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Inside the Konoha Hospital, Tsunade's beautiful face was icy cold as she glared at Sakumo Hatake with an unfriendly gaze. Although Sakumo was a senior ninja who had contributed greatly to the village and deserved respect, that didn't mean Tsunade wouldn't lose her temper with him.
When Tsunade saw Sakumo carrying a blood-soaked, pale-faced Rong Lin, whose breathing was labored, her calm demeanor shattered instantly. It felt like her mind exploded.
"You damn brat! You're fine, but you just keep causing trouble!"
Seeing Tsunade's icy glare and explosive anger, Sakumo chuckled awkwardly. "Princess Tsunade, this isn't entirely my fault. In fact, he performed admirably. Even though the mission difficulty exceeded our team's capabilities, he still shone brightly—though his reckless actions at the end led to his injuries."
"Hmm."
Tsunade gave a cold response, clearly unimpressed by Sakumo's attempt to brush off the situation so lightly.
"Alright."
Arguing with women was always futile—a lesson Sakumo, already married with a grown son, knew well. He raised his hands in defeat. "Although it was his decision to act recklessly, I didn't stop him. As his teacher, I admit my shortcomings."
"His decision? Not something you deliberately encouraged?"
Finally, Tsunade's icy expression softened slightly as she began unwrapping Rong Lin's bandages and clothes to examine his condition.
"..."
Sakumo was momentarily speechless. Did he really look like someone who would encourage such recklessness?
After checking Rong Lin's body, Tsunade frowned. "The wounds kept tearing open, causing significant blood loss. Many of his internal organs were also affected by the shock. Treating him will be complicated, and he'll need time to recover."
"You two handle his treatment for now. I'll be back shortly."
She waved to the two nurses before turning to Sakumo. "Nurse Shizune and Chunyu Xue, please take care of him while I'm gone."
Sakumo nodded to them before following Tsunade out of the ward and into her office. Once inside, Tsunade closed the door, sat down in her chair, crossed her arms, and said, "Now, Senior, can you explain?"
"The kid's growth has far surpassed our expectations. I'm not even sure how to guide him moving forward."
Sakumo sighed deeply, scratching his nose in frustration. It was frustrating when the younger generation lacked talent—but having one too powerful could be equally vexing.
Sakumo was certain that if word got out about Rong Lin's Sharingan evolving into a three-tomoe form, the entire village would be shaken. The Uchiha clan, which had previously ignored him, might finally take notice. And if other villages caught wind of this development, they might target him covertly.
Geniuses who survived long enough to mature were true threats, and assassinating promising children from rival villages was a common tactic.
"His Sharingan evolved—to three tomoe."
Sakumo looked at Tsunade, spreading his palms. "It seems our carefully planned growth strategy can't keep up with him anymore. Moreover, I have a feeling that when he wakes up, he might surprise us even further."
"This little brat…"
Tsunade scratched her head, exasperated. Just how long ago did his Sharingan evolve into its three-tomoe form?
What a monster. If only Tsunade and Sakumo knew that Rong Lin's Sharingan—and Byakugan—could continue evolving without limit, they'd probably faint on the spot.
While others might remain ignorant of the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō and Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, people of Tsunade and Sakumo's caliber were no strangers to these secrets. If they discovered that Rong Lin's Sharingan and Byakugan could upgrade endlessly, they'd undoubtedly scream "monster" at the top of their lungs.
As Rong Lin's Sharingan continued to evolve, his Byakugan remained dormant. This puzzled Rong Lin himself, and he suspected it was due to his excessive use of the Sharingan. From the very beginning, he had relied heavily on the Sharingan while suppressing his Byakugan, leading to this imbalance.
"Should we report this to Lord Hokage?"
After a long silence, Sakumo finally spoke.
"No need."
Tsunade shook her head. "Let's talk to him first. Don't underestimate this child because he looks young; there's an old fox hiding behind those eyes. If we impose arrangements he finds unacceptable, he'll resist. You must've noticed this during the mission, right?"
"More or less."
Thinking back to Rong Lin's stubbornness whenever evaluations weren't to his liking, Sakumo couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. With other students, orders were followed without question, but with Rong Lin? No way. He didn't care whether you were a Shadow-level ninja or not!
Rong Lin wasn't some obedient child fresh out of the academy, willing to follow every directive.
You could assign him missions beyond his skill level or give him poor evaluations, but he also had the option to refuse. If you refused to acknowledge his efforts, why should he bother trying to please you?
"This is quite the headache."
Tsunade furrowed her brows, finding the situation increasingly troublesome. If Rong Lin followed the path laid out by her and Sakumo, things would be easier. But this kid resisted—resisted without hesitation—and that made everything more complicated.
"For now, let's go see him. Whatever happens, hearing his thoughts won't hurt."
In the end, Tsunade decided not to waste any more brain cells overthinking it and opted to speak directly with Rong Lin instead.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Tsunade turned to Sakumo, frowning. "Weren't you responsible for supervising the Special Jonin and Jonin during this mission? How did Uchiha Rong Lin end up injured? Don't tell me he couldn't even handle some Chunin or Elite Chunin opponents."
"Uh..."
Caught off guard by Tsunade's unexpected question, Sakumo froze, unable to respond.
Tsunade rolled her eyes and smacked her forehead. "I knew it."
An awkward smile spread across Sakumo's face as he tried to explain. "Honestly, I intended to stick to the plan. I wanted to humble him a bit, but... who could've guessed that instead of toning down, Rong Lin went berserk and charged straight at a group of Special Jonin and Jonin! At that point, I couldn't bring myself to intervene—it seemed like a good opportunity for him to train himself."