Tsunade's Grandmother

Tsunade: "..."

"What are you doing?"

"Thank you for getting me out of that situation. Consider this money my treat for a meal," Watanabe said generously, though the 200 Ryo pained him greatly.

He knew full well that if it weren't for Tsunade, Kitahara Jo would never have let him off so easily, let alone offered compensation.

"If you want to treat me to a meal, do it properly. What's with giving me money?" Tsunade found it amusing, thinking Watanabe's thought process was quite peculiar.

"Also, you don't think that was the end of it just now, do you?"

Watanabe silently put away the money.

Of course, he understood that things were far from over. Both Danzo and Kitahara Jo would likely come after him again. He absolutely couldn't join Root.

He was already contemplating fleeing Konoha.

"I didn't expect your early graduation from the Ninja Academy would lead to you joining Root. That department isn't a place for normal people. You absolutely shouldn't go," Tsunade said indignantly on his behalf.

Tsunade felt deeply guilty. The reason Watanabe was targeted by Root was entirely her fault. If she hadn't deliberately gone easy on him yesterday, Watanabe wouldn't have even come to Danzo's attention.

Hearing her opinion of Root, Watanabe's mind stirred, and he asked, "What does that department do?"

Tsunade didn't hide anything and revealed all the information she knew:

"Root is a mysterious organization in Konoha that was established not long ago. It's directly led by Danzo and specializes in handling dark missions that can't see the light of day. Only a very small number of people in the village know about Root."

"When Danzo proposed creating Root, my grandmother was the first to object, but unfortunately, Danzo still managed to establish it."

Watanabe mused. No wonder he had never heard of Root. Tsunade, on the other hand, was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and her grandmother was still alive, so it was normal for her to know secrets that ordinary people didn't.

"In short, Root does abnormal things, and its members are all abnormal people. It would be better for you to graduate normally like your classmates than to graduate early and join Root."

Watanabe felt the same way. He didn't want to join Root in the first place, and after Tsunade's explanation, he wanted to join even less. However...

"It's just that Danzo has already set his sights on you. If he can't recruit you into Root, he probably won't let it go. What are you going to do?" Tsunade looked at him.

Watanabe fell silent.

What should I do?

That's a good question.

Who knows what I should do!

He certainly wouldn't tell Tsunade that he planned to flee Konoha.

Seeing Watanabe remain silent, Tsunade grew anxious.

She had caused this trouble for Watanabe, and it was only right that she help him resolve it. However, she hoped Watanabe would ask for help himself. Otherwise, it would be somewhat embarrassing for her to bring it up.

Thus, a tacit silence fell between them for a while.

Why is she still lingering at my place? Does she really expect me to treat her to a meal?

Watanabe frowned inwardly.

The longer he stayed in Konoha, the greater the possibility of Root causing trouble for him. He had to leave quickly, and his escape plan needed to be meticulously laid out.

Just as he couldn't resist asking Tsunade to leave--

"I'll help you!"

Tsunade suddenly spoke.

Watanabe was taken aback and asked suspiciously, "How will you help me?"

Tsunade's gaze flickered. "I'll have my grandmother speak to Danzo and tell him to stop paying attention to you. Then you'll be fine."

Watanabe was stunned again.

"It's... it's that simple??"

He found it unbelievable. For him, this was a matter of life and death, and Tsunade could resolve it with a casual sentence?

Tsunade pouted. "My grandmother is the most senior elder in Konoha. With her intervening, Danzo certainly wouldn't dare to touch you."

Watanabe: "..."

Tsunade's grandmother was the wife of the First Hokage. If she were to step in on his behalf, she truly would have that much influence.

So I don't have to flee Konoha?

Thinking this, Watanabe's heart leaped. If he could stay in Konoha, he obviously wanted to. He knew nothing about the situation in the ninja world, and leaving Konoha rashly would surely lead to a life of wandering.

"Will your grandmother help me?" Watanabe asked calmly, suppressing his excitement.

Seeing that he still appeared nonchalant, Tsunade said irritably, "If I wasn't going to help you, why would I say this?"

"..."

"Why are you helping me so much?" Watanabe asked, voicing his inner doubts.

He hardly ever interacted with Tsunade in class, and they had no friendship between them. There was no reason for her to help him.

Tsunade bit her lip and revealed the truth: "I caused you to be targeted by Danzo."

"Yesterday, I didn't want you to lose too badly in front of your classmates, so I deliberately went easy on you and sparred with you for a bit longer. Afterward, Teacher Rukawa reported our sparring session to the Hokage's office. I assume Danzo saw that report and decided to recruit you into Root."

(Some content has been omitted due to content policy conflicts)