Tsunade's Probing

Days passed by, and the Three Body Techniques were being learned bit by bit; everything remained as it always had been.

Yueshu, however, had recently solidified his position—the position of Konoha's number one genius.

After the Kushina incident, practical combat courses at the Ninja Academy were increased continuously. Because of this, the sparring matches between Minato Namikaze and Yueshu became more and more frequent. It was precisely for this reason that Yueshu was able to cement his status as Konoha's top genius.

How did he solidify it? It was simple: Yueshu had not lost a single match against Minato Namikaze, and he had even crushed him, more than once.

Time and again, Yueshu's position as Konoha's number one genius became unshakable.

Fortunately, Minato Namikaze was no ordinary person. Even after being defeated time after time, he would not admit defeat. He would still stand up firmly, refusing to give up or abandon his climb toward improvement. This resulted in Minato Namikaze's strength being a bit higher than it was in the original story, at least during this period of time.

During these days, Yueshu continued his training step by step. After the Kushina incident, Konoha's security had tightened, and spies from the outside were rooted out one by one. Konoha became much more peaceful, and Yueshu's system did not pop up again.

Kushina, however, had undergone some changes. Both Yueshu and Minato Namikaze had little contact with their peers due to their training and lacked friends, but Kushina had recently found a girl of the same age, and their relationship had been growing steadily.

Yueshu was a bit curious, and after fishing for some information, he learned the girl's identity.

Mikoto Uchiha was the girl Kushina had been hanging out with lately. She had medium-length black hair and was the exact opposite of Kushina; she had a gentle personality, a soft appearance, and seemed slightly introverted.

Yueshu was a little surprised when he heard about Mikoto Uchiha.

Why? It was simple.

This was the mother of the "Second Pillar," so how could he not be surprised?

However, in the original story, Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha were best friends; he just hadn't expected them to only be meeting now.

Things at school remained the same, but things at home had changed a bit. Yueshu could sense a shift in Tsunade.

He usually saw Tsunade lounging around or sitting and drinking tea when he got home, but lately, he often couldn't find her. Even Shizune, who was always following Tsunade, didn't know her whereabouts.

Yueshu didn't think too much about it, assuming Tsunade was out on missions. As one of the Sannin, Tsunade was a top-tier ninja even with her hemophobia, so it was normal for her to have certain missions.

Another day of classes ended. When Yueshu walked home, Tsunade had already arrived, sitting leisurely as usual, drinking tea brewed by Shizune.

"What's been going on lately? I haven't seen you around much."

Yueshu asked Tsunade while tying his apron. He and Shizune took turns cooking so as not to trouble her too much, and Yueshu actually had quite an interest in cooking.

"Ran into some things."

Tsunade took a small sip of tea and exhaled a puff of hot air.

"Are they big?"

"In a sense, yes, quite big."

"Is that so? Remember to be careful."

Yueshu offered a token of concern and prepared to start cooking.

"Yueshu, let me ask you a question."

Tsunade's voice became a bit more serious, but Yueshu didn't pick up on it; he had already picked up a kitchen knife and started chopping vegetables.

"What is it?"

"Do you know about the First Hokage?"

"Of course I do. The founder of Konoha Village, the legendary ninja known as the God of Shinobi."

"Then do you know about the First Hokage's unique Kekkei Genkai?"

"Wood Release, right? Even a three-year-old knows that."

Tsunade and Yueshu exchanged words, chatting as casually as they always did, though the topic was a bit different.

"Then."

"You should know that since the First Hokage, no one from the Senju Clan has awakened Wood Release, right?"

The sound of chopping stopped abruptly. The scene went quiet all of a sudden.

"I know."

A moment later, Yueshu's voice came from the kitchen.

Yueshu continued chopping, but this time he began to slow down. He sensed the probing in Tsunade's words.

"Is that so?"

"If, and I mean if, you could use Wood Release like the First Hokage, what would you think?"

Tsunade's voice drifted in from outside, and Yueshu caught the implication.

Perhaps it wasn't a full exposure yet, but Yueshu had definitely been noticed for something.

"That would be amazing, wouldn't it? After all, that's the First Hokage's Kekkei Genkai, the Kekkei Genkai of the God of Shinobi. Just thinking about it is exciting."

Yueshu's voice sounded excited, but the moment he finished, he calmed down again.

"But I don't have any grand ambitions. Even if I had Wood Release, I wouldn't do anything with it. After all, I'm just a guy who wants to open a small shop and live a leisurely life, unlike those guys who want to be Hokage."

"That's Wood Release we're talking about."

"I know. And then what?"

Tsunade listened to Yueshu's words, his tone calm and steady—not like a teenager, but rather like an old man, devoid of any drive.

"You really sound like an old man; I don't know who you learned that from."

Tsunade remarked with a helpless sigh.

"Well, these are just my honest thoughts. Being Hokage is too much of a hassle. You have to manage so much; maybe once you become Hokage, you won't even have time to go home, spending all day just processing paperwork."

"And then, because of that, your family life falls apart, your relationship with your son turns sour, and even if you take a vacation, you might have to rush back for overtime at any moment. That's just too exhausting."

Yueshu said each sentence one by one, leaving Tsunade completely bewildered.

"Hey, hey, it's not that miserable. That's the Hokage position everyone dreams of, yet in your mouth, it's turned into such a pathetic job."

Tsunade raised a slight smile. What Yueshu said truly made her want to laugh. The glorious Hokage, representing the strongest ninja of Konoha, was being described by Yueshu as so wretched. She imagined her teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would probably cough up blood if he heard this.

"Well, anyway, it's for various reasons. The Hokage position isn't all that great; it's better to run a small shop and live life in a leisurely way."

Yueshu's voice drifted out, accompanied by the sound of chopping vegetables, and the atmosphere between Tsunade and Yueshu returned to the way it used to be.

"You really are a strange kid."

"Maybe, but I don't dislike myself like this. Peace is the best; fighting all day long is completely pointless."

"Haha, indeed."

Tsunade laughed and took another sip of the tea in her cup.

The sunlight outside slowly faded, the night curtain crept up, and the aroma of food quietly slipped out from the kitchen.

"Peace, huh."

Tsunade glanced outside.

"Wow, it smells so good! Is Yueshu cooking today? I've been looking forward to this for so long."

Shizune's energetic voice came from outside. As the door opened and closed, another dark figure appeared in the living room.

"Shizune, come over and help me carry these."

"Coming, coming!"

The fragrance drifted out, floating high and far, evoking a sense of beauty. The chatter at the dining table drifted along with the scent, slowly passing the time together with the day.

Trees that are meant to grow will naturally grow, and flowers that are meant to bloom will bloom with the seasons; everything is repeating itself—