I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But I Was Forced to Become Hokage

Chapter 80: [A-Rank Mission: Learning]!

"Nara, I warned you!"

Caught once again by a "Shadow Paralysis Jutsu," Tsunade showed no signs of panic. "The Shadow Secret Techniques don't work on every ninja! For example—uh..."

Tsunade was just about to use the same old trick, erupting with her monstrous strength to break free from the shadow's powerful restraint. But this time, she was surprised to find that the effect of this final "Shadow Paralysis Jutsu" was abnormally strong. Even in her monstrous strength state, she couldn't instantly break free from its control.

One second, she was confidently spouting harsh words. The next, Tsunade wished she could lower her head and suffocate her blushing face in her chest.

"If a low-level shadow secret technique doesn't work, then switch to a high-level one," Nara Keisuke's calm and placid voice floated into her ears. "Sister Tsunade, I think this spar can end now, don't you?"

The secret techniques of Yin Release families like the Nara and Yamanaka clans possessed a certain "absoluteness." Once a target was hit by a secret technique, there was basically no room for resistance. This was the greatest advantage of "control-type ninjutsu."

"It can indeed end now." Tsunade tried hard to maintain her composure on the surface, but a careful observer could hardly ignore her crystal-clear earlobes, which were about to turn completely red. "Let me go, Nara."

The valiant and magnanimous Slug Princess displayed such a shy and delicate posture at this moment. Nara Keisuke steadied his mind and ended the casting of the [Shadow Grasping Technique]. The surging shadow, like a surging desire, retracted beneath him.

"Your strength is even greater than I imagined, Nara." Tsunade took a few deep breaths, also continuously calming her agitated and ashamed heart. "When I received Orochimaru's message scroll before, I thought he was joking with me..."

In the message scroll, Orochimaru had relayed all the information he knew about Nara Keisuke's battle record to Tsunade without omission. But it was precisely because of this that Tsunade had become suspicious. If "Nara Keisuke defeating Uchiha Shisui" was still within her range of understanding, then "one Root Jonin dead, one injured," "forcing Namikaze Minato to use a summon to protect himself," and especially the final "nearly killing Orochimaru on the spot"... This was not something Tsunade could comprehend.

She knew that Keisuke's talent and strength were not weak. But for some things, the news one heard from others could never compare to one's own personal experience.

"If I were to make a judgment of your strength, your mastery of the Shadow Secret Techniques is already no less than that of an elite Jonin of the Nara clan!" The crimson on Tsunade's earlobes faded, and she returned to her usual calm demeanor. "Was that [Shadow Grasping Technique] just now the basis of your victory against Orochimaru and the others?"

What on earth did Orochimaru tell Tsunade! Keisuke ground his teeth. "I did not defeat Lord Orochimaru... Also, Sister Tsunade, the Nara clan's combat style is somewhat of a counter to yours."

The closer the distance, the greater the power of the Nara clan's shadow techniques. And Tsunade happened to be a powerful close-range fighter. In a battle between the two, her combat characteristics were perfectly countered by the [Shadow Secret Techniques]. However, from another perspective, a violent healer like Tsunade, who could fight, tank, and heal, was also an excellent teammate for the Nara clan. A pity it could not be...

"I was originally planning to teach you a lesson, to tell you not to over-rely on your family's secret techniques... but I didn't expect to be taught a lesson by you instead." Tsunade rubbed her brilliant, dazzling golden hair and signaled for the two of them to create distance again. "One more time. This time, you're not allowed to self-harm and draw blood, and you're not allowed to use shadow secret techniques. You can only use pure taijutsu to fight."

"...Sister Tsunade, are you sure you don't just want to beat me up?" Keisuke was silent for a moment, revealing an awkward yet polite smile.

"Nonsense!" Tsunade suddenly moved closer, her clear brown eyes reflecting Keisuke's image. "To deal with a mere Genin, I would never get serious!"

Keisuke leaned his head back slightly, avoiding Princess Tsunade's orchid-like breath, and for the time being, believed her excuse.

And then...

Watching Nara Keisuke charge at her with a kunai in hand, the corner of Tsunade's mouth curled slightly. She quietly extended her right index finger, her upper body leaning slightly to the left and downward. Instead of advancing, she retreated, rushing into Keisuke's embrace. Her right index finger also shot upwards at this moment.

As if she had practiced it a thousand times, Tsunade's index finger passed through the ring of the kunai Keisuke was holding without the slightest error. Her fingertip, through the kunai ring, accurately tapped a pressure point on his wrist.

"Hiss—" Keisuke's steps paused, and he drew a sharp breath. Although the one fighting Tsunade at this moment was not his main body, but merely a [Shadow Doppelganger], the doppelganger also possessed basic sensory abilities and could feel pain.

Under Tsunade's single finger, Keisuke only felt a sharp, needle-like, numbing pain in his right wrist. He was forced to loosen his grip and drop his weapon. And using the ring hooked on her index finger, Tsunade easily snatched the kunai away. The black kunai danced and spun between her fingers, its sharp tip pointing down.

She stopped, her right hand continuing upwards. Her index and middle fingers, held together, finally came to rest on Keisuke's forehead.

Tap!

Tsunade lightly tapped his forehead. "I win this time, Nara."

Keisuke shook his right hand and took a few steps back. "Losing to you, isn't that a matter of course?"

Tsunade's eyebrow rose. The pride of a Sannin suddenly surfaced. Perhaps, maybe, possibly... beating a Genin in taijutsu was indeed not something to be happy about.

"Ahem, if I were to say your ninjutsu level is comparable to a Jonin's," Tsunade coughed lightly, "then your taijutsu level can, at best, only be considered Chunin, or perhaps Genin."

Hearing the golden goose's words, Keisuke nodded silently. He knew what his weaknesses were: physical conditioning and taijutsu skill. It was just that his combat system and style almost perfectly concealed this flaw, so he hadn't been too troubled by it.

But Keisuke wasn't concerned about this point. Tsunade, however, was very concerned. "Nara, a ninja's chakra is limited. Even the Hokage cannot wastefully squander chakra." Tsunade earnestly imparted her combat experience. "Your mastery of your family's secret techniques is far beyond my expectations, which is very good. But in a real battle, who will give you enough time to control and maintain the use of your chakra? Many times, in a battle between ninja, ninjutsu is not the final endpoint, taijutsu is. Because compared to ninjutsu, taijutsu is more chakra-efficient, faster to activate, and easier to land an attack."

Listening to Princess Tsunade's earnest teachings, Keisuke couldn't stop nodding. He had never been a proponent of the concept of "ninjutsu hand signs." Besides finding it troublesome, the most important point was that in actual combat, the "casting time disadvantage" of hand-sign ninjutsu would be infinitely magnified. Take, for example, the B-rank Water Release ninjutsu [Water Dragon Bullet Technique] that he had encountered before. A full forty-four hand signs. Even at "seven signs per second," it would take at least six and a half seconds. In that time, the opponent would have long since rushed over with a blade to cut you down. A ninja's mobility was no joke!

This was the fundamental reason why Keisuke had always been pursuing "no-hand-sign ninjutsu." But taijutsu... for now, being just good enough was fine!

Tsunade paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next. In her view, Keisuke's secret technique level was sufficient, but correspondingly, his taijutsu problem was too big. How could he go to the battlefield in this condition? Having experienced the departure of one after another of her relatives and friends in her early years, and now facing a junior whom she greatly admired, who was also her subordinate and benefactor, Tsunade did not want Keisuke to step onto the battlefield unprepared.

A secret-technique-type Jonin... weak, too weak! Can't even protect themselves!

Tsunade asked, "Nara, you don't have any other missions recently, do you?"

Missions? Keisuke blinked. "No... Sister Tsunade—no, are you planning to assign me a mission, Department Head Tsunade?"

"Assign a mission?" Tsunade's brow furrowed slightly. "If you have to put it that way, it's not impossible. Compared to your family's secret techniques, your taijutsu level is far too low. For the next period of time, you will follow me and learn properly how to use taijutsu to fight!"

The panel showed no reaction.

With a thought, Keisuke slowly began to guide her. "Department Head Tsunade—Sister Tsunade, you know, I'm a person who is very organized with my daily planning. If 'learning taijutsu' is a mission, I would like to know its specific content. And following you to learn taijutsu... this should at least be an A-rank mission, right?"

"An A-rank mission? You really dare to think big. This is just a small mission I'm issuing personally. If you insist on calling it A-rank, then A-rank it is." Tsunade shook her head, unable to help but laugh. "As for its specific content... I will try to arrange for other ninja, or use my own shadow clone, to fight and spar with you at a fixed time every day, limited to only taijutsu. But let me say this first, I don't have the money—no, I mean, I will not be paying the reward for this so-called 'A-rank mission'."

The panel finally popped up with a new mission message.

[A-rank Ninja Commissioned Mission Detected!]

[A-rank Mission: Learning]

[Mission Content: For a certain period, follow Tsunade to learn taijutsu and gain her approval.]

[Mission Reward: A-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll]

(End of Chapter)

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