"Waaah..." Tsunade would have been fine if he had not comforted her, but the moment he did, she broke down completely. She pulled Hyuga Ningyuan into her arms and burst into tears.
Her younger brother had died first, then her lover. If she had not still had the village to rely on, she would have collapsed long ago!
Even so, her heart had long since been riddled with wounds!
But she was one of the Sannin. She was Tsunade. Countless people watched her, and countless people saw her as an idol.
She could only be strong. How could she possibly cry!
Not until today did Tsunade realize that she might once have had a chance to save them?
That all it had taken was one step to close the wound?
So all that suffering and despair had come from her own incompetence?
Gently patting Tsunade's shoulder, Ningyuan sighed as well.
History never had a happily-ever-after ending. Behind countless regrets lay countless what-ifs.
Such simple things as stirrups and saddles—any blacksmith could make them after one look—yet they were not invented until the Eastern Han Dynasty.
If Great Qin had possessed them, how much farther could its territory have expanded!
Liu Bei had been on the verge of reviving the Han and restoring China, but then Lü Meng crossed the river in plain clothes, Mi Fang stood by and did nothing, Fan Jiang and Zhang Da murdered Zhang Fei, and Yiling went up in flames.
The Yuan Dynasty attacked Japan several times, only to be defeated by divine winds. This led Great Ming to absorb Yuan's lessons and list Japan among the nations it would not conquer.
But it had clearly only been a matter of choosing the wrong season! If Japan had been taken, Iwami Ginzan alone would have been enough to extend Great Ming's lifespan by a hundred years. Would there still have been the Three Days of Yangzhou, the Ten Massacres of Jiading, and the century of humiliation that followed?
"Do you think it was all your fault? That if you had discovered such a simple technique earlier, you could have saved many people? Maybe many people would not have died, and everything would be completely different now?" Hyuga Ningyuan asked softly.
"Hm?" Tsunade's crying body stiffened.
"But how could it be your fault? You didn't start the war, and you didn't kill anyone. You were already doing everything you could to save everyone, weren't you? Your mind was filled with day after day of suffering and wounded people everywhere. How could you possibly have had time to think about anything else?"
"What do you know!" Tsunade snapped irritably. "You're lecturing me now!"
She had stopped crying, but she did not push Hyuga Ningyuan away. She had thought it was an illusion before, but after hugging him again, she realized it was not.
The child had a very pleasant scent, along with a tranquil aura that soothed the mind. It made people unconsciously lower their guard, and their whole bodies relaxed at once.
[Autumn Water Bright Eyes] [Mirror Water] [Wings of Truth] [Healer's Heart]
These traits did not merely provide bonuses to effects; they also enhanced one's aura.
Especially [Healer's Heart]: Affinity with patients and their families +30%.
As it happened, Tsunade suffered from hemophobia. She was also a patient.
Tsunade calmed herself down and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Only then did she remember her situation, and embarrassment immediately washed over her.
He won't think I'm weak, will he? That I'm a crybaby?
How am I supposed to hold my head up around him from now on?
I need to talk to him, tell him about some of my accomplishments, and let him know how impressive I am!
"I've heard of you. 'Marry Yūhi Kurenai for a wife; be a ninja like the Second Hokage'?"
Hyuga Ningyuan nodded. It was hardly strange for Tsunade to know about him. Countless examples in modern society proved that saying something outrageous was the easiest way to make people remember someone.
For example: Giao.
For example: Here comes the little flying stick.
For example: Damn!
For example: Reforging the glory of the LCK is the unshirkable duty of our generation.
Many people streamed for ten years and still could not compare to someone else's single outrageous line.
"Marry Yūhi Kurenai for a wife; be a ninja like the Second Hokage" was also an outrageous line, and one that history had proven true.
Many people did not know Liu Xiu, nor did they know the Great Mage, but they knew the saying, "For a wife, marry Yin Lihua." He definitely knew it.
"You admire the Second Hokage very much?" Tsunade asked again.
The Second Hokage was a good opening. If he was Ningyuan's idol, then all she had to do was reveal her identity, and would he not immediately fall to the ground in worship before her?
"I don't like him!" Hyuga Ningyuan shook his head without hesitation. "There just weren't many options. I picked the tallest among the short ones!"
"Mm, then you really—wait?" Tsunade was about to reveal her identity when she suddenly sensed something wrong. "Hold on, what do you mean, the tallest among the short ones? Are you saying the Third Hokage was short? Or the First Hokage was short?"
As she spoke, Tsunade raised her fist. "I advise you to watch your words, or I'm going to beat you up!"
Hyuga Ningyuan nodded. "I'm not targeting anyone in particular."
"Mhm, mhm!"
"I just think that among the Five Great Ninja Villages, plus Amegakure, Kusagakure, Soragakure, and every village's leader—"
"Mhm, mhm!"
"—they're all short!"
"Hm?" Tsunade's eyes instantly widened. "Hey, you little brat!"
Saying Konoha had three short people was one thing, but he was mocking the leaders of the entire ninja world!
Who did he think he was!
She was so angry that she laughed instead. Her raised fist no longer seemed willing to come down.
"Fine, fine!" Tsunade nodded. "You say every village leader is short, right? Then tell me, who isn't short?"
As if recalling something, Tsunade asked, "Don't tell me you mean some ancestor of your Hyuga Clan, or Uchiha Madara!"
Among those who were not village leaders yet were still formidable, Uchiha Madara seemed to be the only one.
"The Hyuga Clan's ancestors are nothing more than dry bones in graves. Uchiha Madara had ambitions as lofty as the heavens, but a fate as thin as paper. Still, he was at least a man with ideals and aspirations, so he was a little better than the short ones..." Hyuga Ningyuan shrugged.
"Uchiha Madara had ambitions as lofty as the heavens, but a fate as thin as paper?" Tsunade immediately laughed. If Uchiha Madara knew someone had judged him like that, who knew whether he could still laugh.
"So who do you consider tall?" Tsunade asked.
"The Second Hokage counts as half of one. Orochimaru counts as one. As for everyone else..." Hyuga Ningyuan waved his hand. They were not worth mentioning.
Yahiko and Nagato also counted as noteworthy figures, actually, but he had no reason to know them yet. Otherwise, they should have earned a mention too!
"I can barely understand why you count the Second Hokage as half, but why does Orochimaru count as one?" Tsunade laughed. "In your eyes, the Second Hokage is inferior to Orochimaru?"
The moment Hyuga Ningyuan said that, she understood. This child probably did not understand the Second Hokage's greatness at all. Instead, he had heard some stories about Orochimaru from somewhere and made Orochimaru his idol.
But who was more formidable, the Second Hokage or Orochimaru? Did Tsunade not know that herself?
"The Second Hokage really was inferior to Orochimaru!" Hyuga Ningyuan nodded seriously. "In terms of talent for researching ninjutsu alone, the Second Hokage might indeed have surpassed Orochimaru. But in every other respect—whether research philosophy, village governance, or breadth of mind and vision—Orochimaru far surpassed the Second Hokage!"
"Haha." Tsunade was now completely convinced that Hyuga Ningyuan was joking.
What village governance ability did Orochimaru have?
Watching Tsunade laugh foolishly, Hyuga Ningyuan sighed. This was the sorrow of a transmigrator.
Standing outside the timeline and seeing the whole picture, he naturally knew Orochimaru's greatness.
Orochimaru pursued research for immortality. The Second Hokage pursued research to deal with the Uchiha Clan.
The difference in vision was immediately apparent.
And even after becoming Hokage, the Second Hokage had not set aside his prejudice against the Uchiha Clan. Orochimaru had not only set aside his hatred for the Uchiha, he had even set aside gender prejudice.
Who would not praise that as incredible?
As for village management, that could be seen from the future Chunin Ninja Exams.
Day after day, Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed clan ninjas while supporting Civilian Ninja. His suppression of clans was put into practice, but his support for civilians remained nothing but words.
Perhaps after civilians such as Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Minato had appeared, he no longer dared to support them.
In any case, the Chunin Ninja Exams still relied on clan ninjas to carry the day. Of Konoha 12, ten were clan ninjas.
And what about Otogakure's students?
Other than Kimimaro, every single one came from a civilian background!
One had to know that Konoha had existed for sixty years and possessed an extremely solid foundation, yet its talent pool had already declined to such a degree.
Otogakure had not even existed for ten years!
Patting Tsunade's thigh, Hyuga Ningyuan spoke in an old-fashioned tone. "You may not understand now, but time will prove everything!"
"Hey, you little brat! You just got lucky and discovered a medical technique, yet you're acting all high and mighty!" Tsunade grabbed Hyuga Ningyuan and laid him across her thighs. "If you have the ability, invent another medical technique for me to see!"
Before you continue