Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over.
"Hey, what are you two doing…"
Before he could finish, Tsunade roared, gathering all her strength and slamming down hard.
RUMBLE!
BOOM!
A massive shockwave exploded outward from Takayama Haru and Tsunade, like a series of bombs going off all at once.
Everyone's face was lit up by the blinding flash.
Minato Namikaze's eyes widened, and he quickly shielded Kushina Uzumaki with his body.
Of course, Haru reacted even faster, immediately surrounding Kushina with wooden stakes and tree walls to protect her.
"Cough… cough… what the hell are you doing?!" Hiruzen shouted, staggering back.
Everyone except Kushina looked like they'd been blasted into ashes by the explosion. Even Hiruzen wasn't spared.
As the smoke engulfed the two combatants, Kushina suddenly realized her idea for the match might not have been so great after all.
Hiruzen was speechless. "You were just supposed to arm-wrestle… was this really necessary?"
"I win," came a calm voice.
As the smoke cleared, everyone could see Takayama Haru pressing Tsunade's hand down firmly onto the shattered stone table.
The stone platform was in pieces, and the ground around them was covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
"You…" Tsunade stared at Haru, completely stunned. She couldn't believe she had actually lost.
And Haru had done it so casually, barely even focused.
Haru let go of her hand, stood up, and rolled his shoulders and arms, completely relaxed.
Hiruzen was also wearing a look of surprise.
Haru actually won?
He knew Haru was strong, but purely in terms of raw strength, he hadn't expected him to beat Tsunade.
"This kid… impressive," Hiruzen muttered.
Sakumo Hatake stayed silent, deep in thought.
Minato, meanwhile, was frozen in place, having a hard time accepting what he was seeing.
Kushina rushed over. "Haru! Are you okay?"
Haru gently patted her head. "I'm fine."
Then Kushina hurried to Tsunade's side. "Sis Tsunade, are you alright?!"
"I'm okay, just a bit of tingling in my hand," Tsunade said with a slight shake of her head.
A loss was a loss. Tsunade, the legendary gambler, had the guts to bet—and the guts to admit defeat.
"Princess Tsunade," Haru said with a smile, "but our bet still counts, right?"
Tsunade scowled. "I always keep my word. So, what do you want me to do?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know next time," Haru replied.
"Hmph!" Tsunade glared. "This kid is asking for trouble. I ought to beat him up!"
But then she paused, suddenly realizing—can I even beat him anymore?
"Whatever, I'll deal with it later," she muttered.
After that, Tsunade didn't press Haru any further. She returned to her room, grabbed a blanket, and lay down to sleep on the sofa.
Kushina shot Haru a sharp glare before following her.
When Mito Uzumaki heard that Haru had defeated Tsunade, she was also shocked.
"Tsunade actually lost… Well, I guess only someone from the Senju bloodline can defeat another Senju."
The next morning, Haru was still sound asleep when he was rudely awakened.
"Huh… Kushina?" he mumbled sleepily.
But then he heard a familiar voice tease, "So Kushina usually wakes you up, huh? Lucky kid."
Haru's eyes snapped open. That wasn't Kushina's voice—it was Tsunade's.
Kushina was standing behind her, trying not to laugh.
At that moment, Mito's voice called out from outside: "Haru, get up! This morning we have an urgent meeting with Konoha's top officials."
"A high-level emergency meeting?" Haru muttered as he got out of bed.
While brushing his teeth, he listened to Kushina explain.
Because of Danzo's dismissal, Homura's resignation, and Koharu's sudden leave of absence, Konoha's leadership was in a bit of turmoil.
New officials were about to be appointed to fill the gaps in the village's upper ranks.
Fresh blood was coming in to join the leadership circle.
"Oh… so we're going too?" Haru asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.
"Yep!" Kushina replied.
So, Haru was dragged along to the meeting at the administrative building.
When they arrived at the front of the building, they bumped into Minato and Jiraiya—Jiraiya's face was still wrapped in bandages.
Jiraiya quickly greeted Mito with a bow. "Lady Mito!"
Mito looked at him curiously. "Jiraiya, what happened to you?"
Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Oh, it's nothing. I just accidentally ran into a lamppost last night. Let's head inside."
Haru had thought the entire village leadership would be there, but once inside, he realized it was only the top brass.
Heads of all the major departments, leaders of all the clans, the legendary Sannin, and the White Fang of Konoha were all present.
There were also younger rising stars like Takayama Haru, Minato Namikaze, Fugaku Uchiha, and Inuyasha of the first generation.
As Haru walked into the meeting room alongside Mito and Tsunade, everyone's attention instantly turned to him.
Who was this man following Mito and Tsunade so closely? Obviously, it had to be Haru.
Many of the upper-level officials and clan leaders were seeing him in person for the first time.
"Is that Takayama Haru?"
"The one who took down the Three Troublesome Rogues?"
"He doesn't look all that special…" some murmured.