Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tsunade stood firmly in the massive crater.
Her clothes were in tatters, with numerous fine scratches on them. Yet, her body bore not a single wound.
The diamond-shaped mark on her forehead had disappeared, signifying that she had completely unsealed the Yin Seal, which she had used to store her chakra.
Black markings extended from her forehead, spreading across her entire body.
From the sidelines, Jiraiya let out an impressed whistle.
Ryouma had anticipated this. He knew that Tsunade's external layer of Yang-based chakra alone could block the cutting force of the Rasenshuriken. Even without the Rikugan active, he could sense the extraordinary density of her chakra.
Since the Yin Seal had been fully released, what was coming next was undoubtedly—Ninja Art Creation Rebirth - Strength of a Hundred Technique.
It was through this powerful technique that she had directly withstood the Rasenshuriken.
Facing her in this state, Ryouma realized he would have to use an even stronger attack to defeat her instantly.
Otherwise, as long as the chakra from her Yin Seal wasn't exhausted, Tsunade was virtually invincible.
This is getting troublesome, he thought.
Though he still had more powerful techniques up his sleeve, he was concerned that if he unleashed his trump card, it might end up killing Tsunade.
The two weren't mortal enemies, so there was no need to take things that far.
However, without resorting to stronger techniques, he didn't have an immediate way to bypass her defense.
On the other hand, Tsunade was in a similar position. Her strength output was concentrated entirely on raw physical power.
Ryouma maintained absolute control over the battlefield. She realized that to win this contest, there was only one option left: To stall.
He might not have a small chakra reserve, she calculated, but my chakra reserves are inherently massive. Adding to that, the chakra stored in my Yin Seal is even more enormous.
She was confident that her chakra reserves would outlast Ryouma's. If they dragged things out, she would inevitably emerge victorious.
That's not a victory. What kind of Sannin needs to resort to that?
Tsunade prided herself on not stooping to the level of exhausting chakra reserves just to defeat someone who was essentially a kid to her.
She wasn't Jiraiya, after all!
What should she do? Should she concede? But... sigh... if only she hadn't let her temper get the better of her earlier.
As Tsunade and Ryouma each pondered their next move, a voice interrupted their thoughts.
"That's enough from both sides."
Jiraiya suddenly intervened, slowly stepping into the middle of the battlefield with his arms spread wide, palms facing outward in a gesture to stop.
"As entertaining as this has been. I think we've all seen enough to be impressed. No need to level half the camp proving a point."
Seeing Rin arrive, Ryouma, who had no desire to continue the fight anyway, slowly sheathed his blade, and used the Body Flicker to join the others.
Tsunade let out a sigh of relief and resealed the Yin Seal, the black markings receding back into the diamond on her forehead.
"Perfect timing as always, you old fool," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Jiraiya to catch.
"Alright, now let's have both sides perform the Seal of Reconciliation," Minato clapped his hands, feeling that this was a reasonable conclusion to the duel.
Hearing his suggestion, Tsunade suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia.
Back in the day, her teacher used to say similar things, encouraging her, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to spar with one another.
Tsunade became inexplicably flustered. "We're not some freshly graduated kids. This was just a sparring match, after all."
Minato sighed and replied earnestly, "Lady Tsunade, you were the one who agreed to let me act as referee."
"But..." Tsunade tried to argue, her usual confidence momentarily fractured.
"This is protocol," Minato cut her off directly.
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly at his directness. The Yellow Flash certainly had more backbone than his mild demeanor suggested.
Having been Tsunade's teammate for many years, Jiraiya immediately guessed what was on her mind. "Don't tell me, you're too embarrassed to do it?"
Tsunade, now thoroughly annoyed, snapped, "You idiot, are you looking for a fight?"
Jiraiya laughed. "Already had one today, thanks! But I'm available tomorrow if you're offering."
Rin whispered to Obito, "Are they always ?"
As Tsunade glared at the playful Jiraiya, a thought struck her.
The world was at war, again. They were older, supposedly wiser. Yet here they were, trapped in patterns established years ago.
And someone was missing from their trio. Had been for too long.
Ever since the Second Great Ninja War had ended, apart from Jiraiya, Orochimaru had barely kept in touch with them.
Not during the end of the war, but rather after Nawaki's death.
It was as if a line had been drawn through their timeline—before and after that tragedy.
She began recalling many things she hadn't thought of before.
When Nawaki died, she had felt immense pain. But Orochimaru, who had been Nawaki's teacher, must have felt deeply guilty as well, hadn't he?
But she had been so consumed by her grief that she never spoke to him about it.
Did he think she blamed him?
After all, that was his nature—always keeping everything bottled up inside, analyzing rather than expressing, observing rather than participating.
A voice brought her complex thoughts back to reality, pulling her from the labyrinth of what-ifs and might-have-beens.
"Come on, Lady Tsunade." Ryouma extended his right hand to form the Seal of Reconciliation, smiling at her.
Seeing him smile, his figure in Tsunade's eyes began to overlap with the one she most wished to see—Nawaki.
If only Nawaki were standing here instead, she thought.
If her brother had been as gifted as Ryouma, he wouldn't have died on the battlefield, and Orochimaru wouldn't have grown distant from them.
Instead, under the blessings of her, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen, Nawaki would have become the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.
And then, as Orochimaru's disciple, he would have paved the way for Jiraiya to become the Fifth Hokage, ensuring the name of the Senju clan resounded across the ninja world once more.
If only this world were like that, how beautiful it would be. A world where losses were temporary, where death was negotiable, and where the ones you loved remained within reach.
Lost in her thoughts, Tsunade extended her hand. Ryouma assumed she was about to form the seal, so he stepped closer.
But instead of making the seal, Tsunade gently placed her hand on Ryouma's cheek. Her touch was light, almost tentative.
"?" Ryouma looked at her in confusion, preparing to step back to maintain some distance.
A medical examination?
Some strange genjutsu?
The others watched in puzzled silence, Jiraiya's usual smile fading into concern.
"Lady Tsunade?" He looked at her in confusion, preparing to step back to maintain some distance.
However, Tsunade moved without warning, pulling Ryouma into a tight embrace.
Obito's jaw dropped. Kakashi's visible eye widened. Rin covered her mouth in surprise.
"Lady Tsunade?" Minato asked awkwardly.
"I've always… always wanted to see you again," she whispered.
At that moment, an invisible sadness seemed to envelop her. A faint sob escaped her throat.
"Why… why is it so easy for you all to just leave… You selfish fools…"
Each word was filled with suppressed emotions, as though they were on the verge of bursting forth, yet she forcibly held them back.
It was clear that she carried a heavy burden in her heart, countless words she wanted to say.
But those words, like an immovable weight, remained unsaid. Even now, in this moment of raw emotion, she could only let out fragmented phrases.
Perhaps it was because the memories were too painful, or because the depths of her sorrow rendered her speechless.
In any case, she clung tightly to Ryouma, struggling to contain the torrent of emotions surging within her.
The others stood frozen, uncertain how to respond to this unprecedented display from the famously tough-as-nails Sannin.
"Should we do something?" Rin whispered.
Jiraiya shook his head.
"Some wounds never truly heal," Minato added quietly. "They just wait for the right moment to bleed again."
Feeling Tsunade's trembling body, Ryouma sighed inwardly.
By the standards of his past life, he was essentially a young adult. There was no need to bicker with Tsunade... but it somehow ended in a spar.
He revised his earlier thoughts. Losing both her only sibling and her lover really was pitiful.
Sure, he was an orphan too, but at least he still had Rin.
But looking at Tsunade, she truly had nothing left.
Damn this wretched shinobi world—it had pushed its children to such extremes. War after war, loss after loss. A cycle of violence that even the strongest couldn't escape unscathed.
Awkwardly, but with genuine compassion, he raised a hand to pat her back.
Luckily, Tsunade couldn't read minds. Otherwise, it would've completely ruined what was actually a pretty touching moment.