A Budding Tsunade-Ji (Seeking Follow-ups)

The simple, solemn wooden door was pushed open by a blonde woman with a commanding presence.

Her figure was tall and curvaceous.

She wore a white, midriff-baring short-sleeved top and a red, ultra-short skirt that hugged her hips, with fishnet lining covering her exposed slender waist and rounded thighs.

Her chest-length blonde ponytail swayed with her bold strides, giving her an air of competence and vigor.

This attire was exactly the same as the young Tsunade from the original work!

The future Hokage, Lady Tsunade, had arrived!

This was the first time Uchiha Kurohane had seen Tsunade in the nine years since he had transmigrated.

Focusing his crow's vision, Uchiha Kurohane observed her carefully, and immediately discovered something different from what he had imagined.

Tsunade's face was currently very young, carrying a fresh, youthful innocence; she lacked the "old aunt" aura from the original series. She looked supple and vibrant, like an eighteen-year-old beauty.

After careful thought, he realized this was normal.

By the time Tsunade appeared in the original story, she was already fifty-two years old—an old aunt.

But the current Tsunade was only twenty-seven.

Combined with the genetic bonuses of the Senju Clan, her skin was exceptionally youthful, making her appear eighteen.

She wasn't "Auntie Tsunade," but "Water-Girl Tsunade!"

On the other hand, there was no diamond-shaped mark on Tsunade's forehead, which meant she had not yet mastered the Yin Seal.

This was a very illogical point in the Naruto series.

Haruno Sakura had mastered the Yin Seal at the age of sixteen, taking only three years to do so.

Yet, at twenty-seven, Tsunade had still not achieved it.

Since the young Uzumaki Mito had the Yin Seal on her forehead, it proved that the Yin Seal was a technique of the Uzumaki Clan.

Therefore, this could not be explained away by saying Tsunade hadn't invented the Yin Seal yet.

It could only mean that Haruno Sakura was not a commoner ninja, and her talent was several times greater than Tsunade's.

Her bloodline was far more impressive than Tsunade's!

However, a more reasonable explanation was that Kishimoto simply hadn't thought that far ahead, and it was purely to buff Haruno Sakura for the Fourth Great Ninja War.

If Haruno Sakura didn't have the Strength of a Hundred Technique, she wouldn't have been able to participate, so she had to have it.

That didn't matter; what truly mattered was that the current Tsunade was already very well-endowed.

Her chest was round and full, completely stretching the fabric of her top.

She was twice as well-endowed as the married Sakura in Boruto.

That alone was enough!

Even just walking normally, Tsunade brought a sense of earth-shaking impact; the visual shock was simply too overwhelming.

Seeing Tsunade enter the main house, Uchiha Kurohane secretly ordered his crow to fly outside the hall window to eavesdrop on the conversation between Tsunade and Mito.

He saw Uzumaki Mito ask with a serious expression.

"How is the battle against the Mist Ninja going?"

Tsunade pursed her lips into a smile, her voice clear and bold with a hint of youthful vigor.

"The Mist Ninja were soundly defeated!"

"Most of their main force of ninja are dead. The reinforcements that followed were just weak Chunin and Genin, and there weren't many of them, which caused their morale to plummet. They are now in complete disarray."

"Seeing that victory is certain, Lord Hokage has ordered us to return for rest and to prepare for the battle in the Land of Rain."

Uzumaki Mito looked surprised.

"Are the Mist Ninja really that weak? Their Seven Ninja Swordsmen are world-renowned; how did you deal with them?"

"Haha, the reputation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen is just hype. Their true level isn't actually that strong. The only threat they posed to us was the thick fog, but Orochimaru can confirm the enemy's position through his sense of smell, so their fog became ineffective."

"With the coordination between him, Jiraiya, and myself, the Mist Ninja were no match for us."

"By the way, the performance of Senior Hatake was even more impressive. His swordsmanship is far above that of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He didn't need anyone else's support to defeat any one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen single-handedly."

"In fact, the one the Mist Ninja truly fear is him. It is said that the Mist Ninja call him the White Fang of the Leaf, and they tremble just hearing his name."

Uzumaki Mito's eyes were filled with confusion.

"White Fang of the Leaf? Hatake? I haven't heard of his exploits. All that is circulating among the ninja now are stories of how the three of you easily defeated the Mist Ninja."

Although Uzumaki Mito could not leave the barrier, she often spoke with the Anbu who "protected" her.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's wife, Biwako, also visited her frequently.

Uzumaki Mito had a detailed understanding of the current war situation.

Tsunade also looked surprised.

"No way? Although the three of us performed well, Senior Hatake's contribution was even greater. You haven't even heard his name? That is truly hard to understand."

After hearing their conversation, Uchiha Kurohane felt a sudden sense of realization.

Why would a hero like Hatake Sakumo be bullied to the point of suicide over a single failed mission?

It turned out that the ninjas of Konoha were unaware of his achievements.

Why were the ninjas of Konoha unaware?

It was because the higher-ups had deliberately suppressed his merits.

Suppressing Hatake Sakumo's achievements while going all out to promote Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade was undoubtedly the policy of the old man, the Third Hokage.

This was done so that one of those three could become the Hokage.

This was the struggle for the position of Hokage, hidden behind the scenes of Konoha!

Uzumaki Mito realized this as well, and her expression turned even more solemn.

"You must be careful. Because of the previous Wood Release experiments, the members of the Senju Clan have all perished."

"Although the Senju Clan wanted to recreate the glory of Hashirama and sought to recover the lost Wood Release, and they participated voluntarily, the reality is that the Senju Clan exists in name only."

"You and Nawaki are the last embers of the Senju Clan, and you are also viewed as strong contenders for the next generation of Hokage. This is precisely what makes it so dangerous..."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.

"Grandmother, you are overthinking it. Such conspiracy theories are ridiculous, and I have absolutely no interest in the position of Hokage."

"No, political struggles are incredibly cruel. Others do not know if you truly have no interest; rather than gambling on your lack of interest, they prefer certainties."

Tsunade did not believe Uzumaki Mito's words.

"Konoha is currently fighting against the four great ninja villages alone; the situation is so critical, how could anyone be thinking about internal strife?"

"If Konoha really thought that way, then there would be no need for such a village to exist..."

Uchiha Kurohane heard Tsunade's words and understood why she later left Konoha, and why, when Naruto went to find her, she looked down on the Hokage position and was unwilling to return.

It was because her younger brother, Nawaki, would soon die.

And he would die in an inexplicable manner.

According to his teammates' reports, he had just left Konoha and, without even seeing the enemy's face, was blown up by a trap.

For a ninja, such a way to die was too strange.

It was hard not to suspect that there was a scent of conspiracy behind it.

Tsunade saw through the essence of Konoha because of this incident and believed that Konoha was not worth protecting, which was why she left.

It was even possible that Tsunade herself had encountered danger, but because of her immense strength, she had survived.

Regardless, even if Uchiha Kurohane did not intervene, Tsunade would still become the Fifth Hokage in the future.

He did not need to worry about Tsunade's affairs; he only needed to ensure he did not get involved and live safely until that time.

And that was the reason he deliberately disguised himself as a dead last.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; the more talented one is, the more they are feared. On the other hand, no one cares about the weak.

Uchiha Kurohane had relied on his previous act of weakness to lay low until his Kekkei Genkai upgraded.

Now, with the Yatagarasu Substitute, he could simply run away if he encountered a strong enemy; it would be hard for him to die even if he wanted to!

Once he became Tsunade's apprentice and learned the Strength of a Hundred and Creation Rebirth, he would become truly unkillable.

Therefore, the key now was this.

He had to become Tsunade's apprentice!