In the end, Naruto never explained what Money Style actually was, always brushing it off with, "You'll find out later."
Then came the drinking—and that's when everything went wrong. Who would've thought Lee's tolerance was so terrible? He got drunk instantly and started causing chaos!
Naruto recalled seeing this exact thing before, back when he'd watched "Hokage" in his previous life. Lee drunk was an unstoppable disaster.
The table was flipped, plates and cups scattered across the floor, and in the end, the three of them had no choice but to throw Lee out the window, compensate the shopkeeper, and then drag the unconscious Lee away.
...
Several months passed.
By this point, Tsunade was on the verge of tears. Originally, she had infiltrated the Umbrella Ideology to uncover the leader behind it all.
But the Umbrella Ideology was infuriatingly strict—if she wanted to meet the higher-ups, she had to rise in rank first.
Assigned to work at the newly founded Medical Academy, she was told her contributions would determine her advancement. And so, Tsunade began working.
The Medical Academy itself was founded under Naruto's guidance and organized by Shisui, borrowing heavily from systems of his previous life. It fascinated Tsunade from the moment she saw it.
"This kind of structure… it has to be the work of a true master in the medical arts!"
When she first reviewed the Academy's framework, Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk in admiration.
She even requested to meet the one who designed it—but how could Shisui show himself to her at this stage?
Until Tsunade was firmly tied to their cause, Shisui would never step forward.
Thus, the only answer she received was: "Your rank is insufficient."
Her request was denied.
This drove Tsunade half-mad with frustration. At the same time, it only fueled her determination to climb the Umbrella ranks as quickly as possible.
And if there was one thing Tsunade had confidence in, it was her medical skills. In the entire shinobi world, few—if any—could compare to her.
Within a short time, her talent and contributions earned her rapid promotion, until she became the Dean of the Medical Academy. Much of this rise was due not only to her ability but also to the rare items she offered to the organization.
The Academy wasn't just a hospital. It was exactly as its name suggested—an academy as well. A place to heal, but also to research and advance medical ninjutsu.
Both shinobi and ordinary civilians were enrolled. The latter actually made up the majority, and some of their perspectives and approaches gave Tsunade entirely new insights.
By developing new techniques and contributing them to the organization, one could earn points—an innovation that explained why Tsunade's ascent to Dean had been so swift.
Most of the time, since battles were infrequent, nearly half the Academy's energy was devoted to technique development and talent cultivation.
It had been far too long since Tsunade had seriously engaged in medical ninjutsu research.
Now, in the Dean's office, she sat buried under mountains of paperwork.
She picked one at random. "On Efficient and Effective Methods of Training the Human Body."
Another. "Cell Strengthening Project."
And another. "Enhancing the Flesh through Medical Means."
After flipping through several, Tsunade rubbed her temples. Over the past month, the proposals from higher-ups had grown increasingly strange—all focused on body strengthening.
She suspected the organization wanted to create Body Reinforcement-type shinobi. But to her, this seemed like a waste. Training one such shinobi could cost as much as producing three normal ones of the same rank.
Her brows furrowed. Almost without thinking, her hand reached for something at her side—but only found empty air.
She blinked, momentarily startled, before realizing. She hadn't touched alcohol or gambled in months.
Still, the stress was building. Today especially, the thought of liquor tugged at her. She licked her lips unconsciously, the image of a full bottle filling her mind.
Finally, Tsunade raised her voice:
"Shizune!"
Tap! Tap!
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed as Shizune rushed in, pushing open the office door.
"Lady Tsunade! What's wrong?"
She wore a white lab coat, her expression alert. While Shizune's skills didn't rival Tsunade's, she had still earned the status of a director within the Academy.
"Go buy me some alcohol," Tsunade commanded with a wave of her hand.
Shizune froze, torn between worry and relief. She looked at her teacher with a complicated expression—troubled on the surface, but secretly glad.
Even if this work was exhausting, seeing Tsunade act more like herself again… that, at least, made her happy.
The Tsunade of old drank and gambled her days away. Shizune knew full well that this was how her master numbed herself from the past.
"Lady Tsunade, the organization explicitly prohibits drinking during working hours," Shizune reminded gently.
"Alcohol can lead to surgical errors… and it'll deduct points from your record."
She added the last part under her breath.
"Ha!"
Tsunade laughed bitterly, almost angrily. "Shizune, are you on my side or on Umbrella's side?"
She felt like this girl had already been brainwashed by the organization.
"Alright, fine. I won't drink—for now."
She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.
Knock, knock, knock.
The two turned toward the door. A soft knocking was followed by the entrance of a stunning young woman in a nurse's uniform. Her dark hair was neatly tucked beneath her cap, and her warm, gentle smile was like the sun breaking through clouds.
The sight of her instantly softened Tsunade's face. "Haku, you're here!"
Shizune couldn't help but pout slightly.
Hmph… Lady Tsunade already has a new apprentice and forgets about her old one.
"Dean," Haku said softly, her voice as kind as her smile.
"This is a document that was prepared specifically for you."
She handed over a sealed file.
Ever since her arrival, Haku had been studying under Tsunade. To everyone's surprise, her natural affinity for medical ninjutsu surpassed her talent for combat. Perhaps healing, not killing, was what suited her best.
Even more astonishing—Haku possessed the Yuki clan's Ice Release kekkei genkai, and her current strength already rivaled that of a jōnin.
This had left Tsunade with a complicated impression of Umbrella. The Yuki clan was a bloodline family of Kirigakure, feared and persecuted to near extinction. Yet here was a Yuki survivor, not only accepted but allowed to pursue medicine.
When Tsunade had asked her why, Haku had simply answered that she disliked killing. The organization, respecting her wishes, sent her here instead.
That alone had softened Tsunade's opinion of Umbrella. In the shinobi villages, bloodline ninjas were considered treasures—forced to serve, never allowed to choose their own paths. But Umbrella had given Haku freedom.
Tsunade accepted the file and opened it casually, expecting another set of strange research directives.
But what she read made her pupils contract in shock.
It wasn't another experimental proposal—it was a cultivation method. A system laid out in stages: Skin Training, Muscle & Flesh Forging, Bone Tempering.
The records ended there, the later stages deliberately omitted. But even these first steps were revolutionary.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She understood body strengthening well—her monstrous strength was proof of that. But this was different.
What the document described wasn't just raw physical training. It was a complete system of martial cultivation, a discipline that refined qi and blood—a power parallel to chakra itself.
Skin Training established the foundation. Muscle Forging condensed qi and blood, akin to shaping chakra. Bone Tempering pushed the body to an entirely new level of resilience and strength.
This wasn't simply taijutsu. It was a path that rivaled the shinobi arts.
Suddenly, all those strange research topics from the past month made sense.
The Umbrella Organization wasn't experimenting aimlessly.
They were cultivating an entirely new path—one that could stand alongside the shinobi system itself.
...
TN:
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