Super Genius?

The moon hung above the treetops.

"Sigh, if it's not working, just take a rest."

Arms crossed over her chest, Tsunade, exhausted from demonstrating the technique over and over, complained inwardly:

"It's already so late; how could anyone master an S-rank sealing jutsu in a single day?"

Yet, she didn't dare urge him to stop.

She was terrified of disturbing Uchiha Xiu!

After all, this involved deep cultivation of the brain region; the slightest error could be catastrophic. If something went wrong... the Fifth Hokage might end up an idiot, or at the very least, suffer severe damage to his existing chakra pathways.

Meanwhile.

Uchiha Xiu remained standing in the center of the open courtyard, his figure motionless amidst the elongated, slanted shadows.

What a monster. His chakra reserves don't lose to me, a direct descendant of the Senju, perhaps even rivaling the Second Hokage? And he possesses that Wood Release with the same devouring properties as the First Hokage—that Anbu agent Yamato can't even compare.

His recovery ability is even more exaggerated.

With nothing better to do, Tsunade let her thoughts wander, Could it be that he awakened Wood Release on his own by fusing Earth and Water nature transformations, then harmonizing them with powerful Yang Release energy?

The blonde beauty was deep in her own conjectures.

"Hoo~"

At that moment, the mark on his forehead flashed, and Uchiha Xiu opened his eyes, sighing as he muttered to himself:

"Almost there."

"..."

How is it that phrase again? Tsunade, trapped in this "prison" with him, wore a look of utter helplessness.

"Kid, are you really sure you're okay? Even if your recovery speed is fast, you can't repair mental exhaustion at a cellular level. Why not rest for the night and try again tomorrow morning?"

Her voice was laced with concern.

"It's really almost there this time."

"Still at it? Fine, suit yourself!"

Glancing at the broad-minded, tsundere blonde, Uchiha Xiu added, "Why don't you go get some rest? Surely you aren't worried that I, the dignified Hokage, would act like a thief in the old Senju Compound?"

"Sigh... I'll stay, I'll stay. If the Fifth Hokage is too reckless and accidentally fries his brain, I can provide emergency treatment immediately."

Under the moonlight, the sharp-tongued Tsunade, clicking her heels, wore a disgruntled expression: "Two Hokage dying in succession within ten days, plus the Fourth Hokage who died in his prime—the outside world is going to start rumors that the position of Hokage is cursed..."

Before she could finish, the medical ninja, who had suffered one blow of fate after another before leaving Konoha, paused, her expression turning somber.

"Cursed."

"In the ninja world, everyone has their own misfortunes."

Sensing the shift in mood, Uchiha Xiu suppressed his thoughts and said considerately, "I've already donated that batch of gold to the village treasury, but I still have over two million ryo left in my personal stash from my writing royalties. I can give you two million."

"Really?"

Tsunade, who hadn't gambled in days, seemed to come back to life, enticing him: "Hehe, Fifth, once the village is stable, do you want to go out and clean house with me?"

Young and wealthy.

With a partner like this at the gambling table, she would never have to worry about money again!

"No." Uchiha Xiu shook his head.

Heaven is my witness, in his past life, he was a model citizen, and he had always been at odds with gambling and drugs!

"Fine, you boring guy." Tsunade pouted.

Second stage, activate!

Utilizing his captain's authority, Uchiha Xiu easily broke through to the second stage of the Gene Lock, entering that special state once more.

His muscles, blood, nerves, and five senses were all temporarily and significantly enhanced, and his level of control over the flow of energy within his body reached a new height.

Since I said it was almost there, I certainly wasn't just puffing out my chest to look tough in front of a woman.

I suspect that successfully cultivating the Yin Seal will also be of some help in unlocking the third stage of the Gene Lock, as it is strongly correlated with the brain region.

Time is like a wild donkey; once it starts running, it never stops.

The moon set and the sun rose.

Finally!

As the sky began to brighten, Tsunade, who was yawning while propping up her head, saw a tiny, faint purple diamond-shaped light point appear in the center of Uchiha Xiu's forehead.

One second... two seconds... five seconds...

He had broken his previous record.

A perfectly stable point, glowing bright!

The Strength of a Hundred Seal pulsed faintly in rhythm with his steady breathing, no longer dissipating.

"Monster."

Amidst Tsunade's heartfelt assessment, Uchiha Xiu slowly opened his eyes, the Sharingan already having faded away.

Admittedly, due to the long-term high concentration of his spirit and the continuous, precise output of chakra, his complexion appeared somewhat pale, but he felt exceptionally satisfied.

Very good, I've become stronger again.

Stronger day by day, and the increase was remarkably obvious.

"Congratulations. The seal is fully formed; the hardest step is behind you. Now, all that's left is to get some good rest, and after you wake up, continuously store chakra inside it."

This time, Tsunade did not resort to a sharp tongue or tsundere behavior, stating matter-of-factly:

"I originally thought... even with my help, if you could stably construct the foundation of the seal within ten days, you would already be a super genius. It turns out your chakra control and mental strength seem to have surpassed even Grandmother's level."

Surpassing Uzumaki Mito?

That princess who traveled thousands of miles, bringing with her a vast fortune and various high-end sealing techniques to marry into Konoha.

"Thank you for your guidance; you've worked hard."

Uchiha Xiu spoke solemnly, touching the faint purple glow on his brow, then shifted the topic:

"You must be hungry. What do you want to eat?"

Tsunade pondered for a moment and said, "Ichiraku Ramen. After eating, I'm going back to sleep. I'm so tired; ever since I returned to the village and attended the high-level meeting, I haven't had a single meal."

"Let's go!"

The two walked one after the other, temporarily leaving the Senju Compound that had been forgotten by most.

On the way.

Tsunade spoke without reservation, detailing her personal insights and experiences to Uchiha Xiu, who was about to set out on his campaign.

Along this path, she had carved out her own unique method—by releasing the Yin Seal and unleashing the stored chakra, she could cover her entire body in cursed seals to achieve automatic regeneration of injuries, and by micro-adjusting her chakra, she could maintain her youth and physical peak.

It significantly enhanced the effects of ninjutsu, which could be considered a form of pseudo-sage mode!

Combined with Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth, it formed a seamless regenerative body, namely:

The ultimate combat-type medical ninjutsu.

"I am more inclined to use it purely as a chakra reservoir, and then capture a Tailed Beast from the Land of Earth to further strengthen myself."

"What?" Tsunade was startled.

At the meeting, this guy beside her only spoke of liberating the Tailed Beasts and destroying Iwagakure's war capabilities; he hadn't mentioned going after their lifeblood!

"The Third Ninja World War repeatedly proved that the First Hokage's approach of distributing Tailed Beasts—those nuclear weapons—to various countries to pursue strategic deterrence and avoid war was completely wrong."

"Instead, it only escalated the intensity."

"Now, I am going to take them back, starting with one Tailed Beast."

Tsunade didn't understand what "nuclear weapons" meant, but she could grasp the intent behind his words and did not refute him.

After a period of silence, the Princess of the Land of Fire whispered, "Then prove it to me, and to the others, that you can do better than the First Hokage."

"But the scale of the weakening cannot be too excessive, lest it alert the other nations and cause them to form an alliance to attack Konoha regardless of national strength or grudges. The Tailed Beasts are the lifeblood of those guys, after all."

"Besides, that Akatsuki organization you mentioned is also constantly coveting this power."