"I apologize for my behavior earlier."
Suzuki bowed his head smoothly, regaining his absolute composure. To make amends, he naturally escorted Tsunade and Shizune to the most luxurious hotel in the city, booking the penthouse suite and treating them to the absolute finest amenities available.
Tsunade, for her part, possessed zero hesitation when it came to accepting a lavish apology. It had been far too long since she had enjoyed top-shelf alcohol. She might have been the Slug Princess of Konoha, but royalty didn't equal liquid capital—especially not when she had racked up a mountain of gambling debt.
Most of the Senju clan's remaining wealth was tied up in heritage land back in the village. As the world's premier medical ninja, she could easily charge exorbitant fees to treat wealthy nobles. But sadly, every single ryo she earned was immediately funneled into the bottomless pit of her gambling addiction.
"Has your little problem calmed down yet?" Tsunade asked, leaning over the table with a wicked, teasing smirk. As she leaned forward, the loose collar of her haori dipped dangerously low, offering him a breathtaking view of the deep, pale valley between her massive breasts.
"You can drink all the premium alcohol in this hotel if you just shut up," Suzuki rolled his eyes, aggressively averting his gaze. He realized instantly that he couldn't afford to act soft around her. Frankly, he needed to shut her up before his body betrayed him again!
"Deal!" Tsunade laughed heartily, clearly delighted by her victory.
That was easy, Suzuki thought.
"Tsunade-sama..." Shizune sighed helplessly from the side, clutching her pig tightly.
Tsunade actually preferred dealing with a straightforward, arrogant boy like Suzuki. Yet, as she knocked back another cup of premium sake, her curiosity got the better of her. "Which wealthy family are you from, kid?"
To afford this level of luxury without blinking, buy out the hotel's entire alcohol reserve, and casually travel with a gorgeous Anbu escort... this young man had to be the heir to a massive fortune.
More importantly, his mastery over that devastating Fire Release and his terrifyingly efficient martial arts meant he didn't fit the mold of the major Konoha clans. Was he from the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, or Mitokado families? Those elders had grown soft over the years. Even though she knew her old teacher had a keen eye for talent, for Suzuki to be picked as Hiruzen's personal disciple meant his potential was monstrous.
Tsunade could see that, which was exactly why she wondered where he came from.
"I'm not from any major family," Suzuki replied calmly. "I am all alone."
"Hah?" Tsunade looked at him strangely, then squinted at her bottle of alcohol. "Did the old monkey secretly funnel you a massive allowance?"
"No way. Do you honestly think the Hokage would do anything that might tarnish his pristine political image?" Suzuki looked at her in deadpan disbelief.
"You're right," Tsunade nodded. Unlike her, who shamelessly gambled in broad daylight, Hiruzen would do anything to maintain his benevolent facade. It was impossible for him to be corrupt to give an allowance to his disciple. "Then how the hell do you have all this money?"
"Business."
"...Business?"
"I own several highly profitable businesses."
With Hiruzen as his political backer, no one dared interfere with his operations. Suzuki didn't hesitate to aggressively bankrupt his competitors, seizing their companies for pennies on the dollar. He knew he was being ruthless, but the corporate world was exactly like the ninja world: the weak were devoured by the strong.
The ninja clans of Konoha completely ignored his hostile takeovers. They were too obsessed with jutsu, military authority, and risking their lives on dangerous missions for scraps of pay. They completely overlooked the fact that controlling the economy was the ultimate power.
"...You built an empire yourself?" Tsunade asked, her jaw dropping slightly.
"Yeah."
"..."
Tsunade slowly turned her head to look at Yugao, who offered a quiet, confirming nod.
"...What kind of businesses?"
"What kind?" Suzuki tapped his chin, listing his cash cows. "Material construction, property, food distribution, general stores, currency exchanges, and high-yield money lending—"
"I BEG YOU! PLEASE LEND ME SOME MONEY!"
Tsunade suddenly lunged across the table. Her heavy, incredibly soft chest slammed onto the wood, spilling dangerously out of her top as she grabbed his hands. She looked like a drowning addict who had just been thrown a lifeline. "I'LL PAY YOU BACK LATER! TWO TIMES—NO, IT WILL BE TEN TIMES THE AMOUNT! AS LONG AS I WIN THE NEXT GAMBLE, YOU'LL GET A MASSIVE RETURN ON INVESTMENT!"
"No."
Suzuki's answer was cold and immediate.
"Stingy brat!" Tsunade pouted, leaning back and crossing her arms under her chest, aggressively emphasizing her bountiful cleavage.
"More importantly, let's get down to business. I've treated you to all this alcohol, so—"
"Isn't this just hush money to keep me quiet about how incredibly hard you got when your face was buried in my chest earlier?"
Tsunade blurted it out with zero shame, casually tossing back another cup of sake while letting him catch another alluring glimpse of her deep cleavage.
"....."
Suzuki was completely speechless. He slowly turned his gaze toward Shizune, who also happened to be staring right at him.
The moment their eyes met, Shizune's face instantly burned bright red. She quickly lowered her head, hiding a devastatingly cute blush.
"...." Suzuki gritted his teeth.
"If you keep talking about that," Suzuki warned darkly, "I might just blow this hotel straight to hell and burn your clothes off, leaving you completely naked in front of everyone."
"How dare you?!" Tsunade gasped, covering her chest in mock horror.
"Then listen to me!"
"What? What do you actually want from me?" Tsunade's teasing smirk vanished, her eyes narrowing sharply. "If you want me to return to the village, you can forget it. I won't go back!"
"Then give me your scrolls. Teach me your knowledge!"
"....."
Tsunade's gaze turned incredulous. "...You want to be a medical ninja?"
"Do I not look like one?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you're a distracted by a dozen other things," Tsunade scoffed, her tone turning fiercely serious. "It isn't easy to be a medical ninja, boy."
Did Suzuki think medical ninjutsu was a game? If it were easy, Konoha would be overflowing with medics, and every ninja could just heal themselves on the battlefield. Tsunade wasn't petty; she would gladly share her techniques. But the harsh reality was that very few possessed the microscopic chakra control and singular dedication required. To learn it, one had to sacrifice everything else.
Suzuki was clearly a combat prodigy. It would be a waste for him to divide his focus instead of—
"W-What the hell are you doing?!"
Tsunade shot up, her face paling rapidly as blood suddenly sprayed across the table.
Without a single word of warning, Suzuki had drawn a kunai and slashed it brutally across his own palm, carving a deep, gruesome gash into his flesh. He didn't explain himself. He simply held his bleeding hand out for her to see.
Shizune panicked, knowing all too well about Tsunade's crippling hemophobia.
But before the blood could fully pool on the table, a radiant, incredibly soft green glow erupted from Suzuki's palm.
"...." Tsunade and Shizune froze.
Mystical Palm Technique.
It was one of the most fundamental medical jutsu, used to artificially accelerate the body's natural cellular regeneration. But it required god-like chakra control. The slightest miscalculation could severely disrupt the patient's circulatory system, sending them into a permanent coma.
Yet, the way Suzuki executed it was so terrifyingly flawless that he didn't even weave a single hand sign. Within seconds, the deep laceration stitched itself back together, leaving his skin as perfectly smooth as it had been before.
Tsunade stared at his hand in an absolute daze.
Suzuki didn't waver. He met the Legendary Sannin's wide eyes with absolute, unshakeable confidence. He wasn't going to fade into the background. He was determined to prove that, in this brutal ninja world, Suzuki-kun wasn't just going to be some Mob-B.
"Test me," Suzuki demanded softly. "I will prove to you that I am worthy of your teaching."
There was no need to waste each other's time. If she accepted him, perfect. If she didn't, he would simply walk out the door.
Hearing his fearless declaration, the shock in Tsunade's eyes slowly melted away, replaced by a fierce, dangerous grin. She threw her head back and laughed.
"Good! Then don't you dare cry to me later!"
As she prepared to lay out her impossible curriculum, a thrilling realization washed over her. She was staring at the birth of a true monster—and perhaps, her greatest disciple.