Tsunade clenched her fist, black veins popping on her forehead, and couldn't help but punch Kiyotaki-kun on the head.
"Ah!"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Kiyotaki-kun squatted down, covering his head with both hands, a large bump growing on his head.
Tsunade snorted coldly, a bit tsundere!
She led the way to an open space.
"Come on! Kid, let me see your strength!"
"Ah!"
Kiyotaki-kun rubbed his head.
"You said it!"
He suddenly jumped up, striking an opening pose.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly; this wasn't the Hyuga Clan's opening stance, nor was it Might Guy's taijutsu stance.
Where did this child learn his taijutsu?
She beckoned to Kiyotaki-kun.
"Make your move! Let's see how strong you are."
"Then I'm going to attack!"
Kiyotaki-kun nodded, then sank his waist and exerted force.
With a whoosh, Kiyotaki-kun had vanished from his original spot!
Tsunade's phoenix eyes widened; what a fast Body Flicker Technique!
Shizune, standing nearby, could barely make out Kiyotaki-kun's figure; in the next moment, Kiyotaki-kun had appeared in front of Tsunade, throwing a punch at Lady Tsunade, who was right before him.
"So fast!"
Tsunade exclaimed, raising her arm to block.
"Bang!"
Fist and arm collided violently, a circular shockwave exploded, stirring up strong winds and huge waves that spread in all directions, causing Shizune to cover her eyes with one hand, her clothes flapping, as she watched the two in shock.
Underestimating him, Tsunade was pushed back more than ten meters, astonished by the terrifying power of that punch!
Kiyotaki-kun pointed at Tsunade and laughed heartily.
"I told you, women who are too fat aren't suited for fighting."
Hearing this, Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger, a large cross-shaped furrow appearing on her forehead.
"Kid, you've made me serious!"
"Are you ready to endure Lady Tsunade's torment?"
Tsunade flung her outer robe to Shizune, her figure becoming even more graceful; she rubbed her fists, stood there, and beckoned.
"Kid, make your move!"
"Haaah!"
Kiyotaki-kun roared and instantly charged forward again, swinging his fist out.
"Fight, fight, fight!"
Although Tsunade was prepared, she was once again forced to parry Kiyotaki-kun's stormy attacks.
Their bodies continuously collided, producing violent roars.
Kiyotaki-kun possessed immense strength and incredible speed; his continuous flurry of punches gave Tsunade no chance to catch her breath.
This was not the fighting style of a Ninja, with its specific moves and forms!
She couldn't breathe at all!
And no matter what move Tsunade made, Kiyotaki-kun just threw a punch!
Tsunade defended, he punched.
Tsunade threw a punch to attack, he also blasted a punch.
It was just that direct confrontation!
Moreover, when he fought, his whole body became a weapon; his fists, feet, arms, and knees delivered continuous attacks.
After a round of exchanges, the two fiercely threw punches, their fists colliding again.
"Boom!"
Another blast of air erupted, followed by a huge sonic boom, roaring loudly!
This time, Tsunade used more of her suppressed strength, and with one punch, she directly sent Kiyotaki-kun reeling back more than ten meters!
The ground was impacted by the shockwave of their colliding fists, forming a circular crater.
"Not bad, kid."
"But still a little lacking," Tsunade's red lips curved slightly as she took her jacket from Shizune's hand.
"Work hard!" Tsunade turned and waved, walking away: "I look forward to our next meeting, when you're even stronger!"
After Tsunade hurried off, Kiyotaki-kun was still recalling the battle.
Although Tsunade had suppressed her strength and hadn't used her Strength of a Hundred Seal, he hadn't gone all out either.
To avoid attracting too much attention from Konoha, Kiyotaki-kun had hidden most of his strength, maintaining only the level of an ordinary genius!
In his contemplation, he suddenly remembered.
"Ah! Didn't she say she'd treat me to a meal, that Tsunade fraud (fraud - cheater/liar)?"
Kiyotaki-kun angrily pounded the ground.
He'd fought for nothing, his stomach was growling, and he hadn't managed to fleece Tsunade, that big fat sheep, for a free barbecue.
"Ah! My barbecue!"
Meanwhile, Tsunade, after walking to a place Kiyotaki-kun couldn't see her, grimaced and shook her hands.
"Hiss ah~!"
"I didn't expect that kid's body to be so tough, it hurt me to death!"
Shizune was shocked; she hadn't expected that kid to be so strong. Knowing that Tsunade was a taijutsu master, she couldn't help but wonder if that kid really hit Tsunade hard enough for her to feel pain.
"Is that kid really that strong?"
"Hmm!"
Tsunade said seriously: "He's a rare taijutsu genius!"
Saying that, she grimaced again and rubbed her arm, then turned to Shizune and said: "Let's go! It's rare to be back in Konoha, let's go for a stroll on Konoha Street!"
"Ah!"
Shizune's face instantly fell.
Lady Tsunade wants to go gambling again~.
Kiyotaki-kun, on the other side, had already run out of the Village, wondering if he could hunt a wild beast to fill his stomach before dark. If he had known Tsunade wanted to gamble, why would he go hunting? He would have gotten Tsunade's money and wouldn't have stopped until she lost her last penny!
---Time passed quietly, and the Village returned to peace. Under the Third Hokage's mediation skills, the villagers seemed to gradually forget about the missing children.
In maintaining Konoha's peace, the Third Hokage's contributions were undeniable; although his methods were debatable, he did indeed maintain Konoha's hard-won tranquility.
And Tsunade hadn't been seen for a while, seemingly chased out of the Village by Konoha's creditors.
Thanks to the Third Hokage's efforts, the Village was once again peaceful.
---Without Root's interference, Kiyotaki-kun lived a regular life every day.
In a class full of little kids, he was now the boss.
Even little Hanabi of the Hyuga Clan worshipped him as an idol; the little loli called him Kiyotaki-kun every day and walked home with him after school.
However, it was annoying! Who wants to be with a bunch of little brats and still have to learn about the will of fire?
Finally, one day, Hayate-sensei called Kiyotaki-kun to the office and handed him a test paper.
"Pass this test, and you can be promoted."
Kiyotaki-kun opened the test paper and carefully read the questions, all of which were about the will of fire.
1. How to interpret the will of fire?
2. How to inherit and implement the will of fire?
...Kiyotaki-kun bit his pen, sighed, pondered for a moment, then leaned over the test paper and wrote furiously!
In a short while, he had filled the entire test paper, and only then did Kiyotaki-kun lift his pen.
Why did he still feel like he hadn't written enough to his heart's content? Though he didn't even believe what he himself had written!
"Sensei, I'm done!"
Kiyotaki-kun stood up and presented the test paper.
When Hayate-sensei reappeared in the classroom with Kiyotaki-kun, he stood at the podium.
"I have news for you all: our classmate Kiyotaki-kun is being promoted to another class!"
"Ah~"
All the little kids in the class cheered; many little boys had long wanted Kiyotaki-kun to leave the class, as his presence severely dampened their self-confidence.
Even if they had strong inner selves and weren't discouraged, Kiyotaki-kun's powerful martial arts pressure on them left them no chance to show off, which was too pathetic!
But there were also many classmates who didn't want him to leave, especially those who were usually low-key and bullied; they even worshipped Kiyotaki-kun as an idol.
The most reluctant was little Hanabi; the little girl pouted, almost crying, but she held it back, her stubbornness not allowing herself to shed tears.
Kiyotaki-kun stood at the front, giving a farewell before his promotion.
"I am very happy to have had your company during this time, and I am honored to have met you all. In the days to come, I wish all of you progress in your studies and to become excellent Ninja!"
The little kids below the podium were all emotional; during their time at school, Kiyotaki-kun had been like a warm older brother, carefully looking after them.
Yes, they were young, so Kiyotaki-kun felt too awkward to bully them; instead, he took good care of these little ones.