The Bet

The wind died down, and the forest fell into a deathly silence.

Tsunade stared at Li Tong with wide, round eyes, her gaze filled with the kind of shock, confusion, and bewilderment one might reserve for an alien.

"Am I dreaming?" Tsunade tried pinching herself, then immediately hissed in a sharp breath. It hurt! This wasn't a dream!

If it wasn't a dream, why would this brat say something so ridiculous?

Was he the one dreaming?

"Hey! Wake up!" Tsunade pinched Li Tong's cheeks and gave them a tug.

"Ouch!" Li Tong bared his teeth at her.

"You know it hurts? What did you just say? Say it again!"

"I said, as long as you teach me, I can learn the Mystical Palm Technique in one day."

"Say it again!"

"I said! As long as you teach me! I can..."

"Hahaha, hahahahahaha..." Tsunade burst into laughter, rocking back and forth. She clutched her waist as if she couldn't catch her breath, then doubled over to kneel on the ground, pounding the earth with her hand.

"Hey! Do you have to be so dramatic?" Li Tong tilted his head, watching Tsunade, who looked like she was about to roll on the ground.

"I'm mocking you, can't you tell?" Tsunade jumped up, raised a slender finger, and poked Li Tong's forehead. "Brat! You shouldn't make such big claims! Even if you want to brag, you should at least make it believable, right? Tsk tsk, brat, you're still too young, not even a little..."

Li Tong swiped his hand, knocking away the finger that kept poking his forehead. He then stood with his hands behind his back, looking incredibly arrogant. "Don't you like to gamble? Let's make a bet."

"A bet? Bet on what?" Tsunade still couldn't help but chuckle.

"Let's bet on whether I can learn the Mystical Palm Technique within one day." Li Tong lifted his chin.

"Oh?" Tsunade's interest was piqued. She blinked and muttered to herself, "Doesn't that mean I'm guaranteed to win?" She then said loudly, "And if you can't?"

"If I can't, I'll teach you the Hypnosis Technique and my Gambling Technique. You won't even have to take me as your master."

"Fine, deal. It's settled. I'll come find you tomorrow morning..."

"Hey, hey, hey, did you forget something?" Li Tong quickly interrupted her.

"What?" Tsunade blinked, confused. "What is it?"

"Big Sister!" Li Tong felt like he was losing his mind. He gestured with his hands. "What if I succeed? You haven't said what you'll lose to me yet."

"How could you possibly succeed?" Tsunade said, as if it were obvious.

"Hey! Whether I can succeed is my business. If we're betting, you have to put up a stake!" Li Tong rolled his eyes.

"Oh... then..." Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a moment before curling her lip. "Whatever! If you can actually do it, I'll do whatever you want! I'll agree to anything you ask." Tsunade acted as if she couldn't care less.

Because the idea of learning the Mystical Palm Technique in a single day was absolutely impossible!

"It's a deal!" Li Tong snapped his fingers.

"Of course!" Tsunade shrugged, then waved her hand. "I'm heading back. I'll find you tomorrow."

******

Returning alone to the lakeside cabin, Li Tong let out a long breath. That was too close. He had stripped Tsunade of her clothes, washed them, dried them, and put them back on, all without her noticing a thing.

"I never thought I'd be reduced to washing a woman's undergarments."

Li Tong recalled the events of the day, muttering to himself as he walked toward the cabin.

He felt that his germophobia was truly on the verge of being cured by Tsunade.

Lights out, time to sleep.

The night deepened.

In the early hours of the morning, Li Tong woke up once. He opened the Reputation Exchange Interface to check the items that had just refreshed. He had 4,800 reputation points, enough to buy several B-Rank Ninjutsu Cards, but there didn't seem to be anything worth exchanging.

Closing the interface, he rolled over and fell back asleep.

The night was thick and heavy.

Across the lake, outside the cabin.

A rustling sound suddenly emerged, very faint. More than a dozen Hyuga Clan ninjas crept forward, stopping only when they reached the lakeside, carefully hiding in the tall grass.

There were fifteen Hyuga ninjas in total, including two elite jonin, six jonin, and six elite chunin. These fourteen were guards. The fifteenth ninja, a boy of only thirteen or fourteen, was the one they were protecting.

The young master of the Hyuga Clan branch family—Hizashi Hyuga!

In the strictly hierarchical Hyuga Clan, Hizashi Hyuga's status was fourth, behind only the main family head, the main family young master, and the branch family head—those three being his father, his twin older brother, and his uncle, respectively.

Despite such status, he had come in person!

He was under immense pressure from within the clan.

The multiple failed assassination attempts on Li Tong had brought shame upon the entire Hyuga Clan. It was Hizashi Hyuga who had originally ordered the hit, sending the elite chunin Hyuga Anan to kill Li Tong. For someone who could directly command elite jonin, Hyuga Anan was nothing; if he had sent an elite jonin to kill Li Tong from the start, there wouldn't have been so much trouble.

This was his responsibility!

Therefore, he intended to see for himself what was so special about this Li Tong.

If possible, he wanted to witness Li Tong's death with his own eyes tonight.

Byakugan, activate!

Hizashi Hyuga, hidden within the tall grass, opened his eyes simultaneously with two elite Jonin of the Hyuga Clan. Veins bulged around their eyes as the world turned into shades of gray; perspective shifted, and the physical world became translucent!

Hizashi Hyuga's gaze pierced through the wooden cabin across the lake, landing on Li Tong, who was fast asleep inside.

"Young Master, there's someone there!" the elite Jonin to Hizashi Hyuga's left whispered suddenly.

"It's the Anbu! Damn it, didn't they already withdraw and stop protecting this brat?" the other elite Jonin added.

Hizashi Hyuga's expression shifted; he quickly adjusted his line of sight, scanning the woods on the opposite bank.

He saw them!

Two masked Anbu ninjas were hidden in the forest behind the cabin. They seemed to sense something suddenly, simultaneously forming hand seals and vanishing into thin air one after the other.

Because their masks were specially crafted, the Byakugan could not see through them, so the Hyuga Clan members could not discern their true identities.

"It seems the Hokage intentionally released false information; the Anbu are still protecting him from the shadows." Hizashi Hyuga narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and waved his hand. "Retreat!"

The Hyuga Clan members quickly withdrew and departed.

Hizashi Hyuga's status was extraordinary. Unlike the time Hyuga Anan came alone, with him present and the Anbu also on the scene, they absolutely could not make a move. If they were discovered, the consequences could be catastrophic.

In the woods behind the wooden cabin.

The dead leaves on the ground suddenly trembled slightly. Two figures emerged from the earth like ghosts, one after the other. They flipped through the air and crouched on the same thick tree branch, both gazing toward the direction where the Hyuga Clan had departed, their eyes icy!

"It's the Hyuga Clan."

"They want to kill Li Tong."

"We cannot let them act recklessly. According to the leader's orders, we must first test if there are others secretly protecting Li Tong before we can kill him."

"Or kill him by 'accident'!"

The two exchanged words with extreme speed, their tones remaining cold and devoid of emotion, just like their eyes.

They were not Anbu ninjas!

To be precise, while they were organized within the Anbu, they belonged to another organization within it: Root! Their purpose for being here was the same as the Hyuga Clan's—to kill Li Tong.

"We need to plan in detail; it would be best to strike outside the village," Gui Qi said.

"If he accepts a mission to leave the village within half a month, we will strike outside. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to strike within the village," Shanjia said.

"It requires careful planning."

"Mm, let's head back first!"

The two Root ninjas vanished in a flash.

Inside the cabin, Li Tong remained fast asleep, completely unaware of what had transpired that night.

A new day!

Early morning, a gentle breeze blew, and the sunlight was just right.

Li Tong woke up early. Following his routine, he walked out of the cabin, sat cross-legged on the grass by the lake, and began his morning training.

I do not know how much time had passed.

Bang!

Li Tong was suddenly kicked hard in the back, tumbling into the lake with a splash.

"Hahaha, you little liar, you don't have any vigilance at all." Tsunade stood by the lake, hands on her hips, laughing heartily.