"Arrogant."
"That was just me warming up a minute ago."
Tsunade's face did show some embarrassment. She had been fighting him in taijutsu for so long without defeating someone who wasn't even famous in the Ninja World.
"Who isn't doing the same?"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Nagato's expression turned serious. He quickly flew backward with his hands clasped together, increasing the distance between himself and Tsunade.
With a sharp screech, a giant bird rapidly dove down from high above.
Its target—Tsunade!!!
This massive bird looked bizarre—its sharp beak was larger than its head, and it was pitch-black all over with three legs.
This was the same Eight-Fathom Bird from the original story.
Back when Jiraiya fought Pain, it had sent Gamaken flying with just one strike—and Gamaken was even bigger than Bunta.
That clearly demonstrated the incredible attacking power of this summoning beast.
"This is too big."
"Not only big, but fast too."
"Tsunade probably can't dodge this."
...
The onlookers hadn't finished chatting when the Eight-Fathom Bird had already collided head-on with Tsunade.
Human bodies were smaller than the bird's beak alone.
[Harm Gate, open!]
Years of training had greatly improved Tsunade's mastery of the Eight Gates.
With a mighty roar, she unlocked the Fourth Gate.
A flash of green light flared across her body as terrifying chakra erupted, causing everyone present to tremble inwardly.
Truly worthy of being Konoha's Hokage—the sheer amount of chakra alone was unparalleled in the ninja world.
Tsunade's tiny fist radiated crimson light as it slammed into the Eight-Fathom Bird.
Boom—
An invisible shockwave surged outward, forming a powerful blast wave that knocked off-balance those among the onlookers whose strength was insufficient.
The sight left them utterly stunned—even sparking the illusion that if they tried, they might manage something similar too.
With just one strike, Tsunade had reduced the Eight-Fathom Bird into smoke and scattered it away.
"Hokage-sama, you really do have some skill after all."
Standing far away, Nagato not only showed no panic, he still had the composure to tease her.
"You bastard! Have a taste of this punch!"
Tsunade now seemed genuinely furious as she flapped her wings and charged straight at Nagato.
With the Fourth Gate unlocked, her speed shot up even more. Some spectators could no longer follow her movements clearly.
All they could see was a streak of crimson light slicing through the sky.
"I'm done fighting you."
[Shinra Tensei!]
Nagato had already grown bored of hand-to-hand combat. Spreading his arms wide, an immense repulsive force erupted wildly outward from him like a storm.
Tsunade came fast—but got repelled even faster.
Before even reaching Nagato, she was blasted backward, crashing through over a dozen trees before finally skidding to a stop.
Within a circular radius centered around Nagato, the ground had become completely empty.
Several people near the battlefield were caught in the blast, flung several meters before picking themselves up again.
Fortunately, they weren't injured—after brushing off their pants, they resumed watching once more.
At this point, none of them realized what was about to come next.
"What kind of jutsu was that?"
"It doesn't even require hand seals?"
"Tsunade was sent flying directly—could it be she's truly outmatched?"
"Don't worry, Tsunade hasn't revealed her full strength yet."
The opinions among the onlookers were already split, with some beginning to believe Nagato would win. His current display of strength had already won over most of the crowd. Whether it was his taijutsu skills or the mysterious power of his Rinnegan, both left the spectators in awe. The Akatsuki Village's reputation had skyrocketed by more than one rank in everyone's eyes. Who knows how strong the hidden Akatsuki Shadow ninjas could be when they hadn't even revealed themselves yet. Not every village was like Konoha, where its strongest ninja never took the Hokage seat. This was a Hidden Village that demanded high attention, not just a clownish village only good for making money.
"Summoning Jutsu."
With a loud crash, Tsunade reappeared within everyone's sight. Standing beneath her was the enormous Sage Katsuyu. Her body was larger than three Gamabunta combined, delivering a visual impact beyond words. Just looking at the onlookers' mouths hanging open for so long made this evident.
"You mean I'm dealing with this little opponent?"
Clearly, Tsunade had coordinated with Katsuyu; her words were perfectly timed.
"Yes, Lady Katsuyu."
"This opponent is quite troublesome. Thank you for your help."
Tsunade nodded, her gaze fixed firmly on Nagato in the distance.
"If even you say they're hard to deal with, then I'll have to do my best."
"After all, you know I'm not very skilled in combat."
Katsuyu and Tsunade's conversation reached the ears of the spectators, further proving how seriously Tsunade regarded Nagato. After all, none of them had ever seen such a massive summon before. Even the legendary Tailed Beasts couldn't possibly be this enormous, could they?
"So this is your summoning beast?"
"It doesn't look that impressive."
Nagato nearly made a comment about how revolting it looked but held his tongue at the last moment. As the saying goes, "A slip of the tongue may invite disaster." It would be best not to offend the Katsuyu Sage.
"It seems we've been underestimated."
Katsuyu's tone remained gentle, showing no signs of anger.
[Great Five Elemental Combination]
Without anyone noticing, four more clones had appeared beside Nagato, each performing different hand seals and releasing various elemental jutsu. Five elemental attacks converged on the same target from different angles, creating an overwhelming aura.
"He actually masters five types of elemental jutsu!"
"What terrifying chakra reserves! It's practically on par with a Tailed Beast!"
"I probably couldn't even withstand one of those attacks."
In theory, the Great Five Elemental Combination wasn't considered a secret technique, so naturally, nobody associated it with Konoha's Sarutobi Asuma.
This short chapter wasn't over yet — more thrilling content awaited!
Don't forget to bookmark Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade if you're enjoying this story!
The onlookers were simply amazed by Nagato's ability to control five elements and his vast chakra reserves. Leaving aside how few people in the entire Ninja World could master all five chakra natures — just the sheer energy cost of such a technique was more than an average ninja could endure. Yet judging from Nagato's relaxed demeanor, he seemed capable of repeating the move again.
[Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid]
Facing this terrifying attack, the Katsuyu Sage calmly unleashed her sole offensive ability. She spat out thick, yellow, highly corrosive liquid from her mouth, looking like a flood of flower-shaped diarrhea (a humorous metaphor for explosive bowel movements). Though visually unappealing, its destructive power was undeniable.
The larger the summoned creature, the stronger the technique's power becomes.
As the two jutsu collided, a deafening explosion erupted.
Corrosive liquid sprayed everywhere, like rain pouring from the heavens.
Countless trees instantly disintegrated under the acid's assault, and those onlookers who couldn't dodge in time were left in agony.
After this 'acidic downpour,' many ran about half-naked, screaming in agony.
Gruesome wounds caused unbearable agony, and some poor souls had already melted into pools of pus and flesh.
Scattered across the ground were ruined clothes soaked in thick, sticky fluid.
This was the first wave of casualties since the two fighters began their clash.
But none of this mattered to the two combatants. If you're going to watch a fight, at least know your limits.
Watching might be fun, but staying alive matters more.
Let's hope they'll think twice before watching fights in their next lives.
Because of this, the spectators wisely retreated two li away.
The wounded had already fled to Akatsuki Village seeking medical help, which ironically brought some indirect profit to the village.
"Any other tricks? Now's the time to use them."
"Otherwise, don't complain I didn't give you a chance."
The Katsuyu Sage carried Tsunade as it slowly crawled toward Nagato.
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