As the two walked, the Konoha ninja from the ninja world grew intrigued again.
"Who do you think will win in a fight between the two Hokage-sama?"
"Of course, our side! That's the legendary Sannin!" said a ninja unfamiliar with martial arts.
"No way… you saw the earlier fights. Even ordinary soldiers are that strong. Tsunade-sama from that world might be stronger. Martial arts are just too powerful."
"Hmph! I don't agree. Our Tsunade-sama is a Sannin forged by war, and she's started learning martial arts. Why would she lose to the other?"
The Konoha group debated until both Tsunades reached a hexagram formation, their figures flashing and appearing on barren land.
Ninja World Tsunade wanted to retreat to a certain distance before starting the match.
But Imperial Tsunade waved her hand.
"Forget it. Actually fighting would be too one-sided. Don't you just want to see my strength? Stay here and watch."
As she spoke, Imperial Tsunade took a slow breath.
*CRACK!* *CRACK!*
Right beside Imperial Tsunade, Ninja World Tsunade heard a series of cracking sounds from her counterpart's body.
"This is?"
"Earth Breathing Style, significantly boosting self-defense. Next, Yin Seal Angel Form, Release! Hundred Strength Technique, Open!"
The seal on Imperial Tsunade's forehead released.
Unlike Ninja World Tsunade's, this Yin Seal, once released, made Imperial Tsunade's skin smoother and glossier, with a pair of wings sprouting from her back, looking dreamily beautiful.
Seeing this, Ninja World Tsunade couldn't help but say, "What did you turn the Yin Seal into?"
"This is the fusion of beauty and power! Angel Form! You fool who doesn't understand beauty!"
As she spoke, Imperial Tsunade roared again:
"Next, Gate of Wonder, Open!"
*BOOM!*
A massive surge of chakra shot into the sky, piercing the heavens.
Ninja World Tsunade was pushed back by the powerful airflow, her face full of shock.
"You… you've mastered the Eight Gates too? How is that possible!"
"The Hundred Strength Technique requires perfect chakra control, but the Eight Gates make chakra wild and unruly… the two can't possibly be used together!"
"This is the essence of martial arts! It can perfectly fuse two incompatible techniques! Watch closely, my other self! See how powerful martial arts are!"
With Imperial Tsunade's final roar, her foot stomped the ground, causing the earth within a hundred-meter radius to explode.
Ninja World Tsunade had to leap back to avoid it.
At the same time, her eyes locked onto Imperial Tsunade, watching her opponent shoot into the sky like lightning.
Her speed was so fast that her body, rubbing against the air, created a fiery glow on her surface.
In a few blinks, she pierced the clouds. Then, Imperial Tsunade adjusted her position, plummeting downward, her right leg raised high above her head.
Clusters of chakra and true energy gathered at her foot, forming a massive energy leg dozens of meters long.
Finally, as she reached the ground, she stomped down hard.
"Sky-Splitting Kick!"
*BOOOOOM!!!!*
A terrifying roar accompanied a massive explosion, the ground shattering, with massive rocks hurled in all directions from the impact.
Ninja World Tsunade in the distance, punched repeatedly, smashing the incoming rocks one by one. Only when the roar subsided did she notice that the spot where Imperial Tsunade's foot landed had created earthquake-like cracks extending dozens of kilometers…
The power of this kick was far stronger than Imperial Lee's earlier kick!
Ninja World Tsunade opened her mouth, momentarily speechless.
The Konoha ninja from the ninja world also gaped, silence falling around the space-time device.
"Is this the strength of Tsunade-sama from the other world? Too… too strong, isn't it?" Someone finally spoke after a long pause.
"Those weird super robots earlier were incredibly strong, but they looked strange and massive, always feeling unreal… but that was just one kick from the other world's Tsunade-sama…"
"Different worlds, different selves, such a huge gap?"
Some muttered.
A few then turned their gazes to the only Imperial present, Rock Lee.
"No need to be shocked. This is martial arts! If you all join the Empire, you can become this strong too! Trust me!"
Imperial Lee flashed his gleaming teeth.
Beside him, Ninja World Lee and Guy were gone. For them, watching the excitement here was less valuable than training martial arts diligently.
Imperial Lee actually wanted to train with them, but he had to guard the space-time device.
This made him silently blame Imperial Neji.
If he'd known, he should've let Imperial Obito come and wait here.
By the way, where's Obito?
"Didn't embarrass your Sannin name, did I, my other self?"
Imperial Tsunade walked back slowly, chuckling oddly.
Ninja World Tsunade's face flushed, and she snorted softly.
"Not bad. Seems like you're among the strong in the entire Empire. That puts me at ease."
"Hahaha! Isn't that obvious? I'm a Senju clan princess! You know the Senju clan, right? The same clan as His Majesty the Emperor, head of the three Dragon Soul clans!"
"My physique has evolved into a perfect Sage Body. How could I compare to ordinary people?"
Imperial Tsunade laughed proudly.
"Sage Body? Related to sage arts?" Ninja World Tsunade perked up at the word "sage."
"Huh? Are you messing with me? You don't even know about the Sage Body?"
Imperial Tsunade's brows furrowed:
"Fine, I'll explain. Great-Grandfather's physique was actually a Sage Body."
"Sage Body? I know he trained sage arts, but what's the connection to a Sage Body?" Ninja World Tsunade still didn't get it.
In Ninja World Konoha, many others were equally confused.
"You never noticed Great-Grandfather's chakra and recovery ability far surpassed ordinary people? Research shows his passive recovery was nearly equivalent to someone with an opened Yin Seal. Didn't that strike you as odd?" Imperial Tsunade asked.
"Well… it does seem that way." Ninja World Tsunade nodded.
"Looking at you, you've never researched Great-Grandfather's cells?" Imperial Tsunade said.
"That's Great-Grandfather! The First Hokage! How could we do something so disrespectful to our ancestor?" Ninja World Tsunade frowned.
"Tch, no wonder your progress is so slow! Other research gets stalled too?"
Imperial Tsunade said with slight disdain.
In Ninja World Konoha, the fathers of the Ino-Shika-Chō clans and some elite ninja showed slight changes in expression.
"Hmph!" Ninja World Tsunade snorted coldly, not responding.
"Great-Grandfather's bloodline was a perfect Sage Body, vastly different from other Senju clan members, even surpassing the Uzumaki clan, who have an imperfect Sage Body." Imperial Tsunade said.
"The Uzumaki clan with an imperfect Sage Body? What does that mean? How are the Uzumaki and Senju clans related?" Ninja World Tsunade asked.
"The Uzumaki and Senju were originally one clan but later split. The Uzumaki fiercely preserved their bloodline, while the Senju were more open, marrying outsiders. Over time… the Senju bloodline thinned."
"Though some strong individuals appeared, they weren't much different from the Uzumaki until Great-Grandfather was born! Got it?" Imperial Tsunade explained.
"I kind of get it. So, Great-Grandfather's Sage Body was a random mutation?" Ninja World Tsunade said.
"Of course not, it was inevitable. Great-Grandfather was the reincarnation of Rikudo Sennin's youngest son, Ashura, bearing Ashura's chakra. Combined with the Senju bloodline, he naturally awakened the Sage Body." Imperial Tsunade said.
"Rikudo Sennin? Ashura's reincarnation? What are you talking about?" Ninja World Tsunade was slightly lost.
"Aren't those just mythical legends?"
The Konoha ninja from the ninja world felt the same, showing confused expressions.
"Before seeing it, just hearing about it, of course it's a myth. But after witnessing and verifying it, it's fact." Imperial Tsunade said.
"What's your proof?" Ninja World Tsunade asked.
"Proof? I don't want to prove anything to you, too troublesome… Believe it or don't, up to you. Also, let me tell you one thing: Uchiha Madara was the reincarnation of Rikudo Sennin's other son. And Rikudo Sennin, for obstructing the Empire's unification, was killed by His Majesty the Emperor." Imperial Tsunade said with a nonchalant smile.
"Huh?"
Ninja World Tsunade and the other Konoha ninja, hearing this, didn't know how to react to this news.
They felt somewhat numb.
The information was far too advanced for them.
It left their minds reeling, while they instinctively doubted if the Empire was exaggerating.
Imperial Tsunade soon took Ninja World Tsunade home, chatting with her like sisters but, unlike others, didn't teach her martial arts. Instead, she began taking Ninja World Tsunade to eat, drink, and have fun daily, touring various capital spots to help the Ninja World Konoha better understand the Empire.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Time passed quickly; in a blink, half a month had gone by.
In Ninja World Konoha, ninety-nine percent of the ninja gathered around the space-time device had left.
Even Naruto, Sakura, and other juniors had returned to martial arts training.
Only a few remained.
They stared at Tsunade on the space-time device's feed, their expressions complex.
"Tsunade-sama seems to have fully blended in…"
"Look how happily she's laughing…"
"Life in the Empire is really great, with advanced technology, convenient transport, and the food looks so delicious…"
As they spoke, the ninja collectively clamped their mouths shut.
No more talking! Or something might happen!
They quietly watched the space-time device.
Both Tsunades slowly exited a women's clothing store.
Ninja World Tsunade, compared to when she first arrived in the Empire, had transformed, now wearing a stylish wuxia-inspired female warrior outfit, laughing and chatting with Imperial Tsunade.
A robotic maid carrying the space-time device followed loyally, recording everything.
Suddenly, shocked exclamations rang out.
"People from the Water District! Governor Terumi Mei and the Seven Sacred Swords!"
"Governor Mei is even prettier than on TV."
"The Seven Sacred Swords look so majestic."
Such remarks echoed.
Ninja World Tsunade paused, looking toward the voices.
A long-haired brunette woman in a revealing swimsuit walked slowly with seven others.
Each of the seven had odd appearances, carrying swords.
Seeing them, Ninja World Tsunade instinctively said, "Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"
"Seven Ninja Swordsmen? What an old-fashioned name. Doesn't sound great, far less grand than Seven Sacred Swords." Imperial Tsunade said with slight nostalgia and a teasing tone.
"With martial arts so advanced in this world, these people still use ninja swords? Isn't that like picking sesame seeds and losing a watermelon?"
Ninja World Tsunade asked curiously.
"What are you thinking? Using swords doesn't mean they can't train martial arts. Most Water District people practice dual-weapon techniques, treating the weapon in their hands as a nurtured true spirit, making the weapon stronger while uniting man and blade. Their strength isn't necessarily weaker than ordinary martial artists."
"The Seven Sacred Swords are the best among them." Imperial Tsunade explained.
"Dual-weapon techniques? An unfamiliar term…" Ninja World Tsunade muttered.
At this moment, Imperial Mei had led the Seven Sacred Swords to the two Tsunades, smiling at Imperial Tsunade.
"Big Sister Tsunade, it's been a while. I've missed you so much. The one beside you must be your other self? As expected of Big Sister Tsunade, beautiful and extraordinary in any world."
"Tsunade-sama!" The Seven Sacred Swords bowed to Imperial Tsunade.
"You little brat, don't come here without serious business. This time, coming to the capital with so many escorts, what's your plan?" Imperial Tsunade said bluntly.
"Of course, to visit the other world. Such an interesting world can't be monopolized by the capital's people." Imperial Mei said with a smile.
"Oh? You all know already?" Imperial Tsunade said flatly.
"Of course. The amount of space-time particles generated this time was significant, marking the start of official action. How could we not join? Right, Governor of the Earth District?"
At the end of her words, Imperial Mei looked skyward.
Her voice converged into a beam, spreading upward.
Ninja World Tsunade frowned and looked up too.
Above the clouds, several small dots rapidly descended.
Ōnoki led a group, flying through the air.
"The Water District Governor's sensory abilities are remarkable. This old man is impressed."
After saying this, he nodded to Tsunade, saying, "Miss Tsunade, long time no see."
"The Earth District Governor came for a quota to visit the ninja world too?"
"Of course. The ninja world people are stubborn, as an experienced person, I know this well. If not guided properly, they might suffer great losses…" Ōnoki sighed.
"Grandpa Ōnoki is right. Battlefields are cruel. If we don't act this time, who knows how many could join the Empire in the future. I don't want to handle my other self's corpse."
A loud roar came from the distance.
A dark-skinned man over two meters twenty tall, with a rugged beard and bulging muscles, led a group of sturdy men around two meters tall, striding forward.