"Excellent."
Uchiha Gen smiled faintly, drawing Shizukamaru from his waist and slashing in a single smooth motion.
A blinding web of white fire erupted instantly, an intricate fusion of wind and flame. The blazing lattice roared outward, its heat searing and its edges razor-sharp. Then, from above, two streaks of blue-white lightning as thick as a child's arm crashed down from the heavens.
The attack was devastating, enough to instantly kill most shinobi in the world. Even a Kage-level ninja caught off guard would struggle to defend against it.
But Tsunade and Jiraiya didn't flinch. Without a word, they moved in perfect sync, instinctively dividing the assault between them.
Tsunade's right fist flared with bright blue chakra. She gathered her monstrous strength and struck forward.
The air itself exploded from the force of her blow. A violent shockwave blasted out, tearing the flaming net apart in a single pulse of raw power.
At the same moment, Jiraiya flicked his hand skyward. Two kunai spun through the air, each wrapped with explosive tags that detonated just before colliding with the descending bolts.
Boom! Boom!
The twin explosions swallowed the lightning, scattering it into bursts of crackling sparks.
Though Uchiha Gen hadn't unleashed Shizukamaru's full power, Jiraiya's reaction and precision were flawless.
As their counterattacks met his, neither of the Sannin slowed. They burst through the scattering flames, diving toward Gen in a seamless flurry of Taijutsu, a relentless storm of strikes, faster and sharper than thunder.
But under the gaze of Gen's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, every movement, every twitch of muscle, was seen in slow motion. What to others might have been overwhelming looked to him like a carefully choreographed dance. Each strike, each shift of footing, he read and flowed around with effortless precision.
The three fought through the forest in a blur, dashing from branch to ground, from shadow to sky. Their movements were so fast and fluid that even seasoned jōnin would struggle to follow with the naked eye.
Trees shattered. Wind howled. Dust spiraled into the air. Birds scattered in panic and beasts fled in every direction, the quiet forest transformed into a storm of destruction.
After several minutes of fierce exchanges, all three broke apart.
Uchiha Gen stood perfectly composed, not a speck of dust on him. Tsunade and Jiraiya, though unharmed, had torn sleeves and faint scorch marks on their clothes.
The two legendary Sannin exchanged glances. They didn't need words to understand each other's thoughts.
This kid was too strong. His speed, reaction time, and strength were already monstrous but what truly unnerved them was his Sharingan. Their every move was being read in advance.
Then, without warning, Tsunade kicked a nearby tree, it was so thick that three men couldn't encircle it, and sent it hurtling toward Gen like a giant log projectile. She immediately crouched and slammed a fist into the earth. The ground split open in a widening crack that raced forward toward him.
Gen's figure flickered. He swung Shizukamaru again, and another net of white fire blazed forth. It sliced the massive tree into fragments, the edges glowing like molten steel before bursting into flames.
Before landing, Gen hurled Shizukamaru downward. The blade, wrapped in swirling lightning, pierced the ground like paper and vanished into the earth.
Underground, Jiraiya froze mid-step, his instincts screaming. Just ahead of him, the earth lit up with a flash of electric blue. Cold sweat dripped down his temple.
If he hadn't retreated that instant, if not for years of battle-honed instinct, Shizukamaru's lightning-charged edge would've skewered his skull from above.
Aboveground, Gen balanced lightly on the sword's hilt as it jutted from the soil. The ground beneath him pulsed, releasing arcs of blinding lightning.
Lightning moved faster than thought. It caught up with Jiraiya in an instant. The current surged through him, forcing a grunt from his throat as he clenched his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain.
Tsunade dove from above. Her leg came down like an axe.
Boom!
The ground erupted. A massive fissure split the earth, but Tsunade had carefully angled the impact. Had she spread the shockwave outward, Jiraiya would've been crushed underground.
Gen sidestepped rather than meet her power head-on, recalling Shizukamaru to his hand in one smooth motion.
If not for Tsunade's interference, that move alone might have ended the fight.
Jiraiya burst from the broken ground, landing beside Tsunade with a wry grin.
"I was careless," he admitted. "I should've sent an Earth Clone instead, then gone in myself."
Tsunade shot him a glare but held her tongue.
Gen smiled faintly. "Even if you had, it wouldn't have worked. Clone, sneak attack, it makes no difference. I see everything."
He sheathed Shizukamaru with a calm, deliberate motion.
"To beat me, you'll need to do it head-on. No tricks, no traps."
Then, with a light chuckle, he added, "But honestly, I don't see much point in continuing this. Fighting you two only exposes more of my techniques, and there's no benefit in that."
Tsunade and Jiraiya's expressions darkened. They understood the meaning behind his words.
They had read the reports from the Third Hokage, knew Gen's power, his cunning. Forcing him to continue was pointless. He could vanish whenever he wanted, and none of them could stop him.
Tsunade folded her arms, voice steady.
"Fine. Then let's make this simple. You want something in return? What benefit do you want, brat?"
Gen paused as if considering, then smiled.
"How about this? After this, Lady Tsunade goes on a private date with me."
Jiraiya's face immediately turned stormy. "That's too much! Absolutely not!"
Ignoring him, Gen turned to Tsunade. "What about you, Lady Tsunade? What's your answer?"
Her expression didn't change. "A date, huh? We're not lovers, so what's the point?" She paused, then shrugged. "Still, spending some time alone with you, I suppose that's fine."
Jiraiya spun toward her, appalled. "Tsunade! You can't be serious, it's too dangerous!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "What's dangerous about it? No matter how outrageous this brat is, I doubt he'd dare to use force."
Her tone sharpened. "If he disappoints me… unless he kills me right then and there, I'll make him regret it. I can't beat him but I can take it out on his women. On the Uchiha clan, maybe?"
Her voice carried that dangerous Senju edge, vindictive and confident. Tsunade was no fool, and Gen knew it.
Gen smiled faintly. "Rest assured, Jiraiya-senpai. When I said 'any means necessary,' I wasn't referring to physical coercion. Lady Tsunade is far too beautiful for that."
Tsunade shot him a deadly glare, though a faint smirk tugged at her lips. She wasn't nearly as angry as she pretended to be.
Jiraiya sighed. "Fine. But remember what you said, Gen. If you break your word, I won't hold back either."
"Don't worry," Gen replied smoothly. "I meant what I said."
Then he straightened, eyes glinting. "Now then, get serious, both of you. I'm starting to get bored."
He wasn't opposed to showing them some of his power, so long as it didn't leak to outsiders. If anything, letting them feel the gap firsthand might be beneficial.
The Sannin exchanged a glance, then nodded. It was time to go all out.
"Yin Seal: Release!"
"Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth!"
Tsunade's hands blurred through seals. The diamond mark on her forehead unfurled like a blooming flower, spreading black markings across her body as her chakra surged.
"Summoning Technique!"
She bit her thumb, pressed her hands to the ground, and with a thunderous Bang!, a massive cloud of smoke erupted. When it cleared, a colossal, blue-and-white slug loomed over the forest—Katsuyu.
Tsunade stood proudly atop Katsuyu's head, golden hair whipping in the wind.
Jiraiya followed suit.
"Summoning Technique!"
Another explosion of white smoke and Gamabunta appeared, pipe in mouth, red skin gleaming, bandages at his waist, a massive blade at his side. Jiraiya landed on his head, long white hair streaming behind him.
Two smaller toads appeared on his shoulders, Fukasaku on the right, Shima on the left.
As the two Sannin prepared, Gen also began his summoning. He bit his finger, wove seals, and pressed a hand to the earth.
"Summoning Technique!"
A wave of white smoke surged. When it cleared, a crimson fire dragon, over twenty meters long, coiled in the air, its scales shimmering like molten gold. Beside it floated a small white cloud that lifted Gen into the sky, high enough to meet his opponents' gaze.
The dragon's golden-red eyes gleamed with a predator's calm intelligence as it circled its master protectively.
Jiraiya and Tsunade froze for a moment.
No Susanoo?
Was this creature stronger? Or… were they simply not worthy of seeing his Susanoo?
Even the elder toads stared, wide-eyed.
"A dragon?" Shima whispered, her excitement palpable.
"I saw it too," Fukasaku muttered. "There really is a dragon in this world…"
"That's no real dragon," Jiraiya said grimly. "It's one of his creations. A special kind of chakra entity."
"Ah. I see." Shima sighed in disappointment. "For a moment, I thought it'd put those snakes from Ryuchi Cave to shame."
Gamabunta puffed his pipe and squinted upward. "Hey, Jiraiya," he grumbled. "This setup feels a bit overkill, doesn't it? That brat's your Uchiha clan head, the provisional Hokage, right? You picking fights with your own village now?"
Katsuyu's soft, bell-like voice chimed in, "You've misunderstood, Gamabunta. We're merely sparring between seniors and a junior. His strength is simply too high. If we don't go all out, we can't even pressure him."
Jiraiya nodded. "Exactly. And his eyes… they're beyond even the normal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Gamabunta snorted. "You sayin' he's that strong? Don't tell me he's the next God of Shinobi."
"You're not far off," Fukasaku said gravely. "His chakra is nearly on par with Senju Hashirama himself."
Jiraiya smiled wryly. "It's a pity Orochimaru isn't here, we could've called it a class reunion."
Gen chuckled softly. "Oh, don't worry. You'll get a reunion of sorts."
He bit his finger again, hands forming seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
A massive swirl of smoke burst into existence, and when it cleared, a dark purple serpent with black markings loomed, eyes like twin blades.
"Who dares summon me while I'm eating?!" it hissed furiously, wind whipping from its jaws.
Gen floated beside its head, calm as a mirror.
"Manda. I'll give you one chance to rephrase that."
The snake froze, recognition dawning. "Ah... Lord Gen! You should've summoned me sooner. It's been… uncomfortable not serving you lately."
Its tone flipped instantly from rage to trembling submission. Even its massive coils shuddered slightly.
Everyone watching, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Katsuyu, Gamabunta, stared in disbelief.
Since when did Manda, the most temperamental summon in the world, act this humble? Even Orochimaru had to bargain with him every time.
Only Gen knew the truth. He hadn't beaten Manda into submission, he'd broken its spirit. During his time training Sage Mode in Ryuchi Cave, he'd subjected the serpent to genjutsu so humiliating that even thinking about it made Manda want to crawl into a hole.
No physical wounds. No death threats. Just psychological torment that shattered its pride.
And now, one glare from Gen was enough to make Manda coil like a whipped dog.
Gamabunta puffed smoke, laughing. "Well, look at that! The great stinky snake himself, trembling like an earthworm. Didn't think I'd live to see the day."
Manda's eyes flashed with killing intent but before it could snap back, Gen gave a subtle nod.
That was all it took.
Manda lunged forward, scales glinting.
"You stinking toad... I'll swallow you whole!"
The forest trembled as the two titans collided, and in the air above, Uchiha Gen smiled quietly, his Sharingan spinning like a blood-red storm.
The true battle had only just begun.