"Tsk tsk… this kid really knows how to talk—quite the persuasive one, isn't he?"
"Even I almost got fired up listening to him…"
"But having friends like that… it's not a bad thing."
Tsunade initially scoffed internally at Ren Takashi's smooth rhetoric, but as she observed the camaraderie between the boys, a flicker of genuine admiration and even a touch of envy crossed her expression.
She had once enjoyed such bonds with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but as time went on, ideological divergence and personal goals had steadily drawn the Legendary Sannin apart.
"I hope their friendship endures where ours fractured," she mused silently.
Before long, Ren and the others dispersed and went their separate ways.
Suddenly—
"Whoosh!"
A figure appeared abruptly in front of Ren Takashi.
"Who's there?"
Ren instinctively raised his guard. In truth, he already knew this was Tsunade—disguised via the Transformation Technique.
She had been tailing him the entire time, never once leaving the scope of his sensory awareness. He had also observed the moment she activated the jutsu. But clearly, she intended to test him, and Ren chose not to expose her prematurely.
Tsunade, in disguise, said nothing. She lunged forward and threw a punch without warning.
Ren instantly used the Body Flicker Technique to evade, simultaneously drawing two kunai and three shuriken from his tools pouch. With practiced precision, he threw them in an arc that sealed off all escape routes.
"Oh? That Uchiha-style projectile technique—quite sharp."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly in appreciation.
"Crack!"
With a burst of speed, she shattered the ground beneath her feet and escaped the encirclement in a flash, charging at Ren once more and striking with a devastating punch.
"Swish!"
Ren again evaded using the Body Flicker, forming hand seals mid-air and inhaling sharply.
"Boom…"
A massive fireball, over five meters in diameter, roared toward Tsunade with searing heat.
"Oh?"
Without hesitation, Tsunade twisted midair, channeled chakra into her right fist, and swung forward.
"BOOM!!"
The monstrous punch shattered the fireball with a tremendous shockwave.
Her fist pierced through the blaze and came barreling toward Ren.
"Crap! She's trying to kill me!"
Sensing imminent mortal danger, Ren flickered several meters back in rapid succession.
"BOOM!!"
The punch landed, blasting a crater several meters deep and over ten meters wide into the earth. The surrounding ground cracked and splintered like the aftermath of a meteor strike.
"You're trying to kill me?! You're not supposed to go that hard!"
Ren stared at the fissure that extended to his feet, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He couldn't suppress his outburst any longer.
He had assumed Tsunade merely intended to test his capabilities—evaluate him as a potential disciple.
But this… this was lethal force.
If that monstrous punch had connected, he wouldn't have walked away in one piece.
"…Ah."
Tsunade paused, momentarily flustered. She had overreacted in the heat of battle after the fireball caught her off guard.
Fortunately, she had restrained her full strength and diverted the strike at the last second.
Had she not… Ren would not have survived.
Still, Tsunade wasn't about to admit any of that.
She released the Transformation Technique, shifted the topic abruptly, and stared at Ren with narrowed eyes.
"You knew it was me all along, didn't you?"
She had seen it in his eyes—he had never considered her a threat.
But for a five-year-old to detect that kind of subtlety? That wasn't normal.
"I did," Ren admitted calmly.
By now, he had largely deduced the situation. Given his recent performances and the latent influence of his wish ability, Tsunade had most likely come to accept him as her disciple.
There was no need for pretenses.
"My spiritual sense is fairly strong. I sensed your presence well before, and even saw you execute the Transformation Technique."
"You're Lady Tsunade, correct? May I ask why you sought me out?"
While his tone was respectful, his eyes shimmered with carefully calculated admiration.
After all, his public persona was that of a medical ninjutsu prodigy with deep interest in medical arts. Naturally, he would be expected to idolize the legendary healer, Tsunade.
As anticipated, Tsunade picked up on this admiration and couldn't help but look pleased.
"Spiritual sensing, huh? No wonder…"
"However…"
Without warning, she appeared beside Ren and pinched his cheek with mock menace.
"So you knew it was me all along, huh? And yet you played along and fought back?"
"You're messing with me, aren't you? Now, how should I punish you?"
"Hey, hey—cut it out!"
Ren swatted away her hand, retreated a few meters, and rubbed his reddened cheek.
"Now you're flipping the script?! I didn't know what your intentions were. If I'd revealed you too early, that might've upset you, no?"
"So I figured it'd be better to go along and see what you had in mind."
"You're being unreasonable!"
"I haven't even scolded you yet for nearly smashing me into pieces. That's not how you test someone!"
This woman—sure, she had a top-tier figure, but her personality was a serious liability.
With his current power level, provoking her too much might actually get him killed.
"Ahem…"
Tsunade looked away, her face slightly flushed. "Don't exaggerate."
"I pulled my punch, changed direction—if you hadn't dodged, at worst you'd have been seriously injured."
"But in my hands, even a serious injury would heal in less than a week!"
"You can't slander me like that."
"…Do you even hear yourself?"
Ren's expression darkened.
"'Just a serious injury'? You ambush a five-year-old with a full-power punch and call it mild?!"
This wasn't just reckless—it was insanity.
He was starting to regret wishing to become Tsunade's disciple.
She… might not be all that reliable.
"Ahem."
Visibly more embarrassed, Tsunade's expression hardened again. She grabbed Ren's cheeks once more, twisted them in mock fury, and finally let go.
"Enough whining, brat!"
"I've seen enough. Whether it's talent, intelligence, or that silver tongue of yours—you win."
"I was wrong. As an apology, I'll take you as my disciple and teach you my medical ninjutsu. Satisfied?"
"You're a prodigy in medical techniques, right? Perfect match. Any objections?"
Ren was silent for a moment.
He was tempted to say, Wasn't that your plan all along? Stalking me, testing me—you clearly came here to take me in.
But he dared not.
Tsunade was volatile enough that if she got offended, she might walk away from the deal altogether.
With most people, that was unlikely.
But with Tsunade… it was a real risk.