As a woman, Tsunade wasn't narrow-minded. On the contrary, she was more magnanimous than many men. Otherwise, she never could have become the Fifth Hokage without question.
She readily admitted that the current her was no match for Nara Dan.
The Third paused at her words, then shared what he had learned from Kakashi,
hoping to hear more of Tsunade's analysis.
The details were more or less the same as what Danzo had learned from Ino Rinya,
"He can change and correct the habits his body uses to exert force."
Tsunade furrowed her brow as well. Clearly, this technique went beyond her understanding of the human body.
"All I can say is that, in some respects, his understanding of the human body may surpass mine as a Medical Ninja."
"Perhaps he's no longer just a Taijutsu ninja."
"He's an expert in the study of the human body."
"After all, the idea that the human body has limits is only a conclusion drawn from history."
"Maybe there have always been ways to surpass the limits of the human body, but we simply don't know about them."
"Or perhaps the human body has no limits at all."
Tsunade spoke calmly, sharing her thoughts, but her eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
"After what he's done, won't we have to change our views?"
"Whatever the case, having stronger members is a good thing for Konoha."
As she said this, Tsunade gave the Third a meaningful look.
Don't go stirring up trouble, you old geezer. Don't turn something good into something bad.
Don't drive people away or push them to take their own lives.
One White Fang was bad enough. If Nara Dan became another, the Third's time as Hokage would be up.
No one would serve a superior who was so ungrateful and callous.
The Third pretended not to notice. An old politician's skin was thicker than you could imagine.
"Very well. Tsunade, go get some rest."
"And try to drink less."
"People need to look to the future."
Tsunade knew exactly what sort of person her teacher was, and she couldn't be bothered to listen to any more of his platitudes.
She left without another word.
The Third watched Tsunade walk away and sighed, an overwhelming sense of helplessness welling up inside him.
He wasn't truly an emotionless politician. On the contrary, in some ways, he was simply a softhearted old man.
To him, Tsunade was like a daughter.
The simplest truths are often the hardest to understand.
Perhaps we should all learn that lesson from Nara Dan.
No matter his circumstances, he's always full of fighting spirit, always pressing bravely forward.
That really is a rare quality.
In this cruel world...
"Hm?"
Nara Dan looked at Tsunade emerging from the Hokage Office in surprise.
The Third had summoned him, too, to discuss important matters.
Seeing Tsunade with a sake gourd in hand, Nara Dan raised an eyebrow. She really did act without restraint.
But no one in all of Konoha had more license to do so than her.
She was a Senju, the First's granddaughter, the Third's student, and the strongest Medical Ninja in the Ninja World.
The title of princess suited her perfectly.
Nara Dan greeted her.
"Lady Tsunade."
He had always respected this openhearted Medical Ninja.
Besides, Tsunade had once wanted to take him on as her student. He was grateful that she had recognized his potential.
But when Tsunade saw him, she looked him up and down, then gave a cold snort, the sound crisp and sharp.
"Jonin Nara, congratulations."
"You really have carved out a new path in Taijutsu."
"Looks like I was right to turn you down back then."
Nara Dan smiled at her words, unbothered.
No matter how broad a woman's mind might be, she could still be petty.
It had been years, but Tsunade had never forgotten that he'd refused her offer to take him on as a student. She'd never once given him a warm reception since; whenever they crossed paths, she'd usually just give him a cold snort.
For some reason, she'd said more to him today than usual.
"Lady Tsunade, you flatter me."
Nara Dan was very calm about his achievements. If someone with a Cheat System couldn't dominate the field, he might as well smash his head into a block of tofu and end it all.
"I was just lucky."
"And I was young and foolish back then."
"I hope you won't hold it against me, Lady Tsunade."
"If you're willing, I'd still like to learn from you."
One reason he'd turned Tsunade down was, of course, that he had the Cheat System.
With the Cheat System, Nara Dan had no fear of reaching a dead end in his progress.
More importantly, apart from the Senjutsu she might possess, he didn't think much of the techniques Tsunade had.
If Orochimaru had wanted to take him on as a student, he might have considered it.
He couldn't help it. Orochimaru had too much to offer.
One's Own Life Reincarnation, Cursed Seal Sage Art, White Snake Sage Art, Impure World Reincarnation—
they were all top-tier techniques that Nara Dan coveted.
Whatever the truth, women liked hearing nice things, and it never hurt to get along with a medical master like Tsunade.
Sure enough, her stern expression softened at his words.
"There's no point asking me to teach you now."
"But I'm curious—how did you rein in that aura of yours?"
Tsunade gave Nara Dan a searching look, examining him from head to toe.
She knew that his reduced stature wasn't simply a matter of having less energy.
He had compressed the energy in his body. It was much like her Yin Seal,
but Nara Dan clearly hadn't merely gathered and sealed away his Chakra. He had compressed and refined some kind of vital energy.
As an expert who also studied the human body, she knew all too well how difficult that was.
"Would you like to learn, Lady Tsunade?"
Nara Dan smiled warmly, teasing her as if he didn't care at all about keeping his techniques secret.
"I could teach you."
Tsunade's eyes widened at his words.
In that moment, with a faint haze of drunkenness clouding her mind, his refreshing, springlike presence made her feel even more entranced.
Slowly, it seemed to overlap with the figure buried deep in her memories.
That figure had been just like him, always warm and gentle, always willing to grant her every wish.
"Dan..."
Tsunade murmured the name, unable for a moment to tell reality from a dream.
Without thinking, she reached out a slender, pale hand to touch the figure's face.
But her hand grasped empty air.
Tsunade's eyes widened, and her drunkenness vanished in an instant.
As it turned out, seeing that Tsunade seemed too drunk to pay him any attention, Nara Dan had quietly disappeared from where he stood and gone into the Hokage Office.
"..."
Tsunade realized at once that she'd just lost her composure, and in front of a junior so much younger than her, no less.
"That bastard..."
Grinding her teeth, Tsunade hurried away from the entrance to the Hokage Office, her anger plain.
She didn't know whether she was angry at herself for losing her composure or at Nara Dan for leaving without a word.
But the blush on her face never faded.
She didn't know whether it was from the alcohol or something else.
What Tsunade didn't see was the thoughtful gleam in Nara Dan's eyes as he walked away.
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