Uchiha Kageyama's gaze locked onto Yuya.
In the next instant, the three-tomoe Sharingan manifested in his eyes, and a terrifying wave of killing intent surged forward.
Yuya's expression sharpened immediately.
He had almost been affected by it.
Strong.
This Uchiha Kageyama was, at the very least, an elite jōnin.
"Uchiha Kageyama! What do you think you're doing?!"
At that moment, Tsunade finally snapped out of her shock. Her expression changed abruptly as she shouted at him.
As she rebuked Uchiha Kageyama, she deliberately adopted the same calm, aloof posture he had worn earlier when blocking her path.
Yuya had actually turned the tables under such circumstances—snatching victory from the brink of death.
Her admiration for Yuya deepened even further, and when she thought of how Uchiha Kageyama must be feeling right now, the anger she had felt earlier completely dissipated.
What replaced it was a faintly teasing smile.
Uchiha Kageyama's face, meanwhile, looked as though he had swallowed something utterly foul.
Staring at Yuya without concealing his killing intent, he desperately wanted to erase the boy on the spot.
Yuya's talent sent a chill through even him.
But Tsunade was standing right there.
If he made a move now, not only would he lack justification—even if he somehow had it, Tsunade would stop him without hesitation.
Just as he had stopped her earlier.
The frustration in his heart reached its limit.
In the end, Uchiha Kageyama took a deep breath and forcibly calmed himself.
The cold, emotionless mask returned to his face.
"Let's go."
With a cold snort, he turned and left.
The Uchiha clan members opposite him also took deep breaths, regaining their composure as they followed him away.
The three ANBU glanced at one another, their expressions flickering, before departing as well.
Soon, only Yuya and Tsunade remained.
The atmosphere became slightly… awkward.
Yuya looked at Tsunade. His eyes flickered—and, quite unintentionally, swept over her chest.
Cough.
It really was… hard not to notice.
Still, his gaze withdrew instantly.
Yuya genuinely felt grateful toward Tsunade for arriving at such a critical moment.
If she hadn't been there just now, Uchiha Kageyama might truly have killed him outright.
"Um… Tsunade-senpai, thank you."
"Hmph."
Tsunade nodded casually, then her beautiful eyes flashed as she snorted.
"Do I look that old to you? Calling me senpai, of all things."
"Cough—then how should I address you?"
Yuya coughed awkwardly and looked at her.
At the same time, a strange thought surfaced in his mind.
Tsunade cared this much about his situation—even going so far as to clash with the head of the Uchiha clan.
Don't tell me she… likes me?!
Cough!!
No, no—that idea was way too weird.
Yuya quickly corrected himself.
More likely, she had taken an interest in his abilities and wanted to take him on as a disciple.
Other than that, there was really no reason for her to help him like this.
"As for how you should address me…"
Yuya had guessed her intentions, yet Tsunade herself hesitated slightly over the question.
Yuya was still officially a student at the Ninja Academy, not yet graduated as a genin.
Even after becoming a genin, he'd have to wait until this class fully graduated before teams were assigned.
Calling her sensei now would be inappropriate—and she didn't even know Yuya's own thoughts yet.
"…Can I call you big sister?"
Yuya looked at Tsunade weakly, feeling that while she was older than him, the gap didn't seem all that large.
"Hmph! You're pretty good at getting familiar fast, aren't you, brat?"
Instead of getting angry, Tsunade laughed, eyeing Yuya with amusement.
"Trying to close the distance on our first meeting?"
"Because big sister is really beautiful."
Yuya answered with complete seriousness.
At times like this, playing dumb was the safest option.
"Pfft—!"
Tsunade burst out laughing.
If she didn't know that Yuya's mental maturity far exceeded his age, she might really have treated him as an adorable little kid.
"Not only smooth-tongued, but pretty bold too."
She chuckled as she looked at him.
Tsunade had already been fond of Yuya, and now that he had reversed the situation through his own strength, her admiration and goodwill toward him had increased dramatically.
So rather than feeling annoyed, she found him unexpectedly likable.
"Heh heh…"
Yuya scratched his head awkwardly.
Looks like Tsunade wasn't as easy to fool as he'd thought!
Who said you could deal with Tsunade using just a few sweet words?
Whoever said 'big chest, no brains'—step forward, he promised not to beat them to death.
"Well then," Tsunade suddenly said with a smile,
"until this class graduates and teams are assigned, I'll allow you to call me big sister."
Yuya froze on the spot.
His mind felt as though thunder was crashing nonstop.
He was completely stunned to a crisp—inside and out.
This was ridiculous!!
She actually agreed that easily?!
What kind of third-rate plot development was this?!
Seeing Yuya standing there in a daze, Tsunade gracefully stepped in front of him, raised her hand, and curled her fingers.
Flick!
Her finger snapped sharply against Yuya's forehead.
"Ow!!"
Even with Yuya having opened the Second Gate of the Eight Gates, possessing an incredibly strong physique, he was still sent staggering back several steps.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Tsunade.
Still reeling from the shock, Yuya decided to continue playing dumb.
Tsunade shot him an annoyed glare.
"Hey! If you keep pretending to be stupid, I'll beat you until you're not!"
"Cough… Tsunade–big sister… that's a bit much, don't you think?"
Yuya said helplessly, lips twitching.
That form of address clearly pleased Tsunade.
Although she had a younger brother, Nawaki, he was a bottom-ranking student at the Academy—whereas Yuya was now a genius whose name echoed throughout Konoha.
After today, even genius felt insufficient.
Defeating an elite chūnin at this age—he was practically a monster.
"Anyway," Tsunade said, withdrawing her fist and smiling again,
"I don't need to spell it out. You understand, right?"
Yuya shrugged.
"Of course. After graduating from the Academy, unless something unexpected happens, I'll be assigned to a team led by you, Tsunade–big sister."
"Correct."
Tsunade nodded approvingly and gave Yuya's shoulder a firm pat.
Instantly, Yuya felt a wave of existential pain.
He wanted to cry.
What did he do to deserve this?!
"Could you maybe… not use so much strength?"
"I just wanted to check what's going on with your body," Tsunade snorted.
Yet her eyes revealed clear surprise as she circled Yuya a few times.
"Your physique really is… strangely strong."
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