When A heard the last sentence, he thought Shin had taken the bait. He continued provoking him with words. "Don't you want to shed that reputation of yours? If I were in your position, I'd prove to everyone that I deserve someone like Tsunade. Now I understand why she barely acknowledges you exist."
Shin, however, remained completely unmoved by A's taunts. Looking at him with something resembling pity, he replied, "Someone with your limited intelligence... If Kumo's future rests on people like you, your village won't survive the next decade."
A was about to lose his mind.
In all his years, he'd never been so thoroughly dismissed in such a short span of time. The casual way Shin delivered the insult, as if stating a simple fact, made it even more infuriating.
But unfortunately, this was Konoha, and Tsunade, who had once pinned him down and beaten him senseless, was here. He didn't even have the freedom to lash out.
Suddenly struck by an idea, he said, "You said earlier that fighting me wouldn't serve any purpose for you, right? Then how about we make a bet?"
Hearing the word "bet," Shin showed a trace of interest and asked, "What are we betting?"
"If you beat me, I'll admit you're the only man worthy of Tsunade."
Shin was speechless. You think I need your approval?
Such a low-level provocation, how could he possibly take it seriously?
Shaking his head, he directly grabbed Tsunade's hand and didn't even glance at A as he said, "Come on. If we stay around this level of stupidity much longer, it might actually be contagious."
"Stop right there!" A shouted angrily, "What's wrong? Too afraid to back up your words?"
"It's not fear," Shin replied without turning around, "It's that your offer isn't worth the effort. I don't need some stranger to tell me what I already know about my relationship."
"Ahhh!" A suddenly burst with chakra and roared, "Then what do you want to bet?"
"It's simple." Seeing that A had finally taken the bait, Shin turned around with a smile and said, "If I win, you have to publicly promise that Kumo won't start a war with Konoha for any reason within the next two years. Can you make that promise?"
A's eyes flickered as he weighed Shin's proposal. In the end, he realized it was a promise he could indeed make. Not to mention the Third Raikage had given him significant autonomy, he also knew his father had no intention of starting a war with Konoha to begin with.
He had only been using war threats as a bargaining tactic.
After a moment, he asked Shin, "And if you lose?"
"If I lose, I'll admit you're impressive," Shin said seriously.
"That's it?" A thought he'd misheard.
"That's not enough?" Shin was genuinely shocked. "Besides, you're the one who insisted on this fight. I didn't ask for it. So, are you interested or not? If you're having second thoughts, just say so. Don't waste any more of my time."
"Fine!" A growled through clenched teeth. "But don't expect me to hold back. I won't be responsible if you get hurt."
Anyone could hear the threat in A's words, but Shin didn't take it seriously at all.
As for A, the thought of losing never crossed his mind. His goal was simple: to beat the hell out of Shin and vent his anger.
Shin was worried A would back out, but A was just as afraid Shin wouldn't accept, or that Tsunade would stop him.
Fortunately, none of those worries came true.
But as his anger began to cool, A started to sense something was wrong. According to the intel he had gathered, Tsunade was extremely protective, she never allowed anyone to speak even half a word against Shin in front of her.
There had even been an instance where someone who didn't know any better got beaten up by her, and her reaction just now further proved that point.
But Shin had agreed to the duel, and Tsunade hadn't said a single word the whole time. That didn't make any sense.
Could it be that Shin was actually very powerful?
No… that can't be. He just knows the Flying Thunder God Technique!
Judging by the two times Shin had taken action in the past, once he defeated a group of Chunin, and once he beat Orochimaru, who didn't even fight back.
He's just a medical-nin… so why do I feel so uneasy?
---
The news that A and Shin were going to duel spread quickly throughout Konoha. When Hiruzen got the news, he thought he had misheard.
"You're sure it's Shin who's dueling A, not Tsunade?"
"Every word is true, sir," the ANBU ninja said, kneeling on one knee. "It's Shin who's going to fight A."
"Where are they now?" Hiruzen asked urgently.
"The eastern training field."
The eastern training field… Upon hearing those five words, Hiruzen suddenly furrowed his brow. A terrifying image flashed through his mind.
In that vision, Shin stood in front of everyone and slowly removed the bandages from his eyes, revealing a pair of crimson Sharingan. He was staring directly at Hiruzen. Although he couldn't clearly see the pattern in the Sharingan, the image felt so vivid, it made his heart race with unease.
What was going on? Was it a hallucination? Or…
His heart pounded wildly. He had no idea why he was reacting this way. No. He had to go check it out himself, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to rest easy.
Meanwhile, in the Root base, after receiving his subordinate's report that Shin was going to duel A, and hearing the terms of the bet, Danzō felt a deep sense of foreboding.
A single thought flashed through his mind: Shin… has been hiding his true strength all along.
He believed he knew Shin better than even Hiruzen did and had been keeping a close eye on him. In his understanding, Shin was definitely not the impulsive type, and unquestionably gifted.
So now, the fact that Shin accepted the duel with A… did that mean he no longer intended to hold back?
And the terms of their wager…
If Shin won, and considering the strange developments that had occurred recently, wouldn't that mean all of his long-term schemes would be for nothing?
What had seemed like a perfect setup had collapsed in just a few days. His heart was filled with rage.
That incompetent A.
That weak-willed Hiruzen.
None of them could execute even the simplest plans effectively! He had already laid everything out for them, and yet none of them could deliver.
Yes, it had been Danzō who secretly ordered intel to be sent to Kumo. His goal was to inflame the conflict between Hiruzen and Tsunade, to trap them in a cycle of endless infighting.
If internal strife truly broke out, both Hiruzen and Tsunade would suffer greatly.
Then, he could continue manipulating things from behind the scenes, gradually escalating tensions and public opinion. In the end, the reputations of both Hiruzen and Tsunade would be severely damaged. And he would be the one to benefit, playing both sides and reaping the rewards.
He had been extremely pleased with this plan.
But now, with Hiruzen and A unable to even last a single round against one man, Danzō felt they were nothing but mud that couldn't be molded... useless fools.
After venting his frustration, he finally left the base and headed toward the training field.
He needed to see for himself just how strong Shin had become.