Bang! Bang!
On the spacious training ground—
Rock Lee, covered in injuries, let out a miserable cry.
He was sent flying backward by a powerful palm strike and crashed to the ground in a sorry state.
Across from him stood a boy wearing a training uniform.
His pale white eyes stared coldly ahead.
Hyūga Neji stood there proudly.
"Useless, Lee…"
Looking down at Lee, whom he had defeated with ease, Neji spoke indifferently.
"No matter how many times you try, you won't be my opponent."
"The gap between a failure and a genius can't be bridged by a few passionate slogans."
"Damn it… I won't give up, Neji!"
Lee lay on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, fists clenched tightly.
There was clear unwillingness in his expression.
But he didn't lose heart.
Instead, he shouted firmly at the proud Neji,
"One day, I'll prove that hard work can surpass genius!"
"Neji, you were a little too harsh…"
Ren, who had long expected this outcome and wasn't surprised at all, walked over.
Looking at the battered and injured Lee, he said helplessly,
"No matter what, Lee is still our classmate."
Neji remained unmoved.
"Hmph. He brought it on himself."
Anyone would get annoyed if someone challenged them every few days.
And the proud Neji certainly had a temper.
He wasn't someone's whetstone.
If Lee wanted to challenge him, he had to be prepared to suffer.
In Neji's opinion, he had already shown mercy.
He had only inflicted superficial injuries.
If he had truly fought seriously and used the techniques of the Gentle Fist, Lee would be dealing with far more than just bruises.
"Lee, you're pushing yourself too hard…"
Ren didn't think Neji had gone too far.
He raised his right hand calmly in front of his chest—
Forming a hand seal with just one hand.
A soft green glow appeared in his palm as he pressed it onto Lee's body.
He began healing the injuries Lee had sustained during his challenge against Neji, as well as the wounds accumulated from his relentless daily training.
Seeing that Lee looked miserable but wasn't seriously injured, Ren reminded him again,
"Training needs balance. If you constantly push your body beyond its limits, it'll backfire."
"You might even end up with permanent injuries."
"One-handed seals?"
Neji's eyes widened in shock.
Coming from a prestigious clan, he understood far better than Lee what that meant.
Some powerful jōnin, after countless repetitions, could simplify the hand seals of basic techniques like the Three Basic Techniques.
But even then, many still couldn't perform them with just one hand.
And yet—
The Mystical Palm Technique was an A-rank medical ninjutsu.
It was on a completely different level from basic techniques.
"Ren… you've reached this level already?"
Neji truly hadn't expected it.
This meant Ren could likely perform advanced ninjutsu with one hand.
In combat, that was equivalent to having an extra free hand compared to the opponent.
Especially during a stalemate—
He could suddenly launch a ninjutsu with one hand and catch the enemy off guard.
However—
Thinking about Ren's ridiculously precise chakra control, which even he couldn't match—
Neji soon felt it was somewhat understandable.
"Yeah. After enough practice, I can barely manage it."
Ren shrugged casually.
There wasn't a trace of pride on his face.
In truth—
With his extremely refined chakra control, he didn't even need hand seals to perform this level of Mystical Palm Technique.
He simply avoided showing it.
Otherwise, he would appear far too monstrous.
"That's incredible."
"Unbelievable…"
Both Lee and Neji stared at Ren in amazement.
But at that moment—
Ren suddenly raised an eyebrow.
As if sensing something, he looked toward the direction of Konoha's main gate.
"Hm?"
He had detected a rather powerful chakra signature that had just appeared there.
Clearly—
It wasn't an intruder.
It had entered openly through the village gate.
"That chakra… it feels strangely familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time…"
Ren looked thoughtful.
"Could it be…"
—
Meanwhile—
Inside the Hokage Tower, in the office on the highest floor—
"Lord Hokage."
An ANBU operative wearing a cat mask suddenly appeared.
Kneeling on one knee before the Third Hokage, he reported,
"The gate guards have just reported something… It seems Lady Tsunade has returned."
"Oh?"
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been smoking his pipe while reviewing classified documents, suddenly stood up.
His expression was full of surprise.
"Tsunade? She's returned?"
"Yes."
The ANBU operative confirmed.
Hiruzen frowned slightly, his mind filled with questions.
Back when the Third Great Ninja War had not yet ended—
Tsunade had grown increasingly dissatisfied with Konoha's leadership.
Eventually, she left the village with her disciple Shizune.
For all these years—
She had paid no attention to the affairs of the village.
Even with her former teacher, Hiruzen, their relationship had become distant.
She hadn't even returned when the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, died.
So why had she suddenly come back now?
Had she changed her mind and decided to stay in the village?
Having a medical genius of her caliber and a powerful ninja remain in Konoha would certainly be beneficial for the village.
But at the same time—
It made the Third Hokage think of many other possibilities.
Back when the Third Great Ninja War dragged on for so long that Konoha's strength was severely weakened—
Although they ultimately emerged victorious, the village chose to give up demanding reparations from Iwagakure in order to quickly end the war.
To suppress dissatisfaction within the village—
Hiruzen had resigned from the position of Hokage and stepped down.
He supported the rise of Namikaze Minato, the "Yellow Flash," the disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.
But eight years ago—
After the Nine-Tails' attack, the Fourth Hokage died.
Konoha suffered tremendous losses.
The village fell into chaos without a leader.
Other forces in the ninja world began watching Konoha like predators.
War could break out at any moment.
So Hiruzen returned—
And once again sat on the Hokage's throne.
However—
Power was like opium.
Once tasted, it became addictive.
Even when Minato had been Hokage—
Hiruzen had never fully relinquished the authority that belonged to the Hokage.
At that time, Konoha had effectively been ruled by two centers of power.
This also meant the young Fourth Hokage had constantly been restrained and unable to fully exercise his authority.
Now—
This once respected and beloved Hokage, hailed as the "Strongest Hokage in History," was even less willing to relinquish power.
Over the years—
His three disciples known as the Legendary Sannin had all left the village in one way or another.
One departed.
One defected.
And now—
The sudden return of Tsunade, the Slug Princess, filled the aging Hiruzen with both joy and unease.
After all—
Tsunade was different from the other Sannin.
She was not only the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—
She was also personally granted the title of "Princess of Konoha" by the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
Throughout past wars, she had achieved tremendous accomplishments.
Her reputation within the village was extremely high.
With her unparalleled medical ninjutsu—
Many ninja, even leaders of various clans, had once benefited from her treatment.
If she wished—
She might truly be able to rally countless supporters with a single call.
The Third Hokage had no choice but to consider the situation carefully.
What exactly was the purpose behind her sudden return?
…