After Tsunade slammed her palm down and crushed the table, everyone nearby turned their heads toward them.
A large group of waiters quickly surrounded Shinju's group.
The one leading them said, "You're ninja, aren't you? Breaking things inside the restaurant puts us in a really difficult spot."
Jiraiya gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, my friend here got a little carried away. How much? I'll pay for it."
After paying the damages, Shinju, Naruto, and the others—who had barely eaten a few bites—were kicked out.
...
Outside the yakiniku restaurant, the pig in Shizune's arms let out a dissatisfied grunt.
"For someone your age, you're still so hotheaded."
Jiraiya muttered at Tsunade, "And picking a fight with a kid, really?"
But honestly, Jiraiya's biggest worry was that Tsunade might actually lose—and then she'd never live it down.
After all, his mission here was to bring her back to become the Fifth Hokage.
The more Jiraiya spoke, the angrier Tsunade became.
"Jiraiya! What the hell are you trying to say? You looking down on me?!"
"Don't forget I'm the granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of the Legendary Sannin! You think I wasted my fifty years of life?! What's so great about Wood Release anyway! (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ) "
"Fine, fine, let's do it."
Jiraiya gave a helpless look, then turned to Shinju.
"Shinju, what do you think?"
Shinju nodded, accepting the battle.
"I'll compete with you."
"But on one condition—if I win, you have to go back to the village and take the Hokage's seat."
When Shinju said this, Tsunade's expression turned serious.
The truth was, she'd gotten used to a free-spirited life wandering outside the village all these years.
Suddenly being asked to shoulder the responsibilities of Hokage, to be tied down as the leader of the village—it felt suffocating.
At that moment, Naruto jumped in, fanning the flames.
"What's wrong, scared? You're already over fifty, and you don't even dare to compete against a kid? Guess you're not all that great, Tsunade-sama! (๑‾ ꇴ ‾๑)"
Naruto's provocation hit its mark. Tsunade, unwilling to lose face in front of the red-haired boy, immediately roared:
"Fine!"
"If I lose, I'll return to the village and become Hokage!"
"But if this red-haired boy loses, I want him to take one punch from me head-on!"
Jiraiya's pupils shrank.
"That's way too harsh!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ"
He'd worked with Tsunade for years.
What people praised about her wasn't only her medical ninjutsu—it was her monstrous strength, inherited from the Senju clan.
Her power was absurd—enough to level a stone wall with a single punch.
If an ordinary person took one of her punches, they'd be dead on the spot.
"If it's a gamble, then it needs proper stakes."
Tsunade's tone was firm.
She trusted her medical ninjutsu enough to believe Shinju could survive even after taking her punch.
"Fine. If I lose, I'll take your punch."
Shinju thought for a moment, then spoke.
Tsunade looked at him with newfound respect.
"Good boy. You set the terms of the contest then, otherwise people will think I'm bullying a kid!"
Shinju didn't hesitate and nodded.
"Then let's arm wrestle."
Jiraiya: (っ ?Д ?;)っ
This boy… is he out of his mind?!
He could've chosen shuriken-throwing, ninjutsu power, or even just a normal sparring match!
He had so many options to show his strength—why arm wrestling of all things?!
Didn't he know Tsunade was famous for her superhuman strength?!
Tsunade's eyes narrowed with amusement.
"Kid, you sure? You do know I inherited the Senju clan's monstrous strength."
"I know."
Shinju nodded, looking calm and unbothered.
"But compared to other things, this feels more challenging."
Tsunade: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!!
So he was looking down on her?!
Saying she was nothing but brute strength?!
How dare he!!
He was only thirteen years old—how could he be this arrogant, this infuriating!
Even Shizune was stunned.
This boy… had such an unshakable personality!
Even Jiraiya stood frozen.
Wasn't this kid a little too cocky?
...
Soon, they found a stone platform.
Shinju and Tsunade placed their elbows on it, hands locked.
Jiraiya, tense, prepared to call the start.
Just then, Shinju raised his hand. "Wait."
In the next instant, his aura surged—he opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates!!
At the same time, Sage markings appeared at the corners of his eyes and across his brow!
Shinju wasn't stupid. He knew Tsunade's monstrous strength, so he stacked buffs—Eight Gates plus Sage Mode!
A flicker of surprise flashed in Tsunade's eyes.
She'd heard rumors that this Wood Release boy could use Sage Arts—but she never expected him to have such mastery!
His control was so fluid, probably even beyond Jiraiya's.
And more shocking—he'd also learned the Eight Gates.
So young, and he could already open the Seventh Gate… clearly, he was a taijutsu prodigy!
"Now we can start, right?"
Jiraiya looked proudly at his disciple, feeling excitement rise in his chest.
This boy Shinju… he really had the right to be this cocky!
Shinju nodded.
Jiraiya swung his arm down.
"Begin!"
BOOM!!!
The massive stone under their elbows shattered instantly!
Shinju, overflowing with chakra, poured all his strength into his right arm!
With a loud whoosh!, Shinju flipped Tsunade straight into the air!!
Shizune: ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
The pig in her arms: ヾ(;ﾟ(OO)ﾟ)ﾉ
Jiraiya, Naruto: (´°Δ°`),⊙▽⊙
"S-so strong!"
Naruto's jaw dropped in shock.
After all, Shinju had just arm wrestled one of the Legendary Sannin—
And he'd launched her into the air in an instant!!!
Naruto couldn't help reevaluating the gap between himself and Shinju.
After thinking it through, he was stunned to realize—Shinju was already at a level he probably wouldn't catch up to in the next ten years!
It had only been half a year since graduating from the Academy.
How had Shinju grown this much?!
...
Not far away, Tsunade got up from the ground, laughing.
"You win."
She walked closer and said it directly to Shinju.
Although she hadn't gone all-out in the arm wrestle, in that moment, even if she had, she doubted she could've beaten Shinju powered by Sage Mode and the Seventh Gate.
It felt like a weight had lifted from her chest, pressure she'd been holding inside finally dispersing.
She looked at Shinju and Naruto.
∩_∩
So this… this was the future of the village Nawaki and Dan had wanted to protect!
After defeating Tsunade, Shinju suddenly said, word by word:
"Actually, what I wanted to tell you is—if it's true that Nawaki and Dan are already dead, I can let you see them again."
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune: ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞(ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!
Na… nani?!
Was something like bringing the dead back to life even possible?!
"Shinju, don't spout nonsense."
Jiraiya's voice turned stern.
"Resurrecting the dead so casually is disrespectful to them."
"And besides, that kind of thing is nearly impossible—unless you've mastered the Second Hokage's Edo Tens—"
"Wait!"
His eyes widened.
"You boy—you don't actually know that, do you?! ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!"