The last one is Tsunade Senju, the princess of the Senju clan, the biggest clan in Konoha. You must have already seen her ninjutsu, right?"
Yukari lowered her eyelids and glanced at the six Konoha ninjas before pulling an apple from her pocket. She wiped it on her clothes, bit into it, and started chewing, her expression unreadable, making it hard to tell what was going through her mind.
"Unreasonably strong."
The response came from the youngest, Ayame Hoshizawa. Unlike Yukari, she was intensely staring at Tsunade, focusing on this woman who was said to be her equal both in power and status. The Hoshizawa clan's situation was somewhat similar to the Senju clan's. Just as the First Hokage came from the Senju clan, the First Tsuchikage also came from the Hoshizawa clan.
Unlike the Senju, however, after the brutal First Shinobi World War, the Hoshizawa clan did not decline but instead remained firmly seated at the top of Iwagakure, while the Senju clan, despite still holding the title of Konoha's most powerful clan, had clearly fallen behind the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
In short, given the similarity in their backgrounds, comparisons between Ayame and Tsunade were inevitable.
The cruel part was, despite Ayame abandoning many of the joys that a typical girl would have to focus on boring, grueling training from a young age; despite the heavy sacrifices she had to endure that would be unbearable for any regular girl; despite the "genius" halo above her head, just like Tsunade's...
She still got scared shitless by Tsunade.
To explain this, we have to go back to the eve of the First Shinobi World War, when the Second Tsuchikage visited Konoha. At that time, Tsunade was five, and Ayame was four.
At that time, Ayame was temporarily staying with the Senju family, and Tsunade, in Ayame's eyes, was just a kind and friendly older sister.
Though they didn't spend a lot of time together, Ayame enjoyed Tsunade's head pats, something she would always cherish. Until Tsunade tricked her with a lollipop and sold her to a brothel...
The terrifying events that occurred in between are better left unsaid, but after that, Ayame developed a deep hatred for Tsunade, especially when people compared her to Tsunade, this hypocritical woman. She wished she could tear Tsunade apart with her own hands.
So when she heard that Tsunade would be taking part in the Chunin Exams, Ayame, disregarding her family's objections, signed up, intending to defeat Tsunade fair and square in the exams and avenge the humiliation Tsunade had caused her. She also wanted to make it clear to others: Tsunade Senju had nothing on her, except for her chest!
In fact, the higher-ups of Iwagakure, led by the Third Tsuchikage, didn't take this so-called Chunin Exams seriously and didn't intend to send over any strong ninjas. Although Ayame's team was impressive, it wasn't personally selected by the Third Tsuchikage but was formed by Ayame herself.
Let's not even get started on Daruo. He was the type who thrived on chaos, always itching for trouble. Normally restricted to Iwagakure, he was thrilled at the chance to leave, and when Ayame offered to take him along, he immediately agreed without hesitation. To get Daruo out, Ayame had to beg the Third Tsuchikage, someone she usually didn't get along with.
Yukari, a well-known figure in the village, was also approached by Ayame. Without a second thought, Yukari rejected her offer, reasoning that the Chunin Exams were just a personal showcase of Konoha, a game she had no interest in playing.
But there was nothing that a stack of money couldn't solve. If one stack didn't work, two would.
When two stacks of money were thrown in Yukari's face, she shamefully found the Chunin Exams suddenly much more interesting.
"I really want to see her explode," Daruo said with excitement, but still remembered the Third Tsuchikage's warnings. He obeyed Ayame's orders and refrained from attacking. From the beginning of the chaos, he wanted to jump into the battlefield and cause destruction, but Yukari suggested they conserve their strength. Ayame took her advice and ended up flying up to observe the situation.
"Not just ninjutsu, Tsunade's best skill is actually taijutsu," Yukari said, taking another bite of her apple as she spoke, "There isn't enough data to compare her strength, but it's said that no one has ever survived a full-strength punch from her."
"Hmph, I don't think it's as scary as the rumors say," Ayame scoffed, clearly unimpressed. After all, rumors always get distorted. What they didn't say in the rumors was that Tsunade was known for using a sword, and now she was pulling out a long sword that looked difficult to wield.
So, the rumors weren't reliable.
Yukari shrugged indifferently, "You've all seen how Tsunade crushed that Sand ninja's upper body, right? I wouldn't recommend verifying the rumor yourself." Then she continued, "Now, let's get back to business."
As she took another bite of her apple, Yukari added, "Given the current situation, I have three strategies for you to choose from: the worst, teaming up with other examiners to overwhelm the proctor; the middle, working with the Cloud ninja to take down the guy with the green skin and thick eyebrows; or the best, teaming up with the Cloud ninja to take down the foolish toad prince."
"Isn't it easier to defeat Might Guy?" Ayame asked, confused. "Why is defeating the harder opponent, Jiraiya, considered the best choice?"
"Because defeating Jiraiya would directly eliminate Tsunade and Orochimaru."
Yukari continued munching on the apple but didn't realize she had eaten it all, leaving only the core. When she bit down, she ended up biting her own tongue.
"Ow… that hurts."
Yukari groaned in pain, sticking out her tongue before continuing, "Kikashi Saigumo's best skill is short blade close combat. With Daruo having air superiority, he has an absolute advantage against him. If the goal is to win, eliminating Tsunade and Orochimaru here would be the wisest choice."
Even her tactics were already planned out. First, feign an attack on the weakest, Might Guy, then have the other Konoha ninjas protect him, while secretly waiting for an opportunity to take out Jiraiya. It seemed like it wouldn't be that hard if she just timed it right.
Though her plan was straightforward and crude, it should work well.
"No, I want to defeat that woman fairly in the third round of the exam!" Ayame declared, her attitude resolute, her tightly pressed lips saying it all: this matter was non-negotiable.
"As long as you're happy," Yukari shrugged, then stuck her tongue out again, still feeling pain. She had originally wanted another apple, but now her appetite was gone due to the injury.
"Then let's go for the green-skinned, thick-browed guy," Ayame decided.
At that moment, Tsunade suddenly stood up, raising her weapon straight at the examiners.
"I will break that boring plan of yours!"
(End of Chapter)