Chapter 98: Chapter 96 : Ultimatum (3)
Tsunade stood in front of Naruto, a smirk that spoke of her coming victory marring her face. Both Jiraiya and Shizune, who was holding Tonton, stood to the side, their faces that of worry. Shizune hoped Tsunade wouldn't seriously wound the hero of Kiri.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, hoped Naruto wouldn't kill his old teammate.
"Alright kid," Tsunade began, "Let's see if all those rumors about you are true." She taunted.
Naruto showed no emotion, his face as stoic as ever, his anger schooled, not controlling him, but the other way around. Uzumaki Naruto was the master of all emotions, and he wouldn't let one rule him.
Tsunade knew the boy was powerful, ridiculously so. She had heard rumors of his prowess. She had been through Kiri after the civil war, and tales of the Bringer of Hope were sung all throughout the village, damn near the entire country. He was their liberator, their all-powerful hero, the child monster who slew a Kage to free an entire nation.
She couldn't hold anything back, she knew that.
That's why, before they even indicated that the fight had started, Tsunade rushed him with impressive speed, her hand poised to smash him into unconsciousness. Shinobi Rule Number Two: A Good Strike Is A Preemptive Strike.
And then, Tsunade was shown just how out of her league she truly was.
Both Tsunade and Shizune went wide eyed, shocked beyond belief at what they were seeing.
Within Naruto's inescapable grip... Tsunade's fist was stopped cold.
"They aren't rumors." Naruto whispered so that only Tsunade could just barely hear his words. Letting her fist go, he bent his knees, slamming an opened palm strike into the woman's stomach, sending her crashing through the dirt street, landing in a – thankfully – unoccupied building, effectively destroying the innocent property.
Standing from the debris, a slightly bruised Tsunade glared at the blond, her hand ablaze with green flame.
Medical ninjutsu.
"Kato Dan and Senju Nawaki." Naruto stated the names like he was somehow familiar with them.
Tsunade was shocked for all but three seconds before her eyes narrowed a dangerous glint within them. "Don't you ever-"
"Orochimaru offered to bring them back, didn't he?" He already knew the answer, so Tsunade's surprised expression was unneeded. "And here I respected you as an equal…" He looked at her disappointingly.
"Now I see you're nothing but a typically foolish girl." He didn't actually feel superior to women, he knew they could be just as powerful as men, but he needed to get a reaction from her. Tsunade was what every kunoichi wished to be, a goal to reach, a motivation for every aspiring kunoichi.
What he was seeing, from what he knew to be a powerful ninja, was something that looked disgusting on her.
Weakness.
Tsunade was proof that men and women were equals, that discrimination between genders was foolish. She was a woman who could take on an army. She was a woman who could face Kage's. She was a woman who could fight alongside men, them knowing they could count on her to watch their backs.
She was the epitome of feminine strength, and that is why Naruto had respected her more than he cared to admit. But this person in front of him, this weak drunk was not a woman; she was a girl, a petty, selfish girl.
Tsunade, for reasons she couldn't fathom at the moment, flinched under his disappointed glare, somehow disappointed in herself at how she was acting.
"You disgust me." Naruto began, keeping his sexist façade going. "I was a fool to believe a woman could be my equal." He really didn't feel superior to women. "Dan and Nawaki would be ashamed." He was superior to both men and women.
That seemed to flare the emotion he was looking for.
Rage.
He could work with rage. Self-hatred was too difficult, but rage… rage was easy.
With a battle cry, Tsunade rushed the Kamikage, her entire body encased in chakra. At that moment, Naruto woke the sleeping giant. He stoked the flames.
"There's your Will of Fire!" He shouted before rushing at the Sannin, a giant smile on his face, his body burning with massive amounts of Natural Energy. The two exchanged mighty blows. Every hit roared like thunder, every kick crackled like lightning. The village shook from the resulting shockwaves, scaring the hell out of the villagers.
Bones broke, only to heal seconds later. This was truly an S-ranked battle, and Naruto loved it. He felt awake, he felt excited. Tsunade had awoken the monster. And by the subtle curve of her lips, she was enjoying herself as well.
They were having fun.
By this time, Jiraiya and Shizune had to back up several steps, the shockwaves created by the two literally pushing them back. They even had to shield their faces with their arms from the gusts of pressure that was sent their way. It was almost scary, watching the two duel with taijutsu. With a single punch, either of them could destroy mountains.
This lasted for several minutes, before the two stopped simultaneously, a silent agreement to pause. They both somehow knew what the other felt, exchanging blows as they did. They both knew that Tsunade couldn't continue without using certain techniques, and she doubted Naruto wouldn't do just the same.
She had felt how strongly he was holding back, and as much as it annoyed her, it made her respect him more. He handicapped himself so that they could fight like they just did, and she hadn't had that much fun in a long while.
"Hmm." Tsunade huffed slightly, her smirk still present. "You're good, I'll give you that."
"You're not so bad yourself." Naruto replied.
"You're still foolish for trying to fight me alone." Tsunade continued. "You have no idea what I'm capable of, gaki." It seemed like some of her confidence had returned, just as he had planned.
Naruto just chuckled. "I'm not alone." He stated, causing Tsunade to raise a brow.
She looked towards Jiraiya, an expression of dismissal on her face. "Jiraiya?" she asked, incredulous. "He'd never hurt me unless I sought the destruction of the village." She said confidently. It was no secret how the toad Sennin felt about her.
She just… couldn't reciprocate those feelings. She had tried, with Jiraiya, but she just couldn't. The moment he touched her she felt like she was betraying Dan.
At that moment, Naruto smirked.
Tsunade froze, a chill running up her spine as two figures walked directly past her from behind, coming close enough to breathe on her. They walked up to Naruto, turning to face her.
"I am capable of much, much more as well, Tsunade-san." He replied. Sasuke and Gaara gave no expression, their faces schooled into cool stoicism. This was a part of their training.
A shinobi needed to be able to mask all emotion at any given time. Shinobi Rule Number Four: Deception Is Just As Lethal As A Kunai, If Used Correctly. And with Sasuke's eyes still covered in bandages, it was extremely easy to hide his humored feelings. They had just slipped past a Sannin's defenses like child's play.
Naruto then looked the woman in the eyes, a serious expression marring his face. "One of those capabilities," he began, his voice holding such authority, "Is complete resurrection."
His words froze Tsunade.
...
"What's the point in this?" Sasuke asked. He was slightly agitated at their current activity, not seeing the importance.
"I would also like to know, shishou." Gaara added. He was just as confused as his fellow student. He couldn't see the reasoning behind their newest training.
Naruto smiled. "It's important." Naruto replied. "Don't you two trust me?" He asked.
Gaara answered immediately. "Of course."
"Hn." Sasuke answered in his unique way.
"Then stay silent, and most importantly…"
As the three sat in a meditative position, their eyes closed, yet somehow still open, Naruto gave a monstrous smirk.
"Stay perfectly still."
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