Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Although the selection process for the Nine-Tailed Knight was fraught with twists and turns, the final result was satisfactory.

The new Tailed Beast Riders quickly began taking up their posts and undertaking various high-difficulty missions, keeping Senju Hisama extremely busy.

But in her eyes, it was all worth it, because she was able to stand up for the Senju clan during their most difficult time.

To prop up a collapsing building and turn the tide in time.

This can be seen as making up for the guilt she felt for causing her family huge losses due to her failed investments back then.

Today marks the tenth day since Senju Hisama became a Tailed Beast Knight, and she has once again received several long-awaited S-rank missions.

"Auntie, Xiao Gang, I'm off."

After quickly packing her luggage and placing the driver close to her body inside the four-dimensional chrysanthemum, she waved goodbye to her family behind her.

If this were an ordinary ninja, they would probably have been crushed long ago, but fortunately, her mind and body are much more mature than they appear.

He had already adapted to high-intensity work during his tenure, which is why he wasn't exhausted by just a few S-level tasks.

Is that a lot?

Compared to the workload she had as a bounty hunter years ago, completing these S-rank missions was as easy as drinking water for her.

"Auntie! Are you going on another long trip?"

Standing at the gate was Tsunade, dressed in light blue casual clothes. Her long, light yellow hair was styled into a huge ponytail, and her fair face was puffed up like a bun, with the corners of her mouth turned up high, as if a large oil bottle could hang from it.

"This is my duty now. I'm sorry, Xiaogang, I can't go to school with you."

Seeing Tsunade's obvious signs of dressing up, Senju Hisa sighed inwardly. She knew today was an important day for her granddaughter to be assigned a team leader.

However, the task at hand was quite urgent, and the place she was going to did not have her Flying Thunder God mark, so she could only travel on foot. Otherwise, she would have waited for Tsunade to finish her apprenticeship before leaving.

"Hmph~"

Tsunade's face darkened upon hearing this. Suppressing the urge to cry, she stubbornly turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge Senju Hisahi, who was about to depart.

"Xiao Gang, listen to me. Adults have their own difficulties. Not everyone can live a life they want."

Just then, a gentle, jade-like hand pressed against Tsunade's head, and the kind-faced Senju Momoka softly comforted her.

Thanks to the Senju clan's vigorous vitality, and the fact that she hadn't fought since getting married, Senju Momoka, though over fifty, still looked stunning, appearing to be only in her early thirties, like a newlywed.

"Dilemma? Then why does Grandpa Gin look so casual?"

"Forehead"

It's said that children speak without thinking, and Tsunade's words silenced the two people present. After a long while, Senju Momoka finally explained with a strange expression.

"that."

Grandpa Yin said we can't say that.

"Okay, Tsuna, there's always an exception to everything. Your grandfather Gintoki is a special case, so don't use him as an example."

Senju Momoka rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. Not everyone is as selfless as Uchiha Gin, who holds a huge sum of money yet is dedicated to working at the grassroots level. There is probably no other oddball like him in the world.

"I have to go now. When I get back, we'll throw a welcome party for Rope Tree together."

Glancing at the sky, Senju Hisa knew that if she didn't leave now, it would be too late. The Shimura clan's overseers were probably already waiting at the gate. Thinking of the new family member who was about to arrive from the capital of the Land of Fire, a rare smile immediately appeared on her face.

It feels so good to have such a large and prosperous population. The Senju clan will surely spread like a great tree.

Having said that, she flashed and disappeared in a streak of blue light.

"Grandma, who do you think my Jonin teacher will be?"

Tsunade, still looking somewhat disappointed, pouted and asked Senju Momoka beside her.

"I know, but I can't tell you, it's a surprise."

Senju Momoka gave a mysterious smile, reached out and patted her granddaughter's bewildered head, indicating that she should discover the truth for herself.

"Hmph~ Making it all so mysterious, it can't possibly be that the Party Secretary is going to be my teacher, can it?"

After saying goodbye to her grandmother, Tsunade headed to school alone, her mind replaying the words Senju Momoka had just spoken. Her fair face scrunched up like a chrysanthemum.

If it weren't for the fact that humans are visual creatures, the naturally handsome Uchiha Kagami would have fans of all ages in Konoha, truly appealing to everyone, regardless of gender.

Tsunade was no exception. Compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who looked a bit lewd like Jiraiya, she preferred the gentle and refined Kagami Uchiha.

"Unfortunately, the Party Secretary is extremely busy; how could he possibly find the time to be my teacher?"

Thinking of this, Tsunade shook her head regretfully.

"Washboard Tsunade!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in her ears. Turning around, she saw her usual group of friends.

Jiraiya, with his head held high and chest puffed out, walked at the very front, followed closely by his devoted fan, Hiruko.

Meanwhile, Might Guy was relentlessly pestering the exasperated Sakumo Hatake, insisting on a youthful competition.

Orochimaru and Kato Dan were walking together, talking mysteriously about something.

"Idiot Jiraiya, who are you calling a washboard?"

Seeing Jiraiya's inexplicably smug expression, Tsunade's fist hardened.

The other party had just used her most taboo nickname to address her; this white-haired spiky-haired guy probably wanted to be enshrined on the memorial tablet today.

"Take this punch!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Tsunade leaped high into the air, tracing a beautiful arc. Jiraiya sensed the chilling killing intent, his smugness vanished instantly, and a hint of fear appeared on his face.

Oh no, I got too cocky and actually called out Tsunade's washboard nickname.

But then again,

This man is destined to become the Hokage's personal disciple!

With this in mind, Jiraiya's fear vanished, and he began to seriously devise a countermeasure.

Since Tsunade said she was going to punch him, he blocked with both arms, then used a beautiful deflection move to the side, sending this arrogant washboard sprawling face-first into the dirt.

The thought of his impressive reaction brought back the smug look to Jiraiya's face. He raised his arms high, planted his feet firmly in a horse stance, and prepared to meet Tsunade's attack.

"Thump!"

After waiting for a long time, Jiraiya felt no pressure in his arm. Just as he was wondering what was going on, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his lower abdomen.

He forced himself to lower his head, suppressing the churning in his stomach, and saw a pair of gleaming jailers in ninja sandals kicking him squarely in the abdomen.

"Ugh. You have no sportsmanship."

Wasn't it supposed to be about eating fists? Why did it change?

With these questions in mind, Jiraiya, amidst the unbearable gazes of the crowd, flew backward headfirst, transforming into a cannonball, carving a deep trench in his path, until he crashed into an abandoned wall and came to a stop.

"Idiot, we are ninjas, not samurai, so what martial ethics do you have?"

After executing her kick, Tsunade performed a backflip in mid-air, landing gracefully. Looking at her creation, she clapped her hands with a smile.

Really relieved!

A few more kicks and the breast ducts will be cleared.

"Jiraiya!!!"

After a brief silence, a terrified Hiruko rushed towards Jiraiya, who was embedded in the wall, but as a frail liberal arts student, he was no match for Tsunade's monstrous strength.

"let me!"

Just as he was getting anxious, a green figure came rushing over. When Hiruko saw the person, he immediately showed an excited expression.

"Dai! Come quick and help!"

"Ah-da~"

However, Might Guy clearly had his own ideas. He leaped high into the air, spreading his legs and transforming into a green whirlwind, his size 36 foot slamming into Jiraiya's body.

"Boom~"

The next second, a sound like bones cracking rang in everyone's ears, and cracks appeared in the wall where Jiraiya was embedded.

"Boom!"

As a human-shaped cutout appeared in the wall, Jiraiya, who was embedded in the wall, was successfully rescued by Might Guy's kick, which represented his life's work. He lay on the ground not far away, barely clinging to life.

"Jiraiya~"

The young boy, Hiruko, threw herself onto Jiraiya with tears streaming down her face, like a cuckoo weeping blood. In his mind, he was probably about to be feasted.

"Sorry, I meant to kick the wall."

Might Guy looked ashamed after landing; he really didn't mean to kick Jiraiya.

However, for some reason, as if guided by some unseen force, he kicked Jiraiya's face instead of his intended target.

"Get out of the way, or he'll really die."

A cold voice interrupted Hiruko's grief. He looked up, his eyes full of questioning as he gazed at the aloof Orochimaru.

"You're lucky, my mother gave me a first-aid kit as a graduation gift today."

Orochimaru pulled out a small blue bag, took out a small bottle of dark red, unidentified liquid, pinched Jiraiya's nose, and poured it down his throat.

Unable to help, Hiruko could only watch helplessly as he clenched his fists and looked at the barely breathing Jiraiya. Then he noticed that his friend's deathly pale face was visibly regaining color.

After a few breaths, Jiraiya's breathing became steady, and his vital signs, which had been hanging by a thread, gradually returned.

"Hmm... Where am I? I think I just saw my great-grandmother waving at me."

To everyone's surprise, Jiraiya woke up so quickly, and seemed to be in good spirits, hopping around as if nothing had happened. Only then did everyone turn their curious gaze to Orochimaru.

"What is this?"

Tsunade dispelled the blue light emanating from her palm. She had originally planned to use her newly mastered medical ninjutsu to treat the idiot Jiraiya, but unexpectedly, Orochimaru stole the show with the medicine he produced.

"This is a medical kit from the Land of Waves that has recently become available in Konoha."

Orochimaru, noticing the inquisitive looks on his companions' faces, held up the small blue bag in his hand. Only then did the others notice the Land of Waves' symbol on the front of the bag.

"Medical kit?"

Hiruko frowned. In his memory, a first-aid kit usually only contained some bandages and medical spray, which were fine for treating simple external injuries.

Jiraiya's bones were clearly fractured; even if he were taken to the hospital, there was no guarantee he would wake up as if nothing had happened so quickly, let alone be lively and energetic.

"This is the latest medical kit developed by the Land of Waves. In addition to the items in a regular medical kit, it also comes with a bottle of a magical potion that is said to be able to pull you back from the Sanzu River as long as you have a breath left."

Orochimaru shook his head and showed everyone the empty bottle that had just been filled with the medicine.

"Just this one extra bottle of potion?"

"How could there only be one bottle? This medical kit costs a whopping one million taels, and it's not something you can just buy with money. You need to have V8 access to the Wave Country Merchant Guild to purchase it."

Looking at his country bumpkin friends, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with smugness. He was one of the first users of Konoha's medical kits.

"Wow~ That's impressive! But I remember, Orochimaru, your parents were just ordinary Chunin. How could they spend so much at the Wave Country Merchant Guild? Could it be...?"

The group had heard about the prestige of the Wave Country V8, and they all looked on with envy. However, soon, someone raised a question.

Orochimaru's expression froze upon hearing this, and he became awkward.

"My mother...my mother has connections."

"ha?"

Seeing his friend suddenly become so gossipy, Orochimaru had no choice but to reveal the whole story.

Orochimaru's mother, though only a Chunin, was exceptionally beautiful, possessing enviable long, straight black hair and naturally fair skin; she was a renowned beauty in the surrounding area.

To make ends meet for her family, she used her free time to do part-time jobs, such as helping others sell goods online.

Unexpectedly, her outstanding performance during a product promotion caught the eye of the Wave Country Commerce Association. At someone's behest, the association's president promptly recruited her into the marketing department to oversee the sale of new products.

She purchased this medical kit at an internal price through employee benefits.

"I see~"

After hearing Orochimaru's explanation, a look of regret appeared on everyone's faces. They had thought it would be some explosive gossip, but it turned out to be just a story about a female anchor's promotion.

"By the way, is there anything else in this bag?"

"There was also a bottle of banned drug that I was using to risk my life. My mother specifically told me that I must never use it unless absolutely necessary."

In addition to diluted red medicine, the medical kit also contains a bottle of diluted bloodlust mixture.

This potion burns the user's life force after ingestion, in exchange for powerful healing and attack abilities. Once the effects wear off, the outcome is uncertain, making it a miraculous medicine that can only be used in desperate situations to turn the tide.

"boom--!"

"Wow, look how awesome I am! I feel like I'm bursting with power right now!"

Just as Orochimaru was carefully explaining the effects of the other potion, a loud bang interrupted everyone's listening.

Turning their heads in confusion, they were astonished to find that Jiraiya, who had just awakened, had grown from a thin and short man to over two meters tall.

His muscles were bulging, and his fists, the size of sandbags, were covered in dust. The crumbling wall had been knocked down by one of his punches.

"Oh, this."

To everyone's surprise, their gazes all turned to Orochimaru's stiff face.

Jiraiya's current state coincides with the effects of the banned drug he just mentioned.

"Uh, I think I took the wrong one."

After rummaging through his medical kit for a while, Orochimaru swallowed hard, his gaze blank as he pulled out a potion that was exactly the same as the one he had used before, only slightly lighter in color.

Would it kill you to change the packaging?

"Oh! What should we do now?"

Beiluhu was in a panic. He thought it was a miraculous medicine to save lives, but it turned out to be a one-way ticket to the Pure Land. He realized that he could not escape the fate of being forced to eat at a banquet.

"Don't rush, do you remember the purpose of this medicine in my hand?"

Orochimaru, somewhat reluctantly, showed the potion in his hand to his anxious companions.

This was a gift her mother had worked hard to earn for her through low-level sales, and now it was all being used on that idiot Jiraiya.

"We'll just give this bottle to Jiraiya once the effects of the drug wear off."

"Didn't the instruction manual list any side effects?"

Tsunade frowned in confusion. Such a miraculous medicine couldn't possibly be without side effects.

"There is a little bit of that; it's said to damage brain nerves and turn a person into sugar."

"That's all." (End of Chapter)