Tsunade, an Eighteen-Year-Old Body, and Matters of the Heart

"Time doesn't go backwards, that's for sure." Naruto nodded, then suddenly didn't know what to say. He paused for a moment, then asked, "How do we bring up the reward?"

Even if we take it out, how do we explain it?

Do you believe in light?

I have a glow-in-the-dark watch, it's brand new. Do you want me to take it out and show it to you? Saying that sounds like I'd get beaten to death right now, like I could pin it to the wall and not be able to pry it out.

After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously approached Tsunade.

The latter's expression changed immediately when he saw Naruto approaching. "You're so dirty, if you come any closer I'll punch you to death! Get away from me!"

Naruto: "."

That's fucking heartbreaking. Did I really want to spend three days and three nights running around like that? Fine, I guess I'll just consider it karma for being so impulsive back then.

Forget it, I'll just bear with it for now and pay it back sooner or later.

Tsunade glanced at him and said.

"You're not convinced?"

"Yes." Naruto was unusually assertive for a moment, thinking to himself that he had nothing to be afraid of. She couldn't beat him at all now, and she could dodge even if she was kicked.

"Huh?" Tsunade taken aback when he dared to approach again. "Naruto Uzumaki, you think you're all grown up now? If you come any closer, I'll punch you to death!"

"No, Lord Tsunade, I just have something good I want to show you."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade was stunned, as if she had thought of something, and looked at Naruto with disbelief.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you're a father now, can't you be serious for once?"

"What?" Naruto was confused, thinking to himself, "I wasn't looking at Leo Ku, what are you thinking?" "No, no, Lord Tsunade, you've misunderstood."

Tsunade didn't speak, but frowned as she looked at him.

"Although time cannot be reversed, I have a way to make Lord Tsunade Return to Youth." He lowered his voice, the wind whistling, and said with absolute certainty.

The campfire was still crackling, and the Kakkō flickered on Tsunade's face.

Are you talking about the Yin Seal?

"No," Naruto retorted. "The Yin Seal can only use Chakra to maintain youthful flesh and blood. What I'm doing isn't Ninjutsu; it's a permanent Return to Youth."

How old are you?

"Eighteen."

"Impossible, Naruto Uzumaki. Have you been malfunctioning lately? You're probably delirious with fever." Tsunade had initially just wanted to chat, but now she was worried about his mental state.

"Really." Naruto thought for a moment and said, "Absolutely genuine. I don't know how to explain it, but it will definitely work, and it's safe."

In the end, even Naruto himself couldn't continue. The things the system provided were certainly safe, but when he realized he couldn't convince anyone, he was momentarily stunned.

After a brief silence, Tsunade suddenly spoke.

"Then take it out and let me see."

"I can't give it to you, I can only give it to you." Naruto couldn't hold back any longer. After thinking about how he had been running around for three days, he still forced himself to say, "It's similar to Ninjutsu, a secret technique that was extracted from the Death Reaper."

"Such a technique exists?" Tsunade looked up at him. "Why would I try it? Although returning to youth is indeed very tempting."

"Assuming your technique is indeed effective, allowing you to live for many more years and regain a young body, why would you do it?"

"Most of the people I know, whether friends or enemies, are already dead. There's no point in me living a few more decades alone, even if I'm younger than Shizune."

Naruto didn't know what to say. If she really didn't want it, how could she just give up? She had worked so hard to get it, and she had to take it.

That being said, Naruto wasn't sure what Tsunade was thinking, and thought he might need to try a different approach to persuade her. So, after a moment's thought, he tentatively asked.

"Isn't being younger than Shizune enough of an attraction?"

"What do you mean?" Tsunade her arms, glanced down at him, and looked puzzled.

"Shizune spends every day with Lord Tsunade, right? Even though she doesn't say it, she probably thinks Lord Tsunade a nuisance."

"After all, taking care of an elderly woman every day, with a bad temper and a willful nature, is definitely something to behold."

Boom!!!

A huge hole was smashed into the ground. Naruto stood there dumbfounded, while Tsunade's fist, emitting wisps of white smoke, was only 0.01 meters away from his head.

"What did you say?" Tsunade's face contorted with rage as she stared at him.

He really didn't dare to move now. If he moved again, he couldn't be sure where Tsunade Teuchi, whether it was the big head or the small head.

"What I mean is, actually, Return to Youth is quite interesting."

"Um?"

"Being younger than Shizune is quite attractive; she'll definitely be envious." Naruto roughly understood that Tsunade didn't take this seriously.

After all, no one would easily believe that there is Fountain of Youth, let alone the idea of Return to Youth, but that doesn't stop Tsunade from jokingly refusing.

If there really were a potion that Return to Youth, she would be the first to drink it.

Although she says things like "what's the point of living so long?", if Tsunade really thought that way, she wouldn't have preferred to live a few years less to use Ninjutsu to keep her body young.

"That's true, but are you just telling me you have a way to Return to Youth?" Tsunade's face was full of doubt. "Naruto Uzumaki, are you crazy?"

"What if it existed? Lord Tsunade, would you really refuse it?"

"Of course not, but such a thing doesn't exist at all, so don't talk nonsense." She took a deep breath and suppressed her smile.

She stood up, hands behind her back, the Kakkō reflecting on her face. A rare, gentle smile appeared on Tsunade, her eyes filled with relief.

"Alright, I'm not going to play along with your nonsense anymore, Naruto."

"You don't belong here. Go back to Konohagakure and live a good life. Don't run so far away again. You don't owe me anything. I should do what I need to do."

This could be considered a farewell speech, or a parting message; it was the shortest farewell message he had ever heard.

"I'm not messing around." Naruto took a deep breath, mustered his courage, approached Tsunade, and risked being beaten to death by slapping Tsunade across the chest.

"This is the Hashirama Cell Activation Technique!"

The moment Tsunade was touched, she was stunned for a second, then realized what was happening. Her first reaction was anger, and her second was to want to kill the guy.

This is outrageous! They even dare to do this to themselves!

The next second, a thought completely foreign to her appeared in her mind: [Accept cell activation and return to the young body of eighteen?]

She wasn't sure where the idea came from; it seemed that whether or not to accept it was just a matter of a moment's thought, and the opportunity was presented to her just like that.

Of course I accept it; no one would refuse to turn eighteen.

When Tsunade acquiesced, her body was suddenly enveloped in a soft white light, her bones cracking. She was all too familiar with this sensation—it was the Cell Activation Technique.

She had used the Hundred Healings Jutsu countless times, draining her cells of vitality to achieve a youthful body.

But this time, the feeling was completely different. There was no feeling of being overdrawn, no cell being squeezed out. Instead, she felt warm and cozy.

The density of my bones seems to be increasing, and all the muscles in my arms, my whole body, are regaining their elasticity. The fine lines around my eyes have been completely smoothed out, and my face has become firm and toned.

Tsunade subconsciously touched her chest, relieved to find it had only shrunk slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief and continued to check on the changes in her body, surrounded by a white light.

She couldn't stop the activation process, nor could she shout, nor could she see anything outside the white light.

Naruto, standing by the fire, could see clearly that there was no white light at all; the holy light was only visible to a select few. The Chakra generated by cell activation exploded in an instant.

Tsunade was enveloped in a white holy light, with thick mosaic and heavy censorship.

"Wow, what an amazing cell activation technique." Naruto watched in awe as Tsunade gradually became younger, every part of her body returning to the age of eighteen.

I can't help but wonder, what was Tsunade like at eighteen?

I've only seen photos of Tsunade at age nine and Tsunade, but never at Tsunade. Her appearance hasn't changed much; she's just gotten a little younger.

Tsunade is actually very beautiful, with almost no flaws in her face; she has the perfect mature, sophisticated look. After her face reverts to that of an eighteen-year-old, it retains a touch of youthful innocence.

About half an hour later, Tsunade slowly realized that the white light in front of her was gradually disappearing. She froze for three seconds before realizing that she was not wearing any clothes.

With a whoosh, a black cloak flew over.

Tsunade grabbed it, looking at Naruto in the distance with a complicated expression, and decisively put it on. A night breeze blew, and the empty space inside the cloak made her feel a little uncomfortable.

The sound of rustling footsteps rang out, Tsunade turned to look at Naruto. She reached out and glanced at her skin, which seemed noticeably smoother, and her vision appeared much clearer.

It was as if he had become a completely different person, with inexhaustible energy, and one could even feel the vigorous vitality and hormones within his body.

I wish I could find a secluded place to start my secret research; I've almost forgotten what it's like to be eighteen.

The relentless war, the loss of Nawaki, and the departure of loved ones and friends one by one—all these things changed. In a daze, I felt myself back at eighteen.

If she hadn't seen Naruto, who remained unchanged, she would have thought it was all a dream.

How do you know such Ninjutsu?

"I really don't know. I just found it by chance in the Uchiha Clan's territory." Naruto started making things up on the spot. Anyway, if something in the Shinobi World couldn't be explained, he could just blame it on the Uchiha.

First of all, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, once said, "The evil Uchiha brat."

Secondly, the dead cannot cry out for justice.

Tsunade suddenly speechless. Returning to her youth was obviously a good thing, even if it was only temporary, but it felt like it would be permanent.

Her feelings were complicated at that moment. She had only wanted to talk to Naruto. But since things had come to this, she figured there was no need to say anything more and should just say goodbye properly.

As a result, she first spoke inexplicably for a while, and then she returned to the body of an eighteen-year-old.

For a moment, she felt somewhat lost again.

"How does it feel to be eighteen again?" Naruto wasn't as conflicted as her; in any case, he had fulfilled a wish he had been holding in his heart.

"Hmm, it feels good to have a young body, but," Tsunade looked up and asked, her expression somewhat complicated, "Why are you giving it to me?"

"Is there any other reason why?"

"Of course."

"I'll give it to you if I want to. Maybe you just want to see Lord Tsunade at eighteen," he said.

Upon hearing this, Tsunade remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Didn't you see everything?"

Naruto: "."

That's what they say, but they would never admit to something like that, of course they didn't see it.

"Another reason is that what I did in the past went a bit too far."

"About what?" Tsunade asked.

"The Dragon Vein. I used the Dragon Vein to travel back to the past. At that time, I thought it was a parallel world," he said. "Back then, I met Lord Tsunade, and I thought it was okay to play some pranks."

"Later, I went a bit too far and deceived Lord Tsunade."

"No need to apologize." Tsunade, and as she raised her hand, a breeze still slipped into her loose cloak, making it a little chilly. "It happened a long time ago, and I don't care anymore."

Naruto stared at Tsunade for two seconds and said, "But I did care. At that time, I thought we would meet again soon. I never expected that we would leave the Dragon Vein in such a hurry."