Haruto Saito was pleasantly surprised. Being serious really made a difference. The system's prompt had changed from "general explanation" to "meticulous teaching." The first time, he had only obtained three fragments, but this time, he got thirteen!
Quickly regaining his composure, Haruto focused on Tsunade, becoming even more attentive!
Another two hours passed.
"Ding! Host has received meticulous teaching from Tsunade and obtained 'Super Strength Card Fragment' ×15."
Two hours later.
"Ding! Host has received meticulous teaching from Tsunade and obtained 'Super Strength Card Fragment' ×11."
After a total of eight hours of teaching, Tsunade's mouth was dry from speaking so much. She had demonstrated the technique more than a hundred times and was now completely irritated. She was convinced that Haruto was deliberately making things difficult for her. But she held back!
She wanted to see how Haruto would meet his end tomorrow!
"Go eat. It's getting late. Come back after dinner, and we'll continue," Tsunade said, looking up at the sky. It was already around four in the afternoon.
Haruto quickly did the math and nodded. Time was on his side.
Now that he was seriously learning and Tsunade was earnestly teaching, he could obtain at least ten Super Strength Card Fragments every two hours. He already had 42 fragments. If he continued training with Tsunade for just another twelve hours, he would easily gather the required 100 fragments!
Half an hour later, in a bustling ramen shop in the heart of the village.
As soon as Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Haruto walked through the door, a wave of murmuring spread through the crowd. Many people shot Haruto strange looks.
"Hey! That's him! Of all the people to fool, he had to choose Tsunade. He must have a death wish!"
"Tsunade usually doesn't bother with kids like him, but this time, she seems serious."
"Getting on the bad side of the Hyuga clan was bad enough. Now he's going to be killed by Tsunade instead. What a way to go…"
"Do you think it's true that he killed a Jonin-level opponent?"
"Doubtful. He probably used some ninja tool to ambush the guy. I heard he killed in the water, and even the Anbu couldn't figure out how he did it."
"I bet 1,000 ryo that he'll be buried alive."
The murmuring was like a swarm of flies buzzing incessantly.
Haruto remained calm.
This ramen shop had a slightly modern layout. The four of them took a booth near the counter—Tsunade sat beside Haruto, with Orochimaru and Jiraiya sitting across from them.
A waiter came over, and after taking their orders, walked away. Haruto then spoke, "You can't go home tonight. You have to keep teaching me. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair if I fail."
The moment Haruto spoke, the entire shop seemed to pause. Many customers perked up their ears to listen in, and the place grew noticeably quieter.
Crack, crack…
That was the sound of Tsunade grinding her teeth. She took several deep breaths, looking like she was about to explode.
Jiraiya didn't understand Haruto's logic at all. Was he actively trying to die? If he just admitted that he was lying, the worst Tsunade would do was beat him up. But instead, he kept insisting he would learn Super Strength in one day and kept provoking Tsunade. Did he have a death wish?
"Jiraiya," Tsunade suddenly called out.
"Uh?" Jiraiya tensed up, afraid he would become Tsunade's punching bag.
"Go order a coffin for Haruto. Make sure it's made of redwood," Tsunade said seriously.
"Oh, got it!" Jiraiya immediately got up, formed a hand seal, and disappeared.
"Orochimaru," Tsunade turned to him next.
"What?" Orochimaru asked coldly.
"Go reserve a burial plot for Haruto. Get the best one."
"Okay." Orochimaru vanished as well.
The ramen shop fell completely silent. Some customers even stopped eating, afraid to make noise and attract attention. A few ninjas had a look of utter disappointment because they had bet on Haruto being buried alive. But if Tsunade was already ordering a coffin, that meant he wouldn't be buried directly. No way she'd dig him up just to put him in a coffin later.
Haruto didn't respond. He was exhausted. A whole day of intense training had drained his mental energy.
He closed his eyes to rest.
Not long after, Jiraiya and Orochimaru returned and nodded at Tsunade, confirming the arrangements were done.
A waiter soon arrived with a large tray of food. Each of them had ordered different types of ramen—Tsunade had spicy ramen, Jiraiya had udon, Orochimaru had plain noodles, and Haruto had a big bowl of beef ramen.
However, the waiter also placed an extra bowl of tomato and egg stir-fry ramen in front of Haruto.
"We didn't order this," Haruto said. "Must be a mistake."
"No mistake," the waiter said respectfully, stepping back. "Our shop owner is offering this to you as a gift."
"Wait, don't go yet. Why is your boss giving me free food?" Haruto asked.
"Well…" The waiter hesitated, looking conflicted.
"Speak!" Tsunade barked impatiently.
"Y-yes!" The waiter hurriedly explained, "Our boss said that Lord Haruto might not get another chance to eat, so he wanted to make sure you had a little extra… That's all…"
"Oh?" Tsunade blinked in surprise, then chuckled and waved the waiter away.
Haruto was stunned. Was this… a last meal before execution?
All this just to suck up to Tsunade?
Haruto suddenly stood up and looked around.
"What are you doing?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing. Just looking for the shop owner. Wow, what a considerate guy. I think we could be great friends," Haruto said coldly. His tone, however, suggested he was more likely to kill the guy than befriend him.
Not seeing the owner, he sighed and sat back down.
"Eat properly. Don't waste food. Since it was given to you, make sure you finish it," Tsunade said, pulling Haruto back into his seat and moving the tomato and egg ramen closer to him while shifting his beef ramen aside.
Haruto glanced at the extra bowl, hesitated, then picked up his chopsticks and took a big bite.
Might as well eat it. Free food was free food.
The ramen shop gradually returned to its lively atmosphere, but at their table, the mood remained silent because Tsunade was in a foul mood.
At that moment, a chubby middle-aged man in a luxurious kimono approached their table with a polite smile, nodding to Jiraiya and Orochimaru before addressing Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade, about the betting…"
Haruto glanced at the man. His name was Takaoka Ichio, identified as "the owner of March Sky, the largest casino in Konoha."
"What is it, fatty?" Tsunade looked at him while swallowing a mouthful of noodles.
"There is a great betting opportunity," Takaoka Ichio said, taking out a scroll and handing it to her.
Tsunade opened it and immediately beamed with excitement.
Haruto leaned over to look, and almost spat out his food. It was a bet on whether he could learn Super Strength in a day, and also on how he would die.
"Since you're directly involved, Lady Tsunade, you can only bet on whether he succeeds or not. Given the odds, betting that he won't succeed is a safe bet," Takaoka Ichio said.
"I'm in!" Tsunade dumped all her cash into his hands.
Haruto raised a hand. "Can I place a bet?"
*********************************************************************************************************
"Hello everyone! If you'd like to support the novel and gain early access to chapters up to 100, you can join my Patreon at
patreon.com/Rawink
The first 10 members will have the exclusive opportunity to personally connect with me and share their valuable suggestions. Your insights are highly appreciated and will play a key role in shaping our vision. Hurry up !!!