"Boom!~"
An overwhelmingly powerful force, like a Mountain pressing down, heavily hammered Naruto's three overlapping chakra tails above his head.
However, this time, Tsunade's attack was like striking cotton. Part of the force was absorbed first, then the indented "cotton" instantly rebounded like a spring, bouncing the remaining force back and sending Tsunade flying.
Bang!~
Tsunade flipped in midair. After landing, she didn't pause at all. She pushed off the ground and leapt toward Naruto, raising her right leg high like a battle axe before bringing it down fiercely.
"Hoo ah!"
Boom!~
With that kick, the ground beneath Naruto cracked once again. The three overlapping chakra tails above his head were pushed to their limit, nearly brushing his hair.
This time, Tsunade didn't give Naruto any chance to counterattack. Before her own power could be rebounded by the chakra tails, she withdrew her strength and immediately followed up with another kick aimed at Naruto's face.
Naruto's pupils constricted. He raised his arms to block, but his entire body was still sent flying by the immense force, only stopping when he crashed into a mountain several hundred meters away.
"Heh!~"
Tsunade grinned, crouched slightly into a sprinting posture, then kicked off the ground. Her figure shot forward, rapidly chasing after Naruto.
It seemed that this Sannin's fighting spirit had finally been ignited after a long time.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
When Tsunade reached the mountain Naruto had been kicked into, the roar of battle erupted once more. From afar, it looked as though the entire mountain was violently shaking under the force of their clash.
"This commotion… Tsunade isn't really going all out, is she?"
Jiraiya watched the distant mountain, his eyelids twitching as he muttered, "What exactly did that kid say to her?"
Although angering Tsunade had been his idea, he hadn't expected Naruto to truly ignite her fury.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
Shizune also sensed the intensity of the battle. She cautiously approached Jiraiya and said uneasily, "Lady Tsunade seems genuinely angry. Do you really not need to stop her?"
From the scale of the destruction, Tsunade was clearly serious. Shizune was worried that Jiraiya's disciple might be beaten to death.
"Hahahahaha!~"
Jiraiya laughed. "It's fine. That kid won't die so easily."
He was confident in Naruto's strength. What worried him more was how to resolve the situation afterward. Tsunade had likely already realized his intentions, and without paying some price, it wouldn't be easy to calm her anger.
Half an hour later.
"Huff!~ Huff!"
Naruto lay on the ground, breathing heavily, but his face still carried lingering satisfaction and excitement.
In his battle with Tsunade, he had truly experienced the power of a Sannin.
The fight had directly destroyed a mountain. Especially Tsunade's monstrous strength at the end, which could even break through his three-tailed chakra cloak, made Naruto's heart tremble.
Although Jiraiya had forbidden him from using anything other than Nine-Tails chakra—and he wasn't allowed to use destructive techniques like the Tailed Beast Ball, maintaining only a three-tailed state—this still wasn't his full power.
Moreover, Tsunade wasn't even a combat-oriented Sannin.
Her "monstrous strength" wasn't pure physical power like Naruto's, but the precise concentration of chakra at a single point before releasing it in an instant.
Even though Naruto could clearly observe the flow of chakra with Observation Haki and the Transparent World, he couldn't replicate it at all. It wasn't an ability—it was simply masterful chakra control.
To learn such a technique, talent alone wasn't enough. Only years of practice could make it possible.
"Naruto-kun, are you alright?"
Seeing Naruto lying on the ground, Karin thought he was injured. She hurried over, rolled up her sleeve, and offered it to him anxiously.
"Are you hurt? Do you want to bite me?"
"I'm fine."
Naruto sat up, stretched his aching body, then smiled slightly. "I was just reliving the battle. Sorry for worrying you."
"Y-you're fine… that's good."
Karin withdrew her arm and lowered her head. "And I should be the one apologizing… I couldn't help at all."
"Karin."
Naruto suddenly called her name. When she looked up, he met her eyes seriously and pointed at her arm.
"Don't do that again. You're not a tool. Anyone who treated you as one no longer exists."
"I—"
Karin froze, then her face flushed. She lowered her head and nodded softly. "I understand."
"Hehe!~"
Naruto smiled in satisfaction, stood up, dusted himself off, then clutched his stomach.
"I'm hungry. Let's go eat!"
"Mm!~"
Karin nodded gently and followed behind him, gazing at his back with light sparkling in her red eyes.
On the other side.
"That brat… what a monster!"
Tsunade grumbled as she sat down in front of Jiraiya, looking irritated. "Jiraiya, I won't fuss about you using me as a sparring partner for your disciple, but my appearance fee is very high. If you dare renege, I'll definitely kill you!"
By now, Tsunade fully understood Jiraiya's intentions. Still, after fighting Naruto, she had to admit that the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was indeed terrifyingly strong.
"Small matter."
Jiraiya waved his hand generously, then said, "As long as you promise me one thing, I'll help you pay off all your gambling debts."
"Hmm?"
Tsunade eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want? Don't think I'll agree to unreasonable demands just for money. Say something outrageous, and I'll punch you."
She raised her fist threateningly.
Jiraiya's face darkened. "Tsunade, what nonsense are you thinking? Do you really think I'd be interested in an old hag who likes to pretend she's young?
I've always liked young and beautiful girls!~"
"Bastard! What did you just call me?!"
Tsunade slammed her fist down angrily. "You really want to die, Jiraiya!"
"Hehe, calm down, I was joking."
Jiraiya leaned back with his hands raised. "I didn't originally plan to look for you, but while training Naruto, we ran into a pitiful child."
Tsunade frowned but didn't interrupt.
"That child resembles Kushina—red hair, abundant chakra. She should be from the same place. I think it'd be best to entrust her to you."
"Red hair… Uzumaki Clan?"
Tsunade hesitated, memories flashing through her mind, but she eventually shook her head. "My current state isn't suitable. I'm sorry, Jiraiya."
"What a pity."
Jiraiya sighed. "Then I'll have to send her back to the Village. But with her identity, if no one watches over her, she'll easily become a target."
He exaggeratedly described Karin's experience, moving Shizune to tears.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune pleaded.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade cursed. "You always cause trouble!"
Then she snapped at Shizune. "Since you're so sympathetic, you'll take care of that brat!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune replied happily.
"Hahahahaha!~"
Jiraiya burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?!" Tsunade roared.
Karin's future was decided amid shouting and laughter.
Rumble!
A sudden explosion echoed from afar. The expressions of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune changed instantly.
That direction—
Naruto.
Jiraiya and Tsunade moved at the same time, flashing toward the source.
They were stopped by a man in black robes with red clouds.
"Sorry," the masked man said calmly. "This path is closed."
Tsunade charged straight ahead.
Jiraiya slowed slightly, forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Flames roared forward.
"The intel was wrong. There are two Sannin…"
The man quickly formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Boom!~
Steam exploded outward as fire and water collided.
Tsunade passed through the steam without slowing.
On the shattered mountain.
Naruto stood cloaked in four-tailed chakra, Karin behind him.
Opposite him stood a man with a massive sword and a feral grin.
"Who are you?" Naruto demanded.
"This chakra… a Jinchūriki."
The man sneered. "Come quietly, kid, or suffer."
Before he finished—
Tsunade descended from the sky.
Boom!
"This is Tsunade of the Leaf!"
The man cursed inwardly. The intel was wrong.
Two Sannin.
Damn it.
Should he retreat?
This mess was all the fault of bad intelligence.
---
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