Tsunade Returns to the Village

Tanzaku Town was as noisy as ever, its bustle mingled with the scent of coins and dice. Inside the gambling house with the largest sign, the crowd roared with activity.

After many twists and turns, the ANBU ninja finally located his target in the noisiest corner: a green robe with a massive "Gamble" written across its back, and a head of golden hair that remained dazzling even amid the smoky haze.

Lady Tsunade was intently slapping the buttons of the slot machine before her. Only a pitiful handful of chips sat piled beside her, and her expression was foul. Shizune, holding Tonton the little pig, stood nearby looking as if she wanted to say something but held herself back, her face full of the sorrowful certainty that they were about to lose everything again.

The ANBU ninja forced himself through the crowded masses and came to stand behind Tsunade. Respectfully yet clearly, he said, "Lady Tsunade, the Hokage has ordered—"

"Get lost, get lost, get lost!" Without even turning around, Tsunade impatiently waved him away as though swatting at flies. "Can't you see I'm busy? It's because unlucky bastards like you show up that I keep losing!"

The slot machine happened to stop spinning, displaying another row of disappointing symbols. Tsunade clicked her tongue, her face darkening further.

Shizune sighed helplessly and looked at the ANBU ninja, habitually reaching to accept what she assumed would be a letter urging them to return to the village or demanding repayment of debts. "Give it to me. Another letter from the village?"

But the ANBU ninja took half a step back and gripped the sealed scroll in his hand tighter. His voice was stiff but resolute. "The Hokage has given strict orders. This is a top-secret urgent dispatch and must be received and read by Lady Tsunade personally."

"Oh?"

The hand slapping the buttons stopped. At last, Tsunade slowly turned around. The irritation of a gambler who had lost was still on her face, but the gravity belonging to one of the Legendary Sannin had risen within her.

She looked the travel-worn ANBU ninja up and down, then glanced at the scroll in his hand.

For the old man to have it delivered directly into her hands as a "top-secret urgent dispatch," even bypassing Shizune... this was no simple matter.

"Give it to me." Tsunade held out her hand.

She accepted the scroll but did not open it on the spot. Instead, she gave Shizune a look, rose to her feet, and walked straight through the noisy gambling hall toward a secluded room at the back reserved for important guests. The ANBU silently followed until the door closed behind them.

Only she and Shizune remained in the room. Tsunade swiftly set up a simple soundproof barrier before undoing the seal on the scroll.

With a soft pop, a piece of wood about the length of an arm, dark and lustrous in color, fell from the unsealed scroll and rolled across the tatami.

Shizune looked at the piece of wood in confusion, then at Tsunade. But she found that Tsunade's gaze had frozen the instant it touched the wood.

Slowly, she crouched down. She did not touch the wood immediately, only stared at it as though it were something terrifying. Her fingers curled slightly, and for a moment, her breathing stopped.

Then she picked up the letter enclosed in the scroll. It was written in the familiar handwriting of her teacher, Hiruzen, and its contents were brief:

"Tsunade: A child has appeared in the village, bearing the Wood Release bloodline limit. Not an experimental creation; the vitality of his Wood Release is as pure as that of the First Hokage, sharing the same origin. This matter is of great importance and concerns the secrets of the Senju. I hope you will return."

The letter slipped from Tsunade's fingers.

"Wood Release... Wood Release sharing the same origin as Grandfather's...?" Tsunade murmured. There was no delight in her voice, only a tremor suppressed to its limit, like the moment before a volcano erupted.

She suddenly snatched up the piece of wood, feeling the vast life force flowing within it—familiar yet distant. It was the warm, heavy presence like the earth itself that she had felt as a child at her grandfather's side.

But the next second, boundless fury and bone-deep cold swept over her together.

How many years had it been? She had left Konoha and wandered far from home, fleeing like a coward. One of the deepest reasons was that she never wanted to see it again! Never wanted to hear another word about "Senju," "Wood Release," or "experiments"!

She had had enough of those filthy acts committed under banners like "recreating the glory of the First Hokage" and "for Konoha's strength"—sending clansmen with Senju blood in their veins, even distant relatives who barely had any connection at all, onto cold operating tables! Every failed experiment report was like salt scattered over a heart already riddled with wounds from losing those closest to her.

And now, Teacher Hiruzen was telling her that a "non-experimental subject" had appeared, a child with "Wood Release sharing the same origin as the First Hokage"?!

Absurd! Ridiculous! Or had Konoha—no, had that lingering ghost Danzo—created some even more perfect monster?!

"Shizune." Tsunade's voice was cold enough to freeze the air.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune took half a step back, startled by the terrifying aura that had suddenly erupted from Tsunade. Tonton shrank back in her arms as well.

"Pack our things." Tsunade rose to her feet, gripping the piece of wood tightly as if she wanted to crush the life force within it.

She looked toward Konoha beyond the window, her gaze sharp as a blade, filled with towering fury and a deeply buried stir of emotion.

"We're going back to Konoha."

She was going to see exactly what that old man and the poisonous snake lurking in the shadows had gotten up to this time! If that child truly was... then she would never allow her grandfather's power to become the sacrifice of any scheme again!

Two days later

The two chūnin standing guard at the gate were on duty when one of them suddenly rubbed his eyes and nudged his companion's arm. Even his voice changed pitch. "H-Hey! Look over there! Am I seeing things?!"

At the far end of the road leading out of the village, a tall figure was walking toward them at an unhurried pace. Her iconic golden hair was tied in a ponytail, swaying behind her with every step.

There was little expression on her face, but a low-pressure aura surrounded her that warned strangers not to approach—and advised even acquaintances to stay the hell away. A short-haired woman holding a pink-and-white pig followed closely behind her.

"L-Lady Tsunade?!" The two chūnin instantly snapped upright, their voices cracking from shock. Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, granddaughter of the First Hokage, who had been away from the village for years, had returned without any warning!

Tsunade did not even raise her eyelids as she walked straight past them, as if they were merely two particularly ugly gateposts. Only after she had gone several steps and that cold, overwhelming presence had receded did the two chūnin dare take deep breaths. They exchanged a look and saw the same stormy shock in each other's eyes. Something huge was about to happen in the village!

The Hokage's office door was broken again today.

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who had been gathered around the desk discussing something in low voices, turned back in astonishment. When they saw the figure standing in the doorway against the light, their expressions changed drastically.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated at the head of the room, looked up. The pipe in his hand paused, and a trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes.

Danzo Shimura, standing in the shadow by the window and engaged in another silent confrontation with Hiruzen Sarutobi, abruptly turned his single eye toward the door, his pupil narrowing slightly.

Tsunade walked inside, each step seeming to strike against their hearts. Shizune, holding Tonton, stopped anxiously at the doorway and did not dare follow her in.

"Hmph. Quite a full house." Tsunade swept her gaze over the four people in the office, the corner of her mouth pulling into a curve devoid of warmth. Her eyes finally raked over Danzo like blades, making no attempt to conceal the disgust and contempt within them.

Her gaze merely passed coldly over Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane as well. Only when she looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi did that piercing chill lessen somewhat, though it still carried a heavy accusation.

"Tsunade, you're back..." Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to speak in a gentle tone.

"Cut the crap, old man!" Tsunade interrupted him directly, her voice rising with rage she had suppressed for far too long.

With a smack, she slammed the piece of wood she had brought back from Tanzaku Town, along with Hiruzen Sarutobi's letter, onto the Hokage's desk. The force was so great that even the thick solid-wood desk let out a dull thud.

"Wood Release? The same Wood Release as my grandfather's? A child?" Tsunade's finger jabbed heavily at the piece of wood, but her sharp gaze swept over everyone in the room before finally settling on Danzo's gloomy face. "What a nice story! Not an experimental subject? Who the hell are you trying to fool?!"

Her chest heaved violently, and she was clearly furious. "Do you people have no idea what you've done?! Huh?! All those years, under the banner of reviving the Senju and restoring Wood Release, how many filthy things did you do in secret?!

"How many people with Senju blood in their veins—even those only distantly related—were deceived, forced, and sent onto cold operating tables! All for your pathetic ambitions! And what came of it? Other than a pile of inhuman monsters and tragedies everywhere, what else did you accomplish?!"

Her accusations came like a barrage, leaving Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane pale-faced and speechless. Danzo's lone eye darkened completely, like a bottomless frozen pool.

"And the Uchiha!" Tsunade abruptly turned her fire on them, the fury in her eyes burning even hotter. "An entire clan wiped out overnight! What a convenient story—an internal rebellion, ending in mutual destruction! Only ignorant villagers would believe such a laughably flawed lie! Who was fanning the flames behind the scenes? Who reaped the benefits? And who wouldn't even spare children?!"

She was practically cursing them to their faces. Homura tried to speak. "Tsunade, watch your words. Things aren't as you think—"

"What do I think?" Tsunade sneered, not giving him the chance to continue. "I only see the outcome! I see Konoha's shadows crawling with maggots! And now, another child with pure Wood Release has appeared? What, weren't the old test subjects enough, or has your technique improved enough to create something more 'perfect'?!"

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen Sarutobi finally shouted in a low voice, carrying the authority of the Hokage and a trace of exhaustion. "That is not the case. That child's circumstances... are very unusual. I called you back precisely because I hoped you would verify things and guide him, to prevent... prevent him from taking the wrong path, and to prevent anyone from entertaining thoughts they shouldn't." As he spoke, he gave Danzo a meaningful glance.

Danzo finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Tsunade, you have been away from the village for too long. You know nothing of Konoha's current state or the threats it faces. Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. You should understand better than anyone what Wood Release means to Konoha."

"Understand? What I understand is that my grandfather used that power to protect the village and create peace—not as an excuse for you to fight for power and conduct filthy experiments!" Tsunade refused to yield an inch, looking at Danzo as though he were a pile of garbage.

"Your extraordinary measures only create more darkness and sacrifice! Stay away from that child, Danzo. Otherwise, I won't mind making sure your other eye stays closed forever!"

The tension was so thick it could have ignited the air. Hiruzen coughed heavily and rose to his feet. "Enough! Tsunade, I understand your anger. But regarding that child, I guarantee in the name of the Hokage that he is not the product of an experiment. I will explain the details to you privately later. For now, you need to calm down."

Tsunade glared fiercely at Danzo, then looked at Hiruzen. Her chest rose and fell several times before she forcibly suppressed the urge to strike immediately. She knew that arguing until the sky fell here would solve nothing.

"Fine, old man. I'll wait for your detailed explanation." She grabbed the piece of wood from the table and turned to leave. At the doorway, she stopped and looked back, her gaze sweeping over Danzo once more, cold as a blade.

"Remember my words, Danzo. And remember what happened to the Uchiha. Some lines, once crossed, must be paid for with your life."

With that, she strode away without looking back, and Shizune hurried after her. The office door swayed behind them, leaving behind deathly silence and the lingering scent of gunpowder.

Hiruzen slowly sat back down and let out a deep sigh. Homura and Koharu wore grim expressions. Danzo remained where he was, shadows covering half his face. Within the depths of his lone eye, a cold glint flickered as he plotted something unknown.

After leaving the Hokage Building, Tsunade did not return to her old residence. The anger burning in her chest, along with an inexplicable sense of urgency, drove her onward.

She remembered the letter mentioning that the child was still at the Ninja Academy.

Relying on her familiarity with Konoha's layout, she easily evaded any potential watchers and silently arrived near the Ninja Academy like a ghost.

She did not enter the campus. Instead, she chose a corner by a low wall opposite the school gate, concealed by dense bushes. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across her body. Her face remained expressionless as she quietly watched the school gate. Deep within her amber eyes, complicated emotions churned.

She wanted to see with her own eyes what kind of child this Wood Release wielder, whom the old man had called "of the same origin as my grandfather," truly was.