What a Lovable Child

"I have other missions." Sakumo Hatake finished speaking, then used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish into a dark shadow.

Soon after, a fully dressed Tsunade walked out of the tent.

"Who were you talking to just now?"

Senju Genma turned around, and the two of them immediately clung to each other.

Tsunade felt that after being separated from Senju Genma for over a year, she only liked him more and more.

If it weren't for the fact that Senju Genma's body hadn't fully matured yet, Tsunade would have surely been unable to resist devouring him last night.

Fortunately, Senju Genma's mouth and fingers had been trained by her to be exceptionally skilled; although they couldn't take the final step, it still provided Tsunade with temporary satisfaction.

"It was Captain Sakumo. He brought orders from the Hokage, telling me to remain on the battlefield and appointing me as the squad leader of the Anbu Ninja Squad." Pushing away the bright red lips Tsunade had pressed against his face, Senju Genma wiped the saliva off his cheek with a look of disgust.

Senju Genma's disgusted expression only served to ignite Tsunade's competitive spirit, and her fair hands began to stir up trouble on his body.

"The teacher really thinks highly of you, making you a squad leader so quickly. In a few more years, will he have you serving as the commander-in-chief?!"

"Tsunade, seeing that you're still such a pervert, I can rest easy!"

Not far from the tent, Orochimaru was dragging Nawaki toward the pair.

Strangely, Nawaki kept his eyes covered, muttering, "I didn't see anything, Sister, please don't kill me."

A smile played on Orochimaru's face.

In truth, he didn't understand how Tsunade had become like this either.

She had been perfectly normal when they were children, but after meeting Senju Genma, she had wandered further and further down the path of perversion.

Was Genma's charm really that potent?

Orochimaru looked at Senju Genma, unable to stop himself from sighing inwardly.

Fine! His charm was indeed immense; just one look was enough to make people feel fond of him. No wonder he was so well-liked in the village. He wondered what would happen if he were to change his own gender.

"If you aren't at the front lines commanding the battle, what are you doing here? Is your skin itching? Do you want me to give you a tune-up?" Tsunade noticed the way Orochimaru was looking at Senju Genma and felt a pang of jealousy, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.

Orochimaru hurriedly shook his head. "How could that be? I'm just here to inform Genma that he needs to head to the battlefield tomorrow. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be going."

At this stage, the strength of the Yellow-Gambling-Poison Trio was actually quite evenly matched.

However, since Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya had grown up together, neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya would ever truly lay a hand on Tsunade.

But Tsunade never knew her own strength when she fought.

Orochimaru had no desire to end up like Jiraiya, with six broken ribs.

"Then you'd better take good care of Genma. If I find out you've dared to bully him..."

Tsunade didn't finish her sentence, but the fist she brandished made her meaning perfectly clear.

Orochimaru nodded repeatedly, dragging the temporarily blind Nawaki away from the Medical Unit encampment.

Watching Orochimaru's somewhat adorable behavior, Senju Genma found it hard to imagine that he would eventually become a villainous madman.

"Hehe!" Tsunade suddenly let out a strange laugh. "The annoying pests are finally gone. Little Genma, hehehe!"

Tsunade carried Genma back into the tent.

Inside the Graveyard Mountains.

Madara Uchiha, with his long white hair, sat on a throne made of wood, clutching a large scythe as he listened to the main body of White Zetsu report on the situation of the Shinobi World War, surrounded by a crowd of other White Zetsu onlookers.

"Another war, ah! Hashirama, do you see? Your methods are futile!"

"A descendant of the Senju Clan? White hair, and he even uses Tobirama's ninjutsu—what an annoying little brat!"

"And that damned Tobirama. If not for him, perhaps back then, Hashirama and I..."

Seeing that Madara Uchiha did not wish to continue, White Zetsu spoke up again: "Not only that, but that child also used Wood Release."

Madara Uchiha displayed a rare fluctuation of emotion, his pupils dilating.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, it was the Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall. I saw it clearly. Furthermore, according to intelligence, Rain Ninja saw him using Wood Release at the very start of the war, though we hadn't begun observing the battlefield at that time."

A blissful smile appeared on Madara Uchiha's face. "Wood Release... how nostalgic. Hashirama, you could say you have a successor after all. Senju Genma, is it? A fine name. What a cute child."

Madara Uchiha let out a long-overdue, hearty laugh, but he soon remembered something.

"By the way, have you found a suitable Uchiha clansman yet?"

This concerned his grand "Eye of the Moon Plan" to bring permanent peace to the shinobi world; he could not afford to be indifferent.

The Eye of the Moon Plan was Madara Uchiha's scheme to become the jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, reach the level of the Six Paths, awaken the Rinne Sharingan, and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi to control everyone in the world, achieving permanent peace within an illusion.

His life was nearing its end; he had to find someone talented and easily manipulated to take over his plan and eventually resurrect him to complete it.

"Not yet. We have yet to discover an Uchiha clansman who meets the requirements," White Zetsu replied immediately.

"Is that so? Then keep looking! Black Zetsu, you go with them!" Madara Uchiha knew that a suitable candidate wouldn't be easy to find, so he could only wave his hand to dismiss White Zetsu.

"Yes!" A mass of pitch-black liquid flowed from Madara Uchiha's sleeve onto the ground, quickly climbing onto the body of the main White Zetsu.

The body of Black-White Zetsu sank into the ground, departing the Graveyard Mountains along with the other White Zetsu.

"Wood Release, Senju Genma... how truly interesting!" Madara Uchiha began to mutter, a distinct smile playing on his face.

After all, as an old man nearing seventy, even the former Asura of the ninja world had begun to grow fond of reminiscing about the past.

He soon thought of that figure who haunted his dreams and lingered in his soul.

"Hashirama!"

Before long, Black Zetsu, possessing a White Zetsu, arrived at the Land of Rain battlefield using the Mayfly Technique.

At this moment, Senju Genma was standing among the troops preparing to depart.

"Is that Senju Genma?" Black Zetsu voiced his question.

White Zetsu answered affirmatively, "That's right, it's him."

"Strange. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before; there's an indescribable sense of familiarity," Black Zetsu murmured in a tone of confusion.

Having said that, he shook his head, casting the unrealistic thought to the back of his mind.

"It must be an illusion. If I had seen him, I would definitely remember. I shouldn't have ever met him!"

"Let's go. We must continue searching for a suitable member of the Uchiha clan."

This was the closest he had come to resurrecting his mother in the millennium he had spent living, and he placed great importance on Madara Uchiha's plan; he could not afford to miss this opportunity.