The partnership between Might Guy and Hidan was oddly matched.
Guy was a determined man who never gave up on someone once he had set his mind on them.
Even if that "someone" had been appointed by the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, it made no difference.
Therefore, their relationship basically boiled down to one running and the other chasing.
Even Kakashi, Guy's closest friend, gained much more free time without worrying about being constantly bothered by Guy.
Guy thought they got along great, but Hidan couldn't stand being anywhere near him.
He utterly despised this guy with his baldy's bowl-cut look.
True enough, thanks to his Immortal Body, Hidan loved fighting, enjoyed causing trouble, and liked seeing bloodshed.
But all those things depended entirely on others' misfortune. He really didn't want to get beaten black and blue himself.
"Get lost! Stay away from me!" shouted Hidan as he swung his scythe.
"Hidan, that's dangerous," Guy said, kicking the weapon out of his hand.
"You damn bastard..." Hidan immediately started cursing.
Hiroki chuckled at the two of them and asked, "Guy-senpai, have you two always been together?"
Hidan shot him a glare. "Watch your words! Who says we've been together!"
Hiroki coughed before rephrasing, "What I mean is, Guy-senpai, do you often train together?"
"Yeah," Might Guy naturally nodded.
"How about your regular missions? Do you go together then too?"
Guy grinned brightly. "Actually, Hidan and I have great chemistry. Every time I leave the village, Hidan has his own matters to attend to."
Hidan remained silently unresponsive.
That wasn't chemistry—it was just that he had to endure needle pricks frequently.
If not for being unable to defeat or escape from Guy, who would willingly stay here?
The women of Konoha were terrifyingly strong—one more intimidating than the next. Tsunade went without saying, and there was also that mysterious white-haired woman whose strength defied reason.
He had witnessed both women's powers firsthand, and against either, he couldn't even fight back.
"Just wait... Don't let me find my chance, Konoha!"
Muttering darkly, Hidan was suddenly yanked forward by Guy, sending dust swirling into the air.
"Let go of me!" he screamed.
Hiroki and the others watched awkwardly as the pair ran further and further away until disappearing.
After leaving there, Hiroki conveniently took Kimimaro to the hospital for a physical checkup.
Currently, since they hadn't encountered any enemies requiring life-or-death battles, and those kids at the Academy weren't worth Kimimaro's serious effort, his physical condition remained very stable.
At the Senju estate, Kaguya walked steadily into the courtyard.
At that moment, Tsunade was staring blankly into the distance, apparently lost in thought.
"It's been ages since we went out to play. So boring," she muttered, a visible aura of frustration swirling around her like dark mist.
"Tsunade, you're too slow," Kaguya approached and spoke coldly.
"What do you mean 'too slow'?" Confused by Kaguya's sudden remark, Tsunade turned her head toward her.
"Your training is too slow. Your progress in Sage Mode is dragging."
Tsunade withdrew her gaze and resumed staring blankly.
Inside her heart, she sighed helplessly. Kaguya's current strict demeanor reminded her of her grandparents who used to monitor her studies when she was a child.
"Why are you so dead set on me learning Sage Mode?" Tsunade muttered, clearly confused.
"Train at the holy land," Kaguya replied without room for argument.
Tsunade felt even more powerless. "It's not like I don't wanna go there—it's just the Slug Sage won't let me in! Even if I use the Summoning Jutsu, she won't respond to my call, let alone transport me there through Reverse Summoning."
"Besides, I really don't think my progress is slow. Back then, Jiraiya had personal guidance from the Frog Sage and still took decades to master Sage Mode. Considering I'm training on my own, my pace is already pretty fast."
["Seriously, recently I've been using Huan Yuan novel app for reading latest updates, switching sources, multiple reading voices available for listening too. Android & iOS compatible."]
"I think it's slow," Kaguya said plainly.
Tsunade was speechless.
Did she really not want to use Sage Mode? Or master Wood Release techniques like the Great Wood Figure and Wooden Dragon?
She might desire it, but currently she couldn't pull it off.
Her dreams were big, but reality was harsh—a cruel contrast familiar to anyone who's ever aimed high.
"Where does the slug reside? I'll take you there with Spatial Ninjutsu."
"Spatial Ninjutsu? This..."
Tsunade hesitated. To be honest, she couldn't pinpoint its exact location. Except for the very first time she entered it, every other time she returned via Reverse Summoning. The memory was too distant; she could barely recall.
"Tsunade, are you seriously directionally challenged? Can't remember the place? There should be a point connecting Shikkotsu Forest to the Ninja World, right?" Kaguya asked with slight dissatisfaction.
"That place..." Pausing thoughtfully, Tsunade took a deep breath before replying, "The entrance connecting Shikkotsu Forest to the Ninja World lies at the edge of the continent. Even by ninja standards, it would take no less than half a month to get there."
"Is it on the other side of the Land of Wind?" Kaguya guessed.
"I'm not sure," Tsunade shook her head. "Besides, Kaguya-sama, do you really think you can persuade the Slug Sage?"
"Of course. She will cooperate," Kaguya replied calmly.
Unexpectedly, Tsunade shivered involuntarily. Suddenly realizing Kaguya's means of 'communication' probably wasn't very friendly.
"Oh, right, those frogs, snakes, and slugs have lived so long because they practiced Sage Art. Once you master it, you should also maintain your youthfulness and extend your lifespan, without constantly maintaining that jutsu."
Saying this, Kaguya glanced at the Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead.
Though she'd never seen Tsunade release the Yin Seal, Kaguya could roughly imagine what her true appearance would be like.
Upon hearing that, Tsunade muttered something under her breath.
"Really? Because from what I see, Jiraiya doesn't look young at all."
In any case, under Kaguya's firm insistence, the two—Tsunade and Kaguya—set off from Konoha to seek the entrance to Shikkotsu Forest.
Wanting to bring along Shizune, Tsunade was coldly refused by Kaguya, whose reason was simple: this wasn't a pleasure trip.
"Hatsuki's strong sense of purpose," Hiroki could only shake his head at this turn of events.
Originally, he had thought that after Kaguya's appearance, they'd finally get a lot of time to themselves. Yet, surprisingly, they barely talked more than before at all.
Tsunade's departure didn't affect the normal functioning of Konoha at all. After all, she had always been like a mascot as Hokage. With Hiashi and Hizashi handling all village affairs, everything continued smoothly.
Just past the Cold Dew solar term, the drop in temperature became more noticeable.
Morning dew covered the roadside plants. As Hiroki entered the Hokage Building, the atmosphere gradually warmed, and the dampness on his body began to fade away.
"Come in."
He waited outside the Hokage's office briefly until an authoritative male voice, accompanied by coughing, called out. Only then did Hiroki push open the door and walk in.
Inside this office were two desks.
The larger one naturally belonged to Tsunade. Its surface was spotless, containing only several pens and a few stamps—nothing else.
The other desk was significantly smaller and piled high with documents. Sitting behind it was Hiashi Hyuga.
Hiroki walked up to him. "Head of the clan, I'd like to review The Fourth Hokage's mission records."
Hiashi was busy writing something when he looked up. The dry air made his throat feel slightly parched. He nodded. "Alright."
Then, as he sent a nearby ninja to fetch the files from the archives, Hiashi began studying Hiroki closely.
Initially, Hiashi had assumed Hiroki was simply clever.
But now, considering Kaguya's appearance and Tsunade's favoritism, Hiroki's backing appeared stronger than expected—strong enough, in fact, to allow him complete independence from the Hyuga Clan.
Especially those eyes of his right now…
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