Tsunade Takes the Top Seat

After mastering the Eight Inner Gates Formation, Kimura Takuya had also exchanged techniques with Might Guy regarding chakra control when opening the eight gates.

Kimura Takuya had just returned from the taijutsu training grounds, and the sky had already turned dark.

Inside Kimura Takuya's home.

He ate a simple dinner, lay on his bed, and pondered the matters concerning the Eight Inner Gates Formation.

He had a few ideas.

The Eight Inner Gates Formation presented three major difficulties.

First, the difficulty of opening all eight gates.

Second, the issue of power output after opening them.

Third, the risk of death upon opening the Gate of Death.

The difficulty of opening the eight gates depended on the endurance of both the body and the spirit.

His previous idea of severing pain nerves had proven in tests that it could bypass the limitations of mental endurance.

As for the issue of physical strength, it was being slowly improved by natural energy.

Therefore, the problem of opening the eight gates could be considered solved for him.

Regarding the second issue, power, different people possessed different chakra quality and base quantities.

Thus, the power unleashed and the amount of chakra boosted upon opening the eight gates varied from person to person.

If Guy were to encounter the Seven Ninja Swordsmen again, opening the sixth gate would be giving them too much credit; if he opened the seventh, none of them would be able to escape.

Opening the eight gates? You must be joking—would Emperor Guy need to risk his life to fight a group of elite jonin?

Yet, Guy's father, Might Duy, had to open the eight gates, and even then, he only managed to kill four and injure three.

From this, it was evident that Guy's chakra quality was far superior to his father's.

If the power depended on chakra quality, then his previous idea of using senjutsu chakra to open the eight gates was also correct. Currently, his training in senjutsu chakra was still in the first stage.

However, it had already begun, and the quality of Kimura Takuya's own chakra was not bad to begin with.

After all, the quality of his spiritual energy was extremely high.

Although his physical energy was slightly lacking, the trade-off meant that the combined quality of his chakra did not lose out to Guy's.

While there was a gap, it was not significant.

Once his body grew stronger, his chakra quality would steadily surpass that of Might Guy.

The second problem was also solved.

As for the third, the issue of the Gate of Death, it was said that opening it meant certain death.

However, in the original anime, Emperor Guy opened the Gate of Death but was saved by Naruto's Yang Release chakra.

One must know that Naruto did not know medical ninjutsu; he simply released Yang Release chakra, which preserved Emperor Guy's life.

Kimura Takuya was confident that his own abilities should also be able to preserve his life.

But was the goal merely to preserve his life?

For an ordinary person, this was a matter of survival, but what Kimura Takuya wanted was an infinite Eight Inner Gates.

That is, the ability to use the Eight Inner Gates Formation without restriction for normal combat.

Rather than unleashing one burst of power only to be left withered and incapacitated thereafter.

A real man must be powerful, but he must also have stamina!

Although the Flesh Substitution Technique could instantly refresh his physical condition.

But that came at a price; it required the consumption of healthy cells to replace necrotic ones.

Kimura Takuya could not conjure cells out of thin air; he could only perform equivalent exchange, which was why the technique was called the Flesh Substitution Technique.

Opening the eight gates would continuously damage his body's cells.

In such a situation, how many times could Kimura Takuya replace and repair them using the fat cells on his body?

Even if he ate until he looked like a member of the Akimichi Clan, the final result would likely only be holding on for a dozen seconds longer than Emperor Guy.

And this was clearly not what Kimura Takuya wanted.

If he wanted to use it without restriction, he needed a recovery ability without restriction.

And as it happened, he possessed this ability.

It was the Immortality he used to save his own life!

After devouring the monster Ido, this ability of his had improved significantly, by about thirty percent.

Small wounds that previously took an entire night to heal now only required six or seven hours.

But this was clearly not enough.

This rate of health regeneration simply could not keep up with the consumption rate of the Gate of Death.

So, the solution to the problem is now quite clear.

Find a way to enhance my own Immortality.

Previously, I improved this ability by devouring the monster Ido.

But where am I supposed to get more now?

I can't exactly ask Yakumo to conjure up another monster, can I?

That monster was merely a manifestation of her negative energy.

Wait, negative energy?

That monster wasn't a soul, but rather negative energy birthed from within a soul!

And don't the Tailed Beasts' chakra also contain massive amounts of negative emotions?

Furthermore, the Tailed Beasts also possess Immortality!

So, does the Immortality of my soul stem from negative energy?

Is it the resentment born from my unwillingness to die in my past life?

Am I actually a ghost?

A vengeful spirit born from resentment?

Or am I, in fact, a Tailed Beast myself?

Kimura Takuya's thoughts grew increasingly absurd.

He shook his head, pulled up his quilt, and tucked himself in.

"Regardless, I've ended up circling back to the Tailed Beasts. I didn't want to mess with those things originally; it all feels a bit strange. But it seems I'll have to get my hands on a Tailed Beast to play with after all. Yes, that's a pleasant decision. Time to sleep!"

Having made up his mind, Kimura Takuya slept soundly until daybreak.

Early the next morning.

Kimura Takuya lay sprawled out on his bed, fast asleep.

Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!

Urgent knocking echoed from outside the door.

"Kimura Takuya, Kimura Takuya."

Startled awake by the knocking, Kimura Takuya got up to open the door.

"Who is it?"

"Kimura Takuya, the Fifth Hokage wishes to see you following the inauguration ceremony. Come with me!"

Just like that, Kimura Takuya was escorted to the Hokage Building.

A large crowd had already gathered in front of the building.

Beyond the summoned ninjas, there was a massive throng of ordinary citizens.

The announcement had only been made yesterday, yet the public had arrived before the building by this morning.

The reason it happened so quickly was—televisions.

Yes, the Ninja World has televisions, and even quite a few big celebrities.

There are also plenty of official television stations.

Even the Ninja Academy has a campus news channel, often ranking the top ten campus heartthrobs and beauties.

Naturally, for such a significant historical moment, the sidelines were surrounded by cameras and reporters.

Atop the Hokage Building, the village elders, heads of the various ninja clans, and several Kage-level Jonin were observing the ceremony from the roof.

Below the building stood countless ordinary ninjas and civilians.

After the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, delivered his speech, he handed his Hokage hat to Tsunade.

Tsunade took the hat and placed it on her head.

She announced to the crowd that she had become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha and delivered her address.

"From this moment on, I am the Fifth Hokage!

I will make this village better. The reform of medical ninjutsu will not only reduce ninja casualties but will also greatly benefit the ordinary populace.

I have returned. I am Senju Tsunade, the strongest medical ninja in the Ninja World, and the current Fifth Hokage!"

"Woooo!"

Below the building, the people cheered and jumped for joy.

Amidst the crowd, Kimura Takuya was held by two Anbu, one on each side, forced to tilt his head back to watch the ceremony.

These two Anbu were none other than Uzuki Yugao and Oda Lang.

"Sorry, Takuya-kun. This was the Fifth's arrangement. I truly apologize; I'll treat you to barbecue later."

"Right, I'll treat you to barbecue, two meals! One for the captain, one for me. I'm just as helpless as you are, Takuya. I never imagined that woman would actually be Lady Tsunade, and that she'd come back to inherit the position of Hokage. When I first received the order, I was so scared I nearly turned into a leopard!"

Kimura Takuya wore a speechless expression as he gazed up at Tsunade on the building, watching as she looked back with an arrogant glint in her eyes.

Wasn't that expression exactly the same one he had put on for Tsunade yesterday?

That last remark of hers was clearly directed at me, wasn't it?

Are all women creatures like this?

Terrifying!

Kimura Takuya put on a look of feigned fear.

It was enough to satisfy Tsunade's wicked sense of humor.

Tsunade waved a hand triumphantly in their direction, signaling for Uzuki Yugao and Oda Lang to bring Kimura Takuya to see her.

She then turned and headed toward the Hokage office.