Tsunade snorted coldly. "Kid, stop talking nonsense. In a moment, I'm going to crush you!"
"Alright, but what if I win?" Takayama Haru replied casually.
"You think you can win? Fine, if you do, I'll agree to anything you ask!" Tsunade laughed confidently. "Let's go—to the training grounds!"
Uzumaki Mito shook her head and said, "You two go ahead. I need to rest now. Keep it quiet tonight and don't disturb the neighbors."
Tsunade waved her hand. "I know, Grandma!"
She was feeling sharp now, already picturing herself humiliating Haru, and she chuckled at the thought.
Before long, Takayama Haru and Tsunade arrived at the training grounds. The place was empty. Tsunade casually picked up a giant boulder, smashed it into pieces with one punch, and shaped it into a makeshift arm-wrestling platform.
"Scared yet, kid?" Tsunade smirked.
She had intended to intimidate Haru, but seeing him completely unfazed only made her even more annoyed.
"You'll realize soon enough how out of your league you are!" she snapped.
They each stood at one end of the stone table, gripping each other's hand tightly.
Tsunade turned to Kushina Uzumaki and said, "Kushina, step back. I don't want you getting hurt."
Kushina nodded and backed off a good ten meters, then shouted, "Three, two, one—go!"
"AHHH!" Tsunade roared as soon as the countdown ended, and golden chakra burst from her body like a wave.
Takayama Haru smiled slightly, his power starting to build.
10%... 20%... 30%... 40%... 50%...
Suddenly, purple chakra began to swirl around him.
Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. The chakra—was identical to her grandfather's!
At the same time, she felt a tremendous force pushing back through their locked hands.
"Hmph!" Tsunade grunted and instantly unlocked the Seal of the Yin Release on her forehead.
Strength of a Hundred Technique!
Chakra gushed out of Tsunade, making up for the sudden disadvantage she'd been in.
How could this kid be this strong? And he looked... completely relaxed?
Gritting her teeth, Tsunade let out a growl, her body shimmering with golden light.
"I don't believe it! No way you're stronger than me!"
A terrifying aura exploded outward from both of them, chakra swirling in purple and gold, forming a whirlwind that twisted the air.
RUMBLE!
The stone platform cracked beneath them.
Even the ground at their feet split and crumbled.
Back at home, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just sat down when an Anbu ninja rushed in with a message.
"Tsunade and Takayama Haru—again?!"
Biwako Sarutobi, Hiruzen's wife, had been complaining lately about how much overtime he'd been putting in. Their eldest son was graduating soon, and their younger son, Asuma, was about to enter the ninja academy. Hiruzen hardly had time to see his own kids.
With a sigh, Biwako muttered as the Anbu rushed back out, "I guess overtime really is a Hokage's destiny."
Meanwhile, just as Danzo was leaving the village, Sakumo Hatake (the White Fang of Konoha) and Minato Namikaze were returning—and they spotted a massive gold-and-purple tornado spiraling up from the training grounds.
"What is that?!" Minato exclaimed.
"Let's check it out—now!"
At the training ground, Kushina had backed up even farther—another ten meters at least. She couldn't even see what was happening anymore through the swirling chakra storm.
She was starting to regret ever suggesting the arm-wrestling match. This was no different from a full-on battle!
Suddenly, from beneath her feet, countless branches and vines sprouted, forming a protective wall in front of her.
Takayama Haru was going all out—focusing on overpowering Tsunade while also shielding Kushina.
"Hmph! At least you know how to protect Kushina!" Tsunade barked, her combat instincts fully awakened after more than two years of holding back. Haru had ignited her fighting spirit.
Her golden chakra surged even higher, reaching into the sky, twisting the air like a storm.
BOOM!
A massive explosion of chakra burst out, the pressure so immense that the ground beneath them began to cave in.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Cracks and craters formed all around.
"Kushina?!" a voice called.
Kushina turned around and saw Minato and Sakumo rushing toward her.
"What's going on here?" Minato asked, frowning as he stared at the two blurry figures locked in combat—one glowing purple, the other gold.
"Is that Haru? And... that woman is...?" Minato's voice trailed off.
"That's Tsunade," Sakumo answered calmly.
"Tsunade-sama?!" Minato's eyes went wide. Tsunade was a legendary Sannin, on par with his own teacher!
"And... it looks like Takayama Haru is actually holding his own," Sakumo muttered, his brows furrowing in disbelief. Haru's strength was way beyond what he'd expected.
Sakumo was Konoha's top assassin, unmatched in stealth and precision. But in raw power, he knew he couldn't beat Tsunade.
Yet right now, Haru was... leading the match?
"Is this what it's like when a rare bloodline awakens to its full potential?" Sakumo whispered, awed. "The Senju clan really is terrifying…"
"I can't believe Haru's arm-wrestling Tsunade and not losing," Minato murmured, feeling a bit crushed. He'd thought he was catching up to Haru's level—but now it felt like he was falling further behind.