Chapter 97 – The Furious Kazane
At first, when Kazane heard Tsunade's challenge, his instinct was to refuse.
He couldn't even fight back against her.
After half a month without meat, he was starving and skinny.
A spar where he couldn't retaliate? That wasn't a spar—it was just getting beaten up!
But before he could voice his rejection, the ever-unreasonable Tsunade had already thrown a punch.
And Kazane instantly sensed the chakra condensed in her fist—that legendary monstrous strength was fully charged. He quickly dodged to the side.
Before he could even get the words "I refuse" out of his mouth, Tsunade had already lunged at him again. It was crystal clear—she just wanted to beat him up!
Well, if that's how it is... then he'd have to fight back.
Though Kazane didn't draw his sword. Against a taijutsu specialist like Tsunade, using a blade was too risky. If he couldn't hold back in time, things could end badly.
Instead, he activated Armament Haki, coating his hands in the dense, black aura—and met Tsunade's fist head-on.
BAM!
Their fists collided—and what happened next surprised Kazane.
The impact actually pushed him back a step.
Despite his immense natural strength plus Armament Haki, Tsunade's smooth, dainty fist still had more punch.
In that moment, Kazane realized—if Tsunade had been with Jiraiya during his fight against the Third Raikage, maybe the two of them could've held the Raikage off without needing him.
But still—being pushed back? Seriously?
Was it because his attention had been briefly... distracted by the rather generous view in front of him?
Kazane didn't know what others saw when fighting Tsunade, but he felt this was straight-up cheating.
How was he not supposed to get distracted?
"Heh. That's all you've got, brat?"
Tsunade grinned proudly after knocking Kazane back, waving her little fist at him mockingly.
But she quickly noticed the look in his eyes.
Her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes sharpened with a dangerous glint.
Still staring? I'll beat those eyes right out of your skull.
She smirked slightly—and before Kazane could look away—launched another punch, powered by her monstrous strength.
But Kazane had Observation Haki.
A direct, frontal attack like this? Easy read.
He ducked under it and instinctively countered with a punch aimed at her stomach.
But just before contact, he realized—if this hit landed, he'd probably end up back in the medical ward… missing a few limbs.
So he pulled back at the last second, his fist stopping right in front of her.
Tsunade, however, wasn't touched by his mercy. In fact, she took it as an insult.
You're not even hitting back? Then I'll just keep pounding until you do.
Without hesitation, she launched a storm of punches at him.
Kazane weaved and dodged, slipping through each strike with practiced ease. His Observation Haki allowed him to sense every move—even without using his eyes.
Frustrated by her inability to land a single hit, Tsunade raised her right leg high and slammed it into the ground.
Heavenly Foot of Pain!
BOOM!
The ground shattered instantly, fissures tearing through the clearing.
Caught off guard by the sudden collapse beneath him, Kazane lost his footing—and finally took a hit from Tsunade's incoming fist.
Armament Haki!
The black armor coated his body in an instant, as if invisible armor had formed around him.
Tsunade's punch slammed into his chest—producing a deep, echoing thud. But it only sent him sliding backward a few meters. No damage, no pain.
Tsunade's eyes gleamed.
Exactly what I wanted. Now things were getting interesting.
Up until now, she had been holding back—afraid she might hurt Kazane. But that punch confirmed it. He could take it.
So now? No more holding back.
Kazane soon realized something:
he no longer had the luxury of admiring that masterpiece before him.
Chaotic Body Blitz!!!
As Tsunade closed the distance, her body suddenly emitted a surge of electrical discharge.
Kazane, thinking her fists posed little threat, didn't notice the sudden buildup.
And got zapped.
Despite his Lightning Release Chakra Mode—designed to stimulate cells through lightning to enhance performance—he wasn't immune to uncontrolled, full-body shocks like this.
Controlled lightning? Fine. But a flood of static across every nerve at once was simply Brutal.
He'd learned this lesson during his early training—don't drink too much water before training Lightning Mode Release. You'll regret it.
The current from Tsunade's technique made Kazane's whole body seize up—even his hair stood on end.
Tsunade, now fully fired up, wasn't about to let this chance slip by.
Monstrous Strength: Full Power Strike!
BOOM!!!
A dull explosion rang out.
Kazane went flying into the forest—crashing through one hundred-year-old tree after another, leaving behind a trail of destruction like a freshly cut forest path.
Only when he slammed into a giant tree—five to six meters thick—did he finally stop.
Seeing the damage she'd caused, Tsunade finally cooled off a bit—and started to worry.
Maybe… that was a bit too much?
After all, Kazane had just been discharged. And throughout the fight, he hadn't even fought back.
Of course, apologize? Not a chance.
She was Tsunade-hime—the Princess of the Hidden Leaf!
And then, the forest fell eerily silent.
No sign of movement.
Kazane had vanished.
Just… silence.
A long moment passed. Tsunade was just about to check if she'd accidentally knocked him out cold—
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion roared from within the woods.
Then she saw it—a massive bolt of lightning racing straight at her.
As it neared, she realized—
That wasn't lightning. It was Kazane!
Having been blindsided, Kazane had taken a moment to check his ribs—yep, probably cracked. His rage boiled over.
Fine. If I die, I die. But I'm taking you with me first.
With the Eight Gates granting him explosive strength, and Lightning Release Chakra Mode gifting him blinding speed—
Kazane became a bolt of blue lightning, power fully unleashed.
Tsunade, by contrast, hadn't fought seriously in over ten years—not since she received news of her brother Nawaki's death and then watched her lover Dan die before her eyes.
That trauma had left her with hemophobia and drove her to avoid battle for years.
In the meantime, she'd grown stronger—her chakra control and monstrous strength sharper than ever.
But she still couldn't compare to Kazane—who had always been stronger, and had never stopped fighting on the front lines.
Caught by surprise, she missed her chance to dodge.
Kazane's right arm, coated in pitch-black Haki, wrapped around her neck—and a massive surge of lightning erupted from his body.
A perfect payback:
Using her own move… against her.
Tsunade, now spasming and numb all over, couldn't do anything but twitch as electricity arced through her.