Drunk Tsunade: "Then I'm calling the police!"

Waking up, Namikaze Yoru felt the soft, warm touch still lingering on his lips from yesterday, and the image of Tsunade's flustered, coquettish face surfaced in his mind.

The two of them had naturally stopped at that kiss, unable to go any further, after all, Namikaze Yoru was still young.

But even though Namikaze Yoru hadn't pressed his advantage, his burning gaze said it all.

Even the usually domineering Tsunade, under the influence of alcohol, showed a hint of panic, and her figure as she closed the door and left carried a trace of fleeing in disarray.

Namikaze Yoru didn't indulge in this ambiguous memory. He deeply understood that strength was the foundation of everything. After washing up, he headed to the training ground, ready to loosen up his body, which had grown a bit stiff from lying around for months.

On the way to the training ground, he considered whether to go pick up his chunin uniform, but then thought that since he'd already registered, a vest wasn't really necessary.

After all, that green vest, aside from being a symbol of chunin status, wasn't exactly good-looking.

In fact, with enough seniority, someone of his strength becoming a chunin could already serve as a squad leader.

Especially since Konoha likely wouldn't assign him a new jonin instructor. Even as strong as Konoha was, they couldn't afford to have him "kill off" two leading jonin in a row.

Jonin were top-tier power in any ninja village and couldn't be treated as consumables.

"Osu, my friend." Might Duy suddenly appeared from a street corner, but his gait was a bit off.

As someone who had trained with Might Duy for a long time, Namikaze Yoru immediately noticed something was wrong and asked hesitantly:

"Dai-nii, what's wrong?"

"Got injured in the waist during a mission." Might Duy clutched his waist, forcing a wry smile.

"Didn't you go to Konoha Hospital to get it checked?"

"I did, just need to rest, it's nothing serious! Youth's burning sometimes needs a pit stop for maintenance!"

He still flashed his signature thumbs-up and gleaming white teeth, his optimism undimmed.

After exchanging pleasantries and parting ways with Might Duy, Namikaze Yoru continued toward the training ground.

Just as he started warming up, he keenly sensed something off and coldly called out to a distant shadow:

"Who's there? Come out."

The person hidden in the shadows didn't show themselves, remaining completely still, ignoring Namikaze Yoru's command.

Sensing no malice from them, Namikaze Yoru didn't want to force them out, so he simply moved to another training spot.

But that person followed like a shadow, always lurking in the dark, watching.

This feeling of being monitored made Namikaze Yoru extremely uncomfortable. He walked straight toward them, and only when he could no longer stand it and threw a punch did the other party retreat and reveal themselves.

Seeing who it was, Namikaze Yoru's anger flared even more—it was a Root ninja.

"What does Root mean by this?"

"Carrying out a Root security mission." The ninja replied flatly.

As fellow village ninjas, with that kind of explanation, Namikaze Yoru couldn't say much, nor could he really start a fight to drive them away.

But Namikaze Yoru knew that so-called security mission was just an excuse. It seemed Shimura Danzō was still holding a grudge over his refusal.

Seeing that the other party was determined to keep this up, Namikaze Yoru could only make the best of it and focus on his training.

What was even more infuriating was that the ninja pulled out a notebook to record his every move. Whether the intent was to analyze his training patterns or just to annoy him, it had crossed Namikaze Yoru's line.

"Damn Shimura Danzō!" he thought coldly, but his face showed nothing.

But sometimes, you run into a stubborn pest like Shimura Danzō, and that pest just happens to have both power and time.

Watching this ninja blatantly trying to provoke him, Namikaze Yoru's eyes flickered with an idea. If handled well, he could make Shimura Danzō choke on his own medicine.

After finishing the day's training, the "secretly observing" Root ninja quietly withdrew.

Namikaze Yoru didn't go straight home. Instead, he wandered the streets, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, noting things down.

For the next few days, that Root ninja showed up at the training ground on time, like a silent shadow.

Namikaze Yoru pretended not to notice on the surface, but was secretly looking for a way to break the deadlock.

That day, he "coincidentally" ran into Uchiha Yashiro at the dango shop, who was buying three-colored dango.

This jonin of the Uchiha Clan had a stern expression, and while on duty, he was curt with everyone.

As a civilian-born ninja, Namikaze Yoru knew the Uchiha Clan's temperament well—their pride was deeply ingrained, and they looked down on any ninja not from the Uchiha Clan equally.

But if you went along with them, you might get some unexpected results.

He put on an admiring look and took the initiative to strike up a conversation. A few exchanges about taijutsu training naturally led to the topic of recent training bottlenecks. Namikaze Yoru sighed, feigning casualness:

"I always feel like I'm missing the point during training. I wish I had a dojutsu bloodline like yours, Uchiha-san, or the Hyuga's."

Hearing this, Uchiha Yashiro replied arrogantly: "Hyuga? When it comes to dojutsu bloodlines, if the Uchiha claim second, no one dares claim first!"

Namikaze Yoru seized the opportunity to invite him: "I've long heard of the Uchiha Clan's exquisite taijutsu. Could I ask Senior Yashiro to give me some pointers?"

Perhaps it was Namikaze Yoru's sincere attitude, or maybe a hint of curiosity about this recently rising young ninja, but Uchiha Yashiro pondered briefly and then nodded in agreement.

The two went to the training ground together. Just as they finished warming up, a flash of crimson passed through Uchiha Yashiro's eyes as his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, instinctively scanning the surroundings with its insight.

Suddenly, Uchiha Yashiro's gaze sharpened, locking onto a seemingly empty corner not far away, and he barked coldly:

"Skulking rat hiding in the shadows, show yourself!"

Namikaze Yoru chuckled inwardly, but kept a look of feigned surprise on his face. The Root ninja, unable to hide under the piercing gaze of the Sharingan, was forced to reveal himself.

"Root?" Uchiha Yashiro frowned deeply, his tone carrying the characteristic arrogance and displeasure of the Uchiha clan.

"Since when did Root stretch its hands so far, daring to spy on Konoha ninjas during their normal training in the Training Ground?"

Namikaze Yoru chose his moment to speak, his voice laced with just the right amount of helplessness, a touch of feigned innocence in his words: "Senior Yashiro, this one... said he was carrying out a 'security mission.'"

"A security mission? In a public Training Ground inside Konoha, keeping watch over a Chunin who just earned merit and got promoted?"

Uchiha Yashiro's voice turned cold, his Sharingan sharp as it locked onto the Root ninja.

"I'd like to ask Elder Danzo himself, what kind of 'security' is this supposed to be!"

The Root ninja, facing the pressure of an Uchiha Jonin and the direct stare of the Sharingan, stood frozen, unable to utter a word.

Namikaze Yoru stood behind Uchiha Yashiro, watching this expected scene unfold, knowing that this "borrowed blade" had already struck precisely at Danzo's scheme.