Tsunade's instincts screamed a dire warning.
Her battle-hardened reflexes acted before her mind could even process the danger. In one fluid motion, she crossed her arms tightly in front of her chest, chakra surging across her body as she unleashed her strongest defensive stance—just in time to meet the devastating strike head-on.
Boom!
The explosion that followed was deafening, a deep, gut-punching sound that made the earth itself tremble.
Naruto's fist, wrapped in a brilliant torrent of blue chakra, slammed squarely into Tsunade's crossed arms. A blinding white shockwave erupted outward, tearing through the already ruined landscape like a hurricane. Everything above ground level was flattened, swept away by the storm of raw power.
The impact sent a numbing force coursing through Tsunade's entire body. It felt as if a mountain had slammed into her arms at full speed. Bone creaked and groaned under the unbearable pressure.
"Ugh!"
The mighty Sannin let out a muffled cry before her body was blasted backward like a ragdoll. She crashed through three earthen ridges in succession, finally skidding to a stop after carving a deep trench nearly ten meters long across the ground.
Kneeling with one hand pressed to the shattered earth, Tsunade panted heavily. A thin trickle of blood slid down from the corner of her mouth.
Naruto stood tall, unmoving. He didn't follow up. That punch alone had carried the destructive force of a forbidden technique—something akin to the Seventh Gate's Daytime Tiger.
The Daytime Tiger compresses air through an explosive punch, releasing it in a single burst like a roaring air cannon shaped as a tiger. Its range and power are immense.
Naruto's strike lacked the same expansive range, but the raw impact rivaled it—achieved purely through chakra control and the monstrous strength of his own body.
"Lady Tsunade, please yield," Naruto said calmly. "In this form, I can maintain my power for at least ten more minutes."
Tsunade looked down at her trembling arms, her skin burning and bones aching. The echo of that overwhelming force still haunted her senses. For the first time in years, she had felt truly powerless.
Prideful as she was, even she could not deny the truth.
She had lost. Completely and utterly.
Lost to a boy barely twelve years old—by sheer physical strength alone.
Taking a deep, dusty breath, Tsunade forced herself upright. Her blonde hair was disheveled, and her chest rose and fell with exhaustion, but the pride of one of the Three Legendary Sannin still burned in her eyes.
"Hmph. You brat," she muttered, roughly wiping the blood from her lip. Her glare softened, the fury replaced by a strange, unreadable expression. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. This bet…"
She paused, then glanced down at the green crystal necklace resting on her chest—the one that had followed her through so many battles and heartbreaks.
With a sharp tug, she ripped it free.
The sunlight caught the gem as she tossed it through the air, its glow flashing like a falling star.
"You win."
Naruto caught the necklace, surprise flickering across his face. "Wait! What about our deal?"
Tsunade waved a hand without turning back. "Don't worry, kid. I always pay my debts."
Naruto grinned wide, watching her retreating figure. "Perfect. I really like gamblers who keep their word."
Little Tsunade—completely outmatched.
Releasing the Eight Gates, Naruto's golden aura faded and his hair settled back into its normal state. Still smiling, he walked back toward Jiraiya and the others.
"Hey, Pervy Sage! It's done," he said proudly. "Lady Tsunade promised that if she lost, she'd return with us to take the position of Hokage!"
Jiraiya burst out laughing, clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Well done, Naruto! You handled that perfectly. I knew you'd convince her."
At that moment, Orochimaru stepped forward, his tone calm but distant. "Jiraiya, Naruto, Sasuke—I'll return to check on Kimimaro's condition."
Naruto nodded politely. "Thank you again for your help, Orochimaru."
"No need," the snake-like man replied, his body slowly sinking into the earth until only dust remained.
Once Orochimaru was gone, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "So, what happened? Why were you in the hospital?"
When Naruto had returned to the village using Flying Raijin, he couldn't find Sasuke at home. It was Lily who told him Sasuke was recovering in the hospital.
Though his injuries weren't serious, Naruto had brought him along to meet up with the others.
"Itachi came back to the village," Sasuke said quietly.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. His fists clenched so tight that the air around him seemed to crackle. For a moment, pure killing intent flashed in his gaze.
He hadn't forgotten—Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto's deaths were still burned into his memory. Itachi was one of the names carved onto his list of vengeance.
But because Sasuke had asked to face his brother himself, Naruto had refrained from hunting him down even after his power reached new heights.
"You fought him, didn't you?" Naruto asked. "Did you kill him?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No. I almost did. But one of his partners saved him."
Naruto frowned. "Why didn't you use the kunai I gave you? If you had, we could've taken him down together. No one could've saved him then."
If Naruto had marked Itachi with his Flying Raijin seal, even distance wouldn't have saved him. The Second Yellow Flash would have struck again, unstoppable.
"Wait, wait," Jiraiya interrupted, eyes widening. "You're saying that Itachi? The one who massacred the Uchiha clan and is listed as an S-Class rogue ninja of Konoha?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yes. And he wasn't alone."
Jiraiya's expression turned grave. "Who was with him?"
"His name's Kisame Hoshigaki—a rogue from the Hidden Mist," Sasuke explained. "He carries a sentient sword that devours chakra and feeds it back to him. His own chakra reserves are massive, and his techniques can drain chakra from others. Both of them belong to an organization called Akatsuki. Their goal…"
Sasuke's gaze shifted toward Naruto.
"…is to capture the Tailed Beasts."
"Itachi said so himself."
He went on to recount everything Itachi and Kisame had revealed.
Jiraiya's face darkened. "Akatsuki," he murmured. "So it's true."
Naruto looked at him curiously. "You know about them, Pervy Sage?"
"Yeah," Jiraiya replied with a nod. "When I was tracking Orochimaru, I heard rumors about them. Orochimaru himself was once a member. I just didn't realize their goal was this dangerous."
He let out a low sigh. "If they're after the Tailed Beasts, that's basically a declaration of war against the Five Great Nations."
The Tailed Beasts were more than weapons—they were national deterrents. Unused, but never disposable.
Naruto folded his arms, his face serious. "Then when we return, we'll ask Orochimaru for every bit of intel he knows about this group."
Sasuke hesitated, then said, "Naruto, there's something I need to discuss with you privately."
Jiraiya grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "I'll leave you two alone then. I'll go check on Tsunade—she's probably still fuming."
With a laugh, the white-haired sage turned and strolled away, leaving the two young shinobi standing beneath the wind-stirred sky.
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