Tohka Senju's Last Wish? (Seeking Collections, Seeking Recommendations)

"Thank you for the information; I will consider it."

"But for now, the war takes priority."

Yusuke's expression remained calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Orochimaru seemed to have anticipated this, smiling meaningfully. "Of course, the opportunity will always be there. Then, I shall take my leave."

With that, his figure slowly sank into the ground and vanished.

"Yusuke, senjutsu training at Ryūchi Cave is extremely dangerous."

"Even a genius like Orochimaru only passed the trials of Ryūchi Cave; he didn't dare to practice the senjutsu itself."

Tsunade grabbed Yusuke's arm, her face etched with worry.

"I understand. I won't act rashly."

"My senjutsu from Shikkotsu Forest has only just begun; there is no need to rush into practicing other forms."

"For now, let's focus on dealing with the war at hand."

Yusuke held Tsunade's hand in return, giving her a reassuring look.

However, after spending this time together, Tsunade knew Yusuke's personality well; she could see through such a lie at a glance.

It seems this guy is itching to go to Ryūchi Cave, Tsunade sighed inwardly.

"Let's go. We need to collect our assignments."

"This war won't be easy."

As Yusuke spoke, he headed toward the mission center first, attempting to divert Tsunade's attention.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the mission center, where the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

After verifying his identity, Yusuke took the mission scroll assigned to him.

"Land of Wind battlefield, second reconnaissance and support unit."

"Team members: Inuzuka Go, Hyuga Aya."

It was a mission he was well-suited for; it certainly wasn't arranged by that old geezer Shimura Danzō.

Beside him, Tsunade also received her transfer orders.

"I've been assigned to the main battlefield in the Land of Rain, with the medical corps."

The main battlefield meant the most brutal slaughter and a confrontation with a formidable enemy like Hanzo the Salamander.

Meanwhile, the direction of the Land of Wind meant facing unknown ambushes from Sunagakure.

"Be careful." Both of them spoke at the same time, their voices filled with concern.

Yusuke took a specially crafted Flying Thunder God Kunai from his ninja tool pouch and pressed it into Tsunade's hand.

"Keep this safe. As long as you trigger the sensory kunai I gave you earlier, I will use the Flying Thunder God Technique and arrive by your side immediately."

Tsunade gripped the kunai tightly; the cold touch of the metal eased her heart slightly.

She wanted to say something, but the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of a sneaky figure in the corner of the training ground, trying to hide among the crowd.

She was all too familiar with that figure.

Tsunade's eyes sharpened. She vanished from her spot in an instant and grabbed the person by the back of their collar, hoisting them up like a little chick.

"Ouch! Sis! Take it easy!" Nawaki stumbled as he was yanked.

However, when he turned back and saw Tsunade's eyes spitting fire, he immediately wilted.

"Nawaki, why are you here?"

Tsunade suddenly recalled the words of Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Genin with excellent grades will join the battlefield."

Could it be...

"I'm a ninja too, why can't I come!"

Nawaki stiffened his neck. Usually, he was like a mouse seeing a cat when he saw Tsunade, but this time, his face carried a rare stubbornness.

"I went to Uncle Hiruzen myself to request to fight. I am the grandson of the First Hokage; protecting Konoha is my responsibility."

"Besides, I've already received my mission. I'm going to the Land of Wind battlefield!" He held up the mission scroll in his hand.

"This is madness! Go home right now!" Tsunade's voice rose, her chest heaving violently.

He was her only younger brother, the last remaining sprout of Hashirama Senju's lineage, and she would never allow anything to happen to him.

"No! I'm already a ninja! I'm no longer a child who needs you to protect me forever."

"Wasn't it you who gave me Grandfather's necklace and told me to become an excellent ninja?"

Nawaki pulled out the necklace from his neck, his stubborn temper flaring up.

His eyes looked exactly like the grandfather in Tsunade's memories—once he set his mind on something, not even eight horses could pull him back.

The two glared at each other, locked in a stalemate.

Nawaki looked toward Yusuke for help, his eyes pleading, Brother-in-law, help me.

Yusuke's temples throbbed.

In the original story, this kid's fate was to be blown to pieces by explosive tags during this very war.

Letting him go to the battlefield? Too dangerous.

But with the stubborn nature of a mule like Nawaki, if he tried to force him to stay, the boy would definitely sneak out later, which would be even more uncontrollable.

Rather than letting him out of my sight, it's better to keep him right under my nose.

Yusuke sighed inwardly. He stepped forward and gently pressed down on Tsunade's tense arm.

"Tsunade, Nawaki has grown up. He has his own choices and convictions, and we should respect them." His voice was calm but firm.

Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief, her amber pupils instantly misting over as if she had been stabbed in the back by the person she trusted most.

"You're taking his side? He... he is my only younger brother."

Her voice carried a hint of a sob; for a woman as bold and forthright as her, this reaction was heartbreakingly rare.

"I am not taking his side."

"I promise you, as long as I am alive, I will bring him back safe and sound."

"Trust me."

Yusuke met her gaze, his tone solemn.

Tsunade stared hard at Yusuke, then looked at her brother, who wore an expression of absolute determination.

Finally, she whipped her head away, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed her surging emotions.

"Fine. Both of you, you must come back alive!"

With that, she stopped looking at them, gripped the Flying Thunder God Kunai, and turned to stride away.

Nawaki let out a sigh of relief and excitedly punched Yusuke on the shoulder. "Brother-in-law, you're a real one!"

Yusuke was not as optimistic, saying in a low voice, "Don't get happy too soon."

"The battlefield is not a game. You must follow orders and are absolutely forbidden from acting on your own."

"Otherwise, I will be the first to send you back."

"Also, when you are in action, you must remember to scout for traps. You must pay attention to whether there are any explosive tag traps!"

Yusuke said earnestly, trying to drill it into him.

"Got it, got it."

Nawaki agreed readily, his face glowing with a longing for the battlefield.

He yearned to become a hero like his two Hokage grandfathers, rather than living forever in their shadow.

The two walked toward the assembly point on the southern front.

They hadn't gone far when a figure quietly blocked their path.

The person was a delicate-looking female ninja, her expression respectful.

"Young Master Nawaki, Lord Yusuke."

"Sister Rei?" Nawaki recognized her as one of the confidantes by Grandma Tohka's side, Rei Senju.

Rei Senju did not exchange pleasantries, instead handing a sealed box directly to Yusuke.

"Lord Yusuke, Lady Tohka asked me to give this to you."

"She said, 'I leave this to you from now on.'"

Yusuke took the box and opened it to find a wooden tablet.

The tablet felt warm and smooth to the touch, emitting a faint scent of incense; it was the very one Tohka Senju had kept on her shrine for years.

This gesture... it clearly carried the weight of entrusting one's legacy.

In a flash, a forgotten fragment of the original story darted into Yusuke's mind.

During the Second Ninja World War, a large number of members of the Senju Clan mysteriously disappeared, suspected of being captured by Shimura Danzō for Wood Release human experiments.

"Damn it!" Yusuke's expression changed drastically, and a chill shot up his spine.

He shoved the wooden tablet into his robes and spoke to Nawaki in a rapid, urgent tone: "Nawaki, go to the assembly point and report immediately."

"Remember, find Orochimaru, and do not wander off!"

Without waiting for Nawaki to answer, Yusuke sensed the Flying Thunder God formula he had left in the courtyard of Tohka Senju while practicing the technique.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Hum—

Yusuke vanished from the spot in an instant.