Chapter 39: Prelude to War

"With you here, Sensei, I naturally feel at ease."

Yuto smiled, wrapping his arms and hands with bandages again.

"Huh? Sensei, where's Shizune?"

"I sent her to the academy." The blonde beauty yawned. "I've been quite busy lately and can't look after her. Letting her go to school to interact with peers is a good thing."

Yuto was a bit surprised, "Tsunade-sensei, have you resumed your duties in the village?"

"No, the old man just assigned me some tasks… Oh, by the way, this involves you as well." Tsunade paused before continuing, "Yuto, you've been away from the village for two months. How do you feel about the outside world?"

"Life is difficult in most places; the Land of Fire is still peaceful." Yuto spoke sincerely. Setting aside personal biases, Konoha is indeed a peaceful place compared to the rest of the world, which is much worse off.

"Is it chaotic?"

"Very chaotic, Sensei. Around the Land of Fire, the signs of unknown shinobi appearing are increasing… War is imminent, right?"

"Yes." Tsunade nodded. Having experienced the Second Shinobi World War, she was familiar with such situations.

"It could be tomorrow, or the next moment. War could break out anytime, depending on who loses patience first. The first combat unit of Konoha has already assembled, led by Orochimaru."

"Given the current situation, the village needs a lot of combat power and capable elites."

"In a few days, the old man will promote a few young people to Jonin. This not only expands the elite team but also boosts morale. Look, the flames of Konoha burn unceasingly, and excellent seeds keep emerging."

"The old man insisted I be the chief examiner, probably because he thinks I'm too idle… Ahem."

"Back to the point, I've seen the list of those to be promoted to Jonin. You're on it, and so is Hatake Kakashi, the son of White Fang."

Yuto suddenly felt a sense of relief, thinking, "Finally, I have someone above me."

——With my own Sensei as the chief examiner, how can I lose?

Perhaps guessing her disciple's thoughts, the blonde woman flicked Yuto's forehead protector.

"You are my disciple, but I won't go easy on you, understand?"

"Understood. Sensei has a broad mind, embracing the entire village with her tremendous love."

"Heh..." Tsunade glanced down at herself, feeling that his words had a hint of teasing. If it were Jiraiya speaking, she would have punched him already.

But looking up, she saw her 13-year-old disciple's pure eyes (in a sense, purer than paper), and immediately felt she was overthinking. Yuto was a very positive kid, unlike that lecherous Jiraiya.

The blonde woman coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment.

"Stop being cheeky. In short, I won't give you special treatment. I'll even make it harder for you to pass because you're my disciple, the genius of the Hokage's lineage, a role model! But if you fail because of this… Hmph!" She clenched her hand, creating a popping sound.

"Understood!" Yuto nodded vigorously.

"But Sensei, I remember my accumulated mission merits are not enough for Jonin promotion…"

"War could break out anytime; we can't follow the usual rules." Tsunade stated.

"Got it, Sensei… Oh, and these are for you. I went to the Land of Waterfalls and got some gems, all thumb-sized, perfect for carrying around as natural gambling chips…"

...

After having lunch at Tsunade's place and chatting for a while, Yuto left the Senju clan grounds in the afternoon.

At this time, due to the tense situation outside, the village had reduced mission assignments and recalled many shinobi.

Walking through the village, Yuto encountered many acquaintances: Kakashi Hatake with his half-face mask, the energetic Obito Uchiha, the close friends Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai Yuuhi...

He even saw a little kid carrying an even smaller kid, buying candy on the street.

"Shisui and... Itachi?"

Itachi was only a few months old, but those distinctive tear troughs made him easily recognizable for his age.

Yuto glanced at them but continued on his way.

Shisui and Itachi could be set aside for now. They were too young to be of any use. Plucking their eyes wouldn't be beneficial yet.

Yuto soon arrived at the Hyuga clan grounds.

Unexpectedly, he didn't see Hiashi Hyuga. After inquiring, he learned that Hiashi and several other clan leaders had been summoned to the Hokage building for a meeting.

——War is indeed imminent.

With Hiashi away, and Hiruzen Sarutobi likely too busy to listen to his report, Yuto had nothing else to do today.

The sudden free time made him feel a bit uneasy.

"Should I find Sensei?"

The thought crossed Yuto's mind, but he quickly shook his head. Knowing Tsunade, she was probably getting ripped off at the casino.

With nowhere to go, he returned to his home in the Hyuga clan grounds.

It was still cold and quiet. After being vacant for two months, cobwebs had formed in the corners.

Yuto sighed and took out cleaning tools to thoroughly clean the place.

Thanks to his growing body and training in Chakra Enhanced Strength and medical ninjutsu, his coordination had greatly improved, making cleaning much faster. Before dusk, Yuto had cleaned the entire house.

Chakra could be seen as the "productivity" of the shinobi world, highly efficient. With chakra, everything could be done with half the effort.

After finishing the chores, Yuto didn't feel hungry. He didn't bother cooking and lay in his room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

He didn't know how long he lay there, but suddenly, he got up and left the house.

Walking out of the clan grounds, down the familiar path, he arrived at his secret training spot.

Yuto took a deep breath, feeling much more at ease.

When doing nothing, he always felt fear and unease. The cursed seal on his forehead seemed to drive him to keep moving forward without rest. Unlike those relaxed transmigrators who could enjoy a leisurely life, he never experienced that.

"Born to toil," Yuto mocked himself, dragging out a dummy from a tree hollow and setting it up in the forest.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...

Yuto continuously struck, using all the techniques he had learned.

At the point of exhaustion, he finally felt calm.

(End of Chapter)

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