
Sasuke walked out of the haze next. Though she looked a little disheveled, aside from a trickle of blood at the corner of her lips, she didn't seem seriously injured at all.
Is this a joke?
Tsunade's pupils narrowed. Her expression turned to shock. "That strike... I used fifty percent of my strength."
Don't underestimate fifty percent. Backed by monstrous strength, even Susanoo wouldn't have been able to block a full-powered blow from her. Fifty percent was already terrifying.
If that had hit a regular shinobi, it would've likely turned them into a cloud of blood on the spot.
Yet... Sasuke had taken it so easily?
Her eyes shimmered like molten lava, glowing with a violent golden hue. Her entire presence had changed—no longer a human youth, but a dragon towering at the top of the food chain, gazing down upon fragile humanity.
"Two years ago, in that tavern... I remember seeing those eyes."
Tsunade squinted slightly, a touch of nostalgia surfacing. "Back then, you couldn't fully control this power. But I suppose now, two years later, you've learned to master it?"
"Yeah." Sasuke's eyes blazed like a scorching sun. Step by step, she approached her, drawing the long sword from her waist. In a quiet voice, she said, "Lady Tsunade, please be careful. From here on out... the real battle begins."
"Bring it on!"
Tsunade raised her hand with pride, casually curling her finger, but inwardly, her guard rose sharply.
"Word Soul—Time: Zero."
In the next instant, Sasuke's figure blurred and suddenly crossed nearly a hundred meters in a flash.
Time itself seemed to halt.
The forward march of seconds froze. The entire world fell into utter silence.
Even the falling leaves drifted downward at an agonizingly slow pace.
The girl—like a phantom weaving through time—materialized in front of Tsunade in an instant.
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