The Third Generation Old Man Snorted

Kakashi definitely couldn't get out of bed.

He hadn't expected this either. He'd used the Sharingan all the time during the war, hadn't he? Though it had put quite a strain on his body back then, it had never been like this—collapsing outright, unable to move.

If he explained it according to Wu Yu's theory, perhaps it was because he hadn't used the Sharingan in so long that his Chakra and Sharingan no longer recognized each other. He needed to forcefully crack the password again, refining an excessive amount of his own Chakra into Sharingan ocular power...

Back in the War Era, he had used the Sharingan constantly. The Sharingan had grown accustomed to being forced, so it truly became used to it. Though it couldn't compare with the Chakra of a natural Uchiha, its demands had gradually lowered. In practice, the Sharingan had become more and more adapted to his body, like a lonely young widow who had been...

"I really should read less of Lord Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise..."

Kakashi Hatake jolted and came back to his senses.

Of course, multitasking was simple for him. Though his mind had nearly started churning out dirty thoughts, his mouth had continued talking to Wu Yu and the others—

"After passing the Survival Exercise, the supervising Jonin treats everyone to a meal. That's our usual custom..."

Lying in bed, Kakashi spoke as he shakily raised both hands, seemingly intending to form the cross seal and create a Shadow Clone to host the meal and help his students bond.

Wu Yu hurriedly stepped forward and pressed down his hands. "Are you trying to die? If you keep squeezing out your stamina to refine Chakra, be careful you don't die in bed. The group meal can wait. For today, just pay up and stay in bed."

"I was planning to pay..."

Wu Yu asked curiously, "Isn't it in your pouch? Why are you feeling around your chest?" Following Kakashi's hand, he felt around his chest and indeed found a hidden pocket containing several ten-thousand-ryo notes.

"A ninja must account for every possible situation and be thoroughly prepared." Though Kakashi was lying down, his tone and demeanor remained cool.

But he soon couldn't keep up the cool act. When Sakura and Naruto searched the wallet in the pouch beside him, they found his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Their faces quickly turned red, and steam seemed to rise from their heads... Sakura slapped the book back into Kakashi's pouch, punched Naruto, then turned around and looked at the sweating Kakashi with a strange expression.

"Now you know how to be embarrassed?" Wu Yu gloated. "What happened to that calm attitude you had at noon, reading this while fighting Naruto?"

Naruto and Sakura both realized something was wrong and pointed at Wu Yu. "Why do you sound so familiar with what's written in that book?!"

"Uh..." Wu Yu really wanted to say he had never read it, but that apparently wouldn't be believed.

"On the first day, I've lost all my dignity in every possible sense..." Kakashi closed his eyes and continued playing dead.

"They're all idiots..."

Sasuke Uchiha shook his head with a sigh, shoved his hands into his pockets, and was the first to turn and leave, pushing open the door behind him.

At dusk, the slanting sunlight shone over a forest where a vast stretch of trees had been shattered.

Dust and smoke roiled, lingering flames still burned, and the ground was riddled with craters. Some terrain had been altered by Earth Release, some areas had been smashed into fissured pits by Taijutsu and the Strength of a Hundred Fist, and some had become muddy swamps after being soaked by Water Release...

The Hokage's direct Anbu hidden in the shadows watched in shock. They hadn't expected Lady Tsunade's strength to have reached such a level, nor had they expected that, even though it was only a Shadow Clone battle, the Third Hokage would fight so desperately. Was that really necessary...?

"You should admit defeat now, old man!" The Three-Eyed Sage Face Markings and pointed ears on Tsunade's Shadow Clone gradually faded away.

Thanks to Sage Mode's enhancement, she was neither injured nor particularly exhausted. But... looking at the Third Hokage's Shadow Clone across from her—with his chest and abdomen completely pierced through, his left arm severed, his right arm fractured, and his left knee bent backward—dragging himself forward on his sole intact right leg, with not a trace of Chakra remaining, yet still having Enma transform into an even thinner staff and clamping it in his mouth, intending to fight to the death with pure Taijutsu...

Tsunade was speechless. "Are you going to squeeze dry even the little bit of basic Chakra maintaining your Shadow Clone's physical form before you'll dismiss it? Should I praise your Shadow Clone technique for reaching perfection, old man, or scold you for making such a huge fuss over nothing?"

With the staff clenched between his teeth, the Third Hokage could only make muffled, unintelligible sounds. No one knew what he was saying as he dragged his broken leg, leaving a trail of blood behind him, and charged at Tsunade.

"The older you get, the more stubborn you become!"

Tsunade bit her fingertip and clapped her palms together. [Haotu, use up all the remaining Chakra!]

[Charge, Tsunade!]

Summoning Technique!

With a thunderous boom, a gigantic Katsuyu appeared in the forest atop the Hokage Rock Faces. It completely crushed the Third Hokage's battered clone, causing it to disperse, while Tsunade's own Shadow Clone could no longer hold itself together and vanished as well.

"Huh? Where is Lady Tsunade?"

The gigantic Katsuyu looked around. This was Konoha—so why couldn't she see Tsunade? After being confused for a while, Katsuyu lost interest and vanished in a puff of white smoke with another poof.

Many people in Konoha saw the enormous, impossible-to-ignore Katsuyu.

Many recognized it as the summoned beast of Tsunade, one of the Sannin.

Some ninja who hadn't known that Tsunade had returned to Konoha showed delighted expressions. With Lady Tsunade here, some injuries and illnesses that had previously been difficult to treat could now be cured.

Some people who had been hoping that the Third Hokage would step down so they could have a chance angrily struck their canes when they saw this... This Tsunade had been back for so long. Why hadn't she left yet?!

The legendary Sannin possessed such prestige in Konoha. Merely seeing that gigantic Katsuyu made everyone feel as though they had been tremendously encouraged. They still had such powerful seniors and comrades—the village truly was thriving!

"..."

In the Hokage Office, after receiving her Shadow Clone's memories and experiences, Tsunade heard the Third Hokage's suppressed groans of pain beside her.

The painful sensations of the Shadow Clone returned to the original body along with its memories. The Third Hokage seemed to have had his mental will instantly drained from him. Trembling, he braced himself against the sofa beside him and collapsed back onto it.

"At your age, you're really being reckless."

Tsunade rose helplessly and went over to treat the Third Hokage with Medical Ninjutsu, but she didn't relent verbally. "In any case, I won. Nakamori Wu Yu belongs to me now. It's not the old man's place to interfere."

The Third Hokage stubbornly argued, "If this child truly has the talent you claim he does, then he is perfectly suited to be my disciple! You know, Tsunade, not even Orochimaru was able to fully inherit my legacy..."

Life-filled Yang Release Chakra radiated from Tsunade's hands, soothing Sarutobi's tense, spasming brain nerves after the tremendous shock. She couldn't be bothered to argue with the old man and merely said, "Not just you—keep an eye on everyone else in the village too, especially Shimura Danzō, who crawls through the darkness like a maggot..."

The Third Hokage's expression darkened slightly.

"During my travels through the ninja world these past years, I heard quite a few heroic tales about our Elder Shimura." Tsunade sneered before saying coldly, "Root's official function is to train new Anbu recruits and provide the Hokage with qualified personnel. Wu Yu will not join the Anbu, and Danzō has no qualification or reason to approach him. If I find any Root ninja monitoring Wu Yu... don't blame me for killing Danzō myself. Old man, didn't you insist on competing with me because you wanted to see whether I still had that kind of strength?"

The Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "This child Nakamori Wu Yu has some secrets, doesn't he?"

"Some things are better left unasked," Tsunade said.

"Tsunade, I'm the Hokage."

"What the hell does that have to do with me? He's my disciple."

"What I mean is..." The Third wore a sly smile. "Danzo has no right to monitor or approach that child, but as the Hokage, I should have that right, shouldn't I? If you truly want to shelter that child from the wind and rain, sooner or later, you'll have to take my seat. Hahaha, you can't run from it, Tsunade..."

Having confirmed this, the old man felt immense relief. He nearly began humming to himself; even his brain, almost completely numbed by the Shadow Clone, felt several pounds lighter.