Yusuke fished around in his wallet and tossed it to Nawaki.
"Hehe, my brother-in-law sure is generous."
Nawaki caught it and dashed off as soon as he finished speaking.
"Um, that brat Nawaki was just calling you that without thinking. You..."
After a moment of silence, Tsunade lowered her head, clenched her small hands, and took the initiative to break the awkward silence.
"How long was I unconscious?" Yusuke didn't continue the topic. Instead, he asked about something else.
"Ah, oh! It's been six days." Tsunade let out a breath, finally putting an end to the subject.
"Has it really been six days? How are you feeling?" Yusuke asked with concern.
"Hehe, I'm fine now."
Tsunade waved her fist, back to her usual boisterous self.
"Hanzo the Salamander's poison is really potent. I'm still looking for a way to counter it."
She pointed to the scroll on the bedside table.
But when she noticed the saliva stains on it, she gave a light cough and pretended nothing was wrong, blocking Yusuke's view.
"By the way, thankfully, your intelligence was accurate. It kept the Land of Iron from being attacked by Amegakure. The Amegakure ninja force has now been taken back by Hanzo the Salamander."
"You did a great service this time. You should be able to exchange for a pretty good jutsu in the ninjutsu storage room." Her voice was filled with excitement.
"Then... what happened to that father and daughter from Amegakure? Were they brought back to Konoha?"
Yusuke wasn't overly excited about his achievement. Instead, he asked about something else.
At his question, Tsunade's excitement faded, and she sighed. "Amegakure is now under a full lockdown. I asked a newly infiltrated spy to look into it."
"Amegakure is carrying out a large-scale purge of its spies. Ninjas broke into that father and daughter's home and found only Seiichi's corpse. They couldn't find Konan."
Yusuke leaned against the headboard and fell silent.
I wonder whether Konan will survive just like in the original story, despite my interference as someone who crossed over.
And will Hanzo the Salamander declare war on the Five Great Shinobi Villages like he did in the original story?
But the situation is turbulent right now. I can't even guarantee that I'll still be alive and well the next moment.
A sense of urgency suddenly welled up in him, stemming entirely from his lack of strength.
Right now, only Incursio can help me grow stronger. That way, I can wear its armor for longer and reach Kage Level.
So what I need to do now is improve my physical fitness.
But Tsunade just said I could pick a jutsu from the ninjutsu storage room. There's one thing I absolutely have to get.
His eyes gleamed as he worked out his next steps.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Tsunade came over and felt Yusuke's forehead. "You don't seem to be having any adverse reactions."
Yusuke reached out and took her hand. "After lying down for days, my body feels all rusty. Let's go for a walk outside."
Tsunade's face flushed a little. "Mm... okay."
In the hospital courtyard, two figures strolled slowly along the path.
One was handsome and dashing, the other graceful and charming. They looked like a perfect couple, drawing envious and jealous glances from the other male ninjas.
Their Princess of Konoha had been swept off her feet by an unknown civilian ninja, without any strings attached.
A breeze ruffled the bangs on Tsunade's forehead. Yusuke gently smoothed them back into place.
"Little Tsuna, could you do me a favor?" he asked softly.
"This isn't a mission. Don't call me Little Tsuna." Tsunade's face reddened slightly as she muttered under her breath. "Go on. What is it?"
"You said earlier that I could choose a jutsu. But could I pick one from the Scroll of Seals?"
Tsunade paused in surprise. Most of the jutsu in the Scroll of Seals placed great demands on their users, and practicing them recklessly could damage the body.
She asked curiously, "Which jutsu?"
"The Flying Thunder God Technique, the Space-Time Ninjutsu created by Lord Second Hokage," Yusuke replied seriously.
"Grandpa Second's Flying Thunder God Technique? You can, but it places very high demands on the user. You need exceptionally fast reflexes."
"You also need an extremely strong sense of spatial coordinates. That's why, aside from Grandpa Second, no one has managed to master it so far."
"It's incredibly difficult to learn. You could choose another treasured jutsu instead. I could even help you get an additional one."
Tsunade tried to dissuade him, afraid he'd waste this opportunity just because he'd heard the Flying Thunder God Technique was unusual.
But a jutsu that could let him attack, escape, and launch surprise attacks was a perfect fit for Yusuke, who valued playing it safe.
He looked at Tsunade with a determined gaze. "I still want the Flying Thunder God Technique. I really need it."
Tsunade pressed a hand to her forehead. "You're impossible. Fine, fine. I'll get you the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"If you can't learn it, I'll find another suitable treasured jutsu for you."
Yusuke hugged Tsunade and spun her around, making the other male ninjas even more envious.
Taking the easy way was shameful, but it felt so good.
The afternoon passed quickly. After eating the meal Nawaki had brought over, Yusuke began reading the scroll Tsunade had fetched for him.
It wasn't the Flying Thunder God Technique recorded in the Scroll of Seals itself. Tsunade had brought him Tobirama Senju's notes on developing the technique.
The lavish treatment made Yusuke think once more that taking the easy way felt so good.
After reading the notes on the Flying Thunder God Technique, Yusuke's exceptional comprehension let him quickly understand its essence.
Tobirama Senju truly deserved his reputation as a genius. The Flying Thunder God Technique was an astonishing creation. He had developed this Space-Time Ninjutsu from the foundations of Sealing Jutsu and the Summoning Technique.
The first step was anchoring a spatial mark. The medium could be any object, and it formed the foundation of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The next step was sensing the mark. This required the ability to sense chakra, allowing the user to detect the spatial mark left on the medium.
The final step was activating the spatial mark and using it to perform a reverse summoning transfer.
Each step built on the last. One mistake, and everything went wrong. No wonder it was so difficult to learn.
The hardest part was that without superhuman reflexes, even if someone mastered all three steps, they'd only be delivering themselves to their own death.
This made Yusuke marvel all over again at Tobirama Senju's genius and Minato Namikaze's incredible reflexes.
Mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique would be a long road, but luckily, he didn't need to make a full recovery before attempting the first step of anchoring a spatial mark.
He could practice while recovering in the hospital.
Time flew by, and the days when he couldn't show off his strength soon passed.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had gone by, and Yusuke had completely recovered from his injuries.
Following his memories, he returned home. Since no one had cleaned the place, a layer of dust covered the tabletop.
His parents had died during the First Shinobi World War. He'd grown up in an orphanage, and only after reaching adulthood had he inherited this three-bedroom apartment.
Yusuke sighed softly. He had just been about to start cleaning when a figure appeared at the door, instantly putting him on alert.
"Who are you?"
Before you continue