The meal ended amid a tense yet lively atmosphere.
Afterward, although Tsunade was still angry, she couldn't help worrying about Kushina, so she treated her.
The pale green Mystical Palm Technique settled over Kushina, and the aches all over her body vanished in an instant. She was full of energy again.
"Thank you, Sister Tsunade!" Kushina said with a smile.
Tsunade snorted and said irritably, "If you stick up for that brat again next time, I won't treat you."
Kushina stuck out her tongue, grabbed Bai Lin, and hurried outside. "Let's go train!"
The two returned to the clearing. This afternoon's training was tree climbing and Water Walking.
Kushina wasn't particularly good at controlling her Chakra in this area. Seeing how hard she was trying, Bai Lin didn't criticize her, instead cheering her on and encouraging her constantly.
Watching her progress, Bai Lin nodded with satisfaction.
"Kushina's Chakra natures are Wind and Water. Since she can master a large number of Sealing Jutsu, she probably has Yin and Yang Release as well."
Sealing Jutsu weren't techniques one could learn through effort alone. A person needed Yin and Yang Release Chakra to even qualify, which was why there were so few people in the Ninja World who could use them.
"We can't let the huge amount of Chakra inside her go to waste. The Sasuke Uchiha (Snake Sasuke) template doesn't have any Wind or Water techniques either, so it looks like I'll still need Tsunade to provide a large number of jutsu."
"I don't need to teach her long-range jutsu. Kushina likes close combat, so there's one technique that would suit her perfectly. With the amount of Chakra she has, maybe she can even make it more powerful."
Watching Kushina stumble along the tree trunk, Bai Lin silently considered the possibilities.
He thought of the Rasengan, the jutsu Naruto used from the beginning to the very end.
The Sasuke Uchiha (Snake Sasuke) template didn't include the Rasengan, so he couldn't use it either.
He recalled how Naruto had trained to master the Rasengan.
"Okay, first this, then this, and finally this."
"Great. Once Kushina finishes this stage of training, I'll teach her the Rasengan."
Bai Lin mentally went through the Rasengan's training method, reviewing the essential principles of compressing, rotating, and concentrating Chakra.
It required no complicated Hand Seals and relied entirely on Chakra control, making it perfect for compensating for her lack of precision while maximizing her advantage of having a vast supply of Chakra.
And the Rasengan was extremely powerful in close combat, which suited Kushina's bold, charging-into-battle nature perfectly.
Besides, the technique didn't require any particular talent. All she needed was hard work, and with Kushina's determination, she'd master it before long.
The day ended with Kushina's training.
Bai Lin was a little bored. Since he couldn't improve his own strength, he wouldn't have wanted to stick around if watching Kushina make progress little by little hadn't given him a sense of satisfaction.
He also found out that Kushina wasn't some rich heiress.
All that talk about her owning a whole street in Konoha was a lie.
If the Uzumaki Clan really had owned that much property in Konoha, Kushina wouldn't be the clan's only surviving member there now.
At the very least, some members of the Uzumaki Clan should have been managing their businesses in Konoha.
The next day.
Konoha.
Training at Training Ground 7, near the Forest of Death.
Tsunade stood in the middle of the training ground, a dark look on her face.
Two girls stood before her. One was sweet and pretty, with bright red hair; the other was quiet and graceful, with black hair and dark eyes.
That brat. Did he have no sense of time? He was already so late, and still hadn't shown up.
The students taking part in the graduation assessment had already been assigned to their instructors.
Tsunade had thought Hiruzen Sarutobi would only hand Bai Lin over to her. She hadn't expected him to add two girls as well.
Did he think she didn't have a temper?
What was she supposed to teach people with no talent for medical ninjutsu?
Tsunade irritably kicked a pebble at her feet, cursing Hiruzen Sarutobi in her mind over and over.
She had never been keen on taking on newcomers, and now she had to teach three at once.
Seeing how impatient Tsunade looked, Kushina shrank back a little and silently prayed for Bai Lin.
"Sister Tsunade, Brother Lin..." Kushina tried to speak up for Bai Lin, but Tsunade cut her off.
"Kushina, I don't mind you calling me Tsunade in private, but during work, call me Teacher Tsunade!" Tsunade's tone was unfriendly. Anyone who got on her nerves now would just have to consider themselves unlucky.
'Brother Lin?' The other girl heard Kushina's words, and her eyes flickered almost imperceptibly before quickly returning to normal.
This wasn't the right time to ask. She'd wait until later.
Kushina shrank back in fright and quickly corrected herself. "Yes, Teacher Tsunade!"
"Well, well, if it isn't Tsunade."
A familiar, teasing voice came from outside the training ground. Two people walked over, led by Jiraiya, with a cheerful-looking blond boy following behind him: Minato Namikaze.
Seeing Jiraiya, Tsunade's face darkened even further. "What are you doing here? Got nothing better to do?"
"I asked Teacher Sarutobi for a student. Look, this is my student, Minato Namikaze." Jiraiya patted Minato on the shoulder, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "I'm very happy with him. He'll definitely be just as good as your students in the future!"
"Hahaha!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily, paying no attention to Tsunade's increasingly dark expression.
Minato stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Tsunade, and smiled brightly. "Lady Tsunade, classmate Kushina, and you too, senior. It's nice to meet you! I'm Minato Namikaze. I hope we'll get along!"
"You're happy, are you?"
Tsunade's voice was cold as ice. She clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking. She was clearly on the verge of losing her temper.
That bastard Jiraiya had not only shown up in front of her, but had the nerve to flaunt his student. He was practically asking for it!
And seeing how obedient and well-mannered Minato was, she immediately felt even more disgruntled.
The person least suited to teaching students had been assigned three of them. Meanwhile, Jiraiya—who didn't exactly seem like a proper person, even if he was good at teaching students—had gotten a student simply by putting in a request.
Someone had to be behind this!
Jiraiya, huh? You've just earned yourself a death sentence.
Only then did Jiraiya realize something was wrong. He reined in his smile and said awkwardly, "W-what's wrong? Why are you so angry, Tsunade?"
He knew Tsunade's temper all too well. If he really made her snap, even he wouldn't get off lightly.
"What's wrong?" Tsunade sneered. The Chakra around her surged, and fine cracks spread across the ground. "You have the nerve to ask?"
"Can't you see I'm in a bad mood? And you still come here to show off. Jiraiya, do you think I'm nice and easy to bully?"
Before she had even finished speaking, Tsunade flashed forward. Her fist, reinforced with Super Strength, whooshed toward Jiraiya's face.
Bai Lin had truly infuriated her. Now she was annoyed with everyone.
"Whoa! Tsunade, are you crazy?" Jiraiya cried in terror, quickly dodging to the side.
Her fist grazed his cheek and slammed into the tree behind him. With a boom, the thick trunk snapped instantly, scattering into powder.