Mocking? A Gap Like a Chasm

"Aunt Tsunade is by the stream, that black-haired chakra is under the tree, and that white-haired chakra is in the tree."

Kushina quietly recounted the reconnaissance results.

She knew Tsunade, but she hadn't met Tsunade's companions, Orochimaru and Jiraiya. After all, she had only been in Konoha for a little over three months. Unlike her younger brother who seemed to have a cheat, her understanding of Konoha was still superficial.

Fortunately, she had memorized Orochimaru and Jiraiya's chakra signatures outside the training grounds beforehand; otherwise, she might not have been able to tell them apart.

"They aren't gathered together?" Minato rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

Otome also frowned, racking her brain for a solution. Meanwhile, Katsuki tugged on Kushina's sleeve, "helping" her catch up on Jiraiya and Orochimaru. However, due to his personal biases, Kushina heard it as: one was a pervert who liked to peek, and the other was a pervert who liked to do experiments... In short, they were both perverts, and she should definitely avoid them, and so on.

Kushina was half-skeptical of her brother's exaggerated description, reserving her judgment. What they needed to do now was to try and challenge the three of them, starting with Orochimaru.

None of the five present were afraid of a fight. Challenging a Jonin's shadow clone, what was that?

Katsuki had sparred with Sakumo. Although he was always on the receiving end, Otoha and Otome also had an elite Jonin father acting as a sparring partner. As for Kushina, she seemed to have a good relationship with Tsunade. Minato, the only one without a background, was worthy of becoming the Hokage in the future; he was calm and collected, with excellent mental fortitude.

After a moment of thought, they gathered again to discuss. Finally, they decided to focus their breakthrough on Tsunade.

They hadn't considered being able to wipe out all of Jiraiya's shadow clones. Anyone who thought that was still half-asleep; they just needed a good beating.

Eliminating even one shadow clone was an almost impossible task, but they had to try. Since Kushina was more familiar with Tsunade, even if the familiarity wasn't deep, she had a better chance against Tsunade than against Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

Katsuki wasn't sure about the combat styles of the Sannin in their youth. However, looking at their later years, Orochimaru's style was all about the bizarre and unpredictable. Jiraiya followed the path of a ninjutsu king, while Tsunade specialized in Medical Ninjutsu combined with super strength Taijutsu.

Tsunade would be the easiest to deal with, not because she was the weakest of the three, but because they, as rookies who hadn't mastered ninjutsu, would struggle to even get close to Orochimaru and Jiraiya. They'd be wiped out by ninjutsu from afar, which wouldn't be much fun. On the other hand, Tsunade, who used Taijutsu, might allow them to get closer, even though her super strength would be fatal on contact.

However, this was ultimately just training, and Tsunade would likely control her strength.

"I'll take the lead. Minato, you flank and harass. Otoha, Otome, you two support me," Katsuki commanded without hesitation. The others had no objections; they were all familiar with each other, and the strategy would be similar regardless of who was in charge.

"What about me? What do I do?" Kushina asked anxiously, feeling left out.

"Sis, you can stay here to cover us... Alright." Katsuki glanced at Kushina's murderous expression and immediately changed his tune. "How about this: you and Otome team up, and Otoha and I team up. We'll attack Tsunade-senpai from both sides."

The stream was clear, only about twenty centimeters deep, with pebbles of various sizes clearly visible at the bottom. Small fish, about an inch long, swam around. Some of the livelier ones even leaped out of the water, splashing water that wet Tsunade's sleeves.

"Attack!"

A loud shout erupted from the bushes on the opposite side of the stream. Several shuriken flew through the air, hidden within the roar, heading towards Tsunade.

"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack..."

All five shuriken missed their mark, embedding themselves in the trunk of a tree not far behind Tsunade. Tsunade merely squatted down, not moving her feet.

"Little ones, next time, attack from at least the high, mid, and low levels simultaneously. Attacking only the upper section is too easy to dodge." Tsunade even had the leisure to lecture. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she looked at the four people rushing out. It was these kids. She had thought that Hyuga kid would be the first to find them.

This was just a shadow clone, and it couldn't synchronize information with the main body in the Tower of Sealing.

Treading through the stream that reached their calves, Katsuki's leg muscles bulged. With a powerful leap, he curled into a ball, with only a sharp kunai protruding, swiftly thrusting towards Tsunade.

The pure Taijutsu training had paid off. Katsuki had been rigorously following White Fang's training regimen for the past five months, repeatedly pushing past his limits and tapping into his body's potential. His strength and speed had both significantly improved.

His sudden burst of speed was now about thirty percent faster than before, a truly astonishing improvement.

"Good speed!" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Standing bare-handed on the bank, without moving a single step, she coldly watched Katsuki approach. Just as the kunai was about to land, her right hand shot out like lightning.

She grabbed Katsuki's chiseled shoulder, her forearm tensing slightly. With a burst of force from her palm, Katsuki felt as if he had been hit head-on by a wild horse, tumbling backward and landing precisely on Otoha, who was right behind him. The two of them fell into the water with a splash.

As for Kushina and Otome, who were rushing from the right, Tsunade easily spun the two little girls around with just her left hand, sending them tumbling onto the grassy bank by the stream.

"Whoosh!"

A faint whistling sound came from behind her ear. Tsunade calmly turned her head, and the kunai grazed her hair as it flew past.

"Get down."

Tsunade finally moved, sidestepping Minato's kick. She stomped on the ground, and the earth beneath them trembled. Minato, who was preparing for a follow-up attack, lost his balance. Tsunade grabbed him by the neck, like a chick, and tossed him directly into the water.

Climbing out of the stream, Katsuki was indignant. "This is discrimination! All the girls are on the bank, but the three of us boys are all thrown into the water for a cold bath."

It was Konoha year 32, March. Although it was early spring, the stream water was still very cold.

The surprise attack had completely failed. Katsuki gritted his teeth, kicking up a splash of water, and charged at Tsunade with clenched fists, unyielding...

"Splash!"

"Splash!"

After being toyed with and tossed into the water by Tsunade multiple times, Otoha and Minato behaved identically. The three brothers attacked like madmen, using all their tricks: Shadow Clone Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Technique. They seemed determined to fight Tsunade to the bitter end.