Tsunade

What surprised Dan was this.

He had just left the inn and taken only a few steps when two bounty hunters hurried past him.

"Have you heard? That legendary Big Fat Sheep has appeared in Tanzaku Street. We need to hurry over. We might make a fortune at the gambling tables."

As the two passed Dan, they chatted excitedly, their eyes gleaming.

Big Fat Sheep?

The moment Dan heard that, he knew they were talking about Tsunade, one of the Sannin.

After the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade lost her lover and younger brother. She left Konoha to travel from country to country, taking up gambling and a life of dodging her debts.

More than ten years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Dan had encountered Tsunade two or three times while traveling outside the village, but each time he'd only caught a distant glimpse of her in a crowd. He hadn't made any effort to approach her.

That was because he hadn't been interested in Tsunade back then.

But now...

As Dan understood it,

Tsunade's Monster Strength was also a Yang Release nature transformation. If he could copy it with his Sharingan, he'd gain another way to fight.

Dan wanted to know whether, after learning both the Expansion Jutsu and Monster Strength, he could push his body's physical power to its limits.

So,

he immediately decided that since Tanzaku Street was on his way back to Konoha anyway, he might as well go take a look.

A day later,

Dan stood on a broad, open hillside, looking down at the scenery of Tanzaku Street spread out below him.

Tanzaku Street had started out as nothing more than a street.

But it was located on a major trade route in the Land of Fire, so it quickly grew into a small town. Merchants, nobles, and ninja came and went everywhere.

It was bustling and prosperous, a place where all sorts of people mingled.

Tanzaku Street also had one distinguishing feature: gambling houses of every kind and size.

It was a gambler's paradise.

The place wasn't huge, but it wasn't small, either. Finding Tsunade in a short time wouldn't be easy.

Just as Dan was thinking about it,

Boom!

A loud crash came from far away.

He looked toward the sound and saw that a gambling house had collapsed, dust billowing into the sky.

He could also make out a commotion in the street. It looked like ninja were fighting.

Whoosh.

Dan leaped down from the hillside and hurried over.

When he arrived,

he immediately spotted a woman in the crowd wearing a dark green haori, her blond hair tied in twin ponytails. She was throwing punches with a ferocious look, beating people up.

Her skin was fair and her figure was voluptuous. Her enormous breasts were especially astonishing.

Among all the women Dan had seen, only the exceptionally well-endowed Samui could rival her.

This woman was Tsunade.

"What happened?"

Dan casually asked a nearby onlooker.

From the man, he learned that—

apparently, a certain noble from the Land of Fire had lusted after Tsunade and set her up to rack up a huge gambling debt. Then he'd used the debt to threaten her, hoping to take advantage of her.

Instead, the hot-tempered Tsunade had beaten him half to death on the spot.

"He actually dared to set his sights on Lady Tsunade. Doesn't he know she's one of the legendary Sannin?"

"Princess Tsunade has plenty of creditors. You don't see any of them trying to force her to pay in kind."

"He's asking for trouble."

"..."

The onlookers watched the spectacle and chatted with relish.

As the saying went, better to arrive at the right time than early.

Dan had arrived just in time for the show.

In the open space in front of the gambling house, a group of bodyguard ninja hired at great expense by the noble were surrounding Tsunade, determined to take her down.

Tsunade was known as the Princess of Konoha. She came from a distinguished family and was famous throughout the Ninja World, so ordinary people wouldn't dare lay a hand on her.

But the Land of Fire was ultimately ruled by the Daimyo, and the nobility always ranked above ninja.

Tsunade had gotten herself into trouble this time.

Suddenly,

a cry for help rang out from the crowd.

A quiet-looking kunoichi with short black hair had fought hard, but two enemies had managed to seize her.

She was Tsunade's apprentice, Shizune.

"Lady Tsunade, you don't want to see your apprentice die, do you?"

One of the enemies pressed a kunai to Shizune's throat and threatened Tsunade with a cold smile. He ordered her to surrender at once and tie herself up with a rope.

They'd thought the threat would work.

Instead, it only made Tsunade furious.

"You bastards!"

She gritted her teeth and spat out a curse. With a few quick punches, she sent the ninja surrounding her flying, leaving them groaning on the ground.

Seeing that, the two ninja holding Shizune tightened their grips, ready to kill her.

Just then,

Dan flashed into existence behind them like a ghost.

Huh?

The two men's hair stood on end. They hurriedly turned around, only to find themselves staring into a pair of scarlet Sharingan.

Thud.

Before they could resist, they fell to the ground under a Genjutsu.

Uchiha?

When Tsunade saw that Dan had rescued Shizune, she froze at the sight of his Sharingan.

Was he a Konoha ninja?

As a descendant of the Senju Clan, Tsunade had grown up hearing about the Uchiha Clan, and she had never been fond of them.

After all, the Uchiha had been the Senju's sworn enemies for ages.

Still,

whoever he was, he had saved her apprentice. She should at least thank him.

Thinking this, Tsunade walked toward Dan.

But then,

something unexpected happened.

Swish.

Dan suddenly grabbed Shizune by the back of the neck and lifted her up. Still shaken, she was tossed aside as casually as a piece of trash.

"Ah!"

Shizune screamed as she plunged headfirst into the bushes at the side of the street, leaving only her legs sticking out.

Dan wasn't much of a talker.

He knew that if he tried to approach Tsunade with smooth words, she'd probably grow suspicious and wary, then turn him away.

So,

he might as well show up as an enemy and fight Tsunade right there. Then he could just activate his Sharingan and copy her technique.

As it turned out,

Dan's approach was simple and crude, but it worked immediately.

"!"

When Tsunade saw Shizune tossed aside, she finally realized that the burly man wearing a Bamboo Hat hadn't come to help. He'd come looking for a fight.

Uchiha, huh? After all these years, they were still as irritating as ever.

She frowned and rushed forward without a word, ready to knock Dan down first and ask questions later.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The two exchanged several blows, each punch landing with a dull thump. The shock made the onlookers' ears ring, and they all backed away in alarm.

As expected of Tsunade.

Dan was surprised. Of all the ninja he'd fought, Tsunade was the strongest. She was practically born with superhuman strength.

Tsunade was even more surprised.

Dan had calmly blocked every one of her powerful punches. That meant his strength was a match for hers.

There couldn't be more than three or five people like that in the entire Ninja World.

"I thought you were all show, but I guess those muscles aren't just for decoration. You're pretty strong."

Tsunade stepped back, clenched her fist, and fixed him with a blazing gaze.

At last, she'd finally found an opponent worth taking seriously. Her fighting spirit was rising.

"Then let me see your Monster Strength."

As soon as Dan finished speaking, he thrust his right hand toward Tsunade. As he did, his arm quickly swelled and grew enormous.

Partial Expansion Jutsu.

What?

Caught off guard, Tsunade was enclosed by Dan's five fingers, like a tiny figurine resting in his palm.

And this figurine was pretty soft.