Dreams and an Iron Wall
The boss dared not refute, and scrambled to his feet, leading his thugs into the backyard to clear the area.
First move.
Tsunade held nothing back.
He channeled his Monster Strength into his right arm, and his entire body slammed into Naruto's chest like a cannonball, the force of his punch turning the air in its path into a vacuum.
Naruto didn't activate his Pure Byakugan or borrow the Nine-Tails Chakra; he relied solely on his Perfect Uzumaki Sage Body to withstand the attack.
The fist struck his chest, producing a dull, booming sound like a drumbeat.
The bluestone slab beneath Naruto's feet shattered inch by inch, churning into waves of mud and rocks.
His boot heel carved a half-foot-deep mark into the ground, stopping firmly within the boundary line, completely still.
"Is this all there is?"
Naruto sneered.
Tsunade's gaze darted away for a moment, a tightness gripping her chest.
The physical strength of this body far exceeded her medical knowledge.
The second move.
Tsunade changed her tactics, revealing the precise fighting style of medical-nin.
Chakra transformed into sharp energy blades, cutting along Naruto's shoulder and arm meridians, attempting to temporarily sever his muscle power.
Naruto's shoulders slumped, and his breathing paused for a beat.
The immense Yang Release Chakra within his body spread like wildfire, forcefully devouring and forcing back the foreign Chakra.
"This medical skill is barely enough to save Hidden Leaf."
Naruto scoffed.
The third move.
The remaining Chakra from the Strength of a Hundred was fully gathered.
Tsunade circled around to Naruto's side, her fists whistling through the air, turning the wooden training posts into dust along the way.
Naruto is no longer on the defensive.
With his right index and middle fingers together, he firmly gripped Tsunade, less than three centimeters from the tip of her nose.
The shockwave rippled outwards from the two of them, and Shizune was pushed against the backyard wall.
Tsunade's arm veins bulged as she pressed forward with all her might.
No progress whatsoever.
An iron wall formed purely of physical strength pinned the Monster Strength Ninjutsu to the ground in mid-air.
Naruto flicked his wrist, grabbed Tsunade's wrist with his other hand, and once again poured scalding Yang Release Chakra into her body through her meridians.
Are you sure I won't have to pay any additional price?
Tsunade's throat tightened as she stared at the boy in front of her.
"You don't want to be Hokage, fine. But no one's asking you to live in the place of the dead. There are still living people in Hidden Leaf waiting for you to heal them."
Naruto released his fingers, then pushed her forehead back with his index finger. "From today onwards, your person and Medical Ninjutsu belong to the Uzumaki. You'll be with me, and you don't need to wear that bandage at night anymore, otherwise I won't feel at ease."
The system's mechanical voice echoed in my mind.
[Target: Tsunade Senju | Affection +15 (Current: 40) | Stage: Wavering - Crack Expanding]
[Note: The target's core defenses have suffered irreversible structural collapse. The host's dual offensive strategy of "absolute power + psychological scalpel" has struck at the target's deepest need—"to be forcibly pulled out of the mire by a powerful figure." Continued pressure is recommended.]
Tsunade Teuchi his hand away, staggered back two steps, and slammed her back against the mottled wall. "Three days... didn't you give me three days? I haven't given you an answer yet. Don't push your luck."
Jiraiya and Shizune clearly understood the concession implied in those words.
"Tsunade, if you really don't care about Hokage, why don't you make a deal with me? I can give you what you want."
A hoarse voice drifted down from the second-floor platform.
Orochimaru, his hands wrapped in bandages and his face pale, emerged from the shadows behind the railing with Kabuto Yakushi.
Phosphorescent greed surged within those snake-like eyes.
The Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his reflective round-framed glasses and unfolded a corner of a scroll.
"Do you want to see Nawaki and Broken?"
Orochimaru's tone was as gentle as a viper's hiss, "I have a way to bring them back to life. There's only one condition—help me heal these hands."
Upon hearing those two names, Tsunade seemed to freeze in place, her hands and feet turning cold.
[WARNING: Target Tsunade Senju's favorability is fluctuating abnormally | -5 (Current: 35) | Source of interference: Contact with a high-threat external individual | Judgment: S-rank missing-nin Orochimaru is making contact with the target, suspected of using emotional manipulation techniques]
Jiraiya's face was extremely gloomy.
Naruto stepped forward, blocking Tsunade.
His azure eyes were fixed on the pale, venomous snake on the second floor, the cold light in them almost tangible.
"The three-day deadline remains unchanged."
Naruto put his hands back in his pockets, his tone resolute and cold, "But Orochimaru, if you dare to jump out and try to take someone from me at this time, I'll make sure you don't even have a chance to live."
Orochimaru gave Naruto a deep look, licked his chapped lips, and left a note that fluttered down. "Three days later, at the same location. Tsunade, I await your reply."
With a bang, the white mist dissipated, and Orochimaru and Kabuto transformed into white snakes and disappeared into a crack in the wall.
An hour later, the ruins of an abandoned izakaya (Japanese pub Tanzaku Town were deserted.
Tsunade, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
On the bar counter in front of them, there was a note left by Orochimaru on the left and the gold chip that Naruto had won on the right.
On the left is the illusion of the past; on the right is the irresistible violence of reality.
The warm Yang Release sensation left by Naruto on her wrist has not yet dissipated.
The epic gamble of the Legendary Sannin has now fully begun.
In the ruins of the izakaya, the wind whistles through the tattered paper lanterns, carrying a touch of the desolation of a gambling city.
Tsunade clutched the golden token left by Naruto tightly in her hand, crushing the pebbles beneath her wooden clogs into dust.
On the right wall, the note Orochimaru left behind fluttered in the wind.
Those two names— Nawaki and Broken—were like thorns soaked in poison, tightly binding her heart and suffocating her.
At the end of the street ahead, Naruto stood with his hands in his pockets, preparing to turn the corner.
Tsunade raised her head, ripped open the collar of her coat, and exposed a large expanse of her fair chest to the air as it heaved violently.
His amber eyes were bloodshot, Chakra overflowed uncontrollably.
"Jiraiya."
Her voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, "That brat needs to be taught a lesson. I'll take over for the Minato this time."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stomped down with his right leg.
The ground collapsed instantly, creating a half-meter-deep crater, Chakra surged wildly into his right arm along the meridians.
She transformed into a streak of blue light, hurtling along the ground, her fist carrying a piercing sonic boom as it aimed straight for Naruto's back.
Jiraiya tiptoed to the corner, pressed his hand against his Forehead Protector, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
He knew very well that the previous three moves were just a test, and that Tsunade was now unleashing her true power in a desperate situation.
Shizune hugged Tonton tightly and backed away, her voice stuck in her throat, unable to even utter a word of protest.
Naruto stopped and turned around.
The Perfect Uzumaki Sage Body was operating at full speed, the fabric on its shoulders and back stretched into a terrifying outline by its bulging muscles.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, taking half a step forward against the powerful wind that could have crushed the city walls.
Two streams of pure violence collided in the street.
Naruto's right hand shot out like a steel clamp, firmly gripping Tsunade's fist.
The violent shockwave whipped up clouds of dust, completely blasting away the remaining wooden planks on both sides.
Naruto's boots carved two short grooves into the gravel ground, but his heel remained firmly planted before the original boundary line, without moving an inch.