Chapter 43: Victory and Defeat
"Wager?" Tsunade instinctively moved to accept as soon as she heard Yusuke's suggestion—but was quickly held back by Shizune beside her.
Yusuke nodded calmly. "That's right. If I lose, Kabuto will become your disciple, Lady Tsunade. But if you lose, I'd like to ask you for a single ninjutsu in exchange—on Kabuto's behalf, of course."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what ninjutsu would that be?"
Yusuke smiled. "The Summoning Technique. Specifically, the slug you summon—Katsuyu. Its healing capabilities are incredible. A summoning beast like that is something any ninja would dream of having."
"You don't have to worry about Kabuto passing the summoning on to others, either. After all, the summoning contract scroll must be in your possession. He'd merely be adding his name to it."
Once he finished, Yusuke stood silently, watching Tsunade as she fell into thought.
In truth, the Summoning Technique wasn't Yusuke's true goal—what he truly sought was the Sage Art of the Shikkotsu Forest.
"You haven't even told us what the wager is," Shizune interjected, eyes narrowing. She was deeply suspicious of the young man who didn't seem much older than herself. Her instincts told her he was up to something.
Yusuke chuckled. "How about we roll dice?"
"No way!" Shizune rejected it the moment he finished. She was all too familiar with Tsunade's luck. A dice match would be a guaranteed loss.
Seeing Shizune's quick reaction, Yusuke smirked inwardly. He went on to suggest a few other traditional gambling games, but Shizune shut down each one without hesitation.
At this point, a faint trace of annoyance appeared on Tsunade's face, the vein on her fair forehead twitching slightly. Not because Shizune was speaking on her behalf, but because of her blatant lack of faith in her legendary "gambling prowess."
"This won't do, that won't do—how troublesome," Yusuke said with an exaggerated sigh. "Why don't we compete in medical ninjutsu instead?"
He pretended to be deep in thought before testing the waters with that proposal.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and she spoke slowly. "You do know medical ninjutsu is my specialty, right? Are you joking with that suggestion?"
Yusuke smiled. "Seems like no form of traditional gambling is acceptable to your attendant. Coincidentally, I happen to dabble in medical ninjutsu myself. Since we're both shinobi, why not let ninjutsu decide the outcome?"
"If you're willing, Lady Tsunade, let's compete to see who can revive a dying creature the fastest. How about it?"
Shizune couldn't find a reason to object. This was Tsunade's field of mastery. If they couldn't gamble on this, then there really was no match more favorable to their side.
Tsunade nodded. "Very well. Let's begin, then."
"But…" She added, eyes glancing at Yusuke with subtle meaning, "Though I can tell you've come prepared, I don't like taking advantage of others. Regardless of the result, consider this a favor you'll have from me."
Tsunade had already noticed that Yusuke likely came with a plan in mind. Still, since she was confident in her own ability, even if she won, it wouldn't be a fair fight. This favor was her way of balancing the scales.
Yusuke was momentarily surprised, but then smiled in return. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."
With the terms agreed upon, the group caught two catfish of similar size, both barely clinging to life. They were laid out on separate stone slabs.
Yusuke and Tsunade knelt in front of them, awaiting the signal from Kakashi, who stood between them as the appointed judge.
"Begin!" Kakashi called out.
At his signal, both Tsunade and Yusuke sprang into action, beginning emergency treatment on the dying fish.
Tsunade's hands glowed with thin, needle-like strands of bluish chakra, which she precisely inserted into critical points on the fish's body. Instantly, the catfish began flopping around energetically, fully revived.
Seeing this, Kakashi turned toward Shizune and asked, "So… has Lady Tsunade already won?"
Shizune shook her head. "Not yet. Lady Tsunade is currently using chakra stimulation therapy to awaken the catfish's life force, just to keep it alive long enough for proper treatment. To truly revive it, further healing is necessary."
Just as Shizune explained, Tsunade summoned a gentle, pale yellow chakra that radiated warmth. She placed her chakra-infused hands on the fish's body, and its vitality began to return at a pace visible to the naked eye.
While Tsunade worked her medical ninjutsu, Yusuke retrieved a syringe and injected its contents directly into the fish.
Once the injection was complete, he quickly formed a series of hand seals and pressed his hands over the injection site.
"Ninja Art: Seal of Vitality!"
What Yusuke had injected was a vial of Hashirama Cell Fusion Serum, and the technique he used—the "Seal of Vitality"—was the same one he had employed during the Nine-Tails' rampage to keep the Fourth Hokage and Kushina alive. It was a powerful sealing technique, capable of sustaining life even in those on the brink of death. Compared to that, the fish's injuries were trivial.
Though Yusuke felt a twinge of regret over using such a precious vial on a fish, he reassured himself. If this meant Kabuto could learn Tsunade's slug summoning technique—and potentially even gain access to Sage Arts from the Shikkotsu Forest—then it was more than worth it.
As the sealing marks spread across the fish's body, its life force erupted. The creature began flopping wildly on the stone slab, more energetic than any fish in water.
Meanwhile, the fish Tsunade was treating had also nearly fully recovered—but still a moment too late.
Watching Yusuke's fish jump about with such vigor, Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect you to be well-versed in sealing techniques. Still, the real secret to that seal was the serum you used. I can feel the incredible life force it contains."
Yusuke smiled. "I admit, it was a bit of a shortcut. That serum is a life-saving medicine of my own design. When used with the Seal of Vitality, as long as the patient is still breathing, it can keep them alive."
Tsunade let out a slow sigh. "Then I concede. Even though you used a serum, we never said that wasn't allowed before the match."
Noticing Shizune's puffed cheeks, Tsunade chuckled. "What's with that face? People might think you're the one who lost."
Shizune huffed. "He was totally sneaky, using medicine like that. I wouldn't mind losing myself, but Lady Tsunade, you're clearly the superior medical ninja!"
Tsunade gently patted Shizune's head, soothing her. Without hesitation, she reached into her chest pouch and pulled out a scroll, unrolling it across the ground.
It was the summoning contract for the slugs of the Shikkotsu Forest. On the scroll, Yusuke could see the names of Senju Hashirama and Tsunade written prominently.
Tsunade beckoned Kabuto over. "You. Come here."
Kabuto looked to Yusuke for confirmation. Yusuke gave a reassuring nod, signaling him to follow Tsunade's lead.
"Write your name here," Tsunade pointed to an empty space next to her own. "Then press your thumbprint beneath it using your blood."
Following her instructions, Kabuto signed his name, then bit his thumb and stamped the blood beneath it. The contract was complete.
Tsunade rolled up the scroll and said, "Now, follow me in forming the hand seals. As you perform them, channel your chakra. The size of the slug you summon will depend on how much chakra you use."
Kabuto nodded and mimicked her movements.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Tsunade canceled her own jutsu mid-cast, but Kabuto pressed his palm to the ground. A summoning seal spread out, and a slug appeared—just large enough for him to sit on.
Unaccustomed to the soft, slippery surface, Kabuto looked rather awkward.
"Lady Tsunade, was it you who summoned me?" asked the slug in a sweet, childlike voice.
Talking summoning beasts were not uncommon in the shinobi world, so no one was particularly surprised.
Tsunade replied, "No, this time it was the boy on your back. He's your new summoner—his name is Kabuto."
Kabuto quickly introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Yakushi Kabuto. I look forward to working with you."
"Nice to meet you too, Master Kabuto. I'll be in your care," the slug replied, twitching its antennae and turning to look at him.
After mastering the summoning jutsu, Kabuto released the slug, sending it back to the Shikkotsu Forest. Kakashi turned to Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade, how do you plan to train Kabuto from here?"
Tsunade answered, "I'm leaving the village tomorrow. If Kabuto agrees to study the medical techniques I'll use to treat Minato, he'll need to come with me. Based on his potential, I'd say it'll take about a year before he's ready to return and treat the Fourth."
"But he's not officially my student yet. Whether he wants to follow me on this journey is still up to him."
After explaining the situation to Yusuke and Kabuto, Kakashi bowed deeply. "Please… I hope you can help. It would mean the world to me."
Yusuke patted Kabuto on the shoulder. "We're part of this village. If we can help the Fourth Hokage recover, then of course we should. Follow Lady Tsunade and train well."
"You'll also get to see more of the world."
Kabuto nodded in agreement. Kakashi finally felt a weight lift from his shoulders—the hope of his teacher's recovery no longer felt so distant.
With everything settled, Tsunade gave instructions for their departure the next morning, then left with Shizune.
Though she hadn't been able to take Kabuto as her formal disciple, Tsunade didn't dwell on it. Instead, what lingered in her thoughts was the man she met today.
"This young Uchiha… the top of his clan. He's quite something."
She couldn't help but admire Yusuke's performance. Yet beneath that admiration lay a trace of melancholy as she recalled the dwindling numbers of her own Senju clan.
The next morning, amid farewells, Kabuto left the village with Tsunade.
Izumi, watching them go, was filled with both sadness and envy. She had never left the village before and longed to see the world beyond Konoha's gates.
As the three figures faded into the distance, Yusuke silently considered Kabuto's future.
"Shikkotsu Forest… Ryūchi Cave… Mount Myōboku…"
"Kabuto, your path might be far more extraordinary than even I imagined."
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