We hit 50,000 views! I honestly didn't expect this when I started a week ago. Thank you to every single reader who clicked, read, and came back for more. This bonus chapter is for you.
Enjoy!
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Hagoromo didn't have a chance to defend himself. In fact, it wasn't even his turn to speak yet.
"It's fine, Tsunade-sensei. Hagoromo can take care of himself," Kushina retorted with a smile. "I bring him along just like you bring Shizune."
Right on cue, Shizune walked into the tent.
She served the guests tea and set down her tray. After bowing timidly to Kushina, she quietly backed out of the room.
Ever since her lover, Dan Kato, passed away, Tsunade had kept his niece by her side.
Hagoromo watched Shizune's retreating back, racking his brain for information about her. He couldn't recall much, but what he did remember sparked an absurd thought.
Did Tsunade adopt Shizune just so she'd have a caretaker for her old age? Whether Hagoromo was right or not, Shizune did eventually become Tsunade's ultimate nanny, managing every aspect of her daily life.
"He's not like Shizune. He's more like that brat Minato drags around," Tsunade said, her expression turning slightly sour.
Was she talking about Kakashi? Hagoromo wondered. Has Tsunade met him?
"That kid pushes himself too hard," Tsunade continued. "He's desperate to prove himself as the White Fang's son. He wants to prove his father was a hero."
"Acting like that on the battlefield is a quick way to get yourself killed."
Tsunade might understand Kakashi's desperation, but she still thought his methods were incredibly foolish.
In a full-scale Great Ninja War, not even Tsunade could guarantee her own survival. A reckless kid like Kakashi stood even less of a chance.
After all, even her own granduncle, the Second Hokage, had died in battle.
Ninja excelled at infiltration, sabotage, stealth, and assassination. They were essentially highly lethal burglars and lock-pickers.
They weren't meant for straightforward, head-on clashes. Large-scale brawls completely ruined a ninja's individual efficiency.
Historically, the four-man squad was the absolute peak of tactical efficiency.
But this Great Ninja War forced the hidden villages to throw thousands of ninja into frontal meat grinders. It was a terrible strategy, but an unavoidable one.
"Hagoromo isn't like Kakashi," Kushina argued.
"Hagoromo? Is that his name?"
"Yes, Kamishiraishi Hagoromo," Kushina replied proudly. "For one thing, he's much smarter than Kakashi. He's also incredibly strong."
"When I say he can take care of himself, I'm not joking. Let's put it this way: I might lose to Minato for the title of Hokage, but my student will definitely beat his."
Hagoromo stared at her. She looked exactly like a little kid showing off a brand-new toy to an adult.
Must be an illusion, he told himself.
"On our way here, we actually ran into a squad of Sand Ninja," Kushina boasted. "One Jonin, one Chunin, and two Genin. Hagoromo fought them off completely alone."
"Fought them off?" Tsunade looked genuinely surprised.
While she disapproved of Kakashi's reckless methods, she acknowledged his strength. She hadn't expected Kushina to claim her student was actually stronger than the White Fang's son.
"Three dead, one heavily injured," Kushina corrected. "And he barely took a scratch."
"Oh? So your name is Hagoromo?"
Now, Tsunade was truly interested.
That combat record was indeed impressive. It was definitely comparable to Kakashi's.
In Tsunade's eyes, Hagoromo still looked like a child wrapped in a ragged black cloth. He had striking white hair, but his demeanor set him apart.
Unlike most kids his age, he didn't look around nervously. He just stood calmly and quietly behind Kushina.
"Yes. Kamishiraishi Hagoromo, Lady Tsunade," he finally spoke up.
Tsunade nodded. "You carry yourself well..."
She walked over to him and reached out her left hand, looking as if she were going to gently pat his head.
But right before her hand touched him, she suddenly curled her finger to flick his forehead.
Hagoromo's danger instincts screamed. Before her finger could make contact, he violently threw himself backward!
In an instant, crackling arcs of lightning erupted across his body.
By the time Tsunade's finger snapped forward, he had seemingly teleported ten meters away, standing just inside the tent's entrance.
Of course he was going to dodge! He had to dodge with everything he had.
Taking a direct hit to the head from Tsunade's monstrous strength meant a severe concussion at best. More importantly, he wasn't a masochist.
Tsunade froze slightly. She had genuinely intended to test him, but she hadn't expected to hit empty air.
"How's that for reaction speed?" Kushina bragged, looking even more smug.
Tsunade retracted her hand and nodded. "Not bad. Very fast."
"When I tried that on Minato's student, I hit him dead-on and he was left stumbling. I can't speak for his other skills yet, but your student's reflexes are excellent."
Seeing that Tsunade had backed off, Hagoromo finally dispelled the Chidori Stream.
She truly is one of the Sannin, he thought.
Even though Tsunade wasn't a speed-type ninja, if his reaction had been a fraction of a second slower, he would have ended up just like Kakashi.
Saying Kakashi was "left stumbling" was a polite understatement. In reality, Kakashi had nearly been knocked unconscious.
Imagining Kakashi's deadpan face getting swatted like a bug gave Hagoromo an inexplicable sense of amusement.
Regardless, standing before Tsunade made Hagoromo realize the massive gap in their levels. The Sannin were truly terrifying Kage-level powerhouses.
"That jutsu he just used... did you or Minato teach him that?" Tsunade asked, her brow furrowing.
She had a strong intuition. Hagoromo might have only dodged, but with that kind of speed, if she had been a real enemy, he would have had an opening to counterattack.
Of course, she had only used a fraction of her strength for the test.
"It's his own technique," Kushina said. "An advanced ninjutsu he created himself."
"Created himself?!"
Hagoromo was giving Tsunade one shock after another.
If Kushina was telling the truth, and this kid had invented a jutsu of that caliber at his age, she had to acknowledge his absolute genius.
It was her first time seeing such a fast, seal-less, instant-cast ninjutsu.
Judging by the chakra intensity, it had to be an A-rank jutsu or higher.
And judging by the faint sense of danger that jutsu gave off, she realized this kid might just be another generational talent on par with Minato.