What a joke!
Given her grandfather's status, if Naruto became Senju Hashirama's disciple, was this brat planning to lord it over everyone?
What's more, if Senju Hashirama truly took on a disciple, Tsunade completely believed that the people across the entire Shinobi World who wanted to become his student could line up from the eastern edge of Konoha to the western edge—and even Konoha wouldn't be big enough.
This dull-looking kid in front of her didn't even come close to making the cut, no matter how you looked at it.
The reason Uchiha Madara and the First Mizukage Yuto took in Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji was simply due to special circumstances.
What was the relationship between Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Sasuke?
The Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, leaving Uchiha Sasuke as the sole surviving descendant.
Leaving the sole survivor of his entire clan in the enemy's camp was clearly not an option.
Compared to the original story where Uchiha Sasuke defected to Orochimaru, the people of Konoha didn't have as strong a reaction this time around.
Even Hatake Kakashi, the Jonin instructor of Squad Seven, aside from some self-reproach for letting Uchiha Sasuke go, didn't feel much else compared to the original story.
In Hatake Kakashi's view, following Uchiha Madara might not put Uchiha Sasuke's life in danger, but following Orochimaru was a different story entirely.
What's more, with both Lord Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara revived at the same time...
Uchiha Sasuke staying in Konoha wasn't exactly a wise choice either.
As for Hyuga Neji, his situation was somewhat more unusual.
Though, in essence, it wasn't really that special.
Just a Genin from Konoha.
Especially for a clan like the Hyuga Clan, whose late-stage growth largely depended on Ninjutsu and techniques developed through the Byakugan.
Faced with such a disadvantage, Hyuga Neji surely understood this better than anyone.
Yet even under these circumstances, Hyuga Neji still chose another path, one filled with far too many uncertainties.
This went far beyond simple courage...
Even though Tsunade, through intelligence gathered afterward, knew that the First Mizukage Yuto had once met Neji during the Chunin Exams.
But from just one meeting, Tsunade couldn't believe that someone like Yuto would decide to take Hyuga Neji as his disciple simply because he watched a decent Chunin-level match.
The most likely scenario was that he had simply offered a casual compliment.
Yet because of that one throwaway compliment, Hyuga Neji dared to gamble between life and death!
Courage, perseverance, determination—none of these could be missing!
In Tsunade's eyes, Uchiha Sasuke was at most a fairly talented ninja.
But Hyuga Neji was a true genius, because he possessed everything a genius needed. His only shortcoming was perhaps that he hadn't fully grown yet.
Every time Tsunade saw intelligence about Hyuga Neji, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret deep inside. Konoha—and even the Hyuga Clan—had lost a true genius!
"I refuse. Also, you're too loud."
Faced with Naruto's unreasonable demand, Tsunade naturally didn't waste words. She simply raised her fist, intending to cool Naruto down first.
Given Naruto's current strength, even if Tsunade's punch contained not a trace of killing intent, it would still be enough to keep him bedridden for a good ten days to half a month.
"So fast! I can't dodge it at all!"
Naruto could clearly see Tsunade's movements, but he found himself completely unable to dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the fist slowly grew larger in his field of vision.
Just as Naruto was about to be hit, a figure appeared in front of him, casually raising a hand to block Tsunade's punch.
"Grandpa!"
Seeing the figure who had suddenly appeared, Tsunade was first stunned, then couldn't help but speak with dissatisfaction.
"You're the Hokage now. You can't be as willful as before."
Senju Hashirama withdrew his hand, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
Tsunade pursed her lips, pulled back her wrist, and stood there with her arms crossed.
By this time Naruto had recovered his wits. Looking at Senju Hashirama standing before him, an excited expression appeared on his face.
"Lord Senju Hashirama, please take me as your disciple!"
Naruto shouted, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Hearing Naruto's shout, Tsunade's eyelid twitched slightly.
"You just don't give up, do you, brat? There's no way Grandpa would..."
Before she could finish, Tsunade saw Senju Hashirama stroking his chin with a thoughtful expression, seemingly tempted.
"Grandpa!!"
Tsunade hurriedly called out to Senju Hashirama, terrified that he might have a sudden lapse in judgment and actually accept this Genin as his disciple.
After all, if Senju Hashirama truly took Naruto as his disciple, by seniority, every high-ranking official in Konoha would have to bow their heads to Naruto on the surface.
What's more, Naruto's background was already somewhat special. Adding his status as a Jinchuriki made things far too sensitive.
If Senju Hashirama really took Naruto as his disciple, it wouldn't actually be a good thing for Naruto himself.
Just as the atmosphere was growing rather awkward...
A soft cough came from outside the Hokage office window.
Jiraiya scratched his head and somewhat sheepishly jumped in through the window.
Tsunade shot Jiraiya a glare, a fierce look flashing in her eyes.
"Hey, little Jiraiya."
Senju Hashirama looked at Jiraiya jumping in through the window and greeted him with a smile.
"Pervy Sage!" Naruto stared wide-eyed at the suddenly appearing Jiraiya, unable to suppress a startled cry.
Obviously, aside from Naruto, both Tsunade and Senju Hashirama had already noticed Jiraiya lurking outside.
Jiraiya bopped Naruto on the head with his fist, looking at the boy clutching his skull with some dissatisfaction.
"You little brat, it's Toad Sage!"
Naruto covered his head with a yelp of pain. It hurt so much that tears couldn't help welling up in his eyes.
Jiraiya glanced at Senju Hashirama and Tsunade, who were both watching him, and let out an awkward laugh.
Jiraiya had always been keeping an eye on Naruto's situation. He was also well aware of the reason Naruto had suddenly sought out Tsunade.
Jiraiya's original plan was to stay outside and watch the show, then appear after Tsunade rejected Naruto and take the boy as his own disciple.
However, Lord Senju Hashirama's appearance had completely disrupted Jiraiya's plan.
Of course, the reason Jiraiya jumped out wasn't because he was worried Naruto would be taken as Senju Hashirama's disciple.
If that were the case, Jiraiya would actually have been pleased. While he considered himself reasonably strong, compared to Lord Senju Hashirama, he was clearly not in the same league.
What Jiraiya was worried about was that Naruto's stubborn, pestering personality might make things more complicated than they needed to be.
With Jiraiya's appearance, the following matters actually became much simpler.
Although Senju Hashirama didn't particularly mind whether or not he took Naruto as a disciple, Tsunade definitely did not want that to happen.
Based on the intelligence gathered, both the First Mizukage Yuto and Uchiha Madara seemed to be collecting Tailed Beasts.
As the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, even for safety reasons alone, they couldn't let Naruto become too conspicuous.
The final result was naturally that Jiraiya took Naruto as his disciple, while Senju Hashirama also agreed to provide Naruto with guidance.
This outcome surprised both Tsunade and Jiraiya. It seemed Lord Senju Hashirama saw even more potential in Naruto than either of them did.
Present day.
Standing atop a great tree, Tsunade and Jiraiya calmly watched Naruto training below.
"Honestly, I completely don't understand why Grandpa would take a fancy to an idiot like this."
"Becoming Hokage isn't something you can achieve through hard work alone. One careless move and you could end up dead."
Tsunade straightened up and suddenly spoke.
Jiraiya's brow furrowed slightly. He wanted to say something, but for a moment, he didn't know how to begin.
Meanwhile, Tsunade withdrew her gaze from Naruto and turned to leave. After all, as Hokage, she had far too many things to attend to.
The only reason she had made time to observe a Genin like Naruto was because of her grandfather.
BOOM!!
A sudden explosion rang out from below.
Naruto stared panting at the burst rubber ball in his hand, a look of joyful surprise spreading across his face.
"I... I did it!"
Naruto murmured, his face etched with exhaustion as he lay flat on his back on the ground.
Up in the tree.
Jiraiya also straightened up, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. He spoke softly to Tsunade, who was about to turn away:
"Completing all three stages of the Rasengan in just one week—he's truly remarkable."
"It seems Lord Senju Hashirama's eye for talent is spot on. He's a genius too."
Hearing a smug laugh from behind, Tsunade's mouth twitched. Her turn paused, and she looked back once more in Naruto's direction.
"Perhaps."
A hint of complexity flickered in Tsunade's eyes. As soon as the words left her mouth, she had already vanished from the spot.
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus releases and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
30 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]