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However, this was something Sakumo muttered to himself in his mind. If he were to say it out loud, he would surely lose his position as the team leader and be sent back to the ANBU to handle whatever tasks awaited him. Although he no longer held the position of ANBU Captain, he was still an active ANBU member with plenty of missions on his plate.
"Unreliable as always..."
With a tone of exasperation, Tsunade left the office muttering under her breath, leaving Sakumo with an awkward expression plastered across his face. After all, it was he who had requested to become her class's instructor, and now that things had gone awry, there wasn't much he could do but accept responsibility.
"How's the situation?"
In the ward, her two assistants handed her the report. "Aside from excessive blood loss and some internal organ trauma, he just needs plenty of rest. Other than that, there are no major issues—just that his appearance looks a bit worse for wear."
"I see." Nodding, she signed off on the report and gestured for them to leave.
"You two should head home and rest as well. Try to recover fully before your next mission, understood?" Meanwhile, Sakumo quietly dismissed Shizune and Chunyu Xue.
Thus, only Rong Lin, Sakumo, and Tsunade remained in the room.
"Now that everyone's gone, do you plan to keep pretending to sleep?"
After sending the others away, Tsunade let out a disgruntled hum. She had already noticed that Rong Lin had woken up while the assistants were examining him—he had merely been feigning sleep.
"Good morning to both of you."
With her calling him out, Rong Lin couldn't very well continue lying there. He opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly.
Sakumo was speechless, while Tsunade shot him a glare. "Well? Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?"
"No, aside from feeling a bit weak."
Rong Lin assessed his condition. The wound on his waist had been bandaged—far superior to Chunyu Xue's amateurish efforts. The sharp pain from his internal injuries had also subsided, and with a few days of rest, he would recover.
"At least you have some self-awareness. But I'm curious—why did you put yourself through such torment on the way back? Or are you just a masochist who enjoys pain?"
She stared at Rong Lin, her tone laced with playful mockery.
Am I really a masochist?
If it weren't for trying to sense that elusive force of time, Rong Lin wouldn't have subjected himself to such agony.
Reflecting on it, Rong Lin realized he had been in a dazed state, gradually coming into contact with that intangible force of time. It was an abstract, surreal sensation—one he couldn't quite explain. Somehow, he had slipped into that state without even realizing it.
"Still, I had a new experience I wanted to try. Thankfully, though my body took quite a beating, the results were promising."
A faint smile appeared on Rong Lin's pale face. He never expected that his most overpowered Kekkei Genkai would awaken under these circumstances.
Time, huh?
Raising his hand and staring at his palm, Rong Lin noticed countless fragmented scenes flashing through his mind. These fragments were snippets of everything he had done and said, each moment frozen like a still frame. However, when he tried to manipulate them, he found himself powerless.
"Oh? What kind of new experience? Do tell."
Hearing this, Tsunade leaned in with genuine interest. In that instant, Rong Lin's mind replayed the scene countless times, as if time itself had slowed down infinitely. This allowed him to capture every movement and react accordingly.
Is this the power of time?
Letting go of the thought, Rong Lin felt a sense of unreality. If this truly was the ability to control the acceleration or deceleration of time within a certain range... it was absolutely terrifying!
More outrageous than space-time ninjutsu.
"It's nothing special, just a breakthrough in training."
Though deeply shaken inside, Rong Lin kept his composure outwardly. Some secrets were meant to be kept to oneself.
"A breakthrough?!"
Tsunade looked at him with amusement. "Do you even realize what you're saying? If word of your progress gets out, I bet the Uchiha clan will storm the hospital to snatch you away."
An insignificant person wouldn't catch the Uchiha clan's attention. Even if that person showed potential worth nurturing, the Uchiha might still ignore them—they were one of Konoha's top families with their own deep-rooted pride.
But if that person turned out to be a super genius? Now that would make them reconsider. To overlook a super genius because of petty squabbles with rivals? Only fools would do that.
"What are your thoughts on this mission?"
Seeing Rong Lin remain silent, she knew he didn't care about things like the Uchiha clan. Let them stew on the sidelines.
After a moment's thought, Rong Lin replied, "I don't have any particular thoughts. It was a mission given by Lord Hokage and accepted by Uncle Sakumo. I trust that neither Uncle Sakumo nor Lord Hokage would intentionally set us up."
"..."
Sakumo was utterly speechless. With Rong Lin's moral high ground, what more could he possibly say?
Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Sakumo decided to stay quiet and let her handle it. This brat truly excelled at pushing people's buttons.
"In truth, there was nothing wrong with assigning this mission. However, the main personnel responsible for executing it were supposed to be senior members like Sakumo. You three were merely tagging along for the experience. I didn't expect Sakumo to test you guys, resulting in this mess."
So I was right to suspect something was off, Rong Lin thought. Normally, a squad assigned such a mission would return either dead or barely alive, let alone dragging along a few burdensome rookies.
Seeing Rong Lin's unsurprised expression, Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You're not shocked?"
"Why should I be?"
Rong Lin raised a hand to gesture as he spoke confidently. "Missions like this are usually handled by ANBU members. Our class just got a new instructor, and suddenly we're assigned this task? It's obvious—an ANBU-level mission was directly dumped on us, all thanks to Uncle Sakumo."
"Are you so sure? What if there's another reason? Like it being a deliberate trial for you three?" Sakumo asked hypothetically.