Chapter 60: I Accept This Bet
Jiraiya sat on a relatively intact section of a wall, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. Opposite him, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed. The neckline of her robe, which bore the character for 'gamble,' was slightly loose, revealing a patch of snow-white skin.
Tsunade's anger clearly hadn't subsided; her amber eyes were fixed intently on the Blonde Youth on the ground.
"Hmph, you want me to return to Konoha?" Tsunade let out a cold laugh and pointed a finger right at Uzumaki Naruto's nose. "Fine. Unless this brat can show me he has what it takes to be Hokage, there's no deal."
Naruto scrambled up from the ground, patted the dust off his rear, and looked at Tsunade with his blue eyes. His gaze couldn't help but... wander for a moment.
[Wow, she's even more attractive when she's angry. Those curves... Is this the legendary'surging waves'?]
"What are you looking at!" Tsunade's eyebrows shot up, and she almost threw another punch.
"Ahem!" Jiraiya quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Tsunade, give the kid a chance. Don't let his foolishness fool you; he is the Fourth Hokage's..."
"I know," Tsunade interrupted Jiraiya, a flicker of nostalgia crossing her eyes, as if she were seeing through Naruto to a certain younger brother who was always shouting about becoming Hokage. "Nawaki was just as foolish back then."
She took a deep breath, looking as if she had made up her mind.
"Then let's make a bet."
Tsunade wagged her outstretched finger, her red nail polish glinting sharply in the sunlight.
"The A-rank Ninjutsu, Rasengan. I know Jiraiya is teaching you that. Listen up, kid: if you can learn this Ninjutsu within a week..."
She unclasped the blue-glowing necklace from her neck and let it dangle from her fingertips.
"...I'll lose this necklace of the First Hokage to you and return to Konoha with you. If you can't do it..." Tsunade's gaze suddenly turned fierce, "...then get lost and never let me hear the word 'Hokage' again!"
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Shizune held Tonton with a worried expression. Learning the Rasengan in a week? That was simply impossible! Even the Fourth Hokage himself took three years to develop it!
Jiraiya's expression, however, became quite peculiar.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say, "Uh, Tsunade, actually this kid..."
But before he could speak, he was interrupted by Naruto's provoked appearance.
"Fine, let's bet! Who's afraid of who! Don't regret it, old hag!"
Naruto shouted while pointing at Tsunade, appearing like a hot-blooded idiot on the surface, but internally... he was over the moon.
[One week? Haha! I'd be embarrassed to win such a freebie fanservice round! Forget the Rasengan; Big Ball Rasengan, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken... as long as I have enough Chakra, I could whip one up right now! But I know how to do this—can I say it? Of course not! If I learn it now, she'll just admit defeat, give me the necklace, and leave. How would I get to spend a week alone with her? How would I use the training as an excuse to mooch food, drinks, and perks? For these seven days, even if just for this free vacation, I have to act! I must put on a grand drama of giving my all, failing repeatedly, and finally exploding with power at the limit! Only then can I move you and let that hardened heart of yours... open a crack for me, hehe.]
"..."
Jiraiya looked at his apprentice, who was acting his heart out, and swallowed the words he was about to say.
As for Tsunade, she was completely frozen. She looked at her still-wagging finger and listened to that smug and punchable voice in her head, feeling that the whole situation was beyond ridiculous. She was so angry she nearly lashed out.
This kid... was actually playing the pig to eat the tiger?
However, before she could process this news, Naruto's thoughts bolted like a runaway horse toward an even stranger direction.
[But speaking of which... Granny Tsunade's finger is truly top-tier.]
Naruto's gaze was glued to that long, white finger.
[If this finger were used for striking pressure points... tsk tsk.]
[If it were used on those pressure points that make your whole body go numb and lose all strength...]
[Imagine it: a late-night hot spring inn, and I'm lying on a tatami mat, exhausted from training. Granny Tsunade is wearing only a loose yukata, kneeling beside me.]
[She extends that finger with the red nail polish, dips it in a bit of sake... and in the dim, hazy light, her finger slides along my spine, carrying the cool liquid and the warmth of her fingertip, once... and then again...]
[While poking my sore spots, she says in that lazy, mature older sister voice: 'Hey kid, does this feel good? Or... do you want it even harder?']
[Ah! Is this the legendary 'One-Finger Zen: Ultimate Paradise Edition'?! I can't take it. If the penalty for losing is being poked by that finger all night, I'd rather be a Genin for the rest of my life!]
*Crack.*
A crisp sound of a knuckle cracking rang out.
Tsunade's finger, held mid-air, froze solid.
Her face turned a terrifying shade of red, and steam seemed to rise from her head—a sign of Chakraspiraling out of control.
Dipping in sake? Sliding along the spine? Even harder?
"You...!"
Tsunade felt her finger burning, but strangely, she also felt a powerful force gathering at its tip.
[Ding!]
[Senju Tsunade (Female): Warning! The host is subjecting the target to a high-intensity 'Finger Play' mental attack. Shame level has exceeded the critical threshold.]
[You have gained a new understanding of finger usage that transcends Medical Ninjutsu.]
[Obtained Reward: Taijutsu Secret Technique - God's Finger (S-rank). Your finger will condense enough power to pierce through metal and stone, and it comes with a pressure point effect (Side effect: Anyone struck by this finger will experience a soul-leaving... tingling numbness).]
"?!"
Tsunade jerked her hand back as if she'd been electrocuted, hiding it behind her back. She bit her lip hard, glaring fiercely at the blonde brat who was still grinning foolishly at the air.
If it weren't for Nawaki... no, if she didn't want to see what kind of performance this little liar, who already knew the Rasengan, was going to put on... she would send him to see the Six Paths Sageright now!
"Fine! It's settled then!"
Tsunade turned abruptly, her movements stiff. "Jiraiya, don't bother me this week! Shizune, let's go!"
"Ah? Lady Tsunade? We're leaving already?" Shizune held Tonton, completely unable to keep up with the pace.
Jiraiya watched Tsunade's back, which clearly carried a hint of fleeing, then looked at Naruto and sighed: "Naruto... were you just thinking about something very rude?"
Naruto spread his hands innocently: "No, I was thinking about how I can work my hardest for Konoha!"
That afternoon, in the small woods on the outskirts of Tanzaku Street.
"Heh!"
*Pop.*
Naruto held a water balloon in his hands and gave a performative shout. The balloon didn't react at all, merely wobbling slightly.
"Dammit! This is too hard!" Naruto exaggeratedly threw the balloon to the ground and then flopped down, looking like he was dying of exhaustion.
"I can't do it, I can't... my Chakra is drained... Sister Shizune, I'm finished..."
Shizune, who was sitting nearby as a supervisor, was startled and quickly ran over to help him up: "Are you okay, Naruto-kun? You only practiced for five minutes. Isn't your Chakra supposed to be massive?"
Naruto leaned his head against Shizune's leg, groaning weakly.
[Hehehe, Sister Shizune might not be as 'grand' as Granny Tsunade, but this uniform is also great! And her personality is so gentle, like a considerate little sweetheart.]
[Compared to a fiery chili pepper like Tsunade, a little white rabbit like Shizune, who gets startled occasionally, is actually more... Ouch!]
Just as Naruto was calculating things in his head, behind a large tree in the distance...
*Snap!*
A sharp sound rang out.
Tsunade, who was supposed to be out drinking, was actually hiding behind the tree. She had accidentally pierced a hole right through the trunk, which was three spans wide, with a single finger.
She looked at the guy who was clearly full of life but playing dead in front of Shizune, and the cross-shaped vein on her forehead pulsed even more vigorously.
[Ding!]
[Uzumaki Naruto (Male): Detected that the target of conquest 'Tsunade' is secretly watching and is in a state of complex emotions.]
[Favorability fluctuation determination: Although angry at being deceived, she has also developed recognition for your level of genius.]
[Obtained Reward: Strength of a Hundred SealChakra Sensing (Passive). You can now vaguely sense the flow of Chakra from the Creation Rebirth Jutsu.]
Naruto lay on the ground, a secret smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
[Spying on me? Good. Then it seems there will be an audience of one for the upcoming 'Late-night Intense Training Wet-body Show.']