Origin

"You two... know each other?"

Dongfang Mao asked cautiously.

Seeing Dongfang Mao's reaction, Tsunade suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Good, good, good, haha..."

The laughter was filled with surprise, but it quickly turned into bitterness, and at the same time, a glimmer of moisture welled up in the corners of Tsunade's eyes.

Dongfang Mao was completely bewildered by Tsunade's behavior and quickly turned to look at Shizune, only to find that Shizune's face was also filled with confusion; she seemed even more at a loss than he was.

Just as Dongfang Mao was wondering whether he should hide further away to avoid being suddenly struck by Tsunade, who seemed mentally unstable, her laughter suddenly stopped.

She reached up to wipe away the moisture from her eyes, opened her slightly reddened orbs, and then, forcibly controlling the surging emotions in her heart, squeezed a smile onto her face.

"Kid... I'll call you Mao. Let's go somewhere else; I need to have a proper talk with you."

"This..."

Tsunade's sudden gentleness actually made Mao feel a sense of dread, and he looked hesitant.

Seeing this, the corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched. The emotions she had just carefully cultivated were completely ruined by this oblivious brat.

Immediately, she stopped bothering with the pretense, hooked her arm around, and clamped Dongfang Mao's head under her armpit.

Ignoring the dirt and mess in Dongfang Mao's hair, she reached out and rubbed it vigorously, saying huffily.

"You brat, if I really wanted to do something to you, do you think those ragtag followers behind you could protect you?"

However, Dongfang Mao was no longer paying attention to what Tsunade was saying. He only felt as if he were buried in a ball of cotton candy; even through that tea-green sugar coating, he could feel the density, softness, and fragrant scent.

It was just that the weight of the "sugar ball" was a bit too heavy, causing Dongfang Mao to feel a deep sense of suffocation.

"Big Brother!"

Whether Dongfang Mao felt more suffocation or happiness at this moment, no one else could tell.

Regardless, from Yasuke's perspective, his Big Brother had been taken hostage in an instant by this damned ninja woman, and his eyes immediately widened in rage, like copper bells.

He grabbed his long blade and, leading the brothers beside him, surrounded them from both sides, instantly blocking Tsunade and Shizune in completely.

"Oh? You lot are quite loyal to this brat, aren't you?"

Tsunade looked over Yasuke and his men, her expression somewhat amused.

At the same time, Tsunade had to admit that this kid really had some ability. Calculating the time, he couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen years old, yet he had so many people willing to die for him.

Dongfang Mao heard the commotion and could no longer care about the "cotton candy ball." He struggled in the gap, and fortunately, Tsunade didn't continue to restrain him, allowing him to break free.

"Hah!"

He took a deep breath, and the sense of suffocation finally dissipated. He then looked ahead.

"Yasuke, stand down. She's right; if she really wanted to harm me, she wouldn't need to go through all this trouble."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Yasuke didn't hesitate in the slightest and immediately led his men to clear a path.

Although he was still somewhat uneasy in his heart, since Dongfang Mao had spoken, he would execute the order unconditionally.

However, he wasn't foolish enough to just stay put; he led his men to slowly trail behind Tsunade and the others, at least to ensure with his own eyes that his Big Brother remained safe and sound.

"Hah!"

Having left the foul-smelling cave, Tsunade faced the mountain breeze and let out a long breath.

Although the excitement of her emotions had allowed her to barely suppress the onset of her hemophobia, the environment Dongfang Mao had specifically set up still made her feel very uncomfortable. Now, she finally felt much refreshed.

She then took Dongfang Mao and Shizune into a nearby forest.

After finding a decent resting spot among the trees, Shizune sat down on a rock, holding the little ninja pig, her gaze silently darting back and forth between Tsunade and Dongfang Mao as she speculated on hundreds of possibilities for their relationship.

Dongfang Mao couldn't help but ask.

"Lady Tsunade, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Tsunade didn't answer immediately, instead asking in return.

"Mao, how much do you know about your father?"

"My father?"

Dongfang Mao scratched his head upon hearing this and then subconsciously said.

"A commoner from the Land of Fire with no surname who passed down a bit of his handsomeness to me?"

Tsunade's eye twitched immediately.

"You really are filial. Be serious."

After giving Dongfang Mao a flick to the forehead, Tsunade couldn't help but sigh again.

"A commoner with no surname? It seems he was truly desperate back then..."

Dongfang Mao stood up from the ground, rubbing his forehead. Hearing Tsunade's words, his eyes were full of inquiry, but he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

After a sigh of lament, Tsunade looked at Dongfang Mao with a complex expression, her tone softening.

"Your father, originally named Senju Yusuke, was once a member of the Senju clan of Konoha. Even before the founding of Konoha, he made outstanding contributions to the clan; he was a true elite of the Senju clan back in the day!"

Dongfang Mao listened and nodded in silence. He had actually harbored some guesses after seeing the shift in Tsunade's attitude earlier, but hearing it from her own lips was a different experience entirely.

"Then why did he..."

Tsunade knew what Dongfang Mao wanted to ask—why his father had ended up in such a state—and she shook her head, sighing once more.

"That was in the 18th year of Konoha. The Hokage at the time, who was also the head of the Senju clan, Senju Tobirama—my granduncle—was pushing hard to integrate the Senju clan into the common populace. The intention was good, meant for the development of Konoha, but..."

"But change requires a price. The beneficiaries cheer in support, while those whose interests are harmed oppose it with all their might. It seems my father was one of the opposition, then?"

Before Tsunade could finish her sentence, Dongfang Mao had already pieced together the outline of the situation.

Tsunade's voice caught in her throat at his words, and she looked at Dongfang Mao with a hint of surprise.

"I didn't expect you to be such a clever brat."

Dongfang Mao grinned. He had, after all, been a mountain bandit chief who once commanded hundreds of men; he naturally understood that maintaining the status quo was easy, but implementing change was incredibly difficult.

Back when he first sat in the top chair, he had killed quite a few people to push through certain policies, staining that mountain red with blood before things finally began to get on the right track.

Tsunade, realizing that although this kid didn't look old, his experiences were far beyond the ordinary, didn't find it strange and continued.

"Your father was indeed a member of the opposition, and perhaps the most vehement one at that. Your father had been a core member of the clan since childhood, raised on the stories of the Senju clan's glory told by his elders.

Therefore, your father could not tolerate Granduncle's decision no matter what. At the same time, he held significant prestige within the clan, and he caused quite a stir back then."

"He failed."

Dongfang Mao couldn't help but shake his head as he listened. Given Senju Tobirama's personality, unless his cheap father had staged a coup to take power, it would have been impossible to sway Senju Tobirama.

Of course, that was assuming he had the strength to stage a coup in the first place.