Chapter 158: A Woman’s Heart — Don’t Even Try to Guess

“Tsunade, it’s just… we thought we’d let them go in first. You know, no special treatment and all, right?” Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Jiraiya cleared his throat. Seeing Tsunade’s sweet smile made his legs go weak. Even though he knew she wasn’t smiling at him— He was still scared stiff! “Tsunade-nee, I thought the same thing! By the way, you’re off work early today? Everything in the village handled already? Can’t let personal matters interfere with official duties, right?” Kyoichi chuckled nervously. He didn’t know where the anger was coming from yet, but he had a bad feeling this storm was headed his way. Best to stay humble. “Hehe, sensei came back, so I let him take over the wrap-up work. Nothing’s more important than welcoming you back, right? Come, come, I’ve got a full table waiting at home, just for you.” Tsunade beamed with enthusiasm. Kyoichi’s smile twitched. Other people’s cooking might just taste bad—but Tsunade’s cooking? That stuff was actually lethal. And frankly, he wasn’t even sure the meal actually existed. Clearly… Jiraiya had heard the rumors too. Tsunade’s gaze swept over and landed squarely on Jiraiya. Seeing him frozen in place, she frowned slightly. “Jiraiya, is something the matter?” “Matter? Nah, nothing at all!” Jiraiya forced a grin. “Right, you two need time to catch up—family and all. I’ll just… catch you later. We three can get together another day—” “Mmm, I didn’t prepare extra food anyway. You can skip this one. Next time, maybe.” Tsunade said it casually, but the message was clear. Yep… This one wasn’t about him. Jiraiya shot Kyoichi a look full of sympathy and silent prayer. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go. But Tsunade wasn’t even pretending to let him come. Kyoichi was speechless. He couldn’t actually rat Jiraiya out, could he? The guy hadn’t sold him out to the Third. Some lines just shouldn’t be crossed. He sighed quietly. Looks like there was no dodging this hell ride. He figured it probably had to do with his stellar performance on the front lines. In most people’s eyes, Kyoichi had made a huge splash at the front. Massive contributions, hailed as the top of the younger generation. But that didn’t necessarily hold up in front of family. Still, which part had gone wrong? That he had no clue. A woman’s heart… men shouldn’t even try. No point guessing! Kyoichi didn’t bother with the mental gymnastics. He’d find out the moment he stepped onto the “battlefield.” All the way back— “Kyoichi-sama, Tsunade-sama.” “Kyoichi-sama, you’re back! About the Chūnin prep class—cough, Tsunade-sama, I’ll come back another day. Another day!” Ibiki Morino’s father had just casually asked a question, but one glance from Tsunade’s eyes sent him into a full-body shiver. He bowed and made a hasty exit. Can’t mess with that! After a few more steps— Kyoichi’s face grew stiff. Hold up! This wasn’t the way home! Definitely not. This road led to the training grounds. Tsunade wasn’t inviting him to dinner—she was inviting him to a beatdown. “Kyoichi-sama… your performance on the front lines was incredible. You charged in where others didn’t dare, took missions no one wanted. I even heard you sent a shadow clone to help with healing?” Tsunade smiled radiantly. “Let me explain—I only took those risks because I was confident. That fight with the Third Raikage? It wasn’t as dangerous as you think. Minato and I were practically slacking off—we didn’t even go all out.” Kyoichi tried. Tsunade’s expression darkened. “Slacking off? The Raikage’s no slowpoke, you know. Why do you think Ōnoki roped you two in? What if—I’m just saying, what if something had happened?” “Tsunade-nee, I won’t do it again.” Kyoichi knew better than to talk back now. When Tsunade was pissed, arguing only made it worse. But… He underestimated the depth of her fury. Five entire tables’ worth of bottled-up rage—there was no venting that with just a few apologies. In the next instant— Tsunade teleported right in front of him. She’s serious!? Kyoichi narrowly dodged. Cold sweat broke across his forehead. BOOM! A thunderous crash. Where he had just stood, there was now a massive crater. If that punch had landed, he’d be hospital-bound for sure. “Still had the guts to mouth off to Ōnoki? I heard you faced off a whole squad by yourself too? Real impressive!” Tsunade was livid. Another punch flew out. Kyoichi barely slipped past it—chakra from her monster strength grazed him, but didn’t hit directly. Tsunade didn’t even notice. In her mind, she was just this close. Her speed kept climbing. Punching, yelling— “People greet you first now—‘Kyoichi-sama’ this, ‘Kyoichi-sama’ that. Gonna be the Fourth Hokage, huh? I asked around today—heard you almost got hit by Dust Release? Dodged it with Paper Release, didn’t you?” She was furious. Even though they weren’t blood siblings, they lived under the same roof. He always called her “Sis,” and it warmed her heart. And this was how he repaid her? Charging into battle, even crazier than Dan or Nawaki. If he didn’t have real skill, she’d be weeping over his corpse. No! If it were that Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, she wouldn’t even have a corpse to bury. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. “What the hell were you trying to prove!?” In the next moment— Her speed spiked again. In a flash, she was on top of him. Kyoichi couldn’t accelerate in time anymore—but he still had a trick up his sleeve. Right as her punch landed— His body crumbled into a flurry of paper, scattering through the air, then reforming midair into a full figure. Paper wings spread from his back. “Tsunade-nee, if you’re gonna beat me up, fine—but leave Regeneration Technique out of it, okay?” “You little brat!” Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. So this was that paper-folding technique Slug Sage had mentioned? Sure is a slippery one. It wasn’t the Body Replacement Technique, yet it surpassed it—there wasn’t the slightest sign beforehand. One moment he was there, the next, he’d turned into a scatter of paper. But… That paper must have been infused with chakra in advance. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that many of the sheets were laced with explosive tags. The tags were cleverly disguised beneath the paper, some even transformed to look like ordinary sheets. If her sensory abilities hadn’t been this sharp, she never would’ve noticed. This jutsu… She thought for a moment and already had a countermeasure in mind. “This technique of yours is powerful, but it can’t resist certain liquids—like oil or acid. All I’d need to do is have Katsuyu corrode it with acid, and the whole thing falls apart.” Tsunade spoke calmly. “I also know Ice Release.” With a flick of his finger, Kyoichi summoned a dozen ice blades into the air. He weaved another sign— In the next instant, countless clumps of earth rose from his palms. In the blink of an eye, a towering golem of soil and stone took form. A thick layer of ice armor coated its surface, and the mud beneath was frozen solid into permafrost. A fusion of Gōriki-style Technique and Ice Release! Tsunade’s heart wavered with quiet shock. The former was a technique from Iwagakure, while the latter was the Kekkei Genkai of the Yuki clan from Kirigakure. She hadn’t expected Kyoichi to have mastered both in secret, without a sound. Unbelievable… The mission report he sent back had been detailed, but the combat descriptions were vague. Not because he was trying to show off, but because he didn’t want Tsunade to worry. Still, it seemed that led her to underestimate his strength, so he had no choice but to give her a little demonstration. “My Ice Release can block basic Dust Release techniques. The column-type ones are long-range but have a narrow spread—I can dodge with speed. And if worst comes to worst, I can slip out of it with the Paper Technique.” Kyoichi explained, “Once Ōnoki saw through all my tricks, I stopped pursuing him and turned on Kurotsuchi and his men instead. I used Kurotsuchi to force Ōnoki into surrender.” “What about Roshi?” Tsunade asked sharply. She’d felt both relief and fury when she saw Roshi among them. This was the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails! Roshi was no ordinary Jinchūriki. He’d carried the beast for many years and had exceptional control over its power. And… From the intel she received, it had only been Kyoichi and Jiraiya on that mission. Kyoichi had gone in alone, behind enemy lines, facing over a dozen—or more—Iwa-nin squads. Reckless beyond belief! If something had gone wrong, Konoha’s entire front line might have collapsed. “Jiraiya was there to help me deal with Roshi. My Ice Release countered his Lava Release, and Samehada drained his chakra... Oh, and Tsunade-nee, I also discovered a new use for the Yin Seal.” As Kyōichi spoke, a surge of Lightning Release chakra sparked around his body. Tsunade knew full well that his aptitude with Lightning Release was weak. But the ferocity of the chakra now radiating from him, coupled with what he’d just said... Tsunade understood immediately. Tailed Beast chakra. Partial Transformation! Now it made sense why this kid had dared to go head-to-head with Roshi. He had gone in fully prepared. And it had worked—Roshi was captured. If not for that, and Kurotsuchi’s capture as well, Ōnoki might not have surrendered so quickly. She had no words left to argue. The kid really had been ready. Kyoichi exhaled quietly, feeling like he’d finally convinced her. He was just about to lower the ice golem when— Boom! A thunderous explosion shattered the giant. That seemingly indestructible construct was smashed to pieces by a single punch, the frozen earth reduced to a cloud of powder drifting through the air. Kyoichi broke into a cold sweat. What the hell!? She’s still not satisfied? That didn’t make sense—they’d already sat down and had a civil chat. By now, this should’ve been over. “Brat, come on! Let’s have a real sparring match!” “You won’t be able to hit me.” “Quit yapping! Get down here!” Tsunade leapt high, her speed surging. Strength of a Hundred Technique! In this state, her strength, speed, and endurance were significantly boosted. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of him, lashing out with a powerful kick to send Kyoichi crashing down. But— The moment she touched him, his body disintegrated into fluttering paper slips, reforming somewhere else. Tsunade let out a helpless sigh. Her medical ninjutsu was formidable, and she wasn’t lacking in other techniques either—but most of them required physical contact to work. A technique like Kyoichi’s, turning into a storm of paper, was something she’d never even seen before. Times had changed! “Forget it, I’m too lazy to fight now. Come down. I’m taking you to eat.” “Can we hit a pub?” “Shizune and Oriri made the food. You think I’ve got time to cook for you? Dream on! I’m swamped every day—when would I ever have time to cook…” Tsunade sighed again. And she wasn’t even Hokage yet. Once she took the position, the mess of responsibilities would only grow. As they walked, she muttered, “Only an idiot would want to be Hokage. Jiraiya and Orochimaru were smart—they both refused the job. The war’s almost over. Jiraiya’s leaving soon, isn’t he?” “Said he’s going to travel the shinobi world, to seek his own path,” Kyoichi answered softly, walking beside her. “Yeah… no way he’d stay cooped up in Konoha.”