Sowhere on the streets of Konohagakure
After parting with Tsunade-hi, Shizune hurriedly made her way to Konoha’s Gambling House, keeping the notebook carefully hidden in the pocket of her kimono. She had to be extra cautious not to lose it—otherwise, things would take a turn for the worse once again.
‘But who am I kidding…? Even if nothing happens to the notebook, our future still isn’t looking too bright with Tsunade-sama’s gambling habits…’ Shizune thought with a sigh.
As Tsunade-hi’s personal aide and first disciple, Shizune had served her for over two decades and knew her gambling habits better than anyone.
In her younger years, gambling had simply been a source of entertainnt for Tsunade-hi. But after the tragic deaths of her little brother Nawaki, her lover Dan, and the rest of her family and Clan, it beca an escape from reality.
Though her gambling habits have sowhat decreased in the years since returning to Konoha—no longer a pure form of escapism—she still gambled far too much.
Now, normally, these changed gambling habits wouldn’t be a major issue if Tsunade-hi maintained a balance of wins and losses. But the problem was… the Slug Sannin never won.
Every ti she gambled, she lost all her money. It was so bad that it almost seed like a curse—whoever she bet on, no matter how skilled they were, was destined to lose. And on the rare occasion that she did win, it only ant that soone close to her was about to face misfortune.
Because of this, Shizune had co to believe that trusting Tsunade-hi’s bets was a terrible idea.
Now, with Tsunade-hi betting on Naruto to win the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam, Shizune couldn’t help but feel a little skeptical about his chances.
‘He might not be able to win…’ Shizune thought. After all, Tsunade-hi never won her gambles, and now that she had bet on Naruto, it likely ant he was destined to lose.
‘If he’s destined to lose, should we really be betting all this money on Uzumaki Naruto? Wouldn’t that an losing everything?’
Yet, another thought kept echoing in her mind—‘But he can harness the power of the Nine-Tails…’
That fact alone made everything more complicated. Given Tsunade-hi’s terrible luck, Naruto shouldn’t stand a chance. But his ability to control the Nine-Tails’ power made Shizune hesitate. For the first ti, she wasn’t sure whether Tsunade’s infamous bad luck would hold true.
…
Inside the Colosseum
At the call of ‘Kuroto’ and ‘Itachi,’ one after another, Tsunade-hi, Jiraiya, Elder Hiruzen, and Elder Koharu arrived.
Without wasting any ti, Tsunade-hi asked bluntly, “You called all of us here regarding the barrier formation? What issue is there with it?”
Jiraiya, Elder Hiruzen, and Elder Koharu exchanged skeptical glances, their expressions filled with doubt. They couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Hasn’t the Four Purple Fla Formation that has been deployed until now been functioning properly?’
“The Four Purple Fla Formation has indeed functioned well so far… but there have been mishaps,” ‘Kuroto’ replied. “For instance, when Uchiha Sasuke used Amaterasu…” He paused before adding, “Although it didn’t cause any major issues, the fact that it managed to burn through the formation itself is sowhat problematic.”
“But Uchiha Sasuke has already been eliminated… so what problem remains?” murmured Elder Koharu doubtfully. After all, it was Sasuke who used Amaterasu—if he were still in the ga, their concern would be justified. But since he had been eliminated, surely, they didn’t have to worry about Amaterasu anymore, right?
“There’s still Deidara of Iwagakure,” Elder Hiruzen pointed out.
At the ntion of his na, everyone’s thoughts imdiately turned to the Kekkei Tōta that Deidara possessed. They all knew that if he were to use Dust Release, it would undoubtedly bypass the Four Purple Fla Formation—and if that happened, the audience could be in serious danger.
Elder Koharu frowned. “He wouldn’t use Dust Release during the Chūnin Promotion Exam… would he?”
‘Kuroto’ shrugged. “Well, we can’t be too sure. And what if he does? We can’t afford to take that risk, can we?”
Jiraiya nodded in agreent. “Hmm… there is indeed a possibility…”
After all, nothing was stopping Deidara from using Dust Release. They couldn’t simply forbid him from using it outright, and even if they did, there was always the chance that, in the heat of battle, he might instinctively unleash it as a reflex if he ca close to facing a life-and-death situation.
Elder Hiruzen sighed. “Yes, it’s better not to take any chances…”
‘Itachi’ added, “There’s also Naruto-kun…”
“You an the Tailed Beast Bomb?” Tsunade-hi murmured thoughtfully.
“Yes…” Kuroto nodded.
It was no secret that Naruto could harness the power of the Nine-Tails and use the Tailed Beast Bomb in battle. He had nearly unleashed it against Itsuki of Sunagakure in the last match of the quarterfinals. If the Sunagakure Genin hadn’t surrendered at the last mont, they would have witnessed firsthand the sheer destruction it could cause.
Jiraiya stroked his chin. “Yeah… Against the power of a Tailed Beast Bomb, the Four Purple Fla Formation definitely won’t hold…”
‘Itachi’ added, “Not to ntion the jutsu that Raijin and Darui can use… the ones they call upon from the clouds.”
Tsunade-hi, Elder Hiruzen, and Elder Koharu recalled the ninjutsu Raijin and Darui had demonstrated during the second phase of the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam. They couldn’t deny the potential threat.
“Yeah… it’ll be troubleso if those jutsu manage to bypass the Four Purple Fla Formation,” Tsunade-hi admitted.
The four semifinalists were an exceptionally troubleso bunch, and their techniques were powerful enough to cause serious problems. Everyone had to acknowledge that.
"Since that's the case… let's talk about the solution," Jiraiya said, getting straight to the point—the very reason they had been called here.
Elder Hiruzen turned to ‘Kuroto’ and ‘Itachi’ and asked, "What do you two have in mind?"
"This," ‘Kuroto’ replied, pulling out two scrolls from his sleeve and handing them over.
Jiraiya and Tsunade-hi took one scroll, while Elder Hiruzen and Elder Koharu took the other. Since they were copies, they could all read simultaneously.
As they scanned the contents, their expressions shifted to surprise.
"This is…" Tsunade-hi murmured in astonishnt.
“I call it the Circular Red Yang Formation,” ‘Kuroto’ stated.
“The Circular Red Yang Formation?” the four elders murmured in unison before Elder Hiruzen asked, “Did you modify the Four Red Yang Formation?”
It was imdiately clear to them that the barrier formation described in the scroll was a modified version of the Four-Red-Yang Formation.
‘Kuroto’ nodded. “Yes,” he confird before elaborating, “This barrier formation can be used as a safeguard—it should be strong enough to withstand anything used during the semifinals and finals, including Dust Release and the Tailed Beast Bomb.”
None of them refuted his claim. After all, the Circular Red Yang Formation was based on the Four Red Yang Formation, Konoha’s strongest barrier technique, which required four Kage-level shinobi to deploy.
‘Itachi’ added, “The only issue is that it requires several Kage-level shinobi to maintain.”
The fact that only a handful of individuals t that requirent made it a significant problem.
Tsunade-hi, clearly displeased by the implication, crossed her arms and said, “So, you need us to act as the power source for this formation?”
Tsunade-hi, Jiraiya, and Elder Hiruzen were all Kage-level shinobi in their own right. While Elder Hiruzen had grown weaker with age and no longer possessed the sa strength he had in his pri, he was still formidable. As for Elder Koharu—though she had never reached Kage-level—she was stronger than most elite Jōnin and could still contribute, and that’s why she, along with Tsunade-hi, Jiraiya, and Elder Hiruzen, were called here by ‘Kuroto’ and ‘Itachi.’
“That’s not entirely true,” ‘Kuroto’ said, shaking his head. “Beyond the requirent of chakra reserves, there’s also the issue of mastery in Fuinjutsu. Not just anyone can deploy and maintain such a complex sealing formation.”
“Is that so…?” Tsunade-hi muttered, narrowing her eyes. Although she understood what ‘Kuroto’ ant, she still wasn’t pleased about being summoned just to act as a power source.
But before she could argue further, Elder Hiruzen chuckled. “Let’s do it.”
Jiraiya, Tsunade-hi, and Elder Koharu turned to him in surprise.
With a gentle smile, Elder Hiruzen continued, “The younger generation is giving it their all… and their predecessors are dedicating themselves to training and guiding them. As the village's most senior shinobi, it’s only right that we support them however we can.”
“Well…” Tsunade-hi sighed, hesitating for a mont before finally relenting. “Fine…”
Jiraiya and Elder Koharu followed suit, nodding in agreent. “Alright… let’s get started then.”
Seeing that all four had agreed, ‘Kuroto’ and ‘Itachi’ let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded. “Yes.”
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