Tsunade saw the gate from afar. A trace of wistfulness flickered in her eyes as memories surfaced.
"The old gatekeepers..."
"They died on missions. Haneda and Tsuchihara are in charge now. They're both newly promoted Chunin."
"Newly promoted, huh? No wonder I haven't seen them before."
She had been away for over a year. Konoha was still the same Konoha, with little changed, but the people standing at the gate were no longer the same.
She sighed.
The look of anticipation on her face faded into loneliness, and her spirits sank.
However.
When they reached the village entrance—
"Lady Tsunade? Lady Tsunade is back!"
"What?"
The two at the gate cried out in surprise.
In an instant—
Ninja and villagers passing by the gate all stopped and surged toward them.
"Lady Tsunade!"
"Lady Tsunade, you're back!"
"Where's Lady Tsunade? I want to see her, I want to see her..."
Amid the commotion, parents could be heard soothing their children. One after another, they lifted their kids up so they could see the village entrance from afar.
Most of these children had only grown old enough to remember things in the past year or two. They had no recollection of Tsunade.
But clearly,
under their parents' influence, they still knew her name and admired her deeply.
In the blink of an eye, the relatively spacious village entrance was packed with the growing crowd.
Tsunade froze.
She was overcome by feelings she couldn't put into words. So much was caught in her throat, impossible to express.
"Don't crowd around. Move along, move along."
Haneda waved them back.
Only then did the crowd outside make way.
Jiraiya came up behind Tsunade, and the group made their way into the village.
Kakashi, usually so calm, was so excited that even his forehead had turned red. It was hard to imagine what expression he wore beneath his mask.
Kurenai Yuhi was the same...
But,
few people could stay composed when they were the center of attention like this.
Many people of this generation had once been protected or treated by Tsunade. Even in Naruto's era, many still admired her greatly. That alone said plenty.
They continued on.
It wasn't until they reached the area near the Hokage Building that the ninja managed to disperse the crowd.
Once they entered the building, Tsunade leaned against the wall and looked at Jiraiya.
"Go report back. I'm not coming."
"Okay."
Jiraiya didn't press her.
"It's only a C-rank mission, nothing important enough for us all to report together. Kakashi, Kurenai, you two can head off as well. Get some rest. We'll meet for training tomorrow."
"I'm going to rest too."
Tsunade yawned.
Kyohiko hurriedly asked, "Lady Tsunade, is what you said earlier still on?"
"What?"
Tsunade paused. A moment later, she remembered and smiled. "You really want to get beaten up?"
"Getting guidance from a ninja like you is an opportunity us Genin don't get every day. How could we not want it?"
Kyohiko was quite direct.
Shizune couldn't help admiring him inwardly—
If she hadn't seen Tsunade's strength, she would've thought Kyohiko's words were just the fearless bravado of someone ignorant.
But—
he had seen Tsunade's power and knew the gap between them, yet still dared to bring it up...
That took real courage!
Tsunade smiled. "You've got some nerve, kid."
She paused and looked at Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi.
"What about you two?"
"We'd also like to receive your guidance!"
Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi answered at once.
Tsunade put her hands on her hips. "All right. I've got nothing else to do, anyway. Tomorrow morning at seven, at Training Ground 10 in the Forest of Death. Don't chicken out!"
"We'll be there!"
They all shouted in unison.
Shizune was envious, but she didn't ask to join them.
She had traveled around with Tsunade for so long that she was practically Tsunade's student and had received plenty of guidance already. There wasn't much point in joining in this time.
Hokage Office.
Jiraiya told the Third Hokage what had happened along the way, then removed the seal and took out one of the bodies.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grave.
"Based on your judgment, how likely is it that they were after Tsunade?"
"Hard to say."
Jiraiya shook his head.
He hadn't been at the scene when it happened, so he couldn't gather all the information.
However,
"one thing is certain: they were probably trying to capture someone alive. Their target might have been Tsunade, Shizune, Kyohiko, or Kakashi and the others. The first volley of Ninja Tools wasn't poisoned, so it's unlikely they were trying to kill someone and frame another party."
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
Then he looked at Jiraiya. "What are your plans from here?"
"I promised Koji Matsuyama I'd go to the Land of Waves. I'll keep a close eye on things there, but I'd like you to investigate from your end, too."
Jiraiya replied.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
"I'll arrange it."
"Then I'm off!"
"Tsunade's back, so be careful. Don't do anything foolish again."
Hiruzen Sarutobi warned him.
Jiraiya's expression stiffened. Then he cleared his throat, waved, and darted out the window.
The next day, at Training Ground 10 in the Forest of Death.
This time, there was no need to set up an exam arena in advance, and it wasn't going to be three against one, but—
one on one!
Tsunade stood there looking quite relaxed.
"Are you going to come at me one by one, or all together?"
Tsunade pointed at the three of them.
Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi looked uncertain.
Fighting together would test their teamwork, while taking turns would test their individual strength...
"Can we have both?"
Kyohiko asked quietly.
He might still be a kid, but mentally, he was an adult—
I want it all!
Tsunade laughed in disbelief, then said with mock exasperation, "You're too greedy, kid. Be careful you don't get beaten so badly you can't get out of bed."
"I'm not afraid!"
Kyohiko gathered his courage.
Of course he was scared.
But—
getting a Kage Level ninja to spar with for free, and backing down out of fear? That would make him a complete idiot.
A ninja feared nothing!
Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi nodded repeatedly, echoing Kyohiko's answer.
"You might not be afraid, but I don't want to go to all that trouble. We'll do one-on-one. Who's first?"
Tsunade didn't mind either way.
They were here already.
Beating up one or beating up three was no different, but fighting all three at once would take some thought.
"I'll go first!"
Kakashi reacted quickly and stepped forward.
Kyohiko reluctantly pulled his foot back.
So—
Kakashi's natural reflexes were still much better than his own.
He thought to himself.
"Good."
Tsunade's lips curled upward. Then she used her left foot to draw a circle on the ground. "I just want to hit someone, and I can't be bothered moving around much. So I'll only use one hand. You win if you can find a way to force me out of the circle."
Kakashi focused, surveying the battlefield.
The circle was small, with almost no room on either side.
In a space like this...
"Can I use Explosive Tags?"
"Of course. Ninja Tools are part of a ninja's strength."
Tsunade's lips curled upward.
Kakashi nodded. "No questions."
"Then let's begin."
As soon as she finished speaking,
Tsunade stared at Kakashi, her posture utterly casual, but—
cold sweat ran down Kakashi's forehead.
His lips trembled, and his hands shook. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Kurenai Yuhi was bewildered.
"Is it a genjutsu? But I can't sense any chakra fluctuations!"
"It's not a genjutsu. It's just killing intent."
Kyohiko's expression was grave.
In the anime, Kakashi had twice been so overwhelmed by Orochimaru's killing intent that he couldn't bring himself to move.
At the time, he was already a Jonin.
But now—
Kakashi was only a Chunin, and he was facing the pressure of a Kage Level ninja like Tsunade. It was easy to imagine the strain he was under.
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