We just hit 200 collections, so this bonus chapter is for that.
Enjoy!
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"You've got good luck, Kushina," Tsunade said. For a powerful ninja, finding a suitable disciple was indeed something to be celebrated.
It was the same kind of fortune the Third Hokage found with the First and Second, the Sannin with the Third, and Minato Namikaze with Jiraiya...
Then, Tsunade turned her attention to Hagoromo. "Brat, don't go dying on the battlefield."
Hagoromo felt instantly depressed. The way she phrased it made it sound like people were expecting him to die out there.
Still, he had to respectfully agree. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."
"You got hurt yesterday?" she asked.
"Uh, yes."
"Where? Show me."
Hagoromo held out his injured hand as instructed. Without any visible exertion, Tsunade's palm glowed with a layer of emerald-green chakra.
She gently grasped his hand.
A tingling, itchy sensation immediately spread across his palm. It was the unmistakable feeling of rapid cellular regeneration.
"The initial treatment was done well," Tsunade noted, letting go.
Hagoromo pulled his hand back and curiously unwrapped the bandages. The wound that had once cut deep into the bone was now nothing more than a faint, shallow red line.
This medical ninjutsu is practically divine! he thought. It's completely unscientific! It totally contradicts the core theme of this book!
Tsunade paid Hagoromo no more mind and turned back to Kushina.
"Since you're here, stick around for a while and help me handle some daily affairs," Tsunade offered. "There's a mountain of messy paperwork on the front lines, and I'm sick of it."
"You can at least share the burden. Besides, going back to Konoha right now is no different than going back to a cage for you."
"Really? I can stay here, Tsunade-sensei?" Once Tsunade nodded, Kushina nearly jumped for joy. "That's amazing!"
It was exactly what she had been hoping for. Kushina had been racking her brain for an excuse to loiter on the front lines.
To have Tsunade actively suggest it—how could she possibly refuse?
"Lady Tsunade, that is impossible! By the Hokage's orders, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must return to Konoha immediately! That is our mission!"
The two Anbu guards stationed outside had overheard everything and immediately burst into the tent.
They couldn't let Kushina stay. If they did, they would face the harshest punishments imaginable upon returning to the village.
Tsunade's face instantly darkened.
She closed the ten-meter distance in a flash, appearing right in front of the Anbu. She was just about to teach him a lesson, but someone beat her to it!
Moving even faster than Tsunade was a lightning-wreathed Hagoromo.
Forming his fingers into a blade, his Lightning Cutter grazed right past the speaking Anbu's face and impaled the thick tent pillar behind him!
This was likely Hagoromo's first time moving with absolutely zero reservations.
It was the fastest he had ever moved in his life—faster than when he ambushed the Sand Ninja, and faster than his dodge against Tsunade.
The lightning sheared off a chunk of the Anbu's mask, leaving a bloody gash across his cheek!
If Hagoromo's hand had been two inches lower, he would have severed the man's neck. An inch to the left, and he would have brutally pierced his skull.
The tragic Anbu ninja hadn't expected to be attacked by an ally. He didn't even have time to react.
Hagoromo's explosive reaction startled everyone. If his aim had been off by even a fraction, that Lightning Release would have undoubtedly killed the guard.
Would Kushina's student really kill someone at the drop of a hat?
However, Tsunade and Kushina quickly realized the precision behind Hagoromo's movement and relaxed. It was just a threat.
He had only cut the mask and scratched the skin.
"I'll remember you," Hagoromo whispered. "Anbu Squad Leader, codename: Three Mandrills."
Hagoromo's voice was bone-chillingly cold. He might not have critically injured the ninja, but the threat in his tone was far more severe than physical pain!
Anbu weren't just ruthless to their enemies; under orders, they wouldn't hesitate to kill their own comrades. That was exactly why they hid their identities.
If exposed, they wouldn't just face enemy assassins—even their own villagers might come after them.
After all, they handled all of Konoha's dirty work. Once unmasked, any ninja holding a grudge against the Anbu would naturally take their shot.
Anbu weren't only Anbu. When off-duty, they needed public identities to live normal lives. An exposed operative either lived in the shadows forever, or they died.
So, why exactly did Hagoromo and Tsunade react with such fury?
It certainly wasn't because the guards had ignored authority and barged in.
It was because this idiot had called Kushina the "Nine-Tails Jinchuriki" out loud.
Putting aside whether the title carried contempt or not—where were they? They were on the Konoha front lines!
Tsunade's tent could very well be under enemy surveillance. An enemy spy could have been lurking right outside when the Anbu shouted those words.
In just a minute or two, the news that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was on the front lines could be transmitted back to the Sand.
What did that mean? Anyone with a brain would understand immediately.
The moment the enemy learned this, they would press their forces forward at all costs. No matter how many ninja died, taking out the Jinchuriki would make it a massive net gain.
Tailed Beasts were the ultimate deterrents maintaining the balance of power between villages. No village could afford to lose one.
Especially at this stage in the Great Ninja War, losing a Tailed Beast and its vessel could trigger a total collapse and alter the course of the entire war.
Hagoromo finally pulled his arm back from the pillar.
Beneath his broken mask, the Anbu ninja was drenched in cold sweat. It wasn't just fear of Hagoromo's attack; he had finally realized what he just said and the catastrophe it could bring.
It was a rookie mistake—a fatal slip of the tongue. No matter what happened now, once this mission was over, his career in the Anbu was finished.
Tsunade's expression was still murderously dark. She walked up to the Anbu, gritting her teeth, and spat every word directly into his ear.
"Are the Anbu really this loose-lipped nowadays? If there's an enemy spy near my tent and Kushina's intel leaks, do you know what will happen?"
"If that actually comes to pass, not a single one of you Anbu on this mission will leave here alive!"
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