Chapter 41: Tsunade Returns to the Village
The moment she saw her first opponent was Itachi, Anko's excitement instantly deflated into despair. Her eager expression turned lifeless in an instant.
Originally, she had wanted to showcase her strength during the third round of the Chūnin Exams and impress Yusuke. But now, that hope was thoroughly dashed.
As expected, not long after the match began, Anko was defeated by Itachi. The loss left her frustrated and dejected, especially since she had been eager to prove herself. To make matters worse, Itachi had even shown her some mercy out of respect for his senior—deliberately dragging the fight out. Otherwise, the match would've ended even more quickly.
Watching Anko walk off the field with slumped shoulders, Yusuke could only sigh inwardly. Her luck really was just that bad.
Other than Konoha's participants, Yusuke hadn't noticed any particularly outstanding individuals in this Chūnin Exam. Itachi, despite being so young, was already the most powerful among all the contestants.
As for Itachi and Anko facing off in the first round, Yusuke didn't suspect any manipulation. After all, Sunagakure was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. They wouldn't stoop to rigging a Chūnin Exam.
Besides, whether a genin was promoted to chūnin wasn't solely determined by wins and losses. The overall performance and conduct throughout the exam were the real criteria.
Take Shikamaru in the original series, for example. He lost his match against Temari but was the only one among the Konoha Twelve to be promoted to chūnin.
In the subsequent matches, Konoha's genin performed exceptionally well. Itachi, only seven years old, became the clear focal point of the entire exam.
Itachi possessed incredibly high combat intelligence and could easily pinpoint his opponents' weaknesses mid-battle.
With his exceptional skills in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, he delivered precise, effective strikes tailored to each foe. By using minimal chakra and maximum efficiency, he greatly compensated for his limited chakra reserves.
The Fourth Kazekage watched intently as Itachi took down his final opponent and secured overall victory. His gaze darkened with thought. Then, almost instinctively, his eyes drifted toward the young man standing not far away—Yusuke—and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Konoha truly is a village of talent. Compared to them, Sunagakure still has a long way to go.
Yusuke, with his strong spiritual sensitivity, immediately picked up on Rasa's gaze. He turned and made eye contact with the Kazekage. The two exchanged polite nods—an unspoken greeting.
Yet Yusuke could read the alertness and concern hidden in Rasa's eyes. Clearly, the Kazekage had been shaken by Konoha's genin.
Perhaps... it's time to make a decision, Rasa thought, recalling the One-Tail Jinchūriki plan proposed by Elder Chiyo.
In that plan, the candidate to become the One-Tail's host was none other than Rasa's own prematurely born son. Rasa had long hesitated to go through with it, but Konoha's overwhelming performance in this exam pushed him to a breaking point.
Though the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind were allies on paper, politics had no eternal friendships—only eternal interests. If Sunagakure couldn't match Konoha in strength, the Land of Wind would inevitably become a vassal of the Land of Fire.
In Rasa's eyes, the Wind Daimyō was shortsighted—cutting Sunagakure's funding year after year was nothing short of digging their own grave. If it weren't for Rasa's ability to generate gold dust through his Magnetic Release and use that income to supplement the village's needs, Sunagakure would've already declined into a second-rate village.
Gaara, forgive me. This is the fate of a shinobi...
Plagued by internal strife and external pressure, Rasa finally steeled his resolve. He would go through with the plan to turn his son Gaara into the One-Tail's jinchūriki.
Meanwhile, Shirakumo Hayama was also deeply impressed by Itachi's performance. With such talent, he believed it wouldn't be long before the boy grew into a shinobi rivaling even Yusuke. He couldn't help but envy Yusuke for having such a gifted disciple.
Once the Chūnin Exams concluded, the Konoha delegation didn't linger in Sunagakure. Yusuke and Shirakumo Hayama led the six genin back to the Leaf Village and delivered a sealed evaluation and promotion recommendation letter from Sunagakure to the Third Hokage.
After reviewing Sunagakure's recommendations, Hiruzen decided to promote all six genin to chūnin.
Among the six, Anko had received a lower evaluation due to her lack of opportunity to demonstrate her skills.
Thanks to the recommendations of the jōnin instructors Yusuke and Hayama Shirakumo, it was agreed that Anko had demonstrated the strength, endurance, and unyielding spirit expected of a chūnin, especially her ability to act without dragging down her teammates during missions. As a result, the Third Hokage approved her promotion.
When the six genin learned that all of them had successfully advanced, they were overjoyed and agreed to celebrate together that evening. Having participated in the Sand Village Chūnin Exams as a group, a solid camaraderie had formed among them. In particular, Anko and Kurama Kyoko had become close friends, sharing everything with one another.
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Yusuke returned home only to find that Izumi and Kabuto were both out. From his mother, Uchiha Hazuki, he learned that the two were currently training at the designated practice grounds.
Knowing that his students hadn't slacked off in his absence, Yusuke felt deeply satisfied.
Upon arriving at their private training field, he saw Izumi and Kabuto engaged in a sparring match from a distance.
Izumi, having diligently trained in the Uchiha-style kenjutsu, now had the edge in close combat. However, Kabuto overwhelmed her with his superior ninjutsu, forcing her into a defensive position with his seemingly endless array of techniques. Ultimately, Kabuto emerged victorious, trapping the exhausted Izumi using an Earth Release jutsu.
"Not bad. Looks like neither of you have been slacking off," Yusuke said as he approached, dispelling the jutsu and freeing Izumi from the earth trap.
"Big brother!"
"Sensei!"
Izumi and Kabuto both lit up with joy upon seeing Yusuke.
From a storage scroll, Yusuke retrieved the Kusanagi blade Kikyo Senrakuzakura. The exquisitely crafted sword immediately caught their attention—especially Izumi, who was currently obsessed with swordsmanship. Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
Handing the blade to her, Yusuke smiled and said, "Izumi, this is my gift to you. I trust you won't disappoint this sword."
Izumi accepted the sword with great care and immediately examined it closely. Kikyo Senrakuzakura had been crafted specifically for female swordsmen, making it a perfect fit. She couldn't bear to let it go.
Clutching the sword to her chest, Izumi was both elated and moved. Though still young, she could tell the blade was invaluable—clearly something her brother had gone to great lengths to prepare just for her.
At that moment, Yusuke's mind was already formulating plans for the futures of his three students.
To him, Itachi only needed to grow steadily to become a kage-level powerhouse—or even surpass that level. Yusuke's expectations for him extended far beyond conventional limits.
Kabuto, while slightly behind Itachi in overall talent, possessed something extraordinary: an aptitude for senjutsu.
During his recent journey to Sunagakure, Yusuke had acquired intel on Ryūchi Cave from Orochimaru.
In the original story, Kabuto successfully mastered Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu—something even Orochimaru failed to do. Kabuto's command of senjutsu became unparalleled in the Naruto universe.
To Yusuke, Kabuto with senjutsu and Kabuto without it were two entirely different beings.
However, Ryūchi Cave held deep and dangerous secrets, and mastering senjutsu came with immense risks. Yusuke would only act on this plan once he was confident he could safely manage those dangers.
As for his sister-disciple Izumi, while her potential didn't quite match the other two, it was still quite promising. Her aptitude for swordsmanship, combined with the dynamic visual prowess of the Sharingan, would one day make her a top-tier swordswoman in the ninja world.
When the time was right, Yusuke planned to bestow all three of his students with cursed seals to compensate for their innate limitations—though these "limitations" were only so when compared to the cheat-level characters of the series.
Currently, Yusuke had only developed the Dual Polarity Cursed Seal, which sealed Yin Release chakra. But he had already resolved to create its counterpart, the Reverse Dual Polarity Cursed Seal, to seal Yang Release chakra. He even had a few potential sources in mind for the materials needed.
Given Itachi's expertise in genjutsu, Yusuke intended to grant him the Dual Polarity Cursed Seal to enhance his spiritual strength with Yin chakra. For Kabuto and Izumi, he planned to use the Reverse Dual Polarity Cursed Seal to enhance their vitality with Yang chakra.
"With the talents these kids possess," Yusuke thought with hope, "it won't be long before they become my true strength."
Shortly after the Sand Village Chūnin Exams concluded, news reached Tsunade—who was traveling outside the village—that Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze had been gravely injured and remained in a coma. Hearing this, she temporarily returned to Konoha.
Though Tsunade was known for her strong-willed and independent nature, she genuinely cared for Minato as a younger colleague. Despite her reluctance to return, she couldn't ignore the situation and came back to see if she could help.
At Konoha Hospital, in Minato's room, the Third Hokage, Tsunade, and Kakashi stood around his bedside, discussing his condition.
"I didn't expect Minato's injuries to be this severe. A normal person would've died long ago," Tsunade said grimly after examining him.
"Then… is there a way to wake my teacher?" Kakashi asked urgently.
Tsunade nodded. "There is a way… but—"
She paused, then shook her head with a sigh. "It's a long-term process. I can't say how long it'll take, and I don't intend to stay in the village that long."
"Physically, Minato's injuries have already healed after all this time. But the trauma he suffered was far beyond what a normal body can withstand. His brain has essentially concluded that he's already dead. That's why he hasn't regained consciousness."
"What he needs now is a slow, steady application of medical chakra to stimulate his brain activity and gradually reignite his awareness."
Both the Third Hokage and Kakashi understood what Tsunade was implying.
Stimulating the brain with medical chakra required extremely precise chakra control—one mistake could lead to irreversible consequences. At present, Tsunade was the only one capable of performing such a delicate treatment.
And clearly, Tsunade wasn't willing to remain in Konoha long-term. The fact that she even came to check on Minato was already a significant concession on her part.
"Tsunade, both Minato and Konoha need someone like you—" The Third Hokage began to persuade her, but she cut him off swiftly.
"Sorry, Sensie. I have no intention of staying in the village. Forcing me to remain won't help anyone. If my heart's not in it, any mistake during treatment could end up causing irreparable harm to Minato," she said firmly.
"But… is there truly no one else who could possibly perform the treatment?" Kakashi asked, unwilling to give up.
Tsunade paused in thought, then slowly replied, "Now that you mention it… it might not be entirely impossible."
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