“Is this Wild Water Wave?”
Tsunade’s expression shifted slightly.
A shape transformation of this degree was definitely not something a Chunin could pull off!
She didn’t dare take it head-on.
Lightly tapping her toes, she instantly flicked away a dozen meters.
SHHH-RA!
The high-pressure water blade sliced through empty air, carving into the giant rock where Tsunade had just been standing.
The indestructible stone was sliced cleanly in half like bean curd, the cut surface smooth as a mirror.
Tsunade glanced at the incision on the ground, a surge of shock flashing in her eyes.
This brat…
his chakra control and understanding of shape transformation are monster-level!
Is this what they call a true genius?
Before Tsunade could dwell on it further, Chiba’s second attack descended.
He wove seals again, even faster this time.
“Doton: Doryuhe!” (Earth Release: Mud Wall!)
Chiba slammed both palms violently onto the ground.
BOOM!
The earth quaked violently.
However, what rose was not a defensive wall.
Under the modification of his God-level Comprehension, Chiba altered the application of Mud Wall directly.
Four massive earth walls erupted from the ground—not to defend, but to lock Tsunade dead in the center!
Immediately following, Chiba changed his hand seals again:
“Doton: Doryukakure no Jutsu!” (Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!)
He sank instantly into the underground, vanishing without a trace.
“Intriguing.”
Tsunade stood in the middle of the four earth walls, a dangerous curve tugging at the corner of her lips.
Using Mud Wall to restrict enemy movement space, then using Mole Hiding for a subterranean ambush—the tactical logic was crystal clear.
Moreover, the link between jutsu was seamless, without a single hitch.
This battle IQ was not something an ordinary Chunin should possess!
“However…”
“Before absolute strength, these clever tricks are meaningless!”
Tsunade raised her right foot, her monstrous strength exploding!
BOOM!
She slammed her foot heavily into the ground.
Terrifying cracks spread in all directions like a spiderweb.
The entire subterranean dirt layer collapsed instantly beneath the power of her stomp.
Ugh!
A muffled groan echoed from underground.
Chiba was forcibly shaken out of the earth layer, crashing awkwardly onto the ground.
He panted heavily, the chakra inside his body still churning violently.
“Enormous chakra reserves, already reaching the Kage level. Physical body is tough, with bizarrely insane recovery speed—taking two of my punches without sustaining heavy injury…”
Tsunade walked over slowly, looking down at the panting youth, delivering her final assessment:
“HOWEVER!”
“Your fundamentals are beyond rotten!”
“Sitting on a mountain of treasure, yet you only know how to dig with the crudest tools. Too little battle experience, dangerously sparse jutsu arsenal.”
“If this is all you’ve got, let alone Konoha Anbu—any random Elite Jonin could crush you like a bug!”
Chiba smiled bitterly.
“Senpai is right to lecture me.”
He had no counter-argument.
The system’s assessment was spot on: he was an unqualified Elite Jonin.
Beyond looking good on paper, his actual combat capability was a complete mess.
Seeing Chiba accept the criticism humbly, a flicker of satisfaction passed through Tsunade’s eyes.
Bad fundamentals were nothing to fear; what was scary was lacking self-awareness.
This brat had a resilient character and was quick on the uptake.
As long as he was polished properly, he was an invaluable gem!
“Starting tomorrow, I will design a hellish training regime for you.”
“If you can’t survive it, pack up and beat it early. Don’t embarrass the Senju name out there.”
Tsunade snorted coldly, turning away.
But in that split second as she turned, a light that hadn’t been seen in years reignited in her eyes.
The Senju clan…
there is hope for revival!
A few days later.
Konoha Village, Hokage Office Building.
Inside the spacious office, a faint smell of tobacco filled the air.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a large desk.
His face covered in age spots, he took a deep drag from his pipe as white smoke rose lazily.
“Hokage-sama,” an Anbu wearing an animal mask appeared silently in front of the desk.
“This is a letter sent back by Tsunade-sama.”
The Anbu offered a sealing scroll with both hands.
“Tsunade?”
Hiruzen’s hand holding the pipe paused slightly.
A flicker of surprise passed through his cloudy eyes.
Ever since Tsunade left the village, she had been addicted to gambling and fleeing debts everywhere, not contacting the village on her own initiative for years.
Why the sudden change of heart today?
He unsealed the scroll and unfolded the letter.
The handwriting on it was extremely messy, oozing an impatient superficiality.
Hiruzen read line by line, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
“Ran into a Konoha Chunin in Tanzaku Street… felt the kid had decent chakra control… talent for medical ninjutsu… planning to keep him around to teach him for a while?”
Hiruzen read out the content of the letter, completely baffled.
Tsunade taking an apprentice?
How could that be!
Ever since Dan and Nawaki died, Tsunade suffered from severe hemophobia.
She couldn’t even hold a scalpel, so how could she teach someone medical ninjutsu?
Unless…
this Chunin named Chiba had something extremely special about him!
“Go,” Hiruzen put down his pipe and ordered in a deep voice.
“Fetch this Chiba’s dossier for me immediately.”
“Yes!”
The Anbu vanished instantly.
In less than five minutes, a thin dossier was placed before Hiruzen.
He put on his reading glasses and began reading carefully.
Name: Chiba
Age: 16
Identity: Konoha Chunin
Parents: Civilian Konoha Shinobi, died during a B-rank mission.
Background: Born in the orphanage in Konoha Year 36, entered the Ninja Academy in Konoha Year 42, below-average grades.
Record: Konoha Year 46, graduated early, drafted into the Third Shinobi World War cannon fodder battalion, survived to this day purely on luck…
Mastered Jutsu: Three Basic Jutsu, Mizurappa, Doryuhe, Doryukakure.
Overall Evaluation: Mediocre talent, lacking potential.
Hiruzen read it three times over, not missing a single word.
But this was indeed an as ordinary as it gets dossier.
The kid’s parents were mere civilians without any Kekkei Genkai.
“Strange…” Hiruzen took off his glasses, rubbing his dry brow.
“What on earth does Tsunade see in him? Medical talent? A Chunin who hasn’t even figured out chakra nature transformation—what medical talent could he possibly have?”
Hiruzen shook his head.
To him, in the shinobi world, bloodline and legacy determined everything.
Uchiha, Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho—the geniuses of these great clans were the foundation of Konoha.
A civilian orphan, no matter how hard he struggled, had a ceiling of Special Jonin at best.
“Perhaps… Tsunade is just bored and found a random kid to pass the time.”
Hiruzen casually tossed Chiba’s dossier into the nearby wastepaper basket.
He picked up his pipe again and took a deep drag.
Either way, as long as Tsunade didn’t return to the village to cause trouble, let her be.
At the same time.
Deep beneath Konoha Village, in the Root Base that never saw the light of day.
In the damp air, a faint smell of blood and rust lingered.
A few dim candles barely illuminated the vast underground hall.
Tap…
tap…
tap…
The sound of a cane striking the ground echoed through the cavernous room.
With half his face wrapped in bandages, Danzo Shimura slowly stepped out from the shadows.
His remaining left eye was as cold and sinister as a venomous snake, staring dead at the Root ninja kneeling before him.
“What did you say? Tsunade took a civilian Chunin as an apprentice in Tanzaku Street?” Danzo’s voice was raspy and harsh, laced with bone-chilling coldness.
“Yes, Danzo-sama,” the masked Root ninja replied, his head lowered without any emotional inflection.
“Hokage-sama received the letter as well. Anbu retrieved the file for that kid named Chiba, but after reviewing it, Hokage-sama issued no instructions.”
Danzo let out a cold snort.
Leaning on his cane, he walked over to a stone table.
On it rested the dossier that the Root ninja had just brought.
Danzo narrowed his single eye, rapidly scanning the text on the page.
On the surface, this Chiba was indeed utterly worthless.
But Danzo was paranoid by nature—he never believed in coincidences!
Who was Tsunade?
She was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of the legendary Sannin!
With her proud nature, how could she possibly take a liking to a civilian piece of trash?
“Kinoe, Kinoto,” Danzo spoke coldly in the next instant.
Swish!
Swish!
Two dark figures appeared in the center of the hall, dropping to one knee.
“Head to Tanzaku Street. Keep your eyes locked on Tsunade and that brat named Chiba. I want to know who they contact every day, what they say, and even what they eat! If anything about that kid seems off…”
“…kill him immediately and bring his body back to me.”