Not long after the Chunin Selection Exam ended, Sakumo's Teacher, Sasuke Sarutobi, died of illness.
In life, he had praised Sakumo's strength, saying that he was "far too capable to remain a Chunin."
After Sasuke Sarutobi's death, Sarutobi Hiruzen inherited his position. Citing his father's dying wish, he expressed his intention to recommend Hatake Sakumo for promotion to Jonin.
Additionally, Sakumo's Jonin instructor, Kagami Uchiha, and Mitokado Homura, who had a good relationship with Hiruzen, also supported Sakumo's Jonin recommendation, saying that "his strength is more than enough for the rank."
This was a quiet change that took place six months after the Chunin Selection Exam.
Tobirama had already been troubled over whether to promote his younger brother-in-law, Senju Diejian, or Hatake Sakumo—a talented man who wasn't born into a prestigious clan—to Jonin first.
Diejian and Sakumo weren't ordinary ninja.
They held an honorable title: they were the first cohort of students to graduate under Tobirama's Ninja Academy policy.
The significance of the first Jonin to emerge from there was that it would mark the completion of the symbol of Tobirama's rule.
The original wish Senju Hashirama had cherished was to build a world where children didn't have to die.
That was how the village was meant to begin.
After Hashirama's death, Tobirama succeeded him as Second, and the first policy he implemented was likewise to build a village where children were less likely to die.
In the world of ninja, where young lives were so easily lost, training the next generation had to be the top priority.
It also carried the meaning of inheriting the First's will. It was no exaggeration to call the Ninja Academy policy the central undertaking of the Second Tobirama Senju's administration.
Therefore, the selection of the first Jonin to symbolize it had to be handled with care.
The evaluation of the new Jonin would have a direct bearing on Tobirama's own reputation.
If Diejian became the standard-bearer, the regime would certainly grow more stable, but the time when the village could achieve "unity beyond clan boundaries" would be delayed.
If Sakumo became the standard-bearer, the old customs would change.
It would be the final move toward establishing the idea that the village was an organization where people "looked beyond their clans and joined hands."
However, it could also provoke resentment from the so-called prestigious clans.
Each choice had its pros and cons.
In that sense, Ina, whose position fell between the two sides, was excluded from consideration.
Senju Diejian.
A direct descendant of the Senju, a prodigy with Wood Release who had mastered several exceedingly advanced jutsu at a young age.
With bloodline, talent, and strength, Diejian was the perfect candidate for a standard-bearer.
But his background would inevitably invite unnecessary speculation both inside and outside the village: "In the end, it's still the Senju."
It would be fine while Tobirama was alive, but after his death, when Diejian's era began, his background might become a liability.
And that was when Hatake Sakumo entered the picture.
He was a graduate of the first Ninja Academy cohort, a prodigy whose strength matched Diejian's, if not surpassed it.
"Bloodline, or a new wind?"
Before long, as if to give the final push, a ninja recommended Sakumo for promotion to Jonin.
It was Shimura Danzō, who served in ANBU's Intelligence Agency and had trained diligently under Tobirama.
The recommendation came from a man who rarely voiced his opinion, but whom Tobirama regarded as a "potential successor."
It would be difficult to refuse.
Taking this opportunity, Second Tobirama finally made up his mind and promoted Sakumo to Jonin.
Then, six months after Sakumo became a Jonin, Ina was promoted to Jonin as well.
This happened a year after the Chunin Selection Exam.
She was already a female ninja whose abilities were beyond reproach. As the younger daughter of the Yamanaka Clan, she was also well suited to serve as a buffer alongside Sakumo.
On top of that, her development of a new jutsu—the Mind Sealing Body Technique—earned the highest praise.
Though it couldn't be passed on because it was a secret technique, "developing a new jutsu" was a great achievement worthy of praise.
Moreover, it concerned the mind and soul, which struck a chord with Tobirama.
It awakened the developer in him.
After this, in addition to Impure World Reincarnation, Tobirama also set about developing and completing the "jutsu concerning the soul" that he had been mulling over for some time.
Not long after he turned sixty.
Tobirama was delighted to complete this "final jutsu," which he had devoted himself to developing for the next generation, and nearly given up on.
Later, he listed it among the jutsu that should be taught to Diejian. Naturally, it was designated a Forbidden Jutsu.
After all, it concerned the human soul. That was only to be expected.
As a result, it added the wonderful new stimulus of "additional training" to Diejian's newly settled daily life, and became the decisive factor in delaying his promotion to Jonin.
They said that when Ina heard the terrible news about Diejian, she felt so guilty that she didn't dare meet him for quite some time.
It hadn't been long since the incident with the substitute teacher, so her guilt over attacking Ina was especially strong.
But we must never forget one fundamental fact: Diejian had "disappeared from Konohagakure" for a time.
Even if she wanted to see him, she couldn't.
It happened while he was chatting and laughing with Sakumo.
Diejian got up to use the bathroom and never came back.
It was just like he'd been spirited away.
After a while, it wasn't Diejian who came out of the bathroom, but a silver-haired giant with a fluffy pelt around his neck.
At that moment, Sakumo learned of Diejian's misfortune.
Incidentally, when Juri heard about it, she burst out laughing and Ina silently knocked her on the head.
★
"Huh? Big brother?"
The one waiting to greet Diejian when he returned to the village's Training Ground for the first time in ages was Tsunade, staring at him in astonishment.
It was rare to see Tsunade, usually so competitive and boyish, wear such a silly expression.
Before he had a chance to enjoy this rare look on Tsunade's face, Jiraiya, standing nearby, greeted Diejian with a similar expression.
Meanwhile, a boy leaned against a log, watching Diejian.
This slender, fair-skinned beauty was named Orochimaru.
He was a young man who had become a Genin alongside Tsunade and Jiraiya, and trained diligently under Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Diejian gave a hearty laugh and waved to the three of them.
Tsunade and Jiraiya walked over with puzzled looks, but Orochimaru merely stared at Diejian suspiciously.
Diejian tilted his head, wondering, "What's wrong?" He could sense from the atmosphere that Orochimaru was keeping his distance, but he couldn't figure out why.
Orochimaru was wary because he had been the victim of that incident.
Orochimaru still remembered the trouble Diejian had caused at the Ninja Academy two years ago.
But Diejian still had no idea what he had done. He only tilted his head.
It was common for the person responsible to forget.
It was only natural.
With no other choice, Diejian explained on the spot why he'd come.
"What—? Big brother Diejian?"
"Yeah."
The reason Diejian had come to the Training Ground now was to look after the three of them.
Hiruzen couldn't supervise their training today because of an urgent matter under the Hokage's direct authority, so Diejian would take his place.
That morning, Diejian had been summoned from his day off to the Hokage's residence and informed of the situation.
When he received the summons, he thought hell was about to begin again. His heart raced as despair washed over him, but when he learned what it was about, he nodded in agreement.
He was quite relieved.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, had gone pale, his heart racing with despair because he'd thought hell was about to begin again.
Jiraiya was one of the former victims.
Was it his imagination, or was his anus beginning to ache faintly?
He didn't loudly refuse, which was his way of saving face for Diejian.
Likewise, Tsunade had been happy to see Diejian, but the instant she heard what he had to say, her expression vanished.
Without a word, she took several steps back and gazed up at the sky with a sigh.
Of all times, Might Duy—the one who could have stood up to him and whom both Diejian and Tsunade knew—was nowhere to be seen.
Having him there might have made things worse, but Tsunade didn't have the energy to think about that now.
With any luck, perhaps she could goad the two of them into fighting by saying she wanted to see a spar.
"Then let's begin." Diejian pronounced their death sentence.
In Tsunade and Jiraiya's eyes, an eerie light began to shine in Diejian's gaze, and his smile twisted into something sinister.
Was this it? Tsunade and Jiraiya both lowered their heads.
"Senior Diejian, please spar with me."
As if to shield the two dejected figures, Orochimaru stepped forward.
Tsunade and Jiraiya lifted their heads, stunned.
In their eyes, the slender Orochimaru's back looked taller than ever.
Diejian studied Orochimaru carefully.
He was slender, and based on appearances alone, Jiraiya seemed to have a better build.
His fair skin was indeed more feminine than Tsunade's.
But Diejian wasn't one to judge by appearances.
He gave an exaggerated nod. "Hmm." Then he activated Sphere Boundary.
Tsunade, who knew what that felt like, grabbed Jiraiya by the collar and leapt beyond its range.
Sphere Boundary was a technique that released Chakra in a sphere centered on the user, turning the surrounding area into a sensory field.
It was a desperate measure devised by Diejian, whose sensory abilities were poor, to counter Tobirama's surprise attacks.
Continuously releasing Chakra from within the body to maintain a spherical Sphere Boundary was one of the secrets of shape transformation.
That said, because it required a constant release of Chakra, anyone without the vast reserves of a Senju or Uzumaki would quickly run dry. That was the technique's drawback.
"Try withstanding this."
One sentence from Diejian.
The space grew heavy.
Orochimaru's body, completely enveloped by Sphere Boundary, jolted.
His knees weakened, cold sweat soaked his clothes, and his breathing grew ragged.
Orochimaru was struck by a violent pressure, as though gravity had suddenly increased.
A torrent of Chakra surging through the space wrapped around Orochimaru's body.
This was another use of Sphere Boundary: intimidating others with Chakra.
Within the space filled with Chakra and transformed into Diejian's domain, he poured in even more Chakra.
The technique was called Heavenly Might.
The pressure generated by Chakra far beyond the norm, and the terror of being crushed, could strip an opponent of their will to fight and even deprive them of their mental freedom.
The force produced by that enormous amount of Chakra also had physical effects. It could immobilize anything that entered Sphere Boundary, and eventually crush it.
The advantage of this technique was that it relied on the pure force of Chakra reserves. It had nothing to do with skill; the gap in Chakra alone could turn the tables.
In theory, it was a revolutionary technique that could let even someone with only Genin-level strength suppress a Jonin-level opponent—but that was mere theory.
In reality, Genin with greater Chakra reserves than a Jonin were virtually nonexistent.
A Genin's meager Chakra would be dispelled as easily as a breeze. Even a talented child with more Chakra than a Jonin, if only slightly above the norm, would simply collapse from exhaustion.
After all, activating Sphere Boundary already consumed an astonishing amount of Chakra. That was only natural.
Therefore, this was an original jutsu that only Diejian could use—the Diejian whom Mito Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had described as "harboring Tailed Beast-level Chakra within him."
Sphere Boundary: Heavenly Might.
It was a "wait-for-your-prey-to-come-to-you" technique that caught enemies who entered the user's domain.
Diejian had created this all-out counterattack to deal with the faster Tobirama.
Having been exposed to Tobirama's pressure from childhood, Diejian knew that intimidation could be used as a tactic.
He knew what effect Chakra pressure could have.
In essence, it was no more than refining the things Tobirama did unconsciously every day into a jutsu and technique.
That's right.
Heavenly Might was the crystallization of the fear Diejian had endured since childhood.
It remained unclear whether Diejian realized this.
It was also impossible to know whether he thought that it was thanks to me—that the technique had come about because of me.
At that moment, Diejian used Heavenly Might on Orochimaru without any particular reason.
If anything, it was because Diejian was always treated this way himself.
Trembling as they thought, "It's started again," Tsunade and Jiraiya watched Orochimaru force out a few words through his tears.
"Run..."
"Orochimaru..."
"You..."
Jiraiya and Tsunade murmured, deeply moved.
Orochimaru fought to steady his trembling body and cowering heart, doing nothing but desperately enduring.
He kept telling them to run.
Because once he fell, Jiraiya or Tsunade would be next.
Diejian wouldn't go easy on Tsunade just because she was his little sister, would he?
He didn't even understand what he was doing.
Ina, who had stopped him before, wasn't there, and Tsunade was powerless to help.
Still, Diejian was a loyal and grateful man. He probably wouldn't abandon the "training supervision" he'd taken over from Hiruzen.
Tsunade and Jiraiya would both get "fixed."
But she couldn't leave him behind and run. Tsunade shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
Although Orochimaru and Tsunade were fired up, Diejian only wanted to give them a little guidance in sparring. He didn't mean anything else by it.
"Run—!!"
Orochimaru shouted.
His thoughts were filled with grief—he couldn't hold on any longer; it was all over for him. Even so, he hoped Tsunade and the others would be safe.
If Tsunade and Jiraiya disappeared just like that, Diejian would probably go after them.
But with Orochimaru's resolve—
He would never let Diejian pursue them. He would stand in Diejian's way.
He was buying Tsunade and the others time to escape.
Tsunade revised her opinion of Orochimaru, realizing she had misjudged him.
She had thought he was a more detached, colder man.
But at this moment, he truly looked like one of Konohagakure's shinobi, trying to protect his comrades.
Tsunade wiped the tears from her eyes with her arm. With a look of determination, she turned her back on Orochimaru.
That wasn't the expression of a coward abandoning her comrades and running away.
It was a temporary retreat, so she could save her comrades.
In other words, she had to go get Ina.
Or Sakumo.
At any rate, she had to bring someone who could stop Diejian.
So what was this guy planning to do?
Tsunade looked toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya—!!"
With a demonic look on her face, Tsunade shouted and ran off without looking back.
Where Jiraiya had been, only a log remained, with a note stuck to it that read "××〇〇."
"Damn it, he ditched his comrades and ran off by himself!"
Tsunade cursed as she ran.
"Oh, hey! Tsunade, Jiraiya! Where are you going?! I haven't finished talking..."
Watching Tsunade's back as she pushed through the grass and ran into the forest, Diejian stared in dismay and dispelled the Sphere Boundary.
He reached out as if to chase after her, but Orochimaru blocked his way.
"I won't let you through."
"Huh...?"
Diejian looked confused.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, wore an expression of grim resolve.
After thinking it over briefly, Diejian came to his own conclusion.
Indeed, this was something Diejian had once done as part of his training.
It was a game that continued until everyone was caught, but if they escaped until sunset, they won.
The "Kagami-style Tag" game, in which they could rescue captured comrades and the winners would get a luxurious dinner.
Diejian guessed that they had split up with Orochimaru at the center. Then Tsunade or Jiraiya would lead him away, while the remaining one rescued Orochimaru.
After that, all three of them would escape together. That was his theory.
According to Kagami, this was an ingenious way to adapt the civilian games "Tag" and "Cops and Robbers" for training.
"What's this? You're really getting into it."
They only looked like they were getting into it.
The children were desperately determined.
But Diejian rallied himself, thinking, I have to take this seriously, too. "All right," he said, rolling his arms.
Faced with Diejian, who was somehow even more fired up than before, Orochimaru was struck by despair. Still, he drew his ninja tools and charged at Diejian.
★
"Orochimaru, please be safe."
Using the Stealth Technique to put astonishing distance between herself and Diejian, Tsunade felt reluctant to leave.
After all, she'd abandoned her friend Orochimaru. It was only natural to feel that way.
But her anger at Jiraiya, who had so easily abandoned his comrades and run, was even stronger.
Tsunade raced toward the shopping district, in the direction of the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
Since Tsunade wasn't a sensory type, she couldn't tell what was happening to Orochimaru.
Her helplessness, forced to do nothing but pray he was safe, made Tsunade bite her lip.
Blending into the crowd, Tsunade ran down the street.
Running across the rooftops might have been faster, but it would also have made her more likely to be spotted.
The anxiety of being pursued and the guilt of leaving her friend behind clouded Tsunade's thoughts.
I have to hurry.
While she was wasting time, Orochimaru was—she had to save him.
That meant she had to calm down.
Otherwise, she'd never find a way out.
If Diejian summoned a slug from Shikkotsu Forest to chase her and the others, Tsunade would be helpless.
But he wouldn't go that far, would he?
Tsunade believed he wouldn't, but...before he was her older brother, he was Tobirama's student. The man might actually do it.
Sometimes even Tsunade, his younger sister, thought he had no sense of how to read the room. The thought was terrifying.
"I made it!"
Overcome with emotion, Tsunade looked up at the Yamanaka Flower Shop sign.
She'd go talk to Ina right away and ask her to stop Diejian.
Just as Tsunade was about to cross the threshold, she collided with Jiraiya, who wore a gloomy expression.
"Jiraiya—"
She barked his name and grabbed him by the chest.
She cursed him for being a traitor who abandoned his comrades.
"That's not it!" Jiraiya hurriedly shook his head.
He had come to get Ina because he understood Orochimaru's resolve and wanted to save him.
Tsunade had eventually left Orochimaru behind, too. In that respect, she was no different.
Jiraiya didn't say it aloud, but Tsunade quietly apologized, ashamed of her thoughtlessness.
"Then where's Miss Ina?"
"Well, she said she went out on a mission. Sakumo too."
A shadow fell over Tsunade's face.
If Sakumo was gone as well as Ina, then there was no one who could stop Diejian.
Ordinarily, Tobirama might have stepped in and turned things around, but he was the one behind this whole affair.
Faced with this unavoidable reality, the two of them hung their heads.
"I'm going back."
Jiraiya looked straight at Tsunade with clear eyes.
If no one came to their rescue, then that was the end of it.
At the very least, he wanted to be beside his friend Orochimaru when they both fell.
He didn't want to run away in disgrace all by himself.
Tsunade lowered her eyes sadly.
She couldn't make up her mind.
Should she die alongside Jiraiya as his comrade, or escape, as Orochimaru had wished?
"You should run."
Jiraiya smiled sadly. Tsunade gently caught hold of his swaying sleeve.
Her gesture seemed to be trying to hold back a departing lover, revealing her indecision.
Jiraiya called Tsunade's name in a calm voice.
For Jiraiya, running away wasn't an option.
He would rather die fighting to save a friend than abandon one and run.
Turning back toward her, Jiraiya placed his hands on Tsunade's shoulders and gripped them tightly.
Tsunade's slender shoulders, Jiraiya's rough fists.
Which of them was trembling?
Ina's older sister, the former poster girl of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, watched them from inside the shop with a puzzled expression, thinking, What are they doing?
The toddler Yamanaka Ino-Shika-Cho, held in her arms, laughed happily.
Best not let them see us, she thought, and retreated farther into the shop with Ino-Shika-Cho in her arms.
"Wait. There's one more person."
Tsunade had kept her head bowed, but now she fixed Jiraiya with a resolute gaze.
Jiraiya answered by shaking her shoulders.
"'White Fang' Hatake Sakumo, 'Slug Prince' Senju Diejian. And then, one more."
"Don't tell me you're going to look for that person?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to do. A woman from the Uchiha Clan, who stands shoulder to shoulder with us Senju. The 'Sharingan' Uchiha Shuri."
As soon as they said her name, the two of them moved swiftly.
They turned and immediately ran toward the Uchiha residential district.
Jiraiya ran ahead of Tsunade.
The two formed a team: Jiraiya watched the path ahead while Tsunade kept an eye on their flanks as they headed for their destination.
They didn't know where Diejian was now, but too much time had passed.
Orochimaru was already—
But they couldn't give up.
Jiraiya steeled himself.
"Jiraiya, hurry!!"
Tsunade's voice.
It was like a heart-rending cry, as though her body were being torn apart.
Jiraiya understood what she meant. Without looking back, he simply ran faster.
Diejian had caught up.
Tsunade had probably been taken out, or she'd stayed behind to cover their retreat.
Jiraiya ran, abandoning the woman he loved.
He wanted to turn around, wanted to rush to Tsunade's side.
But Orochimaru had entrusted her to him, and Tsunade had done the same. He wasn't allowed to do that.
Now that he'd been spotted, there was no point in hiding.
Jiraiya leaped onto the rooftops.
Biting his lip in regret, he ran toward Uchiha Shuri.
But in his haste, Jiraiya slipped on the roof tiles.
The passing scenery seemed to move in an unnaturally slow blur.
I can't let things end here. Jiraiya adjusted his posture in midair.
He had to be able to run again as soon as he landed.
The Uchiha residential district was still far away.
So Jiraiya never expected it.
It was a place where few people ever went.
He hadn't expected anyone to be there.
He hadn't expected the person he was looking for to be there.
Much less that Uchiha Shuri would be right where he was about to fall.
The "Sharingan," Uchiha Shuri.
She was in the same class as Senju Diejian and Hatake Sakumo, the lone flower among a field of green.
Though still a Genin, her abilities far surpassed those of a Chunin. She was a prodigy who had awakened her Sharingan at a young age.
Her strength as a shinobi went without saying. Her sharp, keen beauty, paired with her cool demeanor, captivated men.
Her standing figure was like a painting, and her hair swayed in the breeze like that of a celestial maiden.
She had a beauty the village could be proud of, admired not only by men but also by many women.
Jiraiya and Uchiha Shuri had never met face-to-face.
He'd once glimpsed her from a distance and thought she was beautiful, but that was all.
He'd only heard rumors about her.
He knew almost nothing about Shuri as a person.
So—
"Ah, ah, ahhh..."
Caught up in Jiraiya's fall, Shuri lost her balance.
She had no idea why her throat trembled as words spilled out in broken, sorrowful sobs. Jiraiya was completely bewildered.
Who could have guessed?
Juri, who prided herself on her graceful beauty, was, at heart, a simple fool.
He was confused for a moment, but Jiraiya was a man with a mission.
He had to explain the situation to Juri and ask her to stop Diejian.
So he took a step forward, then tilted his head at the strange sensation beneath his feet.
Juri crouched on the ground, her damp eyes fixed on a single point.
A milky-white, liquid-like substance had spilled out from beneath the unfamiliar boy's feet.
Brown shards lay scattered everywhere.
It was the treat she'd only just bought.
Until a moment ago, it had definitely been in Juri's hand.
She should have been savoring its cool, melting sweetness right now.
She knew what people thought of her.
So, feeling a little embarrassed, she'd wanted to avoid drawing attention and enjoy it slowly.
It had been so long since she'd had one.
It had been so long.
She'd been looking forward to it so much.
This was too cruel—.
As if white paint had been spilled over her thoughts, Juri's mind went blank.
Dazed and disheveled, she stood frozen with her mouth hanging open.
Grief welled up, and a drop of moisture trickled from the corner of her stiffened eye.
Despair. A summer that would never return.
Then, anger.
"You—!!"
Chakra surged.
Overwhelming passion.
Turning her fury toward the one who had trampled her precious treasure—the soft-serve ice cream—Juri let out a thunderous roar.
Her killing intent rose. Her eyes widened until they seemed ready to overflow, turning bloodred as two Tomoe appeared within them.
"U-uh, ah..."
Jiraiya let out an inarticulate cry and stumbled back a step, then another.
This was a different kind of pressure from Diejian's.
It was the face of a demon, brimming with murderous intent.
Jiraiya could only watch in silence as Juri drew out her staff and assembled it at astonishing speed.
Juri was already famous for her icy beauty, but her expression now was so terrifying it resembled a hannya mask.
Sweating like a frog facing a snake, he could only tremble uncontrollably.
That staff, swinging down, would probably split Jiraiya's skull.
He imagined blood spurting from him like a fountain.
His legs gave way, and he fell to the ground.
Memories of the past flashed through his mind one after another, then vanished.
It's over. That was all he could think.
The staff came down—.
Jiraiya squeezed his eyes shut, curled up, and braced himself for the blow.
But after a while, the impact never came.
He cautiously opened one eye. The staff's shadow loomed before him.
He screamed and recoiled as if trying to leap backward.
"Hey, hey, that's dangerous."
"L-Lord Diejian!"
From a little farther away, the whole scene came into view.
Diejian had grabbed the staff as it swung down and stopped it.
Perhaps the tension had finally snapped. Liquid seeped from every opening in Jiraiya's face as he called out Diejian's name.
His slurred words were impossible to make out, but the emotion behind them was unmistakable.
"Get out of my way, Senju! I have to kill this guy!"
"Calm down. I'll buy you another one."
Diejian placated Juri with the air of someone who'd seen this many times before.
At the promise of a replacement, Juri's anger subsided for the moment.
With Tsunade's help, who had arrived shortly afterward, Jiraiya got to his feet.
Apparently, Diejian had taken off at an astonishing speed in the middle of his fight with Tsunade, leaving her behind.
"That speed was on a whole other level," Tsunade said.
She knew he'd gone easy on her, but that did nothing to lift Jiraiya's spirits.
Worse, he noticed an unpleasant dampness between his legs and started complaining, "Why do I have to go through this?"
He had a point. If Diejian hadn't stuck his nose in, they would have been training amicably at the Training Ground by now.
Thinking about it that way made his gratitude for being rescued evaporate.
When the group returned to the Training Ground, they found Orochimaru lying on the ground.
Tsunade and Jiraiya hurried over to him.
The other Diejian, who had been standing beside Orochimaru, nodded at the group and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Tsunade crouched beside Orochimaru and lifted him up as if to comfort him.
She laid his head in her lap and gently stroked his forehead.
He must have been through a fierce battle.
His hair clung to his sweat-damp forehead.
At the sight of the sudden lap pillow, Jiraiya looked at the sleeping Orochimaru with envy.
He'd said he felt like he could take on Diejian now. How realistic of him.
"Impressive," Juri said.
Juri knew Diejian's strength and just how foolish he could be.
Diejian had dared to challenge him alone and had managed to escape, so Juri offered her praise without reservation.
Praised by a famous and beautiful senior, Jiraiya's face relaxed into a goofy grin.
Tsunade, however, found it hard to hide her complicated feelings. What she had heard from Diejian and Ina had left her with a poor impression of Juri.
Besides, Juri was still a Genin.
Uchiha Juri was a powerful fighter whose abilities surpassed those of a Genin, though she still fell a little short of Senju Diejian and Hatake Sakumo.
In fact, the moment she awakened her Sharingan, it had become absurd to keep her within the Genin ranks.
So why was she still a Genin?
It was entirely because she was terrible at teamwork.
The Chunin Ninja Exams were, in principle, designed for teams of three.
But since her classmates Sakumo and Diejian had already passed the Chunin Ninja Exams, Juri couldn't take part as an official member of their team.
As a result, she had to be assigned to another team that was also short a member.
But Uchiha Juri...
She insisted that she didn't want to team up with any other ninja besides Sakumo and Diejian.
It was practically a petulant tantrum.
Even when her brother Kagami kindly introduced her to prospective teammates, she still failed the teamwork portion of the exam.
Whenever Diejian or Sakumo tried to talk sense into her, Juri would slump with an expression as if the world had ended.
She looked truly, unbearably miserable.
If those two said anything more, things would only get worse.
According to Kagami, it was a bad habit of the Uchiha, but what could anyone do about it?
When Orochimaru woke up,
Diejian pulled out a document as if he'd been waiting for the moment.
He smiled at Tsunade and said he still had something to tell them.
As Diejian proudly read the document aloud, Tsunade and Jiraiya grew more and more excited.
Now they understood why Diejian had been in such an inexplicably good mood. The three young ninja nodded.
Juri, meanwhile, lowered her head and trembled faintly.
"...In recognition of the achievements listed above, Senju Diejian is hereby promoted to Jonin. Second, Senju Tobirama."
At long last, Diejian had been promoted to Jonin.
After finishing the document, Diejian wore a genuinely delighted smile.
The reason Diejian had been so excited was that he'd received notice of his promotion to Jonin.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were suddenly acting like completely different people from a moment ago, and began showering Diejian with praise.
Even Orochimaru looked up at Diejian with admiration.
"Hahahaha! Don't, you're embarrassing me."
Diejian laughed happily as the three of them praised him.
—Beside him,
a young woman with long, flowing hair stood.
Her hair hid her expression, but the dangerous aura around her was unmistakable.
Jiraiya noticed and quietly, quietly edged backward.
He had just seen this scene moments ago.
Jiraiya picked up Orochimaru, who still wasn't steady on his feet, and leaped away.
Tsunade quickly followed, putting some distance between herself and Diejian.
Oblivious, Diejian laughed and rubbed Juri's shoulder.
"Come on, you should hurry up and become a Chunin too."
"Crack!"
The world turned upside down.
A slow ache spread across Diejian's cheek, followed by a blow that jolted his whole face.
Still grinning, Diejian went sailing through the air.
"What are you doing—? Stop it—!"
Diejian drew out the words, laughing.
Maybe he was in a good mood because he'd become a Jonin.
Perhaps he thought that now that he was a Jonin, he should put an end to a Genin's violent outburst.
"Ow, ow, ow."
Juri showed Diejian no mercy. She silently kept punching him in the face.
If he struck her left cheek, she'd immediately hit his right.
As Diejian cried, "Stop it, Juri!" with a contorted grin, she kept on punching him as if to get in one more blow.
"Hey, I said stop—"
Juri swiftly formed Hand Seals, ending with the Tiger seal.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.
With a deafening boom, Diejian was blown away and slammed hard into the ground.
He landed in a dangerous position without even trying to break his fall, but the next second he calmly got back up and dusted off his clothes.
"...I said that hurt!!"
Diejian lifted his face, looking like a demon.
As if answering his shout, a dense cluster of trees sprouted from the ground around him, across the Training Ground.
Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.
The secret technique Deep Forest Emergence, used by the previous Wood Release wielder Senju Hashirama, was a natural disaster that turned the surrounding area into a forest.
By comparison, this technique only produced a small grove.
Surrounded by trees, Juri murmured sadly, "Diejian, it seems we're destined to end up like this."
It was the first time in about two years she'd called him by name, and she was doing it at a time like this.
Even if she was embarrassed, she was being far too troublesome.
And what did she mean, "destined to end up like this"?
She was just taking out all her resentment, shame, and sorrow at being left behind as a Genin on Diejian. She was throwing a tantrum, nothing more.
Lifting the eyes she'd kept lowered, Juri fixed her red gaze on Diejian.
The translucent red was both beautiful and terrifying.
Juri quietly formed Hand Seals.
They were seals Diejian didn't know.
The Hand Seals were complete, and the technique activated.
Flames wrapped around Juri's hands and feet.
When Juri picked up her staff, the flames on her fists spread to it.
If anyone touched them, they'd likely suffer more than just burns.
Because their color was blue.
They were already Blue Flame.
It was a Fire Release technique.
Yet the flames flickered quietly, showing no sign of disappearing.
A nature transformation that turned Chakra into the nature of fire.
A shape transformation that altered Chakra's form and maintained it.
Activating both at once was extremely difficult.
Even the genius Sakumo couldn't do it without using a Chakra Blade as a medium.
This was an extremely advanced technique that even Diejian, who had received Tobirama's elite instruction, could only use thanks to his rule-breaking ability, Wood Release.
"Are you serious?" Diejian said in dismay.
Juri smiled faintly, her smile illuminated by the blue-white glow, dazzling in a very literal sense.
Giving up, Diejian approached a nearby tree and infused it with Chakra.
A slender, spherical mass stretched out, as though being squeezed from the tree.
Before long, it took human form and planted its feet firmly on the ground.
"Wood Clone Technique."
This was a Clone Technique created through a material medium or accompanied by nature transformation.
Unlike an ordinary Clone Technique, it had a physical body, but its precision was several levels below that of the Shadow Clone Technique.
However, clones created through a material medium or accompanied by nature transformation required far less Chakra to activate than Shadow Clones. Each kind had its own advantages and disadvantages.
Among them, Wood Clones were special clones created using trees or other living things as a medium.
Using living things gave them precision equal to Shadow Clones, while using a material medium meant they consumed less Chakra than Shadow Clones.
Also, unlike Shadow Clones, they wouldn't disappear after just a few attacks.
On the other hand, they had the drawback of taking time to create, leaving the user defenseless for a moment.
That was the difference between them and Shadow Clones, which could instantly create as many clones as the user's Chakra allowed.
Additionally, Wood Clones couldn't transmit the information they gathered back to the user.
It was a technique that could be used differently depending on the situation.
A Shadow Clone would disappear the instant it touched Juri.
That was why he'd used a Wood Clone.
Then, could he stop her—
Juri was now in darkness.
It was like agreeing to run an endurance race together and reach the finish line, only for the person who'd suggested it to sprint ahead at the end, leaving you all alone in despair.
The first battle of Senju Diejian, a Jonin, began now.
Before you continue