"Very good." Tsunade looked Naruto up and down, nodding in satisfaction.
"That old geezer Danzo is always praising your talent. I've heard it so much my ears are about to fall off. This time, I'd like to see for myself how you managed to win over that old man."
Hearing this, Naruto offered a gentle smile. "That's because Master Danzo's guidance is excellent. I've learned and grown a lot in Root."
"Then you'd better be careful. I won't hold back, so try not to get hurt," Tsunade said.
"Don't worry, Lady Hokage. I'll end this fight as quickly as possible so you have time to handle your official duties," Naruto replied with a faint smile.
In the next instant, both of their figures vanished.
BOOM.
At the same time, their fists collided in the center of the field. A violent shockwave radiated outwards, and the ground beneath their feet instantly cracked, a spiderweb of fissures spreading in all directions.
This kid's strength is so great? Tsunade was inwardly shocked. She had used fifty percent of her power in that punch, yet Naruto had blocked it. She could even feel a slight pressure on her own fist.
What terrifying power! Naruto's eyes narrowed. He knew that the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was a master of medical ninjutsu. But her monstrous strength was the technique that had elevated her combat ability to the Kage level. Naruto had put his all into that punch, yet he could feel that Tsunade was still holding back a great deal of her power.
"As expected of the Fifth Hokage!" Naruto chuckled, his speed skyrocketing as he moved around Tsunade.
"Hado Number 32: Okasen." A high-speed blast of yellow fire shot towards Tsunade.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and with a full-force punch, she completely dispersed the flames. In the next instant, Naruto's second Kido had already arrived.
"Hado Number 54: Haien." The scattered flames that had landed on the ground around Tsunade reignited as if reborn, instantly forming a ring of fire that enveloped her.
"Well met!" Tsunade laughed and slammed her fist into the ground.
BOOM.
The ground shattered, and a cascade of rocks buried the ring of fire.
"Hado Number 57: Daichi Tenyo."
"Hado Number 58: Tenran."
Naruto, unhurried, instantly cast two more Kido. The shattered ground churned, and a continuous stream of rocks and debris rolled outwards, causing a second collapse. There was no longer any solid ground beneath her feet. With no other choice, Tsunade leaped onto a rock and jumped into the air.
WHOOSH.
A massive tornado of wind and fire formed, sucking in the unprepared Tsunade.
Sizzle.
Sparks flew. When the fiery tornado dissipated, a somewhat disheveled Tsunade was revealed. She landed heavily, kicking up a large cloud of dust. There were shallow wounds on her body, and a good portion of her Hokage robe had been burned away, unable to conceal her magnificent figure.
"It seems I still underestimated you, kid," she said, her face dark. In Naruto's barrage of Kido, the careless Tsunade had suffered a small loss. But then, a green light flashed in her hands, and the Mystical Palm Technique almost instantly healed her wounds completely.
She could fight and she could heal. An ordinary Kage-level ninja facing Tsunade would be worn down and killed.
"As expected of Lady Hokage. Truly amazing," Naruto couldn't help but praise.
"You're pretty good, kid. No wonder that Itachi Uchiha fellow lost to you."
"Itachi?! When did that happen?" Hearing this, Sasuke's expression changed drastically from the sidelines. He became agitated, and a murderous intent appeared in his eyes. Although he had resolved to find the truth, the moment he heard Itachi's name, he still subconsciously felt a surge of killing intent. He still remembered how easily Itachi had defeated him. The terrifying ninjutsu and taijutsu he had used were something he couldn't even hope to stand against now!
But Tsunade had said that Naruto had already managed to make Itachi suffer a loss! This shocked Sasuke. At the same time, he felt a sense of powerlessness. No matter how hard he tried, it seemed the gap between him and Naruto was only growing wider.
"You mean Itachi? He's too obsessed with the power of his eyes," the Naruto in the center of the field said with a slightly disdainful laugh. "He thought that with Tsukuyomi, he could crush anyone. Of course I had to teach such a naive person a lesson." Naruto shot a meaningful glance at Sasuke.
Among ordinary ninja, the Sharingan was a game-changing eye. But in front of a true powerhouse, being too obsessed with one's eyes could become a weakness.
"Is that so? In my opinion, those eyes are quite terrifying," Tsunade said, closing the distance and throwing a full-force punch.
Alarm bells screamed in Naruto's head. He didn't dare to take the hit directly and hastily retreated to dodge.
BOOM.
With a deafening roar, the ground was blasted into a deep crater, and debris flew everywhere.
Naruto immediately teased, "Lady Hokage, in my opinion, your monstrous strength is far more terrifying than those eyes."
"I'd love to see you and Jiraiya-sensei get married. I imagine Jiraiya-sensei's married life would be quite miserable."
BOOM.
Another punch directly obliterated the large tree beside Naruto. The very fibers of the wood were pulverized by the immense force. This scene made Naruto's brow twitch.
"Gulp." The four on the sidelines, including Aburame Neri, all swallowed hard. Such power, such a woman! Who would dare to marry her?! Only a pervert like Jiraiya would rise to such a challenge!
Another missed strike made Tsunade feel a bit annoyed. She wasn't a combat-oriented ninja to begin with. Faced with such a slippery opponent, she was at a loss. She could only glare at him and say, "Come on, kid! Stop dodging and let me see your Kyoka Suigetsu."
Hearing this, Naruto stopped, a strange expression on his face that Tsunade couldn't quite decipher.
"If that's the case, then as you wish."
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
Kyoka Suigetsu shattered into mirror-like fragments that dissolved into the air, creating a beautiful, mesmerizing ripple effect.
Tsunade's vision blurred for a moment, but she didn't dare to be careless. A water-style Kekkei Genkai. It controls the water, mist, and other elements in the air to affect one's vision. It can also combine various elements in the air to form Kido of different attributes. This is all the intelligence we have on Naruto's Kekkei Genkai.
It could be used for support, it could be used for offense. Such a Kekkei Genkai was too versatile, too perfect. So perfect that she couldn't find a single flaw.
"Here he comes!" Naruto drew his sword and used Shunpo to appear in front of Tsunade, slashing with his blade.
The wind from the blade, the afterimage of the blade, even Naruto's own appearance is no different from the original. Everything is so real, Tsunade thought, her eyes fixed on Naruto.
"This is real!!!" The chakra in her body erupted, and she slammed her fist into the ground. The Naruto opposite her immediately lost his balance as the ground cracked.
How was it so easy? The question flashed through her mind. In the next moment, Tsunade's expression changed drastically!
"No, that's not right!"
She felt a sense of danger from her left. Her years of combat experience made her instantly turn and meet the attack with a punch.
SLASH.
Blood sprayed. A deep, bottomless wound suddenly appeared on Tsunade's right hand. And Naruto, having landed a successful strike, had already gracefully appeared in the distance.
Tsunade used the Mystical Palm Technique to begin healing her fist. In just a few seconds, the wound was completely healed. She looked at Naruto, a look of confusion in her eyes.
"So this is your Kekkei Genkai?"
She had originally thought that her combat experience would be enough to compensate for any visual illusions. But she had still fallen for it.
Naruto smiled.
"With such a powerful Kekkei Genkai, it's no wonder you were able to resist Tsukuyomi," Tsunade said, lowering her fist. "That's enough for today. I've loosened up my muscles, and my body feels much better. Thanks, kid. Shizune, let's go back. We still have a lot of paperwork to deal with." With that, Tsunade casually rolled her shoulders and swaggered towards the Hokage Tower.
"Lady Hokage, wait for me!" Shizune hurriedly trotted after her.
"So amazing! As expected of Naruto! To be able to be on equal footing with the Fifth Hokage… no, it seems Naruto is even stronger," Rock Lee said, horrified.
"Hmph. His strength is decent," Sasuke said with a sour face, a little annoyed, but his eyes were filled with envy.
"The Fifth Hokage, huh? Interesting." Naruto watched Tsunade's retreating figure, a grim look in his eyes.
He was now being closely watched by the higher-ups. Both Danzo's faction and the Hokage's faction were extremely wary of him. Danzo had just finished his probing, and the Hokage's faction had arrived without a moment's delay.
Naruto looked up at the sky, a strange smile on his face.