Konoha's Traditional Specialty / Chapter 25: Tsunade: Aren't Students and Disciples the Same Thing?

"Nonō, if another department recruits you, you can go, but don't stay on to serve them." Uchiha Chonhua kept his eyes forward, his words reaching Yakushi Nonō clearly. "If you trust me, you must put down roots at Konoha Hospital. Don't move."

"...Chonhua, will there be danger?"

Yakushi Nonō knew Uchiha Chonhua came from an unusual background. He often spent time with their teacher, Tsunade, and had plenty of channels for getting information, unlike her. So, had Chonhua heard something bad?

"There will be danger, Nonō. You need to be extra careful and watch out for Root."

Root? Yakushi Nonō repeated the word to herself, then nodded to show she understood.

Uchiha Chonhua worried that Yakushi Nonō might not take it seriously enough, so he added more emphasis. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "Keep that word buried in your heart. Don't say it anywhere else, in case you draw attention. I don't want you to get hurt, Nonō."

Yakushi Nonō flinched slightly. Her ear tingled, and the warm breath against it brought a faint flush to her cheeks.

"...I understand, Chonhua."

Chapter 24: Konoha's Traditional Specialty

"Hiruzen, I recommend recruiting Uchiha Chonhua into Anbu."

Shimura Danzō pointed at Uchiha Chonhua's file, his eyes gloomy. "He's strong and talented, and he loves Konoha. A young man like him is ideally suited to join Anbu and devote himself to Konoha."

"However..." Shimura Danzō changed tack. "Given that he comes from the Uchiha Clan, he should first train in Anbu's training department while we observe him. We need to see whether he truly has a favorable opinion of Konoha. Hiruzen, I'll personally test him."

The head of Anbu's training department was Shimura Danzō.

While training many capable recruits for Anbu, Shimura Danzō also intended to select the people he needed from among them.

The talents Shimura Danzō selected gathered together to form Root!

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe. Danzō's intentions were far too obvious.

He shook his head and lightly tapped the desk.

"Danzō, this is a child Uchiha Ryutai has taken an interest in. If he approves, then Uchiha Shohei approves too. You can't get the two of them to agree."

A child watched over by both the Uchiha Clan's leader and his right-hand man—did you think you could just push him into Root that easily?

Shimura Danzō knew that wasn't possible.

"Hiruzen, you're the Hokage." Shimura Danzō stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Ninjas must obey the Hokage's orders. Those Uchiha are Konoha ninjas too. They have to follow your orders!"

"Heh, Danzō. Would you obey my orders?"

Shimura Danzō answered without hesitation. "Of course I would. But certain people are different. Think about it, Hiruzen. That clan has caused Konoha no end of trouble."

"But things are improving now, aren't they?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen replied just as promptly.

"Danzō, they're part of Konoha. I believe that, as time passes and the new generation grows up, the Uchiha will eventually integrate into Konoha."

"This isn't the early days of Konoha anymore. How many Uchiha do you see now who want to rebel against Konoha? Many of them are close to Konoha, close to us."

"Hmph." Shimura Danzō sneered. "People who can gouge out the eyes of their own kin are close to Konoha? They're probably just putting on an act for us."

"They're a clan of lunatics. We have the past to learn from, Hiruzen. You're too naive. You'll regret this."

"Danzō, I made this decision after careful consideration. I'm the Hokage!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen covered Uchiha Chonhua's ninja file with his hand. "I believe he'll become someone like Kagami. Danzō, not every member of the Uchiha Clan has extreme ideas. We should find a way to help the Uchiha children who yearn for Konoha and peace grow up, then change the Uchiha Clan."

"That's the right thing to do!"

The two men faced off, both wearing grim expressions.

After a long while, Shimura Danzō turned to leave, tossing one last remark over his shoulder. "Hiruzen, sooner or later, you'll pay for your naive ideas."

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Shimura Danzō disappear from view and murmured, "Danzō, you're too extreme."

He picked up the stamp and pressed it onto three ninja files.

"I know Chonhua better than you do. What I'm hoping for will come all the sooner!"

"Uchiha Chonhua, Uchiha Mikoto, Hizashi Hyuga, from today on, you're members of Team Tsunade."

When Uchiha Chonhua learned that Tsunade was his instructor, the stone hanging over his heart finally dropped.

He had studied Medical Ninjutsu under Tsunade for five years, but still hadn't become her disciple.

At least he had made it into Team Tsunade. Though being a member of the team carried less weight than being one of Tsunade's disciples, it was better than nothing. He had finally taken his first step into the Hokage's circle and gotten his foot in the door.

All those years of building up Sarutobi Hiruzen's goodwill hadn't been wasted. Having Tsunade lead the team clearly showed that Hiruzen thought highly of him.

Still, he couldn't let up. Just becoming a member of Team Tsunade wasn't enough. Becoming Tsunade's personal disciple would be far more secure.

Uchiha Chonhua glanced at his teammates.

Tsunade came from the Senju Clan, yet her students were an Uchiha and a Hyuga.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sure knew how to have fun.

"I already know you all very well, so we'll skip introductions and move straight to the next step. Follow me."

Tsunade set off first, and the three of them hurried after her.

Before long, they arrived at a training ground.

Tsunade took out two bells. As they swayed, they rang with a clear chime.

Here it came: Konoha's traditional specialty, the bell test.

"You're already good friends with each other, so a teamwork test wouldn't mean much for you."

Tsunade tied the bells around her waist and clapped her hands.

"So I've changed the test. You'll each try to take the bells from me, one at a time. You only need to get one. You have fifteen minutes. Let's see what you can do."

Uchiha Chonhua stepped forward without hesitation. "I'll go first, Tsunade-sensei."

"Good, Chonhua. Give it everything you've got. If you fail, I'll tie you to a wooden post and leave you in the sun all day."

Uchiha Mikoto and Hizashi Hyuga stepped aside, leaving room for the two of them to fight.

"I don't want to be tied to a post. Excuse me, Tsunade-sensei!"

A faint breeze swept by, and Uchiha Chonhua suddenly appeared beside Tsunade. He reached out with his right hand, going straight for the bells.

Tsunade dodged sideways. The bells chimed. Uchiha Chonhua failed to get them, only brushing against one, and the next moment Tsunade seized his outstretched hand.

"Your Body Flicker Technique has gotten faster again. You almost grabbed the bell."

Tsunade felt a little relieved, but then her gaze sharpened. She yanked Uchiha Chonhua toward her and drove a knee into him.

Uchiha Chonhua let out a pained grunt. Then, with a poof, he burst into smoke and vanished. It was a Shadow Clone.

Tsunade stared in surprise. When had he used the Shadow Clone Technique?

She had been watching him the entire time and hadn't seen him form any Hand Seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A wave of heat rushed toward her as a ball of fire shot through the air.

Tsunade leaped backward. The fireball struck the ground with a boom, scorching the grass and blasting a crater into the earth.

Smack!

Tsunade suddenly sensed movement behind her. A pebble at her feet transformed into Uchiha Chonhua, who reached for the bells.

Tsunade focused her chakra and used some of the techniques of the Strength of a Hundred Seal Fist. Bending her right arm, she drove her elbow down and smashed Uchiha Chonhua apart.

That was another Shadow Clone.

Whoosh!

A kunai cut through the air in an arc, passing within a hair's breadth of the string holding the bells.

"That was close."

Before Tsunade could relax, a shuriken shot out from the bushes on her left. With a clang, it struck the kunai.

The blow changed the kunai's trajectory, sending it toward the ground by Tsunade's feet.

Just then, another shuriken flew out and struck the kunai just before it could hit the ground.

The kunai's trajectory changed once more. After being redirected twice, it was now heading straight for the bells at Tsunade's waist.

A flash of admiration crossed Tsunade's eyes.

What exquisite throwing skills, and such precise calculations.

If she didn't stop it, the kunai would cut the bell strings.

That wouldn't do. She hadn't tested him enough yet.

Tsunade quickly extended a finger and pointed at the kunai.

The metal kunai was actually shattered by a single tap from Tsunade's finger.

Chapter 25: Tsunade: Aren't Students and Disciples the Same Thing?

Watching Tsunade shatter the kunai with a single tap, Uchiha Chonhua, hidden in the bushes, was stunned.

He had tried developing the Strength of a Hundred Seal Fist himself, but the results hadn't been very good. Without expert guidance, it was easy to injure his muscles and bones, and one wrong move could even blow up his hand.

The principle was simple enough, but the degree of force and how much to adjust it were all in the details. Without those details, he could put in twice the effort for half the result and only hurt himself.

He coveted the power of the Strength of a Hundred Seal Fist. The moment he became Tsunade's personal disciple, he would have to learn it from her!

"Found you!"

After shattering the kunai, Tsunade suddenly used the Body Flicker Technique to appear above Uchiha Chonhua. She pulled back her right fist beside her waist and slammed it down with a sharp cry!

Uchiha Chonhua's attempt to hide had been useless. Tsunade's sensory abilities were excellent.

Seeing this, Uchiha Chonhua channeled chakra through his body, instantly transforming it into lightning-nature chakra to stimulate every cell in his body. He seemed to turn into a bolt of lightning, and Tsunade's vision blurred. Uchiha Chonhua vanished before her eyes.

Her fair, delicate fist missed its target and smashed into the ground.

Boom!!

A deafening crash shook the earth. Cracks spread in every direction like a spiderweb, and clusters of trees toppled around them. A massive circular crater expanded outward from Tsunade.

Hizashi Hyuga and Uchiha Mikoto staggered. Tsunade's punch had triggered a brief but violent earthquake across the training ground!

They steadied themselves and stared blankly at the destruction Tsunade's punch had caused. They exchanged a stunned look, then swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on their brows.

S-so terrifying. They hadn't realized Tsunade-sensei was capable of such overwhelming attacks.

They had thought Tsunade excelled most at healing, but the power of that punch had opened their eyes—and frightened them.

"Chonhua... Is Chonhua okay?"

Hizashi Hyuga was so flustered that he could barely get the words out. Uchiha Mikoto looked anxiously toward the dust-filled center of the battlefield.

Then she saw blue light flash there, like a bolt of lightning streaking past, before suddenly disappearing.

Uchiha Chonhua's spirited voice rang out.

"Tsunade-sensei, I got them."

Jingle.

The bells rang.

As the dust cleared, Hizashi Hyuga and Uchiha Mikoto hurriedly looked over.

Tsunade stared blankly at her waist. There, a small hand held both bells and gave them a gentle shake. They chimed against each other.

Uchiha Chonhua looked at Tsunade with a broad, triumphant smile, full of youthful confidence.

"Both... He got both..."

Tsunade hadn't expected this outcome. She knew the boy was talented and capable, and that his strength was certainly enough to let him trade a few blows with a jonin. But she wasn't an ordinary jonin; she was an elite among them.

She had expected Uchiha Chonhua to take only one bell from her.

Instead, he had gotten both.