"Tsunade." Tengen, who had left the Hokage's office, felt a little speechless. What did Hiruzen Sarutobi mean by that?
Of course, Tengen wouldn't overthink it. After a moment of thought, Tengen had his own ideas.
Perhaps in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, Tengen was the one who could make Tsunade stay. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya both knew that Tsunade wanted to leave Konoha.
But they couldn't stop her because they also knew what had happened to Tsunade.
"Does the old man think Tsunade sees me as her younger brother?" Tengen thought of this as he reached the entrance of the Hokage Administration Building.
This made Tengen smile wryly. If Hiruzen Sarutobi knew what he had done at Tsunade's place, perhaps he wouldn't say such things.
"Hmm." Suddenly, Tengen's nose caught a familiar scent: the smell of Chinese soft-pack cigarettes.
Tengen's gaze shifted, and he saw a corner in the shadows, where a young man leaned against the wall, constantly puffing smoke, his eyes expressing a melancholic feeling.
Well, this gave off a completely mismatched vibe.
"Hey kid, want a smoke?" the young man called out.
"Oh, sure, give me one," Tengen walked directly over and indeed found that the young man was holding a Chinese soft-pack cigarette.
"Go easy on them, I got these from Jiraiya-sensei," the young man said.
"Hmm, thanks." Tengen lit a cigarette and took a drag, puffing it out, which made the young man's eyes light up.
"An experienced smoker!" the young man's eyes lit up as he said to Tengen, "My name's Asuma. Nice to meet you, little guy."
"My name is Tengen," Tengen replied.
"Tengen, huh? Don't worry, I'll look out for you from now on," Asuma Sarutobi said excitedly. He had finally found an experienced smoker who was also close to his age, making Asuma feel as if he had found a kindred spirit.
"Oh." Tengen nodded, then chatted with Asuma for a bit before leaving.
Watching Tengen leave, Asuma scratched his head, a little puzzled. "Tengen, that name... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before. Let me think."
"Oh, right, I heard it from my father. He's also a genius from Konoha!" Asuma laughed. "Anyone who smokes is a good person."
Well, without realizing it, Tengen was once again associated with "good people."
This incident was just a brief interlude for Tengen. As he walked on, Tengen encountered another familiar face.
"Hey, Tengen, we meet again, what a coincidence." Obito Uchiha appeared before Tengen, waving. Beside him were, naturally, Kakashi and Rin Nohara.
"Oh, Obito, Rin, and Kakashi," Tengen greeted the three of them.
"Oh right, the Chunin Exams are about to begin. Are you participating?" Obito Uchiha remembered the Chunin Exams and quickly asked.
"I am participating. I've already registered through Orochimaru-sensei," Tengen nodded.
"Is that so? I passed the Chunin Exams last year. Do you want me to tell you what the specific challenges are like?" Obito Uchiha said.
"Thanks, Obito. For this challenge, I'll take it on myself," Tengen shook his head.
"Alright, suit yourself," Obito Uchiha chuckled. "But with your strength, Tengen, passing the Chunin Exams will be a piece of cake. I look forward to your success."
"Thank you," Tengen said.
Then, after chatting for a while, they all went their separate ways.
Unconsciously, Tengen walked into a training ground and saw an unfamiliar young girl. The girl had a Konoha forehead protector tied to her forehead, and her red pupils emitted a soft glow.
The girl was constantly forming hand signs, doing something inexplicable, looking a bit eerie.
"Hmm." Tengen's gaze shifted slightly. "Practicing genjutsu?"
Just like that, Tengen leaned against a large tree, watching the young girl practice genjutsu. With Tengen's current level, plus his Sharingan having advanced to three tomoe, he could clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of genjutsu.
This girl, among ninjas of the same age, was quite impressive, possessing at least chunin-level strength. But for Tengen, it was still not quite enough to impress him.
Suddenly, Tengen felt many tree branches emerge from the ground, wrapping around his legs and binding his entire body to the tree.
"Who are you?" A kunai was placed at Tengen's neck.
"Oh, your genjutsu is quite good." Tengen didn't answer. Instead, he chuckled softly, and then, in the girl's eyes, Tengen, who was tied to the tree, simply vanished.
A kunai, just like before, was placed at the girl's neck. "Then it's my turn to ask. Who are you?"
"I am Kurenai Yuhi, a genin of Konoha," the girl with slightly curly hair and red pupils said.
"I am Tengen, a genin of Konoha," Tengen said, releasing Kurenai Yuhi.
"When did you escape just now?" Kurenai Yuhi knew Tengen was a Konoha ninja, so she wasn't worried. If he were an enemy, he would have killed her already.
"When you were casting your genjutsu, I was also casting genjutsu on you," Tengen chuckled.
"How could that be? I didn't see you forming any hand signs," Kurenai Yuhi said in disbelief.
"Then watch this time." Tengen extended his right hand, and then, to Kurenai Yuhi's astonishment, completed the hand signs.
In Kurenai Yuhi's eyes, the surroundings turned blood-red.
Genjutsu.
"Single-hand hand signs," Kurenai Yuhi said.
"Yes, single-hand hand signs," Tengen replied. "Keep up the good work then, Kurenai Yuhi."
"If you have time, could I ask for your guidance, Tengen?" Kurenai Yuhi quickly asked.
"We'll see," Tengen waved his hand and left the training ground. He had detected a video signal. This time, the video signal was somewhat familiar, yet different.
"Naka Shrine?" Tengen was surprised.
Moments later, Tengen arrived near Naka Shrine. Looking at the source of the signal, Tengen showed a faint smile.
"This time it's deep within Naka Shrine, in the basement?" Tengen's eyes flashed. "And it's a super high-definition video."
"I must get it."
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