Tsunade snorted.
"Kid, don't talk big. I'm going to crush you."
Kazuki smiled lightly.
"Sure. But what if I win?"
"You? Win?" Tsunade laughed confidently. "If you win, I'll agree to anything!"
"Let's go. Training ground."
Uzumaki Mito shook her head.
"You two go ahead. I'm going to rest. Keep it down—it's late."
Tsunade waved her off.
"Got it, Grandma!"
In her mind, this was simple.
She'd win, restore her dignity, and that would be the end of it.
Soon, Kazuki and Tsunade arrived at the training ground.
It was empty.
Tsunade walked over to a large boulder and casually smashed it with a single punch.
The rock shattered instantly, forming a flat surface.
"Perfect," she said. "Arm-wrestling table."
She looked at Kazuki.
"What's wrong? Scared?"
She had intended to intimidate him.
But Kazuki's expression didn't change at all.
That annoyed her even more.
"You'll see soon enough."
The two stood across from each other and clasped hands over the stone slab.
Tsunade glanced at Kushina.
"Kushina, stand back. Don't get hurt."
Kushina retreated about ten meters.
Then shouted:
"Three! Two! One! Start!"
"AAAAAAAH!"
The moment Kushina gave the signal, golden chakra exploded from Tsunade's body.
Kazuki smiled faintly.
His strength began to rise.
10%.
20%.
30%.
40%.
50%.
Purple chakra began to appear around him.
Tsunade's focus wavered slightly.
That chakra—
It looked exactly like her grandfather's.
At the same time—
An enormous force pressed against her hand.
"Hmph!"
She immediately activated the Yin Seal.
The Strength of a Hundred Technique flared.
Golden chakra surged violently as she tried to reclaim the advantage.
This brat… his strength is insane.
And he still looked relaxed.
"I don't believe you're stronger than me!"
The terrifying pressure exploded outward from the two of them.
Purple and gold chakra intertwined, forming a swirling storm.
RUMBLE!
The stone platform cracked.
The ground beneath them split open.
At home—
Hiruzen had just sat down when a member of the Anbu appeared.
"Tsunade and Kazuki are fighting again?!"
Sarutobi Biwako had just been complaining that he'd been working nonstop.
Their eldest son was about to graduate.
Their younger son, Asuma, was entering the Academy.
And yet Hiruzen had no time for family.
Now—
He sighed and stood up again.
Maybe overtime really was the Hokage's destiny.
Meanwhile—
Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato Namikaze had just returned after escorting Danzo out of the village.
They saw the purple-gold tornado rising from the training ground.
"What is that?"
"Let's check it out."
Back at the training ground—
Kushina had already retreated another ten meters.
She couldn't even see clearly through the swirling chakra storm.
Regret filled her heart.
Why did I suggest arm-wrestling?
How was this any different from a full fight?
Purple chakra surged upward from Kazuki like boiling water.
At the same time, thick wooden branches erupted from the ground around Kushina, forming a protective wall.
Even while focusing entirely on Tsunade—
Kazuki was still protecting Kushina.
Tsunade noticed.
"Hmph. At least you know how to protect Kushina."
Her fighting spirit—dormant for two years—was fully ignited.
Golden chakra blasted skyward, tearing through the clouds.
BOOM!
The pressure alone began collapsing the surrounding earth.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Large craters formed all around them.
"Kushina?!"
Kushina turned.
Minato and Sakumo had arrived.
"What's going on?"
Minato frowned as he looked at the barely visible purple and gold figures across the cracked stone slab.
"Kazu? And that woman is…"
"It's Tsunade," Sakumo said calmly.
"Tsunade-sama?!"
Minato's eyes widened.
Tsunade was one of the Legendary Sannin—on par with his own teacher.
"And… it looks like Kazuki has the upper hand."
Sakumo's expression grew serious.
Kazuki's strength exceeded even his expectations.
Sakumo's assassination techniques were considered among the best in Konoha.
But in pure strength—
He was inferior to Tsunade.
Yet Kazuki…
Was pushing her back.
Is the Senju bloodline really that terrifying once awakened?
The Senju truly were monsters.
"Breaking wrists with Tsunade and not losing…"
Minato felt a sting in his chest.
He had thought he was catching up to Kazuki.
Instead—
The distance between them seemed even greater now.