The group filed out of the inn, following Tsunade and Naruto to a small clearing nearby. A crowd had already started to gather, sensing the impending confrontation.
Tsunade stood at one end of the clearing, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Naruto stood opposite her, his body tense but his eyes filled with determination.
"Alright, brat," Tsunade called out. "Let's make this interesting. If you can land a single hit on me, I'll admit I was wrong. I'll return to the village and consider the position of Hokage."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in determination. "And if I lose?"
Tsunade smirked. "If you lose, you stop annoying me about this Hokage business. Deal?"
There was a collective gasp from the onlookers. Jiraiya stepped forward, his face concerned. "Tsunade, are you sure about this?"
But Naruto spoke before Tsunade could respond. "Deal," he said firmly.
Sora tugged on Naruto's sleeve. "Naruto-nichan, are you sure about this? She's one of the Legendary Sannin!"
Naruto grinned down at Sora, ruffling his red hair. "Don't worry, Sora. I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way!"
As Naruto stepped forward to face Tsunade, the air crackled with tension. Tsunade cracked her knuckles, a confident smirk on her face. "Alright, brat. Show me what you've got."
Naruto didn't waste any time. His hands flew through familiar signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted, and suddenly five clones appeared.
Three clones immediately flickered towards Tsunade, kunai in hand. The other two hung back, their hands weaving signs. Tsunade moved with lightning speed, her hands chopping through the approaching clones. To her surprise, the clones exploded on contact.
However, Tsunade's hands were coated with a thin layer of chakra, leaving her unharmed. The two remaining clones spoke in unison, "Won't that count as landing a hit?" They unleashed a powerful Gale Palm jutsu, creating a huge wind force.
Tsunade merely flicked her fingers, which shone briefly with chakra. The resulting wind force countered the two C-rank jutsus effortlessly.
On the sidelines, Sora's eyes widened at the display of strength and chakra enhancement. Sasuke, his Sharingan active with three tomoe, observed intently, realizing the levels to which chakra enhancement could be taken.
Suddenly, two hands burst from the ground, attempting to grab Tsunade's ankles. Without missing a beat, Tsunade stomped on the ground. A spider web of cracks spread from the impact point, dispelling the hidden clone.
Sora called out, "Pervy Sage, you're going to pay for the property damage she's causing. I saw your passbook, it had many zeros in it."
Jiraiya grimaced, muttering about whether the property damage would be considered from mission funds or not.
As the ground clone dispelled, it threw a kunai upwards at Tsunade. She easily tilted her head, letting the kunai sail past. However, at the apex of its flight, the kunai transformed into Naruto. He quickly formed a cross seal, creating two more clones.
In a split second, the clones worked together to form a Rasengan in Naruto's hand. Naruto had completed the second stage earlier that day, and inspired by Sora's display, He used his clones to focus on power and rotation individually.
Everyone's eyes widened as they saw the fully formed Rasengan in Naruto's hand. What happened next was too fast for most to follow, except for Sasuke with his Sharingan.
Realizing his Rasengan was becoming unstable, Naruto made a quick decision. He signalled to one of his clones, bringing his middle and index finger together from his free hand, his one clone mimicked the same, forming two shadow-clones with memories of current Naruto who had thought of a strategy just now.
One clone kicked Naruto, changing his orientation so that his head faced the ground, his Rasengan-wielding hand stretched out. The other clone weaved hand signs and dispelled all remaining clones, creating a smoke screen.
In the next instant, Naruto's last clone used Gale Palm on his feet, propelling him towards Tsunade at blinding speed. "Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as he plummeted towards her.
Tsunade reacted on instinct, punching upwards. Naruto had positioned his Rasengan to shield his head from the wind pressure. His momentum stopped the Rasengan inches from Tsunade's fist. In a last-ditch effort, Naruto increased his chakra output. The Rasengan destabilized and exploded.
Naruto landed face-first on the ground, his palm charred and covered in chakra burns. Ignoring the pain, he looked up at Tsunade's hands and saw a small burn mark. "Yatta! I won!" he exclaimed triumphantly.
The crowd stood in stunned silence, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. Tsunade looked at her hand in disbelief, then back at Naruto.
"Well, I'll be damned," she muttered. "The brat actually did it."
Naruto, still on the ground, grinned up at her despite the pain in his hand. "So, does this mean you'll come back to the village?"
Tsunade sighed, kneeling beside him. "Let me take a look at that hand first, kid." She gently took Naruto's injured hand in hers, her palms glowing with green healing chakra. "You're lucky you didn't blow your whole arm off with that stunt."
As she worked on healing Naruto's chakra burns, Jiraiya approached, shaking his head in amazement. "I've got to hand it to you, Naruto. You never cease to surprise me."
Sasuke, trying to maintain his cool demeanour, couldn't help but look impressed. "Not bad, loser," he muttered, just loud enough for Naruto to hear.
Sora bounced on his heels excitedly. "That was amazing, Naruto-nichan! The way you used your clones and the Rasengan... it was so cool!"
Tsunade finished healing Naruto's hand and helped him to his feet. "Alright, I'll admit it. You've got guts, kid. And some decent skills to back it up."
Naruto's eyes shone with hope. "So, about becoming the Fifth Hokage..."
Tsunade held up a hand to stop him. "I said I'd consider it, and I will. But don't push your luck, brat." Despite her words, there was a hint of a smile on her face.
Jiraiya clapped his hands together. "Well, I'd say this calls for a celebration. How about we head back to the inn and order some food? My treat."
"Your treat?" Tsunade scoffed. "I hope you're prepared for the bill. You've got some big eaters in this group."
As the group began to disperse, heading back towards the inn, Sora found himself walking beside Tsunade. He looked up at her, his green eyes full of curiosity.
"Lady Tsunade," he said hesitantly, "can I ask you something about medical ninjutsu?"
Tsunade looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want to know, kid?"
Sora took a deep breath. "Well, I've been studying anatomy extensively for my Shape-Shifting Jutsu. I was wondering if you could explain how chakra pathways interact with muscle fibres during healing processes?"
Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. "That's... quite a specific question. How much do you know about anatomy?"
Sora grinned. "I've studied every bit of information available in Konoha on the subject. It was necessary for developing my jutsu to an A-rank level."
Tsunade's interest was piqued. "Shape-Shifting Jutsu? Tell me more about this technique of yours."
As they walked, Sora explained his jutsu, describing how it allowed him to change his form into anything, even wind or dust particles, and alter his weight for increased mobility.
Tsunade listened intently, her medical mind working overtime. "Impressive," she said. "The level of anatomical knowledge required for such a technique is indeed substantial. To answer your question, chakra pathways intertwine with muscle fibres at a cellular level. During healing, chakra stimulates the mitochondria in the muscle cells, accelerating the repair process."
Sora's eyes lit up. "That makes sense! So, theoretically, if one could manipulate their chakra pathways at will, they could enhance healing in specific areas of the body?"
Tsunade nodded, a smile forming on her face. "Exactly. You've got a good grasp on this, kid. Have you ever considered pursuing medical ninjutsu?"
Sora shook his head. "Not really. I've been focused on my Shape-Shifting Jutsu and other combat techniques."
Tsunade placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "With your knowledge base and chakra control, you'd make an excellent medical ninja. How about this: if I do decide to return to the village, I'll take you on as my disciple. We could combine your Shape-Shifting techniques with medical ninjutsu to create something truly revolutionary."
Jiraiya, who had been walking a few steps behind them, sputtered in surprise. "Hey, wait a minute! You can't just poach my student like that!"
Tsunade turned to him with a mischievous grin. "Watch me, old man. This kid's got potential, and I'm not about to let it go to waste."
Jiraiya quipped back "Who are you calling an OLD MAN? I am the same age as you "
As they continued their walk back to the inn, Sora couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. The prospect of learning from another of the legendary Sannins was thrilling, but he also felt a twinge of guilt about potentially leaving Jiraiya's tutelage.
***
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