Tsunade Really Was Great, in Seniority

"So it's settled, then?"

"Yes. Lord Hokage will contact Lady Tsunade through his own channels, and after that I'll go study under her."

For a moment, Ichite Ki was in a daze.

The Senju Clan had already dispersed, but to people like them, Tsunade was still Princess Tsunade, the princess of Konoha.

"Then what happens after that is up to you. There's little more I can do to help."

"You've already helped me a great deal, Uncle."

"Do you want to see the clan elders before you leave?"

"I'll see them. Just let them know I'm about to become Lady Tsunade's disciple. There's no need to mention Wood Release."

"If they have any resources, give them to Hikari and Third Uncle instead. I don't lack anything now."

"You still need something: money. As for why, see for yourself when you meet Lady Tsunade."

Ichite Ki hadn't said it outright, but Tamaki understood. Still, he wanted to ask whether that little bit of money would be enough.

Although he knew those clan elders were quite wealthy—they had supplied everything he'd used in his various Life Return experiments over the past few years—could they really afford to support Tsunade's hobby?

As for everything else, Tamaki truly lacked nothing. Given time, he could grow into a towering tree.

After that came the tedious business of dealing with the clan elders.

When they heard that Tamaki was about to become Tsunade's disciple, they all seemed a little beside themselves.

Later, when Tamaki said their resources should go to Hikari and his third uncle, Sanshu Mori, first, none of them objected.

As for their purpose, they stated it plainly: they hoped to see someone from the Senju Clan who could hold their own before they died.

Although the Senju Clan had dispersed, and they obeyed the order not to gather again,

they didn't want the Senju to truly disappear, at least not on their watch.

As for whether anyone still bore the Senju name, that no longer mattered. They just wanted something to hold on to.

Their support had been fairly limited before, but now that the Hokage had personally chosen Tamaki as Tsunade's disciple, everything they had would be at his disposal.

Tamaki found it hard to judge these people. He made no promises, merely telling them that day would come.

After three days of unhurried preparation, Tamaki said goodbye to his family, classmates, and teachers. He also picked up a scroll from Jiraiya detailing the shape and nature transformations of fire-natured Chakra.

Tamaki then used Reverse Summoning to travel to Shikkotsu Forest.

"We meet again, Big Sis Katsuyu."

"Little Tamaki, your Chakra has grown a good deal again."

"Yes. My bloodline has brought me tremendous improvements in every respect, and there's still no end in sight."

"That's a good thing, and you deserve it."

"That's enough talk. I'll send you to Tsunade."

"Thank you, Big Sis Katsuyu. Next time, I'll bring you some fresh grass you can't find here."

"Then I'll look forward to it."

Poof.

In front of a pachinko machine in a casino.

A woman with her blond hair tied in a ponytail sat at a pachinko machine. She wore a gray top under a green coat with the character for "gamble" written on the back.

Clatter—

Beside her, a young woman holding a little pink pig happily watched the pachinko balls pour out.

"Lady Tsunade, your luck is great today. What a haul!"

Tsunade didn't answer. She just felt that today had been terrible.

For Shizune, however, this was a rare piece of good fortune. Heaven only knew what she had been through in the short time she'd followed Tsunade.

It was truly an experience sad enough to make anyone who smelled it grieve and anyone who heard it weep.

"I'm done playing. Let's go drink."

"Oh."

Although she didn't understand, Shizune still struggled to carry the enormous quantity of pachinko balls as she followed Tsunade to the counter to exchange them.

At a Japanese-style hot spring inn, Tsunade had reserved an entire suite. Now, dressed in a bathrobe, she sat at a table, sipping sake, holding Shizune close, and eating delicious food.

She looked just like a forty-year-old uncle.

"Ahh—ha! Now this is living. Don't you think so, Shizune?"

"Lady Tsunade, you're drunk."

"Tch, Shizune, you're no fun."

Paying it no mind, Tsunade, happily drunk and with her robe half-undone, kept Shizune in her arms and continued drinking.

Poof—

Tamaki appeared in the middle of the scene with a large bundle on his back.

The wary Shizune immediately broke free of Tsunade's embrace, drew a Kunai, and faced off against the fellow who had suddenly appeared.

Ignoring Shizune, Tamaki set down his bundle, took out a scroll, and respectfully dropped to one knee.

"Lady Tsunade, Lord Hokage asked me to bring this to you."

Tsunade didn't answer immediately. She took another drink first. "Shizune, bring it here. You too, kid."

"Yes," they both answered.

Tamaki then walked over to the table with his head lowered the entire time. After all, Tsunade's appearance was rather indecent at the moment.

If Jiraiya were here, he'd probably spray two liters of blood from his nose.

It was hard to say whether it would be from excitement or from Tsunade beating it out of him.

As for Tamaki, by seniority, Tsunade was his cousin-aunt, although the blood ties within the great clan had grown distant.

But she was still his cousin-aunt.

As for Tsunade's appearance, he had only one comment: very great—in seniority.

"Kid, tell me, how did you convince that old man, the Third, to shove you onto me? You even sent word through Katsuyu. You've got some nerve, kid."

"If you can't give me a good reason, go back where you came from."

"Big Sis Katsuyu simply did me a favor. Also, since Lord Hokage didn't explain the specifics, I'll do so."

"First, Lady Tsunade—or perhaps I should call you Aunt Tsunade."

"Go on."

"I created a forbidden medical technique called Life Return. I want to perfect it."

"Not enough."

"I synthesized Wood Release."

"Kid, don't joke about that!"

Tsunade's hair stirred without wind, and in that moment, the imposing aura of one of the Sannin filled the small inn room.

Tamaki didn't offer any further explanation. He simply grew another tiny sapling in his palm.

Tsunade's aura vanished instantly. Looking at the tiny sapling, she murmured to herself, "Grandpa."

"Lady Tsunade?"

"Call me teacher."

"Yes, teacher."

"Tell me about that Life Return of yours."

"Yes. This technique uses large amounts of nutrients to stimulate cellular activity, allowing the body to repair itself."

"But the technique has certain limits. Serious external injuries, such as fractures, require a medical-nin's assistance, and it cannot heal missing internal organs or damage to the brain."

"I hope that, ultimately, it will be able to anchor a particular bodily state, so that using the technique after an injury will automatically restore the body to that state."

"At present, I can only use it to rapidly mend fractures and physical injuries that don't involve missing tissue."

"?!" Both of them were stunned.

Shizune found it hard to believe. Having studied medicine under Tsunade, she understood all the better what a technique at this level represented: the ultimate goal of a medical-nin.

If this technique were completed, it could be called the ultimate goal of shinobi, and even humanity.

Though Tsunade was somewhat shocked, she had seen enough not to casually believe Tamaki's wild claims.

"How did you achieve it?"

"This is the Life Return scroll. Please help me, teacher."

With that, Tamaki took another scroll out of his large bundle.

This was the version developed through the light screen. Its effectiveness had reached its limit, and it couldn't repair missing internal organs or limbs.

To improve it further, he could only search the various worlds for people like Tsunade who specialized in medicine, or rely on the power of other worlds to develop the technique to its utmost.

Back to Tsunade: she was no longer in the drunken state she'd been in moments ago. She was completely sober as she took the scroll and began to read.

The more she read, the more astonished she grew. This technique was very similar to her Strength of a Hundred Technique. Although she hadn't mastered it yet, their ultimate effects were very close.

The two had a great deal in common. For example, both relied on accelerating cellular activity to rapidly repair physical injuries.

But the Strength of a Hundred Technique drew on the Yin Seal's vast reserves of Chakra, while Life Return drew energy from vast quantities of nutrients.

Moreover, the Strength of a Hundred Technique couldn't be consciously controlled. Even the slightest injury would be repaired automatically.

Life Return was different. With proper control, it could even repair specific areas.

There was another difference, though: the Strength of a Hundred Technique only required sufficient Chakra, while Life Return required the body to take in enough nutrients, and human digestive capacity was limited.

"A stroke of genius. No wonder the Third sent you to me."

"There's no medical-nin in the entire Shinobi World more skilled than you, teacher. Lord Hokage must know that."

"Tch."

Although Tsunade's tone was unfriendly, her attitude had clearly improved a little more. Someone young and sweet-tongued like Tamaki was just the thing for an elder whose actions spoke more kindly than her words.