Chapter 43 - Black Chisel Thunderfang: Fighting the Three Ninjas? Me?

"Full Moon, you're not allowed to cause trouble in Konoha!"

A voice echoed.

A Hidden Mist ninja stood before them, two swords at his waist.

These were definitely not ordinary blades. The sheaths looked more like the Thunder Blade: Fang.

Hozuki Mangetsu's expression remained dazed, his face blank. It was clear that his mind was in disarray, as if he hadn't heard anything at all.

"Hozuki Mangetsu?!"

Black Chisel Thunderfang’s patience began to wear thin.

"Huh? Yes!"

Hozuki Mangetsu snapped out of his daze, his eyes no longer showing the terror they once had.

Seeing Black Chisel Thunderfang, Mangetsu immediately bowed and apologized.

"I’m sorry!"

"You should be apologizing to me, right? Or is it that all of you from the Hidden Mist think it's acceptable to attack others in different villages without an apology?"

Kyōen glanced at Black Chisel Thunderfang.

Black Chisel Thunderfang frowned and swept his gaze between Kyōen and Mangetsu. His emotions flared, his face growing more fierce and cruel, as a murderous aura slowly emanated.

However.

Kyōen stood his ground, unfazed, and threatened, "Do you want to kill me to silence me?"

Black Chisel Thunderfang’s heart skipped a beat.

Usually, when he was angry and exuding killing intent, many of his fellow ninjas were intimidated. But this kid didn't flinch in the slightest, even daring to glare back and counter his words.

Such guts!

He turned to look at Mangetsu with increasing displeasure.

The Hozuki clan had been praised as geniuses, the best talent, even claiming Mangetsu had the potential to become the second Second Mizukage.

But what was this?

Turns out he was just a pretty vase.

He met a Konoha genius and became disoriented, forgetting the basic rules of being a ninja.

Look at this kid!

While Black Chisel Thunderfang’s killing intent locked onto him, the kid didn’t even flinch.

Now this was a true genius!

He yelled, "Mangetsu, are you waiting for me to apologize for you?"

"Yes, I... I’m sorry, Kyōen-kun. I just wanted to greet you. I didn’t mean to attack you. I was startled by your reaction and forgot to apologize!"

Hozuki Mangetsu understood… this could go either way.

On the small scale, it could just be a childish squabble.

On a larger scale, though, if Kyōen chose to escalate this, it would be…

A Hidden Mist ninja attacking a Konoha genin, and a higher-up trying to silence them.

It would depend on what Konoha decided.

Therefore, admitting that he was startled was better than being caught in a trap, which could cause greater losses.

Yet.

"What did you intend to do to our Konoha ninja?"

Tsunade's voice was cold, and a thick murderous intent spread out.

Black Chisel Thunderfang froze and turned his head.

The terrifying pressure, the atmosphere!

In an instant, he thought he had fallen victim to a genjutsu like Naraku's Gaze, designed to strike fear into his heart. He was shaken, his fear escalating.

But no.

This wasn’t an illusion.

Just from the killing intent alone...

His face turned pale.

Then, from behind Tsunade, another figure descended, their pale face carrying a seemingly gentle yet terrifying smile.

Two of the Legendary Three Ninjas—Tsunade and Orochimaru!

This kid really had big connections, to have both of the Legendary Three taking such an interest in him!

Kyōen was about to speak, but Mangetsu immediately "plopped" to the ground, performing a deep bow.

"Kyōen-kun, I really just wanted to greet you. I wanted to compete with you again in the Chunin Exams. I absolutely did not intend to attack you. Thunderfang-senpai lost control when he got angry, it wasn’t meant to target you!"

Mangetsu wasn’t afraid of others, but Orochimaru…

In the last fifteen days, he spent ten of them with Orochimaru. Though his memory was fuzzy, he instinctively felt fear when thinking about it.

He had no doubt.

At this moment, Orochimaru might be considering some excuse to make him stay longer.

If Orochimaru figured out the Water Transformation Jutsu, he’d be in deep trouble!

Orochimaru gave a faint smile of regret.

"Ah, so it was a misunderstanding?"

"Yes, a misunderstanding! This kid from the Hozuki clan is overly proud of his talent. He’s usually reckless in the village. I’ve already given Mangetsu a stern scolding!"

Black Chisel Thunderfang quickly repeated, "Misunderstanding."

The two members of the Legendary Three…

When they heard that the kid’s teacher was Jiraiya, they realized that if Jiraiya arrived, the complete Legendary Three Ninjas would be there!

He wasn’t Hanzo of the Salamander.

"Sorry, seniors!"

Black Chisel Thunderfang’s voice was heavy.

"Don’t cause trouble in Konoha, or there will be people to handle you."

Tsunade waved her hand as if to issue a warning, but upon thinking that this was Konoha, destroying the streets could cost money, so she stopped her motion.

She glanced at the kneeling Mangetsu and then looked at Orochimaru behind her…

Looks like Orochimaru really left a big impression on him.

Orochimaru chuckled softly.

"Now that the two villages are on good terms and everyone seeks peace, we can overlook the misunderstanding. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be resolved so easily."

"Yes!"

Black Chisel Thunderfang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned to leave, not daring to stay.

If Jiraiya showed up, he’d be forced into a bow too!

Once he was gone.

Orochimaru licked his lips, his gaze sweeping over Kyōen, inspecting him carefully, then smiled.

"This is Jiraiya’s disciple, right?"

"Ryoumine Kyōen, it’s an honor to meet you, Orochimaru-senpai!"

Kyōen stepped forward to greet him.

Might Guy stood beside him, frozen with nervousness, barely breathing.

One was Tsunade.

The other was Orochimaru.

Both were renowned figures in the ninja world!

"Hmm."

Orochimaru’s eyes glowed with intensity.

After examining Kyōen for a moment, he smiled.

"I have things to do today, but we’ll meet again sometime."

"Yes."

Kyōen nodded.

Tsunade, waiting for Orochimaru to leave, glanced at Guy.

"Your name is Might Guy?"

"Ah? Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

Guy was nervous.

He was still just a freshly minted genin, and he had never encountered such a scene before!

"I see you running by the hospital every day. I’ve looked at your records, and you’re hardworking and excellent."

Tsunade praised him earnestly.

Guy was taken aback, unable to stop the tears from welling up. He quickly wiped his eyes.

"Tsunade-sama!"

He cried uncontrollably.

This praise from Tsunade was the greatest affirmation and motivation he could receive.

Tsunade twitched her lips, glancing at Kyōen.

Kyōen shrugged.

Guy was always this way—his emotions would shift like the weather.

Tsunade thought for a moment about how to comfort him.

Suddenly, Guy stopped crying and said, "Tsunade-sama, I’ll continue to work hard! I’ll prove that even if I only excel at taijutsu, I can still become a great ninja!"

Tsunade’s expression softened slightly, nodding in acknowledgment.

"Mm."

She was distracted, not recalling what she had originally intended to say.

Kyōen and Guy, seeing her expression, didn’t speak.

After a while, she finally remembered.

"Your training methods push your body to its limits, repeatedly breaking past them to improve. But it also places a great strain on your body, so you should regularly check your physical condition to avoid leaving scars that can’t heal."

"This..."

Guy hesitated.

He understood the reasoning, but as a genin with a father who was also a genin, going to the hospital would cost a lot.

Tsunade’s tone softened.

"Don’t worry. I’ll cover the cost for your check-ups."

The money she would spend was nothing compared to her gambling debts, but ensuring a talented ninja’s health would yield greater rewards in the long run.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"

Guy was overwhelmed with joy and thanked her profusely.

Tsunade had high hopes for him!

For him, this was the greatest encouragement, and his resolve to work harder only strengthened.