Rasengan!

Liuxia sensed Tsunade's growing irritation. This had been one of his strategies, after all!

They were only sparring, which already placed severe limits on Tsunade's strength. Her destructive power was simply astonishing, and she was a brash, impatient sort. Using Shadow Clones to wear down her patience had worked just as well as he'd hoped.

If he only wanted to pass this test, he could keep dragging things out at this pace. But did he really want to give up this chance to challenge himself to his limits with everything he had?

Liuxia looked up at the sky, a little lost. This was only a spar, and Tsunade definitely wouldn't hit him too hard...

Besides, as he and Nawaki neared graduation, war was just around the corner! Nawaki would die in the war after graduating, when he went to the battlefield!

At that thought, Liuxia's uncertainty vanished. He walked steadily out of the woods. If you wanted to wear the crown, you had to bear its weight; if you wanted to hold a rose, you had to endure its thorns!

If he wanted to become the strongest ninja, sooner or later he would have to brave a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, and fight his way through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!

Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, as well as Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, were all reincarnations of Asura and Indra's chakra. But the first two had survived the clan conflicts of the Warring States era from childhood. The latter two had also endured hardships from a young age, but compared with the former, they'd had it easy!

"Oh! You've come out, huh? In the end, you chose to face me head-on! Liuxia, you're impressive!"

Mito Uzumaki watched silently from a distance as the boy emerged from the woods.

"Just like him... so much like him. Hashirama, watching Liuxia now is like seeing you all over again. You were just as confident back then. It's been so long since I saw you. So long! But soon, I'll be reunited with you. Very soon!"

The people on the field hadn't noticed Mito behind them. They were completely absorbed in this clash of titans.

Liuxia sheathed his sword and shot forward, his legs moving like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Tsunade. He dipped low; a flash of blood-red light, then a draw-cut as swift as a gust of wind, aimed straight at a vital point!

"Nice try, kid, but you're still not fast enough!"

Tsunade laughed loudly. Chakra quickly wrapped around her arm as she raised it across her chest, blocking Liuxia's draw-cut by brute force. Their clash sent a powerful wave of air surging outward.

Without changing expression, Liuxia instantly turned his wrist, flourishing his sword. He reversed his grip and thrust straight at the gap in Tsunade's defense.

Tsunade didn't dare let her guard down. She quickly twisted to the side and struck the Crimson Blood Sword with her defensive arm, trying to knock it off course. But Liuxia moved with extraordinary agility. He turned with the motion, dodged her attack, and immediately launched another powerful strike.

Seeing this, Tsunade put all her strength into her other hand and sent Liuxia flying with a fierce blow.

Liuxia deftly used a special technique to redirect the force, successfully neutralizing Tsunade's overwhelming strength.

He twisted nimbly in midair and landed steadily.

A flicker of surprise crossed Tsunade's eyes, but she didn't stop attacking.

She quickly adjusted her stance, readying herself to attack again. Liuxia, meanwhile, watched her every move intently, looking for a chance to counter...

"Time's almost up. I'm getting serious!"

Tsunade rolled her wrist, her joints crackling like firecrackers, as if daring her opponent to take her on.

Her gaze sharpened, and an imposing aura radiated from her.

Liuxia picked up on every change. His senses instantly sharpened to their limits, and he tightened his grip on the sword, his whole body going on high alert!

At that moment, Tsunade vanished from before Liuxia's eyes like a phantom.

Liuxia's pupils contracted sharply, and a powerful sense of danger surged through him.

He immediately focused, straining his senses to their limits as he tried to locate Tsunade and determine the direction of her incoming attack.

Suddenly, Liuxia sensed an unusual disturbance above him. Without hesitation, he swung his sword upward.

But he was still a moment too slow. A dark figure plunged down like a cannonball, hurtling toward Liuxia with overwhelming force.

"Strength of a Hundred Fist!"

With a furious shout, Tsunade's fist slammed into Liuxia. The blow was imbued with her terrifying strength and packed an incredible amount of power.

Liuxia felt a force like a landslide crashing down on him, as if it would tear him apart. He fought with all his might to resist, but the blow still sent him skidding back several meters.

"BOOM!!!!"

With a deafening crash, Tsunade's attack struck the ground.

The earth within several meters exploded into a massive crater, with fine cracks spreading all around it. Countless rocks flew in every direction as dust billowed up, blotting out the sky.

Looking at the scene before him, Liuxia couldn't help feeling a twinge of awe.

Was this the true strength of Princess Tsunade of Konoha? It was terrifying!

After that exchange, Liuxia understood just how far his Taijutsu lagged behind Tsunade's. He silently resolved to use his trump card.

His hands flashed through a series of complicated Hand Seals, moving so quickly they were a blur.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"

At Liuxia's low cry, his chakra erupted. A massive torrent surged from behind him like a thundering waterfall, drawn forward by his chakra and crashing toward Tsunade with tremendous force.

"With this much chakra, I can only say, you really are a member of the Senju Clan."

Seeing the enormous volume of water Liuxia could produce even on a training ground without any nearby rivers or lakes, Tsunade couldn't help exclaiming.

This time, Tsunade didn't choose to meet the Great Waterfall Jutsu head-on. She didn't want to get soaked, after all. She stamped the ground and leapt into the air, planning to take down Liuxia directly by going for the one in charge.

Just as Liuxia had expected, Tsunade leapt high into the air to avoid the surging water. But she'd overlooked one crucial point—there was nothing to push off from in midair!

"Now! Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

Liuxia stared intently at Tsunade ahead of him and gave a quiet shout.

His hands flashed through Hand Seals. His immense chakra gathered in an instant, then he suddenly spat a jet of high-pressure water from his mouth!

Liuxia gloated inwardly. Heh heh, Tsunade, let's see you dodge this!

"Wait, isn't that Grandpa Second's jutsu?! Where did this kid learn it? I never taught him that!"

Tsunade was startled when she saw Liuxia use the Water Severing Wave.

It was the Second Hokage's signature jutsu. With it, the Second Hokage could spit a jet of high-pressure water from his mouth powerful enough to cut through the God Tree's roots!

Faced with such a powerful attack, Tsunade didn't dare let her guard down. She deftly used her superb Taijutsu and incredible flexibility to narrowly dodge the blow.

"You little brat! Are you trying to kill me?! How could you use that move?!"

Tsunade couldn't help cursing, inwardly groaning.

She already couldn't use her full strength for fear of hurting him, and now she had to watch out for his endless hidden tricks. This was more exhausting than a mission!

But Liuxia didn't give Tsunade a moment to catch her breath.

His right hand quickly curled into a claw, and the air and chakra in his palm spun rapidly like a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, a powerful vortex formed around him!

The vortex swept toward Tsunade with a fierce, cutting force. Her eyes widened as she prepared to face the sudden attack with all her strength.

"Rasengan!"

A spinning sphere took shape in Liuxia's hand. Blue light shimmered across its surface as it spun with the flow of chakra.

Tsunade stomped on the ground with a Heavenly Foot of Pain, sending multiple cracks racing toward Liuxia.

The next moment, the fractured earth caved in. Dust filled the sky, and Tsunade disappeared into the dense cloud of dirt. Liuxia saw a figure thrust toward him—it was Tsunade!

Her right arm was covered in a faint blue glow. It was a Chakra Scalpel!

A few meters was no distance at all to the two of them. They closed in on each other in an instant. Tsunade's Chakra Scalpel came swinging down, and Liuxia met it with his Rasengan!

"BOOM!"

The tremendous force of the collision destroyed everything nearby. The onlookers had already retreated much farther away.

Once the dust had settled and the shock wave dissipated, Tsunade stood unharmed. Liuxia had fainted in her arms. Tsunade brushed aside the bangs covering her face and looked at the young boy.

"You little brat, did you really have to fight so fiercely? Still, it's impressive to have this kind of strength at your age!"