"What?!"
Suddenly, Tsunade noticed the undisguised look in Neji's eyes, and then flicked the necklace she always wore.
She was going to bet, Tsunade suddenly became energetic.
"... Kid, since that's the case, let's make a bet. If you can take the necklace from my neck, I will become the Fifth Hokage."
"It's a deal." Then, Neji got up and walked out.
"Going out to get some air, it's good to clear your head." Tsunade rubbed her eyes, speaking a little lazily.
Seeing the two of them leave one after the other, Shizune, who had been holding Tonton without saying a word, sighed softly.
A Genin challenging someone at the level of a Kage, isn't this a joke...?
Of course, she also hoped that Tsunade could become the Hokage, but why did Konoha send such a small kid over?!
On the street, Neji and Tsunade faced each other. Neji was a little serious, but Tsunade... was still yawning.
"Heh..." Seeing Tsunade's lazy appearance, Neji knew what she was thinking.
"Tsunade-sama, you'll suffer a big loss if you underestimate me."
"Yeah." Tsunade said impatiently. If she had to use her full strength against a Genin, it would be a disgrace to her name as one of the Sannin.
Neji shook his head. The ninja promotion system wasn't absolute. Right now, Neji's existence was a rejection of that system.
He turned around, staring intently at Tsunade, and kept moving closer to her.
When he was close to Tsunade, Neji suddenly looked up, his Byakugan eyes wide open: "Pressure!"
The moment he activated his Byakugan, an indescribable aura suddenly radiated from Neji, instantly causing Tsunade's pupils to shrink.
As for Shizune, she was almost blown away, staggering backwards.
"No way, this is the aura a Genin can give off?!"
Genin are already so powerful, how did Konoha get beaten up by Orochimaru like that?!
"I'm the winner of this bet!"
In Tsunade's eyes, the last thing she saw was Neji's delicate face, and the flash of an arm.
Then, the necklace that was so important to her was grabbed by Neji.
All of this happened in an instant. Taking advantage of the moment Tsunade was suppressed, Neji snatched her necklace.
"The host made a bet with Tsunade, receiving the reward [Summoning Technique (Slug)]."
Summoning Technique (Slug): Use your own blood to form a contract with the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest. In the future, you can use your blood to form seals and summon slugs, who will come whenever called. Conversely, slugs can also summon the caster.
"The host touched Tsunade's chest, receiving the reward [Ninja Art Creation Rebirth]."
Ninja Art Creation Rebirth: Use a large amount of Chakra to stimulate various proteins, rapidly accelerating the number of times cells divide, thereby allowing cells to rebuild, and even allowing all organ tissues to regenerate. This is not recovery ability, but regeneration ability, but because the number of cell divisions in a person's life is limited, it will shorten lifespan after use.
"Huh?!" Neji was stunned. He could understand the first reward, but what was the second one about? When did he...?
Neji subconsciously looked at Tsunade's chest area. Was it an accidental touch when he grabbed the necklace earlier?!
This is a loss!
"Hmph!" Tsunade, as expected of one of the Sannin, broke free of the pressure almost as soon as Neji grabbed the necklace.
"Tsunade-sama, your luck is as bad as ever." Neji said.
"Kid, you..."
"Forget it, Shizune, let's go."
Tsunade glanced at Neji unwillingly, then turned and left. Really, he was too sly, she hadn't even had time to attack.
"Huh? Ah? Tsunade-sama, don't you want the necklace back? That was the First Lord's..." Shizune was lost for a moment, then hurriedly caught up with Tsunade and said.
"Am I, Tsunade, the kind of person who goes back on her word?!"
Neji's eyes lit up: "So, Tsunade-sama agrees to become the Hokage?!"
But then Tsunade turned her head, smiled sweetly, and revealed a lot of goodwill: "Although I won't go back on my word, I can still exchange it for something of equal value. In my opinion, this necklace is more important than my life..."
"..."
Tsunade left, unwilling and a little reluctant to part with the necklace, but very happy. Before she left, she laughed loudly: "I finally lost a bet."
"What the..."
"Cheap!!"
Looking at the precious necklace in his hand, Neji felt it was such an eyesore, and quietly stuffed the necklace into his pouch, looking in the direction Tsunade left.
"Really, this isn't going to be easy."
"Tap tap tap..."
That night, someone knocked on Neji's door. After Neji opened the door, Shizune hurried in.
"Neji, I want to talk to you." Shizune said straight to the point.
"Did Tsunade change her mind?"
Neji wasn't surprised that Shizune could find his lodging and call him by name. It was easy to find out with a little investigation.
If she didn't even have these skills, then Tsunade would have wasted her name as one of the Sannin.
"No, although I'm taking the liberty, I hope you can return the necklace to Tsunade-sama. This necklace is very important to Tsunade-sama."
"Also, although we may be overthinking it, this necklace is cursed. Anyone else who wears it will encounter misfortune."
Shizune said anxiously, not only for Tsunade's sake, but also for Neji's. In short, she had to get the necklace back.
"Cursed?" Neji narrowed his eyes, then understood.
It seemed like there was such a saying, but it was all Tsunade's imagination.
Back then, Tsunade gave the necklace to Nawaki and Dan, because it was given to her by Hashirama, so she hoped that the necklace could protect them.
But things didn't go as planned, and they both died one after another. From then on, Tsunade believed that the necklace was an unlucky object.
"Go back, I won't return the necklace." Neji said decisively.
What if someone tried to take advantage of him while he was wearing something like this? After all, there weren't many people as upright as him.
"Neji, you... why can't you listen? Wearing this necklace will really bring misfortune!!" Shizune shouted at Neji, who was wearing the necklace in front of her.
"Tsunade-sama watched her two most loved ones die because of this necklace, so she became like this now."
"Shizune, strictly speaking, I haven't experienced the pain of losing family or loved ones, so I can't understand Tsunade's pain, but I think Nawaki and Kato Dan wouldn't want her to become like this either." Neji gradually became serious.
"Tsunade said that the people who become Hokage are all idiots, I don't disagree with that. It's because of that that they can bear the pain of others."
"So-called Hokage are people who move forward with pain, walking further than others, even if others have to step over their corpses, they must never step over the corpses of their comrades!"
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