c20: The Three Ninjas' Battle
"I came here this time to invite you to return to Konoha Village to serve as the Fifth Hokage. This is the unanimous decision of Konoha's top leaders," said Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's news made Tsunade sink into painful hesitation. She had once been someone who fought desperately to protect Konoha, but after losing both Nawaki and Dan during the wars, her heart had been shattered far too many times. After a brief moment of inner conflict, she still expressed her refusal.
Naruto saw this and said to Tsunade: "Hokage is the dream of many ninjas in Konoha Village. Even I'm training hard every day because becoming Hokage is my goal. But you treat the title of Hokage with such contempt. I can't understand why the higher-ups would ever want you to take over."
Tsunade glanced at Naruto and said to Jiraiya, "Who is this brat? I don't like his face from the moment I saw him."
Jiraiya replied, "This is my new disciple. His talent isn't inferior to that of the Fourth Hokage. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."
Tsunade was, of course, very familiar with the surname Uzumaki and the legacy of the Fourth Hokage, but she did not expect to encounter Minato's son so soon. Then she said to Jiraiya: "The Fourth Hokage gave his life during the Nine-Tails' attack to protect the village. My grandfather, the First Hokage, died ending the wars. The Second Hokage fell ensuring Konoha's future, and Hiruzen sacrificed himself to stop Orochimaru. Losing money in gambling means nothing, but a life is only once."
In truth, Naruto also understood the weight Tsunade carried. Everyone she cared about had died protecting Konoha, and that kind of grief had left a wound that was almost impossible for her to escape from.
Naruto said, "People can't live forever tied to the past. And besides, every Hokage chose their path according to their own beliefs, and that's something worth respecting."
Tsunade raised her voice and said, "What could you possibly know, little brat? Let's take this outside. I want to see what sort of 'genius' you think you are."
Although Naruto didn't want to fight Tsunade, he couldn't back down now, so he said, "Fine! Then I'll see what you, an old lady who calls herself one of the Legendary Sannin, can do."
So the two of them walked out into the street. Tsunade extended one finger and said, "One finger is enough to deal with a Genin." Naruto had never been belittled like this before, and he was furious. Jiraiya stood off to the side with Shizune, both of them sighing helplessly.
Although Naruto didn't quite believe one finger could defeat him, the opponent was one of the Sannin, so to be safe, he created five shadow clones. They launched shuriken from multiple angles, but Tsunade shifted lightly left and right, and with only precise flicks of a single finger, every shuriken was deflected. Then the shadow clones rushed in with taijutsu attacks, but Tsunade dispersed them one after another. From the feedback he received as the clones vanished, Naruto sensed that her raw strength was terrifying.
In less than ten seconds, all five clones had vanished, though Naruto also refrained from using large-scale ninjutsu so as not to destroy the surrounding buildings. And although he had heard the stories before, Tsunade's monstrous strength was even more unbelievable in person. Naruto immediately activated his Thunder God Armor, and with his improving chakra control, he had become increasingly proficient with the technique.
Seeing Naruto's Thunder God Armor, Tsunade sighed internally: "No wonder Jiraiya calls him a prodigy. This level of Lightning Release is close to a Raikage's armor, and he's only a kid. Maybe he really can surpass Minato one day. But this might become troublesome."
Naruto's body crackled with lightning, and he created another shadow clone. He began forming the Rasengan in his palm and charged toward Tsunade at high speed. When Tsunade saw the Rasengan, her eyes widened again: "You even learned that technique? Looks like one finger won't cut it after all." Tsunade instantly focused her chakra and strengthened both arms with precise control. One hand caught Naruto's Rasengan-bearing wrist, stopping the spiraling sphere just short of her chest, while her other hand struck Naruto with a controlled but heavy blow. Even though she held back considerably and Naruto had the protection of his Lightning Release—he still crashed backward more than ten meters.
Tsunade brushed dust from her sleeve and said to Naruto, "I admit your ability is impressive, but I still need time to think. Give me about a week."
There was only one week left, and the deadline she had with Orochimaru was also a week. A fierce confrontation with Orochimaru was becoming inevitable. His arms were sealed by the Reaper Death Seal and his power greatly reduced, but with Kabuto assisting him, the situation would still be extremely dangerous. No one could predict how the clash would unfold.
Naruto and Tsunade "butted heads" almost daily, and their small "duels" continued every time their tempers flared. In truth, Naruto also wanted the experience. But the week passed quickly, and soon the day of Tsunade's meeting with Orochimaru arrived. Tsunade had vanished early in the morning, and Shizune had been knocked unconscious. After a difficult search, they found Jiraiya, but his condition was clearly abnormal Tsunade had drugged him with a powerful sedative.
It was obvious that Tsunade intended to confront Orochimaru alone and eliminate anyone who would interfere. All they could do now was locate her, but Tsunade ultimately rejected Orochimaru's proposal. Despite everything, her nature was too compassionate. However, she still fought him because their conflict had too many unresolved grievances. During the battle with Kabuto, she was struck by his chakra-scalpel, which severed muscles rather than skin. But the more serious problem was that Tsunade's hemophobia her long-standing trauma had been triggered by the sight of blood.
By the time Naruto and the others arrived, Tsunade was trembling and unable to move, her strength completely suppressed by fear. Kabuto grew wary when Jiraiya appeared, since Jiraiya's strength was normally comparable to Orochimaru's, but Orochimaru refused to back down. Even with his hands crippled, with Kabuto's support he could still fight effectively.
Kabuto retreated to Orochimaru's side, removed the bandages from Orochimaru's arms, and used his blood to help Orochimaru perform the summoning hand signs with his mouth and elbows, calling forth two giant Manda-class snakes. Jiraiya immediately performed his own summoning technique, but because of the drug Tsunade gave him, he could only summon Gamakichi, causing Orochimaru to mock him for being pathetic. He also understood that Jiraiya was far from full strength.
Thus, Orochimaru was confident that if Jiraiya was weakened and Tsunade immobilized, victory was within reach. But Jiraiya countered with Earth Release: Toad Mouth Bind Yomi Numa. The swamp that formed wasn't deep enough to fully immobilize the two serpents, but it restricted their movement and greatly reduced their threat. Orochimaru charged across the snake's body at Jiraiya, and their clash briefly reached a stalemate.
As Orochimaru expected, Kabuto's talent was exceptional—on par with Kakashi's analysis skills and speed. Though Shizune was a skilled medic-nin, she had no effective way to handle Kabuto's unorthodox chakra-scalpel attacks. She was quickly caught off-guard when Kabuto used an Earth Release feint from below, severing the muscles in her legs and leaving her unable to stand.
But another issue remained. Kabuto glanced at Naruto nearby. Although Naruto's chakra was unstable compared to his own, the boy's talent was unusual. If they fought seriously, the outcome would be unpredictable. The Chunin Exam finals had not been long ago, and Kabuto couldn't accurately judge how far Naruto's strength had advanced.
Tsunade sat trembling nearby, and seeing Shizune fall, she could only place her remaining hope on Naruto. Judging from Naruto's Lightning Release, she believed he still had enough power to fight. However, based on her own experience clashing with Kabuto earlier, she remained deeply worried about Naruto's safety.
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