Sweat dripped from Tenten's brow as she panted heavily, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The dozen training dummies before her were completely riddled with kunai, shuriken, and other ninja tools—each embedded with pinpoint precision.
"Is that all?"
Tsunade frowned, arms crossed, her dissatisfaction evident. Given that Tenten had such a monstrously talented brother in Kazuki, she had expected something more… overwhelming.
But still, Tenten's performance wasn't bad.
At the very least, she ranked among the top students at the Ninja Academy. Yet compared to Kazuki… she was still far behind.
"Hmph!"
Noticing Tsunade's unimpressed expression, Tenten huffed in frustration. She was Tsunade's disciple now, and even if she felt unfairly judged, she knew better than to argue with her teacher.
Tsunade had brought her to the training ground today for rigorous instruction—no breaks, no mercy.
For two straight hours, Tsunade had been relentless.
A grueling, high-intensity session that pushed Tenten to her limits. Even lasting this long without a mistake was an achievement—proof that she was among Konoha's elite. But still… Tsunade wasn't satisfied?!
Tenten clenched her fists, swallowing her frustration.
"Move aside!"
A voice cut through the air.
From the distance, a young ninja, a few years older than Tenten, strode toward them, flanked by a group of followers. His demeanor was arrogant, his tone commanding.
Tenten's eyes narrowed the moment she recognized him.
All of her irritation toward Tsunade vanished, replaced by a new annoyance—this guy again.
"Teacher, let's go," Tenten muttered, her voice low but urgent.
"Go? And why should we?" Tsunade arched a brow. "The session isn't over yet. Don't think you can slack off. If you want to keep up with your brother's level, keep training!"
Tenten inhaled deeply, calming herself before explaining.
"Teacher, it's not about slacking… That guy is from the Shimura clan. Every time he comes here, he demands the training ground for himself. If we don't leave, he'll cause trouble for us."
Tsunade scoffed.
"He requisitions the training grounds for himself?" she repeated mockingly. "Does he think Konoha belongs to his family?"
Crossing her arms, she smirked.
"Stay put. Let's see what he tries."
Tsunade's expression darkened as the arrogant youth approached.
Tenten hesitated but knew better than to argue. If her teacher wasn't moving, then neither was she.
"Huh?"
The boy's brow furrowed as he realized they hadn't moved.
"Why are they still there?" he grumbled. "Didn't they hear me?"
His voice turned sharp as he snapped at his subordinates.
"Go! Teach them a lesson! They need to know their place!"
His guards shifted uncomfortably but didn't move.
The boy frowned. "What are you waiting for? I gave you an order!"
One of the older men leaned in and whispered urgently, his voice laced with apprehension.
"Master… We cannot."
"What do you mean, cannot?"
The guard swallowed hard before responding.
"That's Tsunade-sama," he murmured. "Princess of the Senju Clan. Granddaughter of the First Hokage. One of the Legendary Sannin. The Slugs' Sage."
The boy's face paled.
"I…"
His arrogance crumbled instantly. His lips parted as if to argue, but no words came.
His men were right.
Tsunade was not someone he could afford to offend.
"...Forget it," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He turned on his heel and stormed off, his entourage following in silence.
Tsunade smirked, cracking her knuckles.
"That's what I thought."
Tenten watched the retreating figures, then glanced up at her teacher.
She shook her head with a small smile.
No matter how harsh Tsunade was… she had to admit, there was never a dull moment.
In the end, he had no choice but to mutter in a gloomy voice,
"The training ground is still so empty… It shouldn't be a problem for them."
"Don't worry about them. Focus on our own training," came the firm reply.
"Yes, Master!"
The Shimura clan and their retainers began their training, though they remained somewhat dazed.
Although they were numerous, their main priority was the young master of the Shimura clan. However, they occupied a considerable portion of the training field—setting up training dummies, ninja tools, and mock combat scenarios.
To be honest, they took up most of the space, but it shouldn't have been an issue.
"Tenten! Target No. 1 and No. 3 are part of the training now!"
"Tsunade-sensei, this…"
"Do it!"
"Yes!"
Tsunade and Tenten's training area expanded.
Their regimen soon overlapped with the space occupied by the Shimura clan's trainees. But since it was Tsunade leading the session, the Shimura retainers didn't dare to voice their objections.
Never mind… it's just a little space.
That was what the young master of the Shimura clan told himself.
But before long, Tsunade issued another command.
"Add Target No. 4 and No. 6 as well!"
With that, Tsunade and Tenten's training range grew even wider.
Shhhh—
Kunai sliced through the air, darting past the No. 1 training field.
A dark blur shot past the young master of the Shimura clan's face—it was Tenten's kunai.
Almost…
It almost hit him!
This time, the young master of the Shimura clan was furious!
"Hey! Do you have eyes or not?! Don't you see people are training here?!"
Tsunade-hime? So what if she was Tsunade-hime?!
If he hadn't dodged just now, he might have…
His life had been put at risk—this was unacceptable!
At that moment, Tenten paused in her training, clearly uneasy.
Under Kazuki's guidance, she had learned not to be reckless. She didn't want unnecessary conflict.
But—
"Tenten, did I tell you to stop?"
"The trial failed!"
"With this level of hesitation, you'll never catch up to your brother Kazuki!"
Tsunade's voice was sharp as she scolded her.
Tenten only shrugged in response.
Fine, fine, say whatever you want. You could even say I'm worse than an Academy student—I won't argue.
She threw another kunai.
Under Tsunade's relentless pressure, she had no choice but to continue. It was Tsunade's demand that almost led to the Shimura heir getting hurt.
Now, he was clearly dissatisfied.
If she didn't stop, the so-called Shimura heir would hold a grudge against her.
And everyone knew—the Shimura clan still wielded considerable influence in Konoha.
She had no desire to make enemies with such a powerful faction.
After reprimanding Tenten, Tsunade turned to face the young master of the Shimura clan, who still looked rattled.
"What's wrong, kid? Got something to say?"
Tsunade's sharp gaze bore down on him, her beautiful yet intimidating face filled with disapproval.
"Uhh…"
"Well, um…"
Seeing Tsunade's fury, even the Shimura retainers hesitated to take a step forward.
The once arrogant young master instantly lost his nerve.
"We're training here… Throwing kunai like that is dangerous!" he finally managed to say.
"This is Konoha's public training ground," Tsunade countered, crossing her arms.
"I'll train however I damn well please."
At that moment, her presence was undeniable—Tsunade radiated absolute authority.
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