"Go!"
Uchiha Otoha gripped the massive Fuma Shuriken with both hands, his arm muscles bulging and his face flushed red with effort as he swung the huge thing around and hurled it with all his strength.
The Fuma Shuriken was a version of the ordinary shuriken enlarged tenfold. It had a terrifying appearance, tremendous destructive power, and... utterly terrible concealment.
Its excessive size meant it could only be used in open terrain. Yet with such an unobstructed view, there was no way to hide it. Its sharp, whistling wind-screech was deafening as it flew, and anyone who was not blind could see the huge shadow it cast.
So ever since this thing had been invented, few people besides the Uchiha Clan, who had brought shuriken techniques to their peak, used such a cumbersome weapon. Then again, it seemed the person who had first developed it had been an Uchiha as well...
The instant the massive weapon left Otoha's hands, Minato and Katsuki each formed hand seals and created five or six clones, rushing forward together. Real and false, illusion and substance—they did not expect to fool Tsunade's eyes, only to disrupt her vision a little. That alone would make the effort worthwhile.
"These little brats really have plenty of tricks." Tsunade shook her head with a smile, casually extending her right foot and stomping the ground. The earth along the creek bank rolled over, and clumps of flying mud struck and dispersed the false clones one after another. Only Minato remained, crossing his arms over his face as he endured the incoming mud and tried to keep his footing.
By then, the Fuma Shuriken was already right before her. Tsunade boldly threw out a punch straight at it, seemingly unafraid of being cut by its sharp blades. But at the very instant her fist touched the Fuma Shuriken, there was a bang, and faint chakra smoke rose as Katsuki revealed his true form.
He raised his left shoulder and took Tsunade's punch head-on. The muscles in his right arm swelled, veins bulging as he clenched his fist and drove it fiercely toward Tsunade's lower abdomen.
Couldn't help it—he was too short!
"Kid, you've got guts." A trace of approval flashed through Tsunade's eyes. He would rather take an injury than let this rare opportunity slip away. That was a bold decision. "Too bad you miscalculated one thing."
Tsunade instantly changed her fist into a claw and clamped down hard on Katsuki's left shoulder. Then... Katsuki's fist stopped when it was three centimeters from Tsunade's abdomen. This time... his arms were too short!
Damn it! This was impossible! He was practically being driven to tears!
With a splash, Katsuki was floundering in the creek again.
"These little brats are really tough." Jiraiya sat on a tree branch, watching Tsunade beat up the children.
"If they knew Tsunade would not kill them and still did not dare to fight with everything they had, then they would be complete trash." Orochimaru leaned against a large tree with his arms crossed. His shadow clone had the same personality and memories as the original, so naturally his words remained just as merciless.
Jiraiya shrugged, completely unconcerned. He and Orochimaru had been friends since childhood, so he was long accustomed to Orochimaru's cutting remarks. If anything, Orochimaru had shown restraint this time. At least he had not directly called the children trash.
"But if Tsunade keeps dragging this out, her chakra will run dry soon enough." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and made his judgment.
After all, they were only dealing with a group of children. The shadow clones the three of them had casually created were vastly weaker than their originals. The only thing they retained was their rich combat experience; everything else, including their chakra reserves, was merely at the level of genin.
Tsunade had not used a single ninjutsu from beginning to end, relying entirely on Taijutsu to crush the children. Still, she had used her monstrous strength several times, and her chakra was nearly exhausted!
"Now lie down, all of you." This time, Tsunade did not throw Katsuki and the others back into the creek. Instead, she gave each of the three boys an iron fist, smashing them all flat. They groaned and struggled for a long time, but could not get back up.
Kushina and Otome, the two little girls, received preferential treatment. They were not as miserable as the three boys, merely restrained by Tsunade and unable to move.
"You're still too inexperienced. Katsuki, your speed and explosive power are both good, and you have enough strength too, but you lack finesse. Your movements are too broad and leave too many openings. As for the Uchiha boy, you should train your explosive power more. Your body is as fragile as a bean sprout. And the blond kid, you... are very good. You should know that yourself." Tsunade tucked a little girl beneath each arm and casually gave the three boys lying on the ground a few pointers.
Then she dragged the two little girls aside and carefully gave them a long list of instructions, making no attempt to hide her blatant gender discrimination. The three boys were on the verge of tears. Did she have to be so obvious? This preferential treatment was far too blatant!
"You failed this time. Try harder next time." Tsunade smiled faintly, and her shadow clone dispersed, leaving only faint chakra smoke drifting away in the wind.
From beginning to end, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had watched from nearby without intervening. Now that Tsunade had thoroughly beaten the children, those two naturally had even less reason to bother with them.
The five of them retreated with unsteady steps. For the time being, they had no strength left to challenge her again.
They followed the creek upstream for half a kilometer before finding a temporary campsite not far from the water. Teacher Takashima had once taught them how to choose a suitable place to camp, and Minato, being a good student, had naturally grasped the essentials and quickly selected the site.
Only then did they have time to inspect their injuries... mainly the three boys'. Aside from some mud on their clothes, the two little girls had not suffered the slightest injury. Unlike Katsuki and the other two, who had been beaten black and blue and repeatedly dunked in the freezing creek water in the middle of winter.
"Click... click... click."
The flint struck bright red sparks, igniting the dry grass and dead branches. Orange-red flames danced like sprites. The three boys stripped naked except for their underwear and huddled around the fire for warmth. It was just too damn cold.
Minato and Otoha's injuries were not serious. They had only taken two punches to the head and suffered some scrapes elsewhere. Tsunade's control over her strength was exquisite, and Katsuki could not help yearning for it. Reaching that level in Taijutsu was what it meant to truly enter the hall.
"Katsuki, is your shoulder all right?" Otoha held his hand over the flames, enjoying the dry heat as it drove away the cold that seemed to have seeped into his bones. "Lady Tsunade's punch looked pretty heavy."
"It's nothing serious. Here, see for yourself." Katsuki tilted his head to the right, revealing his left shoulder. There was only a small patch of bruising there. Once the other two withdrew their astonished gazes, he straightened his head again and carefully moved closer to the fire, greedily absorbing the heat released by the flames. "My body recovers quickly. An injury like this will heal soon."
"Is that an ability of the Uzumaki Clan too? Damn, that's absurd." Otoha praised him enviously.
"What are you envious of? The Sharingan of your Uchiha Clan is even more absurd, all right?" Minato laughed and scolded him. After they had grown familiar with one another, they spoke much more casually. In the past, Minato would never have teased Otoha like this.
"But my Sharingan hasn't awakened yet!" Otoha chuckled. He rather liked being called "absurd." In the shinobi world, that word was often associated with strength.
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