The Wager (2)

The Rasengan is the ninjutsu Uchiha Yue needs to master at this stage, and it also serves as a goal he has set for his chakra control training.

However, just as Uchiha Yue was about to begin his Rasengan training, who would have thought that the figure of Tsunade would appear within his line of sight?

Seeing Tsunade approaching step by step, Uchiha Yue could not help but knit his brows slightly, wondering to himself if she had come to cause trouble.

But just as this thought crossed his mind, Uchiha Yue shook his head inwardly, dismissing the idea.

After all, after Uchiha Yue impulsively offended the Third Hokage and Tsunade, the Third Hokage had already clarified the situation with him and showed no intention of blaming him at all. If Tsunade were to come and trouble him now, it would undoubtedly be a sign of disrespect toward the Third Hokage. Uchiha Yue believed that a ninja of Tsunade's caliber would not commit such a low-level mistake.

Therefore, when Tsunade arrived in front of him, Uchiha Yue suppressed the aversion he felt toward her to leave a good impression. He quickly put down his training and bowed respectfully, saying, "Lady Tsunade, greetings. I am very sorry about what happened at the tavern today. I was just acting on impulse at the time; please forgive me, Lady Tsunade."

"Forgive?"

Slightly different from what Uchiha Yue had imagined, Tsunade's voice turned cold after hearing his words, and her eyes were filled with flames of anger. "I never expected that someone from the Uchiha Clan would actually apologize. How interesting! Uchiha Yue, you knew you offended me, so why didn't you come to apologize to me instead of waiting for me to come to you?"

"This..."

Seeing that Tsunade seemed to be deliberately looking for trouble, Uchiha Yue did not know what to do.

After all, with a strong-willed ninja like Tsunade, no matter what you say to her, she will always have a rebuttal.

Subsequently, when Uchiha Yue sensed that Tsunade had come with ill intent, he lowered his head and fell silent, contemplating how to deal with her.

Unexpectedly, while Uchiha Yue remained silent, Tsunade was observing him with great interest.

Furthermore, when Tsunade noticed the balloon in Uchiha Yue's hand, a mocking smile curled at the corners of her mouth. "A genius of the prestigious Uchiha Clan actually likes playing with things that only brats enjoy? Heh. Konoha is becoming more and more boring. It seems that leaving was indeed a very good choice!"

Without a doubt, what Tsunade was mocking was the balloon in Uchiha Yue's hand, as she assumed he was using it to play.

Tsunade's mockery clearly made Uchiha Yue feel uncomfortable, but knowing he needed to restrain himself, he suppressed his anger and said, "Lady Tsunade, if there is something you do not understand, you may ask, but please do not jump to conclusions. I bought these balloons for training, not for play."

"Training?"

At this moment, the anger in Tsunade's eyes finally faded significantly. She took the balloon from Uchiha Yue's hand with great interest and asked, "This thing can be used for training?"

"That's right!"

After Tsunade asked, Uchiha Yue blew up another balloon and placed it in his palm.

Then, in front of Tsunade, Uchiha Yue attempted to practice the Rasengan for the first time.

Thanks to Uchiha Yue's already decent chakra control, when he began the first stage of Rasengan training, he relied on his vast mental energy to control the chakra within his body, gathering it bit by bit inside the balloon. The chakra inside the balloon then formed the initial shape of the Rasengan, though its power was slightly insufficient.

Moreover, no matter how Uchiha Yue used his mental energy to manipulate that chakra, the power of the chakra gathered inside the balloon could not break through it. Uchiha Yue was so focused on the balloon that he failed to notice Tsunade's eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if she had discovered a new world, staring at the balloon in his hand with astonishment.

Following that...

When the chakra in Uchiha Yue's body was finally exhausted, he held the balloon that still hadn't burst, took a deep breath, and said, "Lady Tsunade, you should have just seen it; this is my training method. My chakra is limited, so I cannot afford to waste a single drop in battle. Right now, I am training my chakra control, and if I succeed, I should be able to create a new ninjutsu!"

"A new ninjutsu?"

Hearing Uchiha Yue's words, Tsunade nodded thoughtfully, her gaze slowly falling onto the balloon in her own hand.

Then, to make his previous statement more convincing, Uchiha Yue continued to explain to Tsunade, "That's right, a new ninjutsu! I am currently researching a seal-less ninjutsu. If I can successfully develop it, my strength will reach a new level. It's just a pity that my new ninjutsu is still in the initial stage. If I had more information, I could definitely finish researching it within two months!"

"Heh! What a big mouth!"

Uchiha Yue had thought his words would make Tsunade look at him with admiration, but to his surprise, she gave a disdainful laugh.

Before Uchiha Yue could continue, Tsunade waved her hand at him and said, "Uchiha Yue, I'm not trying to crush your confidence, but you are being delusional! There are countless powerhouses in the ninja world, but how many of them can actually create a new ninjutsu? You aren't even a Genin yet, and you want to create your own ninjutsu? Doesn't that sound like a pipe dream?"

As she spoke, Tsunade paused slightly, a strange glint appearing in her eyes. Changing her tone, she continued, "However, I do find you quite interesting. How about we make a bet? If you can create this new ninjutsu within two months, I will listen to that old man Sarutobi and take you as my disciple! But, if you fail to create it within two months, you must agree to do one thing for me. How about it?"

"Deal!"

When Tsunade reached this point, Uchiha Yue finally understood her true intentions.

So, Tsunade hadn't come to cause trouble; she had come to test him.

If Uchiha Yue truly possessed the talent the Third Hokage claimed, Tsunade wouldn't mind taking him as a disciple. Uchiha Yue's plan to develop the Rasengan had clearly earned her approval. That was why Tsunade specifically wanted to make a bet with him—though the act of betting was clearly one of her eccentric habits.

However, seeing Uchiha Yue agree without a second thought, Tsunade couldn't help but feel curious. She asked, "Uchiha Yue, aren't you afraid that I might make you destroy all your meridians, leaving you unable to ever be a ninja again?"

"Of course not!"

As soon as Tsunade finished speaking, Uchiha Yue said righteously, "Lady Tsunade is one of the Sannin; naturally, you wouldn't toy with someone like me. Therefore, I believe Lady Tsunade would never make things difficult for me, right?"

"What a sharp-tongued brat!"

Hearing this, Tsunade returned to her previous cold expression and said, "Since you say I wouldn't make you destroy your meridians, I'm going to do exactly that! Uchiha Yue, if you don't complete your new ninjutsu within two months, you can look forward to lying in bed for the rest of your life! Besides, no matter how I look at you Uchiha, you all seem detestable!"

After saying these words, Tsunade let out a cold snort, and her figure vanished from before Uchiha Yue.

Seeing Tsunade leave, Uchiha Yue slowly shifted his gaze to the balloon in his hand, a confident smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Two months, is it?"

"Tsunade, you really do lose every bet you make!"