"Watch closely," Tsunade said as she formed seals at a deliberate pace.
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram!
Summoning Technique!
After completing the seals, Tsunade pressed her palm onto the ground.
Tadpole-like patterns spread outward, followed by a puff of white smoke that quickly dissipated.
In front of her appeared a slug with a white body and a blue back.
"Lady Tsunade," the slug greeted politely.
"Lady Katsuyu," Tsunade said, pointing at Hanekawa. "This is my new student, Hanekawa."
"Hanekawa-sama," the slug said in a gentle tone. "I am pleased to become your summoning beast. You may call on me whenever you need assistance."
Hanekawa couldn't help but be impressed. This was what a summoning beast should be.
The snakes of Ryūchi Cave had terrible attitudes and required sacrifices for their help.
The toads of Mount Myōboku were better, but they constantly dragged people into the Great Toad Sage's prophecies.
Meanwhile, the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest were not only pleasant-voiced but also dutiful and ever-willing to assist.
"Lady Slug, I'll summon you next time," Hanekawa said.
After the introductions, Tsunade canceled the summoning technique.
With a puff, the slug vanished into the dissipating smoke.
Hanekawa felt a tinge of disappointment—he had hoped Tsunade would take him to Shikkotsu Forest.
Perhaps it was because he couldn't yet learn Sage Mode, so there was no point in visiting.
"Shikkotsu Forest has only one summoning beast, and that's the slug," Tsunade said as she stood up. "Its true name is Katsuyu. What we summon are merely its split forms."
Hanekawa nodded.
The Summoning Technique adjusted the size of the summoned beast based on the amount of chakra used.
In the original series, even when Tsunade and Sakura combined their efforts, they couldn't summon Katsuyu's true form.
This spoke volumes about its enormous size.
"Alright, let's head to the hospital," Tsunade said, stretching lazily. "Go grab my coat."
Hanekawa went to her room.
As he opened the door, a faint fragrance greeted him.
Scanning the room, he didn't see her coat, so he opened the wardrobe.
Inside were various articles of clothing, including some intimate items.
For some reason, Hanekawa felt Tsunade had no defenses around him.
Was it because of his young age? Or perhaps her carefree personality?
Taking the coat, he returned to the living room.
Tsunade took it and casually put it on.
With a flick of her hands, the tea-green coat billowed dramatically, the kanji for "Gamble" on the back clearly visible.
At that moment, playing the theme music of a gambling god would have been perfect.
After all, wasn't her perpetual losing streak a sign of her unparalleled gambling "luck"?
---
After three days of training at Konoha Hospital, Hanekawa finally mastered the Hemostasis Jutsu.
[E-rank Ninjutsu Keyword: Hemostasis Jutsu]
[Trigger Condition: Successfully perform the technique.]
[Effect: The technique is automatically upgraded to the proficient level.]
With the successful casting of the technique, a new keyword appeared.
Hanekawa let out a sigh of relief.
Three days—not particularly fast, but not slow either. It was a decent pace.
He felt like Shizune from the original series.
While she became an excellent medical ninja, she never reached Tsunade's level, such as mastering the Yin Seal.
"Your talent is peculiar," Tsunade remarked as she watched him perform the Hemostasis Technique. "You just learned it, yet you're already this skilled."
"Is that bad?" Hanekawa asked in return.
"It's not bad—it's excellent," Tsunade explained. "Learning and mastering the Hemostasis Jutsu in three days already qualifies you as a genius."
Three days to learn the Jutsu wasn't particularly fast, but Hanekawa's ability to master it made up for that.
After all, learning and mastery were two entirely different things.
"How long did it take you?" Hanekawa asked curiously.
Tsunade held up three fingers.
"Three days as well?" Hanekawa's eyes lit up.
"Three hours," Tsunade said, lifting her chin slightly with a smug smile. "You're still far from surpassing me."
"I'll do my best," Hanekawa said, undeterred.
After all, he had a cheat.
System, let's see your limits!
"Good attitude," Tsunade said, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "To celebrate you mastering the Hemostasis Jutsu, let's hit the casino for a few rounds!"
By the end of her sentence, her excitement was palpable.
"Does that count as celebrating?" Hanekawa muttered, a bit dissatisfied. He grabbed her wrist and tried to push it aside, but it didn't budge an inch.
Tsunade instinctively raised an eyebrow.
Strong grip.
Especially impressive for someone only six years old.
In that moment, Tsunade felt something peculiar.
It was as if he was born to be her student.
"Don't resist your teacher," Tsunade said, pinching his cheek before withdrawing her hand.
"Yes, sensei," Hanekawa replied, resigned to his fate.
"Alright, I'll give you two days off," Tsunade said reluctantly.
Without Hanekawa around, she knew she'd end up losing everything again if she went to the casino the next two days.
No, she needed to win big today to make up for it.
"Let's go!"
With that thought, she scooped Hanekawa up and leaped out of the window.
The faint scent that had just gathered was quickly scattered by the rushing wind.
Instinctively, Hanekawa buried himself in the warm, soft depths.
It wasn't until late at night that he managed to escape and return home.
---
Next Day
Hanekawa arrived at the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
It had been three days since his last visit.
"Hanekawa, you've come at the perfect time," Tsuchibashi said, taking out a scroll with a smile. "This is a reward personally sent to you by the Raikage."
Hanekawa eagerly opened the scroll.
The words Lightning Release: Chakra Activation leapt out at him, leaving him stunned.
This was exactly what he had been hoping for!
But... it felt a bit stingy. They hadn't included the method for training in Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
That mode was the foundation of the Raikage's strength across generations.
Then again, he wasn't the Raikage's student—of course, they wouldn't just hand it to him.
"Thank you, Uncle Tsuchibashi," Hanekawa said, closing the scroll.
"Your performance has greatly impressed the Hidden Cloud. If you achieve more great deeds in the future, there'll be more rewards," Tsuchibashi said, patting his shoulder.
"I understand."
Hanekawa took out a new scroll and handed it to him. "This is my friend's new book."
"Guide to Evaluating Ninja Girls of Different Races"?
Tsuchibashi opened the scroll, skimmed through it, and froze. "This... this is pure genius!"
In the ninja world, there were no concepts like "beast-eared girls" or "demi-human girls." At most, there were summoning beasts and tailed beasts.
A book about beast-eared or demi-human girls becoming ninjas? It was groundbreaking.
"This will be a hit! A huge hit!"
Tsuchibashi felt as though he had just opened the door to a new world.
"When will it be published?" Hanekawa only cared about the money.
"Give it two more months," Tsuchibashi said after calming himself. "Publishing it now would steal the spotlight from Demon Slayer Ninja."
A professional's wisdom.
Hearing this, Hanekawa agreed.
After saying goodbye to Tsuchibashi, he headed downstairs. Just as he left the bookstore, he ran into Rin Nohara.
"Hanekawa?" Rin's face lit up with delight upon seeing him.
"Good morning, Rin," Hanekawa said, stopping in his tracks. "Are you here to buy a book?"
"Yes," Rin nodded shyly.
"What kind of book are you looking for?" he asked casually.
"A book for medical ninjas," Rin replied, a bit embarrassed.
Her decision had been influenced by Hanekawa.
Normally, Rin wouldn't start learning medical ninjutsu until after graduating, but Hanekawa's journey had inspired her.
"This one is good for beginners," Hanekawa quickly found a basic medical textbook and handed it to her. "Let me know if you have any questions."
"Thank you, Hanekawa," Rin said gratefully, holding the book tightly.
--
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