A Wager

"Bet?" When Yusuke proposed a wager, Tsunade instinctively prepared to accept. But Shizune, standing beside her, quickly tugged her back.

Yusuke nodded. "That's right. If I lose, Kabuto will naturally become Lady Tsunade's disciple. If Lady Tsunade loses, I'd like to ask her for a ninjutsu on Kabuto's behalf."

Curious, Tsunade said, "Tell me what ninjutsu you want first."

Yusuke smiled. "The Summoning Technique! The Katsuyu Lady Tsunade summons has incredibly powerful healing abilities. A summoning beast like that is the dream of every ninja."

"And Lady Tsunade doesn't need to worry that Kabuto will pass the Summoning Jutsu on to anyone else. The Summoning Contract scroll should be in your possession, after all. Kabuto would only be signing his name on it."

After he finished speaking, Yusuke quietly watched Tsunade as she pondered, waiting for her answer.

In Yusuke's plan, the Summoning Jutsu was actually secondary. What he truly wanted was the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest.

"First, you have to say what you're betting on!" Shizune asked, speaking up beside Tsunade. She had a feeling that this boy, who wasn't much older than her, was hiding some scheme and planning to trick Lady Tsunade.

Yusuke smiled. "How about a dice game?"

"No!" Shizune immediately rejected the idea. She knew what Tsunade's luck was like. If they gambled with dice, they were sure to lose.

Seeing Shizune's reaction, Yusuke chuckled to himself. He then suggested several other common gambling games, but Shizune rejected them all.

Tsunade looked displeased, a vein twitching faintly on her fair forehead. It wasn't that she minded Shizune answering for her; she was simply unhappy that Shizune had so little faith in her formidable gambling skills.

"If this won't do and that won't do, this is getting difficult. How about we compete in Medical Ninjutsu instead?"

Yusuke pretended to ponder the problem before tentatively making the suggestion.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at his words and said slowly, "You should know that Medical Ninjutsu is what I'm best at. You aren't joking when you suggest that as the competition, are you?"

Yusuke smiled. "It seems the young lady beside you isn't very satisfied with any of the usual gambling methods. As it happens, I've studied Medical Ninjutsu a little myself. And since we're all ninjas, why not decide the outcome with ninjutsu?"

"If Lady Tsunade doesn't object, let's see who can restore a dying creature to life faster. What do you say?"

When Yusuke proposed a Medical Ninjutsu contest, Shizune couldn't think of a reason to refuse. It was Tsunade's greatest strength. If they weren't willing to bet on that, there was no other contest that could give their side a greater advantage.

Tsunade nodded. "All right. In that case, let's begin."

"However, you seem to have come prepared, and I don't like taking advantage of people. No matter the result, I'll owe you a favor."

Tsunade had noticed that Yusuke seemed to have prepared for this. Still, she believed she had an excellent chance of winning a Medical Ninjutsu contest. Even if she won, it wouldn't be a fair victory, so she considered the favor compensation for Yusuke.

Yusuke paused in surprise, then smiled. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

Once they had agreed on the contest, they caught two catfish of roughly the same size, both on the verge of death, and laid them on two stone slabs. Yusuke and Tsunade took their places in front of the slabs, waiting for Kakashi to give the signal.

"Begin!"

As soon as Kakashi's voice rang out, Tsunade and Yusuke began treating the catfish in front of them.

Several thin, pale-blue strands of Chakra appeared in Tsunade's hand. She swiftly inserted them into vital points on the catfish's body, and it immediately began thrashing about.

Kakashi saw this and asked Shizune, "Has Lady Tsunade already won?"

Shizune shook her head. "Not yet. Lady Tsunade is only using Chakra stimulation therapy to rouse the catfish's life force and keep it from dying before she can treat it. She still needs to continue the treatment to truly restore its vitality."

Just as Shizune had said, a stream of pale-yellow Chakra, gentle in appearance, appeared in Tsunade's hand. She covered the fish with her Chakra-coated palm, and its vitality began to recover at a visible pace.

While Tsunade was performing Medical Ninjutsu, Yusuke took out a syringe and injected the liquid inside directly into the fish.

After injecting it, Yusuke swiftly formed Hand Seals. When he finished, he pressed his hand to the spot where he had injected the fish.

"Ninja Art: Seal of Life!"

What Yusuke had injected into the fish was Hashirama Cells Fusion Liquid. The Cursed Seal technique he used was the Seal of Life, which he had previously used to keep the Fourth Hokage and his wife alive during the Nine-Tails Incident. This powerful Cursed Seal technique had temporarily stabilized injuries as severe as those suffered by Minato and his wife. A mere fish's injuries were nothing by comparison.

Yusuke felt a pang at wasting a vial of Hashirama Cells Fusion Liquid. But when he thought about how Kabuto could learn Tsunade's Katsuyu Summoning Technique—and might even have the chance to learn the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest—he decided it was well worth it.

As soon as the Cursed Seal appeared on the fish, its body erupted with powerful vitality. It thrashed and leaped wildly across the stone slab, even more lively than a fish in water.

The fish Tsunade was treating had nearly recovered as well, but she was just a moment too late.

Looking at the fish leaping about on Yusuke's stone slab, Tsunade said in surprise, "I didn't expect you to be skilled in Cursed Seals too. But the key to your Cursed Seal is that medicine you just injected into the fish. I can sense the incredibly powerful vitality it contains."

Yusuke smiled. "I did take a shortcut. That medicine is a secret lifesaving remedy of mine. Combined with the Seal of Life, it can temporarily keep anyone alive as long as they still have a breath left."

After hearing his explanation, Tsunade sighed and said slowly, "I lost. You used a medicine, but we never agreed beforehand that it wasn't allowed."

Tsunade smiled at Shizune, who was standing nearby with her cheeks puffed up. "What's with that face, you silly girl? Anyone would think you were the one who lost."

Shizune protested, "He was so underhanded, using medicine! I wouldn't mind if I were the one who lost, but Lady Tsunade, you're clearly so good at Medical Ninjutsu."

Tsunade smiled and patted Shizune's head to comfort her. Without hesitation, she took a scroll from inside her clothing and unrolled it on the ground.

It was the Summoning Contract scroll for Katsuyu of Shikkotsu Forest. On the part of the scroll she had unrolled, Yusuke saw the names of Senju Hashirama and Tsunade.

Tsunade beckoned to Kabuto. "You, come here."

Kabuto didn't move. Instead, he looked at Yusuke. Yusuke smiled and nodded, signaling that he should do as Tsunade said.

"Write your name here, then bite your thumb and press your thumbprint beneath it," Tsunade said, pointing to the blank space beside her name on the scroll.

Following Tsunade's instructions, Kabuto wrote his name on the scroll, bit his thumb, and pressed his fingerprint beneath it. That completed the contract.

Tsunade rolled up the scroll and said to Kabuto, "Now follow along as I form the Hand Seals. As you do, gather the Chakra inside your body. The size of the Katsuyu you summon depends on how much Chakra you draw on."

Kabuto nodded and immediately began forming Hand Seals along with Tsunade.

"Summoning Technique!"

Once they finished the Hand Seals, Tsunade released hers and canceled her summon. Kabuto, meanwhile, pressed his right hand to the ground and summoned a Katsuyu just large enough for him to ride.

Sitting on the soft, slick Katsuyu, Kabuto looked quite uncomfortable.

"Lady Tsunade, was it you who summoned me?" Katsuyu asked. Her voice sounded like a sweet little girl's.

There were many summoning beasts in the Ninja World that could speak, so no one found it strange.

Tsunade said, "No. The boy on your back summoned you. He's the one who just signed the contract. His name is Kabuto."

Kabuto hurriedly spoke to the Katsuyu beneath him. "Hello, I'm Yakushi Kabuto. I look forward to working with you."

"Hello, Lord Kabuto. I look forward to working with you too," Katsuyu replied, turning her feelers to look at Kabuto on her back.

After learning the Katsuyu Summoning Technique, Kabuto sent her back to Shikkotsu Forest. Kakashi then asked Tsunade, "Lady Tsunade, what do you plan to do with Kabuto?"

Tsunade replied, "I plan to leave the village tomorrow. If Kabuto agrees to learn the Medical Ninjutsu needed to treat Minato from me, he'll have to leave with me. Judging by the talent he's shown so far, I estimate he'll be able to return and treat the Fourth Hokage in about a year."

"However, Kabuto isn't my disciple yet. You'll have to ask him whether he's willing to leave the village and train with me."

After Kakashi explained the matter of treating the Fourth Hokage to Yusuke and Kabuto, he pleaded with Yusuke, "I hope you'll help us with this. I'd be deeply grateful."

Yusuke patted Kabuto on the shoulder and said, "As a member of the village, helping the Fourth Hokage recover is something you should do without hesitation. You should train under Lady Tsunade."

"During your training, you can also see more of the outside world."

At Yusuke's words, Kabuto nodded and agreed to Kakashi's request. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing hope that his teacher might recover resolved one of the worries that had weighed on him for a long time.

With everything settled, Tsunade told them when she would leave the next day, then departed with Shizune.

Although Tsunade regretted not being able to take Kabuto on as her disciple, she didn't dwell on it and soon put the matter out of her mind.

What truly moved Tsunade was the Yusuke she had met that day.

"This young Uchiha, the strongest of his generation, is certainly something." She greatly admired Yusuke's performance that day. But as she praised him, Tsunade couldn't help thinking of the dwindling Senju Clan, and a pang of sadness stirred in her heart.

Early the next morning, with everyone seeing them off, Kabuto left Konoha alongside Tsunade.

As they said goodbye, Izumi felt reluctant to part with Kabuto and also envied him. After all, Izumi had never left the village, and she longed to see the world beyond Konoha.

As she watched the three figures grow more distant, Yusuke quietly began planning Kabuto's future.

"Shikkotsu Forest, Ryūchi Cave, Mount Myoboku."

"Kabuto, your future may be even more exciting than I imagined!"

My usual thanks for everyone's support!!

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