Tsunade watched as Mitsuki stepped out of the command tent, and now she felt like she was riding a tiger — unable to back down.
Well, screw it.
Tsunade simply stopped thinking about it. A fight wasn't such a bad idea anyway. She could see for herself just how strong this so-called once-in-a-generation genius that Minato had been bragging nonstop about really was.
With long, determined strides, she exited the tent right behind him.
Watching it all unfold, Minato couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Faced with this kind of situation, there wasn't much else he could do but follow them closely. He didn't dare fall even a single step behind.
As he walked, countless possible scenarios flashed through his mind.
If the fight escalated and something unexpected happened, he'd step in immediately—no hesitation.
Mitsuki didn't stop once he left the command tent. With a body flicker, he appeared outside in a flash.
Since the decision was made, he needed to find a proper place to go all out.
A clearing on the outer edge of the camp.
Not too close, not too far—it was a natural depression in the ground.
Surrounded by uneven terrain, the spot resembled a miniature basin.
Tsunade glanced around.
"I thought you'd pick somewhere more complex. A wide-open space like this doesn't suit a jutsu-based shinobi like you."
"Spare me the lecture. Ninjutsu isn't my only strength."
She was already pissed.
Sure, she was the one who lost her temper first this time, but this brat seriously got on her nerves.
Tsunade made up her mind: once she had him pinned, she was going to tan his ass until he bloomed.
Minato caught up to them. Realizing that there was no talking either of them down, he didn't even try.
"Then… let's call this a friendly spar between comrades. Is that acceptable?" Minato said seriously.
If either of them refused, he would stop the fight himself—no matter the consequences. He would not allow comrades to harm each other under his watch.
"Whatever" Tsunade replied casually.
With her agreement, Minato turned to Mitsuki.
"Of course," Mitsuki nodded. No reason for him to refuse.
Now that both had agreed, Minato let out a small breath of relief.
"In that case, allow me to be the referee."
As he spoke, he bent down and picked up a stone.
"When this stone hits the ground, the spar begins."
He tossed it into the air. It spun a few times, then landed with a crisp clack.
Tsunade instantly snapped into combat mode. Even if she had plans to smash Mitsuki's ass into a flowerbed, she wasn't going to underestimate him.
That Wind Release technique of his — if it actually hit her, it wouldn't be pretty.
Of course, that was only if he could hit her.
Seeing Mitsuki remain still across from her, Tsunade smirked.
"What's wrong? Not going to start with a jutsu? If you let me go first, the fight might be over in a single strike, you know."
Mitsuki understood — Tsunade wasn't going to make the first move.
Fine then.
"Aa—"
A chorus of high-pitched chidori cries rang out. Blinding arcs of lightning danced like living silver snakes, weaving and leaping through the air before converging into a tightly packed web.
A dome of electricity surrounded Mitsuki — his own version of Chidori Current, fully unleashed!
He blurred forward in a flash of lightning, crossing dozens of meters in an instant, reappearing at Tsunade's right flank.
Mistcutter was already drawn, violent lightning chakra surging across the blade.
"Lightning Strike!"
But Tsunade was a seasoned veteran. The instant Mitsuki got close, she stomped the ground hard.
BOOM!
The earth beneath them—and within a ten-meter radius—crumbled completely.
With no footing left, Mitsuki had no choice but to retreat and abort the strike.
But Tsunade wasn't about to let him off the hook. She didn't know why he'd given up the range advantage and chosen close combat instead of using his Wind Release.
But if he was offering himself up, she wouldn't feel bad bullying a kid.
Question: how long does it take to go from charging up to a full-body sprint?
Answer: less than a second.
In just a fraction of a second, Tsunade had already powered up and dashed forward.
The already shattered terrain beneath her cracked even more as her strength exploded outward, forming deep fissures that spread in all directions.
She appeared in front of Mitsuki in the blink of an eye, her smile confident, and threw a punch.
"Monster Strength!"
She opened with one of her signature jutsu — the technique that earned her a place among the Legendary Sannin. Clearly, she had no intention of holding back. After all, even if he got hurt, she could just heal him.
Minato was already preparing to intervene.
He'd expected this the moment Mitsuki initiated close combat.
Tsunade's taijutsu might not be the strongest in the shinobi world right now — but it was easily top three.
And just as Minato had predicted, in the very first exchange, Mitsuki was at a disadvantage in close combat.
But hold on — Tsunade thought of it, Minato thought of it… Did Mitsuki not?
Of course he did.
Looking at the pale, delicate-looking fist that was now mere inches from his face, Mitsuki had no doubt she could break several of his ribs with a single hit.
He swung Mistcutter. The short blade sliced the air — seemingly a last, desperate move.
And then, the reversal struck like lightning.
"Full Counter!"
Victory? Finisher? Endgame?
All shattered in an instant.
Tsunade's punch was suddenly deflected by a strange force.
The massive chakra she'd gathered in her fist exploded mid-air, as though disrupted by some unknown rule.
The very monster strength she unleashed slammed directly into her.
The triumphant grin on her face twisted into stunned disbelief.
"What the—?"
Before she could finish the thought, she was sent flying backward, slamming into the rocky ground with a crash. Stones scattered, and dust exploded into the air.
Minato, serving as the referee, was just as shocked.
He even stumbled slightly, almost tripping.
Don't get it wrong — he wasn't shaken by what had just happened.
He had been mid-Body Flicker, already planning to zip in and yank Mitsuki out from Tsunade's path.
At this distance, he was confident he could pull it off.
But then Mitsuki had unleashed some sort of counter-technique that flipped the entire fight in an instant.
Minato had to slam the brakes mid-jump, nearly doing a full sit-up in midair to stop himself from teleporting.
As for Tsunade, though she'd been hit by her own monster strength, her body was absurdly tough, reinforced by her constant flow of Yang Release chakra.
Blunt force trauma like that didn't deal serious damage.
In the midst of the clearing smoke, Tsunade quickly understood: Mitsuki had used some kind of "return the attack to the sender" type of jutsu.
As she stepped out of the smoke cloud looking mostly unharmed, Mitsuki stood calmly with his blade in one hand.
He knew it now—his plan to end the fight with Full Counter had failed.
In that case…
It was time for the ninjutsu round!