"Quite the scene."
Kazuki broke the silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice turned cold.
"Jiraiya. Tsunade. What exactly are you doing here?"
Tsunade's eyes flashed. She pointed straight at Kazuki.
"Sensei, this shameless brat was taking advantage of Kushina while she was drunk!"
"Good thing I showed up when I did. Otherwise, who knows what would've happened!"
Kazuki was completely speechless.
Thick wooden vines rose from the ground again and instantly wrapped around Tsunade, binding her in place.
Hiruzen turned to Kazuki.
"Kazuki. Explain."
"Kushina was drunk. If I didn't carry her back, what was I supposed to do? Drag her home by the ankles?"
He looked at Tsunade.
"Did you even bother asking what happened?"
Tsunade shrugged.
"Do I need to? Seeing is believing."
[Ding. Based on the current situation, three choices are available.]
Option 1: Forgive Tsunade and accept her criticism.Reward: A worn-out shuriken.
Option 2: Forgive Tsunade and lower your guard.Reward: C-Rank Ninjutsu — Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
Option 3: Educate Tsunade properly.Reward: S-Rank Ninjutsu — Strength of a Hundred Technique.
Kazuki had only meant to scare her a little.
Now the system was pushing things even further.
The timing was almost suspiciously perfect.
Kazuki clicked his tongue.
"You really don't think things through, do you?"
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Everyone else froze.
"…What did you just say?"
"You heard me," Kazuki said flatly. "Big muscles, zero thinking."
"'Seeing is believing'? If I didn't carry her, was I supposed to drag her across the street?"
"Are your eyes broken, or is it your brain?"
"If your IQ's low, maybe don't jump to conclusions."
"Strong body, simple mind."
The entire area went silent.
Jiraiya blinked.
Orochimaru's lips curled slightly.
Hiruzen closed his eyes.
Tsunade exploded.
"You've got a death wish!"
The instant she moved, Kazuki vanished.
A hundred meters away—
He reappeared.
The Flying Thunder God seal had already been placed there earlier.
Orochimaru's pupils shrank.
"That's… Flying Thunder God?"
Jiraiya stared.
"Sensei… you didn't teach him that, did you?"
Hiruzen shook his head slowly.
Orochimaru's golden eyes flickered.
"If you didn't teach him… then he's even more interesting."
Hiruzen's voice hardened.
"Orochimaru. Drop it."
"No other village could've taught him that technique."
"Stop focusing on him. You'll be leaving on assignment soon."
Orochimaru yawned lazily.
"As you say, Sensei."
But inwardly—
Missions are boring.
Kazuki is far more interesting.
There would be opportunities later.
Kazuki gently set Kushina down.
"Huh?"
A breath of air brushed his neck.
His spine went cold.
Every hair on his body stood up.
"Behind you!" Jiraiya shouted.
Tsunade stood there—
The diamond mark on her forehead split open.
Dark lines spread across her face, running down past her eyes.
The Strength of a Hundred Technique activated.
Golden chakra erupted violently around her.
Kazuki's insults had genuinely pissed her off.
She flashed behind him instantly and grabbed for his head.
CRACK.
His skull split open.
"…Too weak," Tsunade muttered.
Then—
She blinked.
Wood.
The "Kazuki" in her hand turned into a wooden log.
The Kushina at her feet—
Also wood.
Kazuki reappeared ten meters away, holding the real Kushina.
From beneath Tsunade's feet—
A massive wooden dragon surged upward.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Hiruzen exhaled slowly.
"I haven't seen that in years…"
The memory was vivid.
Hashirama Senju had once used that very technique to bind the Nine-Tails itself—absorbing its chakra and suppressing it completely.
The dragon was smaller now—
But the pressure was undeniable.
"Don't push your luck!" Tsunade roared.
She slammed her fist into the wooden dragon—
And froze.
Her chakra was being drained.
The dragon coiled tighter around her body.
"Hmph. You think this can hold me?"
Her chakra surged violently, flooding outward.
She knew this technique well.
It had been her grandfather's signature move.
The simplest way to break it—
Overwhelm it with sheer chakra output.
"If you want to absorb my chakra," Tsunade snarled,
"Then choke on it!"