"This sticky, slimy feeling is absolutely disgusting."
In the end, Tsunade chose to put on her kimono. After all, it was Senju Tsunade, the genin, who was taking the exam—not a cat. Plus, she hadn't forgotten she still needed to complete the mission: An Elegant Victory.
Of course, looking like a drenched mess was far from elegant—more like disgraceful. So after dressing, she used the Transformation Jutsu to make the outfit look brand new. Appearance was everything, after all.
"Your gear."
Orochimaru's voice rang out. A glinting Konoha forehead protector soared through the sunlight in a graceful arc. Tsunade reached out and caught it mid-air.
"Yep, being human definitely feels better," Tsunade sighed, biting down on one end of the forehead protector and yanking it tight with her hand, securing it firmly on her arm. "Let's wrap this up fast—I need to go home and change."
"Want to see who racks up the higher kill count?"
Orochimaru sounded almost giddy as he posed the challenge, unconsciously slipping into his signature move. He hadn't fought side by side with Tsunade since the First Great Ninja War. In these peaceful times, the most they'd done were genin-level missions—bodyguard work, delivering confidential documents. Fights were rare. And even when danger cropped up, it was usually just some petty thugs.
"I don't take advantage of the weak."
Tsunade rejected the idea without hesitation. She came here with a mission to complete, not to mess around with Orochimaru in some kill-count competition. That would totally ruin the vibe. And if she went a little overboard, her Elegant Victory might just turn into a Terrifying Slaughter.
More importantly, using Water Release had drained her chakra like crazy. She'd maintained it for two hours and twenty minutes straight—only reverting to human form after everyone left the test site. The chakra depletion was brutal. Even for someone from the Senju clan, known for their massive reserves, she was running on fumes. She still hadn't recovered.
All in all, only Jiraiya—who had just joined the battle—was still at full power.
Which meant it was time to switch to the most energy-efficient combat mode.
"Let's go. Jiraiya's probably reaching his limit, too."
Eyes on the battlefield, Tsunade stepped forward, stomping her foot on the half-dead husky as she passed.
Orochimaru didn't say anything more. He followed suit, stepping on the husky too. Honestly, a lot of his earlier humiliation was thanks to this dog's constant blunders.
Husky: QAQ
Orochimaru was now convinced: the husky's combat power was laughable, though its vitality was slightly impressive. Not bad as a punching bag. It actually complemented Tsunade's seemingly violent tendencies quite well.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was barely managing to fend off the barrage of jutsu coming at him from every direction. If not for the giant toad beneath him helping out, he might've already been toast. Still, this chaos highlighted Jiraiya's strength. Though not innately gifted, he was clearly a cut above the average ninja—no surprise considering he was the Third Hokage's student. He just didn't shine as brightly as his fellow disciples, Tsunade and Orochimaru.
That said, his recent training at Mount Myōboku had boosted his strength considerably—this wasn't just an illusion.
Of course, even that didn't make him invincible in a one-against-dozens fight. Most of these enemy genin were veterans of the First Great Ninja War—they weren't pushovers. Jiraiya's survival was largely thanks to the strange, delicate balance of the current battlefield.
Konoha ninjas were reinforcing, Cloud and Sand were on the offensive, and Mist and Stone were off to the side—already brawling with each other.
The chaos seemed to organize itself with Jiraiya's arrival, but any keen observer would notice that this "balance" made perfect sense.
During the First Great Ninja War, a potential Fire-Lightning alliance fell apart after a coup in the Hidden Cloud Village. The Hokage's death left Konoha's ninjas seething with hatred toward the Cloud, so once the brawl broke out, they targeted them relentlessly. Meanwhile, the Mizukage and Tsuchikage had killed each other, leaving Mist and Stone locked in bitter enmity. They clashed instantly on sight.
As for the Sand ninja—Wind Country had actually suffered the least in the war. Their Kazekage was the only Second Kage to survive, while all other nations lost theirs. This gave the Second Kazekage an edge over the other current Kage. So the Sand ninja simply couldn't tolerate Konoha strutting around as if they owned the place.
And so, the supposedly neutral Sand ninja joined the Cloud in fighting Konoha.
Amid the battlefield between Konoha and the allied Cloud and Sand, the brightest figure was undoubtedly the young man wielding a short chakra blade glowing with white light. He dashed in and out of enemy ranks like a phantom—silent as shadow, swift as lightning. First came the flash of white, then a spray of blood.
He was the last scion—the young master—of the Hatake clan. A genius of the same generation as Tsunade and Orochimaru. Though he hadn't made a name for himself during the First Great Ninja War, and wasn't widely known across the ninja world, those who did know him were well aware—
Among the genin of their generation, the Hatake heir was the undisputed strongest.
He just kept a low profile. Unlike Tsunade and Orochimaru, who were known as the Third Hokage's star pupils, the Hatake prodigy never sought fame. Yet insiders knew: his strength potentially surpassed both Tsunade's and Orochimaru's. And he had Tsunade's raw power combined with Orochimaru's cunning.
When the Chūnin Exams were being planned, even Jōnin Shimura Danzō had proposed putting the Hatake heir on the same team as Tsunade and Orochimaru—figuring they could steamroll the competition. But Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected the idea outright, without giving any reason.
As it turned out, the Hatake heir's teammates were two of Tsunade's old acquaintances: her number one lackey Kato Dan, and Might Duy—who had awkwardly asked her out (or asked to mate?) that very morning.
The moment Tsunade saw Kato Dan, her blood boiled. The humiliation she suffered during the written test came flooding back all at once. Didn't he say there was no one named "Eagle" in his family?!
Kato Dan was struggling against a Sand ninja, but upon spotting Tsunade rushing over with her stern face, his expression lit up with relief. While Dan was outstanding among his peers, he couldn't compare to someone like the Hatake genius. He was probably on the same level as Jiraiya—minus the Mount Myōboku training. Holding out this long under siege was already impressive.
The Sand ninja facing away from Tsunade sensed the danger, but it was too late. A punch carrying decades of pent-up rage smashed into his back. With a deafening bang, the Sand ninja was sent flying—tracing an arc through the air before crashing into a wall, leaving a massive crater as he embedded into the stone.
In that instant, Tsunade stood tall, her long hair flowing wildly like a demoness risen from hell.
Kato Dan was dumbstruck by the carnage. But more than that—he was deeply moved. Even though they hadn't hung out much lately, Big Sis clearly still cared about her little bro!
Or so he thought.
The very next moment, Tsunade grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward.
"You said—you said there was no one in your family named 'Eagle'!"
"Huh?"
Kato Dan was completely baffled by the sudden outburst.
"He licked a girl's... fluids!"
Tsunade's voice was trembling with fury. Her eyes welled up with tears of grief, her whole face twisted in sorrow.
"Even I haven't done that yet!"
"Our Kato family really doesn't have anyone named Eagle... That's Uncle Eagle from the Inuzuka family next door..."
(End of Chapter)