"Alright, I get it. Let me treat your hidden injuries first."
With no time to feel jealous, Tsunade pulled Yusuke onto the sofa and began channeling the Mystical Palm Technique to heal his unhealed wounds and internal ailments.
Yusuke immediately felt a warm sensation coursing through his body, and it felt incredibly refreshing.
I wonder if there's any potential in combining Tsunade's medical ninjutsu with Hyuga Aya's Byakugan to pinpoint acupuncture points for targeted massage.
Yusuke couldn't help but think.
"Ahem!" Hyuga Aya, standing to the side, coughed twice.
Yusuke caught the hint: She hasn't left yet because she's waiting for me to fulfill my promise, for me to talk to Tsunade about what I agreed to earlier.
My bad, my bad. This was indeed his fault; the sensation just now had been so wonderful that he'd temporarily forgotten.
"Tsunade, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Can you do me a favor? Help me find Tobirama's research notes on the Caged Bird seal."
Hearing Yusuke's words, the jealousy Tsunade had just suppressed surged back up.
She cast a sidelong glance at Hyuga Aya standing nearby.
She hadn't looked closely before, but now she noticed that this girl's appearance was not inferior to her own.
Her figure was taller and her legs were longer, though her chest wasn't as full as hers.
A sour feeling lingered, and Tsunade immediately performed a chokehold followed by a naked choke: "I'll give you one minute to organize your thoughts, so you'd better explain this properly."
Although his neck was buried deep in her cleavage and the sensation of the "breast press" was truly wonderful, Yusuke, with his survival instincts maxed out, quickly explained.
"Cough, cough. I promised her earlier that I would help her and the members of the Hyuga Branch Family try to break the Caged Bird seal."
"In return, if they can successfully overthrow the Main Branch, they will support you to become the next Hokage at the upcoming election meeting."
Yusuke tapped Tsunade's hand, which was locked around his throat, to signal his surrender.
Tsunade froze, then loosened her grip.
She sighed involuntarily, her tone softening: "You know I don't want to be Hokage. I don't like the political calculations involved."
Yusuke broke free from Tsunade's naked choke and pulled her to sit astride his lap.
He looked into Tsunade's eyes and said earnestly: "I will help you."
Hyuga Aya: You two aren't even treating me like a person!
Feeling sour, Hyuga Aya, who now needed their help, could only stand quietly to the side, waiting for Tsunade's decision.
Only then did Tsunade notice their highly ambiguous posture. She hurriedly stood up and covered it up: "Fine, since you've already promised, then I've promised too."
Tsunade turned to look at Hyuga Aya: "I can go get my granduncle's research notes, but I cannot guarantee that I can help you break the Caged Bird seal."
"After all, even he couldn't break it."
Hyuga Aya's expression was filled with excitement: "That is enough. Thank you for your hard work, Tsunade."
Tsunade nodded and walked a few steps toward the door, then suddenly sensed something was off.
She stood quietly at the doorway, unsure whether to enter or retreat.
Yusuke was completely bewildered, but Hyuga Aya reacted extremely quickly: "In that case, I won't disturb the Captain's rest any further."
After saying this, she quickly followed Tsunade. Tsunade thought to herself: She's quite sensible.
She gave a light cough: "Let's go together then."
With that, the two walked slowly out of Yusuke's home.
Yusuke felt in an instant that a woman's mind was even harder to predict than a conspiracy.
After being treated by Tsunade, Yusuke felt his body was comfortable and his complexion was much rosier.
It was already noon, and feeling a bit hungry, he began to busy himself in the kitchen.
Before long, Tsunade snuck back in. She stood on her tiptoes and rested her head on Yusuke's shoulder.
"What are we having for lunch?"
She sounded like a newlywed wife who had been away for a long time, with a hint of coquetry.
Yusuke smiled helplessly: "Your nose is certainly sensitive. Alright, alright, I'll make a few more things you like."
After a whirlwind meal, the two lay sprawled out on the sofa.
"Are you really planning to help the Hyuga Branch Family?"
"There's a lot involved in this."
Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowed.
Yusuke didn't talk about his attitude toward the Hyuga, but instead brought up something else: "This is the first time I've participated in such a Ninja World war."
"On the battlefield, I have seen too many corpses and heard too many screams."
"Of the enemy, and of my teammates."
"I originally only wanted to live safely in the Ninja World, but now, I have to add one more thing."
"We must live securely in the Ninja World."
Yusuke opened his narrowed eyes and said, "Without the power of Lord Hashirama, we need to find our own allies."
"Or perhaps establish our own organization."
"At the very least, we won't be attacked from both sides if a war breaks out again."
Princess Tsunade turned her head to look at Yusuke, her amber eyes flickering.
"I spoke with my grandmother, and she will help research a way to break the Caged Bird seal."
Yusuke breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; it was, at the very least, an answer he could give to Hyuga Aya.
Princess Tsunade leaned into Yusuke's embrace and whispered, "This afternoon, I will take you to a place—a place where, once you finish your training, your strength will leap forward."
"Alright." Yusuke did not press for details, simply stroking Princess Tsunade's hair with his hand.
Should I create an organization? he pondered. How about calling it "Night Raid"?
After resting for a while, Princess Tsunade flipped over and stood up.
"Alright, wait for my good news," Princess Tsunade said confidently.
Yusuke asked with some suspicion, "Are you trying to get out of washing the dishes again?"
Princess Tsunade gave a light cough and turned around, a blush of being caught in an excuse coloring her face. "Who says? Is Princess Tsunade that kind of person?"
"I'm going to get you something good." Having said that, she hurried away, her footsteps carrying a hint of a hasty retreat.
Yusuke smiled helplessly and tidied up the tableware they had used.
An hour later, Princess Tsunade returned carrying a large scroll.
Seeing the clean table, she thought triumphantly, Escaped it again.
"This is the summoning scroll for Shikkotsu Forest. Sign your name on it, and you can go to Shikkotsu Forest to practice Sage Mode."
Princess Tsunade set aside her smile, unrolled the scroll, and flipped to a blank page.
This piqued Yusuke's interest; when watching the anime, he had only ever seen the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku and Ryūchi Cave.
He hadn't expected that the first Sage Mode he would encounter after arriving in this world would be that of Shikkotsu Forest.
Yusuke followed suit, using his blood to write his name on the summoning scroll next to Princess Tsunade's, then pressed his thumbprint onto it.
"Alright, don't resist," Princess Tsunade said to Yusuke after putting the summoning contract away.
Suddenly, Yusuke felt a fluctuation in space-time around him. This fluctuation was very similar to the Flying Thunder God technique, so Yusuke obeyed and did not struggle.
The next moment, Boom--
White mist rose, and Yusuke and Princess Tsunade vanished from their home.
By the time Yusuke regained his senses, he had arrived in a region of pitch-black mountains, surrounded by jagged, strange rocks that looked like chaotic ribs thrusting upward.
However, looking closely, those were clearly the massive bones of countless dead sea beasts.
From time to time, huge shadows swept overhead; Yusuke looked up and saw what appeared to be giant fish-like creatures.
The sensation was like being in an undersea tunnel, admiring the wonders of the ocean.
"Are we on the ocean floor?" Yusuke asked, looking at Princess Tsunade beside him.
"That's right. This is the dwelling of the Sage Slug, Shikkotsu Forest."
"Back in the day, the ancestors of our Senju Clan had a very difficult time finding it."
Princess Tsunade was very proud, clearly taking great pride in the ancestors of her Senju Clan.
Yusuke tried to sense the Flying Thunder God markers in the outside world and found he could still perceive them, meaning he could also use the Flying Thunder God to travel back and forth from this sacred ground.
Yusuke continued to ponder practical applications, but his train of thought was interrupted by a woman's voice.
"You have finally arrived, one not anchored by fate." A gentle, pleasant-sounding female voice echoed through the air.