Just then, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived.
"Hey, what are you two doing—"
Before he could finish, Tsunade roared, gathered all her strength, and slammed down.
Boom!
A deafening blast!
A massive burst of force erupted with Night Maple and Tsunade at its center.
It was like countless charges of explosives detonating all at once.
The sudden flash washed everyone's faces pale.
Namikaze Minato's eyes widened; he rushed to shield Kushina.
Of course Night Maple was faster; he had already encircled Kushina with Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall and Wood Release: Tree Realm Wall.
"Cough, cough, cough—what are you doing?!"
Everyone except Kushina was blasted gray with dust.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen was no exception.
Staring at the two figures swallowed by the smoke, Kushina suddenly realized her suggestion had really been a bad one.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was speechless too.
It was just an arm-wrestling match—was this necessary?
"I win."
As the smoke thinned, Night Maple's hand was pinning Tsunade's hand to the slab of rock.
The stone table was already shattered, and the ground beneath them was spiderwebbed with radial cracks.
"You…"
Tsunade stared blankly at Night Maple, hardly able to believe she had actually lost.
And Night Maple had even been splitting his focus!
Night Maple released her hand, stood up, and rolled his shoulders and arms.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wore the same astonished look.
Night Maple beat Tsunade?
Even in pure strength, he himself might not be Tsunade's match.
This kid Night Maple was something else.
Hatake Sakumo fell silent.
As for Minato, he stood there stunned.
This was a bit hard to accept.
Kushina hurried over.
"Night Maple! Are you okay?"
Night Maple patted her head. "I'm fine."
Kushina shot Night Maple a glare, then rushed to Tsunade. "Sister Tsunade, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine—just a little numb in the hand," Tsunade said evenly, shaking her head.
A loss was a loss; as a born gambler, Tsunade still paid up when she lost.
"Lady Tsunade, our wager still stands, right?"
"I've never gone back on my word. Say it—what do you want me to do?!"
"I haven't decided yet. Next time."
"Hmph!"
If this brat dares ask for anything outrageous, I'll kill him!
Then Tsunade suddenly thought—could she beat him?
Forget it; another time.
Afterward, Tsunade didn't make things hard for Night Maple; back at the courtyard, she took the bedding herself and chose to sleep on the sofa.
For that, Kushina shot Night Maple a few more glares.
When Uzumaki Mito learned Night Maple had beaten Tsunade, she too looked amazed.
Tsunade had actually lost—sure enough, only someone of the Senju could defeat a Senju.
Early the next morning, Night Maple was still in a sweet sleep when he was woken up.
"What is it, Kushina…"
"So it's usually Kushina who wakes you up? Nice perk, kid."
Night Maple hadn't opened his eyes yet; at that voice, he snapped them open.
How was it Tsunade?
Kushina stood behind her.
Then Uzumaki Mito's voice came from outside.
"Night Maple, up you get. This morning, we're attending a Konoha leadership emergency meeting."
A Konoha leadership emergency meeting?
Night Maple brushed his teeth while listening to Kushina explain.
Because of Danzō's dismissal, and Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane being on leave, Konoha's administrative departments had been thrown into upheaval.
A new batch of senior officials would be entering the village administration.
At the same time, new blood would be promoted into the leadership.
"Oh—so we're going too?"
"Yes!"
And so Night Maple was brought to the venue—the Administration Building.
At the entrance they even ran into Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya; Jiraiya's face was still wrapped in bandages.
Seeing Uzumaki Mito, Jiraiya hurriedly greeted her. "Lady Uzumaki Mito!"
Mito asked curiously, "Jiraiya, what happened to you?"
Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade and laughed. "Nothing—I bumped into a utility pole last night. Let's go in."
Night Maple had thought the whole village would attend, but once inside he realized only Konoha's notable figures were present.
Top brass from each department, the heads of the major clans, the Legendary Sannin, Konoha's White Fang—they were all there.
There were also outstanding shinobi of the younger generation, like Night Maple, Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Fugaku, and the first-generation Ino–Shika–Cho.
Following Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade into the chamber, Night Maple immediately drew attention; whispers broke out everywhere.
Who else could the man behind Mito and Tsunade be if not Night Maple?
For many of the higher-ups and clan heads, it was the first time seeing Night Maple in the flesh.
"That's Night Maple?"
"He's the one who took down that three-man gang?"
"But look at him—plain as can be, nothing special about him at all…"