He had thought the old man would come through, but from the look of things, Tsunade was still Tsunade.
At that thought, Yuzuru's attitude did a complete one-eighty.
"Pretty lady, could you let me go? I was just joking. Can we call a truce?"
"Pfft."
Kakashi was the first to laugh at that.
Yuzuru could only pretend he hadn't heard, looking up at Tsunade like a good little boy and blinking his big eyes, trying to get out of this by acting cute.
Tsunade couldn't help laughing at his switch from arrogance to deference, then flicked Yuzuru on the forehead, neither too lightly nor too hard.
To her credit, Tsunade knew how to hold back. The flick wasn't light, but it didn't hurt too much either, merely leaving a clear red mark on Yuzuru's forehead.
"You rude little brat. Ready to give in now?"
"Hehe, I was just playing around. Besides, I love playing with pretty ladies."
Kushina was laughing so hard she couldn't close her mouth, her arm draped over Minato's shoulder beside her as her body shook.
Seeing this, Yuzuru simply gave up. He had already embarrassed himself enough. Why was his dad such a coward? Couldn't he show a little of a senior's authority?
Sigh, forget it. I didn't lose out anyway.
Lying across Tsunade's thighs, Yuzuru simply stopped moving.
"All right, you little brat, stop playing dead. Minato wants to see that new Ninjutsu of yours. If it really is impressive, we're willing to trade other Ninjutsu for it."
With that, Tsunade gave Yuzuru another smack on the butt.
"Oh, fine. Then I want powerful Ninjutsu."
"Whatever you want. Hurry up."
Tsunade urged him on.
At that, Yuzuru stopped fooling around and reluctantly got up from Tsunade's lap.
"Follow me. It'll be easier to see outside."
Everyone followed Yuzuru out into the courtyard.
Yuzuru first casually created a large block of ice and scraped it with a kunai.
Jiraiya, who had long since run out of patience, asked, "Your new Ninjutsu isn't Ice Release, is it?"
"This is just to give you a clearer idea of this Ninjutsu's power. This block of ice is as hard as a finely made kunai like this one."
With that, Yuzuru walked up to the block of ice and held out his right hand.
The next second, a large amount of chakra gathered in his hand, and a blue chakra sphere appeared in his palm with a piercing whine.
Everyone's eyes lit up at the sight, especially Minato's.
"Rasengan!"
Yuzuru thrust the Rasengan straight into the ice. Its surface tore open instantly, then the entire block shattered along the cracks.
Its power was nothing short of astonishing.
Tsunade and the others grew serious, their gazes full of disbelief as they looked at Yuzuru.
"You really created this Ninjutsu?"
Jiraiya asked incredulously.
Yuzuru shrugged. "Can you find anyone else who uses it?"
"This Ninjutsu of yours doesn't require hand seals?"
Tsunade asked.
"That's right. It doesn't need hand seals, but it does require a certain level of chakra control. Its chakra consumption is also on the high side. After all, the entire Rasengan is formed from condensed chakra, so it's best used to catch someone off guard and win with a single strike. Of course, as a sealless Ninjutsu, that's its greatest use."
Yuzuru nodded as he spoke.
Minato, standing nearby, was completely won over. He approached Yuzuru. "Yuzuru-kun, please teach me this Ninjutsu. I can feel it. This Ninjutsu suits me perfectly."
At his words, Tsunade and Jiraiya realized it at the same time.
Flying Thunder God paired with the Rasengan-just imagining it was outrageously underhanded.
Flying Thunder God was already difficult to predict. Paired with a sealless Ninjutsu with such terrifying destructive power, it could truly catch someone off guard and win in a single strike.
"Of course."
Yuzuru nodded, then looked at Jiraiya.
"Ahem. How about I trade you my Summoning Technique?"
Jiraiya looked at Yuzuru with a smile.
"No. A Summoning Technique isn't worth enough."
Yuzuru turned his head away.
"This is Mount Myōboku's Summoning Technique! The toads of Mount Myōboku are incredibly powerful."
Jiraiya immediately grew anxious and hurried to explain.
"No! They're too ugly!"
"Clang!!!"
Hearing Yuzuru's assessment, Jiraiya felt as though he had taken a critical hit.
"You rotten brat. Looks like I need to show you just how powerful Mount Myōboku's toads are. Summoning-"
"Bang!"
Before Jiraiya could finish his hand seals, Tsunade punched him straight into the ground.
"Don't go making such a huge commotion in the village, you idiot, Jiraiya."
Seeing Jiraiya's head buried underground, Yuzuru even wondered whether he was still alive.
Clearly, however, Jiraiya was already used to Tsunade's surprise attacks. Before long, he pulled his head out of the dirt.
Tsunade ignored him and looked at Yuzuru.
"Then, Yuzuru, could you tell me what kind of Ninjutsu you want?"
At that, Yuzuru looked at Tsunade.
Had anyone else said that, Yuzuru might have doubted them, but Tsunade was different.
Whatever Konoha had, Tsunade had. Whatever Konoha didn't have, Tsunade had too. That was what it meant to have Tobirama as her second grandfather.
His eyes darted about before Yuzuru walked up beside Tsunade and asked with a grin, "Um, could I skip the Ninjutsu and become your apprentice instead?"
Everyone looked at Yuzuru in surprise.
Tsunade was even more surprised. She looked at the pretty little brat before her. "Are you sure?"
"What I specialize in isn't ordinary Ninjutsu."
"I know. Medical Ninjutsu, right? To tell you the truth, Big Sister Tsunade, I've always wanted to learn Medical Ninjutsu."
Everyone gave him strange looks.
He had created the Rasengan, an offensive Ninjutsu that was both immensely destructive and underhanded, and now he was saying he wanted to learn Medical Ninjutsu? Was he kidding?
Tsunade looked at Yuzuru. Her instincts told her this brat was surely plotting something bad. By rights, she ought to refuse, but his talent was incredibly tempting.
She hadn't taken a formal apprentice yet. Jiraiya's apprentice Minato was so outstanding. As a fellow member of the Sannin, her own apprentice naturally couldn't fall too far behind.
After much consideration, Tsunade's red lips curled slightly.
"All right!"
Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo were both stunned.
"You're really taking this little guy as your apprentice?" Jiraiya looked at Tsunade.
"What? Can't I? I'm sure Sakumo-senpai would agree, wouldn't you?"
Tsunade shot Jiraiya a glance, then looked at Sakumo beside them.
"Of course."
Sakumo was naturally more than willing. After all, Tsunade wasn't merely powerful. More importantly, her status was extraordinary too.
"Then from now on, I'm your teacher. Stick with me, and I guarantee you'll live the good life."
Tsunade patted Yuzuru on the shoulder.
Yuzuru: ...
More like hiding here and there.
"Hey, hey, hey. Now that that's settled, Yuzuru, shouldn't you teach Minato your Rasengan?"
"Of course."
Yuzuru nodded lightly.
Afterward, Yuzuru explained the Rasengan's key points and the simplest training method to Minato. Minato already had a concept in mind, and with just a little guidance from Yuzuru, he immediately understood what to do next.
In just half an hour, Minato had completely mastered the Rasengan.
Returning something to its original owner really was fast.
"Thank you so much, Yuzuru. If you ever need my help, just say the word. I won't casually teach this Ninjutsu to anyone else, either."
Minato looked at Yuzuru with deep gratitude.
At those words, Jiraiya's eye twitched slightly, then he sidled over again.
"Well, Yuzuru, are you really not going to consider my Summoning Technique? This is Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Lands. Every toad there is incredibly powerful."
"Jiraiya!"
Tsunade flexed her knuckles, giving him a hostile look.
"Ahem, well, since we're done here, I'll take Minato and head out."
With that, Jiraiya left with Minato.
Watching Minato leave, Kushina was just about to follow, but a glance at the sky showed it was already evening. She could only give up and stay with Tsunade.