The Hard-Fought Battle

Watching Fuma's Lightning Armor, reminiscent of the Susanoo, Setsuna's eyes widened in disbelief.

He had never expected that this Uchiha, who had always been dedicated to physical training, would come up with a "taijutsu version" of the Susanoo!

In his heart, Setsuna was calling out to the old clan leader, "Madara-sama, look at the genius in our clan. In your absence, the child has become an alternative version of the Senju Uchiha!"

Suppressing his inner joy, Setsuna blinked his eyes, already beginning to ache, and sighed, "It seems troublesome. Such an impressive aura."

Tsunade also had a hint of a smile on her lips. "This bastard is indeed quite capable."

Fuma slightly bent his knees, and a thunderous voice emanated from the armor, "Blood Thunder Armor. Please, both of you, appreciate it. This is my first time using this technique in combat, so be careful."

His legs suddenly exerted force, and the ground emitted a painful groan, splitting open the training field like an earthquake and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Fuma once again rushed to Tsunade's side. Clearly, Tsunade was finding it difficult to keep up with his speed, enhanced by the Blood Thunder Armor. The wind from his fist had already brushed her ear, but her eyes hadn't had time to focus.

Setsuna could see his movements, but unfortunately, from the moment he saw something to the brain's reaction and then to warning, it took at least half a second. And that was enough for Fuma to land several heavy punches!

Fuma's heavy elbow strike aimed straight at Tsunade, the thick blood armor on his elbow protruding like a beheading sword.

It wasn't that Fuma was so ruthless that he had to treat Tsunade this way. It was because Setsuna's other eye technique hadn't been activated yet. If he could take Tsunade out with one move, it would almost guarantee victory.

What surprised Fuma was that Tsunade managed to react just in time, though barely.

Tsunade did not dodge but delivered a powerful knee strike aimed at Fuma.

Immediately, the two of them flew backward in opposite directions, carving deep grooves into the ground.

Tsunade, with her left hand surrounded by green medical chakra, treated her fractured arm and quietly reminded Setsuna, "We need to go all out. This guy's strength won't give us a chance to make mistakes."

Fuma was greatly puzzled. How was this possible? With Tsunade's nerve reaction speed, she shouldn't have been able to react.

Moreover, his explosive elbow strike hadn't broken her bone? This indicated that she had the strength to rival his own.

Looking down at his abdomen, he saw that the Blood Thunder Armor's excellent defense couldn't withstand Tsunade's power. Fuma felt a sweet taste in his throat and blood surged into his mouth.

Fuma squinted at Setsuna, understanding a bit of the mystery. "Clan leader, what a pair of supportive Mangekyō Sharingan you have!"

Setsuna smiled at these words. His left eye had strong healing abilities, while his right eye greatly enhanced chakra and perception.

Years ago, Setsuna's two wishes were to see Uchiha Madara defeat Senju Hashirama and to save his brother.

Tightening his slightly pudgy belly due to old age, Setsuna murmured, "Are you ready to face the Uchiha clan's ultimate power?"

The cold Mangekyō Sharingan's power surrounded Setsuna, and white chakra molded into shape mid-air. A skeletal warrior wrapped around Setsuna, forming the first stage of the Susanoo.

Setsuna's eyes were bloodshot, and the skeletal warrior slowly grew muscles and flesh, holding a long, white katana in its hand, forming the second stage of the Susanoo. This was Setsuna's current limit. The third stage, with the Tengu armor, was beyond what a regular Mangekyō Sharingan could handle.

Fuma watched Setsuna gravely. The old man was already pushing his limits.

"Yasaka Magatama!"

White magatama rained down on Fuma, each as large as half a person. Fuma dodged continuously, explosions erupting behind him.

Tsunade quickly closed in on Fuma. With the magatama forcing him to dodge, he had no space left to evade.

Tsunade leapt high, gathering immense chakra, "Heavenly Foot of Pain!"

This attack, supported by Slug Sage's chakra, Tsunade's own strength, and Setsuna's Mangekyō enhancement, was extremely powerful.

Fuma, in a half-squatting stance, muscles bulging and blood armor thickening on his arms, had no choice but to take the hit head-on.

"Boom!"

The entire Forest of Death trembled as if a minor earthquake had struck. The massive collision created a windstorm and a dust cloud, forming a sandstorm that swept everything within a few kilometers.

Kushina and Minato, watching the battle, were shaken and staggered by the tremors, looking helplessly at the approaching sandstorm.

The Third Hokage patted Danzo's increasingly grim face, "Time to get to work, old friend."

Danzo stepped forward silently, "Wind Release: Vacuum Barrier Technique!"

The spectators' stand was enveloped in a gentle yet firm wind chakra, becoming the only sanctuary within a few kilometers.

In the massive crater, the two were still locked in a stalemate. Tsunade, smiling slightly, looked at the sweating Fuma and asked, "How does it feel this time, you heartless bastard?"

Fuma smiled wryly. What heartless bastard? What a strange setup! He realized that with the Mangekyō's enhancement, Tsunade's strength could rival his own.

The current situation favored whoever attacked first.

Twisting his shoulder and spine in a reverse joint movement to release force, he spun like a top, neutralizing the impact of the punch.

Tsunade spat in dissatisfaction, not expecting Fuma's taijutsu skills to be so far ahead of hers.

Fuma sighed and slapped the ground, "Summoning Technique!"

As the smoke cleared, a black hawk, the size of a helicopter, soared into the sky. Fuma shouted, "Dahei, do you remember Tactic One?"

The hawk grunted, "Got it."

It flew higher and higher, circling at a safe distance, overlooking the ground.

Tsunade chuckled, not taking the hawk seriously. To her, it was just a decoy.

Feeling the tearing pain in his arm, Fuma guessed it was fractured. He hadn't been injured in a long time. Indeed, the ninja world was vast, filled with formidable foes.

Looking at Setsuna in the distance, Fuma calculated that the old man must be struggling. At his age, he couldn't have recently awakened his eyes.

So, clan leader Setsuna, how much power do you have left?

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