You're Done For!

"At this moment, kneeling before you is—"

"The descendant of the noblest in all of Konoha, the granddaughter of the God of Shinobi, the last inheritor of the Senju clan, the peerless Medical Saint praised throughout the ninja world, who has held the top spot on the 'Most Wanted to Date' ranking published by the Konoha Youth Male Association for ten consecutive years. Currently under the quadruple debuff of 'Weakened,' 'Hungry,' 'Spiritually Depressed,' and 'Incapable of Combat,' who painstakingly found her first boyfriend close to thirty, only to return like a flash of lightning to golden singledom as a newly widowed woman—Lady Tsunade!"

"Right now, she is looking at you with the most sincere gaze in this world, making a request that she will fulfill at any cost!"

"Clearly, praying isn't the only thing she'll do after kneeling."

"Sahara Mizu, picking me as your System is the best decision you'll ever make!"

"Even if your 'stick' technique is poor, your stamina is low, your back and knees are sore, and you have the will but no strength, I have thirty-six refined steel secret methods here like the Eighteen Forms of Awei, the Secret of the Unmoving Golden Rod, and the Delaying Serenity Technique to reverse your decline!"

"One technique keeps your rod standing, two techniques make your spray shower, three techniques grant eternal life."

"Type 1 to receive it, free delivery to your home!"

"Come on!"

"Abandon reason, embrace animality, quickly let me see your limits, ya!"

"Hurry and strip, strip, strip, strip, strip!!!"

"I want to see you do the deed—!"

Suddenly, the System Sister, who had been silent in the panel for a long time, went completely insane, spewing a string of nonsensical garbage that instantly filled Sahara Mizu's entire field of vision.

He almost wavered.

However, he clearly hadn't lost his head yet.

Looking at Tsunade, who was kneeling before him with a face full of sorrow, he seemed to sigh with a hint of pity and lowered his voice:

"Lady Tsunade."

"Because this soul secret method is passed down in my clan, after today, please do not casually spread this matter."

"Furthermore,"

He said, his tone sounding a little hesitant, "It's better not to disturb those who have passed on to the Pure Land."

"Even if there is still a remnant of the soul imprint in the necklace after using this secret method, my help to you will likely only be this one time."

"..."

Tsunade, who was clutching his sleeve, couldn't help but be startled.

But after a long silence, the emptiness and heavy pain deep within her heart still made her agree:

"Even if it's just once, that's fine!"

"Please."

Seeing her completely obedient and trusting appearance, Sahara Mizu felt a slight relief in his heart.

Since it was this easy, then resolving Tsunade's Heart Knot while simultaneously forming a bond didn't seem very difficult, did it?

Thinking this, he extended the green crystal at the tip of the necklace towards Tsunade and said gently:

"Please hold it and look into my eyes."

"I shall begin the technique."

Tsunade knelt there, even the act of lifting her head seemed somewhat fragile, but she tightly gripped the crystal.

The moment her eyes met those of the young man whose name she hadn't even had time to ask, she suddenly noticed a flash of brilliant light deep within his clear blue pupils.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

The next moment.

Her mind stilled, and the world turned upside down.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a world of complete darkness.

Three familiar figures stood silently before her.

Just seeing their faces, Tsunade, who was at her most vulnerable, couldn't help but cover her mouth, afraid her sobs would disturb their peaceful rest.

"Grandfather, Nawaki, and... Dan."

Tsunade looked at the three figures, her steps trembling as she approached, slowly raising her hand, wanting to touch them.

She still remembered the young man's reminder.

These three were merely soul imprints they had left in this world.

But, she couldn't help herself.

However, when her fingers touched their bodies, Tsunade suddenly froze.

A sense of reality.

Although slightly abnormal, there was still a clear tactile sensation, the temperature of the skin's surface, the subtle softness of scars, the rough feeling of calluses on palms and knuckles, a faint scent of sweat...

Everything felt as if it were truly there.

This clear sensory feedback made Tsunade instinctively grab Kato Dan's shoulder, shake him twice forcefully, and cautiously call out:

"Dan? Dan!"

Almost instinctively, the body suddenly opened its eyes.

Tsunade couldn't help but be startled.

In the depths of those pupils was a clear blue, like the sky.

The moment her gaze met his, Tsunade felt a massive surge of memories, like a waterfall, pour into her mind, causing her entire brain to let out an unbearable groan.

Scene after scene from Kato Dan's life flashed through her mind like a slideshow.

Meanwhile, outside.

Sahara Mizu stood before Tsunade, slowly exhaling.

Although he had anticipated the amount of Chakra this last descendant of the Senju possessed and had specifically chosen a relatively weak time to come, even the remaining Chakra exceeded his expectations.

His hypnotic will was almost pushed out.

Fortunately, he had just barely managed to complete it.

Sahara Mizu looked at Tsunade, who was holding his hand in a mysterious 'prayer' posture, and his heart settled.

He had read the original story and knew that Tsunade felt a strange sense of guilt and nostalgia for the people who had died after wearing the necklace. It was as if her younger brother and lover had died in the war precisely because they had worn the necklace she had given them.

Only after the appearance of the original protagonist, Naruto, did his actions break this unfounded 'curse.'

'Since the root of the problem lies here, then as long as these deceased people can open their hearts to her, and this item she considers cursed becomes a token connecting her soul with theirs, becoming the most important thing in her life.'

'Surely... it should at least alleviate some of the symptoms?'

Sahara Mizu's requirements weren't actually that high.

As long as he could resolve this Heart Knot, it would be pure profit for him.

If he could gain Tsunade's friendship and officially join the Hokage faction, his future prospects would be even smoother.

This way, he could soon clear his spy identity, then get promoted and raise his salary, become a general manager, CEO of a Ninja Village, marry a beautiful and wealthy woman, and reach the pinnacle of life!

"Perfect."

Mr. Sahara gently pumped his fist.

However, this thought had just managed to flash through his mind.

"Ding."

A strange sound suddenly rang in his ears.

The next moment, his gaze immediately fixed on the top of Tsunade's head.

He saw that on top of the single white halo that was originally there, a blue halo had suddenly appeared.

This was the symbol of a Mid-Level Heart Knot.

A few seconds later, a red halo appeared.

"!?"

Seeing this scene, Sahara Mizu was instantly stunned.

What's going on?

Before he could react, another formal prompt appeared on the panel.

[First activation of 'Deep Heart Knot']
[Host can query increased information quantity ↑]
[Bonding Path unlocked]

While he was still bewildered, he heard the System's sarcastic voice in his ear.

[Congratulations, Master~!]

[You've taken another step forward in the long Bonding Hell~]

[Didn't I tell you before? Just pin her down and give her a good thrashing, and all Heart Knots would be solved. But no, you just had to stir up trouble.]

[Go ahead! You've stumbled upon something big today!]

"Huh?"

Hearing her say this, Sahara Mizu's heart also suddenly filled with a sense of unease.

Although all the "Shallow Heart Knots" he had encountered since getting the System were easily solvable minor issues, his vigilance towards the unknown still made him hold a hint of awe towards the deeper layers of the World.

After all, he didn't know what the consequences would be if he couldn't resolve a deeper Heart Knot.

With this uneasy feeling, Sahara Mizu nervously clicked on the newly appeared "Bonding Path" option and subconsciously selected Tsunade's image.

A long string of information immediately popped up on the panel.

[Final Bonding Path 1: Fourth Hokage]

[The reason the war has progressed to this point is because only worms remain in high positions, achieving nothing! Only a complete purge can thoroughly erase the darkness of this village!]

[Mizu, you will always stand by my side, right?]

[Final Bonding Path 2: Mature Honey Princess]

"Mizu, breakfast is ready! Don't forget to walk Su and Eiko to school later. You knew it was a weekday, but you still stayed up so late last night!"

"Ugh~ The room smells so strong. Open the window! I'll wash the sheets later."

"You're laughing! It's all your fault! (Annoyed)"

"Final Bonding Path 3: Ten-Tails Jinchuriki"

"A mere five Kage think they can block my path? Let them dance all they want."

"No matter what... I will create a world where Mizu exists."

"Final Bonding Path 4: Island Remainder of Life"

"From now on, we will live out the rest of our lives here."

"Cut off from the mundane world, away from those clueless people, in a world where only the two of us exist, only... Mizu and my world."

"Subsequent Worldlines Undetermined"

"Bonding Path calculation continuing..."

Staring at the long string of information, Sahara Mizu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes went wide, and wider!

What is this?

What are these paths?!

Are the names on them wrong?

While he was inwardly shocked, the System's voice continued to chatter in his ear.

"You actually opened the Heart Knot to the deepest level in one go! Idiot, you can't even stop it now, nowhere to run!"

"You're finished!"

"You're tied down by this woman!"

(Image: Mature Honey Princess 3 Upper Half ↑)