Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 55 Establish FLag

Could it be that Elder Itachi already knows that he possesses the Sharingan?

Let's assume he knew. Then, when did he find out?

Aokiji carefully traced the timeline and discovered a clue.

He remembered that Elder Itachi originally disagreed with him learning medical ninjutsu, but for some reason he suddenly changed his mind.

At that time, Aokiji mistakenly thought that the other party wanted him to go to the hospital to witness life and death and awaken his Sharingan.

It's possible that Elder Itachi, after probing his own memories, anticipated his own prediction and threw out a smokescreen.

Combining Itachi's motivation for wanting him to date Tsunade, he suddenly understood something.

During that time, Aokiji didn't know that Tsunade had secretly enrolled in the medical ninja class, but it was impossible for Elder Itachi's intelligence network not to know.

Learning medical ninjutsu was a pretense; his real intention was to further his relationship with Tsunade, ideally by winning her over.

Goodness, Uchiha + Senju, with such a combination, there's no one more righteous and loyal than him. It's not impossible for an Uchiha to become Hokage.

No wonder he's an old man who survived from the Warring States period; he's really cunning.

Well, it seems like I don't really have the nerve to say anything to him.

Aokiji had always thought he was being cautious and discreet, but he never expected that he would underestimate the people around him.

If Elder Itachi could think of this connection, there's no reason why the Third Hokage wouldn't.

There's really no need to guess what Aokiji is thinking. The Third Hokage could probably deduce it directly from Itachi's actions and the fact that he happened to be learning medical ninjutsu with Tsunade.

There's a saying that goes, "Judging by actions, not intentions." What if Hiruzen Sarutobi makes that deduction?

I would rather trust it to have it than to trust it to have nothing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is now in his prime, unlike the hesitant old man he will become in the future. Who knows what he might do?

Thinking of this, Aokiji felt a chill of fear. He touched his face and realized that he was covered in cold sweat.

No, I have to leave the medical team.

You can be a medical ninja, but you can no longer be a medical ninja under Hiruzen Sarutobi's nose.

So that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't realize that Elder Itachi might be trying to set him up with Tsunade, and then turn on him.

Aokiji sprang out of bed. "Rest my ass!"

I need to get up and train quickly. I'm still too weak. It would be too easy for someone to sabotage me.

He walked to the desk, picked up one of the two scrolls Elder Itachi had given him that day, unfolded it, and glanced at its contents. He was quickly astonished.

Elder Itachi clearly doesn't know Ice Release, yet he can explain some of the key points of Ice Release training in such a convincing way!

How long has it been since he realized he was an Ice Release ninja? He figured it out so quickly, even though he wasn't an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai ninja.

Isn't that a bit too amazing? Is this what they call the unity of all things?

However, given that it is interdisciplinary research, it must have taken Elder Itachi a lot of effort.

The more Itachi invested in him, the more Aokiji felt that Itachi might know about his dual bloodline limits; otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.

Aokiji didn't dare to ask and took it as tacit agreement.

Once you understand this, it makes more sense that Elder Itachi had you learn the Hidden Mist Technique. On the surface, he said this ninjutsu is applicable to all ninjas, but in reality, it was to help you adapt to how to face enemies when you can't use your Sharingan.

As for not revealing that he has the Sharingan, it is very likely that it is a smokescreen thrown to the higher-ups of Konoha.

Elder Itachi knew that the Konoha higher-ups were wary of the Sharingan, so he deliberately kept quiet, essentially hiding a trump card.

Unless Aokiji reveals it himself, the Konoha higher-ups would definitely not know and would think he only has an Ice Release bloodline limit.

Given Elder Itachi's age, he must have known about the side effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan's ultimate evolution. Since he didn't have any brothers to fuse his eyes with, he simply put aside his Sharingan training and pursued the Kekkei Tota path instead.

That's incredibly cunning.

Aokiji admired him sincerely.

……

……

The best painkiller in terms of time.

After some time, Tsunade emerged from her grief and returned to her usual self.

This was supposed to be a good thing, but there was one thing that annoyed Aokiji.

Looking at the man and woman chatting and laughing in front of him, Aokiji was completely bewildered.

My house was hacked?

"Where did this guy even come from?"

Jiraiya, standing to the side, looked at the blond, sunny young man who was a few years older than Tsunade and felt extremely displeased. He was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. He went up to the guy and exchanged a few words with him, telling him to stay away from Tsunade and not to get so close to her.

Then, Tsunade beat him up...

Tsunade grabbed Jiraiya by the collar, lifted him up like a chick, and said fiercely, "Explain yourself clearly."

Jiraiya was so intimidated that he bowed his head and admitted his mistake.

This is not the first time this has happened.

The blond, sunny-looking boy said casually, "These are Tsunade's teammates. They look really interesting."

"I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing."

The blond, sunny-looking boy laughed and said, "You guys chat, I have a mission to do next, so I won't keep you company."

Tsunade waved goodbye.

The blond, sunny-looking boy had only taken a few steps when he suddenly seemed to remember something, turned around, and smiled slightly: "Oh, by the way, did I tell you when Tsunade got back from her mission?"

"What did you say?"

"It's a secret, I'll tell you later. I'll also bring you a gift when I come back."

Tsunade looked puzzled, but still thanked her.

Watching the blond, sunny young man leave, Aokiji thought to himself: "With that kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, he's probably not coming back..."

Jiraiya crossed his arms, tossed his head to the side, and said sarcastically, "Tsk tsk... What do you mean I have something to say to you? This is such an old-fashioned tactic. What are you pretending for?"

Tsunade frowned and said sternly, "Hey, you said to be careful, but I'm not as filthy as you think."

Anyway, Jiraiya had been called filthy by Tsunade for more than a day or two, so he was already like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water: "That's right, I am filthy and dirty, but I'm not as good at pretending as this guy. I knew from the first glance that this guy was no good."

Jiraiya was just being sarcastic and didn't mean any harm, but he did remind Aokiji: "Who is this person? I don't think I've seen him before."

"All you do is sleep all day. Who else in the village do you know besides us?" Tsunade sighed at Aokiji, exasperated. "Sarutobi Maki, Sarutobi-sensei's relative's child, a few years older than me. He used to take good care of me. After my great-grandfather died, I was feeling very depressed, and he helped me a lot."

These words instantly alerted Aokiji. Considering the previous statement that he had something to say upon returning, he didn't believe that Aokiji didn't have ulterior motives.

Aokiji half-jokingly probed, "Um... I mean, what if this guy really does what Jiraiya guessed, and confesses to you after he comes back? What would your attitude be?"

The sudden directness caught Tsunade off guard, leaving her flustered: "I...I don't know, don't ask me about this."

If you don't know, then you won't resist?

Before Aokiji could speak, Jiraiya, who was standing beside him, couldn't hold back any longer and jumped in: "Tsunade, you've gone too far! You already have me, yet you're abandoning me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiraiya was sent flying, and Tsunade delivered a punch to him without hesitation.

"Tsunade, can't you be a little gentler with me? Can you stop solving problems with violence all the time? It's not good."

Jiraiya quickly got up, as if nothing had happened. He had developed resistance from Tsunade's beatings, provided that Tsunade hadn't actually laid a hand on him.

Tsunade grinned and said, "Sorry, I'm only gentle with people I like. Obviously, you're not one of them."

Perhaps it was because the cabbage she had been tending for so many years was about to be taken, Aokiji felt inexplicably uneasy and started walking away.

Seeing Aokiji leave without saying goodbye, Tsunade stopped what she was about to do and couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

Aokiji casually replied, "Nothing to do, going to cultivate."

ha?

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya all widened their eyes, their expressions filled with disbelief: "Did you hear that right? Aokiji, you're actually going to train on your own initiative? Aren't you the one who hates training the most?"

"People always grow up..." Aokiji sighed. "Besides, it's good to learn some skills, so you don't die an unexplained death in this chaotic world."

Although his motives were still so underhanded, Tsunade was pleased that Aokiji was able to get back on the right track: "It's really rare. In that case, I'll help you train."

Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively: "You don't need to trouble Tsunade with this. Aokiji-kun can just let me help."

Jiraiya said enthusiastically, "Both of you step aside. Aokiji's business is my business. Let me handle it."

Since their teacher Yuan Fei became Hokage, he has been extremely busy every day, and no one has taken them on missions or trained them. The three of them have been idle at home for quite some time. Now that they see their friend Aokiji suddenly turn over a new leaf, they are all quite interested.

The three argued incessantly, but in the end, the final say was given to Aokiji: "Aokiji, you decide who trains you."

Aokiji was momentarily stunned.

He hadn't expected these three to be so proactive in helping him; he hadn't realized he was so popular.

After a moment's thought, Aokiji finally chose Jiraiya as his sparring partner.

Jiraiya raised his hands high and shouted victory.

Orochimaru and Tsunade scoffed, "Why did they have to choose Jiraiya of all people?"

"Isn't it obvious? Aokiji and I are best friends."

Jiraiya moved closer to Aokiji, put his arm around Aokiji's neck, and acted as if they were best buddies, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes.

His eagerness to help Aokiji stemmed not only from interest but also, more importantly, from a desire to show off, remembering how Aokiji had often overpowered him back in the day.

Now that he has been under Hiruzen Sarutobi's command for so long, he is no longer the same as before, and his strength is rightfully at the Chunin level.

He remembered that Aokiji wasn't even a genin yet, so he had to take this opportunity to show off and highlight his awesomeness.

Aokiji shoved Jiraiya's salted pig's trotter aside: "There's no particular reason. I chose Jiraiya simply because he's probably the weakest of the three of you."

Jiraiya, who was just thinking about how to show off, suddenly lost his smug expression and turned incredibly ugly.

Orochimaru and Tsunade chuckled to themselves, instantly feeling much better.

(End of this chapter)