"What do you think…?"
Sarutobi Ryo stood silently in the dark, answering slowly and carefully from beside the bed.
Tsunade lowered her fist, confused by his sudden appearance.
What could be so important that he 'd come here in the middle of the night? she wondered.
Could it be…
Is this kid trying night raid on me?
The thought startled her, but she quickly dismissed it. It seemed impossible.
Yet, it was the only thing that made sense.
It wasn't like Sarutobi Ryo was bored and unable to sleep, just looking for someone to chat with.
"After returning today…" Sarutobi Ryo began, "I thought about it for a long time. I felt that what you said, Lord Tsunade, had a lot of merit…"
He was praising her, and Tsunade listened with a hum. She still thought he should stay away from Uchiha Mikoto.
And naming the unborn child Sasuke was still a bad idea.
His friendly attitude toward the Uchiha clan was excessive, in her opinion.
Of course, maybe it had to do with how much he cared for Itachi. He truly treated him like a son.
But there was strong opposition to the Uchiha within the Senju clan.
Even Grandma Mito seemed to disapprove of the Uchiha's growing power.
Sarutobi Ryo was gradually pushing the Uchiha to the forefront.
The lack of talented Senju clan members also worried Tsunade a great deal.
No matter how strong she was, she couldn't help but worry that the Senju clan would die out.
"Back then… the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama sama, never married, so he naturally had no children…" Sarutobi Ryo suddenly mentioned.
As the two most powerful members of the Senju clan, Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito combined their bloodlines, resulting in Tsunade.
But Senju Tobirama left no descendants.
During the Warring States Period, this was considered strange. The average lifespan was only 35 years, so not having children was a big problem.
It meant excellent bloodlines couldn't spread and grow.
And it was still a problem in Tsunade's generation.
Seeing the Senju line about to end, could it be…?
"Isn't Lord Tsunade worried at all?" Sarutobi Ryo asked, his eyes burning in the darkness as he stared at her.
Tsunade, well past her youth, hesitated. She naturally thought of the old clan members who were always trying to find her a husband.
But at her age…
Tsunade just felt marriage was too much trouble.
She wasn't a young girl anymore.
What was missed was missed, especially at the wrong time of her life. Why dwell on it?
Seeing Tsunade's reluctance, Sarutobi Ryo's lips curled slightly. "How about I help Lord Tsunade a bit…?"
"What did you say?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened as she sat up on the bed.
Sarutobi Ryo continued, "The inheritance of bloodlines emphasizes talent… my strength… is already as great as Lord Tsunade's, so I think I'm qualified…"
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Tsunade waved her hand, not believing Sarutobi Ryo could be her match.
If she got serious, wouldn't she be able to blow him away easily?
"If that's the case, then let's try it out…" Sarutobi Ryo suggested, wanting to spar to see who was stronger.
"Heh…"
Tsunade chuckled, thinking, You think you 're any match for me, punk?
---
A dozen minutes later.
Tsunade, having arrived at the Konoha Back Mountain, cracked her knuckles.
Choosing this place for their fight was her only option.
Tsunade's Super Strength was too destructive, and normal barriers would be destroyed.
So… this hidden place was the best choice.
"Ready?"
Tsunade smiled confidently, looking heroic and full of energy.
Under the dark night, the moonlight shone on her face, giving it a silvery glow.
Sarutobi Ryo gazed at her beautiful face and nodded lightly.
"Haa!"
With a shout, Tsunade rushed forward, throwing a punch.
She wanted to show this kid that her title as one of the Sannin was not just for show.
Faced with Tsunade's Super Strength punch, Sarutobi Ryo didn't take her lightly and immediately entered the Eight Gates.
The powerful air currents startled Tsunade.
Knowing Sarutobi Ryo possessed the Eight Gates, she was very cautious.
The Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates wasn't as strong as Super Strength.
Only the Sixth Gate could slightly match it.
Why was that?
In the original story, Tsunade's Super Strength could break through Uchiha Madara's Eternal Susanoo's ribs, skeleton, and muscle Susanoo states.
And Guy's Daytime Tiger from the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates could also instantly kill the muscle Susanoo.
Tsunade also had the Strength of a Hundred Seal, which boosted her strength and speed.
So…
It made sense that the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates could be compared to Tsunade's Super Strength in her normal state.
But…
The Sixth Gate had one advantage over the normal Tsunade: speed.
Both movement and attack speed were incredibly fast.
Before Tsunade could react, she only had time to throw one punch before she was hit with hundreds of punches.
Sarutobi Ryo's fists landed all over Tsunade's body.
In the blink of an eye, Tsunade was sent flying.
Kage-level ninjas can take a lot of damage, so Tsunade wasn't injured.
Even so, she was very shocked by Sarutobi Ryo's transformation.
"I didn't expect…" the Eight Gates to be such a powerful technique.
"Of course, the Eight Gates are powerful."
Sarutobi Ryo stood in place, the strong air currents rustling through the night forest.
"But this has to be combined with my bloodline…"
If he added the Sarutobi Clan's bloodline, the power of the Eight Gates would be unbelievable.
What's more, he now possessed multiple Kekkei Genkai.
With such a bloodline, it was only natural for Tsunade to have powerful descendants…
Sarutobi Ryo used this as his starting point, genuinely thinking of the Senju clan.
Once the Senju clan had outstanding descendants like Naruto and Sasuke, the Senju clan members would stop talking about the Uchiha.
Everyone has their own insecurities.
To make the Senju clan feel better, they needed to create one or two powerhouses for them.
Realizing the danger, Tsunade no longer held back.
This feeling of danger came from the bottom of her heart.
And it came from the possibility of being forced to do something…
Tsunade stared into Sarutobi Ryo's eyes, reading his thoughts.
Damn it …
Could it be that this kid came to attack her in the middle of the night because those old folks in the clan went to him!
"Maybe…"
Sarutobi Ryo said ambiguously, having read Tsunade's thoughts.
This made Tsunade even more sure of her theory.
"Bastard!"
What do those old folks think of her!
Sarutobi Ryo, having successfully blamed the Senju Clan Elders, couldn't explain himself.
After all, always blaming Danzo wasn't a long-term solution. The Senju clan could take the blame for their own prosperity and strength.
All of this was for the Senju.
Sarutobi Ryo stepped forward, charging, and instantly arrived in front of Tsunade.
Tsunade was a Sannin powerhouse, and her reaction speed was extremely fast. She attacked instantly.
An ordinary person would have been hit by Tsunade's high attack speed and given up.
Although Tsunade's legs were short, her movement speed wasn't as good as Orochimaru or Jiraiya.
But her attack speed was not slow.
Compared to the Eight Gates, it was still much slower.
Sarutobi Ryo, wanting to defeat Tsunade head-on, didn't take shortcuts. He directly confronted Tsunade's Super Strength!
*
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[T/N:
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]