Let Me See Your Wood Release

When Tsunade questioned her in confusion, Qingguang found himself wondering the same thing.

Momoka closed her eyes. "If you hadn't taken this path, there was still Nawaki."

"He was Tobirama's backup plan. The boy wasn't as talented as you when it came to being a ninja, but with the Senju Clan supporting him, the plan could still have gone ahead."

"It would just have been much harder."

Only when Momoka said those words did Tsunade feel her chest tighten, making it difficult to breathe.

Had everything—all of it—really been planned out more than thirty years ago?

She felt as though she were a pawn, manipulated by an unseen hand, her life mapped out to become what they wanted, what they hoped for.

An unnamed fury filled her chest, but it was all suppressed by the two words "Konoha," leaving her unable to find peace.

Even her beloved little brother had been one of the backup pawns.

"So... you never cared about how I felt. You just manipulated the course of my life like a puppet on a string, without a second thought?"

Her crimson nails dug into her palm. Blood dripped onto the tatami, staining the woven rushes red and blooming into a ravishing, fading flower.

"No. You have to make your own choices. If neither you nor Nawaki wants to become Hokage, then with your status, you can still get the life you want."

"But if that happens, we don't know whether the village's future can withstand the designs of the other great nations."

"At worst, we'll simply return to the Warring States Period."

To Tsunade, that answer was nothing but sophistry. As Hashirama's granddaughter, how could she stand by and watch the village her ancestors had worked so hard to build go to ruin?

It seemed as though she had a choice, but in truth, she didn't.

With that thought, Tsunade stopped asking questions. She simply rose in silence and left.

Right now, she just wanted some time to clear her head.

Watching Tsunade leave, Qingguang felt at a loss. The hosts who had brought him here were gone. Did he... even need to stay?

"Senior Momoka, should I go get Big Sis?" Qingguang asked.

"Let her be alone for a while. The girl needs some time to herself right now."

"There are other things she shouldn't hear." Senju Momoka opened her eyes and looked at Qingguang.

That left Qingguang even more flustered. He pointed at himself.

"Me? Is there something you want to tell me, Senior Momoka?"

This was the last thing Qingguang had expected. Could she be asking him to support Tsunade from now on?

Of course he would. Hiruzen Sarutobi treated him like a loyal dog, Danzo treated him like a tool, and Orochimaru wanted to recruit him. Who knew—maybe one day Orochimaru would even want to get into his pants.

Tsunade was the only one worth trusting and supporting. She had no ulterior motives toward him.

"Let me see your Wood Release."

Momoka's sudden words made Qingguang realize that he hadn't been mistaken about the look she'd given him earlier.

"Wood Release? Senior Momoka, what are you talking about?"

"That's a Kekkei Genkai only the First Hokage ever mastered. Even Big Sis and Nawaki didn't inherit it. How could an Uchiha like me possibly use Wood Release?" Qingguang lowered his head slightly and gave a helpless smile.

"You don't have to lie to this old woman. I'm someone you can trust."

"And you're not the only person I've seen master Wood Release besides Hashirama."

"I personally assisted Tobirama in starting that forbidden experiment."

Those three sentences left Qingguang's mind completely blank.

But after hearing her explanation, he couldn't find anything illogical about it.

As one of Hashirama and Tobirama's most trusted confidantes, Momoka would naturally have known about Wood Release. Tobirama had even told her of his plans to rebuild the Senju Clan in the future. He wouldn't have kept this from her.

"Senior Momoka, can you tell me why you're so certain I can use Wood Release?"

He raised his hand. Several thick vines, each as wide as a finger, emerged from his sleeve, poured a cup of water, and handed it to Momoka.

Not a single drop spilled.

"Good. It seems you've been able to use Wood Release for some time."

"You have even more talent for Wood Release than your father."

"My father could use Wood Release too?"

At that moment, Qingguang felt that everything had grown even more mysterious. He could already sense the answer lurking somewhere in his heart.

So he, too, was a key pawn—part of the plan.

"Correct. Your personality is a lot like Kagami's, but there's a difference. You're more like a combination of Tobirama and Kagami. I didn't expect that."

"I'm sure Kagami's soul can rest in peace in the Pure Land now."

After taking a sip of water, Momoka set down her teacup and began to recount those secrets to Qingguang.

After the Senju Clan disbanded and Hashirama died, Tobirama and Momoka began planning how to keep Konoha from losing its way.

While Tobirama was alive, he could govern the entire village through the Senju Clan's remaining influence and his own iron grip. But if he died, how would the Third manage the village?

There was only one way: to make use of human nature, with its instinctive yearning for profit.

And where there was profit, unseen filth was bound to surface. That was where disciples like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo came in.

Kagami Uchiha, meanwhile, served two crucial purposes. First, he was a bridge between the village and the Uchiha. Second, he represented the possibility of Wood Release appearing again.

From Tobirama and Momoka's research, they learned that while Wood Release was a Kekkei Genkai, the crucial factor behind it was the unusually immense Yang Release Chakra in Hashirama's body.

Only the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan could balance that power. Only by combining yin and yang could someone control it.

That was why Kagami had stayed behind with Tobirama to cover their retreat.

With the power of Wood Release, they still had a chance to survive. If they died, Qingguang would become the next candidate for the Wood Release procedure.

Whether in his official capacity or in private, Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi would both give Qingguang special attention.

Even the decision to restart the Wood Release Plan after Tobirama's death, when Konoha had weakened considerably, had been part of Tobirama's plan.

After all, all this information was in the village archives. There was no way they didn't know about it; it was only a matter of time. Even the idea of using an Uchiha as a test subject had been subtly recorded and suggested in the documents.

It wasn't only Tsunade. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and Kagami had all been included in their arrangements and plans.

"Child, Hashirama's power could suppress the entire Shinobi World, but he's already fallen into madness. Only by mastering that kind of power again, alongside the right ideals, might we restore the village to its former glory—or even bring peace to the Shinobi World."

"I don't know how to tell Tsunade about these things. If that girl learned that someone had used her grandfather's body for human experimentation, she would never be able to accept it."

"I can only ask you to solve this problem. Tobirama and I could do no more than this."

"Please forgive Tobirama and me for everything we did. We had no other choice if we wanted to protect the village."