What did he mean...
What was this?
Tsunade murmured to herself.
He could recover without using ninjutsu.
This was a state that had only ever appeared in her grandfather. She possessed it too, but it should not be as strong as her grandfather's.
It was a sign that his vitality had reached an extremely high level.
Under normal circumstances, although the Senju and Uzumaki physiques possessed powerful vitality, it would not manifest so dramatically.
In other words.
Although Senju Gō had not awakened Wood Style,
his Senju content was extremely high.
There was no such thing as a smooth road toward one's dreams.
Tsunade had no dream.
But.
Someone had given her one.
She followed Senju Gō back to Konoha. Looking at the prosperous village, she felt somewhat dazed for a moment.
At that moment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already learned of the matter.
When he first heard the news, the pipe in his hand had nearly fallen.
Tsunade was actually willing to return to the village?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was both happy and worried.
Tsunade was one of the Sannin and possessed formidable strength.
Moreover, she was a top-tier Medical Ninja. For Konoha, which was currently mired in war, she was undoubtedly a powerful asset.
But she was also the only publicly known member of the Senju Clan's bloodline.
"Ogawa Gō...? How did he leave the village? This..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank.
He knew this shinobi.
A jōnin and Danzo's Wood Style experiment subject, he possessed Senju bloodline. After being rescued, Hiruzen had personally ordered that he be released.
He had recently been making a name for himself on the battlefield. With Black Stone Armor paired with Water Release, his mobility was maximized. He had inspired quite a few shinobi. Perhaps armor-based combat had not been completely eliminated from the Shinobi World after all—it could make up for its lack of mobility.
"I see..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped into the Hokage's chair.
He quickly understood why Ogawa Gō had gone to find Tsunade.
It was like a child who had been bullied at home immediately running to an elder to complain.
"Tsunade... is she really willing to return?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the Anbu who had come to report and asked again.
The Anbu shinobi replied, "Yes, Hokage-sama. We received word that Ogawa Gō changed his name to Senju Gō and successfully convinced Lady Tsunade to return to the village."
"He changed his name to Senju Gō..." Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
Had he openly defied the First Hokage's order?
Ogawa Gō, what exactly are you trying to do?
At the same time.
Namikaze Minato received the news secondhand, almost at the same time as his teacher, Jiraiya.
He had already confirmed that he would head to the battlefield tomorrow and launch the operation targeting Kannabi Bridge the day after.
"Tsunade is actually willing to come back. That woman really does have the village at heart." Jiraiya scratched his head, looking somewhat pleased.
This meant...
Ogawa Gō—no, Senju Gō—had succeeded.
Namikaze Minato clenched his fists.
Fighting spirit surged within him.
"That's wonderful, Teacher. Even if Lady Tsunade can't fight after returning, Konoha's medical capabilities will receive a tremendous boost." Namikaze Minato spoke to Jiraiya.
"Exactly!"
Jiraiya nodded, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
As he spoke, he was already impatiently heading outside to meet Tsunade.
Namikaze Minato followed him as well.
But he thought to himself.
It was more than just an improvement to their medical capabilities.
The impact of Tsunade's return to the village was enormous.
Tsunade's return meant that the "core" of the New Senju had arrived!
The moral high ground was already in their hands!
At the training grounds of the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan.
Uchiha shinobi were sparring with Hyuga shinobi.
Among the youths, Uchiha Aoi and the others could also be seen exchanging blows with the younger shinobi from the other clans. The scene was rather chaotic.
The news quickly spread. The first to hear it were Uchiha Miya and Hizashi Hyuga.
"Tsunade came back too?" Uchiha Miya remarked wistfully, then said nothing more.
"Mm... Tsunade has returned. She is the Princess of the Senju. Come on." Hizashi Hyuga pulled Uchiha Miya up.
Uchiha Miya: "?"
Hizashi Hyuga explained, "As one of the Sannin, she is extremely powerful. With her on the battlefield, we'll have more confidence too. Let's go win her over."
"That woman has hemophobia. She's nothing but a complete waste. As one of the Sannin, she hid beautifully when the village went to war. I look down on someone like that." Uchiha Miya spoke coldly.
"Come on, just go with me. She's the Princess of the Senju. For both emotional and practical reasons, the other shinobi clans have to pay her a visit. This is about giving the First Hokage face."
"Why is there so much pointless nonsense... Fine, fine. I'll go."
At that moment.
Senju Gō and Tsunade went straight to the Hokage Office.
At the entrance, Hiruzen Sarutobi was waiting with a large group of people. It was quite an impressive scene.
"Tsunade, you've finally returned." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tsunade, his eyes filled with the warmth of their long-awaited reunion.
"Teacher..."
Tsunade's heart was equally complicated.
"Teacher, I'm back."
"Lady Tsunade has returned to seek justice for the Senju Clan." Senju Gō calmly spoke from the side.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned cold.
Well, talk about a zero-frame opener.
Damn it!
Don't say something like that here!
Hiruzen Sarutobi grew irritated.
"What are you talking about... Ogawa Gō?" Mitokado Homura spoke from the side, questioning him in Hiruzen Sarutobi's place.
"I'm saying that Tsunade returned to seek justice for the Senju Clan, and she also plans to establish the New Senju Clan!" Senju Gō shouted. "Besides, I'm no longer Ogawa Gō. I'm Senju Gō!"
His voice was extremely loud.
At once.
Large numbers of civilians and shinobi turned their gazes over.
The scene had already been quite grand.
Now it became even grander.
The civilians also began whispering among themselves.
"What? She's here to seek justice for the Senju Clan?"
"Didn't the Senju Clan already integrate into the village?"
"What exactly happened..."
"Is this Ogawa Gō a member of the Senju Clan?"
"Lady Tsunade..."
At that moment.
Whether it was Tsunade or Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other members of Konoha High Command, they all felt extremely awkward.
Tsunade also took a deep breath.
"Old man."
Tsunade tried to speak as calmly as possible.
"I heard that Hokage Advisor Danzo kidnapped many shinobi from Konoha for human experiments. Some of them were members of the Senju Clan, and they suffered extensive torture."
Her voice remained calm.
But the civilians and shinobi around them were utterly shocked!
"The Senju Clan was actually experimented on!"
"Then Lady Tsunade really should come back..."
"Sigh, the Senju Clan was once so glorious. How did they end up in this state?"
Over here.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was sweating profusely.
In the end, he let out a deep sigh.
"It was my fault. I failed the Senju Clan and the people of the village. I failed to protect them."
"This was my negligence."
"It was also my dereliction of duty."
"I will support you in establishing the New Senju, Tsunade."
There was no time to think about how Senju Gō had managed to defy the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and reveal everything.
But there was no room to maneuver anymore.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi yielded, he also bent slightly toward Tsunade!
The Hokage of a village bowed to Tsunade!
Although the bow was shallow, it was still filled with sincerity!
When Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the others arrived, they happened to witness this scene.
"Teacher, there's no need to do this..." Tsunade was deeply moved and had just begun to step forward to help her teacher up.
Smack!
Senju Gō grabbed one of her hands, stopping her from going over.
Tsunade turned back in confusion, not yet understanding what was happening.
The next moment.
Senju Gō raised her hand high above his head and shouted toward the surrounding crowd!
"The New Senju Clan is rebuilt today!"
"We will restore the glory of the Senju, and we will all shoulder this duty without hesitation!"
"We will reclaim the bloodlines scattered among the civilians. Anyone who considers themselves part of the Senju line and possesses a large amount of Chakra, please come to the Senju Clan Compound to register!"
"Then Tsunade will lead the Senju Clan."
"She will shoulder the responsibilities that the Senju Clan ought to bear!"
Before you continue