Fighting against two little girls felt utterly meaningless.
It wasn't even a contest—trying to snatch the bells from him was not an easy task, Guts just dodged their attacks and responded with effortless counters.
After gauging their skill level—barely Genin—Tsunade exchanged a look with Guts.
With a silent nod, he eased up and gave them an opening, allowing the girls to grab the bell and pass the test.
As Guts expected, this spar did nothing to improve his template's progress.
"Alright! That settles it. The Tsunade Class is officially formed!"
Tsunade declared, stretching her arms lazily.
"To celebrate, your kind and generous teacher is treating you all to barbecue!"
Freed from the burden of gambling debts for once, Tsunade was in high spirits.
But Kurenai glanced at Guts uneasily and whispered,
"Um, Tsunade-sensei... Guts's appetite... are you sure?"
Even though Tsunade had no idea of the monster she was about to feed, Kurenai couldn't help but warn her.
Tsunade just laughed and confidently patted the wallet in her vest.
"Relax, I came prepared. Let him eat his fill!"
As they strolled past a dessert shop, a child's voice rang out—surprisingly bold for someone so young.
"Boss! Ten more dango balls!"
It was clearly the voice of a little girl—maybe five years old, at most.
From inside came the exasperated voice of the shop owner,
"Anko, you can't keep eating on credit! Go home, now!"
"Tch~~"
A bratty-sounding click of the tongue followed. Moments later, two small girls with purple hair came walking out of the dango shop.
One had her hair tied in a high ponytail, looking around six years old, while the other—slightly younger—wore her hair down. Both radiated a mischievous, tche-filled attitude.
The older one pouted.
"That boss is so stingy."
"Don't be mad, Anko," the younger one said sweetly.
"Next time my mom gives me money, I'll buy you some, okay?"
Kurenai's eyes widened when she saw them.
"Anko? Yugao?"
The two girls looked up.
"Oh! Kurenai!"
"Wow, you got your forehead protector! Congrats on becoming a ninja!"
As Guts and the others caught up, he asked,
"Friends of yours?"
Kurenai nodded.
"Yeah. Mitarashi Anko and Uzuki Yugao. Our dads were comrades-in-arms. We've known each other since we were little."
Anko squinted suspiciously at Guts, stepping closer to examine him.
"So you're the Guts Kurenai keeps talking about? Hmph. Aside from being tall, you don't look like much. Are you really that strong?"
Guts casually reached out and flicked her on the forehead, making her stumble back with a yelp.
"Watch your tone when you're talking to your senpai, kid."
Kurenai flushed with embarrassment, while Yugao looked starstruck as her eyes landed on Tsunade—just like Kurenai and Shizune had been when they first met her.
When Tsunade learned that the girls hadn't eaten yet, she generously invited them to join for barbecue.
On the way there, Guts learned more about them. Yugao's father had died in the Second Ninja World War, and she now lived with her mother.
Anko had it even worse—both her parents were gone. Like Guts once had, she lived on a small stipend from the village.
At the barbecue restaurant, Anko and Yugao watched in silent horror as Guts devoured plate after plate—meat disappearing faster than they could blink.
By the time he cleared his thirtieth skewer, Anko let out a stunned breath and laughed, giving a thumbs up.
"I don't know how strong you are in battle, but in terms of appetite, you're definitely number one."
Her carefree energy made Guts chuckle, though her future came to mind. He glanced her way.
"Anko, have you joined the academy yet?"
"Yup! Just started this year!" she said proudly.
"But I don't want to learn from Tsunade-sama. I prefer ninjas like Orochimaru-sama—the kind who attack when you least expect it."
Her words caught even Tsunade off guard.
Orochimaru? A kid actually idolizes that guy?
Granted, Orochimaru was still considered a hero at this point in time, but to Tsunade, who knew the man's dark tendencies up close... it gave her the chills.
Guts smiled faintly.
"When you graduate, I'll have already surpassed Orochimaru. Who knows? Maybe you'll want to become my student instead."
Anko narrowed her eyes.
"Big words for someone who'll be fifteen by then. You're dreaming."
Yugao, sitting beside her, quietly thought the same thing. So this is the guy Kurenai likes? He sure talks big...
Tsunade didn't comment. She simply looked at Guts with a mysterious smile. After all, if anyone could pull off such a ridiculous claim, it was probably him.
Noticing Yugao's skeptical gaze, Guts casually added,
"Girl, when you choose a boyfriend someday, pick someone strong. Otherwise, you'll end up miserable when he dies."
(PS: Ah Shit, Here We Go Again)
Yugao blinked in shock, clearly not expecting that to be the first thing he said to her.
Meanwhile, under the table, Kurenai silently pinched Guts's thigh. Hard.
Seriously? She's four years old! What is wrong with you?!
Two Months Later
The newly formed Tsunade Squad spent the first couple of weeks handling low-level D-rank missions.
But thanks to Tsunade's connections—and her belief in Guts—they quickly progressed.
Under her guidance, the team even completed a C-rank mission, and now, today, they had successfully wrapped up a B-rank mission.
Of course, Guts had done most of the work.
Their squad dynamic had become clear: Guts was the front-line warrior, Kurenai handled genjutsu support like a mage, and Shizune served as the medic—Tsunade's little apprentice nurse.
In short, Guts carried the team.
After their mission report, Tsunade gathered her students together and focused on the girls.
"Alright, you two," she said seriously.
"Have you thought about taking this year's Chūnin Exams?"
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