Nawaki was feeling triumphant. With his combination of jutsu, even a jonin wouldn't survive.
The Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags had been improved with help from his grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, and was classified as a B-rank jutsu.
As everyone knew, a jutsu's rank mostly indicated learning difficulty; generally, the harder it was to master, the stronger its power.
Though technically B-rank, this jutsu's strength rivaled many A-rank or even S-rank techniques.
Derived from the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tag, its practical applications were broad: anywhere you could stick an explosive tag, you could use it.
The only tricky part was attaching the tags to your opponent.
As the formation detonated, Nawaki turned proudly to Seisui, completely ignoring the jonin from the Sunagakure emerging from the explosion.
"How's that? I, Nawaki, am amazing, right?" He placed his hands on his hips, radiating confidence.
The two exchanged a speechless glance at Nawaki's boast.
At that moment, a Sand jonin leapt from the flames, tossing three kunai and several shuriken toward Nawaki.
Sensing the movement, Nawaki turned—and froze.
No way!
Impossible!
My jutsu didn't kill them!
As kunai and shuriken approached, he dodged frantically.
Another Sand jonin emerged from the fire, hands forming seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A dragon-shaped mass of earth erupted from the ground and surged toward Nawaki.
Better not die here, Seisui thought, shaking his head, drawing his long blade in an instant.
"Iaijutsu: Wandering Iaido Slash"
Before Nawaki could react, Seisui appeared in front of him. The incoming earth-dragon bullet split in two midair, flying harmlessly to the sides.
Without stopping, Seisui's next strike landed behind the jonin who had cast the jutsu, beheading him in a single, flawless cut.
So fast, the jonin hadn't even realized he was dead. He blinked at his headless body in confusion before being swallowed by eternal darkness.
The other jonin turned to flee—but Seisui's eyes glowed with three tomoe. They spun and merged, the Mangekyo Sharingan locking onto him.
"In my eyes, there is nowhere to hide!"
"Damn it!" The jonin formed seals instantly.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
A slicing windstorm, mixed with sand, surged toward Seisui.
But in Nawaki's eyes, Seisui simply glared with red light in his Sharingan. The jonin's expression turned from fierce to one of agony. He formed more seals, summoning a fierce gale, and slammed it onto his own head.
Red, white, and yellow blood splattered across the ground.
"No one ever told you not to look into the Sharingan?" Seisui said, shrugging at the corpse.
Then he added casually, "Oh, sorry, I forgot—you weren't looking into my eyes. But didn't anyone tell you not to fight someone with the awakened Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Enough pretending." Tsunade suddenly appeared next to Nawaki, cutting him off with a look of exasperation.
Seisui smiled. "I'm not just killing—you know, killing hearts too."
He jumped back onto the supply cart beside Haru, watching Nawaki with amusement.
Tsunade had noticed everything—Nawaki's expressions, his reactions—and now glared at him darkly.
"What were you thinking?"
"Thinking? I wasn't thinking anything wrong!" Nawaki protested, confident he had performed well. I'm holding off two jonin! That's proof of strength!
BANG!
Tsunade's fist slammed into Nawaki's head, knocking him to the ground.
"Geez… you were already dumb, and now she hits your head too," Seisui muttered quietly.
Haru shot him a glance, then regarded Nawaki with a strange expression.
Tsunade hesitated for a moment, observing Nawaki crawling across the ground.
Could it really be that hitting him on the head all this time made him so stupid?
Her reflection came and went quickly. Admitting fault? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
It wasn't her fault—Nawaki just wasn't smart.
Tsunade kicked him again, scolding, "You started celebrating without even knowing if the tags killed the enemy? Did Orochimaru teach you this?"
"If it weren't for Seisui, you'd have died to that Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"I was hoping you'd learn some battlefield experience… but clearly, you can't handle the field! Anyone who teamed with you would die!"
Nawaki climbed up angrily, retorting, "I am strong!"
"Tch." Tsunade sneered.
"You've learned most of Orochimaru's jutsu, right? What about the Snake Substitution? You dodge your own traps instead of using it? Ridiculous!"
Watching him, Seisui wasn't surprised. Classic theorist: all talk, no execution.
Nawaki had little real combat experience. Training with Seisui and practicing explosive tags had been just for lessons. Orochimaru's guidance mostly focused on survival techniques.
Nawaki's missions had mainly been eradicating bandits or escorting duties—not difficult at all.
Though he seemed useless now, once he mastered his jutsu and gained real combat experience, he could reach jonin-level strength.
The Senju lineage naturally granted powerful vitality. Even without Hashirama-level stamina, he would be formidable.
With Konoha's extensive arsenal of jutsu, forbidden techniques, and taijutsu, Nawaki could learn anything as long as he stayed alive. Strong body, versatile jutsu—once seasoned, who would call him weak?
Seisui thought about this, just as Minato appeared beside him.
"Seisui, what are you thinking?"
Minato's voice snapped him back. Seeing blood on Minato, Seisui shook his head.
"Nothing… just thinking about how strong Nawaki could become once he masters Konoha's techniques and gains battlefield experience."
That was essentially Nawaki's ceiling.
Scratching his head, Minato glanced at the battered Nawaki. "He'll probably surpass elite jonin, right?"
"Maybe even reach Kage level," Seisui replied.
"A powerful Kage-level," Haru clarified.
Unlike others, the Uchiha understood the Senju intimately—after centuries of wars, they knew each other sometimes better than themselves.
The reasoning: know your enemy, know yourself, win every battle.
"The Senju have extraordinary vitality, monstrous strength, and if Nawaki masters Konoha's jutsu and taijutsu, he could easily reach Kage level. His talent determines how strong at that level he would be—young Kage-levels are powerful; older ones may barely reach it."
Haru's explanation was simple and precise—a summary the Uchiha had developed over decades.
The Uchiha favored fire and genjutsu, the Senju excelled in taijutsu and raw strength, giving centuries of wars their balance.
As they chatted, Tsunade tossed the bruised Nawaki onto the supply cart.
"Rest for a bit. We'll be moving soon. You two watch him."
"I can't believe I have a brother like this!" Tsunade's anger radiated. Seisui and Haru exchanged a knowing glance—they understood.
Anyone with a Nawaki-like sibling would be frustrated. It's like everything being handed to you, yet you're hopeless.
This Sand ninja assault had over thirty participants, including a few jonin. Tsunade and Minato didn't worry—jonin would be cannon fodder.
Especially with Minato. Under Flying Raijin, no one—chunin or jonin—posed a threat.
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For Seisui and Haru, it was similar. Without letting Nawaki try, all the Sand ninja would die instantly.
The attackers probably didn't expect medical ninjas here, or if they did, they didn't expect Seisui too.
With Seisui, Haru, and Tsunade, even Kage-level attackers would be in trouble.
Nawaki lay on the cart like a dead dog. A sweet-faced girl approached cautiously.
"Seisui-sama, please move aside. We have wounded here needing treatment."