Chapter 15: QWER! You Lost, Third Hokage (Part 2)
In that instant, the small dagger in Koedo Ryo's hand shot out like a bolt of lightning. A line of blood appeared on the Third Hokage's right hand, and Tsunade hurried over, relieved to see it was just a minor wound.
Jiraiya's mouth was now in an 'O' shape. He had never seen the Third Hokage bleed in a match before, especially at the hands of a mere boy!
Even Koedo Ryo himself was shocked, covering his mouth with his right hand in astonishment. The Third Hokage approached with visible excitement in his eyes.
"Little Ryo, you've given me a big surprise! At the last moment, I couldn't suppress my own strength, and your stunning dagger throw has the power to confront a Chunin head-on!" The Third Hokage laughed, ruffling Koedo Ryo's hair.
"I lost this match. I believe in you!" After saying this, he covered his right hand and quickly vanished in a few flashes. Tsunade examined the small dagger closely.
"Hey, kid. How did that last dagger attack feel so... forceful?" Jiraiya, no longer acting carefree, looked at Koedo Ryo with a serious expression.
Unfortunately, Koedo Ryo's mind was elsewhere, as the system's mechanical voice echoed in his mind: "Hidden task completed!
1. Overcome all bosses; prove your existence!
Completion: 1/?
Task stage reward: Lanxi Grass *1"
"What's up with this soft reward?" Koedo Ryo secretly complained as he awaited the system's explanation, only to be jolted out of his thoughts by a sway of his body.
"Kid, you managed to injure the Third Hokage. How about you come with me to learn medical ninjutsu and personally treat him?" A matter-of-fact proposal from Jiraiya came without prelude.
Before Koedo Ryo could respond, Jiraiya pulled him over. "This kid was my first pick, alright? Flat-chested old hag!!" A loud voice echoed from the front.
Once Koedo Ryo heard that line, a familiar scene played out in front of him. With an angry expression, Tsunade raised her right hand, which was already making cracking sounds from being tightly clenched, and swung it towards him. Then, there was silence...
Turning to glare at the kid, who looked like he was about to laugh but held it back, she said, "Hey, you are Koedo Ryo, right? You want to learn medical ninjutsu from me?!"
A fist, nearly the size of Koedo Ryo's head, was less than 10 centimeters away from his handsome face. It was the same fist that could send Jiraiya into the horizon with just a whack.
Koedo Ryo wisely nodded, displaying a "I'm very willing" expression. Only then did Tsunade seem satisfied, saying a few words of encouragement, before rushing off to the location where she expected Jiraiya to fall.
At this point, only Orochimaru and Koedo Ryo were left. The snake uncle slowly approached: "So you are Koedo Ryo? Want to learn powerful ninjutsu from me?"
At that moment, Koedo Ryo was stunned.
What the heck? This script doesn't match! I clearly accepted Tsunade's offer, and now Orochimaru is trying to recruit me?
Before Koedo Ryo could voice his doubts, Orochimaru spoke first: "I'll talk to Tsunade. As long as you agree to be my disciple, I promise to impart everything I know to you. How about it?"
Koedo Ryo's inner turmoil was nearing a breaking point. Orochimaru is not a decent person; who knows if he's just using this apprentice title to experiment on me?
Thinking about this made Koedo Ryo shudder involuntarily. He put on a naive expression and said, "Uncle Orochimaru, I've already promised Tsunade-nee-san, so..."
Orochimaru, showing no anger at Koedo Ryo's gentle refusal, simply nodded and vanished into thin air. When Koedo Ryo saw his figure disappear, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This was a man known for using the ninjas from his village as living test subjects. Being a defenseless little boy in front of him was enough to make anyone feel pressure!
Wiping the sweat from his back, Koedo Ryo hurried back home.
As soon as he entered, he saw his mother cleaning the house. He quickly said, "I did really well this time; Tsunade-san decided to take me as her disciple," before running to his small room and locking the door.
"System, what was that Lanxi Grass about?"
"Lanxi Grass, according to legend, is formed from the tears of the water goddess, Alice. It ranks among the top ten holy items of the water element. Its main effect is to enhance water affinity by 10% when consumed, reducing chakra usage while increasing the power of Water Release. As long as there are water elements present in the air, it allows full awareness of everything. When reaching 100% affinity, one can become fully elemental!" the system explained.
"What?!" Upon hearing this, Koedo Ryo couldn't help but exclaim. This was quite a treasure that forcibly increased water affinity!
Most importantly, it was even more powerful than the Byakugan! The perception level it granted was astounding; after all, in this world, where is there a place without water elements?
Without a moment's hesitation, he took out the Lanxi Grass from the warehouse. As soon as the grass appeared in his hand, all the important figures in Konoha who could sense its power turned their gazes toward Koedo Ryo's house.
"What is this…?" The Third Hokage muttered, then picked up an artifact known for its ability to observe and began to watch closely.
At that moment, Koedo Ryo swallowed the Lanxi Grass. In an instant, he felt a qualitative change, as if he had the power to command all the water energy in the world.
With his eyes closed, Koedo Ryo sensed a "joy" coming from the water elements in nature. Everything within a 30-meter radius was "scanned" into his mind.
"This feeling is truly incredible!" Just as he opened his eyes, a figure appeared before him.
"Third Hokage???"