Back at the Konoha camp
Li Yu left the meeting before it was over, carrying the Sealing Scroll on his back as he entered his tent alone.
Suddenly, the tent flap was pulled open, and a stunning figure slipped inside. She came right up to Li Yu without the slightest hesitation.
"Big Sis Tsunade, what are you doing here so late?"
"What am I doing here? Is there something you need to explain to your big sister?"
She moved close to Li Yu, her body carrying a faint feminine fragrance. One hand rested against his cheek, her eyes tinged with reproach as she whispered softly in his ear.
"My little Nawaki has grown up and gotten taller. He doesn't even want to whisper secrets to his big sister anymore."
"You used to come up to my stomach. Now, when I want to whisper secrets to you, even standing on tiptoe isn't enough."
With Tsunade so close, her fragrance filling his senses and her warm whisper brushing his ear, Li Yu couldn't help feeling his thoughts wander. His face flushed red in an instant.
Li Yu immediately took several steps back and held out both hands as if to push her away. Wearing an awkward expression, he forced a smile and said,
"Big Sis Tsunade, I'm just a Wood Clone, a tool. If you need something, go ask my real body. I'm just a hired hand."
"What's a tool?"
Li Yu was so nervous that he let the words slip without thinking, blurting out a modern internet term. He had no choice but to explain.
"Oh, a tool is someone who obediently does whatever people tell him to do. He's just a tool, without any feelings."
"Oh, I see."
"Then tell me, did you have any other motives for coming to help on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning this time?"
"That's easy. There are three reasons. First: to protect you, Big Sis Tsunade. Second: to reduce the Senju Clan's losses. Third: to collect the Eight-Tails' chakra."
Li Yu cleverly turned two missions into three, and even put the extra one first. He couldn't help feeling smug. I'm pretty great, if I do say so myself. This is all my real body can do to help you.
Hearing Li Yu's answer, Tsunade looked surprised. "I didn't expect your top priority to be protecting me. You really do care about your big sister."
"Whether or not what you said is true, as your only big sister, I'll support you in whatever you do."
Li Yu looked at Tsunade's beaming face. Though she spoke as if she didn't quite believe him, he still felt relieved. Women, huh? They're always saying one thing and meaning another. She clearly believes me, but still says that. I should say something else to sweeten the deal.
"Big Sis Tsunade, I heard the village's casino was built with a huge investment from the clan, especially for you. They spent a lot of time coming up with all those new games."
"Oh? So that means I can play anything I want at the clan casino, right?"
As soon as the casino came up, Tsunade's voice rose by an octave. She immediately forgot to ask where Li Yu's real body was. Her seductive manner from a moment earlier had given way to a feverish fighting spirit.
Whether it was the fighting spirit of the battlefield or the urge to dominate at the gambling table was anyone's guess.
Li Yu could only sigh. Gamblers really were crazy. Tsunade had inherited the First's bad habit of being obsessed with gambling, yet she lost almost every time.
Tsunade rubbed her hands together, looking eager to get started. Her eyes were shining, but she spoke with a perfectly serious expression.
"I'll let you off this time, then. Work hard on the battlefield and end the war quickly. I want to go back and see your real body."
"Got it."
She obviously wanted to go back and gamble—to roll dice and play roulette. Her hands were practically itching, but she acted as if he wouldn't notice.
Li Yu pursed his lips, preparing to usher Tsunade out so he could finally rest and conserve his chakra.
"By the way, little Nawaki told me you have a woman. What was her name, Uzuki Yū—?"
"Uzuki Yuying. Uzuki Yugao is my student."
"Right, Uzuki Yuying. When are you getting married? When are you having kids to carry on the Senju Clan?"
"Big Sis Tsunade, isn't that beyond the scope of what a mere tool like me should worry about? Ask my real body if you run into him."
Unable to take it anymore, Li Yu put his hands on Tsunade's shoulders and swiftly turned her around. Tsunade spun around with an elegant flourish, and he pushed her firmly out of the tent from behind.
After successfully pushing Tsunade out, he let out a sigh of relief.
"I can finally get some rest."
Suddenly, the tent flap lifted at one corner. Tsunade bent over, stretching her long, pale neck inside. Pouting, she said, a little indignantly,
"Don't think I don't know. When your clone disappears, its memories are shared with your real body. It's just like talking to him."
From where Li Yu stood, he had a clear view of everything. He couldn't help feeling startled.
"If you don't want to listen, fine. I'm leaving."
Li Yu merely rolled his eyes. He'd had enough excitement for one night and decided it was best to get some rest.
Tsunade had probably been too lonely all these years, with only Shizune for company. She clearly wanted to return to the village and see Nawaki, her only younger brother. They hadn't seen each other in years, and she had so much she wanted to say to him.
Sadly, back then, Nawaki had vanished from the hospital, leaving a pendant on his pillow and a letter for Tsunade beneath it. In the letter, he told her not to worry about his safety and asked her to search for him in the village for a while before leaving, so she could stay away from the war. This indirectly protected Nawaki and made certain people in the village let their guard down.
During the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade earned the title of Sannin and reached the height of her fame. The Senju Clan's only male heir, Nawaki, had not died. By leaving the village, she protected both her clan and Nawaki.
With Tsunade gone and its only male heir crippled and missing, the Senju Clan would have no presence in the village and no reason to exist. Its only significance would be the distant stories of how the First, Senju Hashirama, founded the village and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, governed it.
With Orochimaru's help, Li Yu had recovered his strength and possessed limitless potential. He had joined the Hokage's Anbu, which had angered certain people in the village. But at first, they hadn't taken him seriously. No matter how well he did in Anbu, he had no standing in the village; the villagers and the major clans didn't recognize him.
It was only after Li Yu advanced step by step, quietly building up his strength over the years, that he gained a great deal of renown on the battlefield in the Land of Wind and successfully brought some of his hidden power into the open.
Even so, there were still plenty of things he needed to keep hidden, such as his Sharingan and the First's Sage Body. Strength was the foundation of everything. His future enemies would only grow stronger. To Li Yu, there were no invincible, unbeatable techniques. His own strength was the greatest asset of all.
This time, his modest goals for the Third Shinobi World War—earning plenty of renown and collecting the Eight-Tails' chakra—were basically complete. Now it was just a matter of how much he could get.
"Let's set a small goal first. Say, make a hundred million." Getting Uchiha Madara's Sharingan would be a good goal. A pair of Mangekyō Sharingan would be a huge leap forward. Combined with Li Yu's body, which had fused Hashirama Cells even more perfectly than Obito's and become a Sage Body, the Mangekyō would never lose its light, and he could use it for much longer.