What Do You Mean? (Two-in-One)

"Hack, hack, cough."

The abrupt shift in scenery left Tsunade, still kneeling on the ground, unable to stop a bout of dry heaving.

The short-term excessive mental strain also made her keenly feel the weakness emanating from the very depths of her body, as if the slightest movement would cause every cell to collapse like a sandcastle.

But as she recalled the scenes she had witnessed in "Dan Katō's memory," the moments she had once lived through, Tsunade couldn't help but feel a pang of loss.

It wasn't until her vision reflected the hand she was gripping tightly that she forced herself to rally, recalling in fragments what had happened before.

Her voice was hoarse, her gaze carrying a hint of pleading:

"Why... why did you stop?"

"I'm not done yet!"

Sahara Mizu looked at her haggard appearance, shaking his head with what seemed like regret:

"Sorry, Lord Tsunade."

"I'm afraid we'll have to stop here for today. My chakra is already more than half depleted."

Tsunade froze at his words.

Only then did she notice that the sky outside had shifted slightly; it seemed quite some time had passed.

"Lord Tsunade, the dead are gone. The journey of the living must continue." Sahara Mizu spoke with feigned sincerity. "My father once told me when I was young. Dwelling too much on what's lost will only bring backlash."

But at this moment, Tsunade couldn't take in a word. The strength in her grip on his wrist was astonishingly fierce, and she urged urgently:

"Wait!"

Before she could say more, however, Sahara Mizu suddenly looked at her with a very unfamiliar expression. At the same time, he extended his fingernail and, without hesitation, carved a clear gash into his own arm.

Blood trickled down his arm, slowly dripping onto the knuckles of Tsunade's hand that held his wrist.

"Huh!?"

The moment she saw the trail of blood, Tsunade flinched as if electrocuted. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she yanked her hand away, instinctively shrinking back until she slammed against the stone wall with a thud.

The thin line of blood dripped to the ground, leaving a shallow stain.

"Just as I thought."

Seeing her reaction, Sahara Mizu, who had already glimpsed a chain of heart knots from shallow to deep, let out a low sigh: "Because it provided an escape for your weak spirit, it's only made your fear of blood even deeper, hasn't it?"

"Lord Tsunade, you should calm down on your own for a bit."

Beyond that, after hearing Little Broken System's prompt, he also needed some time to cool his own head.

As he spoke, Sahara Mizu's gaze swept over Tsunade, who was leaning against the wall, trembling all over.

Right now, no matter how he tried, he couldn't imagine how the Tsunade from the "Ultimate Bond Path" had turned into something like "mature xx," "beach xx," "office xx," "master-disciple xx," and so on.

Sure, this world was bizarre enough that even a generic old man could wear a MAGA hat, but reality still had to follow at least a shred of logic, right?

In any case, Sahara Mizu didn't dare to act rashly with Tsunade for the sake of a few Heart Points like before.

He needed to think carefully about which "path" to take next, and what impact it would have on his daily life.

And whether Yayoi and Yukie had similar "hidden dangers."

But just as Sahara Mizu was about to step out of the cave, he heard Tsunade's voice from behind, still carrying a glimmer of hope, even tinged with caution:

"Then... when you recover. No, after we get back to the village."

"Can you—"

Sahara Mizu turned his head to look at her:

"Lord Tsunade."

"I believe I already said this before the technique began, didn't I?"

"Just this once."

"If you still want to sink deeper..."

"Have you considered what price that would cost?"

Hearing this, Tsunade was stunned, staring blankly at him.

But Sahara Mizu said no more, walking out of the cave on his own.

What he didn't notice, however, was that his words—meant to make Tsunade back off and buy himself some time to think—instead caused a shift in her expression, her face flickering with uncertainty.

"Price... huh?"

Tsunade looked down at the Cyan Crystal clutched tightly in her hand, murmuring to herself, as if a thought had struck her.

The legacy of the Senju House was profoundly deep.

Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu, medical arts, all kinds of historical records from the Ninja World, hundreds of categories of forbidden knowledge, the Second Hokage's old research reports.

That vast inheritance was so immense that it required multiple Anbu squads and a large-scale barrier to guard it year-round.

It was inevitable that someone would covet those things.

Clearly, Tsunade had also come to see Sahara Mizu as one of them.

"That bastard." "A lowlife taking advantage of the situation."

But.

Tsunade recalled the time she had spent in that strange scene just now.

In nearly half an hour of real time, she had wandered through a maze of memories, experiencing everything from her first meeting with Dan to the date after the Jonin Council—a full week's worth of time.

At the same time, throughout that period, she had completely forgotten what was happening in reality, reliving every moment of her first love with the emotions of that era.

It wasn't until she broke free from that scene that she jolted awake, remembering everything that had happened in the real world.

The clash between the two left her heart churning with a sharp sense of fragmentation, as if she had suddenly fallen from a paradise of happiness into the hell of reality.

The young man's cold, indifferent words only made Tsunade realize more clearly.

Everything she had just seen was merely memory.

All the beautiful feelings she had held onto in those memories had been torn apart by this godforsaken reality.

"Damn it."

After struggling alone for a long time, Tsunade suddenly cursed, as if she had made a decision.

"Those worthless things—if he wants them, I'll just give them to him." "He did save my life." "Besides..."

"I'm the only one left of the Senju bloodline."

As if talking to herself or convincing herself, Tsunade unconsciously placed the Great Lightning on her knees, wrapped her arms around it, and murmured softly.

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, her expression bitter.

But at this moment, Tsunade didn't realize.

At the end of this two-way "path" they were walking together, what Lord Sahara was about to sink his teeth into was far more than just a few items.

"Living humans only have two states." "One is horny, the other is hungry." "Sahara Mizu—you're full now!"

Looking at the panel that had suddenly popped up, Lord Sahara, who had just eaten, waved his hand with obvious disdain and leaned back against a tree root to rest with his eyes closed.

No public displays of affection!

Unexpectedly, System Sister got anxious and urged him repeatedly.

"Why don't you look to the side!" "That Uchiha girl—her eyes are practically dripping with longing for you." "Take her right here and now, and the Mid-Level Heart Knot is yours. Then you can eat dry when you want dry, and drink thin when you want thin—however many bowls the Thin Sect Master ladles out, you drink them all! (Brimming with boldness)"

Get lost!

Sahara Mizu had figured it out—his system really had no humanity.

Still, he did lift his head and glance to the side.

Miss Yayoi, leaning beside him, was startled, as if she hadn't expected her sneaky peeking to be caught. She turned her head away with some embarrassment.

It wasn't until a moment later that she suddenly realized her current "status" was different from when she was at the ninja academy.

Now, she was a quasi-lover powerhouse who could call each other by name with "Lord Mizu," eat dinner side by side, and stand on the level of "more than friends"!

Almost instinctively, she turned her head back and stared at him openly.

Sahara Mizu had no idea what was so interesting about him.

But considering the "Ultimate Bond Path" that had just appeared, he thought for a moment and took the initiative to ask:

"Yayoi?"

"I'm just looking!" the girl said, sounding justified and a bit silly.

"That's not what I'm asking." Sahara Mizu organized his words. "I'm asking if your body has felt anything strange lately."

"Huh?!"

Uchiha Yayoi immediately caught on, her cheeks flushing slightly as she instinctively covered her rear: "How do you know when my 'that time' is?"

Sahara Mizu's face darkened: "Besides your period?"

"N-no, nothing else?" Miss Yayoi said, cautiously glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.

Girls her age still had thin skin.

"I see."

Sahara Mizu looked at the still-empty blue halo above her head and nodded slightly.

No information is itself a form of information.

Based on the process by which Yukie, Miss Yayoi, and Tsunade's Shallow Heart Knots had appeared, Sahara Mizu could broadly determine the following three points.

[First, to complete a Heart Knot mission, he must have a certain degree of 'Bond' with the target—at minimum, a relationship beyond mere acquaintance.]

[Second, the Heart Knot Halo only reveals its contents after encountering a specific 'event'.]

[Third, his different methods of handling the Heart Knot will lead to different 'endings' along the 'Ultimate Bond Path' with that bonded target. Therefore, he must carefully choose his approach regardless.]

Throughout this entire process, aside from the bonded target's relationship with him 'improving', there would be no physical abnormalities of any kind.

Halfway through his thoughts, Sahara Mizu suddenly turned his head and looked toward Miss Yayoi.

Yet no matter how many times he clicked "Bond Query", there was no response from Miss Yayoi.

"No use~."

"Within a single cycle, you can only query the Ultimate Bond Path of one target."

System Sister's lazy voice rang lazily from within his mind.

"You've gotta find a way to take down that big blonde thunder blocking the way first—at least reach the 'Shallow' standard—before you can push deeper into the souls of other beauties!"

"Didn't I tell you? You're locked onto that big thunder!"

Hearing this, Sahara Mizu instead frowned slightly.

It had nothing to do with whether he was a lolicon or not, nor was it that he disliked big thunder.

The key point was that Tsunade's identity was far too sensitive.

'Looks like I'll have to wait for another suitable opportunity.'

Sahara Mizu leaned against a tree, thinking this to himself.

However, he never expected that opportunity would come so suddenly.

"BOOM—!"

The day after the group returned to Konoha.

At the Hokage Building, which had only just been repaired not long ago, another ear-splitting explosion rang out.

The Hokage's Office on the fourth floor had been blasted open, leaving a massive gap that was well-lit, well-ventilated, and open from front to back.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in the office, his eyes going wide as he stared at his own disciple and bellowed:

"Tsunade!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Tsunade glared back without flinching, grinding her teeth as she cursed: "What am I doing? I should be asking you what the hell you've done, you old bastard!"

"The prestigious Hokage Building, the most central office in Konoha, fully equipped with barriers and Anbu defenses, with multiple Veteran Jonin standing guard!"

"And yet a few small-time Iwagakure grunts can waltz in and steal intelligence right under your nose?!"

"Old bastard! What the hell are you even sitting there for?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face twitched involuntarily.

Beside him, Utatane Koharu spoke sternly, her expression severe: "Tsunade! As a Konoha Jonin, you dare to verbally provoke the authority of the Hokage?"

"Do you even know what crime that is?"

That old woman's opening line reeked of bureaucratic authority.

But Tsunade wasn't buying it. She pointed a finger at Koharu's nose, clenched her fists, and stuck out her neck: "So what if I curse you? I'll hit you too!"

"Eight full Jonin, eight elite Chunin, four crack squads—and now only two are left alive! One of them is about to die."

"What? Do you bastards have to drive the Senju Clan to extinction?"

"Huh?!"

At those words, no one in the room dared to respond.

The Konoha F4 might be riding high now, but their glory required many things to sustain it.

Among them, legitimacy was the most crucial pillar.

All of them were disciples of Senju Tobirama.

In a world where clan and teacher-student bonds were ironclad, laying a hidden hand against the teacher's blood relatives was a crime even the Third Hokage couldn't bear.

Seeing this, Mitokado Homura immediately stepped forward to play peacemaker: "Tsunade, none of us could have predicted this incident. Losing so many elites is a loss for all of Konoha. Hiruzen is truly grieved as well—"

"Yeah, I'm sure he's grieved."

Tsunade stood there, her gaze coldly sweeping over them.

Finally, it landed on the man standing at the very back, who had remained silent throughout. Her voice was icy:

"A Hokage Building with defenses this tight—how did a spy manage to infiltrate? Was he just that skilled, or did someone cover for him?"

"The barrier breach in the Sealed Archive was top secret—how did they know about it?"

"How did an S-rank intelligence, with its seal unbroken, end up in another village's hands?"

"Also, that Third Raikage, when he thought victory was in his grasp, let slip a small matter."

"He told me that among Konoha's high-ranking officials, someone sold some of our intelligence to Kumogakure for twenty million ryo."

"How convenient."

"Our squad randomly drew a hidden stronghold to lie low in, and they found it from the very start."

"Do you want to discuss in advance how to explain these things?"

One by one, these points of suspicion were laid bare before them by Tsunade's blade-cold tone.

The others present weren't unaware of the potential problems lurking within, nor did they fail to suspect that the Third Raikage was sowing discord.

But after Tsunade finished speaking.

Everyone present still turned their heads in unison, all eyes fixed on Shimura Danzō standing at the very back.

The entire Hokage's Office fell into a deathly silence.

"."

"What do you mean by this?"

Thanks to book friends Le Dong Mo, Born in the Great Desolation, I-Gel-Ai, book friend 20230415132854031, and Only Knows a Tiny Bit for their monthly tickets!

Not dropped, don't talk nonsense.

Came back late today, two chapters merged into one.

Yesterday's was posted at eight in the evening, and the gap from that to this chapter exceeded 24 hours, so it shows as updated a day ago.