When Tsunade heard from Dan Kato that the examiner named Taka bore the Inuzuka surname, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
After all, her own self-propelled husky warhead—Shiba Inu type—had most likely already put a green hat on the Inuzuka clan's male dogs. And now that she thought back to Taka saying, "Thanks for taking care of my kid lately," things just got worse.
There was no doubt. Judging by the circumstances, her husky had taken very good care of his "kid." At this rate, they might even discover some new little ones popping out soon... And knowing the husky's bloodline, they probably wouldn't be too bright. Tsunade couldn't help but feel a mix of emotion and worry for those future pups.
"Looks like I misunderstood you. After this war's over, I'll make it up to you properly."
With that, Tsunade turned and—gracefully—walked away, tossing back a parting line, "Before you pass down your precious family genes, try not to die, alright?"
As Tsunade left and Dan looked at the approaching Cloud ninja from a distance, tears of emotion nearly welled up in his eyes.
Of course, Tsunade hadn't realized any of that. She just felt a little awkward around Dan and, more importantly, she noticed that little brat from the Hatake clan was hogging the spotlight. Everyone was focused on him. If she didn't make a move soon, she might just get completely forgotten.
But making a scene required finesse. You couldn't just shout "Hey, I'm awesome!" and expect people to gather around. Even the main character needed a striking enough post to catch attention on the top floor.
On that front, combining with her husky and transforming would've been a surefire way to steal the show—but it lacked elegance. Tsunade didn't want to leave an uncultured impression on the crowd.
The real problem was, she lacked a jutsu that could earn her a glorious victory with grace.
As she thought it through, her eyes fell on her own kimono—then a short sword—then naturally, the young master from the Hatake clan entered her line of sight.
…You'll do!
With her decision made, Tsunade stopped hesitating and made a beeline toward the Hatake brat.
At that moment, Hatake Sayun—Tsunade vaguely remembered that was his name—was in the thick of a melee with a group of Sand and Cloud ninja. Though none of their attacks had landed on him, the sheer number of enemies forced him into constant evasion, making it hard to gain any advantage.
That said, anyone still standing at this stage wasn't exactly weak.
"Move!"
As soon as her voice dropped, Tsunade finished her hand seals and leaped into the air, spitting out a blazing fireball.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The high-speed fireball expanded rapidly, looking from afar like a burning sun. The intense heat was palpable even at the exam grounds' edges—those standing closer felt the moisture in the air evaporating around them.
The Uchiha in the audience were dumbfounded.
You're telling me this is just a Great Fireball Jutsu!?
But among the Sand ninja, there were clearly some elites too. At the critical moment, one of them finally stopped hiding his strength and unleashed a high-level Wind Style technique.
Wind swirled around his hand at extreme speed, each current sharp like a blade capable of slicing through steel, eventually forming an invisible sword.
"This is...!!!"
Even Sayun was stunned. He knew that with proper preparation, he could dodge it—but the sheer destructive power packed into that jutsu shocked him. He didn't even take the full force of it and could still feel its terrifying force.
This wasn't something a mere Great Fireball could withstand, even if Tsunade's version was… unconventional.
The Sand ninja looked like he was wielding a massive invisible sword, his eyes locked fiercely on the incoming fireball. The surrounding sand and heat surged violently, and nearby shinobi instinctively stepped back.
"Wind Style: Blade of Wind!"
This was an A-rank jutsu—either forbidden or high-level, not because it was technically banned, but because mastering it came with extreme risk or its effects often defied nature itself!
Though not a forbidden technique, Wind Style: Blade of Wind was by no means something an average genin could hope to use!
"Do it, Lord Maki! Show these arrogant Leaf nin what we Sand ninja are made of!" shouted a one-armed Sand ninja who had been sliced up earlier by Sayun.
"Hmph, nothing can block this move!"
With confidence brimming, Maki leapt high into the air.
"BREAK!"
The rapidly spinning wind blade crashed into the massive fireball like a sharp sword slashing through the sun—aiming not just to slice through the flame but to cut down Tsunade behind it too. The energy was overwhelming!
"Run!!"
Sayun barely had time to shout a warning. Despite thinking Tsunade was a bit of a joke, as a fellow Leaf shinobi of the same reputation tier, he didn't want to see her fall to a rival village's hands.
Yet Tsunade in mid-air didn't flinch. Maybe she couldn't change her trajectory—or maybe she didn't want to. Her hands formed seals again, and she spat out a surging wall of water like a tidal wave.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
That won't work!
Sayun knew this jutsu too—it was no match against Wind Style: Blade of Wind. That technique's cutting power was insane. A mere water wall would be shredded like soggy paper.
In the next instant, Maki's wind blade cleaved the fireball cleanly in two… and then—Tsunade turned into a block of wood.
"…"
The whole scene was such an over-the-top buildup with such a cliché finish that the Sand ninja were momentarily at a loss.
But Sayun suddenly understood what Tsunade meant by "Move!" earlier. Without hesitation, he bolted, putting every ounce of energy into his legs, reaching a speed even he didn't know he was capable of.
Then—two fireballs crashed into the ground.
"BOOM!!"
Twin mushroom clouds erupted skyward, sneering at the heavens with a twisted grin. Every ninja within the blast radius was obliterated in an instant, leaving behind a massive pit of scorched lava.
"Great Fireball Jutsu?" Sayun muttered, swallowing hard. "That was basically a forbidden technique…"
At last, he remembered—this girl named Senju Tsunade, this so-called prodigy, had built her entire reputation on the overwhelming, logic-defying power of her jutsu.
And Tsunade? She was very satisfied.
After stacking her Great Fireball Jutsu with twenty-one level-ups from the system, its power had clearly reached forbidden jutsu territory. The system's "no upper limit" setting for jutsu made it utterly absurd—but also massively draining. Even firing it once left her winded.
Still, she hadn't forgotten her plan. She immediately rushed over to Hatake Sayun.
"Lend me your short sword."
"No."
"…"
Geez—she's not your wife; did you really have to shut her down that fast!?
(End of Chapter)
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