Despite Tsunade's body instinctively making a judgment in that split second, using her Substitute Jutsu before she could even process what was happening, she perfectly dodged Hatake Saku's lightning-fast strike.
But she still got hit!
However, Tsunade was sure she had avoided that strike. After all, even if she hadn't, it shouldn't have been her neck that was cut. Based on where the wood was struck, it should've been her waist. Furthermore, given the speed at which Hatake Saku moved, it would've been impossible for him to strike twice in the brief moment when Tsunade and he came into contact.
Hatake Saku did indeed swing twice in that moment, in the same instant; the first strike was a sprint, cutting across Tsunade's waist. Had Tsunade not used her Substitute Jutsu in time, she was certain she would've lost a kidney. The second strike was even stranger. From the angle, it seemed to come from behind Tsunade, aimed directly at her neck.
Judging by the fact that the second strike made contact and the first one was dodged by the Substitute Jutsu, it was clear the second strike reached Tsunade faster than the first. However, for this to happen, Hatake Saku would have had to have passed Tsunade, meaning the first strike must have occurred before the second. If not, Tsunade, who had perfectly dodged the first, would never have been hit by the second.
In reality, it was impossible for a person to swing a single sword and land two blows simultaneously. But in the world of Naruto, Tsunade had an idea — perhaps it was a space-time jutsu.
The Substitute Jutsu Tsunade used could be classified under this category, so when she successfully avoided Hatake Saku's first strike, she had already moved out of his attack range.
At the distance of more than ten meters between them, there was no way White Fang, Saku's short blade, could reach Tsunade.
However, what Hatake Saku used seemed somewhat different.
In fact, space-time ninjutsu allowed the user or objects to freely traverse between real space and other-dimensional spaces. It was more about spatial displacement, and its relationship to time didn't seem significant, much less allowing two strikes to overlap in the same instant — one from an entirely impossible angle.
Tsunade found herself momentarily overwhelmed by the situation, even forgetting that her upper body was barely covered by some cloth. She stared at Hatake Saku in disbelief, feeling the situation was impossible.
Geniuses must follow reason, right?
Tsunade even began to suspect that Hatake Saku was using some sort of cheat, just like her. If he had truly wanted to kill her earlier, Tsunade was sure that her head would have already been severed, and she wouldn't have to worry about whether she could win the third match gracefully.
In that moment, Tsunade had a genuine feeling: He really did intend to kill me!
And that mysterious second strike defied all logic.
"It's me who won."
Hatake Saku made the correct declaration of victory, while looking at Tsunade, whose upper body was now mostly exposed. He blushed slightly and turned away — even though her chest was tightly wrapped with white bandages, the tension from the binding created an unexpected allure.
Hatake Saku retracted his previous statement: In certain aspects of combat, the chest is indeed a deadly weapon.
Back to the main point: just as Tsunade had imagined, Hatake Saku used two strikes, not one. The first strike, due to its extreme speed, came so quickly that Tsunade couldn't even think. Hatake Saku referred to it as "a flash," despite having activated his Lightning Release to enhance his body, it still fell under the category of Taijutsu.
The second strike, also called "a flash" by Saku, was classified as a ninjutsu.
The distinction was between Taijutsu Flash and Ninjutsu Flash.
The Taijutsu flash was an extremely fast physical technique. It was said that even with the forbidden technique, the Eight Gates, the same effect could be achieved, possibly even faster. However, Saku had never witnessed that firsthand, so he couldn't confirm it. The Ninjutsu flash, however, was derived from the Taijutsu flash and ignored both time and space, overlapping two strikes simultaneously, creating a slashing attack from a second direction.
This technique surpassed speed, precision, and misdirection, producing a multidimensional twisting phenomenon that Hatake Saku used flawlessly every time. At such high speeds, no one could avoid two simultaneous strikes!
Yet, Tsunade had dodged it.
Even though Hatake Saku's flash strike hit Tsunade, it only succeeded in cutting her clothing, something unprecedented. Even during the Ninja World War, when fighting high-ranking ninjas, he had wounded an Elite Jonin with this technique.
Those were Jonin, the elite of each village — not just anyone!
Thus, even Hatake Saku had to admit that while Tsunade's swordsmanship talent was impressive, it still paled in comparison to her extraordinary talent in ninjutsu.
At this point, Tsunade's mind had finally caught up to the situation, recovering from the momentary shock.
Even someone as old as Tsunade, who could practically claim to be a grandmother, couldn't help but blush, hastily pulling up her outfit to cover her chest. Then, she paused — other people wore bikinis that revealed even more, so why was she so embarrassed over just a bandage?
Of course, she thought that to herself, but she wouldn't lower the outfit again to let Hatake Saku strike her. Instead, she immediately channeled chakra to restore her outfit.
"Humph, this time you've won just barely. Next time, I'll definitely win. Just wait!"
After making her declaration, Tsunade turned and walked away. But then, she seemed to remember something, and stopped in her tracks.
"Thank you for your guidance during this time, Hatake… Saku… Big Brother…"
"…"
Watching Tsunade walk away, Hatake Saku was left somewhat speechless.
Is this really keeping your word?
After Tsunade had left, Hatake Saku didn't immediately leave but sat down on a huge rock that had been sliced in half by his sword.
These past few weeks felt like a dream, one that had been fabricated, but when he woke up last night, it all felt real. On his way home, he had run into the Uchiha examiner from the second exam. They didn't speak, but the special Jonin from the Uchiha clan had said one thing: The examiner can only retaliate after being attacked.
He believed it.
(End of Chapter)