On the last day before the New Year, Konoha revived the prosperity of pre-war times. Countless vendors were shouting in the streets, and there were many people with smiles on their faces, accompanied by their families and children, buying New Year goods.
The reason for such prosperity was that a week ago, the village finally began to settle the rewards for missions during the war. Except for the ninjas still on missions outside the village, the vast majority of ninjas had already received their rewards for the missions they undertook during the war.
The ninjas joyfully held onto this money and engaged in compensatory spending, greatly stimulating the market in Konoha. Even some well-informed merchants from other places had come here to collect sacks of money.
Amidst the atmosphere of joy, the depression that had surrounded the entire village since the outbreak of the war was swept away. Even those ninjas who had retired due to injuries or the relatives of those who had died began to spend money, stepping into a new chapter.
But compensatory and retaliatory spending easily leads to a problem: it's difficult to control one's savings, and before you know it, you've spent too much. Especially for a ninja who isn't good at managing money to begin with.
In the Senju Clan area, Tsunade, who should have been sound asleep in her own room at this early hour, woke up unusually early, without a trace of sleepiness on her face.
She squatted on a big tree, gazing at the house on the other side of the wall. It was her grandfather's house, now occupied by her disciple, Sakamoto Tatsuma.
Tsunade, at the first moment when the rewards were distributed a week ago, went to collect her own reward. Then, she spent five days and lost it all. Of course, a considerable portion was used to repay previous gambling debts.
It was said that all the staff at the Konoha casino had no plans to visit the temple for New Year's prayers on the first day of the year. Instead, they were preparing to change their prayers to Tsunade, hoping she would bless them to continue making big profits in the coming year.
With her wallet empty, Tsunade set her sights on her disciple. She had found out that Tatsuma had yet to collect his reward.
But Tsunade was confident that Tatsuma would definitely go to the Hokage Building today to collect his reward because she had heard accidentally last night that Tatsuma planned to buy some New Year gifts today.
And if he didn't collect the reward today, Tatsuma wouldn't be able to afford gifts, and he wouldn't be able to give them out on New Year's Day. Plus, the Hokage Building would be closed tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, so if Tatsuma didn't collect his reward today, he would have to wait several more days.
Therefore, Tsunade got up early just to wait for Tatsuma to get up and collect his reward. As his sensei, it was only natural for her to protect her disciple.
After all, it was dangerous for a child to have so much money, right? Without protection, he might encounter some bad people who would rob him of his reward.
And as his sensei, it was reasonable for her to receive a tiny bit of compensation after protecting her disciple.
As for why she didn't use the old "borrowing" method? Because Tsunade had no intention of repaying that money at all! So she must not borrow, especially since her grandmother would definitely demand repayment soon due to her affection for Tatsuma.
Tatsuma didn't get up early today to go to the Hokage Building to carry out his mission of guarding the Hokage, because even the Hokage needed rest. Sarutobi Hiruzen had given himself and Tatsuma a week off.
Starting from today, work would resume on the seventh day of the new year.
Until the sky was completely bright, Tatsuma finally pushed the door open and walked out. Just as he closed the door, he looked in Tsunade's direction.
Seeing her disciple noticing her so quickly, Tsunade no longer concealed herself. Instead, she directly leaped from the large tree on the other side of the wall to Tatsuma's side and said:
"Ha ha, Tatsuma, why up so early? Where are you going?"
"Just going for a walk."
Tatsuma took a step back, watching his sensei warily. Tsunade continued to approach, forcing Tatsuma to step back further. Seeing her disciple being so cautious, Tsunade put on a warm expression and said:
"Well, I'm free today too. How about we go for a walk together?"
"Um, it's probably not a good idea, sensei. I can go alone."
Tatsuma remained cautious, while Tsunade narrowed her eyes and said, "What are you hesitating about? Do you think I might harm you?"
"I just want to take a walk alone, to think about some things. Having someone follow me would distract me."
Although Tatsuma denied Tsunade's "accusation," his steps involuntarily moved further away from her.
Tsunade dropped the act and cracked her knuckles, saying, "Tatsuma, you're smart. I won't say anything else. You have four bounties from S-Rank missions and one from an A-Rank mission. I just want those five bounties. You can keep the rest. How about it?"
At Tsunade's words, Tatsuma's face immediately darkened. The bounties he could redeem for payment were from the second stage onwards, the first stage being the first war in the Land of Wind. During those months, Tatsuma had converted all his completed mission counts into Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu and Bringer of Darkness Jutsu.
The second stage, the first S-rank bounty, counts from the support mission in the Land of Rain where Tatsuma assisted Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru in resisting the Land of Earth. That rescue mission lasted for three months and counts as one completed S-Rank mission.
The second S-rank bounty comes from diplomatic persuasion missions to the northern countries like the Land of Iron. Though there was little combat involved, it encompassed diplomacy with several nations, hence counting as one completed S-Rank mission.
The third S-rank bounty originated from Tatsuma and Tsunade's joint effort to decipher and replicate the poison used in the Hidden Sand Village, leading to a major battle between the Rain Ninja and the Sand Ninja. Although Danzo later nullified the advantage gained from this incident, Tatsuma's completed S-Rank mission count was still acknowledged.
The fourth bounty marks the end of the second stage, which was when he collaborated with Tsunade to severely damage the Sand Village, driving the Sand Ninja back to the Land of Wind. This event also counts as one completed S-Rank mission.
The bounty from the A-Rank mission comes from the end of the third stage, which was the final battle against the Land of Rain. In that mission, if we consider only the impact, Tatsuma could easily count it as an S-Rank mission completed. However, he was not the main commander, and engaging with Hanzo was not part of the original plan. Therefore, it could only be counted as an A-Rank collective combat mission according to the initial planning. Only the Sannin get to tally S-Rank mission completions.
Apart from these five high-rank missions, Tatsuma's remaining missions consist of just a few dozen B-rank medical support tasks and sporadic C-rank medical care missions. Collectively, these don't amount to as much money as the five high-rank missions.
It can be said that as soon as Tsunade opens her mouth, she's about to take away most of Tatsuma's money. And this is just what Tsunade mentioned before seeing the money; if she actually sees it, she might demand even more.
For Tatsuma, who has been waiting for this money for two years, how could he possibly accept it? Therefore, with a serious expression, Tatsuma resolutely shakes his head and says, "Sensei, this is impossible. Unless you give up gambling, I will never give you the money."
"Just one last time, if I can win back the money I lost, I won't gamble anymore!" Tsunade said earnestly, her tone firm and persuasive, but Tatsuma just shrugged and said, "I don't believe you, and besides, you won't win it back."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade clenched her fists, a crackling sound emanating from her palms. She stared at Tatsuma and said, "You dare to be so rebellious. It seems I, as your sensei, must teach you what it means to respect your teacher and follow the right path. I had planned to leave you with some money, but because of your attitude, I must confiscate it all."
Tatsuma shook his head and solemnly said to Tsunade, "Sensei, gambling is wrong. If it's for living expenses, I can unconditionally provide money for you, but if you want to gamble, I won't give you a single penny."
"Hmph!" Tsunade ignored him, taking a step toward Tatsuma. Immediately, Tatsuma formed hand seals, and suddenly a Sealing Jutsu appeared on the ground. Tsunade, who was approaching Tatsuma, suddenly stopped in her tracks, frozen in place.
"String Light Formation? You think this can seal me?!" Tsunade sneered at the Sealing Jutsu, simultaneously exerting brute force and slowly advancing. Tatsuma shook his head, continuing to form hand seals. In an instant, Sealing Jutsu appeared around the perimeter of the wall.
"Sealed Binding Formation?"
"It's the Multiple Sealed Binding Formation, my own modification," Tatsuma replied.
After Tatsuma finished speaking, Tsunade felt the restraining power intensify, but she still said, "Do you think such a seal can confine me?"
"Of course not. You are my most respected sensei. With your strength, this kind of seal is far from enough," Tatsuma said with a smile. Tsunade suddenly felt something was off with this kid.
Tatsuma formed hand seals again and then said, "Forgive me, sensei."
"You..."
"Four Limbs Weighting Seal Jutsu!"
In an instant, Tsunade felt her strength and chakra being stripped away—or perhaps concealed. The Sealing Jutsu that had been constantly fluctuating around suddenly stabilized.
But Tsunade still defiantly said, "Such a seal can be broken with just a bit of chakra! And to maintain this kind of Sealing Jutsu, you can't stay away from me either!"
"Yeah, but I never intended to leave you, sensei. Try this jutsu of mine, a fusion of Cursed Seal and Sealing Jutsu. It took me a long time to learn, studying under Grandma Mito," Tatsuma said as he continued to form hand seals.
Then he reached out and touched Tsunade's exposed neck. In an instant, the fiery red Cursed Seal spread over Tsunade's entire body. Tsunade struggled to speak, "Self-Cursing Seal?!"
Tatsuma nodded, acknowledging it directly. He had indeed spent a long time learning this technique, as it wasn't even taught to Kushina, so it wasn't part of her inherited talents either.
This is a technique that combines the Cursed Seal technique with Sealing Jutsu. Not only does one need mastery of Sealing Jutsu, but also an understanding of the Cursed Seal technique. Tatsuma had also consulted Orochimaru about some aspects of the Cursed Seal technique before he could be considered to have a basic grasp of it.
The combination of the four Sealing Jutsu completely trapped Tsunade, while Tatsuma stood by, maintaining several layers of seals.
"Squeak, squeak..."
Suddenly, the sound of Tsunade grinding her teeth came through. She glared fiercely at Tatsuma and said, "You forced me to this! Yin Seal, release!"
Seeing the seals appearing on Tsunade's forehead, Tatsuma's expression turned panicked. He said, "Sensei, please don't act rashly! My chakra can only sustain the restraint for about ten minutes."
"Boom!"
However, Tsunade erupted with chakra, breaking through the Sealing Jutsu. She landed a punch on Tatsuma, but... Tatsuma burst into smoke, dispersing into thin air. This scene left even the enraged Tsunade momentarily stunned.
In the midst of a commercial street in Konoha, Tatsuma, who had secretly left the Senju territory since midnight and had started to collect rewards from the Hokage Building early in the morning, already storing most of the rewards, rubbed his temples and murmured:
"Using even the Yin Seal? Should I just defect from the village?"
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