Tsunade's Test

The days passed one by one, and he gradually learned the Three Basic Jutsu. Everything went on as usual.

Lately, Yueshu had managed to cement his position as Konoha's number-one prodigy.

After the Kushina incident, the Ninja Academy kept adding more practical combat lessons. As a result, Minato Namikaze and Yueshu found themselves sparring more and more often. That was how Yueshu had managed to secure his place as Konoha's number-one prodigy.

How had he secured it? Simple. Yueshu hadn't lost a single match against Minato Namikaze. In fact, he'd crushed him—and not just once.

After a while, Yueshu's position as Konoha's number-one prodigy was firmly established.

Fortunately, Minato Namikaze wasn't an ordinary person. Even after being defeated time and again, he refused to give up. He would always get back to his feet, determined to keep climbing rather than lose heart and quit. As a result, he was several times stronger than his original counterpart—at least at this point in time.

During this period, Yueshu kept up his steady training. After the Kushina incident, Konoha had tightened its defenses, and spies from outside the village were being exposed one after another. Konoha was more peaceful now, too, and Yueshu's system hadn't popped up again.

Kushina, however, had changed a little. Neither Yueshu nor Minato Namikaze had much time to spend with their peers because of their training, and neither had any friends. But recently, Kushina had actually made friends with a girl her own age, and the two had grown closer and closer.

Yueshu was curious, so he probed a little and learned who the girl was.

Mikoto Uchiha, the girl Kushina had recently befriended, had medium-length black hair. Unlike Kushina, she had a gentle personality and a soft appearance, and seemed a little shy.

Yueshu was a little surprised when he heard that Mikoto Uchiha was the girl's name.

Why? Simple.

She was Sasuke's mother. How could he not be surprised?

But in the original story, Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha had been best friends. He just hadn't expected the two to have only recently met.

Things at school were as usual, but things at home had changed a little. Yueshu could sense a difference in Tsunade.

He usually found Tsunade lounging around or sitting back with a cup of tea when he got home. Recently, though, he often couldn't find her at all. Even Shizune, who usually stayed by Tsunade's side, had no idea where she was.

Yueshu didn't think too much of it. He assumed Tsunade had gone on a mission. As one of the Sannin, she was still a top-tier ninja despite her fear of blood, so it was only natural that she'd have missions to take care of.

Another day of classes ended, and when Yueshu returned home, Tsunade was already there. As usual, she was sitting at ease, drinking the tea Shizune had brewed.

"What's been going on lately? You're often nowhere to be found."

As he tied on an apron, Yueshu asked Tsunade. He and Shizune took turns cooking, so she wouldn't have to do too much. Besides, Yueshu rather enjoyed cooking.

"I ran into a bit of trouble."

Tsunade took a small sip of tea and breathed out a wisp of steam.

"Is it serious?"

"In a way, yes."

"Is that so? Be careful, then."

Yueshu offered a token word of concern and prepared to start cooking.

"Yueshu, I have a question for you."

Tsunade's voice took on a slightly more serious tone, but Yueshu didn't notice. He had already picked up a kitchen knife and started chopping vegetables.

"What is it?"

"Do you know about the First?"

"Of course. He was the founder of Konoha, a legendary ninja hailed as the God of Shinobi."

"Do you know about the First's unique Kekkei Genkai?"

"Wood Release? Even a three-year-old knows about that."

Tsunade and Yueshu traded lines, chatting as casually as usual, though the topic was a little different.

"Then..."

"You know that after the First, no one from the Senju Clan ever awakened Wood Release again, right?"

The sound of chopping stopped abruptly, and the room fell silent.

"I know."

After a moment, Yueshu's voice came from the kitchen.

He continued chopping, but this time he slowed down. He'd noticed the probing undertone in Tsunade's words.

"Is that so?"

"If—just hypothetically—if you could use Wood Release like the First, how would you feel?"

Tsunade's voice came from outside, and Yueshu understood what she was getting at.

Perhaps she hadn't figured him out yet, but she had definitely noticed something.

"I'd be thrilled, of course. It's the First's Kekkei Genkai—the God of Shinobi's Kekkei Genkai. Just thinking about it gets me excited."

Yueshu sounded excited, but the next moment, his voice settled back down.

"But I don't have any grand ambitions. Even if I had Wood Release, I wouldn't know what to do with it. I just want to open a little shop and live an easygoing life, after all. I'm nothing like those people who want to become Hokage."

"But it's Wood Release."

"I know. So what?"

Listening to Yueshu's calm tone, Tsunade thought he sounded less like a boy and more like an old man, without a shred of drive.

"You really are like an old man. I wonder who you learned that from."

Tsunade teased him with a helpless laugh.

"Well, it's just a normal way to think. Being Hokage sounds like a pain. You have to deal with so much, and once you become Hokage, you might not even have time to go home. You'd spend every day buried in paperwork."

"Then your family life falls apart, your son has a terrible relationship with you, and even when you take a day off, you might suddenly have to go back to work. That sounds exhausting."

Yueshu went on and on, leaving Tsunade dumbfounded.

"Hey, hey, it can't be that bad. Everyone wants to become Hokage, but you make it sound like the worst job in the world."

A slight smile appeared on Tsunade's face. What Yueshu said really was amusing. The Hokage, a glorious position representing Konoha's strongest ninja, sounded utterly miserable when he described it. If her teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, heard him, he'd probably spit blood.

"Well, there are all sorts of reasons. Being Hokage isn't as great as people think. It's better to open a little shop and live a relaxed, peaceful life."

Yueshu's voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of chopping. The mood between him and Tsunade returned to the way it had been before.

"You really are a strange kid."

"Maybe. But I don't dislike being this way. Peace is best. Fighting all the time is no fun."

"Haha, true."

Tsunade laughed and took another sip of tea.

The sunlight outside slowly faded as night crept in. The smell of food quietly drifted out of the kitchen.

"Peace, huh?"

Tsunade glanced outside.

"Wow, that smells delicious! Is Yueshu cooking today? I've been looking forward to it!"

Shizune's energetic voice came from outside. The door opened and closed, and another dark-haired figure appeared in the living room.

"Shizune, come help me carry these."

"Coming, coming!"

The aroma wafted up and far away, stirring warm memories. Words exchanged around the dining table drifted along with the fragrance, then slowly passed with the day.

Trees grew as they were meant to, and flowers bloomed with the changing seasons. Everything went on repeating itself——