Adult Diejian

Diejian stood frozen as if pinned by a Sharingan, only his waist pulling back slightly.

His classmates all assumed Diejian liked the color purple, but in reality, he didn't particularly care for it; it was merely a consequence of circumstances that he ended up in situations involving the color.

Perhaps disappointed by Diejian's silence, Ina let out a heavy sigh and sat back down in her seat.

For some reason, her shoulders seemed to slump even lower than when she had first sat down.

Unable to watch any longer, Tsunade nudged Diejian in the side with her elbow.

The force was quite substantial, and Diejian felt a heavy impact against his ribs.

Thanks to Tsunade whispering "rose" in his ear, Diejian finally understood.

He didn't show it on his face, but he gave a mental clap of his hands.

He quickly formed hand seals, leaned forward, and extended his clenched fist toward Ina.

In front of the surprised Ina, Diejian opened his palm like a magic trick, revealing a hair accessory made of fresh flowers in the shape of a rose bouquet.

Ina leaned forward excitedly and hugged Diejian's head.

The thin wall felt softer than he had imagined, and amidst the aroma of grilled meat, that faint, sweet scent made Diejian's cheeks flush.

After the hug ended, Ina happily took the small rose bouquet, undid her ponytail to let her hair fall loose, and tucked the accessory near her ear.

Her pale blonde hair and the red of the rose complemented each other beautifully.

Diejian smiled and said, "It suits you," to which Ina shyly replied, "Well, obviously."

Sakumo and Tsunade clicked their tongues and laughed out loud.

(As a woman myself, I wouldn't want to receive a gift like this at a barbecue joint.)

Tsunade thought to herself as she picked up the meat on the grill that had already charred into coal.

"But brother, if you had something this stylish, why didn't you bring it out sooner? When did you even prepare it?"

Tsunade didn't mean to ruin the mood, but she couldn't help herself, and having genuine questions, she interjected.

Diejian had only just been released from his confinement and had finally managed to get out.

Logically, he shouldn't have had the time to prepare such trinkets.

"I'm curious about that too," Sakumo echoed Tsunade's sentiment.

How the rose was prepared—that was something Sakumo hadn't had the chance to ask when Diejian gave the rose to Juri.

Although Tobirama had warned him to keep it a secret, Diejian felt there was no need to hide it from the people present, so he honestly told them the truth.

"Wood Release!?"

The three voices echoed through the barbecue restaurant, and Diejian smiled, as if to say, "I knew it."

"Wood Release, isn't that... unique to Grandfather? Brother, how on earth did you do that?"

Tsunade, who like Diejian was a grandchild of Hashirama, posed the question on behalf of the three of them.

"Well," Diejian nodded.

Diejian discovered he could use Wood Release shortly after being discharged from the hospital, tracing back to when he resumed his ninjutsu training under Tobirama's guidance.

There is a ninjutsu called "Heavenly Weeping."

It is one of the ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, a Water Release technique that requires no hand seals, utilizing both shape transformation and nature transformation.

By converting chakra into the nature of water within the mouth and further sharpening and extending that chakra, it creates "water senbon" capable of easily piercing even the human body.

Due to its convenience, element of surprise, and lethality, it was one of Tobirama's go-to techniques for close-quarters combat and was also perfectly suited for chakra control exercises.

Tobirama reasoned that since Diejian had already mastered the Water Severing Wave, he should be ready for this technique, so he chose it as a way to double as rehabilitation training for chakra control.

Diejian followed Tobirama's instructions and began refining chakra in his mouth.

Careful, be careful—the way his mouth moved was comical, but Diejian's expression was deadly serious.

Tobirama had expected that, at worst, the failure would result in a spray of water from his nose, but he widened his eyes at the tree branch that flew out of Diejian's mouth.

A clear anomaly—Tobirama immediately interrupted the training and used the Flying Thunder God to teleport to Mito, who was well-versed in medical ninjutsu.

The fact they discovered was shocking.

Diejian, who had been gutted by Kakuzu along with his heart and meridian system, still bore a massive scar on his back.

Although the mark remained, the wound itself had completely healed, as had the regeneration of his heart and meridian system.

The secret technique of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had no flaws; if there was an issue, it was simply that he was a "special existence."

Hashirama was a rare ninja capable of wielding all five elemental attributes, but he was particularly skilled in water and earth—and the Kekkei Genkai derived from them: the peerless Wood Release ninjutsu.

It was precisely because of this that the mutation occurred.

---Hashirama's chakra, which carried a "special property."

"Natural energy" that transcended mere chakra.

And the regeneration of his heart and meridian system.

These three unprecedented elements were intricately intertwined within Diejian's body, which had been moving toward resurrection and had even consumed the soul that had been summoned back.

Diejian's cells had been permeated by Hashirama's unique chakra, fundamentally altering their form.

His meridian system, naturally possessing both "Water" and "Earth" affinities, had been pulled together and fused by the singular power of Hashirama's chakra, triggering a mutation.

Earth and Water—as long as he refined one type of chakra, the other would be triggered in tandem.

These two attributes, activated simultaneously, were fused outside of Diejian's conscious control, ultimately manifesting as the Kekkei Genkai: Wood Release.

In essence, having lost the distinct properties of "Water" and "Earth," the only remaining elements were "Fire" and "Wood Release," which now constituted Diejian's power.

However, Diejian's body could not keep up with the fundamental and drastic changes occurring at the cellular and spiritual levels; even after a year, he remained unable to use ninjutsu properly—that was the current state of affairs.

Tobirama judged that forcing it would be futile, so he changed their training regimen, deciding to suspend ninjutsu practice in favor of taijutsu until the new meridian system fully integrated with his body.

The rise in Diejian's taijutsu scores at the Ninja Academy was a direct result of this.

At the same time, he was strictly cautioned to keep his Wood Release a secret until he was capable of protecting himself.

A one-of-a-kind Wood Release ninjutsu.

The number of ninja who would covet such a thing was likely as numerous as the hairs on a beast.

It never hurt to be careful.

Furthermore, compared to Hashirama's, Diejian's Wood Release was like a drop of water in the ocean.

When he first heard about the changes to his body from Mito and Tobirama, Diejian had ignored Tobirama's warnings and, driven by the desire to see his wish fulfilled, activated his Wood Release—only to create a tiny flowerbed about the size of a single tatami mat.

Considering he had intended to unleash the "Wood Release Secret Technique: Deep Forest Emergence," a move capable of creating massive trees that spread pollen and swallowed everything in their path, the disparity was painfully obvious.

Naturally, he was immediately caught by Tobirama, who had been monitoring him with chakra perception, and Diejian received a severe reprimand.

It seemed Tobirama's headaches were destined to continue.

"---So, all I can really do is make some flowers bloom."

"Come to think of it, when you put it that way, I suppose I do have some aptitude for it."

After speaking, Diejian moistened his throat.

Sakumo, having heard Diejian's words and perhaps recalling the wood fragments mixed into the "Earth Landslide Technique," spoke up.

Tsunade muttered, "That's that troublesome technique," with a look of utter disdain.

Diejian laughed heartily, though inwardly he mocked himself for his inability to fully harness the power inherited from Hashirama, feeling quite pathetic.

"That's amazing, isn't it!"

Ina's eyes sparkled as she leaned in toward Diejian.

Forced back by Ina's intensity, Diejian leaned away, suddenly remembering—come to think of it—.

Women who enjoyed flower viewing were common enough, but Ina was a die-hard flower enthusiast, and her family owned a florist shop.

"How wonderful~," Ina whispered, looking intoxicated as she fantasized about how, if she could grow her own flowers, she could decorate her room with fresh blossoms from all four seasons—a dream filled with girlish whimsy.

Seeing Ina like this, Diejian's mood brightened once more.

Diejian suddenly thought that while it might take forever at this rate, the day he could freely use Wood Release, he would try to build a house with it—.

"Someday, I'm going to build a jungle in your room, Ina."

"Hey, stop that! What kind of joke is that!"

Diejian laughed boisterously.

Ina laughed too, feigning exhaustion as she said, "Spare me—"

★

"Brother, let's settle this!"

"Here we go again, Tsunade."

One afternoon.

With Genin duties having begun, Diejian had been using the flimsy excuse of "resting a body exhausted from unfamiliar work" to lounge in bed since morning.

Just then, his door was thrown open violently, and Tsunade barged in, shouting while carrying a full set of gambling gear.

Diejian, who had wanted a long-overdue vacation, and Tsunade, who wanted someone to play with precisely because it was a long-overdue vacation, began a fierce gambling session from the morning.

While the gambling itself counted as spending time with her, Tsunade seemed to want to go out, and she refused to budge.

Diejian had already turned down Ina's invitation using the "I'm so tired" excuse—complete with a fabricated story—so he felt too guilty to go out.

Besides---

"You, you don't have anything left to bet, do you?"

The bet regarding going out ended in Tsunade's total defeat; Diejian had won today's dinner, tomorrow's snacks, next month's allowance, and even next year's birthday present.

If it were Ina's sister, Diejian might have suggested strip mahjong, but he wasn't twisted enough to do that to his little sister, nor did he have a fetish for young girls.

Tsunade pouted and stomped over to Diejian's bed.

She sat down abruptly next to Diejian, who was rolling around reading a book, and began to bounce her bottom up and down.

Her hair, which she had recently started tying back, swayed with the movement.

Perhaps envious of Ina's similar hair color, Tsunade began to favor a hairstyle tied at the back of her head.

At first, Diejian asked, "Is that a topknot?", only to be sent flying through a wall, saved only by Ina's intervention.

"Bro-ther, bro-ther!"

Tsunade bounced around like a brat, making the bed shake and causing Diejian's body to bob up and down with her.

It was impossible to read a book like this.

Annoyed, Diejian gave her hair a sharp tug; Tsunade shrieked like a cat with its tail stepped on, lost her balance, and tumbled onto the bed.

Tsunade was usually strong-willed and often spoke to her brother without much decorum, but she knew exactly how to act spoiled when she wanted to, and Diejian didn't actually dislike it.

Her neat eyebrows and sharp, piercing eyes looked more beautiful than cute at such a young age, yet she still possessed the charm of a girl her own age.

Diejian didn't show it in his words or attitude—but Ina had seen through him long ago, as he would wear the same smile whenever Tsunade was mentioned as he did when talking about Hashirama—and as a brother who loved his sister just like anyone else, he found this way of being pestered quite amusing.

"Alright, alright."

Diejian pushed away Tsunade, who had occupied most of the bed at some point, dragged her off, and threw a coat over her.

It was a homemade coat modeled after the Hokage cloak—though the design was clever enough that the original inspiration wasn't obvious.

His grandfather Hashirama didn't care much for such stiff attire, but Tobirama believed that a Hokage should look the part, so he dressed quite formally.

Diejian thought the back of Tobirama's figure looked rather cool, so he had used his limited Shadow Clones to desperately improve his sewing skills, and he considered the result quite decent.

"There, get ready. We're heading out, right?"

Tsunade stared blankly at Diejian's smiling face, and the moment she understood his words, she jumped up and ran toward her room, shouting, "It's a promise!"

(Sigh...)

Diejian was busy smoothing out the wrinkled sheets when Tsunade returned, ready to go.

When asked where she wanted to go, she replied: the casino.

Diejian gave her a light tap on the head and said, "Don't you have nothing left to gamble with?", before using the Transformation Technique to take on the appearance of an adult.

The adult Diejian's features retained shadows of Hashirama, yet carried a certain sharpness, with his hair slightly spiked and the loose strands tied back.

Seeing the mature charm of Diejian, Tsunade let out an "Oh!" of admiration.

Diejian added, "It'll be trouble if Ina finds out," and took Tsunade out.

"Tsunade! Who is that man!?"

In the shopping district of Konohagakure.

Diejian, who was browsing a street stall, turned around upon hearing someone call out to Tsunade.

"It's you, Jiraiya..."

A boy named Jiraiya, with white hair standing on end, was glaring at Diejian with eyes full of resentment.

Huh? Diejian wondered, Where did I make an enemy?

On second thought, given the precedent with Juri, it wasn't impossible, and he gave a bitter internal smile.

"Who is he?"

"A classmate from the academy. They call him 'Pervert-suke'."

"Pervert-suke...?"

The boy had a serious expression and a composure that belied his age.

Diejian tilted his head in confusion, feeling that he didn't look like a child who would be nicknamed "Pervert-suke."

Although the term "Pervert-suke" inexplicably caught his attention, he realized again that this was likely just Tsunade bad-mouthing someone.

At the same time Diejian graduated as part of the first class, Tsunade had entered the Ninja Academy.

Regarding the boy who was in the same class as Tsunade and already dubbed "Pervert-suke," Diejian felt both the distrust of a protective brother and the interest of a man.

However, what did "Who is that man!?" mean?

Diejian had once buried a corner of the village in earth and sand.

He had also flooded a classroom, destroying all the textbooks.

After returning, he had even failed a summoning, bringing forth the giant slug "Katsuyu" and crushing the school building.

Because of these "achievements," Diejian had earned nicknames like "Slug Prince" and "The Village's Problem Child," leaving adults with complicated feelings toward him, while his juniors looked at him with a mix of fear and respect—or so it should have been.

Thinking of this, he remembered he was currently using the Transformation Technique.

(Aha. He must think some bad man is pestering Tsunade.)

To Diejian, Jiraiya was just a pesky bug, but to Jiraiya, it must have looked like an unknown man was walking with Tsunade.

Whether it was out of classmate camaraderie or something else, Diejian felt happy knowing there was a boy who cared about Tsunade.

He had always worried that Tsunade, with her strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and somewhat violent personality, might not have any friends.

As a fellow brother with a sister, he got along well with Kagami and had discussed such topics before.

The reason he had gone to the trouble of transforming to accompany Tsunade today was also because he had been thinking about the relationship between Kagami and Juri.

"It's Jiraiya, right? Don't worry. I am Tsunade's older brother, Senju Diejian."

"..."

Jiraiya stared at Diejian with a skeptical expression, circling him and looking him up and down as if licking him with his gaze—though it seemed his eyes lingered more on Tsunade, who stood to the side, than on Diejian himself.

(I see. A very easy guy to read.)

When Diejian asked him to keep his transformation a secret for certain reasons, the guy actually demanded a photo of Tsunade as hush money.

Diejian realized that Tsunade's words were true and couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

He thought to himself that if he was like this at such a young age, it was a little frightening for an older brother to imagine what he would become in the future.

Whether out of shame, happiness, or fear from being asked for a photo, Tsunade's fair cheeks turned bright red, and she sent Jiraiya flying with a single punch.

Diejian used the Body Flicker Technique to circle behind the flying Jiraiya and caught him gently.

He let out a sharp shout at the unconscious Jiraiya, jolting him back to awareness.

Diejian tapped the head of the approaching Tsunade, admonishing her that she had "gone too far," then patted Jiraiya on the shoulder and said, "From now on, please take care of my little sister, Tsunade."

Tsunade sulked at the realization that he was that kind of guy, while Jiraiya felt flustered by the handling of Diejian, who was only a few years older than him yet so mature.

Setting aside the chaotic Team Six he belonged to, Diejian laughed heartily, feeling that his sister's generation was going to be quite interesting.

---In the days to come, Diejian would naturally have no way of knowing that Ina would find out he had "valued his sister more than her" and that he would be scolded for it.