Almost Reborn

Tsunade was somewhat confused, following Nawaki's pointing finger to look.

She saw that on her calf, where he had just been hugging her, there was a crumpled square piece of white paper stuck. She reached down and peeled it off. On the paper, three large characters were scrawled crookedly—"Explosive Tag"—along with some pale yellow dirt clinging to it.

It was clearly the fake Explosive Tag that Namikaze Yoru had casually written earlier and used as a trap. She never expected Nawaki to have kept it on him all along, and that he'd put it to use at this moment.

Seeing this, a flicker of relief passed through Tsunade's eyes. She was about to nod in approval when she noticed Nawaki, like a magician revealing his final trick, was already looking at her with a smug expression.

Namikaze Yoru, watching from the side, could hardly bear to look. He wanted nothing more than to go up and cover that "petty triumph" smirk on Nawaki's face.

Sure enough, the next moment, Tsunade's face darkened. Mimicking Nawaki's gesture, she pointed at the Yin Seal mark on her own forehead. Seeing Nawaki still looking bewildered, she had no choice but to speak helplessly:

"Did you forget that I can also use the Hundred Healings Jutsu?"

At those words, Nawaki's smug expression instantly froze on his face, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.

Under Nawaki's horrified gaze, Tsunade stepped forward again and gave him another solid beating.

Even though Tsunade deliberately held back her strength, Nawaki was already battered and bruised, a pitiful sight.

Not quite satisfied, Tsunade turned her head and spotted Namikaze Yoru still watching the show. She pointed at him, signaling him to step forward.

Having the show turn on him didn't anger Namikaze Yoru. He had actually wanted to find an opportunity to test how far he could go without using his trump cards. Having one of the Legendary Sannin, Princess Tsunade, as a sparring partner was a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Nawaki was just about to call out and stop his friend from getting beaten when he heard Namikaze Yoru say:

"Lord Tsunade, please enlighten me."

With that, he set his stance, his eyes burning as he looked at Tsunade.

"Not bad." Tsunade gave a slight nod and continued, "I didn't believe before that a Genin could complete an S-rank and an A-rank mission through 'luck'... Now, I'm even more convinced of my judgment."

Namikaze Yoru hadn't reacted much, but the battered Nawaki beside him widened his eyes, his gaze filled with shattered disbelief.

After all, Namikaze Yoru had never deliberately mentioned these feats to him. In fact, Nawaki himself had once proudly boasted to him about that failed assassination attempt.

In the arena, Tsunade, just as she had done with Nawaki earlier, didn't deliberately activate her Monster Strength Fist. She relied solely on her physical strength to engage Namikaze Yoru in Taijutsu combat.

If it were in the past, Taijutsu would undoubtedly have been Namikaze Yoru's weak point. But after this period of Taijutsu training with Might Duy and learning the Eight Inner Gates, that weakness had been completely compensated for.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—"

The two figures crossed paths in the arena, the sounds of fists and feet colliding ringing out without end. Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist was known for its sheer ferocity, while Namikaze Yoru's Steel Fist, learned from Might Duy, appeared more agile and swift.

After another exchange of blows, Tsunade saw that Namikaze Yoru still looked completely at ease, so she immediately increased her strength. The force of her Monster Strength Fist began to show its true edge.

Caught off guard, Namikaze Yoru was sent flying backward by her punch. He twisted sharply in midair to regain control, landing steadily with a backflip.

Seeing that Tsunade was starting to get serious, Namikaze Yoru decided not to hold back either. What harm was there in revealing some of his trump cards?

In fact, Namikaze Yoru was confident. With the system's assistance, as long as he didn't "open himself to death" on the spot, he didn't have to worry about ending up like Rock Lee—"opening a cheat for ten minutes, getting banned for 600 episodes."

"Eight Inner Gates: First Gate, Gate of Opening—Open!"

"Second Gate, Gate of Healing—Open!"

"Third Gate, Gate of Life—Open!"

Green Chakra instantly surged forth, enveloping his entire body like flames! Across from him, Tsunade's expression tightened as she became completely serious.

"Kid, don't push yourself!"

"Eight Inner Gates Formation! Lord Tsunade, please enlighten me."

With that, Namikaze Yoru didn't hesitate any longer. His form moved like lightning, charging fiercely toward Tsunade.

Faced with such speed, Tsunade found herself in a difficult position. If she went all out, she might hurt him, but if she didn't give her full effort, she might actually be suppressed by this brat—and that would be a huge loss of face.

Namikaze Yoru turned into a streak of green light, his attacks surging like a relentless tide as he charged at Tsunade.

Tsunade, relying on her rich combat experience, precisely blocked and counterattacked time and again. The two exchanged moves, matching each other blow for blow.

Watching from the sidelines, Nawaki was already dumbfounded. He never imagined that his usually low-key friend was hiding such depth.

At that moment, Nawaki wished he could travel back in time to before he left the house today and slap himself hard twice. First, he had to endure a beating from Tsunade, and now he had to suffer a "critical hit" from his friend.

A classic case of "fearing your brother's suffering, but also fearing your brother driving a luxury car."

Namikaze Yoru grew more aggressive with each exchange. The power from the Eight Inner Gates surged within him, every punch carrying the sound of breaking wind.

Tsunade, too, shifted from initial caution to excitement. It had been a long time since she'd encountered a young ninja who could face her head-on in Taijutsu.

Their figures crossed paths again. Namikaze Yoru executed a swift low sweep aimed at breaking Tsunade's balance, but she leaped lightly to avoid it.

"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain—Open!"

Namikaze Yoru decided to hold nothing back, opening the Eight Gates to his current limit. His speed increased sharply.

Seizing the moment while Tsunade was still airborne and hadn't landed, Namikaze Yoru struck. His right fist shot out with ferocious speed, a straight punch aimed directly at her exposed chest.

Unable to gain leverage in midair, Tsunade chose to abandon defense and counterattack with a punch of her own, opting for a head-on clash.

But she underestimated Namikaze Yoru's increased speed. Their fists crossed in the air without colliding, each carrying its full force and slamming heavily into the other's chest!

Namikaze Yoru suffered from his still-developing physique; his arm length was insufficient, and his fist hadn't fully connected before he was sent flying backward.

But in that split second of contact, a sensation of softness combined with astonishing elasticity transmitted from his fist.

The green chakra around Namikaze Yoru, who was sent flying backward, extinguished abruptly as if doused with a bucket of cold water. His eyes widened as his mind raced for a countermeasure—one wrong move and he might have to start over.

Tsunade landed gracefully, lowering her head almost imperceptibly to glance at her own chest before withdrawing her still-extended straight punch. Only then did she slowly look toward the opposite side.

Her face betrayed neither joy nor anger, as if nothing had happened at all.

Nawaki, who hadn't clearly seen the situation, chose this inopportune moment to speak up: "Sis, aren't you being a bit too harsh?"

Namikaze Yoru silently praised "good buddy" in his heart, putting on an exhausted look as he collapsed to the ground.

Though she had intended to properly teach this audacious brat a lesson, Tsunade saw he was in no state to continue fighting and had no choice but to let it go.

She grabbed Nawaki by the side and turned to walk toward the Senju Clan Compound, only the faint reddening of her earlobes betraying a hint of unusual emotion.