Such a Coincidence?

Konoha.

In the scorching heat of August, although the Shinobi World War had begun, most conflicts remained localized. For now, Konoha Village was still enjoying a brief period of peace.

On a rooftop, leaning against the railing.

Tsunade, who had returned to the village, had tied her hair into a ponytail and changed into a refreshing midriff-baring short-sleeved top with fishnet clothing underneath.

"Nawaki, happy twelfth birthday."

Standing on the rooftop, Tsunade congratulated him with a broad smile. Across from her stood Nawaki, with a Konoha forehead protector tied around his head.

When he saw his sister congratulate him and take out a gift, he immediately put on an arrogant expression.

"I'm not a child anymore. You don't need to give me a birthday present."

Though he said that, the smile in Nawaki's eyes could not be concealed. His hands had already accepted the gift.

Tsunade burst into laughter at the sight and teased him with a smile.

"Go on, open it. Maybe it's something you'll like."

As Tsunade teased him, she leaned lazily against the railing, watching Nawaki open the gift with indulgent affection. Yet a trace of gravity was hidden in her eyes.

It was an exquisitely wrapped metal box. The moment he opened it and saw the gift inside, Nawaki's face filled with shock.

"Big Sis, could this be...?"

Nawaki was utterly stunned. He was far too familiar with this gift.

Tsunade gave a soft laugh beside him.

"That's right. This is the Hokage Necklace that belonged to the First Hokage—our grandfather."

Upon hearing the confirmation, Nawaki immediately broke into an excited smile.

"I love it so much, Big Sis."

Watching Nawaki's excited expression, Tsunade casually teased him with a question.

"Nawaki, it's your birthday today. I heard you're heading outside to carry out a mission tomorrow?"

Tsunade sounded casual, but Nawaki was too happy to notice the probing tone in his sister's voice. Instead, he nodded excitedly and revealed everything without the slightest hesitation.

"That's right, Big Sis. We accepted this mission yesterday. We leave tomorrow, and Orochimaru-sensei will be coming with us."

As if to reassure his sister, Nawaki raised his head and showed her a sincere smile.

Tsunade smiled at the sight, but a shadow flickered deep within her eyes.

Did Orochimaru have anything to do with this?

She did not dare think about it, but Nawaki was her biological younger brother—and the future of the Senju Clan.

With Nawaki's laughter echoing in her ears, Tsunade casually teased him.

"Enough. I know that Uchiha brat from your class was the one who beat you for the top spot. Otherwise, you would have become your sister's subordinate long ago."

At those words, Nawaki immediately smiled.

"Don't worry, Big Sis. Even if I had taken first place, I still would have chosen Orochimaru-sensei. But I think Uchiha Yoru would definitely give you a headache."

At the mention of Uchiha Yoru, Nawaki could not help showing a gleeful smile.

The siblings spent the day amid laughter. It was also Nawaki's twelfth birthday.

The day before had been blazing hot, yet the following day was overcast.

The weather seemed to foreshadow that something was about to happen.

At the Konoha Main Gate, Orochimaru led Nawaki's team out of the village at high speed to carry out their mission.

After the group departed, Tsunade emerged from the shadows beneath a large tree outside the village at some unknown point.

Standing in the tree's shade, Tsunade wore a grave expression as she looked at the scroll in her hand.

"A simple C-rank mission. A group of wandering samurai slipped in, and during wartime, intelligence within the Land of Fire should have been treated with even greater importance. Such a low-level mistake should never have happened!"

"Especially this close to Konoha Village!"

Tsunade examined the intelligence in her hand. No matter how she analyzed it, she could find nothing unusual about this mission.

If someone had not told her, she never would have believed it.

The mission could be completed in a single day, with enough time to return to the village. At this distance...

What kind of shinobi would be so recklessly stubborn? Even if they were, how had they slipped past layer after layer of patrols within the Land of Fire?

This was wartime, after all!

But this concerned her biological younger brother. Tsunade vanished into the shadows with a solemn expression, choosing not to follow Nawaki's team.

With Orochimaru there, it would be too easy to get discovered if she followed them.

She chose to head to the destination first. After all, Orochimaru had a team slowing him down and could not possibly be faster than her.

Half a day later.

Several shadows darted through a dark forest.

With a scream, the light gradually faded from a man's eyes as a giant snake snapped his neck.

The several giant snakes then withdrew into Orochimaru's sleeves, and he let out a sinister laugh.

The next moment!

A shadow flashed out from behind Orochimaru. It was the excited Nawaki, along with his two teammates.

At that moment, Orochimaru murmured with a smile.

"Nawaki, you've already built up some momentum. It seems you'll adapt to the battlefield before long."

As expected of someone from the Senju Clan, Nawaki's Chakra, both in quality and quantity, far surpassed that of shinobi at the same level. As long as he gradually adapted, he would definitely possess the combat strength of an elite Chunin.

Yet just as Orochimaru smiled in satisfaction at the disciple he had trained, an explosion suddenly rang out. Towering flames lit up his pale cheeks.

At that instant, Orochimaru's golden snake eyes constricted as he stared into the distance in shocked disbelief.

"How could this be?!"

The two Genin were utterly terrified. It was not that they had never witnessed life and death before, but this time, the one who had died was different!

The soaring flames illuminated the faces of the three of them.

In the blazing light ahead, Tsunade's eyes burned with raging fury!

"Why are there Exploding Tag traps here? And so many of them!"

She had arrived more than an hour before Orochimaru. After observing in secret, she had found nothing wrong with these wandering samurai.

Yet she had witnessed everything with her own eyes!

This Exploding Tag trap had been set to lure Nawaki inside through those wandering samurai.

Then there was only one truth!

This trap had been set up long ago!

Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?

"Nawaki!"

A panicked cry rang out from his two companions. Within the flames, however, Tsunade forcibly suppressed her fury and tossed out a corpse she had prepared in advance.

She also threw down the necklace she had given Nawaki yesterday, leaving it at the scene.

She had thought she would no longer need it, but who would have expected this!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Beneath the flames, Tsunade grabbed Nawaki and vanished at high speed, leaving only the towering blaze behind them.

The Legendary Sannin had not yet achieved their later fame.

At present, Tsunade was the strongest among the Legendary Sannin, with Orochimaru second and Jiraiya at the bottom.

After all, shinobi required resources. Orochimaru had not yet begun researching forbidden techniques, nor had he developed that incredibly hard-to-kill constitution. (When Snake Uncle defected, he was nearly killed by Exploding Tags.)

Jiraiya had not yet learned Sage Jutsu either.

As the Princess of the Senju Clan, Tsunade possessed resources beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Brothers who are following this book, please support it with continued reading next Tuesday. There will be a trial recommendation PK next Tuesday.