Tsunade

A Pyroblast with adjusted power was blasted point-blank at Nawaki, and the intense explosion turned him into a non-believer.

Magic is like this; the power of a spell continuously grows stronger based on the caster's strength, or rather, their control over Arcane Power.

It's like the legendary Fire Release, which "can't be killed," the stronger the user, the stronger the effect.

The current Pyroblast couldn't kill someone in one blast, but as Satoru's strength increased, or by gathering more fire elements, meaning a longer casting time, its power would rise accordingly.

If it were at its normal power now, this Pyroblast would have peeled off Nawaki's skin.

But if it were the supercharged version, Nawaki's lifespan would have to be changed to 11 years old...

"Sigh... I couldn't hold back."

Satoru ran to Nawaki, who shivered –

The feeling of losing control after being turned into a sheep's body was not good at all.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, hot..."

A puff of black smoke escaped Nawaki's mouth. He touched his scorched hair, looking like he wanted to cry:

"Did I lose my eyebrows?!"

"...Senior, is your focus a little off?"

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had run over, all started to complain in unison.

"Your clothes are blown to shreds!"

Satoru summoned a ball of clear water and doused Nawaki, chilling him to the bone. He winked at Choza, who had the most stamina:

"Hurry and find Lady Tsunade. Senior's... appearance, it's better not to return to the village in such a grand fashion, right?"

"Haha... I'm going right now!"

Choza smacked his lips and ran off, trying to suppress his laughter. Shikaku shrugged and took a small bag from his waist:

"Let me handle this first. Our Nara Clan is responsible for providing medicinal herbs to the village and also researches common medical treatment methods."

Inoichi shrugged and stepped forward to help Shikaku lift the "non-believer" Nawaki, making it easier for him to wrap bandages. The injured Nawaki was still discussing the previous battle with Satoru.

"Junior, you truly are a genius! I couldn't see any flaws in that Clone Technique!

I even thought I had mastered the Clone Technique very well..."

"Senior, you are indeed very familiar with basic Ninjutsu..."

Satoru thought about Nawaki's Clone Technique and Substitution Technique, which he himself hadn't paid attention to. If his own techniques weren't so peculiar, dealing with him would have taken some effort.

After all, Nawaki was three years older than him, came from a prominent family, and knew how to work hard...

"Junior's techniques were too brilliant... Ouch, it hurts! Thank you..."

Nawaki excitedly spoke, but Shikaku, who was applying medicine and bandaging him, pressed down on him firmly with a helpless expression, telling him to be quiet:

"Before Lady Tsunade arrives, Senior should refrain from moving around."

"Well... it's the first time I've seen such a dazzling technique, I got too excited."

Nawaki said sheepishly, then looked at Satoru, who was pursing his lips, and scratched his head in dejection:

"This... I really have a huge gap with geniuses. I'm just a bit better in stamina and have more Chakra, so I can repeatedly practice basic Ninjutsu to be more solid."

"Don't even mention Grandpa, even my sister's strength far surpassed mine during their peer period!"

Entering a depressed mode, Nawaki mumbled:

"Let alone Wood Release kekkei genkai, even this super-strong vitality hasn't been manifested at all..."

"Am I adopted?!"

"..."

Satoru and the other two looked at Nawaki speechlessly. The senior's previous passion had completely vanished, and he had fallen into deep self-doubt.

Was Wood Release kekkei genkai something that could be inherited so easily? Even Tsunade, who would become Hokage in the future, showed no trace of it, let alone you, a teenager...

Besides, good stamina and more Chakra, isn't that the manifestation of the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline?

As for the Senju Clan's kekkei genkai, Konoha had invested so much manpower and resources in researching it for so long without any significant results. What are you rushing for...

While silently complaining, Satoru was about to say a few comforting words to Nawaki when he saw the latter's expression suddenly become firm:

"It must be because my training is still far from enough!"

"Wood Release must be awakened through extremely arduous training... I'm still far from it!"

Satoru suddenly understood.

This guy Nawaki was actually under immense pressure.

Possessing Konoha's top-tier bloodline, his grandfather's title of "God of Shinobi," and his sister's outstanding achievements, all these made Nawaki, who was still young and whose talent clearly didn't match his background, bear immense pressure from himself and others.

He set becoming Hokage as his goal and didn't hide it. This was not only because it was truly his dream, but also to push himself with this belief.

He pushed himself – this was a ruthless person.

So, under tremendous pressure, he charged forward on the battlefield, ignoring traps and meeting misfortune...

Nodding silently, Satoru looked at Nawaki with a complex expression.

"This guy is the truly miserable one."

Satoru sighed. He hadn't felt anything initially.

But now that he was involved with Nawaki, thinking that this passionate guy would soon become a cold corpse, the feeling was...

Terrible.

However, he couldn't show too much emotion right now.

"Nawaki-senpai, please relax. Focus on healing your injuries before practicing."

Satoru could only say:

"My Pyroblast, although it's a Fire Release ninjutsu, has an explosive effect. You didn't just get burned; you might be in pain for days."

"Oh? Is this the new Fire Release ninjutsu developed by Advisor Mitokado?"

A young woman's voice rang out, startling Satoru—he hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all.

Shikaku and Inoichi were also taken aback, looking at the female ninja with a ponytail who had suddenly appeared before them.

"I'm... a bit dizzy..."

Satoru shook his head and summoned a ball of water to wash his face. Only then did he see Choza, panting heavily, rapidly approaching:

"Tsunade-sama! Wait for me!"

"Tsunade!"

Satoru and the other two understood. This was Nawaki's sister, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's three most talented disciples, and currently Konoha's most skilled medical-nin Jonin.

"Sister!"

Although Nawaki was happy to see his sister arrive, he was also a bit embarrassed:

"Haha... I challenged Satoru-kohai, who is so much younger than me, and I still failed!"

"This is true genius. I'm still far behind..."

"I just learned a few novel ninjutsu from the old man. In terms of fundamentals, I'm far behind Nawaki-senpai."

Satoru waved his hands humbly, sweat beading on his forehead. Tsunade was different from the novice Nawaki; she put nearly as much pressure on him as his own father did.

"Tsunade-sama, I'm truly sorry... Nawaki-senpai is really strong, and I couldn't hold back."

"Haha..."

Tsunade laughed heartily, making Satoru's forehead sweat. He quickly shifted his gaze to Shikaku and the other two, only to find the three boys looking at Tsunade with admiration.

To them, seeing a powerful Jonin like Tsunade was not a common sight.

"Tch... Kids, after all."

Clearing his throat lightly, Satoru heard Tsunade say with a smile, "It's alright. Advisor Mitokado developed the new ninjutsu, and I told Nawaki about it. He's been eager to spar with you."

"Nawaki's talent for ninjutsu is only average, so I've been having him solidify his foundation, which has also made his curiosity about ninjutsu too strong."

"He challenged you proactively but was outmatched. It's fortunate this is all that happened—Satoru-kun, thank you for holding back!"

Tsunade's gaze was sharp. Nawaki's injuries were superficial. The extent of this damage was quite different from what she knew of "Pyroblast."

Seeing Nawaki's pathetic state, it was impossible for Tsunade not to feel for her brother.

However, realizing that Satoru had held back, she felt some admiration for Satoru, whom she was meeting for the first time.

"Don't worry, I can heal these injuries very quickly."