Rich and Generous Tsunade

"What an unexpected surprise."

A smile played on Tsunade's lips as her eyes gleamed. She pondered how to deal with Natsume.

If she left him at the Orphanage, he might end up in Shimura Danzō's hands.

He would definitely be ruined by then.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade held a grudge against him.

Why not adopt him herself?

Besides attending the funerals of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Tsunade had another reason for returning to Konoha.

She had come to take Shizune away.

During the Second Shinobi World War, Shizune had only just been born.

That was why Tsunade had not taken her then.

But now, she had graduated from the Ninja Academy and displayed considerable talent in medical ninjutsu.

Since she had no one to rely on in Konoha, Tsunade intended to take her away.

Adding Natsume to the mix now seemed workable too.

According to Yakushi Nonō, the child was exceptionally mature and sensible.

Tsunade would not need to spend much effort looking after him. She only had to teach him Wood Style.

Ever since her grandfather Hashirama Senju died, Wood Style had vanished for decades.

As the last remaining member of the Senju Clan, Tsunade felt she bore a responsibility.

Perhaps she could make the Shinobi World recall the terror of being dominated by Wood Style once more, and remember the Senju Clan of old.

"The fact that you can use Wood Style proves that you carry the blood of the Senju Clan."

Tsunade rarely wore such a gentle expression. "In that case, you should not remain at the Orphanage. You should return to the Senju Clan. Are you willing to leave with me?"

For some reason, Natsume suddenly thought of a line.

So you're my fucking Master?

"I am one of the legendary Sannin."

Seeing that he remained silent, Tsunade assumed he was hesitating. She proudly thrust out her chest. "Follow me, and you definitely won't lose out."

Natsume glanced over. She certainly would not let a child go hungry.

He nodded. "I'm willing."

A radiant smile appeared on Tsunade's face. She reached out with her right hand, pinched his cheek, and teased, "Little handsome, you made a wise choice."

"What about me?"

Kabuto Yakushi could not help speaking up.

Natsume was his best friend at the Orphanage.

Naturally, he could not bear to see him leave.

"Kabuto, don't be rude."

Yakushi Nonō's heart tightened, and she hurriedly said, "Natsume simply won't be living at the Orphanage anymore. You'll still be able to see him often."

Kabuto Yakushi looked somewhat dejected, but he said nothing further.

Seeing this, Natsume hesitated for several seconds before deciding to stick with his original plan.

After some time passed, he would let Kabuto Yakushi accidentally reveal his talent and be taken as Tsunade's disciple.

If he said it now, it would be far too much of a coincidence, and it might make Yakushi Nonō suspicious.

"Kabuto, I'll come back to see you every day," Natsume said with a smile.

Kabuto Yakushi's mood immediately improved considerably.

He was already clever enough to know that following Tsunade would only benefit Natsume.

"Nonō, I'll take him with me first."

Tsunade bent slightly and extended her hand.

Natsume immediately felt an overwhelming pressure from above as that abyss loomed before his eyes.

Five words came to his mind: rich and generous.

"Let's go."

Without waiting for him to respond, Tsunade grabbed his hand and headed outside.

"Natsume, remember to come see me!"

Kabuto Yakushi shouted loudly from behind.

"I will."

Natsume looked back and waved to him.

Kabuto Yakushi was a high-quality useful pawn. Naturally, Natsume would not give up their friendship.

After leaving the Orphanage, Tsunade raised her head and looked north.

Hokage Rock came into view.

The faces of every past Hokage were carved upon it.

Natsume subconsciously stood on tiptoe, wanting to see what she was looking at.

Unfortunately, he was not tall enough.

Tsunade noticed his movement and could not help smiling.

Natsume was only seven years old. Combined with his pretty face, every movement he made was adorable.

"I'm looking at Hokage Rock."

Suppressing the urge to pat his head, she said, "At its lower left is where the past Hokage lived, and it is also the territory of our Senju Clan. If you want to know whose bloodline you inherited, you'll find the answer there."

Tsunade led Natsume northward until they finally arrived at a secluded residence.

A clear look of nostalgia appeared on her face.

"This was where my grandfather and grandmother lived, and where I grew up."

Tsunade had not returned here in a very long time.

Her grandmother was Mito Uzumaki, the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Because of her special status, she had lived in seclusion here.

But that had been a long time ago.

Natsume looked around.

How should he put it?

It was pretty ordinary.

Just a typical Japanese-style wooden house.

Tsunade opened the door. The interior was spotless.

Clearly, someone cleaned this place regularly.

In fact, it was far more than that.

Anbu agents guarded the surrounding area as well.

Ordinary people could never approach.

If Natsume had not been with Tsunade, he would have been captured long ago.

"There's nothing here."

Tsunade opened the refrigerator and found it completely empty. She immediately shook her head.

She had wanted to pour Natsume a glass of milk, since children needed it while growing.

Now he could only have boiled water.

"Sit on the sofa for now. I'll go find something."

After handing him a glass of water, Tsunade went upstairs.

Not long afterward, she came back down carrying two scrolls.

"Can you read?"

"The director taught me."

"This is the Senju Clan genealogy. Take a look and see if there are any names you recognize."

After saying that, Tsunade sat on the sofa across from him, crossing her long, pale legs as she watched him with interest.

It was indeed quite pleasing to the eye.

Like seeing a beautiful Black Cat and wanting to reach out and pet it a couple of times.

Natsume finished reading the genealogy.

Other than Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, almost every name was unfamiliar.

"I can't remember anything from before."

Natsume shook his head. "There aren't any names I recognize."

"If you can't remember, let it go."

Seeing his gloomy expression, Tsunade could not help feeling sorry for him.

What a pitiful yet sensible child.

"From now on, you'll study ninjutsu with me."

Tsunade opened the other scroll. "I may not know Wood Style, but my grandfather left behind detailed information on Wood Style Ninjutsu. It will be enough for you to learn from."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

Natsume immediately showed genuine gratitude.

This time, he truly meant it.

Once he learned Wood Style, he did not need to become another Hashirama Senju. Reaching Yamato's level would be good enough.

Although Yamato was jokingly called a landscaper, his strength was actually decent.

He was considered an elite among Jonin.

"Why call me Lady Tsunade? When no one else is around, call me Sister instead."

Tsunade showed a rare hint of nervousness, afraid Natsume might refuse.

Logically, they had only just met and should not have been so close.

But Natsume was cute, and his earlier smooth talk had made Tsunade quite fond of him.

"Sister Tsunade!"

Natsume did not stand on ceremony.

What an excellent wealthy benefactor.

Calling her sister was an absolute bargain.

Wait, Tsunade seemed more like a debt-ridden benefactor.

"Natsume, would you be willing to change your name? How about Natsuki?"

As Tsunade spoke, she had already leaned close beside him, bringing with her a pleasant fragrance.

Damn it, I became a substitute!

Although Natsume had deliberately guided things in this direction, he truly had not expected this development.

But he refused the name Natsuki.

Because it reminded him of Natsuki Mogi.

He still remembered that when he watched "Initial D" in his younger, ignorant days, he had envied the heroine Natsuki for having such a generous uncle who often gave her money.

Only after growing up did he understand that it was not her uncle, but her sugar daddy.

As a result, many jokes had sprung from it.

For instance, "I bought a very sexy swimsuit."

Natsume shook his head. "Sister Tsunade, Natsume is the only memento my parents left me. I don't want to change it."

Rather than getting angry, Tsunade felt even more sorry for him.

She rubbed Natsume's head. "Then we won't change it. What do you want for dinner? I'll go buy it."

"Barbecue," Natsume immediately said.

The Orphanage barely stayed afloat thanks to Yakushi Nonō.

Naturally, its three daily meals could not be very good.

Tsunade stood up. "Familiarize yourself with the ninjutsu first. I'll be back later."

Natsume immediately opened the scroll.

The first ninjutsu was Wood Style: Wood Replacement.

The Substitution Technique was one of the Three Basic Ninjutsu and among the most fundamental techniques for ninja.

Wood Replacement was slightly more advanced.

It could replace the user's body with a wooden substitute at the moment of an attack.

For Natsume as he was now, the difficulty was just right.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Office.

After the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, died, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had no choice but to return to the position and take charge of the overall situation.

"This is truly troublesome."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe. Looking at the intelligence reports on his desk, he felt mentally and physically exhausted.

Regaining control was something worth being happy about.

But why could no one just stay peaceful?

Minato Namikaze had only just died, yet Kumogakure was already unable to sit still and had begun causing trouble along the border.

"Lord Hokage."

An Anbu ninja wearing a frog mask appeared and reported, "Just now, Lady Tsunade took an orphan named Natsume to the former residence of the First Hokage."

"Who is Natsume?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe against his lips and asked, "What is his relationship with Tsunade?"

"Natsume is an orphan from Konoha's Orphanage. He should have no relationship with Lady Tsunade, since today was their first meeting," the Anbu ninja replied.

Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously exhaled a ring of smoke.

On their first meeting, he had gone to Hashirama Senju's former residence?

That was clearly abnormal.

That boy named Natsume must have been special.

But compared to Tsunade, he was inconsequential.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking about something else.

Through Natsume, he could keep Tsunade here.

Since returning this time, he had already met with his disciple and knew she would be leaving soon.

But Konoha was plagued by troubles both within and without. This was precisely when it needed Tsunade.

If she stayed in Konoha, she could not only swiftly restore the people's confidence, but also deter their enemies.