Chapter 12 : Tsunade Sensei??

Early in the morning, Uchiha Shin had no choice but to follow Mikoto to the Academy.

Today was the day of graduation, and teams would be assigned their Jōnin sensei.

He had to show his face.

But when the door slid open, Uchiha Shin's expression turned from disinterest to surprise.

"Tsunade?"

The woman in question, golden hair tied into a ponytail, stood before them in her Konoha flak jacket, arms folded under her ample chest.

Even the standard-issue uniform couldn't fully conceal her impressive figure. Her smirk was self-satisfied, a glint of amusement in her brown eyes.

"Hah! Didn't see this one coming, did you?" she laughed, her tone full of smugness.

Uchiha Shin blinked. "The Hokage actually let you take a team?"

Tsunade's eye twitched, but before she could retort, Mikoto, standing gracefully beside Shin, beamed.

"Lady Tsunade, it's great that you're leading our team!"

Tsunade nodded rapidly, pleased with the response. "Damn right! From now on, you'll be calling me 'sensei'!" She turned to Shin and jabbed a finger at him. "And don't you forget it."

Shin rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't a team leader be tested before they're allowed to take students?"

The room fell silent.

Tsunade, who had been basking in her moment of glory, froze. Her victorious grin stiffened as the reality hit her—she still had to conduct the official Genin test.

Her nostrils flared as she glared at Shin. "Tch, as if I needed you to remind me! And don't even think about failing on purpose!"

Shin didn't bother responding, just smirking slightly.

In truth, he already knew the test was just a formality. Given his performance at the Academy, he could pass without breaking a sweat.

Not that it mattered—Tsunade wasn't the type to send them back even if they failed. No, this was just her way of flexing her authority.

Before long, the three of them arrived at a secluded training ground. The air was still and thick with morning dew, the forest casting long shadows.

Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "Alright, brats, come at me. Show me you're not a couple of weaklings."

Mikoto and Shin exchanged a glance. They didn't need words to understand each other.

They moved.

Mikoto's Sharingan spun to life, a single tomoe glinting in each eye as she flicked her wrist. A shuriken flashed through the air, and as it spun, she formed a rapid set of seals.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."

The single projectile multiplied mid-air, splitting into five, all hurtling toward Tsunade.

Tsunade smirked and stomped down. The ground exploded beneath her foot, a shockwave blasting outward and deflecting the shuriken effortlessly.

Shin, however, had already begun his own attack.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A sphere of roaring flames, as wide as a cart, surged toward her.

Tsunade's brow furrowed. "The hell? This kid's got firepower on par with a Chūnin."

Raising her chakra, she clenched her fist and threw a punch.

"Strength of a Hundred Seals!"

The fireball shattered on impact, the sheer force sending embers flying and splitting the ground beneath her.

But when she lifted her gaze—

Shin's Sharingan locked onto hers.

"Genjutsu: Binding Crucifix."

The world around her warped. The sky and ground bled into a dark, crimson abyss.

Large, jagged spikes erupted from the void, stabbing through her limbs, locking her in place.

Outside the illusion, Tsunade's body went rigid, her pupils dilating.

In an instant, Shin's fingertips pressed lightly against her throat.

The genjutsu shattered. She gasped, staggering back, her pride taking a harder hit than her body.

"Looks like you lost, sensei." Shin's smirk was positively insufferable.

Mikoto, standing beside him, covered her mouth as she giggled.

Tsunade grit her teeth. "Tch… you little brat. I let that happen."

She cracked her knuckles again, her tone dark. "Alright. No more playing around."

Her foot slammed into the ground.

"Heavenly foot of Pain !"

The earth erupted, a crater forming beneath her as a wave of raw force blasted outward.

Shin's body blurred. His form became almost weightless as he twisted midair, using Body Flicker to escape the destruction radius.

He landed smoothly, lips curving upward. This is good practice.

Before his feet were even fully planted, Tsunade was already closing the distance.

"Chakra Enhanced Punch!"

The air cracked as she swung. Even the motion alone sent a shockwave across the training field.

Shin barely managed to evade, feeling the whoosh of displaced air as the fist narrowly missed his face.

The impact cratered the ground where he had just stood, sending chunks of earth flying.

Two shadow clones flickered into existence at his sides.

"Wind Blade!"

"Shigan!"

One clone swung a chakra-infused blade of wind, slicing through the air, while the other lunged with a finger strike, focusing chakra into a precise point of impact.

Tsunade, realizing she couldn't fully dodge, raised her arms to block.

The wind blade tore through her sleeve, leaving a thin cut on her forearm.

The second strike hit her square in the stomach, the force spreading through her muscles and sending a sharp jolt through her body.

But this time, Tsunade didn't flinch. The vast amount of chakra in her system surged, suppressing the pain instantly.

With a single, rapid movement, she backhanded the clone into oblivion.

"Not bad," she admitted. "But I'm done holding back."

In the blink of an eye, she was on him again, moving faster than before.

Her fist connected—

And Shin's body disintegrated into nothingness.

A log replaced him, splintering under her strength.

Substitution Jutsu? Tsunade clicked her tongue.

A split second later, something cold pressed against the back of her neck.

"Yield."

Shin stood behind her, a kunai pressed against her jugular.

Mikoto, who had been watching, widened her eyes in shock. Her Sharingan, reacting to the stress of the battle, spun wildly—

A second tomoe emerged in each eye. Then a third.

"Shin-kun!" she gasped, realization setting in.

Tsunade slowly raised her hands in defeat, though there was a flicker of admiration in her expression.

"Hah… you're a real piece of work, kid."

Shin lowered the kunai, his smirk lazy. "You're not too bad yourself, sensei."

Tsunade twitched. "Oh, I will make your life hell for that."

And just like that, their team was formed.

Not that Shin had much say in it anymore.