See You Again, Tsunade

After flying for dozens of kilometers, Beichen Haotian finally got his fill of flying and landed back on the ground, leaving Hawk Eyes to play on his own.

For the next few days, Beichen Haotian traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping now and then to admire the scenery, enjoy delicious food, and relax completely. Once he had thoroughly cleared away the exhaustion accumulated from years of work, he gathered his thoughts and began quietly verifying his past life's insights as a Great Swordmaster in the world of Naruto.

Beichen Haotian slowed his pace and fully unleashed his mental strength along the way, quietly sensing the pulses of all things breathing. The feeling was extremely mysterious. The first step to becoming a swordmaster was Iron Cutting. Iron Cutting did not rely on brute force or the sharpness of one's weapon, but on following the breath and pulse of iron, finding its weakness, and cutting it down.

As a Great Swordmaster in his past life, Iron Cutting was naturally effortless for Beichen Haotian. At his peak, he could even cut through Seastone and diamonds. Although the two worlds were different, their fundamental laws were the same. Before long, Beichen Haotian had immersed himself in the breathing of all things. His Observation Haki helped him enter this state tremendously.

Every flower and blade of grass, every tree and stone, as well as copper, silver, iron, gold, and countless other things all fell within the scope of Beichen Haotian's perception as long as he saw them. When one became completely immersed in something, time passed exceptionally quickly. Before long, half a month had gone by.

That evening, Beichen Haotian awoke from his insights. His dark eyes shone brilliantly like stars in the sky. He reached behind him and drew his Tang Saber. In the slightly gloomy woods, he quietly swung his blade. Its glint flickered beneath the newly risen moon as his form shifted faster and faster. In the end, he left behind countless afterimages. Then the afterimages merged into one, everything fell silent, and not the slightest trace of Chakra remained.

"Whew, I've finally recovered most of my past-life strength. All that remains is the gap in physical constitution and Haki." With a clang, Beichen Haotian cleanly returned his sword to its sheath and let out a long breath. At the same time, dozens of trees around him snapped with a crash and toppled toward the ground together. Their cuts were perfectly smooth, and clouds of dust billowed into the air.

Summoning Technique.

Poof! A cloud of white smoke rose, revealing a magnificent golden eagle with a plump game animal dangling from its beak. Beichen Haotian took it, prepared the animal, and the golden eagle spread its wings and soared into the sky again. Not long afterward, it returned with another animal in its beak.

The man and beast ate their fill in the woods. The next day, Beichen Haotian stood on Hawk Eyes' back and flew rapidly toward the Land of Rice. The golden eagle was incredibly fast; more than a thousand kilometers was nothing, taking only half a day. This was even without Hawk Eyes using his full strength, since he had not fully matured yet. Otherwise, his speed would have been even more astonishing.

After entering the Land of Rice, Beichen Haotian contacted the Root members stationed there and asked them to help him find Tsunade. Meanwhile, he wandered through casinos in various towns.

Three days later, Beichen Haotian received word that Tsunade was in a casino in a border town of the Land of Rice. He happily had the golden eagle carry him there. Although they had exchanged letters over the past few years, he had to admit that he had missed her.

He let the golden eagle go play on its own and entered the town, heading straight for its largest casino. Before he even stepped inside, he faintly heard Tsunade's excited voice.

Big, big... Big!

"Damn it, why is it small again? Did you cheat?" Tsunade's furious voice rang in Beichen Haotian's ears.

The people watching the entrance did not stop Beichen Haotian when he entered. As long as he was not there to cause trouble, anyone could enter regardless of age. In fact, the younger, the better. Young people had more impulsive blood and less experience, making it easier for the casino to get their money into its own pockets.

"No, no, how would I dare cheat in front of you? It's just that after losing several consecutive rounds on small, you still kept betting on big."

"Hmph, my luck is terrible today. I'm done gambling." With that, Tsunade left, followed by a little girl around ten years old in a black dress who kept trying to persuade her.

Tsunade pushed open the private room door and walked out. Beichen Haotian stood quietly outside, smiling.

"Huh? Haotian, what are you doing here? Did you find me?" Tsunade sounded surprised and delighted.

"I got tired of doing so many missions, so I came out to travel around the Ninja World. I suddenly thought of Sister Tsunade, so I had Root investigate and provide me with a few clues. I searched casino after casino and finally found you here."

"Root? How did you end up mixed up with Danzo? He's not a good person." Tsunade's tone grew somewhat stern.

Beichen Haotian neither agreed nor disagreed. With a smile, he said, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go somewhere else."

"Mm." Tsunade nodded.

Suddenly, a greasy-looking, potbellied man wearing gold and silver jewelry emerged from one of the casino's lowest-grade private rooms. Several bodyguards and warriors followed behind him. He called out loudly, "Lord Tsunade, don't rush off just yet. The Yoshida Casino just sent word demanding that you repay your debt."

Tsunade's face turned awkward, and she tried to slip away. Beichen Haotian's brow furrowed, and his gaze suddenly turned icy. The temperature inside the casino seemed to drop. The killing intent of the Thousand Man Slayer made many ordinary people tremble and struggle to remain standing.

"Tell the owner of that Yoshida Casino not to think that just because Sister Tsunade is bad at gambling and kind to ordinary people, he can cheat her money however he pleases. I know all the tricks you people use here. I'll let her past losses go, but you'd better obediently destroy those IOUs. Otherwise, countless cold-blooded ninja will pay a visit to his family."

"Haotian... Isn't this going a little too far? I don't want people saying I have poor gambling ethics," Tsunade said quietly from the side.

"This isn't about gambling ethics. There are too many tricks inside casinos. They can influence the outcome without using ninjutsu or Chakra. If Sister Tsunade had lost through sheer bad luck, I wouldn't say anything. Besides, her money doesn't grow on trees."

"This young man is going too far. Repaying debts is only right and proper. We never forced Lord Tsunade to gamble." Although the casino owner had been intimidated by Beichen Haotian's killing intent and had gone pale, he was still a casino owner. A man in this line of business naturally had some courage.

"Interesting. Repaying debts is only right and proper? That's certainly true. But today, I'll teach you another principle: the bigger fist is the real big one. I don't have Sister Tsunade's good temper toward you people," Beichen Haotian said coldly.

Suddenly, the casino filled with blood-colored sword light. Streaks of sword light carrying an incomparably sharp aura shot outward, frightening the people inside into sitting frozen on the floor, afraid to move even slightly and risk touching the blades.

Three breaths later, the sword light vanished, and the casino collapsed in an instant. It collapsed with considerable "precision." Under Beichen Haotian's deliberate control, every gambler was spared. Most of the rubble piled up beside the casino owner and his lackeys, while clouds of dust shrouded them.

"Remember, don't use your lives to challenge my patience. This time, it's only a small lesson. If anyone dares use underhanded tricks while gambling with Sister Tsunade in the future, I'll have ninja wipe out their entire family. Keep things fair and rely purely on luck." Beichen Haotian snorted and left with Tsunade.

Inside a reasonably decent tavern, Beichen Haotian, Tsunade, and Shizune sat together. Tsunade sat casually, Beichen Haotian sat cross-legged, and Shizune knelt.

"Wow, Big Brother Haotian, you're amazing! With one swing, you brought down the entire building!" Shizune, still a little girl, spoke with delight. She had long been dissatisfied with the casinos taking advantage of Tsunade, and she found Beichen Haotian quite likable.

Beichen Haotian smiled, his expression as warm as sunlight, entirely different from his murderous appearance earlier.

"Was that the result of your time in Root? Your killing intent is far too heavy. It's already no weaker than Orochimaru's." Tsunade took a sip of wine and spoke with worry.

"No. I wasn't this strong when I left Root. After leaving Konoha, I cultivated alone for a while and gained some insights. Then, after fighting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, I reached this level."

"Really? You can already fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? Which one?" Tsunade immediately became interested.

"The Blast Blade, the Long Blade, the Lightning Blade, and the Severing Blade. I fought all four of them. We were basically evenly matched." Beichen Haotian smiled faintly, putting on a subtle display of his strength.

For some reason, after recovering most of his swordsmanship, Beichen Haotian had begun letting himself go. Perhaps it was the confidence brought by his increased strength. He was no longer as cautious as before, hiding in the shadows. He was becoming more and more like the Great Swordmaster from his past life, who had roamed the seas freely and done as he pleased. Although Beichen Haotian used a Tang Saber, the difference between sabers and swords in One Piece and Naruto was truly insignificant, especially when compared with the Tang Saber.

"Really? At such a young age, you've already reached this level? You're even more talented than Orochimaru and our teacher. Tell me honestly, how strong are you now?" A trace of pride appeared on Tsunade's face as she asked with a smile.

"Elite Jonin-level Chakra, Kage-level combat power." Beichen Haotian was concise.

Just as I expected. Haotian, go help our teacher. Root is too dark. I'm afraid Danzo will lead you astray.

"I don't want to."

"Why?" Tsunade's expression changed at once, and she asked angrily. She was confused, anxious, and faintly furious that her younger brother was about to take the wrong path.

"Sister Tsunade, don't treat me like a child. I've grown up and can distinguish right from wrong. That fellow Danzo may have poor character and use unscrupulous methods, but he's treated me quite well. Root's resources are all open to me. Other than him, I'm the most powerful person in Root, and I face very few restrictions there. Danzo has shown me some kindness. Would Sister Tsunade really want me to become an ungrateful person?"

"Besides, although Danzo's ideals differ from those of Lord Hokage, he still wants what's best for Konoha. We can seek common ground while reserving our differences, so Sister Tsunade shouldn't condemn him outright. Your god-brother has always had a mind of his own. It's impossible for someone else to brainwash me. And my presence in Root benefits Lord Hokage and Konoha as well. If Root or Danzo ever develops any ideas harmful to Konoha or Lord Hokage, I'll notify you in advance. My heart is on Sister Tsunade's side."

Tsunade was defeated by Beichen Haotian's eloquence. She stammered for a long while but could not think of anything to refute him, and in the end, she could only silently accept it.

She still trusted her god-brother completely. He had been strong-minded since the day they met, and he possessed powerful strength. He should not be led down an evil path by Danzo.