NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: Tsunade...Lost!
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi burst in.
"Hey, what's going on here—"
Before he could finish, Tsunade roared, gathering her chakra in a burst of anger, and slammed her hand down.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, centered on Yoruichi and Tsunade. It was as if a massive bomb had gone off, sending shockwaves rippling through the area.
Everyone was momentarily blinded by the light.
Minato Namikaze's eyes widened, and he quickly stepped in front of Kushina Uzumaki to shield her.
But Yoruichi was faster. In a blur of hand seals, he raised a Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall and fortified it with Wood Release: Forest Barrier, protecting Kushina entirely.
"Ahem, what was that for!?" Hiruzen coughed out, emerging from the chaos.
The smoke cleared, revealing a shattered landscape. The stone table they had been arm-wrestling on was obliterated, with spiderweb cracks spreading across the ground. Yoruichi stood tall, Tsunade's hand pinned beneath his, firmly pressed against the ruins of the table.
"I won," Yoruichi said flatly.
Tsunade froze, staring in disbelief. She had lost. And what's more, Yoruichi had been holding back and splitting his focus.
"You…" Tsunade stammered, unable to process it.
Yoruichi released her hand and stood up, rolling his shoulders as if nothing had happened.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned. "Yoruichi… beat Tsunade? Using pure strength?"
Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, remained silent, but his expression betrayed his surprise. Minato Namikaze, on the other hand, was frozen in place, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
Kushina rushed over to Yoruichi. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," Yoruichi said calmly, patting her on the head with a faint smile.
Kushina then darted to Tsunade. "Tsunade-sensei, are you okay?!"
Tsunade shook her head, flexing her fingers. "I'm fine. My hand's just a little numb."
Despite her loss, she wasn't bitter. "A loss is a loss," she muttered under her breath. As a gambler, she lived by the rule of accepting defeat when it came.
"Well then," Yoruichi said with a small smirk, "about our bet…"
Tsunade glared at him. "Say it."
"I'll let you know later."
"Hmph!" She crossed her arms, but a dangerous thought crossed her mind: If this brat asks for something ridiculous, I'll knock his teeth out. Wait… can I even beat him now? She sighed in frustration. "Whatever, we'll deal with it later."
After the commotion settled, Tsunade retreated to her room. She didn't say another word and resigned herself to sleeping on the couch in the common room, much to Kushina's disapproval.
The next morning, Yoruichi was peacefully asleep when he felt a firm shove.
"Hey, wake up," a familiar voice barked.
"Mmm… go away, Kushina," Yoruichi muttered, half-asleep.
"That's not Kushina," came Tsunade's sharp tone.
Yoruichi's eyes snapped open. "Tsunade?! What the hell?"
Before he could fully process, Kushina appeared, smirking. "Get up, Yoruichi. Grandma Mito says we're attending a high-level Konoha meeting today."
"A meeting?" Yoruichi groaned as he dragged himself out of bed. "What for?"
Kushina explained while he brushed his teeth. "Since Danzo's been removed from his position, and Mitokado Homura and Koharu are on leave, the village administration's been shaken up. They're restructuring. New leadership's being discussed, and Grandma Mito says we have to attend."
"Lucky me," Yoruichi muttered sarcastically.
When they arrived at the administrative building, they bumped into Minato and Jiraiya. The latter's face was still covered in fresh bandages.
Jiraiya grinned awkwardly, greeting Uzumaki Mito. "Uh, good morning, Lady Mito."
She raised an eyebrow. "Jiraiya, what happened to your face?"
"Oh, this?" Jiraiya laughed nervously, sneaking a glance at Tsunade. "Ran into a tree last night. Real bad luck. Let's head inside, shall we?"
The meeting room was packed with notable figures: clan heads, department leaders, Konoha's elite like the Sannin, and prominent younger shinobi like Yoruichi, Minato, and Fugaku Uchiha. Everyone's eyes were drawn to Yoruichi as he walked in with Tsunade and Mito.
"Who's that with Lady Mito?"
"Is that Yoruichi?"
"They say he took down the the one of the trio of the sanin, Tsunade.. and even matched in strength with orochimaru in a match!"
Many scrutinized him, trying to find something extraordinary about the boy who had started making waves in Konoha.
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Translator Note;
Btw, should I shift to Patreon? I wanna add multiple fanfics at the same time and doing so in buy me a coffee without a collection feature is hard, so I wanna know your take on this one.