The instant he switched to the Tsunade (Girl) blade, Strength of a Hundred activated.
Boom!
Akiyama Shun's fist slammed down. The moment it hit the rock, a wave of air exploded outward. The boulder shattered, and several fragments shot into the cave with the force of the wind.
The rocks struck the cave walls, their impacts echoing through the cavern.
Only after doing all that did Akiyama Shun look at Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade, what was it you said you wanted to teach me?"
"...Never mind. Go after them first."
Tsunade opened her mouth, but still couldn't find anything to say. In the end, she waved him on, urging Akiyama Shun to hurry after the bandits.
What could she say?
You learn so fast. What am I supposed to say?
Tsunade had finally realized that Akiyama Shun had a serious problem.
He was easy to train and hardly needed any guidance, but somehow she got none of the satisfaction of being a teacher!
Akiyama Shun had already chased the bandits into the cave.
The path inside wasn't complicated. It was basically a straight corridor.
Before long, Akiyama Shun caught up with the bandit chief, who was fleeing.
"You little brat! You still dare to chase me? You really think I'm afraid of you?!"
Knowing he couldn't get away, the bandit chief turned to face Akiyama Shun and began forming Hand Seals.
Was he afraid?
He was terrified!
The sound of Akiyama Shun smashing the rock with one punch had been so loud that it echoed through the entire cave. Naturally, the bandit chief had heard it too.
There was no need to imagine what that kind of strength would do to him. He'd already made up his mind: he'd use some Earth Release jutsu to stall Akiyama Shun, then escape with the Clone Technique!
But that plan existed only in his imagination.
Electricity crackled in Akiyama Shun's palm.
Chidori!
The flash of lightning lit up the cave. In the bandit chief's stunned, terrified gaze, Akiyama Shun charged toward him with Chidori in hand, his face expressionless.
Thud!
Akiyama Shun thrust out his hand, and Chidori pierced the bandit chief's chest.
The wound gave off the smell of charred flesh.
Akiyama Shun looked into the man's eyes. Only after confirming they'd lost all signs of life did he pull his arm free.
The body, no longer supported, swayed twice before falling to the ground.
Akiyama Shun grabbed the bandit chief's corpse by the leg and started back toward the cave entrance.
By the time he came out, his three Shadow Clones had cleaned up the bloodstains on the ground. Tsunade was sitting by the campfire, with a pot over the flames. It held the food the bandits had been cooking earlier.
"You little brat, finally back. Eat while it's hot. No need for Military Ration Pills."
They'd been eating Military Ration Pills for the past few days, and Akiyama Shun was sick of them.
He'd thought they'd be tasteless at worst and a little dry, but after trying them this time, he'd realized Military Ration Pills were truly awful!
Akiyama Shun casually tossed the bandit chief's corpse aside. He found some water and rinsed the blood off himself, then sat by the fire.
"Lady Tsunade, what's inside?"
"Potatoes."
Tsunade answered casually.
But as soon as Akiyama Shun heard the word, familiar memories came flooding back. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Who boiled the Naruto Mobile Game server?
Thinking that, Akiyama Shun fished the Naruto Mobile Game server out of the pot and started tearing into it.
"How did it feel, fighting a ninja to the death for the first time?"
As she asked, Tsunade also fished a potato out of the pot.
"I killed him in one move, so it wasn't much of a fight. I don't feel anything in particular."
Akiyama Shun shook his head.
"Hahahaha! As long as you can get used to this kind of fighting. Let's head back."
After eating a few potatoes to fill their stomachs, Tsunade got up and set off first. Akiyama Shun rose and followed her.
With no mission to hurry back for, the two took their time on the way home. Whenever they got tired, they stopped to rest. The trip had taken three days on the way there and five on the way back.
After returning to the village, Tsunade first took Akiyama Shun to the Mission Assignment Hall to familiarize him with the process for turning in a completed mission.
For missions accepted at the Mission Assignment Hall, all they had to do was come back here and submit them once they were finished.
Normally, after completing a bandit-clearing mission, they also had to submit a detailed written report to prevent ninja from falsifying their work.
But that rule didn't apply to Tsunade. Her reputation was enough to spare her all that trouble.
The mission had originally been a C-Rank Mission, but after they encountered Genin and fought them, it had been upgraded to a B-Rank Mission.
The reward had also gone up from 40,000 ryo to 70,000.
That was actually quite a lot of money. It was just that Akiyama Shun didn't need it. He could make even more by spending some time at a gambling den.
Still, he'd taken these missions mainly to get used to killing. The amount of money didn't really matter.
After collecting the payment, Tsunade looked a little disappointed.
"This isn't even enough for one hand~"
"It's fine, Lady Tsunade. Just come to me when you're short on money. Though I might not be able to get into the nearby gambling dens anymore. They've blacklisted me."
Thinking about it, Akiyama Shun couldn't help sighing. Next time he wanted to make money, he'd have to go out of his way to find a gambling den farther away.
"Hehe, I knew you'd remember me, you little brat. By the way, what was that thing you asked me to keep an eye out for?"
After hearing Akiyama Shun's answer, Tsunade immediately returned to her carefree self.
Akiyama Shun reminded her, "Lady Tsunade, the Chunin Ninja Exams. I want to take the next ones."
"The next Chunin Ninja Exams?"
Tsunade touched her chin with her thumb and thought for a moment.
"The last exams weren't that long ago. The next ones will probably be in about six months. Wait, you little brat, you haven't even been out of the academy for half a month yet, and you're already thinking about the Chunin Ninja Exams?"
She was surprised, but when she thought about how Akiyama Shun had performed, she soon accepted it.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for the exact date. Oh, and since this is your first completed mission, let's celebrate at an izakaya!"
Akiyama Shun was tucked under Tsunade's arm. He said helplessly, "Lady Tsunade, I'm still a kid. I can't drink."
"You little brat, then just watch me drink. I never told you to drink!"
For the next month, Akiyama Shun kept taking all kinds of missions. A few were D-Rank Missions that didn't require leaving the village, helping villagers with odd jobs. Those were practically a break.
Most were C- to B-Rank Missions.
Tsunade had chosen them specifically to help him build up experience in combat.
Other teams usually had their three Genin take the lead in battle, with their team leader supporting them from the sidelines.
But since Akiyama Shun had no teammates, he charged in and tore through the enemy by himself while Tsunade mostly waited nearby for the fighting to end.
Still, whenever Akiyama Shun got injured, Tsunade's medical skills helped him recover as quickly as possible.
One evening,
Akiyama Shun was at Yuhi Kurenai's house, keeping her company and telling her about the interesting things he'd encountered on his missions lately.
Yuhi Kurenai listened with shining eyes. Even though it was already time for bed, the more she heard, the more awake she became.
"That's amazing! I wish I could graduate and become a ninja soon too, but my father won't let me~"
At the thought, the happy expression on Yuhi Kurenai's face immediately dimmed.
"It's okay. Spend a little longer at school and build a solid foundation. Once you become a ninja, your missions will be easier."
Akiyama Shun patted Yuhi Kurenai on the head and comforted her.
Feeling the warmth on her head, Yuhi Kurenai nodded.
"Oh, right! You've been away on missions, so you probably don't know—Lord Jiraiya is back in the village!"
Before you continue