Naruto: Wood-Wood Fruit

"Bang... Bang..."

In the wide training ground.

A heavily bruised Lee let out a pained scream.

He was struck hard and sent flying, landing in a battered heap.

Across from him stood a young man with a proud stance, wearing a training outfit and bearing pale, piercing eyes.

"It's useless, Lee..."

Looking down at the defeated Lee before him, Neji spoke coldly, "No matter how many times you try, you'll never be my match!"

"The gap between an ordinary person and a genius can't be bridged with just a few passionate slogans!"

"Damn it... I won't give up, Neji..."

Though bruised and bloodied, Lee clenched his fists, filled with determination rather than despair.

With a face full of resolve, he stared up at the arrogant Neji and shouted, "Someday, I'll prove that hard work can overcome talent!"

"Neji, you went too hard on him..."

Kiyoshi, who had predicted the outcome, walked over with a hint of exasperation.

Seeing Lee's battered state, he sighed, "After all, Lee is still our friend."

Neji remained indifferent, snorting, "He brought it upon himself!"

Anyone would get annoyed being constantly challenged, and the proud Neji was no exception.

He wasn't here to be someone's training tool.

If they wanted to challenge him, they had better be prepared to suffer for it.

As far as he was concerned, he'd already gone easy on Lee, only giving him a taste of what defeat felt like.

If he'd been serious and used the full extent of his Gentle Fist Jutsu, the injuries would've been more than just superficial.

"Lee, you're being reckless..."

Kiyoshi didn't think Neji had overstepped.

Raising his right hand to his chest, he calmly formed a one-handed seal.

A gentle green light glowed from his palm as he placed it on Lee, healing the external wounds from his battle with Neji and the inevitable scrapes of his usual training.

Watching Lee lying there in exhaustion but otherwise unharmed, Kiyoshi cautioned him once again.

"Training has to be balanced. Pushing your body to the limit all the time will only lead to setbacks, maybe even lasting injuries."

"One-handed seals?"

Neji's eyes widened in shock at the sight.

Coming from a prestigious clan, Neji understood the implications of one-handed seals better than Lee.

Some powerful Jonin, after countless hours of practice, could simplify hand seals for basic jutsus, but only few could perform seals with only one hand.

And what Kiyoshi was using wasn't just any jutsu—Healing Jutsu was an A-rank medical ninjutsu, far more challenging than the basic Jutsus.

"Kiyoshi, have you really reached this level?"

Neji couldn't hide his astonishment.

For Kiyoshi to pull off such a feat meant he could likely perform advanced jutsu with a single hand.

In battle, this was akin to having an extra hand compared to one's opponent.

Especially in a tense standoff, the sudden use of one-handed jutsu could catch an opponent off guard, an unpredictable trump card.

Then again, Neji thought Kiyoshi's absurdly impressive chakra control was so far beyond that perhaps he shouldn't be surprised.

"Yeah, with constant practice, I can just about manage it."

Kiyoshi shrugged casually, showing no pride.

In truth, with his precise chakra control, he could even perform this level of Healing Jutsu without any hand seals.

He simply didn't want to appear too abnormal.

"Incredible!"

"Unbelievable…"

Both Lee and Neji couldn't help but gaze at Kiyoshi in admiration.

But at that moment, Kiyoshi's eyebrows furrowed.

Sensing something, he turned to look in the direction of Konoha's main gate.

"Hmm?" He detected a fairly strong chakra signature suddenly appearing there.

Clearly, it wasn't an intruder.

It was someone walking right through the front gate.

"That chakra... It feels strangely familiar, yet distant..."

Kiyoshi's eyes flashed thoughtfully.

"Could it be..."

---

Meanwhile—

In the Hokage's office on the top floor of the Hokage Building—

"Hokage-sama..."

An Anbu member wearing a cat mask appeared suddenly.

Kneeling on one knee before Hiruzen, he reported, "The gate guards just reported that... Tsunade-sama has returned!"

"Oh?"

Hiruzen, puffing on his pipe as he reviewed confidential files, immediately stood up, visibly surprised.

"Tsunade? She's come back?"

"Yes!"

The Anbu member confirmed.

Hiruzen frowned, full of questions.

Back during the Third Great Ninja War.

Dissatisfied with Konoha's leadership, Tsunade had left the village, taking her disciple, Shizune, with her.

In the years since, she had completely distanced herself from village matters, and even from him, her former mentor.

Not even the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had brought her back.

So why now, so suddenly?

Could she have changed her mind and decided to stay in the village?

Having such a skilled medic and powerful shinobi would undoubtedly be a boon for the village.

At the same time, the return of Tsunade, who once held high status and popularity, also made Hiruzen wary.

Long ago, in the wake of the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha was left weakened. To end the drawn-out conflict, they'd refrained from demanding reparations from Iwagakure.

To appease dissent, Hiruzen had once resigned, stepping down for Minato, a disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.

But after the Nine-Tails incident eight years ago, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself.

Konoha, devastated and leaderless, fell into chaos.

Other shinobi nations began eyeing the village hungrily, the threat of war looming once again.

Hiruzen took advantage of the situation, resuming his role as Hokage.

Yet power, once tasted, is as addictive as any drug.

Even during Minato's tenure, Hiruzen had retained much of the Hokage's authority, resulting in Konoha essentially having two Hokages at the time.

As a young Hokage, Minato had struggled under these constraints, never able to lead freely.

Now—

The once-respected "Strongest Hokage," adored by countless in Konoha, was more reluctant than ever to release his hold on power.

Over the years, his three disciples had all left the village in one way or another.

The return of Tsunade both pleased and unnerved the aging Hiruzen, whose grip on power had gradually eroded his former strength and ideals, turning him into a calculated politician.

After all, this particular disciple of his was unlike the others.

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and personally appointed as "Princess of Konoha" by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Tsunade held significant influence in the village.

Her impressive record in battle and her exceptional medical skills earned her deep respect among the villagers.

Many of Konoha's shinobi, including clan leaders, had benefited from her healing abilities at one point or another.

In the right circumstances, she might actually rally a significant following.

Hiruzen couldn't help but weigh the implications carefully.

Why had she returned now, and what was her intent?

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