Naruto: Starting as Tsunade's Desk Mate

Page 14

"Bang bang bang!"

On Training Ground No. 13, two figures clashed repeatedly, their short swords and kunai colliding and producing a metallic clang.

On the big tree, Hiruko leisurely flipped through the book in his hands.

After exchanging blows with Hatake Sakumo for a few minutes, An Yan was finally defeated. Looking at the kunai in his hand that had almost been cut in two, he smiled bitterly.

Knowing a thousand moves is not as good as mastering one. An Yan now knows too many things and has many ways to fight, but he still can't beat Hatake Sakumo, who specializes in swordsmanship. Although he has many moves that he hasn't used, Hatake Sakumo isn't taking it seriously either. If they really fight, the outcome is hard to predict.

"Brother Hatake, your swordsmanship is too fast, I almost couldn't react."

An Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and sincerely praised Hatake Sakumo. He had actually cheated, but he was still a little slow to realize it.

The skill "Focus" comes from the featured pool. Its effect is to enter a state of slowed time for an instant, similar to bullet time.

However, the Focus skill only allowed An Yan to react to the blade's light and barely dodge it. It was far from being able to easily counterattack the enemy like in the Jackie Chan Simulator. He didn't even have time to counterattack as Hatake Sakumo's attacks were relentless.

Sakumo Hatake was also slightly out of breath, gently wiping the sweat from his temples, and smiled, "Iwa is already very good. Your reaction speed is really strong. You know, among the peers I've met, there aren't many who can react like that."

Sakumo Hatake wasn't being modest; his swordsmanship emphasized one word: speed.

As the saying goes, nothing is invincible except speed.

When the blade speed is extremely fast, any enemy slower than oneself will be instantly killed.

Sakumo Hatake hasn't met anyone his age who can rival him in a long time.

An Yan could only smile wryly at Hatake Sakumo's praise. Focus skills couldn't be used indefinitely. If Hatake Sakumo got close to him, he would only last five minutes before being defeated. What was so impressive about that?

Speaking of which, Shisui, Minato Namikaze, and Sakumo Hatake are all speed-type ninjas, so it's hard to say who is the fastest among them.

If I could change their fate, I would definitely organize a three-person speed race.

When An Yan and Hatake Sakumo finished their battle, Tsunade, who had appeared out of nowhere, ran to An Yan's side and tenderly wiped his sweat with a towel.

An Yan was somewhat flattered; Tsunade wasn't usually this gentle.

Showing courtesy for nothing is either cheating or stealing.

An Yan immediately became extremely vigilant.

"Tsunade, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly come to see me?"

Tsunade glanced at An Yan, then saw Sakumo Hatake, who seemed nonchalant as he played with his short sword, but whose ears were already perked up. She then pulled An Yan behind a secluded tree.

As An Yan was being pulled along, he shouted, "Brother Hatake, please excuse me. Tsunade needs to see me. You can continue training with Hiruko."

Hiruko raised his head, watching An Yan's departing figure, his head full of question marks. What am I supposed to use to fight him? Rasengan? I'd be chopped into a pancake by then.

Tsunade led An Yan behind a large tree, clasped her hands together, and said sincerely:

"An Yan, you absolutely have to help me."

An Yan looked puzzled. "What is it? Tell me! How am I supposed to know if I can help you if you don't tell me?"

Tsunade coughed, put her fist to her mouth, looked around, and then began to recount the events.

"In the ninja squad I'm in, there's a pervert named Jiraiya. Orochimaru said he's always peeping at women taking baths and isn't a decent person. But he keeps pestering me to go on a date, which is really annoying. I was thinking, why don't you be my protector and beat this guy up to warn him not to get any ideas about me?"

Is intelligence acquired naturally?

Upon hearing the name, An Yan fell silent. It was a very charming character, but his only flaw was his habit of peeping at women taking baths, which was quite disgusting. An Yan had once disliked him because of this. But it's understandable; writers from humble backgrounds often use this kind of trope, as they easily empathize with the characters. Similar characters include Master Roshi from Dragon Ball and Miyamoto Musashi from Dragon Ball.

Seeing An Yan fall silent, Tsunade grabbed his arm and began to swing it from side to side.

"Please, brother?"

An Yan laughed and called out, "Alright, alright, I'll definitely help you. I'm just thinking about what role I should play in this. Besides, Tsunade, have you been reading all sorts of books lately? Where did you learn those coquettish tricks?"

"Yay! An Yan is the best."

Upon hearing that An Yan was willing to help, Tsunade jumped up and down, clearly delighted. It seemed that Jiraiya had really annoyed her.

"Of course I'm the best, but Tsunade, you haven't told me yet if you've been reading random books lately?"

An Yan patted Tsunade's head; those little golden hairs felt so nice to touch.

"Hehehe, it's okay to relax occasionally when you're tired from studying. Don't worry, An Yan, I know what I'm doing."

Upon hearing An Yan's question, Tsunade smiled awkwardly, lowered her head slightly, and looked around pitifully.

An Yan sighed. Now that Tsunade's parents are alive and well, and she has Tobirama Senju's protection, she lives a much happier life. Relatively speaking, she has much less motivation to become stronger.

"Tsunade, the world we live in now is very dangerous. If you don't work hard to improve yourself, everything you have now could be easily taken away by this world. In another ten years or so, when the five great ninja villages have recovered, there may be war again. If you don't work hard now, do you want me to come to your memorial tablet in the future?"

Tsunade pouted, "Alright, alright, I know, An Yan. I'll try my best, you have to believe me."

An Yan gently patted Tsunade's head and said, "Hiruko has been working hard to learn. You know the story of the tortoise and the hare. If you don't achieve as much as him in the future, that guy will laugh at you without mercy."

When An Yan mentioned Hiruko, Tsunade felt instantly energized. It's human nature to dislike being surpassed by someone who is always inferior to you.

An Yan chuckled to himself as he learned that the password was correct.

"Don't worry, An Yan, I will absolutely, positively not let that guy, Beiruhu, have a chance to surpass me."

A flame ignited in Tsunade's eyes, and she was filled with fighting spirit.

"By the way, Tsunade, how do you want me to deal with this pervert? In what capacity should I do it? After all, it's not proper for me to do it."

An Yan steered the conversation back to the main topic.

Tsunade fell into deep thought. Indeed, what identity would be best for An Yan to appear in?

Is he a childhood sweetheart? A suitor? Or a boyfriend?

Chapter 27 Warning to Jiraiya

Tsunade and her two companions finished their training for the day and were strolling around the streets.

Tsunade was clearly in a bad mood because Jiraiya was like a persistent leech, hanging around her and chattering incessantly.

"Tsunade, look! I just learned how to use the Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

Jiraiya formed a hand seal and breathed out a wisp of flame, accidentally burning a patch of Orochimaru's hair as he walked opposite. Orochimaru touched his hair and clenched his fist.

"Jiraiya!"

Faced with Orochimaru's angry gaze, Jiraiya shrank back, smiled ingratiatingly, ruffled Orochimaru's hair a couple of times to remove the black ash, and then went to find Tsunade with a grin.

Orochimaru looked at the black ash in his hand, sighed helplessly, formed hand seals, and cast a transformation jutsu. The transformation target was still himself, the only difference being his hair.

Seeing Jiraiya catching up, Tsunade rolled her eyes and immediately changed direction.

"Tsunade, don't ignore me! I know a barbecue restaurant just opened a couple of days ago. Want to go try it together?"

Tsunade clenched and unclenched her fists, the veins on her forehead bulging with anger. She had tried to ignore Jiraiya, but his voice kept reverberating around her like a demonic chant, until she finally reached her breaking point.

"Can you please get out of here! You're so noisy and annoying!!!"

Just as Tsunade was about to have a physical altercation with Jiraiya, she caught a glimpse of An'yan, who had just arrived from the roadside after receiving a signal.

For this meeting between rivals, An Yan dressed himself up carefully, looking clean from head to toe. His handsome face was framed by a head of flowing, fluffy short hair. He got up early and put on a natural makeup look, which, combined with a sky-blue outfit, made him look somewhat aristocratic.

Tsunade rushed over and grabbed An Yan's arm, pointing at Jiraiya.

"Brother, he keeps harassing me."

An Yan looked at Jiraiya, his killing intent locking onto him.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple, Jiraiya had never seen blood before. The Third Hokage didn't have time to go out and lead a bandit-suppression team, and An Yan's murderous aura directly intimidated him.

In a daze, Jiraiya saw blood flowing towards him from behind An Yan. The blood rose higher and higher as it flowed, until it became a towering wave of blood that pressed down on him. He tried to dodge, but his entire body was like a decoration, unable to move at all.

When Jiraiya came to his senses, he found himself completely soaked, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Tsunade was still talking: "Brother, please beat him up for me."

An Yan smiled and ruffled Tsunade's blond hair, nodding and saying with a smile, "Alright, then you can watch carefully."

Jiraiya was wiping the cold sweat from his forehead when he heard An Yan say he would teach him a lesson on behalf of Tsunade. He immediately assumed a fighting stance. He had already experienced An Yan's terrifying power, but he still stubbornly said:

"I'm not someone anyone can bully. You want to fight me for Tsunade? Let me show you my newly learned toad oil technique..."

Before Jiraiya could finish speaking, An Yan appeared behind him, delivering a chokehold and a knee kick that knocked Jiraiya to the ground.

"It's great to be young, just fall asleep."

An Yan had just knocked Jiraiya down when he stood up and made sarcastic remarks. Tsunade was amused and burst out laughing, her previous annoyance vanishing instantly.

Jiraiya flipped himself up and tried to grab An Yan, but An Yan grabbed his wrist with a grappling technique and twisted it gently. Jiraiya's arm was completely restrained, and he was forced to kneel on the ground, where he could only glare at An Yan with resentment.

"You bastard, let me go!"

An Yan still held Jiraiya's arm, not letting go despite his shouting. He simply looked down at Jiraiya and said in a gentle but firm voice:

"Jiraiya, the village is not yet prosperous, how can we talk about romantic love?"

"You're wasting your energy. You're in the wrong place. Instead of annoying people with pointless words, you should spend your time and energy improving yourself."

"A person's time and energy are limited. We should use our best resources where they are most needed. Becoming stronger is what we should be doing right now."

"Being preoccupied with romantic love will only make you weak."

The resounding words struck Jiraiya's heart, and he gradually fell into confusion. Jiraiya had always been a person who was good at asking and answering his own questions, and now he was asking himself those questions.

Why do I need to become stronger? Is it for the sake of the pretty older sister?

"Is my goal of becoming stronger simply to win the favor of pretty girls?"

That seems to be correct, doesn't it?

Jiraiya repeatedly questioned himself, feeling that there was nothing wrong with him.

Orochimaru, who was standing to the side, seemed to be deep in thought after hearing An Yan's words.

A person's time and energy are indeed limited. If only a person had unlimited time and energy, they could learn all the ninjutsu in the world.

Tsunade stood aside and watched as An Yan easily subdued Jiraiya. A slight smile appeared on her lips as she felt a sense of relief, and her irritation vanished.

Jiraiya was a very easy person to understand when he was young. Children's thoughts are written all over their faces. An Yan could tell at a glance that this guy was still up to his old tricks. It's true that old habits die hard.

With a quick glance, An Yan came up with another idea.

"My name is An Yan, and I'm Tsunade's childhood friend. If you're after Tsunade, you'll have to get past me first. In this world, only the strong have the ability to protect what they want to protect, whether it's a person or an object. But judging from your strength, you don't even seem capable of protecting yourself, let alone Tsunade. You're not thinking of having Tsunade protect you in the future, are you?"

"Do not make jokes!"