"Chidori!"
It sounded as though a thousand birds screamed at once.
A piercing electric shriek erupted as blue-white lightning engulfed Tobirama's right hand, ionizing the surrounding air and filling it with a scorched smell.
Tsunade's pupils contracted violently.
This was… Chakra Nature Transformation?!
Before she could even process it, Tobirama vanished—leaving behind nothing but a blue afterimage.
Too fast!
This kind of straight-line burst speed was impossible to track with the naked eye. Only instinct could react in time.
Tsunade's scalp prickled. Her body moved before her mind, violently twisting aside.
Shrrk—
The sound of fabric tearing rang out.
That lightning blade skimmed past her waist. It didn't touch her skin, but the searing heat tore a long gash through her combat uniform.
"Tch—she dodged?"
Tobirama's toes tapped the ground as he forcibly twisted his waist midair, borrowing the momentum to whip a roundhouse kick toward the back of Tsunade's head.
"Brat, don't get cocky!"
Tsunade roared. Her chakra exploded as she turned, chopping forward with a hand blade.
Bang!
Fist and foot collided.
Tobirama felt as if he had kicked solid steel—his entire leg went numb in an instant.
Using the recoil, he spun away like a top, forming hand seals again while still airborne.
The sequence flowed seamlessly, smooth as water, without a single wasted motion.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Not the Great Fireball—but the higher-tier Dragon Fire.
Three massive fire dragons roared forward, sealing off every possible escape route. The intense heat instantly scorched the ground black.
This time, Tsunade had nowhere to retreat.
"Ninjutsu at this level… are you getting chakra for free?!"
She cursed under her breath, snapping her hands together.
She didn't counter with ninjutsu.
After all—she was Tsunade.
Her fighting style could be summed up in a single word: overwhelming.
"Break!"
With a thunderous shout, a pale-blue chakra cloak enveloped her entire body as she charged straight through the flames.
The chakra condensed around her fist was so dense it emitted a blinding white glow.
One strength to shatter all techniques!
Boom—!
The fire dragons were smashed apart by a single punch, sparks scattering like a meteor shower.
But behind the flames—
There was no one there.
Alarm bells rang in Tsunade's mind.
Above!
She snapped her head up.
Tobirama was hanging upside down from a tree branch, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly. Kunai wrapped with explosive tags rained down as if they cost nothing.
"It's not over yet, Tsunade-sensei."
Boom—boom—boom—boom!
A chain of explosions tore through the clearing.
Dust surged skyward, rubble flying in all directions.
The entire training ground looked as though it had been plowed over, crater upon crater.
This was no longer sparring between teacher and student.
This was a genuine battlefield—life and death without restraint.
From the dust cloud, Tsunade burst out, looking slightly disheveled. Her face was smeared with grime, and several strands of her once-sleek blonde hair were singed.
Yet the battle intent in her eyes only burned brighter—mixed now with a trace of exhilaration.
"Good! Very good!"
"Uchiha Tobirama—you've given me one hell of a surprise!"
They collided again.
From the ground to the trees, from the trees to the surface of the water.
With the Sharingan's predictive vision and Lightning Release–enhanced Body Flicker Technique, Tobirama moved like a slippery eel, narrowly slipping past Tsunade's Super Strength Punches time and again.
Tsunade, meanwhile, was like a human siege engine. Wherever she passed, the land was left shattered. Even a grazing blow would mean broken bones and torn tendons.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty minutes passed.
Their tempo didn't slow—if anything, it grew more frantic.
Tobirama gasped for breath, sweat dripping from his chin.
Exhilarating.
So damn exhilarating.
So this was what it felt like to fight someone at Kage level?
Though Tsunade hadn't yet reached her absolute peak, she already stood at the top of the ninja world's hierarchy.
[Self-Assessment: Taijutsu, ninjutsu, and reaction speed have reached Elite Jōnin threshold.
Weaknesses: chakra reserves and endurance.]
Tobirama now had a clear grasp of his position.
Setting aside system-given trump cards and relying purely on raw strength, he could hold his own against Tsunade for about half an hour.
If it were a fight to the death… he might even seriously injure her.
That was enough.
Meanwhile, on a distant tree branch—
The two unlucky teammates, Tanaka Jiro and Suzuki Ai, finally stirred awake.
The moment they opened their eyes, a thunderous boom shook the air ahead.
A massive tree—thick enough that three people couldn't wrap their arms around it—was uprooted and hurled toward a figure in midair.
That figure casually split it in half with a backhanded Chidori.
"…Am I still dreaming?"
Tanaka Jiro rubbed his eyes, his mouth hanging open so wide it nearly dislocated.
"Is that… Uchiha Tobirama?"
Suzuki Ai trembled. That was their classmate?
That wasn't a person—that was a monster.
Was this really the quiet, aloof boy who rarely spoke?
This level of combat power—he was probably more terrifying than their clan heads!
"Is this really a genin who just graduated…?"
The two stared at each other, seeing the same awe and despair reflected back.
The gap was simply too great.
So great that even jealousy couldn't take root.
…
Back on the field.
Tobirama felt that more than half his chakra had been drained.
Too much was as dangerous as too little.
He had already shown enough. If this dragged on and Tsunade truly activated the Strength of a Hundred Technique, things would get troublesome.
He needed to give his superior a way out.
With that thought, his eyes flickered.
While dodging Tsunade's next heavy blow, his footwork slipped—just barely.
It looked like a tiny misstep born of exhaustion.
In a clash between masters, it was a fatal flaw.
Tsunade seized it instantly.
"Got you!"
She closed the distance in a flash, switching from a punch to a palm strike that stopped one centimeter from Tobirama's nose.
The shockwave alone stung his cheeks, whipping his bangs into chaos.
Time seemed to freeze.
Tobirama exhaled slowly. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan faded, his pupils returning to black.
He raised his hands, wearing that familiar, harmless smile.
"Tsunade-sensei is incredible."
"I'm out of chakra. I lose."
"Please take care of me from now on."
Tsunade withdrew her hand, chest rising and falling sharply.
She stared at him.
Shock. Doubt. And unmistakable appreciation.
That opening just now…
He did it on purpose, didn't he?
To preserve her dignity as his instructor.
Twelve years old. Elite Jōnin–level strength. And the social awareness of a seasoned veteran.
The Uchiha had produced a monster.
"Hmph."
Tsunade snorted and casually smoothed her messy hair.
"At least you know when to stop."
"Still, your taijutsu fundamentals need work. Your movements during the third dodge were unnecessarily redundant."
A perfectly graceful exit.
She then turned toward the two teammates trembling in the distance.
"You two gawking over there—if you're not dead, get over here!"
Tanaka Jiro and Suzuki Ai scrambled over, standing bolt upright, hardly daring to breathe.
Tsunade scanned the three of them, her gaze lingering briefly on Tobirama before her tone softened ever so slightly.
"Dismissed for today."
"Tomorrow morning at eight, same place."
"The front lines are critical. There's no time to rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll be taking B-rank missions."
With that, she vanished in a Body Flicker.
She needed to see the old man immediately.
With a genius like this on her team, all previous training plans were worthless.
…
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the achievement: Fifty-Fifty with Tsunade!]
[Calculating rewards…]
[Reward obtained: Mastery of all sword styles in the Naruto world (including Konoha Style, Kumogakure Style, and Samurai Style)!]
[Reward obtained: Ninja World War Era · Tsunade Peak Strength Card (100% integration. Chakra volume, super strength, and recovery reach peak Tsunade levels)!]
[New Function Unlocked: Naruto Duel Arena!]
As Tobirama left the training ground, the system notifications rang out like heavenly music.
What the hell?!
Peak Ninja War–era Tsunade?!
That was the kind of power capable of shattering Susanoo and kicking half of Madara Uchiha's body clean off!
A terrifying flood of chakra surged through him. His previously strained meridians filled instantly, even swelling to the point of discomfort.
Tobirama felt like he could punch the Hokage Rock into rubble.
As for that sword mastery—combined with the Sharingan, he would become a literal close-combat meat grinder.
And the "Naruto Duel Arena"…
He glanced at the panel.
[Naruto Duel Arena: You may enter one simulated battle per day. Opponents are matched randomly. Victory grants random rewards.]
Perfect.
That was basically a free daily gacha pull.
In high spirits, Tobirama hummed as he walked back.
Behind him, his two teammates showered him with praise.
"Tobirama-bro, you're insane!"
"You're our boss from now on!"
Tobirama responded casually, then brushed the two hangers-on aside.
Just as he reached the entrance of the Uchiha Clan compound, a member of the Military Police Force stopped him.
"Tobirama."
The man's expression was stiff, his tone cold.
"The Great Elder wants to see you."
Tobirama's smile faded slightly.
The Great Elder?
Uchiha Setsuna—that radical old hardliner.
"Understood."
He nodded and walked deeper into the compound with his hands in his pockets.
On both sides of the street hung the Uchiha fan crest.
The clansmen walked with heads held high, arrogance written plainly across their faces, hostility sharp in their eyes whenever they looked at outsiders.
Tobirama sighed inwardly.
Arrogance was a death sentence.
Only a few years remained before the Night of the Clan's Downfall—yet they were still basking in self-satisfaction.
…
The Great Elder's residence was dark and oppressive.
The air reeked of old incense.
The Great Elder sat at the head seat, hair and beard completely white. His clouded eyes still glinted with an unsettling sharpness.
"Tobirama is here."
He set down his teacup, wrinkles folding into a smile.
"Sit."
Tobirama complied, posture straight—neither servile nor arrogant.
"What does the Great Elder require of me?"
Instead of answering, the old man praised him first.
"I hear you graduated at the top of your class. Not bad—you didn't disgrace the Uchiha."
"And that you awakened the Three-Tomoe while still in school."
News traveled fast.
Tobirama sneered inwardly but replied respectfully, "Just good fortune."
"Luck is also a form of strength."
The Great Elder studied him. "How is your team assignment?"
"The jōnin instructor is Tsunade."
At the name, the old man's hand paused.
Clink.
The teacup lid struck the rim sharply, the sound piercing in the silence.
"That Senju woman…"
His tone grew measured.
"Tobirama—how do you view the clan?"
Here it was.
The question that decided life and death.
Tobirama's expression didn't change.
"The clan raised me. I am proud to be an Uchiha."
The standard answer.
The Great Elder nodded, then laid out the real bait.
"The Senju have always suppressed us. That Tsunade will not teach you sincerely."
"If you wish, the clan can intervene and request a change of instructor from the Hokage."
"Whether joining the Military Police Force or being led by an Elite Jōnin from the clan—it's better than following her."
"And with your talent, if you enter the Military Police directly, the position of Vice-Captain will be yours within three years."
A recruitment.
And a test.
He wants me tied to the radicals… and cut off from the village?
Tobirama's thoughts were crystal clear.
Agreeing now meant boarding the Uchiha's sinking ship.
But refusing outright would invite endless trouble.
"Thank you for your concern, Great Elder."
He bowed slightly, voice sincere.
"However, Tsunade is one of the Sannin and a master of medical ninjutsu. I wish to learn from her first. Understanding both sides will allow me to serve the clan better in the future."
"As for the Military Police Force…"
He paused, lifting his gaze, eyes firm.
"Once I become a Chūnin, I will apply immediately. I hope the Great Elder will support me then."
Loyalty expressed. Refusal delivered. Smooth and evasive.
The Great Elder stared at him for a full three seconds.
The air seemed to freeze.
Finally, the old man's lips curved into an ambiguous smile.
"Good."
"It's good for the young to have ideas."
"Follow Tsunade for now—but remember, your surname is Uchiha. Your roots are here."
"You may go."
Tobirama saluted and turned to leave.
Only after he stepped outside did he feel that suffocating gaze disappear.
Inside the room, the Great Elder watched his retreating back.
The kindly smile vanished, replaced by deep gloom.
"Such depth of thought at such a young age…"
"That's no twelve-year-old child—but an old fox."
"Hmph. I hope you're not an ungrateful white-eyed wolf…"
The teacup in his hand crumbled silently into dust.