Looking at the shadow clone in front of him, Hayashi's eyes twitched slightly.
What the hell…
He had worked so hard, pushed himself to the limit, only to realize that his opponent had been nothing more than a shadow clone of Tsunade.
Was this some common trick among Konoha's Jōnin once they became teachers?
At that moment, a voice rang inside his mind—the cold and mechanical tone of the system.
[Congratulations to the host for defeating Tsunade's Genin-level shadow clone. A special reward of 3000 Ninja Points has been granted. As this is the host's first time defeating a Genin-level opponent, an additional reward of 2000 Ninja Points has been issued.]
[Host's remaining balance: 5100 Ninja Points.]
"Huh?" Hayashi froze. Genin level?
That didn't make sense. If Tsunade's shadow clone was really limited to Genin strength, then why had it been such a struggle for him to fight it?
This wasn't logical. He had seen plenty of Genin battles before, and none of them fought like that.
Something's off with you again, system…
Before Hayashi could demand an explanation, Tsunade herself appeared at the edge of the training ground.
"Not bad, kid. I thought you'd only manage to beat my shadow clone after it ran out of chakra," she said with a wide grin.
She patted Hayashi on the shoulder. The boy nearly stumbled from the force.
As expected of Tsunade the Legendary Sucker Puncher… Even the Raikage would lose in raw strength against her.
"I didn't expect someone only six years old to already have this kind of power," Tsunade said, clearly impressed. "You're really a genius. I purposely kept my shadow clone's strength capped at the Genin level."
She had long since let go of what happened earlier—no way was she going to hold a grudge against a six-year-old. As for Jiraiya? If she hit him, well… it wasn't like it was the first time anyway.
Tsunade's expression softened as she reached out and ruffled Hayashi's hair.
"So? Are you interested in graduating now? I can talk to the Third Hokage and have you become my student."
Hayashi ducked away from her hand.
Damn it. I'm the one who should be patting others' heads, not the other way around. How dare she…
"Tsunade-sama, don't you know a man's head shouldn't be touched?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Tch. Just a little brat talking big. Wait a few years, then prove you're a man," she teased, lifting his chin with one finger.
Hayashi's cheeks burned. He'd never experienced this kind of… posture. Not in this life, and not in his last.
After all, he'd always been alone.
"Hah! You're blushing," Tsunade chuckled. "You really are just a little brother."
Hayashi groaned. He was completely outmatched in this kind of exchange.
"Come on," Tsunade continued. "Graduate and be my student. Back when I was your age, I was already a prodigy far beyond you. Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both defeated by me in our youth."
She was practically polishing her own legend at this point.
"And besides," she added with a gleam in her eye, "I've never had a student before."
Ah. So that's the real reason… She just wants a toy.
"Um… Lady Tsunade," Hayashi cut in before she could continue her self-praise. "When are we starting the actual training?"
The special training was supposed to last only seven days. Half the first day was already gone, and he hadn't learned anything yet.
But looking at Tsunade, it was obvious she just wanted to slack off. What could he do? She was a Jōnin after all.
"Children these days are so impatient," she sighed dramatically, folding her arms. "Here I am worrying about your future, and you're already rushing me…"
Her golden-brown eyes sharpened suddenly, pinning him with a look.
"By the way, Hayashi… did you pay your tuition for this week?" she asked casually.
"…Tuition?" Hayashi blinked.
Wasn't this supposed to be free guidance for one week? Why was there suddenly talk of tuition?
"Of course it's free," Tsunade said smoothly, brushing off his glare. "But do you have any idea how much money I lose by not taking missions for a week? I have to take care of Nawaki, feed you, cover accommodation and medical supplies, and pay for the training grounds. None of that is cheap, you know."
She gestured around the ruined training field. "And look at this place. You broke it during the fight, didn't you? Repairs don't come for free."
"That's rich coming from you, Lady Tsunade," Hayashi thought bitterly. You were the one who smashed the ground to pieces.
"Stop, stop," he waved his hands quickly. "Don't worry about it. It's just a little money, right? I'll… wait. No, even if you sold me, I don't have that kind of cash! I'm living in poverty here!"
But when he looked at Tsunade, he immediately understood what she really wanted the money for.
After all, she had just burned through Jiraiya's entire mission payout at the gambling tables… and she still owed the casino a mountain of debt.
Tsunade hummed thoughtfully, then nodded. "True. You really don't look like you've got any money."
"Exactly!" Hayashi said firmly.
"Well," she mused, "I did hear that young men's kidneys sell for a pretty high price these days."
"…"
"Don't tell me you expect me to sell my kidney just so you can gamble?" Hayashi snapped. "Lady Tsunade, how much of a degenerate gambler are you?!"
"Hahaha, what nonsense," she said, brushing sweat from her brow. "How could I ever do such a thing?"
But Hayashi could see her pores sweating bullets.
So it's true… everyone in Konoha must already know she gambled away all her rewards. Could it be Jiraiya who spread it?
...
At that very moment, across the training grounds, a certain white-haired shinobi was crouched low behind a fence.
"Lord Jiraiya, maybe we should go," Minato said awkwardly. "Peeking isn't exactly… honorable."
"Minato, you're still too young," Jiraiya said sagely, his eyes glued to the scene ahead. "Gathering material is one of the most important skills. My teacher, the Third Hokage, taught me that observation sharpens infiltration, awareness, and—"
"Achoo!" Jiraiya suddenly sneezed. A chill ran down his spine.
Damn. Someone must be talking bad about me.
"Eh? Someone's peeking!"
"Who's there?"
Voices shouted, and Jiraiya's sneeze had given them away. He quickly grabbed Minato by the arm.
"The most important lesson," Jiraiya declared as they bolted, "is that gathering material also trains your escape skills! Run, Minato! If we get caught, they'll hand us over to the Guard!"
"…" Minato could only sigh as he was dragged away.
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