Adopted by Tsunade [71-72] (Patreon)

Chapter 71: How Could I Face Rin?

Uchiha Clan Compound

Uchiha Fugaku sat quietly with his eyes closed, waiting for Itachi to return from the Hokage's office.

A heavy anger simmered inside him. He was furious at both Konoha's higher-ups and at Uchiha Shisui.

The Mangekyō Sharingan—a matter so important—had been kept secret from him.

Did they not see him as clan leader at all?

If they'd told him sooner, things wouldn't have come to this.

The door slid open.

"Father,"

Itachi stepped in, took off his shoes, and sat before his father.

"What did the Third say to you?"

Fugaku opened his eyes and asked.

"Not much."

Itachi replied in a low voice, "He claimed he knew nothing about this, promised to bring Shisui back, and said Orochimaru and Danzō would be severely punished."

It was the same old line, but Itachi believed him.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi had really been behind it, he could have taken Shisui's eyes easily, given Shisui's trust in him.

So this was all Danzō and Orochimaru's doing.

In the original story, Shisui's fate was almost the same—

The only difference was Orochimaru's involvement.

Even after Danzō ambushed Shisui, stole one eye, and drove him to suicide,

Itachi still didn't seek revenge,

because he inherited Shisui's will:

the Will of Fire, Konoha above all, family comes second.

"Father, I joined the Anbu."

Itachi paused, then continued.

"Anbu?"

Fugaku frowned instinctively.

But after a moment's thought, he realized that after Shisui's disappearance, the clan did need another spy to keep tabs on Konoha's leadership.

And as his own son, Itachi was hardly likely to betray the clan.

Letting him serve as a spy was reliable.

"But remember, no matter what, you are always a member of the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku warned.

Itachi nodded, but inside, he was a little disappointed.

Father, you always only care about the clan—can't you see Konoha at all?

"What were Shisui's eyes capable of?"

Fugaku got to the point.

The Mangekyō's greatest power was its unique dōjutsu.

Itachi fell silent.

"Itachi, with Shisui missing, and a mysterious figure possibly having his eyes, our clan could be in danger."

Fugaku frowned. "Tell me, so I can prepare."

"Kotoamatsukami,"

Itachi hesitated, then said, "It can control people and change their minds without them ever noticing."

Fugaku's eyes widened, then he slammed the table, furious. "That idiot!"

Such a terrifying jutsu, and he only mentions it after losing it?

If they'd used it to control Sarutobi, the Uchiha would never be in this mess.

Shisui, what were you thinking?

But it was too late now.

A deep wariness flashed in Fugaku's eyes.

Until they found this mysterious figure and Shisui, everything had to be put on hold.

The Uchiha would have no peace.

Itachi watched him blankly. He'd expected this, so he wasn't surprised.

"Go check on Sasuke. He's always liked you best, but he's shaken up and emotionally unstable right now."

After a while, Fugaku's tone softened.

"Yes."

Itachi got up, shut the door, and left.

…

Hyuga Residence

Natsume once again carried Hinata back inside.

Fortunately, no one had come looking for her this time.

"See you next time."

He patted her hair, then vanished.

With a reverse summoning, he returned to his room.

When he opened the door, Tsunade was watching TV.

She looked up, sensing his arrival, and asked quietly, "Saw Hinata again?"

After speaking, she realized her tone was too obvious.

It was just that she'd seen that smile on Natsume's face—

and knowing it wasn't for her, she felt a little sad.

Tsunade quickly tried to cover up: "Natsume, go help Shizune bring out the dishes."

But the next second, Shizune had already brought them out.

She hadn't noticed the awkward atmosphere and simply called out, "Come eat!"

Tsunade was instantly embarrassed.

She glanced at Natsume, feeling a little flustered for some reason.

But she was Tsunade, after all, and quickly regained her composure.

"Natsume, don't just stand there. Eat."

"Okay."

Natsume raised his eyebrows—Tsunade's girlish attitude just now was pretty amusing.

Natsume hurried over and sat next to Tsunade.

The three of them picked up their chopsticks, and dinner officially began.

"When will the Chūnin Exams resume?"

Natsume was still thinking about Tsunade's promised reward.

He wondered what kind it would be.

Hopefully the kind he was thinking of.

"The day after tomorrow."

Tsunade assumed he just cared about becoming a Chūnin and didn't think too much about it.

Natsume had wanted to ask about Shisui,

but since the exams were resuming so soon, Hiruzen had probably handled it already.

He didn't really care about the details.

He'd already gotten his "Fate Points."

Now, the person Hiruzen and the others most wanted to find was probably him—

but they'd never connect it to him, not even Tsunade.

Anyone who'd seen the mysterious figure's Wood Release wouldn't suspect him,

since he didn't have that ability.

…

Day Three.

Kabuto and Hana arrived early.

"Shiro's as energetic as ever."

Natsume reached out and ruffled Hana's husky, Shiro—its fur was fluffy and soft.

"Let's go."

Tsunade glanced at Natsume; she wanted to pet him, too—

not the dog, but his head.

They headed for the Forest of Death.

After the first elimination round, only half the teams were left—ten squads.

Natsume didn't see Itachi.

Did he get in through Sarutobi's connections?

After all, he'd joined Anbu.

The new proctor wasn't Jiraiya, but Kurenai Yuhi—

a genjutsu master and Hinata's future team leader in canon,

still quite young, about nineteen.

Her boyfriend was Asuma, Sarutobi's son—

the money unit of the Naruto world,

famous alongside Kakashi's chakra unit.

At this point, Asuma should be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"…The rules are as follows: Each squad gets a random scroll. If you have a Heaven Scroll, you must get an Earth Scroll, and vice versa. Only teams with both scrolls can reach the tower and advance to the third round. If you can't continue, fire a signal flare for rescue."

Kurenai announced, "The second round starts now!"

…

Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village.

A pale-skinned youth emerged from the ground.

"Madara, something happened in Konoha you might find interesting."

"Oh? What is it?"

Uchiha Obito, masked, asked casually.

"Uchiha Shisui is missing, Itachi's got three-tomoe Sharingan and joined Anbu."

"Interesting. He's only eight, right? He might make a good piece. Keep an eye on him."

Obito's tone suddenly chilled.

 "As for me, unless I slaughter Hidden Mist, how could I face Rin's death?"

When the Fourth Mizukage broke free from Obito's control isn't clear in canon, but based on the timeline, it should be within these years.

Chapter 72: Self Control

At Kurenai's signal, all the teams bolted into the dark forest, quickly vanishing from sight.

Natsume, Kabuto, and Hana ran fastest, being the strongest.

With Itachi gone, Natsume aimed to set a speed record.

Kurenai withdrew her gaze, then quickly stood in front of someone.

"Lady Tsunade, you're not allowed inside."

"I won't go in—just watching from the side."

Tsunade said, but kept moving forward.

"Lady Tsunade…"

Kurenai was helpless. "You're making things hard for us."

"How about this—you come with me. With you there, it'll be fine, right?"

Tsunade kept her eyes on Natsume's vanishing figure. She clearly wasn't giving up.

Kurenai finally nodded. "But you can't interfere or help your students."

"Of course not."

Tsunade smiled. "You underestimate my students, Kurenai."

Kurenai thought of Natsume's outrageous combat record during the Konoha-Cloud war.

To be honest, she couldn't quite believe it.

Natsume was only nine at the time, without a kekkei genkai, and yet defeated several jonin—including a Magnet Release ninja.

She tended to think Tsunade had weakened them first, and her students finished them off.

"Lady Tsunade, wait!"

Kurenai only dazed out for three seconds, but Tsunade was already gone like an arrow.

She hurried to catch up.

In moments, they caught up to Natsume's group.

Since the exam had just started, there were no enemies yet—

they were using Shiro's nose to search.

A minute later, they had results.

Standing beside Tsunade, Kurenai was stunned. "Isn't this too reckless, just charging in?"

Natsume's team found another squad and attacked directly—no traps, no stealth, just rushing them.

"No need to waste time."

Tsunade understood Natsume—seeing him in such a hurry, she knew what he was thinking.

But then she frowned.

That wasn't like Natsume.

He was usually pretty lazy.

Why so eager for the Chūnin Exam?

Suddenly, she remembered her promise of a reward, and froze—he'd taken her seriously!

Now she was in trouble. If she didn't give him a reward, she'd have no excuse.

"A-rank Water Style?"

Kurenai's mouth dropped open, stunned.

So the rumors were true—

Natsume could easily use A-rank Water Style, proof that he was jonin-level.

She wasn't even sure she could beat him.

But wasn't it overkill?

The opponents were just genin.

Tsunade noticed her look and proudly stuck out her chest. "My students are top-notch."

Kurenai glanced at her, then fell silent. Any woman would be envious of that comparison.

"Jealous?"

Tsunade teased. "In a few years, you'll get to lead a squad too. But picking good students is luck."

"Looks like they're lucky."

Kurenai quickly changed the subject.

Natsume's team was already heading for the central tower, meaning they'd gotten both scrolls.

"I'll go meet them at the tower later, that's not against the rules, right?"

Tsunade grinned, still on a roll.

She knew Natsume would pass, but showing off in front of others was another matter.

Why do people always ask about grades or salary when visiting relatives? This is why.

"Once they enter the tower, the second round ends. The third round only starts when everyone gathers. So that waiting time isn't part of the exam—it's allowed."

Kurenai answered politely, despite the double blow to her ego.

…

Central Tower, Forest of Death.

When Natsume's team arrived, a young man instantly appeared.

"Already? You got both scrolls in just twenty minutes?"

Normally, just reaching the tower would take over half an hour at a genin's pace.

Was this even possible?

"Here."

Natsume handed him both scrolls.

The young man checked, then was speechless.

Konoha genin—terrifying!

He was glad he hadn't faced such monsters in his own Chūnin Exam.

"The third round is individual battles. Go rest in the lounge."

He pointed the way.

"Thanks."

The three followed his directions to a bare-bones rest area.

Before long, Tsunade entered.

Kurenai returned to her duties as proctor.

"Sensei."

The three greeted in unison, even Hana—she'd grown a lot through special training, enough to realize her previous teacher was, well… not great.

Not that she meant any disrespect—

it was just that comparison was unavoidable.

"Well done. I checked—you're the fastest in Chūnin Exam history."

Tsunade praised.

"But not just fast—"

Natsume quickly added.

"Strong, too."

Tsunade ruffled his hair, like comforting a child.

Kabuto and Hana were used to the sight—Natsume was like Tsunade's own kid, and they were adopted.

In the original, the joint Chūnin Exam had a month's rest between rounds,

since it was a big event, with nobles and daimyōs attending, a chance for villages to show off and get mission contracts.

But regular exams were just a formality—a simple process.

Tsunade didn't stay long, heading to the spectator stands instead.

Her presence put too much pressure on the candidates,

and made it look like Natsume's team had special treatment.

Afternoon: The Third Round Begins

After another elimination, only five teams were left.

Now it was individual battles.

Natsume's biggest threat would have been Itachi, but he'd already graduated, as had Anko and Yugao.

In the end, Natsume easily took first place.

Kabuto was second, Hana fifth.

But rankings didn't matter—all three were promoted to Chūnin.

Tsunade watched the whole time, noticing Natsume's chakra had grown again—maybe enough to try Sage Mode.

"Big Sister."

Natsume found a chance to talk privately.

 "I'm a Chūnin now! So… what's my reward?"

He'd just finished fighting, his handsome face flushed, making him look even cuter.

With that look of joy and anticipation, it was impossible for any woman to refuse.

Tsunade tried to keep a straight face, repeating to herself "This is the last time, I won't give in," but her resolve was already collapsing.