Chapter 28 - 28: Tsunade's Gift

When Tsunade returned home, Kazuki, Mikoto, Nawaki, Kushina, Minato, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and others were already waiting there. Minato, as Jiraiya's disciple, was also brought here today, which was a rare occasion. In the past six months, Minato's strength had increased at a visible rate. Jiraiya was indeed very talented at helping people build foundations, and Minato was also excellent enough. Under Jiraiya's guidance, Minato's current strength was already considered outstanding among his grade. Although he was still far from Kazuki, and even far behind Kushina, he still caught up with those students from ninja clans and even surpassed them. Moreover, everyone was optimistic that Minato would meet the graduation standard in his second year. As for whether he would apply for early graduation, that would depend on Minato and Jiraiya's own wishes. As for applying for early graduation along with Kazuki, that was impossible. The current Minato had not reached the standard for early graduation, and Hiruzen would not allow him to do so. Minato was momentarily surprised by Kazuki's application for early graduation, but he quickly came to terms with it. He knew there was a significant gap between himself and Kazuki, but he would catch up. "Brat, this sword is for you." Tsunade greeted the others, then tossed the Sword of the Thunder God to Kazuki. "Is this the Second Hokage's Sword of the Thunder God?" Jiraiya exclaimed upon seeing the sword. He had coveted this sword back then and even asked the Sage of Six Paths for it, but the Sage of Six Paths was stingy and unwilling to give it to him. "Yes, it is indeed the Sword of the Thunder God." Tsunade said proudly with her arms crossed. "Oh, by the way, this Sword of the Thunder God was nominally exchanged for Chidori. Remember to submit a Ninjutsu scroll of Chidori to the Sage of Six Paths." "Yes, I understand." As expected, Kazuki showed no aversion to giving up Chidori. Instead, he was fiddling with the Sword of the Thunder God, unable to put it down. He injected Chakra into it, and lightning instantly burst from the blade. "It's this sword!" Mito instantly recognized the Sword of the Thunder God and said with a look of reminiscence, "I remember Tobirama forged this sword to solve his problem of not being proficient in Lightning Release." "Second Hokage-sama wasn't proficient in Lightning Release?" Orochimaru looked at Mito with curiosity. His idol was not the strongest First Hokage, nor was it his teacher Hiruzen, but Tobirama. He just didn't expect that Tobirama was not proficient in Lightning Release. "Later, Tobirama did develop Lightning Release, but in the early days, he was not very proficient in Lightning Release. Moreover, this Sword of the Thunder God was forged with many special materials, making it incredibly sharp." "Aside from a few other weapons in this world, this Sword of the Thunder God is one of the best." Mito looked at the Sword of the Thunder God with nostalgia. "Kazuki, try injecting Lightning Chakra into it." "Yes!" As Kazuki injected Lightning Chakra into it, the lightning on the Sword of the Thunder God intensified by at least twofold. "Lightning Release can enhance the power of the Sword of the Thunder God, and the Sword of the Thunder God can even easily block some Ninjutsu." Mito explained when she saw this, "However, at the end of the day, it is just an external object. Don't overly rely on it later. Becoming strong yourself is the key." "I understand, Granny Mito." Kazuki said, then formed the Chidori hand seal with one hand. In an instant, Chidori chirped, and its lightning wrapped around the Sword of the Thunder God, further enhancing the lightning, causing everyone to look on in surprise. It was clear without a doubt that the Sword of the Thunder God was even more compatible with Kazuki than they had imagined. Kazuki also showed a satisfied expression. He hadn't yet developed Chidori Stream, but with the Sword of the Thunder God, Chidori Stream was indirectly completed. And with this, Kazuki also had the qualifications to challenge Special Jonin. Even against some veteran Jonin, Kazuki was not afraid at all. By now, he had initially grown, but it was not yet time for him to become arrogant. Putting aside the strong individuals from other villages who might want to eliminate him as a hidden danger, Madara, who was secretly active, was also a problem he had to face. Before Madara's death, Kazuki still needed to be even more low-key. At the very least, he couldn't display strength beyond Madara's control. "It seems the Sword of the Thunder God suits you very well. Don't let this sword down." Tsunade looked at Kazuki with such an expression, full of relief. If her grand-uncle saw this scene, he would probably be smiling in his grave, right? "I will, Tsunade-sensei." Kazuki knew that the Sword of the Thunder God was not omnipotent or invincible. At least Naruto and Sasuke had destroyed the Sword of the Thunder God. They could break the Sword of the Thunder God, let alone other strong individuals, so he still needed to get stronger. "Oh, by the way, Orochimaru, how is your squad doing?" Tsunade then asked Orochimaru. "I heard Sarutobi-sensei say that Hizashi will be in your squad." "Hmm." Orochimaru nodded indifferently. Hizashi, Nawaki, Mikoto—this squad lineup was quite good. It would allow him to conduct better research on the Senju and Uchiha. He was probably the first person to lead a squad with such a lineup. Moreover, the Hyuga clan was not bad either. They were a prestigious clan that had existed for thousands of years, and possessed one of the Three Great Dojutsu. The Byakugan's strategic significance was immense, and coupled with Mikoto's meticulousness, it could perfectly compensate for Nawaki's impulsiveness. "You guys are going to lead students, unlike me." Jiraiya scratched his hair in annoyance. "Minato, that brat, clearly can't graduate early this year, and finding teammates who can cooperate with him is unusually difficult." Minato smiled awkwardly. He felt bad for holding back Jiraiya. "Isn't that your own problem? Minato, that brat, can barely graduate early if he really wants to. You can keep leading him then. Don't think we don't know your little schemes." Tsunade said with her arms crossed, looking disdainful. Jiraiya wanted to form a class entirely of civilian Ninja, and Tsunade wouldn't stop him, as many civilian Ninja still had Senju bloodline. This was also what her grandfather and grand-uncle wanted to see, but civilian Ninja were inherently lacking in some aspects. Jiraiya had even raised the requirements to Minato's standard. It would be strange if he could find anyone.