"Tsunade, get out of there quickly!"
Uchiha Sogetsu knew something was off, but by the time he shouted to warn her, it was already too late.
She inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.
Tsunade tightened her fists, and chakra surged through her meridians, intensifying and converging at her fists.
"Oh no!"
That thought raced through Uchiha Sogetsu's mind. His pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly assumed a defensive stance.
Golden dragon scales rapidly spread across his skin.
**BOOM!**
Tsunade's massive punch obliterated the entire altar. The cave's rock walls and even the ground above shook violently, emitting a bone-chilling roar. The shockwave that followed seemed like a speeding train as it hurled Uchiha Sogetsu backward.
"Argh!"
Blood splattered from his mouth as he flew back dozens of meters. He gouged a deep trench into the ground, broke through several massive trees, and finally stopped. His entire body ached, and it felt like his internal organs had been scrambled.
Only one thought persisted in his mind: "No wonder Jiraiya was hospitalized for three months after taking one of her punches. This is insane!"
The entire cave collapsed from Tsunade's punch.
"What just happened? Why did Tsunade destroy the altar?"
Uchiha Sogetsu wiped the blood from his mouth. He stared toward the cave's ruins, anger and confusion flashing in his eyes.
Moments later, Tsunade staggered out from the debris, stepping over chunks of rock.
"Tsunade-sama?" Uchiha Sogetsu's eyes narrowed. "Wait, something's not right."
Uchiha Sogetsu had the ability to perceive the spiritual aura of living things, but he couldn't make out Tsunade's mental state because it was shrouded in a dark energy that had her in a trance-like state, almost as if she were under hypnosis.
From deep within the rubble, a voice filled with loathing echoed through the ancestral grounds of the Senju clan, resembling a vengeful ghost crying out for retribution.
The intense chakra emanating from the voice seemed to unleash the accumulated hatred and anger that had been held back for ages.
The ground trembled as debris shattered, sending dust and smoke into the air. In the midst of the ruins, at the heart of a broken altar, stood a young girl, stark naked.
Her skin was unnaturally pale from being kept in the dark for untold years, resembling the whiteness of snow. Her long, unkempt black hair framed her delicate face, casting a shadow over her high cheekbones. Her lips were almost devoid of color, as if drained of blood.
There was a tragic beauty about her, a sense of vulnerability that could tug at anyone's heartstrings. Yet, what struck fear into Uchiha Sogetsu was the hatred burning in her eyes—eyes that swirled with the Mangekyō Sharingan, resembling windmill blades, indicating that she was a Uchiha, and a powerful one at that.
"Uchiha?!" Uchiha Sogetsu couldn't hide his shock at seeing the Mangekyō Sharingan in a girl from the Senju ruins. This was unprecedented.
He felt the intensity of her hatred, which seemed to surge to the sky, her eyes practically aflame. She stepped forward with a deadly grace, her murderous intent as sharp as a blade.
Despite the imminent danger, Uchiha Sogetsu couldn't help but glance down, catching a glimpse of her feet as she walked on the rubble.
Her feet were petite and beautifully shaped, with five delicate toes that looked like fine pink petals. It was tempting to look further, but he quickly stopped himself, knowing that any further curiosity might lead to trouble.
"Whoa, whoa, let's not jump to conclusions," he said, trying to calm the girl down. "There seems to be some kind of misunderstanding here."
Before he could finish his words, Tsunade, seemingly under the same dark influence, charged at him like a cannonball, breaking through the ground.
Uchiha Sogetsu barely had time to use a substitution technique to evade, leaving a wooden log behind, which Tsunade pulverized in a single punch.
Tsunade turned her head sharply, her eyes locking onto Uchiha Sogetsu's new position, and immediately began chasing him. The chakra gathering in her fists made him shudder just from the sight. It was clear she was being controlled, likely through some form of genjutsu.
He needed to figure out a way to free Tsunade from this dark power while also keeping the girl with the Mangekyō Sharingan at bay.
All the while, the sound of crumbling ruins and the echo of hatred filled the air, suggesting that this confrontation was just beginning.
You can't face her head-on!
The Spectator Pathway doesn't have strong offensive abilities in the early stages, and Tsunade's superhuman strength alone is enough to render his defensive skills useless. The Dragon Scale's defense, even though it's at Sequence 6, wouldn't hold up against her punches.
If I actually get hit, I might not get back up.
Boom!
A punch grazed Uchiha Sogetsu's cheek, creating a gust of wind sharp enough to leave a bloody cut on his face.
"But as long as I don't get hit, I'm fine," Uchiha Sogetsu exhaled, his Sharingan spinning rapidly, locking onto every detail of Tsunade's movements. He analyzed the tension in her muscles, the flow of chakra in her body, and her fighting style to predict her next attack.
Whoosh whoosh—
Tsunade rained punches down on Uchiha Sogetsu, her relentless strikes creating shockwaves that roared through the air. The atmosphere itself seemed to break apart under her onslaught, as if she aimed to obliterate everything in her path.
Uchiha Sogetsu danced within this storm of violence like a tiny boat on a raging sea, avoiding the crushing force by the slimmest of margins. It was like dancing on the edge of a blade—one wrong step and you'd be cut to pieces.
From the sidelines, a girl formed hand seals and took a deep breath.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Boom!
A massive wave of fire erupted, roaring across the battlefield and engulfing both combatants.
The girl showed no concern for Tsunade's safety, continuously pouring more chakra into her attack. The flames grew hotter and brighter, reaching near-white intensity, instantly scorching the earth and setting the dense vegetation and trees ablaze. A wall of red flames shot into the sky, painting half the night in a hellish glow.
Whoosh—
A figure leaped out from the fire. It was Uchiha Sogetsu, barely managing to survive thanks to his Dragon Scale defense.
But the respite was short-lived. The next second, Tsunade, now engulfed in flames like a demon from hell, charged at him again with no sign of slowing down.
"Yin Seal: Release!"
Tsunade formed a hand seal, and the purple diamond-shaped mark on her forehead dissolved into a pattern that spread across her entire body.
The charred skin peeled off quickly, revealing fresh pink skin beneath, and the chakra within Tsunade also increased several times. Her strength seemed to grow with each passing moment.
The pressure Sogetsu felt was mounting.
Tsunade's relentless resilience was becoming a problem. Uchiha Sogetsu gritted his teeth, realizing that he couldn't outlast her in a prolonged battle of endurance. He needed to change tactics.
Turning his attention to a new target, he set his sights on a young girl among the ruins. If he could eliminate her, he might gain the upper hand.
Gathering his chakra, he launched a massive fireball from his mouth, aiming it directly at the girl.
"Great Fireball Jutsu"
Tsunade's reaction was swift. She changed direction in mid-air, crashing through a large tree as she intercepted the fireball's path.
"Strength of a Hundred Seal"
Her sheer strength allowed her to meet the fireball with a devastating punch, shattering it into pieces.
However, Uchiha Sogetsu was ready for this. As the fireball disintegrated, he used a Body Flicker technique to appear directly in front of Tsunade.
His Sharingan, with three tomoe spinning rapidly, locked onto her. He seized this brief opening to unleash his most potent mental attack, focusing all his spiritual energy to break into Tsunade's subconscious mind.
In an instant, Tsunade's mental defenses crumbled. The shock of the intrusion was immediate, unleashing a torrent of emotions. Tsunade screamed, clutching her head in agony as waves of pain, sadness, and anger swarmed through her mind like a colony of ravenous ants.
The mental assault was so intense that it nearly shattered her soul. Blood trickled from her ears and eyes as her consciousness faded, and she fell from the sky.
"The game is over," Uchiha Sogetsu declared, descending to the ground with a sense of grim satisfaction. He landed softly beside the girl, confident that his strike had turned the tide of battle in his favor.
********
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