Graduating Early

On his way to school the next day, Watanabe sensed a distinct change in the village. Countless villagers had gathered on street corners, discussing the war, while masked Anbu Ninja kept leaping across the rooftops, creating an atmosphere of panic and tension. It seemed Konoha could be drawn into the war at any moment.

"Konoha suffered terrible losses in the First Shinobi World War. With the Second Shinobi World War liable to break out at any moment, of course they need to make thorough preparations," Watanabe thought.

Tsunade's grandfather had been hailed as the God of Shinobi in his day, suppressing the entire Shinobi World single-handedly. It was certainly admirable, but it had also put Konoha in the spotlight. If a large-scale conflict broke out, Konoha could easily become a target for the other powers to attack. The First Shinobi World War had already proven that.

"My school life probably won't be peaceful anymore."

Watanabe sighed. He wondered how the war between Amegakure and the Land of Iron would change the course of his life.

He hadn't fully grown up yet. His Taijutsu was still a weakness, and he wasn't yet equipped to make a living in a time of chaos.

When he arrived at school, all his classmates were excitedly discussing the war—and exaggerating even more than the villagers outside.

"Lord Hokage called an emergency meeting of the High Command last night. Afterward, Konoha went straight to Level Two Alert. Do you know what that means?"

"It means war! The Second Shinobi World War is about to begin. There's bound to be another bloodbath!"

"I've decided—I'm going to apply for early graduation and protect Konoha alongside everyone else on the battlefield!"

"I'm applying for early graduation too! Where the leaves dance, the fire burns. No one's going to invade Konoha!"

"How could a war possibly happen without me, Lord Jiraiya? I'm destined to make a name for myself in battle!"

"..."

They were all a bunch of chuunibyou teenagers brainwashed by the Will of Fire.

Watanabe silently scoffed. He wasn't as hot-blooded—or as foolish—as Jiraiya and the others.

Applying for early graduation at a time like this was practically telling the High Command, "I'm an idiot who's easy to fool. Hurry up and send me to the battlefield as cannon fodder!"

He didn't feel much attachment to Konoha, nor did he have any strong desire to protect it. In his eyes, the entire village didn't matter as much as Tsunade alone—and Tsunade didn't need his protection.

"The war probably won't start that soon," Watanabe thought, figuring his classmates were exaggerating.

Tsunade knew the inside story better. Rather than listen to a bunch of chuunibyou teenagers boasting, he should ask her.

At the thought, Watanabe looked up. Tsunade's seat in the front row was empty, and her bright, lovely figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Did something come up and make her late?"

Watanabe guessed that something was wrong. Tsunade usually arrived early and even brought him breakfast, but today she was unusually late.

The bell rang, but Tsunade still hadn't shown up. Watanabe felt a faint unease, wondering if something out of the ordinary had happened to her.

Tsunade wasn't the only one who was late. Their homeroom teacher, Osaka Rukawa, was late too. He didn't arrive until near the end of their first class, and when he did, he looked grave as he told them:

"Over the next two days, the school will hold a graduation exam. Participation is voluntary, and any student may take it. Those who pass will be able to become ninja early."

His words hit the classroom like a bomb. The students erupted into commotion, and Jiraiya, Inuzuka Kiba, and the others eagerly announced that they would take the graduation exam.

"Has it already come to this?"

Watanabe remained composed. His defense was extraordinarily strong, and he had also mastered high-level techniques such as the Spirit Transformation Technique and Mutual Multiplication Paper Bombs. If he showed his true ability, he would definitely meet the requirements for early graduation.

But he didn't want to leave school so soon. He still had plenty of room to improve, and there was no better place than school to quietly build up his strength.

After school at noon, Watanabe put the graduation issue aside for the time being and planned to visit Tsunade's home to see what was going on.

But just as he reached the school gate, he spotted Tsunade waiting nearby, dressed in a black combat outfit and looking strikingly heroic.

"Why weren't you at school this morning?" Watanabe went over and asked.

"Something came up," Tsunade replied coolly. "Come on."

Watanabe understood she meant the little woods, so he nodded.

As they passed through the shopping district, Watanabe bought a cup of milk tea to give Tsunade after their sparring session. The little gesture made her glance at him a couple more times.

After three months together, they had developed a good rapport. Tsunade didn't say it aloud, but she was pleased by how considerate Watanabe was.

"I won't hold back today. If you can't take it anymore, tell me right away."

When they reached the familiar little woods, Tsunade gave him a serious warning.

Watanabe was surprised. "You haven't been holding back for ages."

"It's different." Tsunade's tone was calm. "You'll understand what I mean soon."

Watanabe was taken aback. Tsunade seemed a little different today.

"Okay."

He set the milk tea aside and faced Tsunade, bracing himself for the fight.

"Come on. You can hit me as hard as you want..."

"Thud!"

Before he could finish speaking, Tsunade used a Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Watanabe and slammed a fist into his chest. He shot away like a cannonball, smashing through every tree trunk in his path.

[Under attack: Vitality +44, Defense +20, Pain -19...]

That felt about the same as usual.

Watanabe felt great all over, without the slightest pain. He just couldn't withstand the impact of Tsunade's tremendous strength.

But the next moment, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He turned and saw Tsunade appear behind him again, her long, powerful leg swinging up with a fierce kick.

"Thud!"

[Under attack: Vitality +65, Defense +33, Pain -32...]

Another heavy blow sent Watanabe rocketing more than ten meters into the air before he could react.

Tsunade stomped the ground and swiftly caught up with Watanabe as he flew through the air, unleashing a continuous combo. One punch after another hammered into him.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud..."

[Under attack: Vitality +51...]

[Under attack: Vitality +49...]

Watanabe finally understood what Tsunade had meant by not holding back. Before, she had gone all out during their spars, but to help him improve his Taijutsu, she had deliberately left him a few chances to counterattack.

Today, though, she seemed to have gone berserk. She treated Watanabe like a punching bag, beating him one-sidedly. He couldn't keep up with her speed at all. The whole time, she sent him flying back and forth, never even letting him touch the ground.

"I'm too weak. When Tsunade gets serious, I don't stand a chance."

Watanabe sighed up at the sky and gave up defending himself, letting Tsunade pummel him as she pleased.

The gap between their Taijutsu skills was enormous. It was a good thing his defense was strong; otherwise, she would have beaten him into mincemeat by now.

After pummeling Watanabe relentlessly for more than ten minutes, Tsunade was exhausted. She ended the combo with a single Heavenly Guardian Kick.