Tsunade's Complicated Feelings, Bearing Responsibility!

"Boy!"

Tsunade looked down at Senju Gō from above.

"You can't win."

"If you leave now, I won't hold you accountable."

Senju Gō stood on the ground, staring at Tsunade, whose combat prowess was formidable.

His voice was cold.

"Aren't you still able to fight? Why did you leave?"

"..."

Tsunade remained silent.

"Since you can still fight, why won't you come back! Fight for the Senju! Fight for Konoha!!"

"That was my choice... and the Senju no longer exist."

"Because you left, because of the foolishness of the First Hokage and the Second Hokage, our Senju Clan's bloodline has been forced to endure such torment..."

"Huh?!"

Tsunade watched as Senju Gō lowered his head, his tone filled with dejection, and her expression tightened.

Finally...

The responsibility she had abandoned had come back as retribution, catching up to her.

An unprecedented pang of guilt struck her heart.

Clearly, the fault wasn't hers.

It wasn't Tsunade who had made the decision to "merge the Senju into Konoha."

But hearing those words, her heart still ached.

Perhaps.

That was what came with the title "Princess of the Senju"...

She was their princess, yet she had protected nothing.

"I'm taking you back!" Senju Gō suddenly formed hand seals.

Earth Style: Earth Dragon Technique!

The ground trembled!

A massive dragon rose its head, over ten meters tall and tens of meters long!

And Senju Gō stood atop it!

"Raaaah!" Senju Gō roared as he clashed with Tsunade.

Tsunade gritted her teeth and fought back.

Thankfully, she had healed all her wounds, and since Senju Gō was encased in Black Armor, her hemophobia didn't trigger—otherwise, she truly wouldn't have been able to fight.

"What did Konoha do to you?!" Tsunade demanded, her voice heavy as she faced the frenzied Senju Gō.

She no longer doubted his identity.

Plain and simple.

A chakra reserve like this was rare.

There shouldn't be many in the village.

Either Senju or Uzumaki...

But the Uzumaki Clan had been wiped out, leaving only a few scattered survivors across the Shinobi World, and the Uzumaki Clan had a distinct trait of red hair.

This man had straight, flowing hair—very Senju.

"Danzo secretly captured Senju clan members with high chakra levels for experiments, trying to master Wood Style... Namikaze Minato-sama saved us. Most of the other test subjects died." Senju Gō's voice was low.

"..." Tsunade clenched her fists.

Using Senju Clan members for experiments...

Hahaha!

Old man! This is the Konoha you rule!

Grandfather... perhaps merging the Senju into Konoha did make the village stronger.

But the ones sacrificed were the Senju Clan!

"Senju Gō, my heart aches. I don't want to fight you anymore. I have the Yin Seal, storing a vast amount of chakra, and the Slug is constantly supplying me with chakra. Your chakra is nearly depleted, isn't it?" Tsunade tried to persuade him.

"Tsunade-sama, are you willing to return?"

"...Let's stop for now."

The earth-and-stone dragon slowly crumbled apart.

At that moment, Senju Gō's armor scattered, and he collapsed to his knees, drenched in sweat.

"Huff... huff..."

He gasped heavily for air.

Tsunade's expression was complicated as she slowly dismounted from the Slug, which vanished in a puff of smoke.

She walked over to Senju Gō, sighed, and called for Shizune.

"Let's treat him together."

"But! Lady Tsunade! He just hit you!"

"He had the right to do that."

Tsunade gritted her teeth and silently began treating Senju Gō.

Reluctantly, Shizune joined in.

Two Medical Ninjas worked on him.

Senju Gō's depleted body quickly recovered.

"Hahaha! Did I succeed?" Senju Gō woke up, hands on his hips, laughing, and looked at Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, come back with me to rebuild the New Senju!"

"I haven't said I'm going back yet... You, you tell me about your situation first." Tsunade sighed.

They went to the outskirts.

Shizune, familiar with the routine, went hunting and then started a barbecue.

Senju Gō sat cross-legged, equally practiced, building a stone platform, pouring water, and quickly preparing dishes and soup.

But Tsunade's expression was downcast.

She had learned everything from Senju Gō's account.

Every detail was there.

"Danzo..." Tsunade clenched her fists.

"Anyway, that's how it is. The Senju Clan is in dire straits right now! The Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan at least have money! And plenty of jutsu! But us? We have nothing!"

"Our bloodline gives us talent! When we grow up, we have to earn our own money, we barely have any jutsu, and then we risk being captured for research!"

"Tsunade... I'm serious."

Senju Gō looked at her solemnly.

"Come back~ My proudest princess~"

"Rebuilding the Senju Clan's glory~ It's our duty~"

Shizune shouted in protest, "Why are you singing all of a sudden!"

"Ahaha~" Senju Gō scratched his head sheepishly.

But Tsunade fell silent.

This guy.

Is he really this kind of idiot?

Sigh...

"I need to think it over carefully." Tsunade said hesitantly.

"One day should be enough." Senju Gō replied.

"Yeah, it is."

"Let me make this clear: no matter what choice you make, I will deny your grandfather... Not deny everything, but I will deny him. He had no right to casually discard the surname that had been passed down through the Senju for generations."

Tsunade: "..."

"Regardless, I will establish the New Senju. What you're unwilling to bear—"

"Everything—"

"I will bear it!"

"Hmph!"

Senju Gō stood up without hesitation and walked away!

Not far off, without bothering to hide, he raised a hand to form a stone hut and slept inside.

Leaving behind a silent Tsunade and a speechless Shizune.

The night stretched long.

Tsunade couldn't sleep until very late.

Shizune couldn't hold out and drifted off without realizing it, waking again only at dawn.

But she saw Tsunade still sitting on a rock, deep in thought.

"Tsunade-sama..."

"Hm? Shizune, you're awake."

"Tsunade-sama, are you alright? You don't need to take words from someone like that to heart."

"No, I have to go. It's my responsibility."

Then, Tsunade's expression relaxed.

She strode over and shattered the stone house with a single punch!

"I've decided. I'm going back to Konoha! To establish that New Senju or whatever!! But don't expect me to do anything I don't want to!" Tsunade said irritably.

Then, her expression shifted again as she fell silent.

Because Senju Gō was looking at her, the remnants of being woken from sleep still lingering on his face... but it quickly broke into a sunny smile!

He was really just a big kid...

Yet he'd been treated like that.

"Hm, that's enough! Auntie Tsunade!"

"Don't call me auntie!" Tsunade snapped back to attention, then threw a punch without hesitation!

"Ah!"

Senju Gō clutched his head after being hit.

Then, Tsunade stared in disbelief at the spot that had swollen up.

Only to see it rapidly subside...

Looking more closely, There wasn't a single wound on Senju Gō's body.

Tsunade's heart trembled violently...