Picnic

Beishan is a small hill about fifty meters high located near Senju Park. With its sparse forest, it is a perfect spot for a picnic.

By the time Hanfu arrived, guided by the memories in his mind, it was already 4:30.

However, since it was late summer, the sky wouldn't even begin to darken until nearly six o'clock.

"Woof woof!"

The yapping of the puppy Shiromaru drifted faintly from the woods on the hillside. Hanfu followed the sound and soon found Anko, Inuzuka Sa, as well as Iruka, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane.

"Hanfu, over here, over here!"

Inuzuka Sa waved her hand.

"Looks like I'm not late." As Hanfu approached, he noticed Kotetsu Hagane gathering branches, Izumo Kamizuki starting a fire, and Anko placing the red bean paste she had bought into an iron pot.

Red bean paste was essentially red bean porridge; it could be eaten straight out of the container, but boiling it for a bit and adding some sugar made it taste even sweeter.

For girls like Anko and Inuzuka Sa who loved desserts, it was the ultimate delicacy.

Of course, besides the red bean paste, Anko had bought other foods—octopus balls, beef balls, red bean paste balls, and... well, it was all balls!

Hanfu couldn't help but complain, "Anko, you could at least consider us guys for once."

He had chipped in a thousand yen for this.

"Didn't I buy beef balls for you guys?"

Anko retorted righteously, "I even specifically asked the shopkeeper to add chili to the beef balls. Hmph, I hope they spice you to death!"

"But this isn't enough for the four of us to eat," Hanfu said, feeling quite helpless.

"These branches should be enough, right?"

Izumo Kamizuki piled the dry branches he had gathered next to Izumo Kamizuki and asked, "Huh? Is the fire not lit yet?"

"Yeah, the branches seem a bit damp," Izumo Kamizuki replied.

"It would be great if we knew Fire Release ninjutsu," Iruka said, forming hand seals in a practiced manner and shouting, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Pfft!

Iruka spat out a few droplets of saliva.

Inuzuka Sa and Anko stepped back in disgust. "Iruka, that's so gross!"

"Hehe, sorry, sorry," Iruka laughed sheepishly.

"The Great Fireball is a Fire Release ninjutsu of the Uchiha clan. I hear it's quite difficult to master," Izumo Kamizuki said, clearly very interested in ninjutsu.

"Can that genius Uchiha from our year do it?" Izumo Kamizuki asked.

"Of course Shisui can!" Inuzuka Sa immediately shouted. "Shisui is a genius, after all!"

"You might not believe me, but I can do the Great Fireball Technique too," Hanfu said modestly.

"I don't believe you. That's a ninjutsu of the Uchiha Clan." Inuzuka Sa turned into a fan girl on the spot, and her little puppy, Shiromaru, also barked twice at Hanfu.

"Although the Great Fireball Technique was created by the Uchiha Clan, as long as one knows the training method, other ninjas can practice it too," Iruka said.

The Uchiha Clan has quite a few Fire Release ninjutsu. Excluding those that are extremely difficult to master or those that require the Sharingan to perform, Fire Release ninjutsu similar to the Great Fireball have, more or less, leaked out.

Just like the Shadow Clone Technique, created by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju for intelligence gathering, it has already spread to other countries and hidden villages; it simply cannot be contained.

As for something like the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga family, even if they were willing to teach it, others wouldn't want to learn it, because the Gentle Fist must be used in conjunction with the Byakugan to unleash its true power!

"Even so, Shisui's Great Fireball is the strongest!" Inuzuka Sa held her head high, acting proud.

"Hanfu, then why don't you give it a try?" Kotetsu Hagane really couldn't get angry anymore.

Hanfu narrowed his eyes and calculated the chakra he had refined in his body, then decisively refused: "My Great Fireball is meant for combat; how could I use it to start a fire? I won't do it, absolutely not."

"You definitely don't know how!" Anko discovered the truth.

"I just wanted to get along with you all as an ordinary person. I really can't reveal any more of my trump cards," Hanfu sighed. "I'm afraid of crushing your spirits."

"So noisy!!"

Suddenly, a hoarse, impatient female voice drifted down from the top of the small hill. "You brats, do you know what place this is? Who gave you permission to come here for a picnic?"

Hanfu and the others looked at each other in dismay.

Judging by the tone of that voice, it sounded as if this place belonged to her.

Wait, her place?

The area near this small hill is Senju Park!

The Senju Clan?

Could it be one of the Sannin, Tsunade?

Hanfu's heart hammered like a drum, and his adrenaline spiked.

But as a woman in her fifties or sixties—with dull, yellowish hair, a face full of wrinkles, and a hunched back—walked down from the hill, Hanfu's heart instantly turned cold.

It is only the 43rd year of Konoha; the Sannin are in their prime. It is impossible for Tsunade to be this old.

However, could it be the Transformation Technique?

Hanfu observed her calmly, noting that her hair color was the same as Tsunade's. As for her figure, it wasn't very noticeable because she was hunched over.

Hanfu frowned, unable to confirm her identity.

"Hello, ma'am. We are students from the Ninja Academy."

Red Bean Paste spoke politely, "Sorry to bother you."

"Hmm, you have decent manners."

The old woman nodded slightly, but said in an unquestionable tone, "However, having a picnic here is likely to cause a forest fire. Go to the foot of the mountain!"

"Understood, we'll leave right away. Thank you, ma'am!" After thanking her, Red Bean Paste directed the others to pack up the dumplings, red bean paste, and dry branches, then headed down the mountain.

After they left, a thin figure slowly stepped out from behind a tree.

Orochimaru crossed his arms over his chest, a strange, indefinable smile playing on his lips. His voice was raspy: "They were just a few brats. Why did you bother with a disguise?"

The old woman, with her dull, yellowish hair, wrinkled face, and hunched posture, slowly straightened her back. She gently wiped her hands across her face, and the wrinkles vanished instantly, while her dull hair quickly regained its golden luster.

This person was none other than one of the Sannin, Tsunade!

"What would you know!" Tsunade snorted irritably.

"Heh."

Orochimaru teased sarcastically, "Don't tell me you owe money to a gambling den and were worried these brats were sent to collect the debt?"

I've been found out?!

Tsunade's face flushed with embarrassment. Flustered and angry, she raised her hand and threw a punch.

Bang!!

At the foot of the mountain, Hanfu and the others suddenly heard a loud noise from the mountain, as if an earthquake had occurred.

"What happened?" Iruka looked around, "Was that an earthquake?"

"How could there be an earthquake here?" Red Bean Paste said, "It was probably just a rock falling down the mountain."

"We've been up to that peak before; there aren't any loose rocks there," Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane said.

"Then I have no idea," Red Bean Paste said airily, "Hurry up, don't dawdle, let's get the fire going!"

"Yes, yes."

While the others were busy, Hanfu looked toward the mountain peak, lost in thought.

"Hanfu, what are you spacing out for? Come over and help!" Iruka said.

"Wait, I'm going to go check up there." Hanfu's eyes lit up as he ran toward the mountain.

"Hanfu?"

Iruka, Anko, and the others watched him with puzzled expressions.

"Is he worried about that old lady?" Inuzuka Sa laughed. "Hanfu really is a gentle person."

"Woof woof!" The little puppy Shiromaru never forgot to respond to its little master, already traveling further and further down the path of being a sycophant.

Thanks to book friends Shen Zhi Wang Hai, Zan Lu Ta, and Zi Mi Kui for their tips and support.