"Hmph, hmph, hmph…"
As soon as Hoshiyomi walked into the classroom that morning, he sensed something was off. From the moment he stepped inside, he kept hearing a strange sound nearby.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph…"
What the hell is that? Is someone… laughing?
Suspicious, Hoshiyomi scanned his surroundings. It didn't take him long to identify the source—it was Tsunade. The little gremlin had been standing behind him, humming weirdly and giggling under her breath like a villain in a cartoon.
Seeing she'd finally been noticed, Tsunade dramatically struck a pose—one hand on her hip and the other covering half her face (think Caesar Zeppeli from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure):"Foolish Hoshiyomi… do you know what day it is today?"
Looking at Tsunade's peak chuunibyou performance, Hoshiyomi's first instinct was to grab a camera.His second instinct? What's with this girl today? Did she eat something weird for breakfast?
When Hoshiyomi just stared at her like she'd lost her mind and didn't respond, Tsunade finally dropped the act. Apparently sensing she may have gone a little overboard, she stomped her foot in frustration:"Ugh! Idiot! You big dummy! Our bet! Today's the day we settle it!"
Only then did Hoshiyomi remember what she was talking about. He'd honestly thought Tsunade had just been messing around and would've forgotten by now.
But from the look on her face—she'd been taking this seriously.
That piqued his interest.
He looked at her, curious. "Alright then, show me. Let's see how far you've come."
Tsunade let out a proud "hmph" and carefully pulled out a fancy mechanical pencil from her bag. Then, right in front of Hoshiyomi, she began her performance.
Her very first move looked like it was about to send the pencil flying straight into someone's face—but to his surprise, it didn't. The pencil wobbled midair, then miraculously spun back into her fingers.
That caught Hoshiyomi's attention. He focused and finally saw what was happening—Tsunade was using chakra to control the pencil.
Thanks to her chakra manipulation, she was able to recover even failed spins and make near-misses look like daring tricks. Sure, her technique lacked the effortless elegance of Hoshiyomi's own performance, but the added unpredictability gave it a kind of thrilling, wild energy.
After two full minutes of controlled chaos, Tsunade finished her routine and looked up with a smug grin:"Well? Bet you can't do that."
…To be honest, she was right.
Hoshiyomi's chakra control was still barely passable—he couldn't even properly manage his Transparent Release without burning through chakra like an amateur. Pulling off moves like Tsunade's, with pinpoint manipulation mid-spin? Yeah, no way.
Crap, he thought. This world really doesn't obey Newton, huh…
Which meant—not only was he going to lose the bet, but he'd also owe Tsunade a favor. And worst of all, no Shadow Clone Technique for him.
Feeling cornered, Hoshiyomi tried to weasel out of it."Uh, technically speaking, your technique wasn't as smooth as mine, right? So you could say we're kind of even. How about we just call it a tie?"
But Tsunade wasn't having it. She wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms:"Don't try to back out! I already told Grandma Mito about our bet. She's even agreed to be our judge. After school, you're coming with me to the Senju compound for a formal showdown."
Her voice dropped an octave. "And if you try to chicken out… I'll tell Grandma to spank you."
Hoshiyomi was speechless.
Mito-sama… is this really how you spend your twilight years? Not enough to have the Nine-Tails in your belly—you gotta mediate playground bets now too?
But the moment he imagined trying to defy Mito Uzumaki, wielder of Adamantine Sealing Chains, he abandoned all hope.
Hard pass. Getting your butt whipped by Adamantine Sealing Chains isn't exactly a flex I want on my resume.
…Although… wouldn't that be kind of legendary?"Dude, I once tanked Mito's chakra chains. What'd you ever do?"No. Stop. What are you even thinking?
Shaking those stupid thoughts out of his head, Hoshiyomi sighed in resignation. Fine. If he lost, he lost. It's just one favor. It's not like Tsunade was going to make him sign over his kidneys.
With that grim acceptance, he slumped into his seat and braced himself for the long, slow agony of class.
As soon as the final bell rang, Hoshiyomi yanked Jiraiya by the sleeve and bolted for the gate.If he moved fast enough, maybe he could slip away before Tsunade caught him.
But fate had other plans.
"Stop. Mito-sama has summoned you."
Standing at the gate was an ANBU operative wearing a cat-faced mask.
Damn it, Mito… you really posted someone at the door!?
Knowing he had no way out, Hoshiyomi sighed and waved off Jiraiya and Sakumo, then followed the masked shinobi toward the Senju compound—like a condemned man being marched to the gallows.
Behind him, Tsunade skipped along, humming a little tune.
Though Hoshiyomi had known where the Senju lived, this was his first time inside the compound. As they walked through the winding paths shaded by thick greenery, one thought kept floating in his head:
Man, I bet the mosquitoes here in summer are brutal.
After what felt like forever, they finally reached a spacious courtyard. In the center was a beautiful woman tending to a patch of vibrant flowers.
Even from a distance, Hoshiyomi could tell: those are not cheap.
Before he could admire the scenery any further, Tsunade dropped her bag and ran over, throwing herself into the woman's arms."Grandma! I'm back!"
And that's when it hit him.
Wait… That's Mito Uzumaki?!
The woman looked barely thirty. No wrinkles. Not even a hint of gray. But when she turned around with Tsunade in her arms, Hoshiyomi immediately recognized the legendary kunoichi. She had Kushina's face, only more graceful—colder, more regal.
Mito's gaze fell on Hoshiyomi. As she studied him, her fingers brushed against Tsunade's hair—but her mind was elsewhere.
With a subtle pull, she activated a sliver of the Nine-Tails' chakra, enough to let her sense Hoshiyomi's intentions. As the first Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Mito had refined her perception beyond compare. She could read malice like a scent on the wind.
Moments later, her eyes softened slightly. No ill intent. Good.
Then, she gave Hoshiyomi a gentle smile and said:"Well then—since you're here, let's settle this bet properly."