Refusal

"Alright, then from today on, you are my..." Tsunade smiled, preparing to accept her first disciple, but she froze before she could finish her sentence, thinking she had misheard.

"I refuse! I am not willing!" The smile on Hyuga Nichigetsu's face had long since vanished. He looked at Tsunade and stated firmly, his tone brook no argument.

"Why?!" Tsunade was stunned, her heart filled with confusion and a touch of anger.

"Because you are not qualified to be my master! You are not up to standard!" Nichigetsu's gaze turned sharp. He stared straight at Tsunade, his presence not losing out to hers in the slightest, and spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.

"I'm not qualified? Not up to standard?!" Fire rose in Tsunade's heart. She was one of the Sannin, and her medical ninjutsu was famous across the entire continent. She had the strength, she had the seniority, and she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage. If she wasn't qualified, who was?

Suppressing her anger, Tsunade glared at Nichigetsu and demanded, "Why am I not qualified? Is my strength insufficient? Or is my medical ninjutsu not good enough?"

Nichigetsu shook his head. "Lady Tsunade, your strength is formidable, and your medical ninjutsu is the best."

Tsunade's expression darkened further, her brows knitting together. "Then do you think your medical skills are so advanced that you no longer need to learn medical ninjutsu?"

Nichigetsu held his head high, showing no fear. "I am well aware of my own medical skills; there are few in the entire Land of Fire who can compare to me. However, there is no end to learning. Medical ninjutsu would be of great benefit to my practice and could make up for many of my shortcomings. I truly wish to learn it."

"Then how am I not qualified?!" Tsunade stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Nichigetsu, her face full of fury.

"Lady Tsunade! Taking on a disciple isn't just about you wanting to take me; I have also been observing whether you are qualified to be my master. Unfortunately, you do not meet the criteria!" Nichigetsu wagged his index finger at her.

A giant vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead, and she was so furious that she felt as if smoke were rising from her hair. She gritted her teeth and glared at Hyuga Nichigetsu; if Dan Kato had been awake to see her like this, he surely would have been terrified. Nichigetsu knew how terrifying Tsunade was when she lost her temper, yet he looked at her with unyielding defiance. For the sake of his own dignity, he would not back down.

"Yes, I am only a six-year-old child. But that does not mean I lack strength! My strength is plain for all to see! I became a Chunin at five and have performed so many meritorious deeds—is that not enough for you to even spare a glance?"

"Lady Tsunade! I could overlook you looking down on my strength; compared to big shots like the Sannin, my strength as a mere Chunin is indeed nothing to look at. But you cannot insult my medical skills! Of course, you haven't seen them, and it's fine that you sent me to the logistics department. But my strength is there—would you lose anything by testing my medical skills? Would you lose anything by giving me a chance? You wouldn't even give me one opportunity, so why should I give you one?"

"I..." Tsunade was choked for words. She had indeed underestimated Nichigetsu, never imagining that a six-year-old could possess such advanced medical knowledge. When Nichigetsu had asked her for a chance back then, she had rejected him, dismissing him as nothing more than "a brat with a high opinion of himself"...

"At the time, I didn't send you to the medical station because medicine is a very rigorous field. I thought you were just..."

"Just what? Just a six-year-old brat, right? Because I'm only six, my ability as a Chunin isn't recognized, so I can only go to logistics. Because I'm only six, the credit for the transport team annihilating the ambushing enemies has nothing to do with me. Because I'm only six, my medical skills aren't acknowledged. Is that it?" Nichigetsu shook his head in disappointment.

"This... but your medical skills have been acknowledged. I didn't realize it before, but I acknowledge you now." Tsunade looked at Nichigetsu earnestly. She knew what it felt like to be denied, and she knew she was in the wrong here.

"But Lady Tsunade! You have not received my acknowledgment! People have dignity!!" Nichigetsu shrugged dismissively, showing no regard for Tsunade's face, and turned to walk out of the ward. This time, he had stood his ground.

"What an arrogant little brat! There are plenty of people who want to beg me to take them as disciples! To tell you the truth, someone even used the Third Hokage's connections to ask me to take them on, and I rejected them outright! Now that I'm asking you, you're actually unwilling! Fine, be unwilling! I'll go find someone else to be my disciple! You super annoying brat!!" Tsunade's knuckles cracked as she gripped her fists, shouting angrily at the ward door.

If Tsunade hadn't brought that up, it would have been fine, but the moment she did, Nichigetsu remembered the recommendation letter from the Third Hokage. He recalled how Tsunade had flatly refused to take on any disciples, how she had looked down on him, and how she had ignored him time and again. Suddenly, Nichigetsu felt incredibly irritated and furious.

Nichigetsu stopped in his tracks and turned back. Tsunade wondered, Could this kid have changed his mind?

Nichigetsu pulled an envelope from his vest and tossed it to Tsunade. "I almost forgot to give this to you. Fortunately, you've already refused, so whatever is written inside is void! From now on, you and I have no, connection, whatsoever! After all, this is something neither of us wants. I'll just have the Third Hokage recommend another master for me later."

As he spoke, Nichigetsu walked away from the ward, muttering, "Jiraiya is actually not bad, Orochimaru could be considered too, and it would be even better if the Third Hokage taught me himself, seeing as he's the Professor of Shinobi. Yakushi Nono could count as one too... Anyway, there are plenty of people who want to take me as a disciple! As long as it isn't that woman Tsunade..."

Tsunade was left completely bewildered, her heart burning with rage. Is this annoying brat close with Hiruzen-sensei? What does he mean he has no connection to me? What is void? Jiraiya, Orochimaru? He wants Hiruzen-sensei to recommend a master? There are plenty of people who want him as a disciple? What is in this envelope? Fine, if he doesn't want me as a master, so be it! Hmph!!

Tsunade tore open the wax-sealed envelope. It seemed Nichigetsu hadn't opened it to read it himself. Inside was a letter labeled "Recommendation Letter." The handwriting looked familiar; the sender was signed "Sarutobi Hiruzen," and the recipient was Tsunade herself.

"Huh? A letter from Hiruzen-sensei?" Tsunade was surprised and began to read.

"Tsunade, how are things on the front lines? Take care of your health, don't always bury yourself in medical research, and be careful of the enemy's schemes when fighting. The village is peaceful, and everyone is doing well..." Tsunade looked closely; it was indeed Hiruzen-sensei's handwriting.

Tsunade continued reading: "By the way, I have something to tell you. Not long ago, I accidentally discovered a very interesting child. He is from the Hyuga clan, named Hyuga Nichigetsu. He enrolled at five and demanded to take the graduation exam on his second day of school. The teacher, Ebiki, wanted to teach him a lesson, but ended up being taught a lesson by him instead..."

The Third Hokage began to recount how he had met Hyuga Nichigetsu and how Nichigetsu trained. The more Tsunade read, the more astonished she became. This child... was a genius.

"This child's background is somewhat complicated. To protect him, I decided to help him find a master. I thought of the three of you. I originally wanted to recommend Orochimaru to him, but he insisted on having you as his master, saying he loved medicine and wanted to learn your medical ninjutsu. Seeing how determined he was, I agreed. Don't think of him as a 'connection-based' disciple and turn him away..." Reading this, Tsunade felt a pang of discomfort. Did this child want to be my disciple from the very beginning?

"He is about to graduate from the academy. To prevent him from being targeted too early, I used your name, telling the whole village that you had decided to take him as a disciple at his mother's request. Since he's going to be your disciple anyway, it doesn't hurt to let him act as one for now, right? Haha..." Tsunade finally realized who the "connection-based" disciple really was.

"I didn't expect that after following Dan Kato for a month, he would have done so much work, and his strength has reached the Chunin level. He participated in the Chunin exams... He used a self-created Gentle Fist technique to paralyze an elite Chunin sent by the Hyuga main branch to cause trouble. I can still remember Danzo's old face twitching. Haha... Everyone in the village says you have a great eye for talent to have such a good disciple. You didn't take him because of connections, but because he is worth your guidance..."

Tsunade suddenly recalled the report about the transport team being ambushed. From discovering the enemy's tracks and planning the ambush on the Hidden Sand, to surrounding the enemy, intercepting the fleeing ninja, and even killing and capturing the enemy Jonin—Nichigetsu's name was in all of it. Nichigetsu had performed great deeds, yet she had ignored his contributions... Only now did Tsunade realize that Nichigetsu was a true Chunin. She had previously thought he was "just a bratty Genin with a high opinion of himself"...

"I sent him to the front lines to find you so he could gain experience through real combat. As his master, you must guide him at all times."

"Although his mother was just an ordinary person from a branch of the Senju clan, he is, like you, a descendant of the Senju, carrying the same bloodline. As his elder, you should look after him."

"His parents are both dead, and the Hyuga main branch is keeping a close eye on him. As his superior, you must protect him..."

After finishing the Third Hokage's letter, Tsunade felt as if a bottle of mixed flavors had been overturned in her heart. She couldn't forget the crisis at the medical station when everyone had been in despair. Nichigetsu had been disappointed in her, yet he had still stepped in to turn the tide and save the station. When Dan Kato's heart stopped and she had collapsed in despair, it was Nichigetsu who arrived in time to save his life and help her find the strength to carry on.

He must be so disappointed in me, right? The master he was determined to have from the start refused to take him before they even met, viewing him as a burden brought in by connections. If Nichigetsu had brought me this letter back then and said he was my disciple, I probably would have kicked him out without even looking at it. I rejected him just like that—what would the people in the village think of him?

I ignored his strength the moment we met, overlooked his contributions, denied all his efforts, and didn't even give him a chance, throwing him straight into the logistics department. I didn't even know who my own disciple was, yet I deeply wounded his pride and didn't even look at him properly...

And from start to finish, I never knew what kind of person this 'connection-based' disciple really was. A master like me isn't worth having...

Now, after wounding his pride, I come running to say I want to take him as a disciple. How could he possibly agree? He wants to learn medical ninjutsu, but he still refused outright. Not for any other reason, but for his dignity, to stand up for himself...

In truth, Tsunade had already begun to view Nichigetsu as her disciple without even realizing it. She suddenly realized she had lost a good disciple—one she would never have again—and was filled with regret. Perhaps there had been many misunderstandings and biases, but she had truly looked down on him. Had she really been too arrogant?

"Perhaps... I really am not qualified..." Tsunade murmured to herself.