Bonus for 600 PS.
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Clang!
Buzz buzz buzz—
The blade collided with the fist wrapped in thick chakra, and the sharp sound rang out like clashing steel.
A dull hum followed, carrying a violent shockwave. A visible ring of force expanded outward once again.
The soil beneath their feet instantly sank and turned into powder.
Ryo's slash was like striking a solid wall. After a brief pause, a huge recoil surged back fiercely along the blade and into his arm.
Deng deng deng!
Ryo felt his chest churn with blood and his palms go numb. He was forced back three steps by that unstoppable force before barely steadying himself. Each step left a deep footprint in the wet mud.
"Ha!" Tsunade sneered smugly, not pausing for even a heartbeat. Her body spun into a high-speed blur, fists hammering like a storm of giant steel hammers.
Each strike, wrapped in violent chakra, smashed forward with force that could split mountains and crack stone. The fists blurred together, shadows merging into one, the violent wind pressure sending leaves and wood chips flying into a brutal force field that rained down toward Ryo.
"Come on!" There wasn't a trace of retreat in Ryo's eyes. Instead, a ferocious light flared.
His muscles tensed, blue veins bulging under his skin.
The long blade in his hand became an extension of his body, moving and parrying within the narrow space with incredible fluidity.
The heavy weapon felt as light as a feather. Sometimes it stabbed into the tiniest gaps in Tsunade's barrage like a snake flicking its tongue. Other times it diverted power like a sail catching the wind, redirecting momentum aside. The sword light flowed down like mercury, forming a cold, shimmering barrier.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The collisions rang out densely, enough to make one's teeth ache.
Every strike against Tsunade's chakra-coated fists sent dazzling sparks flying.
Inside the storm of fists, Ryo looked like a small boat tossed in giant waves, rocking and blocking, but somehow still afloat. His footwork was unnervingly efficient and precise, every step landing at an odd angle that let him stay upright at the edge of the vortex.
Then, a sharp, bowl-sized piece of wood was whipped into the air by the violent currents. Caught by the aftershock of Tsunade's punch, it spun like a crossbow bolt and shot silently toward the exposed gap behind Ryo's right shoulder.
Puff.
The wooden shard pierced into the outside of his shoulder. Blood spread instantly across his rough shirt, the stain dark and expanding.
Ryo's body only gave a slight tremor. His expression didn't even flicker.
The sword light in his hand didn't falter. Taking advantage of the imbalance caused by the impact, he twisted his waist, the strain on the wound shifting his weight just enough. A condensed blood-red sword aura snapped out like a venomous snake, silent yet lightning fast.
It cut under the arc of Tsunade's heavy right fist as it finished its swing.
"Tsk!" Tsunade's pupils shrank. Forced to pause, she felt a chill and a sharp sting along her forearm. New blood mixed with old, staining her arm almost completely red.
She glanced at Ryo's bleeding shoulder, at how unaffected he seemed, and the absurdity in her chest surged again.
Damn it, what kind of body is this?
Anyone else stabbed like that would be howling and dropping their weapon. But this brat didn't even twitch, as if neither the wood nor the blood belonged to him.
The relentless attacks and flawless defense were draining Ryo's stamina fast.
Sweat streamed from his clenched jaw, dripping into the mud beneath his feet.
Each breath seared his lungs.
His muscles grew sore and stiff after endless rapid pivots and bursts of strength, like fine lead sand was filling his joints.
"Not good enough!" Tsunade caught the faint urgency in his breathing, the split-second delay in his movements.
She inhaled deeply, chakra in her body surging like a flood. Her presence spiked sharply.
The milky-white chakra wrapping her fists turned blinding, like two burning miniature suns. The explosive roar of her punches became so sharp it stabbed the eardrums.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three consecutive detonations like war drums shook the clearing.
Each clash with Ryo's blade sent out shockwaves and showers of sparks.
But his steps were growing heavier. Each retreat carried him back farther than the last. The veins on his sword arm bulged as if resisting a battering ram.
The fourth punch came, heavier still. The blade finally groaned under the pressure.
Ryo's body lost its balance, blasted away like a stone from a catapult.
Boom!
An ancient tree, thick enough for three people to encircle, took the impact. Its bark burst apart, spiderweb cracks spreading across the trunk. Ryo slammed hard against it, then slid down to the ground.
Dust filled the air.
He dropped to one knee, clutching his chest with his left hand, gasping for breath.
Sweat dripped like rain, mixing with blood from his shoulder, pooling dark in the mud.
Strength poured out of him like floodwater. That last blow had nearly wrung the last of his reserves dry.
His sword stuck deep in the dirt beside him, the handle trembling and humming.
Tsunade stood firm, the light fading from her fists.
She was panting, sweat beading her temples, but her aura didn't waver.
Her sharp gaze pinned the boy, rough voice biting through the heavy air. "Hmph. Tough brat. But you think this little bit of strength is enough to topple a veteran?"
She flexed her bloodied wrist and strode closer. "For all your stamina, it's still not enough. You need more training."
Ryo lifted his head. No surrender burned in his eyes—only fire.
He planted a hand on the ground, pushing himself to stand.
But his legs felt filled with molten lead, twitching painfully. A sudden burn shot through his muscles.
He stumbled, one knee nearly giving way.
His breath came faster, vision blurred by sweat.
Tsunade's shadow loomed over him.
Watching his stubborn refusal to give in, even at his limit, something flickered across her gaze—complex and fleeting.
Two years.
From a boy who couldn't even take a punch, to someone who forced her into this state…
She crouched, her broad hand slapping his sweaty shoulder, avoiding the bleeding wound.
His skin burned with heat, muscles taut with stubborn vitality.
"You little brat." Her voice was still rough and commanding, but there was something unspoken beneath it. "What a monster."
She exhaled heavily, her breath brushing his damp forehead. "Even I have to admit, you beat me down hard today. Tsk. Unbelievable. At my age, losing ground to a kid?"
Wiping sweat from her face, she threw it aside. "People call me a genius?"
Her lips twisted into a self-mocking smile, eyes clouding like she was staring back into the Senju training grounds of the past. "Genius? At eleven, I was just promoted to Chūnin, still struggling not to end up looking like a pincushion from a few senbon."
Her eyes snapped back to Ryo, streaked with sweat and dirt yet unyielding. "But you? You're a monster. At your age, with this strength… even my grandfather, Senju Hashirama, the so-called God of Shinobi, wasn't necessarily stronger."
The words tumbled out raw, then she abruptly waved them away, dismissing her own sentiment.
Her expression darkened, like storm clouds blotting out the sunset.
"Those geezers in Konoha…" Tsunade's tone turned sharp, her irritation unmasked. Straightening, her brows knitted tight. "The order came down. I'm to deploy to the Land of Rain immediately."
Her eyes cut past the Forest of Death's canopy, toward the northwest, where war clouds gathered.
"…The war has begun."
Ryo said nothing.
(To be continued.)
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