Night fell as Yugao and Hayate arrived at the training field in Konoha Forest, meeting as agreed. They were back at it again in this secluded spot.
Clearly, after a full day's practice, both had become much more familiar with their bokken. Each slash landed precisely where Anya demanded. At this pace, Yugao might even nail it within a week. As for Hayate, things weren't so certain—his body remained an issue.
Anya watched them train without interrupting. He himself began practicing the Phantom Sword Art he had just mastered. With the addition of genjutsu, this technique had truly reached a new level—silent, invisible, undetectable. He still remembered Red's first words upon exiting the genjutsu space that morning: "If you'd come to assassinate me, I'd already be dead."
That was high praise indeed from Red regarding the Phantom Sword Art.
In terms of pure destructive power, the Phantom Sword Art was probably the weakest among the four sword techniques currently known. But when considering practicality for assassination purposes, it was undoubtedly the strongest. This was also Anya's favorite move at present—it achieved maximum results through the simplest blade techniques. This, indeed, was the meaning of cultivation.
After practicing for a while, Anya noticed the training field had fallen silent. Looking over, he saw Hayate once again sitting on the ground like yesterday, his face pale, while Yugao stood beside him looking deeply concerned.
"Aww, this poor kid," sighed Anya softly before leaping over to them without hesitation and immediately starting medical ninjutsu treatment on Hayate.
After some time of treatment, Hayate gradually recovered. However, Anya couldn't help frowning—he realized treating Hayate's body had been slightly harder tonight than last night. What was going on? If this continued, wouldn't his condition worsen day by day?
Thinking this, Anya sighed again and said to the two, "Let's stop for tonight. Hayate, you don't need to come tomorrow."
Hayate's face instantly darkened. "Why not?"
Anya answered his question directly, "You should know yourself—your body simply can't handle training at this intensity."
Hayate retorted, "No, I think today went much better than yesterday."
Talk about a hardheaded kid. But this kind of persistence—Anya rather liked it. Fine then, might as well lend him a hand.
"Come with me."
Having said this, Anya turned and walked away. If they didn't follow, so be it.
Soon, the trio arrived in front of a building and stopped.
Hayate immediately recognized it. "This is the hospital. Why bring us here?"
"What else do you do at a hospital besides get checked out? Come on in."
Hayate hesitated, somewhat unwilling to enter. Yugao pushed him forward and shot him a glare with her eyes, as if saying, We've come all this way, why not go in?
Anya led the pair inside, navigating various corridors until they reached the room Tsunade usually occupied. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. Had she gone to sleep this early? Without hesitation, he pushed the door open—inside, the room was empty.
She wasn't even here. Anya frowned. Where could she have gone?
Anya left the room and made her way to the secret door on the hospital's rooftop. She knocked again.
Sure enough, Tsunade's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"It's me, Anya."
"Come in directly."
Anya pushed the door open and was immediately creeped out by the room's vibe. Inside, the lab walls were lined with large glass jars containing colorful potions. The table was littered with bottles of different sizes filled with multicolored toxins. A quick glance revealed snakes, scorpions, death insects, and Sanshouo. Anyone unfamiliar might mistake this for Orochimaru's lab.
Hayate and Yugao saw what was inside from outside the door. Both were so frightened their legs trembled, too scared to enter.
"Oh? Brought two kids along, huh?" Tsunade stopped her research upon noticing them, seemingly aware she had frightened them. She walked up to the doorway and asked, "You've been back for a while but didn't even drop by. You must need something from me this time, huh?"
"Yes." Anya pointed at Hayate behind her. "I'd like you to check his body, Tsunade-sama. Is there hope for full recovery?"
Following the direction of Anya's finger, Tsunade looked at Hayate, vaguely finding him familiar. Her hand emitted green Chakra as she placed it against his chest. Suddenly her expression changed: "Now I remember, you're that kid who got stabbed before. Didn't I specifically tell your father not to let you practice Swordsmanship until you were sixteen? Your body couldn't handle it; otherwise your condition would only worsen increasingly. Never thought he completely disregarded my words. How could he be so cold-blooded and heartless…"
"No," Hayate interrupted Tsunade, "don't blame my father. It was my idea to learn."
"You wanted to learn? If not taught by your father, then how did you learn?" After asking, Tsunade immediately realized something. Her sharp gaze pierced like blades straight into Anya.
Feeling Tsunade's stare, Anya almost burst into tears: "I really didn't know anything about this. He never said."
"You didn't know just because he didn't tell you?" Tsunade rebuked angrily. "After teaching you Medical Ninjutsu all this time, don't tell me you couldn't notice him getting weaker day by day. This is how you act as a teacher?"
Anya mumbled, "Okay, fine, I noticed. Isn't that exactly why I brought him here?"
Tsunade practically laughed out of anger: "If I had any solution, I would have healed him already instead of letting his body deteriorate till adulthood. Don't you understand?"
Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Hayate's eyes darkened instantly, expressing great disappointment: "Tsunade-sama, truly must I wait that long?"
Facing Hayate's question, Tsunade calmed her anger. Looking at this stubborn child, she felt somewhat troubled: "Your body is exactly at the growth stage now. You must rest assuredly during this period, eat well every day, and ensure sufficient sleep. If you recklessly keep training like this, forget sixteen, even twenty-six won't allow you to grip a sword anymore."
"Alright, I understand."
In that moment, Hayate's eyes lost their spark as he turned and walked away, dazed and unresponsive—even Yugao's desperate calls fell on deaf ears. Yugao stomped her foot and chased after him.
Seeing the two kids leave, Anya turned to leave as well.
But the moment she took a single step forward, her body froze—Tsunade had already seized the back of her collar.
Just as Anya tried to struggle free, a massive fist roared past her face, slamming her mask straight to the ground. Tsunade glared at her and growled in a threatening tone, "Wanting to leave? Try it."
Try it, and you won't live to regret it!
Ah, such a classic case of losing the bride and the battle! Not only did Hayate's health remain unresolved, but now she herself was dragged into this mess too...
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>