Just Let Me Leave...

When Tsunade said that, Uchiha Gen turned to look at her. She'd just said she was going to use Nawaki's money, right?

"What's with that look? My money's good, you know. You're really going to complain about me treating you to a meal?"

Tsunade punched Uchiha Gen on the head, but it was just an ordinary punch.

...I can't beat her, so I'll put up with it.

"Come to think of it, that chakra mode you used just now would suit a technique I'm currently refining. Igniting your chakra to strengthen your body is dangerous, sure.

"But it's dangerous because it rapidly drains your body to gather chakra in a short time. If the chakra you ignite has been stored up in advance, then there shouldn't be any danger."

As she spoke, Tsunade removed the Forehead Protector from her brow, revealing a faint diamond-shaped mark.

"The Yin Seal?"

Looking at the mark on Tsunade's forehead, Uchiha Gen couldn't help but freeze.

Right. Chakra couldn't be stored in the body like qi, but there were ways to store chakra in the Shinobi World. And here was one right in front of him.

"You even know about this? Grandma originally created the Yin Seal to deal with the Nine-Tails' enormous chakra, but it turned out to be far more effective than expected.

"With a few clever touches, Grandma added some simple Sealing Jutsu to it, and the Yin Seal gained the ability to preserve youth.

"Heh heh, brat, do you understand what it means to preserve your youth? It means that decades from now, you'll be a little old man, while I'll still be beautiful and charming. Wa-ka-ka-ka!"

Tsunade had gotten so carried away talking herself up that she planted her hands on her hips and burst out laughing.

This woman... Is something wrong with her head?

Watching Tsunade suddenly laugh with her hands on her hips, Uchiha Gen was at a loss for words.

At this point, before losing her loved ones one after another, Tsunade was as full of energy as Nawaki.

"Brat, I feel like you're thinking something really rude. All right, see if you can move now."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Uchiha Gen. Although he remained expressionless, a woman's sixth sense told her that the spiky-haired brat was badmouthing her in his head.

"Barely."

Uchiha Gen raised a hand and lightly clenched his fist as he answered.

"Tch, and you call that barely? If someone else tried what you just did, they'd probably be stuck in bed for two days. By the way, did we make a bit too much of a scene? Why don't you explain?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes, then looked at the Naka River bank, which had been completely transformed, and at the pairs of red eyes standing in the distance. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke to Uchiha Gen.

Uchiha Clan Compound.

At Setsuna Uchiha's home.

"Gen, that was far too reckless. Mito Uzumaki wouldn't lay a hand on you because of the First Hokage, but there's no guarantee that girl from the Senju wouldn't. In close combat, with her strength, even Ganghuo would have a hard time saving you if she meant you harm."

Setsuna Uchiha looked at Uchiha Gen and spoke gravely.

As someone who had lived through the Warring States period, he knew what Mito Uzumaki was like. But that didn't mean he trusted the people connected to her.

To this day, their generation of Uchiha recognized only Hashirama Senju among the Senju. They also accepted Mito Uzumaki as Hashirama Senju's wife.

As for everyone else, including that evil man Tobirama Senju, they would never accept them!

"I can make my own judgments. Besides... if I want to leave, she can't stop me."

Uchiha Gen's expression didn't change. It wasn't arrogance; it was confidence.

"I know you have a trump card, but most of the time, you need to think things through more carefully. Her status is unusual, after all. She's not only the First Hokage's granddaughter, but also Hiruzen Sarutobi's student.

"You're young, and you have your own ideas. We old folks won't interfere, but we have to ensure your absolute safety."

Setsuna Uchiha spoke gravely.

"I understand."

"Good. In that case, go get some rest. Also, the herbs for next year's medicinal bath have all been gathered. Our clan doesn't have a medical ninja with the right level of skill, so we could only add some herbs based on your physical strength.

"We old folks don't know your limits. Since you've chosen to get involved with the Senju, you can try making use of that Senju descendant named Tsunade. Her medical skills should be the best in Konoha at this point."

Setsuna Uchiha raised a hand. A Uchiha ninja immediately came over carrying a large bundle of scrolls and stood behind Uchiha Gen. Looking at the scrolls, Setsuna Uchiha spoke softly.

A medicinal bath was an extremely expensive way to temper and strengthen the body. But medicinal herbs were scarce, and the Uchiha's main business was various kinds of "weaponry," so they usually had to trade with other ninja clans to obtain herbs.

In the past, the Uchiha wouldn't have bothered. But now, Setsuna Uchiha wanted to give Uchiha Gen a better foundation, so they had arranged medicinal baths for him.

The biggest source of herbs was the Nara—or rather, the Nara's trading company, which operated in secret.

"Sorry for the trouble, Elder."

"It's no trouble. Besides, I'm only doing this for the future of the Uchiha. I'm old already. It's nice to still be able to do something useful."

Setsuna Uchiha watched Uchiha Gen leave, his expression calm.

He hadn't asked what the golden light that appeared around Uchiha Gen during his fight with Tsunade was, and he wouldn't. There was no need for an old man on the verge of the grave to know this child's secrets.

Beneath the moonlight, Uchiha Gen walked through the clan compound on his way home.

"My current strengths are mostly my speed and the power I've built up by honing my body and risking my life. The clan members I spar with are all Chunin, so whether I use the sword techniques of Thunder Breathing or rely on ninjutsu, I can finish them off quickly.

"But if I run into an enemy who's both stronger and faster than me, everything I've learned so far becomes useless. I can only rely on the Golden Light Spell to defend against their attacks.

"Not everyone is Tsunade, but by the same token, not everyone will go easy on me. Swordsmanship honed to its peak can cut through anything, but mastering it takes time.

"And right now, time is both what I have most of and what I lack most. To deal with this kind of situation, it's time to start working on those two techniques."

Beneath the moonlight, Uchiha Gen reviewed his fight with Tsunade. Calling it a fight was generous; it had been more like Tsunade playing with him one-sidedly.

If he couldn't break through her defenses, none of his other methods mattered.

There weren't many people in the Shinobi World with strong defenses, but that didn't mean there were none.

He needed to prepare early.