He never engages in unnecessary, bitter battles.
Upon hearing this, Tsunade paused, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly, momentarily left speechless.
She was indeed feeling a bit frustrated that the fight hadn’t been fully satisfying, but she had to admit that this kid’s combat logic was extremely clear, his temperament calm and incredibly rational, lacking even a hint of the impetuous competitiveness typical of his peers.
Forget it.
The other party was only five years old; to achieve this much was already heaven-defying.
If she continued to press him, it would only make her look like a bully.
With this thought, Tsunade relaxed her tense posture, flashed forward, and instantly appeared in front of Chiba.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked him up and down with great interest.
“You brat, not only is your mind sharp and your combat wisdom excellent, but your raw strength also far exceeds that of other children your age.”
“Furthermore, your Ninjutsu modifications and precise Chakra control have reached an incredibly astonishing level, making you extremely well-suited for practicing Medical Ninjutsu.”
Tsunade’s gaze was intense as she spoke seriously: “How about it? Are you interested in becoming my disciple and studying Medical Ninjutsu under me?”
Originally, she had only been entrusted by the clan to test Chiba’s inherent talent and potential, intending to allocate resources accordingly based on his strength; she had absolutely no intention of taking on a disciple.
But the Ninjutsu comprehension, Chakra control, and creative ability Chiba had just displayed were simply too stunning, completely moving her to take him as a disciple.
Looking at the boy before her, she felt as if she were seeing a young Senju Hashirama—exceptionally gifted with limitless potential.
“Eh?”
Chiba was instantly stunned, completely failing to anticipate that Tsunade would suddenly propose taking him as a disciple.
“What are you spacing out for? Are you willing or not? Give me a straight answer!”
Tsunade glared at him, annoyed, and urged him.
Chiba instantly snapped back to reality, his heart filled with wild joy, and he nodded heavily: “I am willing! It is my honor to become the disciple of Lady Tsunade!”
This was definitely a massive opportunity that exceeded all expectations!
His recent goal had been to find a reliable backer, break into the core circles of the Senju Clan, and seize the opportunity to reverse the Senju Clan’s gradual decline, paving the way for his subsequent plans.
Now that he had become a direct disciple of Tsunade, all his plans could be pushed forward ahead of schedule, with everything going smoothly.
“Very good!”
A satisfied smile appeared on Tsunade’s face as she reached out to gently pat Chiba on the shoulder: “From today on, you are my disciple.” This chapter was taken from novelping(.)com without permission.
“Come on, I’ll take you over to meet Jiraiya. If you run into trouble in the Village in the future, you can ask him for help.”
Having said this, Tsunade led Chiba quickly over to Jiraiya and Minato.
“Greetings, Lord Jiraiya.” Chiba said with a humble posture, bowing respectfully.
“Ahahaha, no need for such formality!”
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and laughed heartily, his eyes full of approval: “Your performance today was too brilliant, completely exceeding my expectations!”
“Modifying and optimizing all basic Ninjutsu—this level of comprehension and creativity is not something an ordinary genius can possess!”
If he knew that Chiba had mastered these Ninjutsu and completed all the modifications in just a few days, he would likely be shocked and view him as a monster.
“Senior, you overpraise me.” Chiba smiled faintly, maintaining a humble demeanor.
“Congratulations, Chiba!”
Minato, who was standing to the side, stepped forward with a smile, genuinely happy for his close friend.
He knew better than anyone that deep down, Chiba always harbored a profound sense of unease, remained guarded against the undercurrents in Konoha, and felt an extreme lack of security.
It was also because of Chiba’s influence that he, who had originally been simple-minded, gradually developed a sense of crisis and began training even harder.
“Thank you.” Chiba responded with a smile, then offered a sincere wish: “With your talent and temperament, you will surely gain the approval of Lord Jiraiya and successfully become his disciple.”
“I hope your words come true!” Minato’s eyes curved into crescents, his heart filled with warmth.
“Haha, you never know!”
Jiraiya laughed loudly and beckoned to Minato: “Alright, Chiba’s assessment is over. Minato, it’s your turn, come with me!”
As he finished speaking, Jiraiya turned and left with Minato to conduct the assessment elsewhere.
Only the two of them remained in the field.
Tsunade looked at Chiba and instructed: “Report to me at the Ninja Hospital tomorrow! I’m leaving first!”
Having said this, without waiting for Chiba’s response, her figure flickered repeatedly, and she instantly disappeared into the forest.
“Wait…”
Chiba raised his hand, intending to speak, but looking at the empty field, he instantly wore a look of resignation.
Tomorrow was the day the Ninja Academy opened; he was originally supposed to report for enrollment on time!
“Sigh, no choice then, I’ll just have to use a Shadow Clone to attend school in my place.”
Using a Shadow Clone to skip class on the very first day of the Ninja Academy—he was probably the first person in the history of Konoha to do so.
But he couldn’t be blamed for this; it was all the fault of the impatient Tsunade.
…
On the other side, at the core courtyard of the Senju Clan Compound.
Uzumaki Mito sat quietly on the veranda.
Seeing Tsunade return, she spoke with a gentle smile: “You’ve returned quite quickly. How was the assessment? What are the qualifications of those two children?”
“They were both quite good, and I’ve already taken that brat Chiba as my disciple.”
Tsunade sat down opposite Mito in a casual manner, picked up an apple, and took a bite, her tone casual but unable to hide her satisfaction.
“Oh?”
Uzumaki Mito was slightly surprised, her eyes full of astonishment: “It seems you are extremely satisfied with him. Given your nature, you hate trouble the most; if his talent and temperament weren’t exceptional, you would certainly not take on a disciple so easily.”
She understood Tsunade’s temperament too well—carefree and lazy, disliking trivial matters, and rarely willing to take on the responsibility of teaching juniors.
“He truly exceeded my expectations.”
Tsunade nodded heavily, then detailed every aspect of the assessment, including the sparring details, Chiba’s Ninjutsu modifications, combat logic, and his calm temperament.
“Grandmother, in him, I saw the shadow of the Second Hokage back in the day.”
By the end, Tsunade’s expression was solemn, her tone incredibly firm: “If nurtured carefully and allowed to grow steadily, this kid’s future achievements might not only catch up to but even surpass the Second Hokage!”
In her eyes, Chiba’s talent, comprehension, and intelligence were one in ten thousand, possessing infinite possibilities.
“Oh?”
Uzumaki Mito’s eyes brightened slightly upon hearing this, and she nodded solemnly, her tone carrying a hint of incredulous exclamation.
“If his true level is indeed exactly as you described, then this child’s talent, temperament, and intellect might far exceed those of Tobirama back then.”
“You may not yet know, but this child has only been formally refining Chakra for a little over a week at most, and the time he has been exposed to various Ninjutsu training is about the same.”
“To be able to hone such combat power, comprehend the true essence of such Ninjutsu, and even autonomously modify basic Ninjutsu in just a few short days—even your Grandfather Hashirama, at the age of five, was far from being as stunning as he is.”
At this point, a glimmer of hope and solemnity flashed in Mito’s eyes.
“It seems that the long-silent Senju Clan is finally about to produce a super genius who will shake the Ninja World.”
“Such an unpolished gem must never be lost in the undercurrents of Konoha’s power struggles; we must do everything in our power to protect him.”