Beside them, Tsunade had already set out the meal. The group sat down to eat, and the entire dinner was unusually quiet. Aside from Nawaki glaring at Uchiha Xuan from time to time, everyone else remained silent.
After the meal, Uchiha Xuan proposed to leave.
"Let Tsunade see you off. It’ll be a good chance for you two to get to know each other."
Uzumaki Mito did not try to stop Uchiha Xuan from leaving. Instead, she smiled as she spoke.
"No need to trouble her."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Xuan shook his head gently and stood up.
"Don’t be polite. Tsunade is quite curious about you as well, and it’s nice to walk together."
"....."
........
On the streets of Konohagakure.
Uchiha Xuan and Tsunade walked together in silence. Everywhere they passed, numerous eyes followed them, stirring quiet speculation.
An Uchiha... coming out of the Senju Clan Territory, and Tsunade herself was actually escorting him all the way toward the Uchiha Clan Territory!!
What was going on!?!
In an instant, this news spread rapidly among the major ninja clans.
"What exactly is going on between you and Grandma? Why did she ask me to teach you Monstrous Strength, and even said I should teach you whatever you want to learn?"
On the way back to the Uchiha Clan Territory, both remained very quiet. It wasn’t until they neared the Uchiha Clan Territory, with no pedestrians in sight, that Tsunade couldn’t help but ask Uchiha Xuan.
"She is doing what the Hokage should be doing."
Uchiha Xuan’s voice was slow, but it only deepened the confusion in Tsunade’s heart.
"Kid, can you be a little clearer?"
Adhering to the principle of asking when she didn’t understand, Tsunade pressed on.
"Madam Mito will tell you."
"... Hey, kid, let’s have a fight. If you want to learn Monstrous Strength, we’ll definitely be spending a lot of time together. It’s a good chance for me to see your current level and figure out how to arrange the training."
Looking at Uchiha Xuan’s calm, almost "mature" demeanor, Tsunade curled the corner of her mouth and spoke.
"If you just want to use this as an excuse to beat me up, there’s no need. I’m not stupid."
Glancing at Tsunade’s mischievous grin, Uchiha Xuan replied flatly.
Although he was confident in his own strength, at this point, he definitely couldn’t defeat a ninja of Tsunade’s caliber.
"Oh ho, you actually guessed my intention. Rejecting so firmly—kid, you’re not scared, are you?"
Tsunade said with a smile.
You certainly know how to provoke an Uchiha.
"Let’s go."
Chakra gathered at Uchiha Xuan’s feet as he performed a Body Flicker and vanished.
"Heh."
Seeing this, Tsunade smirked and followed closely behind.
......
The familiar banks of the Naka River once again.
Uchiha Xuan raised his hand, and a gleaming white longsword appeared directly in his grasp.
Opposite him, Tsunade chuckled cheerfully.
"Oh ho, Ninja Tool Summoning Technique. And this sword... it’s quite sharp, isn’t it, kid?"
Looking at Uchiha Xuan standing with his sword in hand, Tsunade smiled, extended her right hand, and beckoned him lightly.
"Come on, kid."
Watching that hand, Uchiha Xuan altered his breathing, and lightning instantly enveloped his entire body.
"??"
The sudden burst of lightning from Uchiha Xuan startled Tsunade.
Wait, aren’t you a first-year student? What the hell is this?!?!
Whoosh!
In her moment of surprise, a flash of white light mixed with thunder had already arrived before her.
Without hesitation, Tsunade punched the ground.
Boom!!
A dull, heavy sound accompanied by a powerful shockwave instantly repelled the blade that had closed in on Tsunade, while the ground centered around her cracked instantly.
However, the repelled blade changed its trajectory, and leaping lightning, following the shift in the blade’s momentum, instantly sliced through the shockwave Tsunade had raised.
"Thunder Breathing - Second Form - Rice Spirit!"
The lightning extended outward, accompanied by five sharp, rapid slashes that instantly shattered all the scattered rubble.
Yet, Tsunade merely threw a punch, a terrifying force instantly dispersing all the lightning and blade light, while Uchiha Xuan’s figure rapidly retreated backward.
’Her strength is immense...’
Watching Tsunade perfectly embody the concept of "overwhelming force defeats all techniques," Uchiha Xuan couldn’t help but sigh.
In terms of raw power, this was the first time someone had so overwhelmingly suppressed his strength.
Monstrous Strength was indeed worth learning.
"Not bad Ninja Sword Technique, kid, but since when did the Uchiha have Lightning Release Ninja Sword Techniques? Shouldn’t it be Fire Release? Continue?"
Tsunade, having punched Uchiha Xuan back, placed one hand on her hip and spoke with a smile.
"Continue."
Flicking his blade, Uchiha Xuan charged toward Tsunade again. As he rushed forward, he formed hand seals with one hand.
Shadow Clone Technique!!
Against Tsunade, ordinary ninjutsu couldn’t break through her defenses. To win, he had to rely on his wits.
"One-handed seals?! Impressive, kid."
Watching Uchiha Xuan split into three, Tsunade narrowed her eyes, took a step forward, cracking the ground instantly, and clenched her left fist.
But before Tsunade could throw her punch, Uchiha Xuan and his shadow clones suddenly used Body Flicker to dart in different directions. At the same time, a pair of crimson eyes opened.
’Two Tomoe!!’
Seeing Uchiha Xuan activate his Sharingan, Tsunade was inwardly shocked. As a descendant of the Senju bloodline, though she hadn’t inherited the Senju name, it was impossible for her not to understand the Uchiha’s Kekkei Genkai.
Looking at the two pitch-black tomoe in Uchiha Xuan’s pupils, Tsunade felt utterly bewildered.
This is a first-year student!!
"Thunder Breathing - Third Form - Gathering Mosquitoes into Thunder!!"
With a murmur, behind Tsunade, Uchiha Xuan swung his blade in a slash.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out as Tsunade, holding a Chakra Scalpel, precisely blocked Uchiha Xuan’s slash. In response, Uchiha Xuan merely flickered and vanished.
The moment after Uchiha Xuan disappeared, two more slashes came from different directions toward Tsunade. Tsunade rotated her Chakra Scalpel and accurately blocked them again.
Uchiha Xuan’s attack frequency was extremely high. From an observer’s perspective, countless Uchiha Xuan seemed to have completely surrounded Tsunade.
The blade light was sharp, yet not a single strike truly landed on Tsunade.
Every slash was perfectly blocked by the Chakra Scalpel.
Uchiha Xuan’s slashing power was ineffective against Tsunade.
"Indeed, I lack sufficiently powerful techniques. Against a ninja like Tsunade, my swordsmanship alone isn’t enough to inflict damage."
Another slashing strike was blocked, and Uchiha Xuan retreated explosively, silently thinking as he looked at Tsunade, whose smile remained unchanged.