The Alliance of Senju and Uchiha

Several members of the Anbu were repairing the arena. The ground, torn apart by the battle, had been restored with Earth Release ninjutsu.

The Third Hokage and numerous Jonin had left the high platform. Some of them, following the Third Hokage's instructions, had already departed from the scene. They were tasked with maintaining order in the village, as the intensity of the battle could disrupt its daily operations.

Fuma stood quietly in the training field, subtly using the title [Savage Growth] to restore his condition while contemplating his next strategy.

In reality, facing the combination of Tsunade and Setsuna, he didn't have absolute confidence. Although Tsunade wasn't at her peak yet and hadn't developed the Strength of a Hundred Seal, she had signed a contract with the Shikkotsu Forest, and Katsuyu was a formidable summoning beast.

Additionally, Tsunade's monstrous strength, inherited from the Senju, couldn't be taken lightly. If Setsuna managed to hold him off and Tsunade successfully landed a sneak attack, it would be highly troublesome.

What puzzled Fuma the most was Uchiha Setsuna. This old man, who had survived from the end of the Warring States period to the present day, was now challenging him.

Even if he wanted to be the corps commander, there was no need to compete with another Uchiha like Fuma.

This situation reeked of oddity, and Fuma secretly raised his guard against Setsuna. With over twenty years of experience living among the Uchiha, Fuma understood that this man was suffering from the classic Uchiha obsession syndrome.

An obsessed Uchiha was truly troublesome; to win, they might even use Izanagi.

Drawing from his two lifetimes of experience, Fuma knew that in team battles, you should first take down the squishy targets and the healers. However, the problem was that this healer was exceptionally tough, making the situation rather frustrating.

"How unfortunate, Tsunade had to step in. I'll remember this grudge, and if I get the chance, I'll make sure you pay for it," Fuma thought bitterly.

"Alright, we're ready here. Do you need more rest?" Tsunade shouted at Fuma, with Setsuna nodding in agreement.

Fuma was speechless. When a woman gets angry, she often doesn't care about dignity. "Then, let's begin," Fuma said.

As soon as he finished speaking, a ferocious surge of bloodlust erupted, enveloping his body and forming a dark red armor that glowed with a sinister red light.

He pushed off heavily from the ground, accelerating to his maximum speed, and charged straight at Tsunade like a flash of red light.

Fuma leapt high, his downward punch carrying a violent gust of wind aimed at Tsunade! Tsunade smirked coldly, with several small slugs already attached to her back, replenishing her chakra. The azure chakra swirled around her fist, tightly enveloping it.

"Boom!!"

The two fists collided, causing the training field to erupt in a cloud of dust. Fuma felt the power emanating from Tsunade.

"Indeed, without decades of accumulating the Strength of a Hundred Seal, the power of her monstrous strength isn't exaggerated enough to crack Madara Uchiha's Susanoo ribs."

Tsunade was pushed back several steps by Fuma's punch, biting her lip in frustration. She shouted loudly, "Setsuna, be careful! If he gets close, use 'that' immediately!"

"Plan A, now!" Fuma, relentless, didn't care about their plan. He swept a roundhouse kick at Tsunade's face, producing a sonic boom.

Setsuna's wrist flicked, sending several shuriken flying toward Fuma at high speed. Fuma chose to ignore them, determined to take down Tsunade in this round of skirmish. If possible, he would eliminate her directly in this exchange!

Tsunade took the kick head-on, her beautiful face flushing unnaturally. She gathered chakra densely in her arms, grabbing Fuma's leg firmly.

"Now!"

"Boom! Boom!" The explosive tags attached to the shuriken detonated, engulfing Fuma in flames.

Tsunade made a one-handed seal while clutching Fuma with the other. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" The ground turned into a thick swamp, Earth Release chakra sucking in everything on the surface.

"Fire Release: Great Flame Dragon!!" Setsuna unleashed a massive fire attack, not caring about Tsunade. The fire dragon roared, engulfing a large portion of the training field.

Fuma understood their strategy: they aimed to immobilize him with Tsunade's recovery abilities as an advantage, exchanging injuries for injuries.

The fire dragon roared into the swamp, the earth turning increasingly sticky and solidifying. Tsunade held onto Fuma's leg tightly, prepared to go down with him if necessary.

The slugs covering Tsunade absorbed most of the chakra from Katsuyu, greatly reducing the impact of Setsuna's fire release. This was a strategy of self-sacrifice to achieve a greater gain, frustrating yet effective.

"This kind of fire release is useless against me," Fuma declared. As the smoke cleared, his clothes were charred, but his body was unscathed. 'Great Flame Dragon' technique , though a high-level fire Ninjutsu with extensive range and significant power, was ineffective against Fuma.

Standing unmoved in the swamp, Fuma grabbed Tsunade's wrist with one hand and delivered a powerful elbow strike to her shoulder blade. He sneered internally. Underestimating his close combat prowess was a grave mistake.

Both Setsuna and Tsunade were shocked that such high-level ninjutsu had failed to even test him! Fuma, hair standing on end, unleashed a surge of bloodlust, muscles bulging, spine arching like a live dragon.

He planted one foot against Tsunade's stomach and grabbed her arms, pulling fiercely in opposite directions.

Pure, primal violence was on display. Fuma's stance suggested he intended to tear Tsunade apart! Tsunade groaned in pain, struggling against Fuma's immense strength. The slugs wriggled, supplying a large amount of chakra, but the bloodlust corroded the chakra, transferring more of it to Fuma.

With a roar, Fuma's eyes turned blood-red with madness. He could hear the cracking of her bones under the pressure. In this moment, there was no love, no friendship—only victory.

Setsuna watched solemnly, sighing internally. The three tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, merging into the shape of a sword. "Susanoo!" The eerie and cold ocular power gathered. Fuma's heightened senses screamed of impending danger.

He released Tsunade's arms, grabbed her head, and delivered a vicious headbutt, then kicked her away, using the momentum to escape. Tsunade's arms hung limp, her spine protruding unnaturally, and her face was smeared with blood from the headbutt and kick, leaving her kneeling on the ground.

From the spectators' area, Jiraiya was furious, almost leaping into the battle. The Third Hokage restrained him, speaking clearly and gravely, "Watch. Tsunade is not that fragile; she's the best medical ninja."

Danzo's somber voice added, "The focus isn't Tsunade. Fuma won't kill her. The key is that Setsuna has a Mangekyou Sharingan!"

For once, the Third Hokage didn't argue with Danzo, intensely observing the white pillar of light summoned by Setsuna. It struck Tsunade, causing the entire space to ripple. If Fuma had been a moment slower, he would have been caught too.

The patterns in Setsuna's eyes spun rapidly, the pillar of light exploding with intense brightness. Fuma watched in silent shock as Setsuna revealed the Mangekyou Sharingan! This Setsuna had hidden his power deeply!

The light enveloped the rippling space, bursting into a brilliant flash. Tsunade slowly stood, her injuries completely healed. Fuma grew wary; this strange ability resembled Izanagi too much!

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