WARNING: This will be a LONG/WALL TEXT thread! If you don't have the mood to read it and understand basically what I have written here, I have the request to not post and ignore this IF you don't have anything useful to say!
THANK YOU!
Ok now, since I was around debating with certain members of the base, regarding the given subject, in order to be able to keep well-ordered the statements I am doing in regards to this subject, I have decided to create this thread.
DISCLAIMER: No trolls, Uchiha/Tsunade fanboys are allowed! What I am making here is certain scenarios, and I am backing-up my statements. I don't need any of the praises from Tsunade fans nor any of the hate/flaming of the Uchiha fanboys. I even, myself, admitted that given certain scenario and the feats shown throughout the manga, Tsunade could lose.
Any trolling/spamming/flaming will be reported!
Thank you for your understanding!
Now, let's take a little look, first, at Itachi's abilities. What does he have in his arsenal.
Sharingan/Mangekyo Sharingan which gives him the following jutsus:
1. Base Genjutsu
2. Tsukyomi
3. Amaterasu
4. Susanoo (equiped with Sword of Totsuka & Yata Mirror)
5. Izanami
Nature type: Fire which grants him the following:
1. Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
2. Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson
3. Yasaka Magatama
What else have wee seen at Itachi? Well:
1. Shadow Clone Technique
2. Crow Clone Technique
3. Clone Great Explosion
So, nonetheless, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan.
Now, let's take a look at Tsunade Senju. What does she have in her arsenal? Well:
Presumed chakra nature: Lightning
1. Mystical Palm Technique
2. Body Pathway Derangement
3. Chakra Enhanced Strength
4. Chakra Scalpel
5. Chakra Transfer Technique
6. Creation/Genesis Rebirth (Souzou Saizei)
7. Healing Chakra Transmission
8. Strength of a Hundred Technique (Byakugou)
9. Summoning Technique (Slugs: Katsuyu)
10. Yin Seal: Release
11. Heavenly Kick of Pain/Tsūtenkyaku
As well, being the teacher of Shizune and Sakura, we know that throughout her arsenal can be found antidotes to certain poisons, poisoned ninja tools, sleeping gas bombs.
Now let's address the very first concern that has been issued when it comes to a fight with Itachi is Genjutsu/Tsukyomi.
Throughout the manga, we have seen that against Genjutsu users you have a chance to fight. One would be not looking into their eyes and second one would be the chakra disruption as genjutsu is well known of having to do with the irregular flow in ones chakra system when is casted.
I previously explained how Tsunade would be able to fight with a genjutsu type user and I will do it again.
I. Not looking into Itachi's eyes. Taijutsu based combat.
Many are quick to disregard Tsunade's combat skills simply because she doesn't seem as quick and precise as other combatants such as Gai and Lee. While this might be true, it does not necessarily make her any less dangerous in combat.
These sorts of comparisons often lead to her underestimation due to the fact that most people do not realise that Tsunade utilises a different style in combat, one that is not as reliant upon her speed and precision of attacks. This style takes full advantage of the traits that set her apart from most others, which in concert can make her more or equally as dangerous a close-quarters combatant as any other high tier ninja.
First of all, whilst Tsunade may not be very fast, she is certainly not slow.
She has shown the ability to blitz an opponent who according to the databook possesses more speed than herself (so that's why I always wondered why the databook put her speed lesser than it's showed in the manga). Furthermore, it should be noted that Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) is classified as ninjutsu and therefore may be partially - if not wholly - excluded from a databook speed statistic.
Tsunade herself has shown impressive Shunshin range, reaching Pain's location in the centre of Konoha's ruins in mere moments.
despite being exhausted to the point of near-death.
She was presumably able to keep up with A, a ninja of purportedly great speed even without his Raiton shroud and surprised two highly reflexive ninja in doing so.
I must state, however, that speed alone is not the only factor that may be important during a combat situation. Do not get me wrong, it is undeniably important in most situations, but there are other factors that can come into play during close-combat. Many of these other factors are more or less tantamount to Tsunade's fighting style, and can even give her the edge she needs to fight on par with - if not best - faster opponents.
Let's take a look at her strenght.
Tsunade indisputably has some of the best strength feats in the entire manga, matched only by few. A single Tsūtenkyaku to the ground can cause an earth-shattering quake, resulting in an enormous crater.
And even a strike from a single finger can rip the ground apart to create a sizeable fissure.
Tsunade's most impressive strength feat, however, comes from her lifting of Gamabunta's several tonne tantō hundreds of metres into the air, and the speed and dexterity at which she manoeuvred it about.
The enormous amount of upper body strength that would have been required to execute such a feat suggests that Tsunade's striking force may potentially be far more destructive than ever shown on-panel.
Orochimaru himself - a ninja who has fought alongside Tsunade for decades, making him somewhat of an expert regarding the full extent of her strength - tells Kabuto that a single blow from Tsunade can kill.
Not only does Orochimaru have little incentive to lie, but he makes this statement whilst fully aware of Kabuto's self-healing ability In'yu Shōmetsu.
Statement of Orochimaru, which in turn speaks volumes for Tsunade's strength. Even against highly defensive opponents, Tsunade's strength can potentially cause a great deal of blunt force trauma, which can lead to concussion and internal injury.
(we know that Orochimaru was lucky not to get killed thanks to his jutsu ability of changing bodies, but after his second body, if he would've received a second blow, he would've been dead, that's why he retired from the battle.
Now before you jump in and ask "what is the use of high strength when she won't have the speed to hit anybody, especially Itachi?", hear me out first.
Less strength-focused fighters, such as Rock Lee in base mode, need to land full hits if they wish to deal any significant form of damage to their opponents. Partial hits would essentially have little-to-no effect upon foes, and only serve to waste precious energy and chakra. Thus, their speed and accuracy is crucial to their fighting styles. Close-quarters combatants like Lee need the speed to be able to get close enough to opponents and position themselves appropriately to allow themselves the opportunity to land full and proper hits.
Tsunade with her superhuman strength, on the other hand, need not follow this rule. She does not need to get so close to an opponent, or attack so fast and accurately, to maximise her chances of landing a full hit. All she needs is enough speed to get herself in a position to land a partial hit. Why? Because even a partial hit from her can deal incredible amounts of damage. Glancing blows and the like can all cause grievous harm thanks to her strength; if a single finger from Tsunade can split the ground apart, I shudder to think of how much damage she could inflict by merely grazing an opponent. Furthermore, the sheer force of a partial hit can easily throw an enemy off balance, leaving them open to a followup attack - one that will most likely result in a full hit.
It is strongly implied that much of Tsunade's strength stems from the use of chakra; that is, by concentrating maximum amounts of it in specific areas of her body.
We already know that the bottom of the feet is the most difficult area for ninja to gather chakra.
and given that Tsunade has already shown exceptional strength and chakra release from her feet
not to mention her unparalleled chakra control, it follows that she should be able to exert this strength from almost any part of the body that coincides with her Keirakukei.
From this perspective, every inch of Tsunade's body is a weapon, which can only improve her chances of landing a partial or full hit.
Tsunade's strength can also be used to throw enemies off balance, disrupting their rhythm and potentially creating openings for herself. It is certainly not out-of-character for Tsunade to destroy the terrain in attempts to throw enemies off.
and we know that - despite the role chakra may play in everyday ninja movement - terrain effects can still cause ninja to lose their balance.
It should be noted that even when Tsunade does not try to throw enemies off, she may inadvertently do so anyway; when her attacks miss, if she follows through with her swing she can destroy the terrain around her, creating fissures, mini-earthquakes and whatnot. Particularly powerful hits from Tsunade can create shock waves, which may also serve to disrupt enemy movement.
One might even suggest that terrain effects are well-suited for combating swifter opponents, who focus more on speed rather than careful footing or maintaining a firm grounding
For instance, should Tsunade attempt to create a fissure beneath Itachi, staying put would result in a debilitating fall.
leaving them vulnerable to a followup attack, but at the same time jumping could also result in an exploitable opening, à la Sasuke vs. Itachi.
Notice how one had the advantage of the terrain was able to land a blow over the other one.
The act of jumping can prove surprisingly precarious for ninja, due to the inability to a dodge in midair (barring flight) and the rather predictable ascent and descent movement pattern.
Particularly in situations where enemies have positioned themselves upon some kind of physical structure, Tsunade can essentially force her foes into a catch, in which they must choose either to stay and risk losing their balance or jump and risk becoming open to attack.
Following on from this point, it is equally possible for Tsunade to use her strength to cause shrapnel-like damage. Stray blows may inadvertently destroy the terrain, with the sheer force of impact capable of sending pieces of terrain and debris flying in all directions at high speeds.
Lastly, many people overlook the advantage Tsunade may have in combat against enemies who initially possess no knowledge of her superhuman strength. In close-quarters, some may have a preference for blocking or parrying incoming hits. Irrefutably, an attempt to block a full-powered punch from Tsunade would result in broken bones and grievous injury for her opponent - perhaps even death.
Moreover, it should be noted that some taijutsu manoeuvres may not work against Tsunade simply by merit of her upper body strength; Tsunade can easily overwhelm opponents who attempt grapple-tactics on her, and can send opponents flying should they attempt taijutsu manoeuvres such as leg-binds.
Anyway, passing over this introduction of Tsunade, let's get back to Itachi combat scenario.
As most of you stated, this would be impossible. How could she not look into Itachi's eyes?
Well, as shown in the manga, have 2 ways of doing this:
1. You must fight while just focusing at his feet (as stated in Naruto part 1)
2. By just looking the movements of his feet and body (as stated in Naruto part 2)
Most of the people here have stated that Itachi's taijutsu is better than Tsunade's, although she is one of the Legendary Three Ninja who is praised not only for her high level in medical ninjutsu (sure, that doesn't mean that we should downgrade Itachi). Even Akatsuki members were praising them, and one of them was Kisame which was Itachi's companion in Akatsuki.
As we can see, Kisame here referrs not only at Jiraya himself, he adresses to him as "one of the Legendary Three Ninjas"
Most of the people are fooled to think that Tsunade's taijutsu is not that good because every since she has been introduced she had a little screen-time in regards to fighting skills.
The only time we saw her was Tsunade's Search Arc where she was shown fighting Kabuto and later Orochimaru, after she hadn't been in the ninja world for years.
That's why, most of the people are fooled to think that Tsunade's mission and war experience merely consists of non-combat, medical support roles and that's it. She didn't become feared around the world as one of the Legendary Sannin simply for being a healer; furthermore she is famous not only for her unbeatable medical skills (even Orochimaru has shown envy on her medical abilities) but also her strength and unbending will.
This clearly suggests that combat-wise - specifically her type of combat techniques - were prominent during the years she spent out in the field earning a reputation for herself.
Jiraya himself, being her teammate for years, praised her more than none other because both her medical and combat skills, that her techniques weren't able to be aquired by anyone. Even Naruto Wiki states that Tsunade used her superhuman strength in battles in order to scare away the enemies so that she could heal her comrades with no problem.
Nonetheless, we can conclude that her combat skills were of great importance during the wars.
Shikaku Nara, Konoha's High Jōnin Commander, praises her for her strength rather than her medical skills. So once again we see that Tsunade was not renown only for her medical skills.
According to the databook, Tsunade possesses a maximum of 5 out of 5 for taijutsu skill (one of the components of her combat style). Once again, this should come as no surprise, given what we have seen of her.
Tsunade has proven herself capable of reacting to attacks in which she has had little-to-no forewarning/showing vulnerability.
With the latter dodge against Kabuto's underground attack showcasing her ability to avoid hits whilst in the same time she positions herself appropriately for an efficient counter-attack.
Not only that, but as well, she has shown that she can manoeuvre herself about and fight in awkward positions with apparent ease.
Not only that but also counter-attacking at the same time and as well even Shunshin (Pathway Derangement) - behind attack.
Another thing concerning Tsunade, we have seen that she can move and attack from inconvenient starting positions very fast and with surprising mobility (and all this in highly injured state, imagine in a safe state).
Another thing concerning Tsunade's taijutsu combat-skills is the fact that she knows very well how to take advantage on terrain alteration. She is very aware of her surroundings and the way she can use them to best suit her.
So in the time Itachi would fight her, he wouldn't have to worry only about himself, he would have to worry as well about his surroundings as they can be used by Tsunade.
Another feat when it comes to her taijutsu skills, is the fact that she has shown remarkable dexterity in the heat of combat, although at the beginning she seemed vulnerable, and used 3 feats in one: 1. dexterity, 2. medical ninjutsu, 3. unnoticeable moves by being able to steal Naruto's wallet (without him even observing that) while performing the other two moves, plus she was handling in the same time while hitting Naruto's pressure points, a kunai.
And we have to keep in mind that all these feats were performing while we were saying a tired out, rusty Tsunade.
As Jiraya says, Tsunade hand't slept for very long.
People easily discard Tsunade's taijutsu, as in their mind, it has to be "speed plus lethality of attacks" (while I agree that lethality is an important factor, speed might not always be) , but in practice, I think it's much more than that, experience accumulated along the years matters as well.
We will examine some examples where speed and lethality are more or less equal, in order to highlight the fact that differences in taijutsu skill and experience are the main reason why one ninja can have the upper hand over the other one, in our case, Tsunade over Itachi.
Example 1.
Sasuke & Danzo. During their battle, there was no apparent discrepancy in speed between the two (though, as we all have seen, speed feats were in favor of Sasuke) , and Sasuke even possessed the range advantage with his sword.
However, Danzō was able to land the first hit against Sasuke.
This happened most likely due to superior taijutsu and battle experience. Note how Danzo's Sharingan at that time was off, this was purely hand-to-hand combat.
Example 2.
During Kakashi's battle with Sasuke, their speed was less or more equal, yet during their hand-to-hand combat it was Kakashi that landed the hit.
It is not as if Sasuke had been too slow to react to the kick, since he didn't appear surprised by it and was even able to block it, it seems as though Kakashi's timing and combat intuition was superior to Sasuke's here given his combat experience. His ability to know exactly what taijutsu manoeuvre to use and when allowed him to land the first hit.
Example 3.
During Sasuke's battle with Itachi, their speeds were more or less equal, and Sasuke with his sword, once again, had the range advantage against his brother. However, during their close-combat battle, it is Itachi who manages to land the first hit against Sasuke.
Once again, it is shown to us that Itachi's superior timing of attacks and his choice of which taijutsu manoeuvre to use gained throughout his combat experience.
So, these three examples of how taijutsu combat skills combined with battle experience can give one ninja the advantage over the other one. Without a doubt, Tsunade's taijutsu skill is representative of her ability to perceive openings, take advantage of them, and use the right taijutsu manoeuvres to match the situation as we've seen throughout the given examples.
Now some, will bring-up the fact that Itachi can read her movements through sharingan. Nothing more correct than that. Still, as we've seen, even though sharingan reads the movements, the body it's not necessarily responding, as we've seen Sasuke being unable to keep up with Lee. You'll say that Lee did that with speed.
Nothing more correct than that either.
But what's different in Tsunade's ways and the others, is the fact that she can use her surroundings as well, and that, Itachi cannot read. He won't guess how she'll use the surroundings in her favour, just the movements she'll do.
Another component that Tsunade uses in her taijutsu, is, as we all know, her evasive skills.
When I say evasion here, I am not referring necessarily to the ability to react quickly to an attack (though it was shown that she can do that as well). I am referring to the ability to anticipate an attack and react accordingly. Many do not know the difference.
The former requires high speed and reaction time. As we've seen throughout the manga, Tsunade has those as well.
Now regarding her speed, let me clear out that as well.
Why most of people call her slow is because:
1. Madara's statement: She's stronger than the Raikage, but slower. Slower than the Raikage doesn't make her the slowest. Please be careful at the comparison terms. I would advise you to look further into those rules.
Plus, it's a one piece comparison, not mass comparison. Madara didn't called her slower than the entire Shinobi World, he called her slower than one character, Raikage.
2: Her summon, Katsuyu. If Katsuyu is a slug, and slugs are known to be slow, that doesn't make Tsunade slow. Don't misinterpret Tsunade's Summon with Tsunade's character.
3: Just because she chooses to take the attacks, it doesn't make her slow. Her intention is clear: she is the one who wants to take that attack, being self-aware of her tanking ability.
Most of you don't even know what's Tsunade's primary ability. Because you hate Sakura, didn't even looked into Tsunade's feats, as Tsunade's learning Sakura what she uses in battle.
Tsunade's primary skill is evasive skills:
Now, what do we get from here?
When you face an opponents attack evasion comes first!
Evading an attack requires high speed and reaction time. Therefore, we can safely assume she is fast enough as her primary skills is evasion.
Now, let us see some examples where Tsunade was able to show her speed feats.
1. In the battle with Kabuto, even though she hasn't been fighting over a big period of time (so we're talking about a rusty Tsunade), she was able to keep it up with Kabuto, who at that time was compared with Kakashi, but not forget that first he took Hyourougan. Those are soldier pills who are known for enhancing all your senses (this includes speed as well). So having all his senses increased, Tsunade who, as I've specified, hadn't fought for years, was able to evade his attacks and respond with an attack in the same time as she manoeuvres her body placed in weird positions, and all that with ease.
Not to mention that from Tanzaku castle up to the Sannin batterfield, Tsunade managed to follow Orochimaru and Kabuto and in the same time she destroyed everything in her path.
2. In the same highly injured state, Tsunade was able to outrun Orochimaru (who in his snake form as we've seen is very fast and he was even able to outrun a 4 tails Naruto) in order to protect Naruto from being impaled with the Kusanagi sword:
3. As well as after being impaled herself with the sword, she was able to move fast enough once again to protect Naruto, when not even Jiraya himself was able to do the hand seals.
And before starting to release her seal, she punched Orochimaru. That requires reaction speed and speed itself as well.
4. She was able to keep it up on the same pair with Manda. Actually, I would comment that a bit faster since she pin-pointed his location and calculated his attack direction and was able to stab him with Gamabunta's sword.
So here not only a feat as a speed but also reaction-time.
Not to mention that Manda has the advantage of shape.
And right-away after she dealt with Manda, she switched to Orochimaru, who was trying to attack her, in an instance:
5. Another example of her being fast is the Pein arc. In an considerably injured state, she was able to outrun a ANBU in great shape. And not only that, but we must consider the area she faced with. We clearly see here as well her reaction speed as she already has her hand in a fist while one of the Pein paths was already preparing to attack her.
6. The last, but not the least, as we all know is the example of Tsunade being able to move even faster than Mei was able to do the hand seals for countering Madara's technique. Mei barely said "Suiton" and Tsunade was already there and tanked 3 Yasaka Magatamas.
Now the latter comment made by me regarding her evasion skills, simply requires a great deal of experience and knowledge, in line with comments made by Chiyo:
Chyio herself is an experienced veteran in her own right. She knows Tsunade because they have fought both few wars themselves.
Tsunade herself refers to evasion as a skill of primary importance for medical ninja.
This would certainly make sense if her own fighting style had an emphasis on utilising her experience and knowledge of battle to avoid enemy attacks.
Tsunade has a great deal of experience under her belt - decades worth of it, in fact. According to the databook her experience outshines most other ninja in the manga, with 40 D-rank, 236 C-rank, 467 B-rank, 418 A-rank, and 95 S-rank missions completed, totalling 1256 missions completed altogether.
All this, plus she may have accumulated a great deal of uncredited combat experience from her participation in the Second and possibly the Third Great Ninja Wars.
And as I've specified before, do not get fooled to think her role only consisted in medical support. She didn't became feared around the world as one of the Legendary Three Ninjas because of that. Upper this thread, I've explained the given reasons.
Another 'problem' that Itachi's supporters have risen is Itachi's high intelligence.
Well, let me clear this as well.
No one until now has even took into account Tsunade's high intelligence. Tsunade was hailed as a prodigy in the medical field when she was young.
We clearly know that Dan supported her and thanks to the rules she implemented, Konoha won the second Ninja World War.
She made those many developments in the field of medicine (which, in itself, requires a great deal of intellect).
Even Kishimoto in the databook places her intelligence level at 5.
I already stated, as a Hokage, you need to be smart. No one puts stupid people in front of the lead.
As Hokage, she routinely formulates teams of ninja whose abilities best complement specific missions and synergise well with one another [79], and also formulates strategies based upon intelligence gathered.
We clearly saw in these situations how she dealt and calculated possibilities and in the end she sent the members who synergised with each-other in order to maximise the success rate of the mission.
We also know that ninja of high intellect are expected to be capable of calculating incredibly complex tactical figures, which may help Tsunade evaluate the best course of evasive action to take, even during the heat of combat.
Without question, Tsunade's high intellect, paired with her incredible memory should allow her to apply her vast battle experience to any combat situation. These factors will inevitably go a long way when it comes to her anticipatory skills.
At this point I am going to make an assumption, albeit an assumption that has some logical grounding.
We can quite safely assume that, as Tsunade was the one who trained Sakura in evasion over the time-skip Sakura's method of evasion is not unlike Tsunade's own. Given their rather similar fighting styles and intellectual attributes, it would not surprise me if this were true. So what is Sakura's method of evasion?
We caught a glimpse of it when Sakura battled Sasori and his Sandaime Kazekage puppet. At first, Chiyo was needed to help her evade Sasori's attacks, puppeteering her around the battlefield. Eventually, however, Sakura began seeing patterns and regularities in Sasori's manoeuvres, and towards the end was even starting to show signs of being able to dodge without assistance from Chiyo.
This is not because Sasori's attacks became any slower or that Sakura became any faster, but rather because she was beginning to anticipate his attacks and dodge accordingly.
Now imagine if Sakura possessed as much experience as Tsunade. That is, she went out into the world, fought in many battles, and faced all kinds of enemies, less or even more powerful than her. As she does so, the number of attack patterns she becomes exposed to increases, and thus she becomes able to anticipate - and subsequently know how to evade - an even larger array of different attack styles. That is Tsunade.
II. Genjutsu resistance/dispelling.
Many have stated that Tsunade can easily fall into genjutsu and that's it, Itachi wins, although we saw that she fought Madara while avoiding eye contact, though at a time, she watched his clone directly into his eyes and she wasn't put in genjutsu.
Though we know that it's possible to do so, as we've seen Itachi doing such thing with Naruto.
This has made me think at a certain thing. We know that Uchihas and Senjus have been fighting always and not a single time we have heard about a Senju being put under genjutsu. But let's discard this and make the assumption that Tsunade will fall under Itachi's genjutsu.
I have stated throughout the base when this subject has been brought up that she can escape it. Why and how?
Well, given the manga and the logical assumptions, I will once again state how she can do it.
First of all, we have seen Tsunade healing Kakashi and Sasuke from Tsukyomi in an instant.
Given the way she did it, it was safely shown to us that she knows about Uchiha's techniques.
Not only this, but she is, as well a medical ninja.
So pairing her knowledge about Uchihas and being a medical ninjas it is safe to assume that she can break it.
Many have discredited her knowledge about the Uchihas, but they forget she's a Senju and being part of the clan that fought with the Uchihas numerous times, it is clear that she knows about their clan and their techniques.
Let me go further into explaining how she would break a genjutsu.
Well, what do we know about Tsukyomi, how does it work? It disturbs chakra and plays with the brain in order to mess with the five senses, it's a paralysis genjutsu as we all know.
Given the type of ninja that she is, here is her way of breaking it.
1. She is a medical ninja and knows how the brain works, how shockwaves transmitted through the brain in order to fully function. Given her skills she would figure it immediately that something's wrong as she was shown in the manga that she can read irregularities regarding someone's medical condition by just looking at them.
It is clear that she has hightened sensing skills if she just figured this out by only looking at Orochimaru. When it will come to herself, it is clear that she would notice that something's wrong with her as she was shown to be a self-aware person. Plus, it was shown to us that when you're under genjutsu, you clearly notice that.
I know that now you're going to say that Itachi stated that only a sharingan user could beat him.
But look it this way. Kakashi said "probably" at a moment, so through this writing skills Kishimoto leaves us in the open, letting us figure that there is a possibility of beating a sharingan user's genjutsu with other means.
So, how Tsunade could do it?
2. Her perfect chakra control.
Many disregarded Tsunade's feats when it comes to chakra control. And some have asked me where it is stated in the manga that she has perfect chakra control. Well, here:
You must have every aspect of your chakra control refined to perfection.
How would've she know of such thing if she, herself, wouldn't have it?
I disregarded the fact that Itachi has to be close to her in order to put her under genjutsu, because considering that scenario, Tsunade could simply derange his pathway. I just considered the scenario when she gets caught in genjutsu.
So, how to actually be able to get someone's chakra to flow when the control that someone has it's perfect? It's like trying to attack with your best shot but the defense it too got to pass through it.
Now, let's disregard this as well. How else could she do it?
3. Outside source of chakra/ Yin seal release.
Another way of how you can fight a sharingan user's genjutsu, as stated by Chiyo herself, is:
- have the other partner to attack the caster;
- have your partner to pour your chakra into yours.
Well, Tsunade has two ways of doing this.
First: She doesn't need a partner as she has the Yin seal release and could release her chakra to be poured into her so the genjutsu would be cancelled.
Second: Have Katsuyu disrupt her chakra flow.
Many of you have stated that Katsuyu can be put under genjutsu as she is a summon and we have seen Sasuke being able to put Manda into genjutsu. Correct. Only that Katsuyu is different.
Her constitution: she is a big animal summon about let's say 10 meters high. Now how could Itachi look into Katsuyu's eyes in order to put her under genjutsu if Itachi's only 1.78m and Katsuyu is presumed to be (my presumption) 10 meters?
Let's disconsider this for a bit. Ok, she's put under genjutsu but then that means that Tsunade's free to take her out of genjutsu.
Her abilities: Katsuyu has been shown to be able to split into thousands of individual Katsuyus. How will Itachi be able to put all of them into genjutsu? That leaves as well a another spot open.
Another way would be for Tsunade to be holding a small Katsuyu on her pocket where Itachi couldn't even observe it and she would be able to snap Tsunade out of genjutsu.
Many of you have stated that Tsunade would be put under genjutsu and then Itachi would behead her in a moment.
While this might be a possibility, the only time we have seen a beheading is in Hidan and Kakuzu Arc.
And that was because Hidan was standing still.
If things would go that easy, until now, all the fights would be easily ended by that, wouldn't it?
You presume that beheading is an easy thing to do, like there's a quick way to do it, but what you all disregard is the fact that in the moment Itachi would lay a knife on her, she would be snapping out of genjutsu and we have seen that she reacts very fast and is able to counterattack even in a highly injured state.
Not to mention that if such a thing were to happen, Katsuyu could actually surround her preventing any type of damage.
It is the animal summon that has been shown to be capable to support very high damage. A small part of Katsuyu was able to support Naruto's corrosive chakra, before that a full Shinra Tensei plus Chibaku Tensei. We have seen that Katsuyu has been with Naruto all the period during his transformation into Nine Fox, as she commented that she thought she was a goner.
Not to mention that Katsuyu can be used as a informational medium as we've seen throughout the manga, granted her splitting ability.
Now let's get back on another way of how Tsunade could snap out from genjutsu.
4. Will power.
Throughout the manga, we have seen that the will power is the resolve that people have against another in the battle.
Now, what it is notable here, is that when facing Tsukyomi, Kisame, who is Itachi's partner made an interesting comment about the technique when Kakashi fell into it.
It's a technique that causes a mental breakdown in one's spirit. So from here we can conclude that if your mind is strong enough, you can get out of it.
It is very important to pay attention to every detail so you can, in the end, be able to beat your opponent at his own game.
As Itachi himself said: Every jutsu has a weakness.
Why wouldn't Tsukyomi have one?
So, returning to that, given the fact that Tsunade's mentally strong, she would be able to break the genjutsu as her spirit is strong and she was able to get past her biggest weakness/fear.
Of course, the majority will discredit this, but you still can't deny the fact that's there.
Hope I covered every aspect. I had many ways in my mind but sure, you can come up with the question and me with the explanation.
III. Amaterasu.
Many have brought-up Amaterasu in the deal like the finishing move.
Well, in order for Amaterasu to succeed, it requires one simple thing: the fixation on the target. If the target is moving, now that's a problem.
Besides the fact that it was shown that Amaterasu can be avoided
granted Tsunade's techniques, she would be able to counteracting by her techniques.
As we known Genesis/Creation Rebirth/Souzou Saizei, is the technique that reconstructs any parts or organs damaged of her body.
Plus, if she's on the move all the time, not to mention she has Katsuyu, it would be hard for Itachi to focus on his target.
As this part is cleared, we shall pass on the other one.
IV. Susanoo.
Now, I'll give you this. IF Tsunade's hit by the Totsuka blade, she's done as supposedly, Totsuka blade seals everything as stated by Zetsu.
However, there's a chance for her to win. You might answer how, right?
Well, as we've seen on the battle of Itachi with Sasuke, Itachi wasn't able to hold Susanoo long enough. He just took it out in order to tank Sasuke's Kirin and after Orochimaru appeard he quickly sealed him and Susanoo was gone.
Excluding the fact that until now, Itachi should be done as his stamina is far low beneath Tsunade's, presumedly he is able to take it out, we've seen that Itachi can't keep it for long.
Granted Tsunade's stamina and resilience, if she uses her evasive skills enough to tire Itachi out, he'll be forced to not be able to mantain Susanoo as by now his chakra levels should be over, while Tsunade still has hers.
Let's be clear on one thing. The chakra that Tsunade stores in the seal it's hers. People mistaken her seal that it's chakra taken from outside. Nothing more wrong than that! If it would've been that, it would mean senjutsu. But the chakra she stores is her, as stated by her own: "I've stored my chakra (...)"
Although it may not be applicable to combat-quarters exclusively, nor may the role it can play in combat-quarters be extremely important, it is certainly worth mentioning Tsunade's stamina as a factor. It is one thing to be resilient to damage, but a ninja also needs the stamina to continue fighting for long periods of time if they are going to attempt to outlast enemies.
A rusty Tsunade chased Orochimaru and Kabuto all the way from Tanzaku Castle to the Sannin Battlefield plains, destroying everything in her path with her chakra-enhanced strength. She then fought Kabuto, utilising not only strength but also Ranshinshō, and even healed herself. After a brief period of time out of action, she released Sōzō Saisei, summoned Katsuyu (and mind you, a summoning jutsu of that scale apparently requires a fair amount of chakra)
and proceeded to lift Gamabunta's tantō - presumably with chakra-enhanced strength again - and 'super jump' with it
(something that may have utilised the same mechanics as a Shunshin no Jutsu, which is chakra-fueled), before slamming it down upon Manda's mouth. She then knocked Orochimaru out with a single, chakra-enhanced punch. Even then, doing all of that did not seem to exhaust Tsunade of all her chakra. When she began trembling and staggering after the battle, she attributed it to the aftereffects of her Sōzō Saisei jutsu rather than chakra or stamina exhaustion.
Another example of Tsunade's high stamina can be observed through her actions during the Pain Invasion Arc. There, not only did she summon Katsuyu, but she proceeded to use her summon as a medium to heal thousands of villagers and Shinobi.
- and according to her, healing just one wound requires a great deal of chakra.
Although she did inevitably fall into a comatose state due to chakra exhaustion, the fact that she was able to heal so many people simultaneously and consecutively reflects highly upon her stamina.
As perfect chakra control is a requirement for both medical ninjutsu and strength-enhancement
we can deduce that Tsunade's control over her chakra must be perfect indeed. With this supreme chakra control, even when she is low on stamina, she can continue to use ninjutsu, strength, and anything chakra-based to maximum efficiency with no chakra wastage.
Whilst not strictly classified under stamina, her ability to utilise her chakra at maximum efficiency will no doubt place less of a strain upon her stamina during battle.
So how might Tsunade's high stamina and chakra efficiency help her in combat? For ninja who have comparatively low amounts of stamina, they must rely on their speed and lethality of attacks to finish the battle as quickly as possible, lest they suffer from exhaustion. Needless to say, a ninja who continues to fight with insufficient stamina is going to be considerably hampered in a variety of ways: movement, reaction time, judgement and other cognitive functions, etc. Tsunade can use her superior stamina and chakra efficiency - along with her high resilience to damage - to 'outlast' opponents and slowly wear them down. Once her opponent is in a state of exhaustion, they will become easy pickings for her.
Furthermore, the longer Tsunade can last in battle, the more opportunities she will have to land a hit or even a partial hit. In every close-quarters skirmish, combatants are constantly at risk of leaving openings in their guard for opponents to take advantage of. Although discrepancies in speed, taijutsu skill and whatnot can help lower these risks, the opportunities are still potentially there, and fighters like Tsunade can create their own opportunities (see Tsunade's strenght). As a battle against Tsunade draws out longer and longer, the number of these opportunities and openings in her opponent's guard will only increase exponentially as they tire at a faster rate than her.
So this is simple: If Tsunade manages to tire-out Itachi and avoid his attacks, she wins. If not, she gets sealed.
V. Izanami
Izanami is taken out of the battle. Why? Well, as stated by Itachi himself, it's the jutsu that is used to fight against those who don't acknowledge their true self.
VI. Other offensive ninjutsu used on her is responded by Tsunade's resilience.
Her resilience to damage is very high. There are many examples of Tsunade's resilience.
1. Due to Tsunade's rusty and tired out state, Kabuto had the edge over her during their brief tussle, granted by the pills he took. Although he landed the first hit upon her, Tsunade was still able to counter-attack swiftly.
Other ninja such as Naruto and even Shizune were incapacitated almost immediately, after being hit by chakra scalpels.
The fact that Tsunade could continue moving under those conditions, let alone counter-attack, is a feat of resilience in itself.
2. In a similar example, an exhausted (hampered movement) and rusty (hampered movement) Tsunade, who had just had her leg muscles cut (hampered movement) and subcostal muscle injured (greatly hampered movement; according to Kabuto it would have normally "stopped a person in their tracks"
was able to get up off her knees, run towards and behind Kabuto, and hit him with a debilitating jutsu in the second or so he had held his eyes shut.
The mere fact that she could continue moving in this state surprised even her opponent, and is a huge testament to her ability to continue moving and attacking despite sustaining multiple movement-impairing ailments.
3. Tsunade was rusty, tired out, had her leg muscles cut, a potentially not-yet-fully-healed subcostal muscle injury, various abrasions from Kabuto's assault, and slashes from Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword up along her shoulder, across her torso and straight through her chest, and yet we discover that the only thing that was really hampering her movement - and subsequently stopping her from attacking - was her hematophobia.
Why? Because the moment she overcame it, she was able to get up off the ground (from an inconvenient starting position)
and hit Orochimaru square in the face
This was an Orochimaru who had been watching her intently enough to notice exactly when her trembling had stopped
and thus it must have been a swift hit indeed. Once again, the fact that she was even able to attack Orochimaru, much less hit him, despite several potentially mortal wounds ailing her, speaks volumes for her resilience.
4. During Pain's invasion of Konoha, Tsunade was hit by Deva Realm Pain's full Shinra Tensei without the protection of Katsuyu, and was still able to move relatively well afterward, reaching Naruto mere moments after the blast, when not even an ANBU could do it.
This is the same jutsu that possessed enough force to destroy every single building in Konoha and send the entire village hundreds of metres below ground level. We later discover that the main factor hampering Tsunade from fighting was not the number or extent of the injuries she had sustained from being hit with this force, but rather chakra exhaustion.
Whilst others in the vicinity may have replicated this feat, it does not detract from her feat of resilience, especially given the fact that others have nearly died after being hit by normal Shinra Tensei attacks.
To amplify to her ability to take on damage and continue moving and attacking, Tsunade has her Sōzō Saisei jutsu. This S-ranked supplementary ninjutsu grants her a constant regenerative effect that lasts several minutes, allowing her to quickly regrow entire parts, organs and limbs.
With apparently little-to-no concentration needed to keep the regeneration running afterward. Tsunade specifically distinguishes this jutsu from mere 'healing', labelling it 'regeneration' instead; indeed, the databook goes to lengths to describe Sōzō Saisei as the 'ultimate medical ninjutsu' because of its ability to transcend the normal limitations of medical ninjutsu. (Databook 2 Medical Ninjutsu).
How might Tsunade's resilience and regeneration make her more dangerous an opponent in
quarters combat? To illustrate this, we will go back to the Lee example.
Lee has no sort of natural resilience to damage, nor does he possess any form of defense. Despite this, his fighting style frequently requires him to get dangerously close to his opponents, so close that he constantly runs the risk of copping a well-timed counter-attack. Due to his lack of defense, the only real way he can lower this risk is by using his speed to dodge. Having very little defense and resilience also spells trouble for Lee should he ever be hit by an attack, as his comparatively longer recovery time may hamper his ability to counter-attack and/or avoid subsequent attacks.
Tsunade, on the other hand, is not so reliant upon speed. Even if she does not possess the necessary speed to avoid all attacks in combat, she can simply 'tank' the hit and counter-attack. In all of the above examples of her resilience, she has shown the remarkable ability to continue moving and attacking regardless of the severity of her wounds. This ability may allow her to surprise an unsuspecting opponent and land a hit, or even force her enemy into a position where they cannot avoid her counter-attack.
Take example Kabuto who has the speed advantage over Tsunade at this point in time, due to factors such as her rustiness and tiredness. He is fast enough to avoid her attacks and get close to her, ultimately landing the first few hits. However, after landing those hits, even Kabuto had to cop a counter-attack from Tsunade.
If we replace Kabuto with a ninja who did not have the capacity to negate Tsunade's strength in that scenario, that counter-attack may very well have been lethal. Even if critical damage were dealt to Tsunade during those first few hits, as shown from her ability to attack whilst sustaining devastating injuries from Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword, Tsunade should be able to temporarily ignore her wounds and counter-attack. Counter-attack for the kill.
In a scenario where Tsunade has been hit by a piercing or penetrative attack from an opponent, she can take advantage of her opponent's forced proximity to her body to land a blow. For example, if Tsunade were to be penetrated by a Chidori-like attack, whilst her opponent's arm is 'stuck' in her body, she can temporarily ignore the damage due to her resilience and reach out to attack them in a scenario not unlike what we saw during Naruto and Sasuke's battle at the Valley of the End.
or even Sasuke's battle with A.
If we take her perpetual regeneration from Sōzō Saisei into account, Tsunade's ability to take damage and counter-attack increases tenfold. Once her jutsu is active, she can instantaneously regenerate any part of her body from almost any sort of damage. This would allow her to 'ignore' even more severe wounds than she otherwise could not. Going back to Example where Kabuto managed to cut her muscles before being hit by a counter-attack, it is safe to say that had Tsunade had her regeneration jutsu active at the time, she likely would have regenerated her muscular damage in time for her counter-attack to have actually injured him.
If Tsunade preemptively activates Sōzō Saisei, or already has it running for any reason, she can easily take on devastating amounts of damage, regenerate instantly from it, and counter-attack to kill. If her opponent has no knowledge of her jutsu's regenerative properties, this counter-attack tactic only becomes all the more lethal. It may not be beyond Tsunade to 'play dead' against opponents to make them drop their guard and create an opening.
Tsunade's other medical ninjutsu may help her emulate these tactics to some extent.
V. Other pshysical attacks.
Here, the answer is quite simple. Katsuyu + Tsunade's medical ninjutsu.
As we've seen throughout the manga until now and what I've added upper on this thread, Tsunade's resilience is very high.
She could take having her muscles cut, her airways blocked, being impaled, being split in two etc.
So in the end, no matter the high damage level of the Jutsu, she can take it due to her techniques and her summon.
I know you will say that she was split in 2 by a tree. But in the end, what brought Tsunade down it was a technique mastered by people from her own clan, meaning, her grand-dad Hashirama Senju.
This can be easily discussed after we will see what will happen to her after this phase.
Hope you enjoyed the reading! (though I am sure that only 0.1% of the people will actually read it)
I'm kidding. But either way, Susano'o and the weapons aren't needed for Itachi to win.
