Tsunade's Charm

Returning to the Konoha camp, Li Yu did not wait for the meeting to conclude; he shouldered his sealing scroll and retreated into his tent alone.

Suddenly, the tent flap was pulled aside, and a beautiful figure slipped inside, approaching Li Yu without the slightest hesitation.

"Sister Tsunade, what brings you here so late?"

"What brings me here? Don't you have something you want to explain to your sister?"

Her body, carrying a faint feminine fragrance, pressed close to Li Yu. She placed a hand on his cheek, her eyes filled with a hint of resentment as she whispered into his ear:

"My little Nawaki has grown up. He's gotten so tall, yet he doesn't want to whisper secrets to his sister anymore."

"You used to only reach my waist, but now, even if I stand on tiptoes, I can't reach your ear to whisper."

With Tsunade so close, inhaling her scent and feeling the warmth of her whispered words, Li Yu's heart couldn't help but flutter, and his face flushed bright red in an instant.

Li Yu immediately stepped back a few paces, holding his palms out in a defensive gesture. Looking visibly uncomfortable, he forced a strained smile:

"Sister Tsunade, I'm just a Wood Clone, a mere tool. If you need something, go find the original; I'm just a worker here."

"What is a 'tool'?"

Li Yu had been too nervous and let his guard down, blurting out a modern internet slang term. He had no choice but to explain:

"Oh, uh, a 'tool' just means I'm someone who works hard without complaint, a utility used by others, with no room for personal feelings."

"Oh, I see."

"Then tell me, do you have any other motives for coming to the Land of Lightning battlefield to help?"

"That's simple, it boils down to three points. First: to protect you, Sister Tsunade. Second: to minimize the losses of the Senju Clan. Third: to collect the Eight-Tails' chakra."

Li Yu craftily repackaged his two actual tasks into three, placing the protection of Tsunade at the top of the list. He thought to himself with pride, I'm still pretty smooth. This is all the original can do to help you.

Hearing Li Yu's answer, Tsunade was quite surprised. I didn't expect his primary mission to be protecting me. My little brother really cares about me.

"Although I don't know if you're telling the truth or not, as your only sister, I will support whatever you do."

Li Yu watched Tsunade, who was beaming with a smile despite her words of feigned skepticism, and felt a wave of relief. Women are often so contradictory. She clearly believes me, yet she says that. Should I add a little more to sweeten the deal?

"Sister Tsunade, I heard the casino in the village was built with a huge investment from the clan just for you. A lot of time was spent coming up with those new games inside."

"Oh? So that means in the family casino, I can play however I want?"

At the mention of the casino, Tsunade's voice rose an octave. She instantly forgot to ask where Li Yu's original body was, and her previous flirtatious demeanor shifted into a look of fanatical battle intent.

It was hard to tell if it was the battle intent of the front lines or the desire to slaughter at the gambling table.

Li Yu could only sigh. Gamblers were truly insane; she had inherited the First Hokage's bad habits, obsessed with gambling yet constantly losing.

Tsunade rubbed her hands together, looking restless and eager, her eyes gleaming. Yet, she maintained a serious tone:

"I'll let you off the hook this time. Work hard on the battlefield and end this war quickly so I can go back and see your original body."

"Understood."

She was clearly just itching to go back to gamble, roll dice, and play roulette, yet she acted as if she were hiding it well.

Li Yu curled his lip, preparing to usher Tsunade out so he could get some rest and conserve his chakra.

"By the way, little Nawaki, I heard you have a woman now. What was her name? Uzuki Xi..."

"It's Uzuki Yuying. Uzuki Yugao is my student."

"Right, right, Uzuki Yuying. When are you getting married? When are you having children to carry on the Senju Clan?"

"Sister Tsunade, surely that isn't something for a 'tool' like me to worry about? We can talk about that when you see the original."

Unable to take it anymore, Li Yu gripped Tsunade's shoulders to help her turn around. With a graceful pivot, Tsunade allowed herself to be pushed firmly toward the tent exit.

Having successfully pushed her out, he let out a sigh of relief: "Finally, I can rest."

Suddenly, a corner of the tent flap lifted. Tsunade leaned in, extending her long, fair neck, and pouted with a hint of irritation:

"Don't think I don't know that when a clone is dispelled, the memories are shared with the original. It's the same as telling you directly."

From Li Yu's angle, he could see everything clearly, and he couldn't help but be startled.

"Fine, don't listen then. I'm leaving."

Li Yu rolled his eyes. He had been through enough stimulation for one night; he needed to rest.

He figured Tsunade was just too lonely after all these years, with only Shizune for company. She clearly wanted to return to the village to see Nawaki, her only brother, and had so much she wanted to say to him after all these years apart.

Unfortunately, the Nawaki who had disappeared from the hospital that year had left a pendant on his pillow and a letter underneath, telling Tsunade not to worry about his safety. He had asked her to search for him in the village for a while before leaving to stay away from the war, indirectly protecting him by making certain people in the village lower their guard.

At the time, Tsunade had earned the title of Sannin during the Second Shinobi World War and her reputation was at its peak. With Nawaki, the only male heir of the Senju, not actually dead, she had chosen to leave the village to protect both the clan and him.

With Tsunade gone and the only male heir crippled and missing, the Senju Clan had lost all presence and meaning in the village, save for the distant legacy of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Although Li Yu had regained his strength with Orochimaru's help and possessed infinite potential, his entry into the Anbu had made certain people in the village uneasy. However, they hadn't taken him seriously at first; no matter how well he performed in the Anbu, he had no reputation among the villagers or the great clans.

It was only through Li Yu's step-by-step advancement, his covert operations, and the massive reputation he earned on the Land of Wind battlefield that he had finally managed to transition from the shadows into the light.

However, there were still many things that needed to be hidden, such as his mastery of the Sharingan and the First Hokage's Sage Body. Strength was the foundation of everything. The enemies of the future would only grow stronger; in Li Yu's view, there were no invincible or unsolvable techniques—only one's own power was the greatest asset.

For this Third Shinobi World War, his minor goals of gaining reputation and collecting Eight-Tails' chakra were basically complete; now it was just a matter of how much.

Let's set a small goal first: for example, let me earn a hundred million. Obtaining Uchiha Madara's Sharingan was a good goal. Possessing a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan would be a massive leap forward. Combined with his constitution—which had fused Hashirama Cells even more perfectly than Obito's to become a Sage Body—his Mangekyo would never lose its light, allowing for even longer usage.