At that moment, Nara Zentaro stared blankly at the shogi board before him, nobody knew what he was thinking.
Suddenly, Zentaro's head hurt. His father had flicked him on the head with a finger.
"Dad, what are you doing? That really hurt!"
Rubbing his forehead, Zentaro complained unhappily to the middle-aged man before him.
"When playing shogi, you should focus wholeheartedly and not let your mind wander!"
Nara Kentaro spoke with a stern expression. Then, drawing on his experience, he continued to lecture him. "If you become a captain leading subordinates someday and still space out like this while carrying out missions, wouldn't you be treating your subordinates' lives like a joke?"
"Dad, I was only thinking about Kageka Maple's situation. It's already been a week, but there hasn't been any reaction from the clan..."
Zentaro said this because, at his age, he still could not understand the clan's calm response. In his view, a Kekkei Genkai like Shadow Release, which perfectly countered the clan's Shadow Secret Technique, should have drawn some response from the clan's higher-ups. After all, nobody wanted their clan's secret techniques to have a natural nemesis.
Even if she was a fellow villager, they should have done something...
"Then what do you think the clan should do?"
Nara Kentaro asked his son, his face neither happy nor sad, revealing none of his emotions.
"I think the clan should recruit Kageka Maple and invest in her. If our Nara Clan becomes her strong backing, then she and the Nara Clan won't have any conflict!"
Zentaro voiced his thoughts. After all, he was only a first-year Ninja Academy student who had just enrolled. His age, experience, and education only allowed him to come up with what he considered the most perfect solution.
Upon hearing his son's proposal, Nara Kentaro immediately smiled. He happily ruffled Zentaro's hair, then directly changed the subject. "Make your move. Your king is about to be checked by mine!"
"...Dad, isn't it a little early to say you're going to checkmate my king?"
Zentaro replied, somewhat baffled. Then, under his father's gaze, he lightly placed a piece down and easily blocked his father's attack.
Seeing this, Kentaro continued smiling and made another move, clearly having no intention of continuing their previous discussion.
That immediately gave Zentaro something to think about...
August 2, Year 31 of Konoha.
Within the spacious and desolate Senju compound, a grand mansion buzzed with activity. The most diligent person there was a white-haired young man, who was run ragged inside, ordering people around one moment and directing others the next.
"Nawaki, move those chairs over there..."
"Nawaki, go greet the guests..."
"Nawaki..."
"Nawa..."
Just as Jiraiya was about to continue, his ear suddenly hurt. He turned to see a furious blonde woman with an impressively ample chest glaring at him.
"Ji... rai... ya!"
Tsunade's chest rose and fell. The spectacular sight made Jiraiya's nose grow hot, and he nearly got a nosebleed.
"What is it, Tsunade?"
Jiraiya did not meet Tsunade's eyes. Instead, he discreetly looked down at a forty-five-degree angle, his gaze completely swallowed by the deep cleavage before him.
"Does it look good?"
Suddenly, a breathy voice sounded beside Jiraiya's ear, making him instinctively reply, "Of course it does..."
Then came a violent crash. Jiraiya's body was sent flying through the glass window, and he landed embedded deep in the soft lawn in the shape of a spread-eagle.
"..."
Everyone inside the mansion fell deathly silent at the sight, too terrified to move.
"Nawaki, you listen to Jiraiya that well, do you?"
Tsunade's sharp gaze fell upon Nawaki, whose body was trembling. Her face was full of displeasure. She had never seen Nawaki listen to her so obediently.
"Big Sis, I listen to you the most!"
Nawaki swallowed, then hurriedly ran to Tsunade's side. Hugging her arm, he said in a spoiled yet certain tone.
"Stay away from that pervert Jiraiya from now on!"
Tsunade looked at Nawaki and warned him while raising her delicate fist and waving it before his eyes.
"Yes, Big Sis!"
A wise man did not fight when the odds were against him. Nawaki immediately promised.
"Mm."
Only then did Tsunade recover her good mood.
Today was Tsunade's birthday banquet. Quite a few of her peers and children from renowned ninja clans had come to her home.
Among her peers were Orochimaru, Jiraiya (crossed out), Kato Dan, Hatake Sakumo, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and others. As for the ninja clans, children from Konoha's powerful Uchiha and Hyuga Clans, as well as the Sarutobi, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzuka, Shimura, and other notable clans, had all arrived bearing gifts.
The scene of Tsunade sending Jiraiya flying with one punch had been witnessed by all those peers and clan children. Companions like Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo, who knew Tsunade inside and out, were not particularly surprised. But people like Uchiha Akeshi, Uchiha Fugaku, the Hyuga brothers Hiashi and Hizashi, and Kageka Maple, who did not understand Tsunade's personality, felt their worldview had been overturned...
So scary...
Uchiha Akeshi muttered to herself inwardly. Among all the female ninja she knew, Tsunade's strength was definitely among the best. Even a Jonin would probably suffer broken bones from that punch.
"So this is the First Hokage's granddaughter, Lady Tsunade? What enviable strength..."
Kageka Maple's shocked face held a trace of admiration. Since childhood, her dream had been to become an outstanding female ninja, and Tsunade had now undoubtedly become the goal she wanted to chase.
But with the Shadow Release granted to me by Lord Yuzuru, I definitely won't be weaker than Lady Tsunade in the future!
Kageka Maple encouraged herself inwardly, her entire body radiating confidence.
Tsunade's image as a "female tyrannosaurus" was successfully established in these people's hearts. Naturally, that did not include Hyuga Yuzuru, who had also come.
Tsunade's birthday banquet was actually rather simple. The household maids prepared several tables of delicious food, while plenty of fine wine was brought out to entertain the guests. After all, most of them had only attended Tsunade's birthday banquet out of social obligation...
Soon, it was time for lunch.
Tsunade and Nawaki invited the guests to take their seats and enjoy the delicious food and wine. As the birthday girl, Tsunade naturally indulged in a good drink. Her manner of drinking was extraordinarily bold. She did not resemble a woman at all; instead, she was full of heroic spirit, and her valiant aura instantly attracted many people, including the newly returned "injured patient" Jiraiya and Kato Dan, who silently drank at one side...
After a long while, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill. Slightly tipsy, Tsunade immediately stood up and walked to the center of the living room. Her gaze purposefully turned toward the Uchiha Clan's table before locking onto Akeshi.
"I heard you were the one who defeated my little brother Nawaki?"
Tsunade slowly walked toward the Uchiha Clan's table with unsteady steps. Though she already knew the answer, she asked Akeshi anyway. Akeshi felt Tsunade's pressure and was about to speak when Uchiha Shinji, seated beside her, gently patted her. He then stood up and positioned himself in front of Akeshi. "Lady Tsunade, it was merely children playing around."
Uchiha Fugaku, seated beside Akeshi, also showed a surprised expression. He had already graduated from the Ninja Academy, and Akeshi had never mentioned this matter within the clan, so today was the first time he learned that she had defeated Nawaki.
As Tsunade's younger brother and a descendant of the Senju Clan, Nawaki was an exceptionally gifted ninja even if he had not awakened Wood Release. He was also three years older than Akeshi, yet he had still lost to her...
Although Uchiha Fugaku thought this inwardly, his face remained expressionless. However, an inexplicable sense of tension rose in his heart. In his view, the position of future clan head would surely be chosen from either him or Akeshi. Yet Akeshi's potential and talent now clearly surpassed his own, which also meant the clan's higher-ups would likely favor her more in the future. That was extremely disadvantageous to him...
"What are you afraid of? It's not like I'll bully a child!"
Tsunade exhaled a breath of alcohol and spoke with a frown.
"Lady Tsunade naturally would not do such a thing."
Uchiha Shinji replied with a faint smile.
"Actually, compared to Akeshi from your clan, I'm more interested in Yuzuru from the Hyuga Clan. I heard Yuzuru is called the Hyuga Clan's strongest genius. How about letting me see what you're capable of?"
Tsunade changed the subject and walked toward the Hyuga Clan's table with a smile. Her sharp gaze landed on the bored-looking Yuzuru.
Yuzuru looked up, his eyes meeting Tsunade's. He slowly rose to his feet and walked directly before her, speaking calmly. "Lady Tsunade, won't drinking affect your strength?"
"Lord Yuzuru!"
"Lord Yuzuru..."
The moment Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi heard Yuzuru speak like that, the brothers hurriedly called out in alarm. Hyuga Yoshitoki and Hyuga Masato, Yuzuru's guards, also rose to their feet and subtly assumed defensive stances in case Tsunade suddenly attacked Yuzuru.
"What an interesting little brat."
Tsunade was not angered by Yuzuru's tone. Instead, a strange expression appeared on her face, because the ninja who had dared speak to her that way in the past had generally enjoyed an eighty-five percent discount at Konoha Hospital.
"Forget it. Drinking leads to mistakes. I'll leave this troublesome matter to Orochimaru instead. You don't mind, do you?"
Tsunade smiled and waved her hand, then spoke to Yuzuru in a deliberately provocative tone.
"I would be more than willing to exchange blows with a renowned elite Jonin like Lord Orochimaru."
Yuzuru smiled. His calm and composed manner made Tsunade inwardly complain, That pretentious little brat is really annoying!
"Fine. There's a training ground specifically for combat not far from my house. You and Orochimaru can fight there. How does that sound?"
Tsunade nodded and spoke to Yuzuru.
"I'll naturally follow Lady Tsunade's arrangements."
Yuzuru replied. Hyuga Yoshitoki and Hyuga Masato, who had been tense in secret, also withdrew their defensive stances and quietly waited at the side.
Tsunade merely nodded at that, then walked over to Orochimaru and said softly, "How much of his strength you can draw out will depend on your skill."
Orochimaru did not speak. Confidence naturally appeared on his pale face. As an elite Jonin, could he really fail to test the full strength of a little brat like Hyuga Yuzuru?
Soon afterward, Tsunade was the first to leave the house, followed closely by Orochimaru and Yuzuru. Seeing this, the guests naturally followed as well. They did not want to miss such a rare battle.
Where does Yuzuru get all that confidence?
As Akeshi watched Yuzuru leave with such calm composure, countless questions arose in her heart. At the same time, a bold thought surfaced. Could that guy's strength really rival a disciple personally taught by the Hokage?
Just as expected of Yuzuru... I really hope to see more of Yuzuru's strength...
As Kageka Maple quietly rose and followed, that thought also appeared in her heart. From the moment Yuzuru granted her Shadow Release, she had known Hyuga Yuzuru's strength was not as simple as it seemed on the surface. She had always known he was strong, but she did not know just how strong. Perhaps Lord Orochimaru could force some of Yuzuru's strength out next...
"Does that child's strength really require Orochimaru to test him?"
Hatake Sakumo, walking alongside Jiraiya, asked quietly. Curiosity could not help appearing on his face. He truly could not imagine Orochimaru bullying a six-year-old child.
"Don't worry. Orochimaru knows what he's doing!"
As Jiraiya's lifelong rival, Orochimaru's ninja talent and strength were both first-rate. In Jiraiya's view, even if Hyuga Yuzuru was not weak, Orochimaru could easily handle him and probe out Yuzuru's true strength.
"Mm."
Hatake Sakumo nodded after hearing that and said nothing further. After all, he knew that Orochimaru testing Hyuga Yuzuru's strength was also partly the Third Hokage's intention.
"Big Brother Jiraiya, what have you and Big Brother Sakumo been talking about all this time? Why are you speaking so quietly?"
Nawaki, who had followed along, asked Jiraiya suspiciously.
"Nawaki, we're talking about grown-up matters. Children aren't allowed to hear them!"
As Jiraiya spoke to Nawaki with a sly grin, one hand began ruffling Nawaki's hair just as Tsunade had done.
"I'm not a child!"
Nawaki brushed away Jiraiya's hand and puffed out his cheeks angrily.
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"Fine, then I'll tell you this secret. But you can't tell Tsunade, and you can't let anyone else know!"
"Okay!"
Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Nawaki nodded solemnly. Then, with a curious look on his face, he watched Jiraiya take something out of his robes.
Hatake Sakumo glanced over from the side, immediately covered his forehead, and quickly moved away from Jiraiya. He was afraid that once the matter was exposed, Jiraiya would drag him into it...
"What is this? Why are the people on it wearing so little?"
Nawaki took a picture book resembling a storybook from Jiraiya's hand. Its cover showed a seductive, slender woman, and an ambiguous pink atmosphere filled the entire book. Inside, women in skimpy clothing posed in all kinds of difficult positions on the pages, opening the eyes of a child like Nawaki.
Jiraiya wore a lecherous, sleazy grin at the side, apparently quite pleased with the contents of the picture book...
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