Hokage's Office
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lingered warmly on the bold and casual woman sprawled across the sofa before him. A subtle smile crept to the corners of his lips.
If Orochimaru was once his most brilliant student, and Jiraiya the one who most resembled him in demeanor, then Tsunade was undoubtedly the disciple he cared for the most.
For Hiruzen, Tsunade had always been more than just a student—he had treated her like his own daughter.
Although, as things stood now… it seemed that he had another daughter. No—more accurately, a granddaughter now...
"Alright, old man, enough with the long face. Just say what you called me back for," Tsunade said impatiently, shooting a glance at the sofa beneath her—a new piece of furniture, from the looks of it. Her eyes betrayed a flicker of disappointment.
One more piece of her granduncle's legacy had disappeared from Konoha…
Hiruzen regarded her discontented expression without the slightest trace of irritation. Unfazed, he calmly began recounting everything that had occurred recently—the upcoming arrival of the Kazekage and Tsuchikage, the chaos of the Chūnin Exams, and his decision regarding his fourth disciple.
Tsunade sat silently through the briefing, her fingers absently twirling the teacup she had picked up from the table.
By the time Hiruzen finished explaining, his throat was dry. But when his gaze drifted to her hands, he noticed that his prized antique teacup had been crushed to dust.
Another precious heirloom gone...
He winced inwardly.
"So let me get this straight," Tsunade raised an eyebrow, her voice tinged with irritation. "You gave my monster strength technique and the Yin Seal to some little girl I've never even met?"
She didn't bother asking about the Kazekage or Tsuchikage, or even Orochimaru. No, her only concern was the girl who had somehow inherited her techniques.
After all, the Hokage had only asked her to stand by in case anything went wrong during the Chūnin Exams. The rest? Not her problem.
"Ah, well, haha..." Hiruzen chuckled awkwardly, trying to brush the matter aside with a laugh.
"Hmph. Where is this girl now? I'd like to meet her," Tsunade said with a snort, casting a sideways glance at the aging Hokage.
"She should be at Training Ground Three, practicing," Hiruzen replied, stroking the short beard on his chin. "You'll like her."
"I'll decide what I like, old man. You don't get to speak for me."
With that sharp remark, Tsunade stood and left the office without so much as a second glance. All that remained of her presence was the shattered porcelain on the table—evidence of her brief but impactful visit.
---
Konoha Training Ground Three
Sakura Haruno stood alone in the wide-open training ground, her attention focused intently on the scroll in her hands that described the Celestial Canopy Formation—the "Ten-Gai Barrier."
After finding out Sasuke's whereabouts, Ino had excitedly skipped off, leaving Sakura by herself.
But solitude suited Sakura just fine. Her ability to absorb new information was exceptional—especially when it came to chakra control and sealing techniques.
This particular formation wasn't especially difficult to grasp. With her natural talent, enhanced by the detailed annotations left by Jiraiya, Sakura had already prepared herself for her first attempt at deploying the technique.
The Celestial Canopy Formation involved projecting a thin membrane of chakra from the caster's body, expanding it outward in a wide dome-like radius. Within this area, the caster's finely-tuned chakra allowed them to sense even the smallest disturbances—like an advanced radar.
While the range was limited to about 100 meters in radius, it was still extremely useful for reconnaissance and combat support. It didn't rival the sensory prowess of techniques like the Mind's Eye of the Kagura or the Hyūga clan's Byakugan, but for Sakura, it was more than enough.
She began forming the hand seals slowly and precisely:
Ram—Ox—Rabbit—Dog—Rat.
As she completed the final seal, Sakura closed her eyes.
She could feel her chakra ripple outward like a wave. Even with her eyes shut, she could sense the presence of everything around her—the blades of grass, the fluttering birds in the trees, the ants crawling below her feet, the fish swimming in the stream nearby.
Every detail in the environment painted a picture in her mind's eye.
A small smile crept onto her face. She was just about to test the technique in combination with the Body Flicker Jutsu when three new chakra signatures suddenly entered her sensory field.
That chakra… it belonged to Asuma?
And two others—one unfamiliar but powerful, and the other…
Before she could ponder further, a voice rang out from a distance.
"Not bad."
Under a tree, arms folded across her chest, Tsunade watched the pink-haired girl from afar.
She immediately recognized the Celestial Canopy Formation—one of Jiraiya's techniques. But what caught her attention was that this girl had clearly succeeded in her first attempt at using it.
That was no easy feat.
Perhaps Hiruzen wasn't entirely wrong about this one.
"She's the old man's new favorite, alright," Asuma said, pulling a cigarette from his mouth as he prepared to light it—only to freeze under Tsunade's sharp gaze. Silently, he tucked it back into its box.
"If you don't want to die early, ditch that trash," Tsunade said with a frown before striding toward the girl, Shizune trailing closely behind her.
Asuma sighed and followed along. If Tsunade lost her temper, he figured someone had to be there to talk her down.
Sakura straightened her posture as she watched the group approach.
She had already heard from the old man—Hiruzen—about Asuma's sudden disappearance during the exam. It was to find her.
The woman who was originally supposed to be her teacher.
And now, due to a twist of fate, Sakura stood on nearly equal footing with the legendary Princess of the Senju.
"Senior Sister," Sakura greeted respectfully, bowing deeply before Tsunade.
"You're not shy, I'll give you that," Tsunade replied, eyeing her with a critical gaze.
So this was the one Hiruzen had gone on and on about—a girl supposedly like her.
Tch. In what way?
Pink hair, a delicate frame, a gentle demeanor. Where was the resemblance?
And flat-chested, too. Nothing like her at all.
Tsunade frowned slightly, a trace of disdain in her eyes.
Sakura noticed but said nothing.
"I heard the old man gave you my monster strength and the Yin Seal?"
Tsunade's sharp eyes fixed on the purple diamond mark on Sakura's forehead. She arched an eyebrow.
She knew better than anyone the difficulty of mastering the Yin Seal. According to Hiruzen, Sakura had awakened it at the age of eight and, with the help of a member of the Uzumaki clan, had completed it in just four years.
It was thanks to that seal that she'd been able to hold off Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.
That kind of achievement was impressive. Even Shizune, who had been her student for over a decade, had never managed to master the Yin Seal.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Sakura replied respectfully.
"Hmph. Well, what's done is done. The old man gave them away—I can't exactly take them back now. Otherwise, I'd just seem petty," Tsunade muttered.
"Still… I think I'll test whether you're worthy of using my techniques."
Her tone had a sharp edge to it—provocative and challenging.
Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly, a spark of intensity flickering within them.
"And how would you like to test me, Senior Sister?"
Tsunade smirked.
"Simple. Arm wrestling."
---
To be continued.