Sour (Lemon)

"Tsunade-sama!"

"The granddaughter of the First, a pioneer of medical ninjutsu, the princess of the Senju Clan!"

All sorts of titles and honors had been bestowed upon Tsunade.

Under everyone's reverent gazes, Tsunade stood on the stage, wearing a Jonin vest.

With war approaching, most Jonin had been deployed, and the medical ninja program Tsunade had proposed had finally been approved.

Now that the battlefield had finally calmed down a little, she had come to see the fruits of her efforts.

"I'll also be one of your instructors from now on. I hope you'll all study hard, improve together, and strive to become outstanding medical ninjas."

Her brief introduction drew cheers from the entire room.

"Tsunade-sama, we just found a promising student."

Kamiya Naoko leaned close to Tsunade's ear and whispered.

"Hmm?"

"His talent is no weaker than yours."

"Someone like that? Who?"

Tsunade was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected to find such a promising student before the first lesson had even begun.

It was a good omen. She almost felt like taking a gamble to celebrate.

Kamiya Naoko pointed to the two people sitting together in the front row, clapping.

"That boy?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow when she saw the two.

She didn't think it was the girl. There was a little Uchiha girl where Naoko was pointing, and the Uchiha couldn't possibly have the Yang Attribute. So it had to be the boy.

"That's right. The boy has a strong talent for the Yang Attribute, almost as strong as yours."

Kamiya Naoko confirmed it once more.

"Good. I'll keep an eye on him after class."

Tsunade nodded.

Since she had started this medical ninja training program, she naturally had a responsibility to help the village nurture promising students like him.

After all, one more learned and capable medical ninja meant fewer casualties on the front lines.

He didn't have to be like Tsunade, skilled in both scholarship and combat. If he could simply help with medical ninjutsu research and serve as her assistant, that would be excellent.

Still, it all depended on how this boy, whose talent rivaled hers, turned out.

If he had nothing but talent, but was lazy and lacked insight, then he could only become an ordinary medical ninja.

"Little brother, stay behind after class. Tsunade-sama wants to speak with you."

Hearing this, Kamiya Naoko walked over to Yayoi and told him.

The little girl beside him was green with envy.

After all, that was Tsunade-sama. She'd actually taken a special interest in someone.

Was talent really that important?

If Yayoi had heard that, he would have nodded, then shaken his head.

Talent alone wasn't enough. In the Naruto world, if you wanted to get ahead, you needed a cheat.

"I'll remember. Thank you, Kamiya-sama."

"What a good boy."

Kamiya Naoko laughed, amused by Yayoi's adorable demeanor, and ruffled his hair.

With such an impressive figure right in front of him, Yayoi couldn't help feeling a little moved. But when he felt the grip on his right hand tighten, he immediately composed himself.

"Haha, little brother, study hard on your own. Big sister will be off now."

Perhaps noticing the unkind look from the little Uchiha beside him, Kamiya Naoko left with some disappointment.

It wasn't a formal lesson today. They had only briefly introduced the purpose of the training program and explained what medical ninjutsu was, so everyone was dismissed before long.

The hall, which had been so lively, was suddenly empty. Yayoi had been asked to stay behind, and Yan sat beside him.

"Are you Uesugi Yayoi?"

Tsunade approached with the roster in hand and asked.

The numerous scratches on her Jonin vest spoke volumes about the battles she had fought, like medals on a veteran. The pressure of someone who had seen countless battlefields made Yayoi instinctively uncomfortable.

He hadn't experienced many battles in his previous life, either. Otherwise, his practical combat experience wouldn't have been worse than Yan's.

Fortunately, Tsunade hadn't meant to intimidate him. As soon as she noticed that Yayoi looked uncomfortable, she reined in her presence.

"Sorry. I just got back from the battlefield, and I unconsciously let my presence slip."

"It's all right, Tsunade-sama."

Yayoi shook his head to show that he didn't mind. It was only a little pressure, after all.

"Here's the thing. Naoko said you have excellent talent. Would you mind if I checked?"

Tsunade got straight to the point.

"If your talent really is as good as Naoko says, I'll put you on the list of students to receive special training."

Tsunade was blunt, and Yayoi liked that sort of straightforwardness. He nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Seeing this, Tsunade grabbed Yayoi's arm and sent chakra into it.

"You really do have a good talent for Yang Release. Wait, this chakra... and this physical constitution!"

Tsunade felt as if she were looking at Kushina.

Kushina was a junior of hers and a member of Mizuto Grandma's clan.

She had those same traits, though her physical constitution was nowhere near as strong as Yayoi's.

Meanwhile, Yayoi knew what to expect.

He had already done his homework on chakra examinations.

They could only roughly check his chakra nature. At best, they could check his chakra reserves. There was no way to examine his physical condition.

Besides, his Divine Tree Bloodline gave him a certain advantage right now. The Senju traits made up the bulk of his constitution, so even if they ran tests, they would at most conclude that his Senju Bloodline had mutated. They wouldn't think of anything else.

"Your talent checks out. We'll give you special training, but could you tell me about your family?"

Tsunade asked indirectly.

She suspected the boy in front of her was a member of the Senju Clan.

The Senju Clan's traits were very subtle, unlike the Uchiha, who could be identified at a glance once they awakened their bloodline.

The Senju's usual traits were large chakra reserves, a strong Yang Attribute, a robust physique, and all five chakra natures.

Uesugi Yayoi fit those criteria perfectly.

Ever since her grandfather disbanded the clan, even she could no longer recognize the new generation of Senju. That was why she wanted to find out more about his family.

"My father is Uesugi Koshu. My mother's name is Uesugi Asane."

Yayoi replied.

There was no need to hide that. Anyone could find out just by asking around near his home.

"Asane... Asane... Asane?"

Tsunade recalled her. She was a cheerful girl who had enrolled in the same year as her. They had even been desk mates.

They had often played together as children, but gradually lost touch as they grew up.

And now she already had a child this old!

But the surname Uesugi... Had she changed her surname?

"How is your mother doing now?"

Tsunade couldn't help sighing. One of her classmates already had a child.

She was almost certain that this boy was Asane's son.

Once she got back, she would check with Mizuto Grandma to make sure.

"My mother died on a mission."

Yayoi's voice wavered. He seemed upset.

Sensing something was wrong, Yan took hold of Yayoi, letting him know she was there for him.

"I see..."

The strange feeling Tsunade had felt vanished in an instant, replaced by sadness and regret.

War always took people away.

"If you ever have a problem, come find me. I live at..."

"While I'm still in the village, work on getting stronger as soon as you can."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Before leaving, Tsunade offered Yayoi a few words of encouragement. As she walked away, she suddenly glanced back and saw Yan gently comforting Yayoi.

Was it really a good idea for a Senju to be so close to an Uchiha?

Watching such a young child already have someone by his side, Tsunade couldn't help feeling a pang of envy.