Chapter 90: Ninja Wellness Exam: Genin Fatality Risk 80%

Chapter 90 - Ninja Wellness Exam: Genin Fatality Risk 80% Kakashi stilled at the comment, while Ren's ears perked up at the unexpected dose of gossip. Tsunade continued, voice flat, "I told you the same thing back when you had that Sharingan implanted by a novice field medic, and again during your treatment after the Nine Tails attack." She finally looked up at him, her gaze sharp. "Now I'm telling you again. If you don't rid yourself of the Sharingan, you'll never reach Kage-level. Even S-rank is going to be a stretch. You're already nearing the upper limits of your potential, and it'll start declining sooner than later if you keep it." 'Whoa, all her analysis is spot-on, this is exactly what happened in the series,' Ren thought, 'Back in Part 1, Kakashi was barely toe-to-toe with someone like Zabuza, who was only borderline S-rank. That means Kakashi's level then was around 75 at best. Later during Shippuden, he managed to break into the S-rank threshold thanks to the Mangekyo, but without that, he would've stayed stuck just under it.' Ren glanced at Tsunade again as she continued listing out the detrimental effects of the Sharingan on Kakashi's chakra system and nervous strain. 'When he had double Mangekyo during the war arc, sure, he looked like a god with the Susano and all, but the strongest version of Kakashi probably came after the war, when he finally didn't have the Sharingan draining him and got full control of his own body back.' As Tsunade wrapped up her final notes, Kakashi reached up and gently touched his covered left eye. After a few seconds of silence, he finally said, "No. This eye is a symbol of my failure, and the last memento I have from my team. Even if it's hurting me, I'll carry that burden." "Fool," Tsunade muttered. 'Fool,' Ren echoed in his thoughts at the exact same time. Tsunade didn't press him further. She just handed Kakashi a paper with some treatment recommendations and waved him off. Kakashi silently accepted the paper and stepped away. Yugao was called next. She stood up and respectfully bowed to Tsunade before lying down for her turn. While Tsunade began her check-up, Ren leaned back a little, thoughts still circling around Kakashi. 'I get the emotional part, but still, in a world like this, where your life literally depends on your strength, keeping something that holds you back is just reckless. Kakashi might've looked cool in the anime, but now that I live in this world, I can't help but see it differently. I'm pretty sure even the higher-ups in the village think the same, they're just waiting for him to come to terms with it on his own.' Yugao's test finished sooner than Kakashi's. As she sat up, Tsunade was already scribbling down notes. "Minor muscle tears," Tsunade said. "Nothing serious." Then she looked up. "Did Juichi give you some kind of stretching drills along with some exercises?" Yugao blinked, then nodded. "Yes." "Stop doing them," Tsunade instructed bluntly. "Those stretches were tailored to his frame and muscle build, they won't do you much good. They were meant to relax the shoulders after aggressive sword movements, but for you, they're not effective. These would suit you better." She handed Yugao a note with a new set of routines. Yugao took it with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama," she said before returning to her teammates. Next up was Hitoshi. His check-up took a bit longer, likely due to his clan's unique body structure. When it was done, Tsunade asked, "Did your clan instruct you to begin prepping your body for the secret technique?" Hitoshi gave a nod. "Good. That technique requires high nutritional intake during preparation. Make sure you keep up with it. And if you start feeling weak or off, report to your Sensei immediately." "Understood," Hitoshi replied as he stood and returned to the group. Tsunade finally looked to Ren and motioned for him. "Your turn." Ren walked over and bowed slightly, "Lady Tsunade," and then laid down with ease. She didn't return the greeting, simply nodded and began the examination. First, she pricked his finger and placed a small sample of blood into one of the instruments. Then, placing her hand on his abdomen, she sent a controlled pulse of chakra into his system. Ren felt it instantly. Due to his refined chakra control, he was acutely aware of every part of the pulse. His own chakra moved instinctively in response, not to resist, but to observe, almost like a shadow trailing behind. Tsunade raised a brow slightly at the reaction but didn't comment. After a few more seconds of deeper scans, her expression changed subtly. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes flicked briefly to Utakata. He gave her a subtle nod. She thought for a few more moments, then slowly retracted her chakra from Ren's system. Ren made sure to expel every last trace of foreign chakra from his body. Just as Tsunade removed her hand, she suddenly clenched a fist and threw a punch at his torso. Without hesitation, Ren shifted off the ground and retaliated with a low, spinning kick aimed at her side. She blocked it effortlessly with her hand. However, what surprised Ren wasn't that his kick was blocked, it was that the impact vanished. He had used chakra-enhanced strength in that kick. It should've had weight. But as soon as it touched Tsunade's palm, the force just, disappeared. His eyes widened as he landed and stared at her. She was still seated, palm raised casually. No dust, no ripple, no recoil. She glanced at him with mild amusement. "Interesting, Right?" Without another word, Tsunade came at him. Her movements were fast, sharp, and heavy. Every strike she threw had extreme control and balance. Ren's eyes narrowed as he recognized each of the attacks. 'These are the techniques from the chakra-enhanced strength scroll, she's using them as combo sets.' He ducked under a palm thrust that would've turned his skull into powder and leaned back just in time to avoid an elbow strike that cracked the air just inches from his nose. Despite dodging every blow, Ren couldn't relax, not even a little. 'Her control, it's insane. She's deliberately suppressing collateral damage but still carrying enough force to kill me with one clean hit.' There were moments when he tried to counterattack, his own chakra-enhanced punches aimed at her shoulders, her sides, even her legs. But every single time his attack landed, it was like the force behind it just, vanished. It was the same sensation as before, no impact, no shockwave, like he was striking the surface of a still lake that absorbed all energy without a ripple. His frustration grew. He leapt back, gaining distance as he slid into a wide stance on a tree branch. "Alright, fine," he muttered, forming hand signs in rapid succession. He launched a quick [Wind Release: Gale Palm] to test the waters, but Tsunade calmly punched the ground beneath her. A chunk of the earth lifted like a makeshift shield and absorbed the wind burst. Ren clicked his tongue and decided to go with something heavier. His hands blurred again. [Wind Release: Bullet Artillery] Dozens of compressed wind spheres formed in a tight circular arc around him, each spinning violently with piercing pressure. From his high vantage point, he fired them one after another, not in a wide scatter, but straight at a fixed point. A relentless barrage, all focused on a single location, right at Tsunade. The moment she saw them coming, she raised her leg and stomped hard. BOOM. A massive slab of rock erupted from the ground, forming an earth wall at least a meter thick. She pressed her palm to its surface and channeled dense earth chakra into the structure. It glowed faintly for a second. The wind bullets struck. One. Then another. Then another. The wall held for a while but then, cracks began to form. Bullet after bullet hit the same weakened point until finally, a sharp CRACK echoed through the clearing. The wall shattered, the final few wind bullets piercing through. But Tsunade was already gone. Before even the first bullet had hit, Ren had already moved, his shadow flickering into position behind the now crumbling wall, a giant Rasengan spinning wildly in his palm. [Odama Rasengan] From behind the shattered wall, Ren descended with a sharp spin, aiming straight for her back. For a second, it looked like he had her. But then, Tsunade spun. In one fluid motion, she twisted her hips and raised her leg high, then stomped downward in a full arc, striking the ground with her heel. CRACK!! A pulse of chakra radiated out like a shockwave. Not forward, not to one side, but omnidirectional. The force hit both the remaining wind bullets and Ren at the same time. The wind bullets shattered in midair, their unstable chakra dispersed by the ripple of Tsunade's earth release-enhanced shockwave. Ren's Rasengan faltered as the ground exploded upward beneath him, the earth itself acting like a reverse pressure cannon. He twisted in midair, flipping back and sliding across the ground as his Rasengan dissolved. The moment the dust settled and Tsunade emerged from the crumbling wall without even a scratch, Ren crouched low, breathing evenly but clearly annoyed. 'These damn bastards, first it was Hiruzen, then that pedo and now this hag, why the hell are they coming at me one after another.' He grit his teeth. With a burst of chakra from his feet, he launched himself straight at Tsunade, engaging in close-range again. This time, he didn't expect to land a hit. He knew her strength would nullify his enhanced blows. Instead, he kept his movements sharp and unpredictable, using each blocked strike to observe, his eyes flicking to her joints, her footing, the subtle twist of her hips before each deflection. But he couldn't decode it. 'It's like my chakra is being drained the moment it touches her body, no, not drained. Dispersed.' Mid-combo, one of her punches forced him to leap up and create some distance. As he flipped backward, he formed a quick hand sign mid-air. [Shadow Clone Jutsu] Four clones appeared, each dashing in separate directions. The second they hit the ground, they all slammed their palms onto the earth. [Earth Release: Earth Chains] From every angle, thick chains erupted from the ground and shot toward Tsunade. She narrowed her eyes and rotated her stance, dodging two of them with swift sidesteps. But the other two came in fast from behind, and without hesitation, she smashed her fists into them, shattering both to rubble with explosive force. But her eyes twitched. The moment her fists cleared the path, two more chains, thinner but faster, coiled around her from a blind angle. The original four clones had dispersed, and two new ones had taken their place. Before she could break free again, the chains wrapped tight around her, anchoring her arms and legs. Overhead, Ren stood on the canopy of a tree, both his hands raised. The wind pressure around him became heavy as the air condensed. Since the hag was hellbent on attacking him, Ren decided to give her a shot too. He decided to use his only usable S-Rank elemental jutsu. [Wind Release: Sky Destruction Blast] With his earlier control, he could've easily smashed the jutsu at her without any problem, however after the reward of Wind Affinity Boost, he needed some time to prepare the jutsu, that was why he had sent clones to stall her, for however long they can. The air surrounding Ren compressed visibly, vibrating as the chakra began to condense unnaturally in the form of pressure waves. His hands moved through the final few seals, and with a surge of release, a massive shockwave launched downward at extreme speed, towards Tsunade, who after seeing the jutsu broke free from the chains in one go, and steadied herself as she prepared her move. ~~~~~ {Now we only have Jiraiya left and the entire original team 7 would be done pegg- fighting Ren.} {You know what else to do} {STONES!!!!}