Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others returned to Konoha, still shaken.
The girl's Shinra Tensei had been devastating. It had even dramatically altered the terrain.
An ordinary ninja might have been gravely injured or killed by that jutsu, but the weakest person there had been a jonin. Most were elite jonin or Kage Level, and while many had suffered somewhat serious injuries, none were in critical condition.
Danzo, however, was in a bad way. Otsutsuki Urashiki had already drained his Chakra, leaving him weak and helpless against the opponent's jutsu.
Even with Hatake Sakumo helping him escape, Danzo had been badly injured. The terrifying repulsive force had twisted both his legs out of shape, leaving him completely crippled. Even Tsunade couldn't guarantee she could fully restore him.
"It seems they don't have any ill will toward Konoha. Otherwise, if they'd used that jutsu on the village..." Hiruzen imagined the outcome and shuddered.
"Forget it. No point thinking about it. I'd better assign the students who passed today's exam to suitable jonin team leaders."
With that, Hiruzen picked up a scroll and began writing.
"Hiruzen!"
"I'm still requesting that Bai Lin be assigned to Root. I still think he's hiding a big secret. Once he's in Root..."
The office door swung open. Shimura Danzō, his face deathly pale after receiving some treatment, was pushed inside in a wheelchair by a Root member.
Hiruzen was speechless. He'd suffered such serious injuries, yet instead of focusing on his recovery, he'd rushed straight over at the first opportunity. His ambition was on full display.
They were old friends, after all. Hiruzen frowned. "Danzo, you're in no condition to be doing this. Focus on your treatment. I've already decided where Bai Lin will be assigned, so there's no need to bring it up again."
Hiruzen's attitude filled Shimura Danzō with resentment. If I'd been the first to stay behind with our teacher back then, I'd be Hokage now.
"From the look in his eyes, I can vaguely see someone's shadow. You'd never guess who," Shimura Danzō said coldly.
A shadow?
Could it be him?
"I trust my judgment. As long as we forge strong enough bonds, the Will of Fire won't abandon anyone," Hiruzen replied calmly.
Bai Lin's strength was still within a manageable range, and Hiruzen had plenty of time to observe him. He planned to decide Bai Lin's future once the boy had grown to a certain level.
"Hmph! Fine, Hiruzen. You'll regret this!"
"Remember, I'm the Hokage!"
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, Shimura Danzō left the office.
Hiruzen felt helpless. Shimura Danzō really was capable—not just in terms of strength, but even more so when it came to schemes and trickery.
He was just one talented young ninja. How many geniuses did Konoha have?
Could all those people really be worth less than a boy who wasn't even twelve?
Senju Residence.
"Kid, you don't want to learn the Mystical Palm Technique, and you don't want to learn my Super Strength either. What exactly do you want?" Tsunade asked, glaring at Bai Lin.
Bai Lin looked utterly unconcerned. "It's fine. I have a jutsu in mind, and I'll ask Lord Orochimaru to teach it to me."
"Lady Tsunade, just focus on yourself. You don't need to worry about me."
His strength came from the system, and he couldn't learn jutsu through ordinary study. Tsunade couldn't teach him anything, and he was more than happy for her not to fuss over his progress.
"You naturally wicked brat!" Tsunade clenched her fists, ready to hit him.
Hiruzen had already assigned Bai Lin to her. It wasn't official yet, but it was as good as settled.
Bai Lin and Tsunade both understood that they'd be teacher and student from then on.
"You'd rather ask Orochimaru to teach you than learn from me? Are you my student or his?"
"Doesn't matter. Lord Orochimaru will be happy to teach me. If you don't need anything else, Lady Tsunade, I'll take Kushina to train." Bai Lin stood up to leave.
"Stop!"
"Oh? What is it, Lady Tsunade?" Bai Lin asked, turning back.
"What do you know about that girl?" Seeing Bai Lin's attitude, Tsunade swallowed her irritation and asked what had been on her mind.
From what Bai Lin had told her earlier, it was obvious he knew something—especially since he seemed to know that girl.
"One hundred million ryo for one piece of information. You know how valuable information is, right?"
"What she knows won't matter to anyone else, but it's important to you. Give me one hundred million, and you'll get your money's worth."
Bai Lin waved as he headed outside.
"That brat. He's not cute at all."
Bai Lin wandered around the Senju Residence and finally found Kushina in the kitchen.
Kushina was clumsily helping Mito Uzumaki.
"Kushina, if you want to win a man's heart, you have to win his stomach first." Wearing a plain apron, Mito Uzumaki showed Kushina how to knead dough, guiding her hands. Her red hair was loosely tied behind her head, and a kindly smile softened her features.
Since Senju Hashirama's death, she had given up the Yin Seal and her youthful appearance. The years had left their mark on her face.
Kushina's cheeks flushed as she kneaded the dough in her hands into a lopsided mess. "Grandma Mito! I-I'm not trying to win any man's heart! I just thought Brother Bai Lin got hurt earlier, so I wanted to make him something delicious to help him recover!"
"I just like cooking. I'm absolutely not making food especially for him."
"Oh? You're not making food especially for Bai Lin?" A sly glint flickered in Mito Uzumaki's eyes as she deliberately slowed her kneading. "Then Bai Lin will probably be very sad when he hears that."
"I-I-I'm not even in a relationship with him. Why would he be sad?"
"I don't even want to cook for him, do his laundry, or clean the house... Let alone do things I don't like just for him."
"I'm going to be Hokage, you know. Grandma Mito, some idiot called me Hokage today! Hahaha!"
"I have what it takes to be Hokage!"
As Kushina spoke, she burst into loud laughter, forgetting the dough on the counter.
Mito Uzumaki laughed along, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "All right, all right! Our Kushina has what it takes to be Hokage! When you become Hokage, Grandma will be the first to support you!"
She wiped the flour from Kushina's face. "But even if you become Hokage, you'll still need to take care of yourself and the people around you."
"Spend some time learning from Grandma. Bai Lin would be so happy to see that."
"Grandma Mito, I told you, it's not for him. I just like learning," Kushina protested, blushing.
"Really? It's not for Bai Lin, and you just like cooking?" Mito Uzumaki teased.
"No, absolutely not!" Kushina stamped her feet in a panic. With her slightly tsundere nature, Mito Uzumaki was teasing her mercilessly.
Just then, a disappointed voice came from the doorway. "Oh? I was looking forward to the food Kushina was making for me."
Bai Lin's voice carried just the right amount of disappointment. He leaned against the doorframe, his gaze falling on the lopsided lump of dough on the counter, though a faint smile played at the corner of his mouth.
Kushina froze, her face turning so red it looked like it might drip blood. "B-Brother Bai Lin! W-when did you get here? Who said you could eavesdrop on us?"
"Just now. I happened to hear someone say she was 'absolutely not' cooking for me." Bai Lin walked into the kitchen, picked up a clean cloth, and wiped the flour from Kushina's face. "Seems I got ahead of myself."
The warmth of his fingertips made Kushina blush even harder. "I-I didn't say that! I do want to cook for you a little."
"Oh? Is that so? Just a little?" Bai Lin raised an eyebrow.