To Repay My Debts, I'll Become Hokage!

"That last move was fast."

Tsunade suddenly recalled the flash of light that had erupted like lightning amidst the dust, vaguely sensing a discharge of electricity from Uchiha Chonhua.

Was that a Lightning Style Body Flicker? It was fast, and certainly novel.

Tsunade slammed her palm onto Uchiha Chonhua's head and ruffled his hair vigorously.

She had never seen Uchiha Chonhua use that technique before; caught off guard by his calculated surprise, she had actually let both bells be snatched away.

Sigh, the dignity of an instructor has been challenged.

However, Tsunade smiled. "The speed of your growth is truly astonishing. Compared to you, your teacher is starting to look like a mediocrity."

Uchiha Chonhua stepped back, somewhat distressed as he smoothed out his disheveled hair.

"Please don't sell yourself short, Tsunade-sensei. There is still so much I need to learn from you."

Uchiha Chonhua looked at Tsunade's hands. They were free of even the slightest blemish, and it was impossible to imagine that such small hands could trigger an earthquake and leave the earth scarred.

He looked at her with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, and ventured, "Tsunade-sensei, could you teach me the technique you used just now?"

Tsunade did not hesitate, agreeing readily.

"Of course. You are my student, after all; if I don't teach you, who would I teach?"

Huh?

This answer left Uchiha Chonhua somewhat bewildered. He was happy to have obtained the Strength of a Hundred Seal Fist so easily, but it was... so easy that he felt a bit unsettled.

Was it really this simple to acquire Tsunade's secret technique? He wasn't even her formal disciple yet... wait, Uchiha Chonhua suddenly realized something.

Had he been making subjective assumptions, artificially setting boundaries for himself?

Uchiha Chonhua took a deep breath and asked, "Tsunade-sensei, am I your disciple?"

There was a difference between a student and a disciple. In the ninja world, many secret techniques were passed down strictly through family lines or formal master-disciple bonds, but it wasn't absolute. Uchiha Chonhua realized he might have encountered a case where it wasn't so rigid.

Tsunade's amber eyes rolled, and she understood his train of thought. Her expression turned strange. "So you care that much about the title of disciple, Chonhua..."

Tsunade tapped Uchiha Chonhua on the head, huffing, "Do you take me for some stubborn old fossil? In my eyes, there is no difference between a student and a disciple; it only matters whether I am willing to teach someone!"

"That won't do. Don't become some narrow-minded person obsessed with titles. Be broad-minded, be broad-minded!"

Uchiha Chonhua slapped his own face in silence.

It really was just that; he had overthought it. He had truly become the narrow-minded one.

[Host, you are so pathetic.]

Shut up, System.

Uchiha Chonhua was acutely aware of how embarrassing he looked; his perspective had been so small.

Having lived two lives, he was somehow less open-minded than Tsunade, who had only lived one.

So what had he been worrying about all this time?

Uchiha Chonhua watched the tests of Mikoto Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga with a melancholic expression.

It could only be said that, with Tsunade-sensei holding back to the absolute limit, they had managed to snatch a bell at the fifteen-minute mark.

It was a mediocre performance.

The two were panting, and they felt a sense of shame when they looked at the melancholy Uchiha Chonhua.

Compared to Uchiha Chonhua, the two of them were simply not in the same league.

In the past, when watching the spars between Chonhua and Minato, they had realized there was a massive gap—that they weren't in the same dimension—but they hadn't had a clear concept of just how vast that dimension was.

Now, after seeing the battle with Tsunade-sensei, it was clear.

The elite of their generation was already capable of clashing with a Jonin.

"This is a true person of destiny."

Hizashi Hyuga, who held a certain superstitious belief in fate, looked at Uchiha Chonhua with a changed gaze—a look of heartfelt reverence.

To be able to fight a Jonin at this age—what was this? Talent? No, this was destiny!

Hizashi Hyuga's expression was stirred.

The radiant, fated aura surrounding Uchiha Chonhua burned like the sun.

Compared to such a person of destiny, his own tragic fate only made him seem more wretched and insignificant.

So, can one change their fate by staying close to a person of destiny?

Uchiha Chonhua looked at Hizashi Hyuga with a strange expression; that gaze... it was like a hungry beast seeing a delicious piece of meat.

He shivered, feeling a bit creeped out.

He would have welcomed such a stare from a beautiful woman, but from a man? He'd pass.

Chapter 26: Cloud Village: Hey, I'm Back Again

Genin missions are categorized into D-rank and C-rank.

As newly graduated genin, they were not yet qualified to accept C-rank missions.

The D-rank missions they could take were all trivial daily chores, such as catching lost cats and dogs, weeding, babysitting, caring for the elderly, or helping with watering, among others.

D-rank missions were available every day and were highly repetitive.

Uchiha Chonhua had once been curious: with so many people in and around Konoha commissioning these trivial D-rank tasks, did even watering flowers really require a ninja?

After some investigation, Uchiha Chonhua understood; this was actually a disguised form of taxation.

Konoha had many genin whose strength was insufficient to complete higher-level missions, so D-rank missions were specifically prepared for these novice genin.

After the genin completed a D-rank mission, half of the reward went to the Konoha administration, and of the remaining half, one-half went to the instructor, while the other half was split among the three students.

It sounded like very little, and it truly was; after the reward for a D-rank mission was distributed layer by layer, Uchiha Chonhua estimated that what reached his hands was only enough for a day's worth of food.

However, Konoha's genin relied on D-rank missions to make ends meet. Don't let the small reward per mission fool you; the sheer volume of tasks was staggering.

When these small amounts added up, a diligent genin's monthly income was not much worse than that of a typical office worker.

As for villagers who didn't want to commission D-rank missions? Heh, open the door—the Konoha Military Police Force would pay a visit, as you would be in violation of Konoha law.

Yes, this was codified in law and carried mandatory enforcement.

In short, Team Tsunade was never short of missions; as long as they wanted to work, there were always tasks waiting for them.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Naturally, he didn't need to handle the tedious and monotonous D-rank missions himself; his shadow clones could help.

"Damn it!"

The shadow clone was, of course, dissatisfied, but unable to defy the original's command, it could only display an international gesture of friendship.

Mikoto Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga followed suit, likewise creating shadow clones to handle the D-rank missions.

Meanwhile, they followed their teacher, Tsunade, to undergo ninja training.

Uchiha Chonhua calmed his mind and focused on channeling his chakra into his palm. Once it reached a certain threshold, he let out a low shout and threw a punch.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Uchiha Chonhua's punch left a circular crater in the trunk of a tree three people wide, causing the tall tree to sway precariously.

Tsunade glanced at it and nodded. "To cause this much power with that level of chakra burst—Chonhua, you have taken your first step."

"Next is to gradually increase the chakra input. Remember, you must carefully control the chakra; as the input increases, the risks if you fail will also increase..."

Uchiha Chonhua listened intently to Tsunade's teachings.

After Tsunade finished speaking, she glanced at the shadow clones working miserably in the distance.

She thought about the number of D-rank missions they completed every day...

"In about two months, the accumulated mission count should be enough to participate in the Chunin Exams."

Hearing this, Uchiha Chonhua looked up in surprise. "Tsunade-sensei, are you willing to write us a recommendation letter?"

Having enough missions wasn't enough; a recommendation letter from the instructor was required to enter the Chunin Exams.

His desire to become a chunin was high; after all, the temptation of a card draw awaited him, so he was naturally impatient.

But he hadn't expected Tsunade to be even more eager than him.

"Your strength is beyond doubt. Mikoto and Hizashi are a bit weaker, but fortunately, there is still time to hone your skills. It will be enough to participate in this year's Chunin Exams, so I am naturally willing to write your recommendation letters."

After all, these children were students of the elite class; their grades and strength were not lacking. Although all three were genin, not to mention Chonhua, the strength of Mikoto and Hizashi was not inferior to that of ordinary chunin.

At the current mission pace, they would accumulate enough missions in two months, and since the Chunin Exams were held on July 1st every year, there were still five months to go.

Five months was enough to bring Mikoto and Hizashi's strength up by several folds.

"Didn't you say you wanted to become a chunin as soon as possible?"

Tsunade blinked; these were the words Uchiha Chonhua had said on the day of his graduation, and she had kept them in mind.

As a teacher, she naturally had to make arrangements and preparations for her students.

Moreover, the students' strength was the foundation of Tsunade's confidence.

Uchiha Chonhua participating in the Chunin Exams? What a "wolf among sheep" scenario that would be.

Tsunade suddenly smirked. This year's Chunin Exams would be interesting; she really wanted to see the expressions on the faces of the other students and instructors.

"Tsunade-sensei, I won't let you down. I will definitely conquer the Chunin Exams!"

Uchiha Chonhua raised his arm and shouted, his eyes filled with anticipation and anxiety.

I hope this card draw isn't a dud; let me get a character with a name and a reputation.

The painful memory of the Mist Village nobody still stung, leaving him heartbroken.

Events often outpaced expectations.

Just as Uchiha Chonhua was busy with missions, counting the days until he could participate in the Chunin Exams...

War had broken out once again.

With two months still remaining until the Chunin Exams, the ninjas of Kumogakure, a great power in the north, had once again marched south to invade the Land of Fire.

"The village was left in ruins by the Eight-Tails; are they ignoring the reconstruction just to start another war?"

The Sannin were gathered at the Senju Compound, their students tagging along to share in the food and drink.

Uchiha Chonhua was enjoying a lively conversation with Namikaze Minato and Nawaki, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, when the sudden appearance of an Anbu ninja wearing an animal mask shattered the cheerful atmosphere.

The news brought by the Anbu ninja cast a somber, murderous chill over the now-quiet gathering.

After delivering the notification, the Anbu ninja departed, leaving Jiraiya deep in thought, unable to fathom why Kumogakure would choose this moment to invade the Land of Fire.

The devastation caused by the Eight-Tails could not possibly have been cleared away so quickly.

The Third Raikage had sustained injuries during his battle with the Eight-Tails, and with the village in need of rebuilding, Kumogakure had no business starting a war at such a time.

"Logically speaking, Kumogakure shouldn't be launching a war right now, but war has never been a matter of logic."

Orochimaru let out a cold sneer: "I heard the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is the brother of the Third Raikage. Surely many in Kumogakure harbor deep hatred for him; perhaps this is a way to divert internal conflict."

"Prepare yourselves, Jiraiya, Tsunade; we are heading to the front lines."

Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded; regardless of the Third Raikage's motives, the war had begun, and as Konoha ninjas, it was their duty to respond.

"What about us? Shouldn't we be preparing to head to the battlefield as well?"

Nawaki raised his hand, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the three of them; he wanted to go to the front lines too.

He swung his fists, letting out a few sharp shouts: "Daring to invade the Land of Fire? Hmph, just watch as Lord Nawaki teaches them a lesson!"

Tsunade's willow-leaf eyebrows arched, and she planted her hands on her hips, grabbing Nawaki by the ear.

"War is not a game, Nawaki. You will stay in the village and behave yourself."

"Ah, ah, it hurts! How can you do this, Sister? I am a Konoha ninja too; I want to go to the battlefield to slay the enemy and defend the Land of Fire!"

"You!"