Tsunade wasn't unable to accept this reality.
It was just—
She had just been boasting, and the slap to the face came a bit too fast.
Mei, however, recovered first and instantly tagged her in the chat.
[Not-as-Good-as-Tsunade Childish Brat @ Tsunade: Old woman! How's that slap feel? Didn't you say we'd have to "wait a long time" to see your footage? Hahahaha!]
Konoha, Chūnin Exam Arena
Sakura was stunned.
Right now she had only one thought: I must find a way to become Tsunade's disciple.
Looking at Tsunade's evaluation—
She did succeed in the future!
[Sakura Haruno @ Tsunade: Hello, sensei, I'm Sakura!]
Hashirama, Mito, and the others who cared for Tsunade all felt the ranking was unfair.
[First Hokage Hashirama Senju: She's my granddaughter at least—how is she only eighth? She should at least be top five!]
[Second Hokage Tobirama Senju: Exactly. And from the rankings so far, ties are allowed. Is little Tsunade really that weak?]
[Uzumaki Mito: Something's off. No matter what, little Tsunade shouldn't be ranked below your idiotic monkey disciple.]
[Second Hokage Tobirama Senju: Don't worry, sister-in-law. That damn monkey probably doesn't even make the list. He's too trash.]
[Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi: Sensei, I…]
Hiruzen felt deeply wronged—
But in his heart, he was thinking:
Of course he'd make the list.
And just as he'd guessed earlier—
This Comprehensive Ranking wasn't based on strength alone. Since it measured all Five Kage, the main factor should be each Kage's contribution to their village.
His strength might not be the greatest among all Hokage—
But in terms of contributions to Konoha, he truly believed his were the greatest in history!
So it was entirely possible he might even surpass Hashirama and take first place.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen's expression slowly brightened.
He could hardly wait to see everyone's shocked faces when he appeared in the number one spot!
Of course, most people's attention was focused on Tsunade's reward.
That reward was insane.
Once Tsunade obtained the Operation Fruit, how many times would her battle power multiply?
The most excited of all was naturally Orochimaru.
If he got the Operation Fruit, countless experiments would proceed smoothly—
And his dream of immortality would become far easier to achieve.
No.
In the Konoha Chūnin Exam arena, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
He had to obtain the Operation Fruit—
No matter the cost.
While everyone was lost in their own thoughts—
The giant scroll trembled again and burst into golden light.
A semi-transparent screen appeared in front of it.
Everyone looked up at the screen—
Especially those in the Pure Land who were close to Tsunade, like Hashirama and the others.
In Konoha, the most excited person was Sakura in the Chūnin Exam arena.
Before—
She simply wanted to become Tsunade's disciple.
But this time—
She watched Tsunade's footage with a completely different mindset.
After all—
From Tsunade's final evaluation—
She already knew she would become Tsunade's student.
Since she was mentioned in the evaluation, there was a good chance she'd also appear in the video.
People originally thought, as with the Fourth Raikage, there would first be a title card—
But this time, as with some of the earlier videos, it immediately started showing Tsunade's story.
The narration began:
[Under Naruto's influence, Tsunade finally walked out of the shadows of her younger brother and lover's deaths and returned to Konoha to become the Fifth Hokage.]
[At that time, Konoha was in its most dangerous moment. During the Chūnin Exams, the Third Hokage fell in battle.]
[The village's morale was unstable, and outside threats came from Orochimaru and the Akatsuki.]
[But as the princess of the Senju clan, the Third Hokage's disciple, and one of the "Three Legendary Sannin" renowned across the ninja world, Tsunade had both prestige and strength. With just a single declaration, she could rally the hearts of the people.]
[With Jiraiya—one of the Sannin as well—escorting her return, the two Sannin coming back to Konoha made Danzō's rising faction instantly shrink back into the shadows.]
...
[Not-as-Good-as-Tsunade Childish Brat @ Tsunade: Nani? Nani? Nani? You have "prestige and strength both"?]
[Tsunade @ Not-as-Good-as-Tsunade Childish Brat: That's just the truth. What's wrong, getting jealous?]
[Not-as-Good-as-Tsunade Childish Brat: Jealous of what? In the Mist, I'm the one who truly has prestige and strength. One call from me, and the entire village stands behind me. @ All Hidden Mist Village shinobi]
[All Mist shinobi @ Not-as-Good-as-Tsunade Childish Brat: Lady Mizukage, just give the order. Whether it's blades or flames, we'll risk our lives without hesitation.]
[All Mist villagers @ Not-as-Good-as-Tsunade Childish Brat: Lady Mizukage, we can't fight, but if you need us to cooperate in any way, we'll gladly do our part.]
[Not-as-Good-as-Tsunade Childish Brat @ Tsunade: See that? Can you do this?]
A vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead.
It seemed Mei really wanted to fight her to the bitter end.
All this fuss… what was it even for?
As Tsunade wondered how to clap back—
All of Konoha suddenly started tagging her.
[All Konoha shinobi @ Tsunade: Where the leaves dance, the fire is ever burning!]
[All Konoha villagers @ Tsunade: Where the leaves dance, the fire is ever burning!]
Tsunade was stunned, and deeply moved.
There was one person even more shocked and moved than she was—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He died in the footage—
But the video didn't drag his name through the mud.
And now, the slogan from Konoha's ninjas and villagers—
Where the leaves dance, the fire is ever burning!
That was his classic quote!
If that didn't prove that, as the Third Hokage, his contribution and influence on Konoha were the greatest—
What would?
Heh…
Top of the Five Kage Ranking… is basically mine already!
[First Hokage Hashirama Senju: Little brother, keep an eye on your disciple!]
[Uzumaki Mito: That's right, little brother. That idiot Danzō actually wanted to rise up back then?]
[Second Hokage Tobirama Senju @ Danzō: What exactly did you think you were doing "rising up"? Wasn't the mess in Konoha chaotic enough already?]
Root Base.
Danzō's face was pitch black.
His old buddy Hiruzen had already been killed by Orochimaru—
Which meant no more new scandals about Hiruzen would be shown.
But he—
Looked like a whole lot more dirt of his was about to surface.
Damn it, damn it!
With this scroll around, no secret could be buried.
[Jiraiya @ Tsunade: See, Tsunade? I'm good to you, aren't I? I even escorted you back. Don't you think you should… reconsider me?]
[Orochimaru @ Jiraiya: Pathetic simp. You still haven't given up?]
[Jiraiya @ Orochimaru: You traitor, you've got the nerve to talk?]
Everyone in the other villages…
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