Chapter 107: The Bet Between a Couple

“You bastard!” Tsunade roared. With a devastating kick, the street beneath her shattered instantly, and the nearby buildings collapsed. Aizen leapt back, narrowly avoiding the range of her attack.

“You actually dodged that?” A hint of surprise flashed in Tsunade’s eyes as she once again sized Aizen up. When she noticed the ninja boots on his feet, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Of course I did. After I returned, it didn’t take long for me to discover your true identity. To live up to one of the Legendary Sannin, I’ve been training like crazy for the past few years," Aizen said, half truth, half lie.

“Interesting.” A slight smile appeared on Tsunade’s face as she pointed her finger at him. “Fine, let me see what you’re made of. If you earn my approval, I’ll acknowledge you as Chika’s father.”

“And what exactly do I have to do to gain your approval?” Aizen asked calmly.

Seeing his relaxed demeanor, Tsunade frowned slightly. She could tell that his confidence wasn’t just a front.

At the same time, her mind drifted back to that night four years ago when this young, inexperienced boy rode like a hellish demon, and her cheeks flushed at the memory.

After a brief moment of thought, Tsunade held up three fingers.

“Three seconds?” Aizen asked, feigning ignorance.

“Please, have some self-respect. It's not that easy,” Tsunade said, her mouth twitching in annoyance. “Three minutes. If you can last three minutes against me, I’ll acknowledge you as Chika’s father.”

“And if I win?” Aizen smiled slyly, continuing to press her.

“Win? Against me?” Tsunade looked like she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. In this time, before the Akatsuki had even revealed themselves, not even the Five Kage would dare claim they could defeat her.

“What? Are you scared?” Aizen teased, baiting her.

As expected, Tsunade fell for it immediately. “Hmph, kid, if you actually manage to win, then I, in the name of the Sannin, will recognize you as my man.”

“Whatever I do to you as your husband will be okay afterward?” Aizen licked his lips.

“Yes, whatever a husband and wife do, it’ll be fine,” Tsunade clicked her tongue.

Though she knew Aizen was deliberately provoking her, her confidence as one of the Sannin wouldn’t let her believe she could lose to a young punk.

Even if she did lose, memories of that wild night flickered in her mind, and she didn’t think it would be so bad.

“Then let’s do this, Tsunade. Tonight, you’re destined to be mine.” Aizen grinned, issuing his challenge.

“Don’t get cocky,” Tsunade snapped, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. Her light brown eyes flashed as she raised her right fist. With a swift charge, she lunged at Aizen, aiming straight for his chest.

Tsunade’s move was simple, with no unnecessary flourish, which surprised Aizen. It was his first time facing off against a purely taijutsu-type ninja.

The power and speed of Tsunade’s punch reached their peak in an instant. It was clear that even though she was primarily a medical ninja, Tsunade’s combat experience was incredibly rich as one of the Sannin.

Though Aizen outwardly appeared unconcerned, he wasn’t taking any chances. Secretly, he activated his Heavenly technique, and just as Tsunade’s fist was about to land, he countered with his right hand, blocking her attack.

Their fists collided.

The ground behind Aizen cracked under the force of Tsunade’s monstrous strength, and then with a thunderous boom, it exploded.

“Impossible… He actually blocked it?” Tsunade’s eyes went blank, her pupils trembling slightly as she stared at the scene before her in disbelief.

Her monstrous strength had been caught.

If he had merely dodged, she could’ve understood that. If he had blocked with his fist, she would’ve been surprised, but not shocked.

After all, sometimes raw strength isn’t the sole factor in victory.

But for Aizen to catch her punch with his bare hand… that meant his strength surpassed her monstrous punch?

“Surprised? That someone stronger than you has suddenly appeared?” Aizen smiled faintly as he gauged the power of Tsunade’s punch.

He realized he had overestimated Tsunade’s strength or perhaps underestimated his own.

He had only used about a third of his strength to effortlessly block her punch.

“Who are you really?” Tsunade jumped back, putting some distance between them.

If she had only regarded Aizen as a young upstart before, now things were different.

To block her monstrous strength head-on—something even the other two Sannin couldn’t do—meant this wasn’t just some ordinary man.

Aizen remained calm. “Just a regular father. A regular husband. If you really want to know, beat me, and I’ll tell you everything. Or maybe I’ll tell you after you become my wife. Though technically, you already are.”

“Don’t underestimate me!” Tsunade shouted, shaking off her doubts. She launched another powerful kick, this time from above.

The street suffered once again, reduced to ruins as dust and debris filled the air.

When the dust settled, the result was the same as before. Aizen had blocked her powerful kick with ease.

“Scary. If that had hit, you’d be a widow right now,” Aizen said, keeping his arm in a defensive position, his eyes shamelessly tracing the curves of Tsunade’s silhouette.

“Blocked again?” Tsunade was shocked, watching as Aizen stopped her full-force kick with just one hand.

She quickly followed up with a knee strike, aiming for Aizen’s chin.

But Aizen was prepared. His right hand rose, empowered by his technique, and easily blocked her attack once again.

“Your strength is impressive, but your speed is lacking. You focus too much on power, but if you can’t hit your target, that’s your biggest weakness, Tsunade. Sure, overwhelming strength can break through most defenses, but if you face someone who matches your strength and surpasses you in speed, the only outcome is defeat,” Aizen said calmly, his tone relaxed.

“Hmph, stop talking nonsense.” Gritting her teeth, Tsunade fought through the pain in her foot. Enraged, she switched from kicks to punches, attacking even more ferociously. One punch after another, relentless.

Aizen, however, kept his hands behind his back, dodging each of her strikes with ease, relying only on his advanced perception to anticipate her moves.

“If you’re so good, stop dodging!” Tsunade’s breathing grew labored. It had been a while since she’d fought like this, and the relentless assault was taking a toll.