"Hiruzen!"
A shrill roar suddenly rang out in Root's base in Konoha in the middle of the night.
Shimura Danzō woke up with a gloomy expression.
In his dream, the conversation of "You regret it, I'm Hokage, boom" had played out once again.
He could not help clenching his fists.
Hokage!
With tears in his eyes, he swore that he would become Hokage no matter what!
Shimura Danzō took a breath, got out of bed, and left.
After passing through the dim corridor, he arrived at a room.
He pushed the door half open, stood in the doorway, and looked at Yamato sleeping soundly on the bed.
Of course, his current codename was Kinoe.
Yamato was the sole survivor of the Wood Release Experiment.
But it was worth mentioning that Orochimaru did not know this. He believed the experiment had failed and that all the test subjects were dead.
Shimura Danzō had pulled a fast one and gotten Yamato for free, bringing him back to Root.
"Thankfully, I already have hope."
Shimura Danzō revealed an ugly smile.
As a student of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, he had witnessed the invincible Wood Release of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
As long as Yamato grew stronger, he would be able to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Once Sarutobi Hiruzen died, during Konoha's time of crisis, he could become the Fourth Hokage and Konoha's savior.
This plan was simply flawless!
But his ambitions went far beyond that.
No matter how powerful Yamato became, he was still an outsider.
Shimura Danzō wanted to transplant Hashirama Cells and obtain Wood Release.
He had tried before, but Hashirama Cells were far too invasive to transplant.
Now that there was a successful case in Yamato, perhaps it could work.
Shimura Danzō closed the door and turned toward Root's office.
Having woken up in the middle of the night, he had lost all desire to sleep. He might as well check on the progress of the Wood Release research.
The lights came on.
Shimura Danzō casually picked up a document from the desk. After glancing at it, his face darkened immensely.
This document came from Sarutobi Hiruzen.
There were two matters.
First, he was to compensate for the damages to the Hokage Office.
Second, Hikawa was already Tsunade's student, so he was to stop indulging in wishful thinking.
Shimura Danzō was so furious that his body turned cold in the middle of the night.
She had not taken on a student early or late, but specifically today. This was clearly aimed at him.
"Hiruzen! You'll regret this!"
Shimura Danzō threw back his head and howled.
News of Tsunade taking on a student spread quickly.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen deliberately allowing it, it spread throughout Konoha overnight.
Of course, it was limited to the major ninja clans and jonin. Ordinary villagers would probably need another couple of days to hear about it.
"What? Are you unhappy?"
Hatake Sakumo opened the door and saw Hatake Kakashi standing before the window, his entire body radiating gloom.
It was the first time he had seen his son react like this.
There was no need to think about the reason.
Always called a genius, Kakashi had lost to Hikawa in Hatake Swordsmanship, a field where he had never lost before.
He had gone straight from brooding to refusing to laugh at the challenge.
"No."
Hatake Kakashi said stubbornly.
"I spoke with the Hokage yesterday. Do you know where you lost?"
After considering for a moment, Hatake Sakumo asked.
"Where?"
Hatake Kakashi turned around and asked expressionlessly.
"Proficiency."
Hatake Sakumo explained, "If your swordsmanship proficiency had been equal, you could have easily defeated Hikawa."
"I'm going to train right now."
Hatake Kakashi headed outside as soon as he finished speaking.
"Hey! Eat first!"
Hatake Sakumo hurriedly called after him.
The Sarutobi Clan compound.
Although he did not need to attend school, Sarutobi Asuma still got up early.
Losing to Hikawa had made him afraid to sleep in.
However, his enthusiasm was dealt a blow before long.
"What did you say?"
Sarutobi Asuma asked in shock, "Damn it! Why didn't you stop her?"
Tsunade was no ordinary Medical Ninja. She possessed terrifying strength.
If Hikawa learned the Yin Seal and Super Strength, Sarutobi Asuma's scalp went numb just thinking about it.
An opponent with maxed-out attack and recovery power—how the hell was he supposed to fight that?
"Are you scared?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with a smile.
"Why would I be scared?!"
Sarutobi Asuma said with his neck stiffened, "The past is the past, the present is the present, and the future is the future. I can't keep losing forever!"
"That's well said."
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed and reminded him, "Tsunade is my student."
Sarutobi Asuma froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
So what if she was Tsunade?
Her teacher was his father!
By that logic, he was still a generation above Hikawa.
"For the next two months, I'll put you through special training."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a genial smile.
At last, he had a chance to let Asuma experience the depth of a father's love!
Hikawa raised his hand and knocked on the door.
He did not have a key to Tsunade's house.
The last time he had entered directly was because she had gotten drunk and forgotten to lock the door.
A moment later, the door opened.
Tsunade was not wearing her usual sleeveless top and Deep Blue pants, but a white nightgown.
The nightgown was loose, yet it still could not conceal her voluptuous figure, stretched taut and full.
Moreover, Hikawa realized she was wearing nothing but the nightgown.
Because there were faint bright points.
"So early?"
Tsunade yawned and asked.
"It's not early. It's almost nine."
Hikawa had trained with Yuhi Kurenai for two hours before coming over.
The first reason was that he had guessed Tsunade would sleep in.
The second was that Yuhi Kurenai had pitifully asked him first thing in the morning, "Are you going to see Tsunade-sama again?"
"I'm going to change."
Tsunade paused before saying, "I want ramen."
After placing her order, she turned around and returned to her room.
Hikawa withdrew his gaze, entered the kitchen, and began cooking the noodles.
A few minutes later, he carried a bowl of ramen back to the living room.
Tsunade had already changed back into her clothes. Two sections of her beautiful blonde hair were tied on either side, forming twin tails.
She picked up her chopsticks, slurped up some noodles, and her eyes brightened slightly. "Your ramen is pretty good."
It was actually the effect brought by the E-Rank Entry, "Chef."
Watching Tsunade devour the food, Hikawa increasingly suspected that the later Entries might have an effect so delicious it made clothes explode.
He had to admit, he was starting to look forward to it.
I, Hikawa, am the true God of Cooking!
"Ah!"
Tsunade drank a mouthful of broth, set down her bowl, and let out a long breath.
Hikawa conscientiously picked up the bowl and chopsticks and went into the kitchen.
Tsunade watched his figure, deep in thought.
What should she teach him today?
She had taught Hikawa before, but she had only offered casual pointers. It did not count as proper teaching.
"Sensei."
After washing the dishes, Hikawa appeared before her.
"First, let me see your Chakra control."
Tsunade sat upright, unusually serious.
Hikawa looked around, picked up a glass of water, and released Chakra. The water immediately began to spin.
In the original story, Chakra control was usually practiced through tree climbing or water walking.
Hikawa used the Rasengan's training method.
Of course, it was a simplified version.
"Very good."
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction.
What was most praiseworthy about Hikawa was the strength of his fundamentals. One look was enough to tell that he had put in a great deal of hard work.
In truth, it was because the Lexicon System came with a progress bar.
Once he learned something, he would never forget it. He could only keep accumulating progress.
"Today, I'll teach you a basic Medical Ninjutsu: the Hemostatic Technique."
Tsunade picked up a fruit knife and looked at Hikawa.
Before you continue