Tsunade's Fierce Protection

Qianyu walked home to his new place along the path, his schoolbag slung over his shoulder as usual. The easygoing mood after school had let his guard down a little. He was wondering whether to study the Fire Release scroll Fugaku had given him that evening or keep working on precise control of Wood Release. He didn't notice the figure not far behind him.

As he walked, Qianyu felt he'd finally gained a foothold. He let out a wild, Uchiha-style laugh. In the shadows of a hidden corner, a sharp gaze remained fixed on him.

Tsunade folded her arms and leaned against the cold wall, watching the black-haired child walk away. The longer she looked, the tighter her brow furrowed.

That stride, the shape of his profile, and especially that faint, distant air that kept others at arm's length... How was any of that like the Senju Clan's sunny, warmhearted style? He looked much more like...

"Shizune," she murmured, her tone odd. "Don't you think this kid looks far more like someone from the Uchiha Clan? Except his hair's a bit long."

Holding Tonton, Shizune took a closer look and whispered, "He does have that sort of feel. But, Lady Tsunade, the letter from Lord Hokage said his Wood Release—"

"That's why I need to see for myself." Tsunade cut her off and started after him, moving as lightly as a cat without making a sound. Shizune hurried after her.

The two of them followed Qianyu at a discreet distance. As they neared the somewhat desolate area on the edge of the village, Qianyu suddenly stopped. His body tensed, and his right hand darted toward the pouch at his lower back.

He noticed us? Tsunade was surprised. The kid's guard was no ordinary thing. He could tell he was being followed on the way home, inside Konoha?

Qianyu spun around, a Kunai already in his hand. His stance was still a little unpracticed, but his eyes were keen as he scanned the road and the trees behind him. His voice was deliberately low and cold. "Come out! Who's there?!"

Tsunade's brief surprise was instantly replaced by a nameless anger. How many times had this child been forced to live in fear? How many threats had he faced? What had happened to make a kid who should have been carefree at school act like a startled rabbit even in his own village?

She stopped hiding and stepped out from behind a large tree. Shizune followed at her side.

Qianyu's wary gaze snapped to the newcomers. The next moment, his hand trembled almost imperceptibly around the Kunai, and his eyes widened slightly.

The setting sun's golden light outlined the woman before him. Gleaming golden hair, exquisite features, and, above all, an impressive figure...

Good heavens! This was Tsunade-hime in the flesh, alive and breathing—and a hundred times more striking than her two-dimensional counterpart. The mature, formidable beauty he'd never fully grasped through the manga and his imagination hit him all at once.

Qianyu stared for a moment, nearly losing the cold expression he'd been putting on. A pure, instinctive look of wonder and dazed admiration crossed his face—the kind a boy his age couldn't help showing when he saw an absolute beauty.

Naturally, Tsunade didn't miss the tiny change in his expression. A vein popped on her forehead. That little brat! One moment he was acting like a wary wolf cub, and the next he was staring at me in a daze? Men really were all the same, no matter how young!

"Hey, kid!" Tsunade snapped, jolting Qianyu out of his daze. "Quit staring. Use Wood Release on me!"

"Wood Release?" The word seemed to burn him. Qianyu came to his senses, his face instantly shifting to shock and wariness, with a touch of panic that said, How do you know? He tightened his grip on the Kunai and stepped back half a pace. "Who are you? Grandpa Hokage said I can't use that outside!"

"Grandpa Hokage?" Tsunade repeated the words, seeing the genuine trust and dependence in Qianyu's eyes when he spoke of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Thinking of the way the boy was treated in the village, the fire inside her only burned hotter. It was all the fault of those rats lurking in the sewers!

"Bam!" She punched a nearby tree as thick as a bowl. The trunk snapped and crashed to the ground.

"Enough talk!" Tsunade shook out her hand and fixed Qianyu with a stare. "Kid, use Wood Release on me! Once I confirm you're a real Wood Release inheritor and not some freak made in a lab, I'll protect you in Konoha from now on! Let's see who dares lay a finger on you!"

Her tone was domineering, but her promise carried an undeniable weight.

Qianyu looked at the unfortunate tree on the ground, then at Tsunade's firm, unyielding gaze—and the urgency and anticipation buried deep within it. His thoughts raced. He knew it was time for the main act.

His face showed hesitation and struggle, before finally settling into the sort of resolve that came when there was no turning back.

"Then... watch out, golden-haired sister!"

He drew a deep breath and began forming Hand Seals. They weren't very practiced, but the sequence was correct. His chakra surged through him as he deliberately drew upon and amplified the Yang Release power of the Senju.

"Wood Release: Four-Directional Total Sealing Technique!"

Hearing the name, Tsunade was speechless. As for the technique's actual effect... Dozens of sturdy vines and wooden tendrils, each as thick as a bowl, burst from the ground around Tsunade. They didn't attack her. Instead, they quickly intertwined and coiled, forming a dense wooden cage that trapped her in the center. The cage continued to close in, pressing around her.

The technique didn't look especially impressive, but what mattered was the life force and restraining power it contained.

As soon as the Wood Release rose around her, Tsunade closed her eyes. She didn't try to break out by force. Instead, she held her breath and focused, using the keen perception of her Senju bloodline to feel the power flowing through the wood that surrounded her.

Warm, vast, brimming with life... Like a forest beneath the spring sun, like the warmth of her grandfather's broad hand in her memories... It was nothing like the cold, violent, unstable Wood Release produced in those laboratories. This dense, vibrant vitality could not be mistaken.

It was the power of her grandfather, Hashirama Senju! Still immature and weak, but of the same essence!

Tsunade's eyes flew open. Shock and excitement flashed in her amber eyes, along with a complicated hint of relief. She hesitated no longer and let her chakra surge.

"Crack—boom!"

The sturdy wooden cage shattered at the slightest movement from her, breaking apart into countless splinters. She stepped out and appeared in front of Qianyu, who was still holding his Hand Seals and looked a little drained.

"Golden-haired sister, you..." Qianyu jumped and instinctively tried to step back.

But Tsunade caught him by the shoulder. With her other hand, she pressed her palm to his forehead. A gentle yet incredibly pure and powerful chakra poured into his body. Like a scanner, it quickly coursed through every one of his pathways, bones, and organs.

Qianyu's body stiffened, but he forced himself to suppress his instinct to resist and let her examine him. He could feel the chakra probing him, but it carried no ill will. If anything, it felt warm.

As Tsunade scanned his body, he thought she wouldn't find anything. He only had refined bloodline cells from Madara and Hashirama. More importantly, he had been nurtured and raised by the Yin-Yang Release of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Tsunade's brow gradually relaxed, and the light in her eyes grew brighter. He was healthy—exceptionally healthy, even far healthier than an ordinary person. His bone density, muscle fibers, and organ vitality...

Especially the life force hidden deep in his bloodline, as heavy as the earth, not yet fully awakened... It was the Sage Body! Though still a dormant seedling, it was undeniably the Sage Body inherited from her grandfather!

There was nothing wrong with him. He wasn't an artificial monster or a failed experiment. He was a healthy, exceptionally gifted child.

She withdrew her hand and looked at the black-haired kid in front of her. He seemed confused by the sudden examination, but still wary. Her feelings were complicated. That face... It became more irritating the longer she looked at it, yet she couldn't help feeling close to him because of the bloodline he carried.

"Kid, your name is Cangshu Qianyu, right?" Tsunade's voice softened, though she was still far from gentle.

"Yeah." Qianyu nodded, his eyes clear. "Who are you, anyway, big sister? You're amazing!"

"My name is Tsunade. Tsunade Senju." She folded her arms and lifted her chin slightly. "You can call me Lady Tsunade."

Qianyu readily agreed. "Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade gave a quiet "hm," feeling that something about this was strange. The kid had the face of a young Madara Uchiha, used her grandfather's Wood Release, and called her "Lady"... What a bizarre combination.

"This isn't the place to talk." Tsunade glanced around. The area was remote, but the commotion might have drawn attention. She reached out and grabbed Qianyu by the back of his collar.

"Huh? Lady Tsunade? Where are we—whoa!"

Before Qianyu could finish, Tsunade had already picked him up. She and Shizune vanished in a few Body Flickers, leaving behind scattered wood splinters and Abin, who was staring open-mouthed with half his head poking out of the ground, having witnessed the whole thing.

Abin's beady eyes blinked. He slowly sank back down, muttering as he went, "What a fierce woman... But she seems pretty strong. Does that mean Little Fish has found himself a new protector?"

In almost no time at all, Qianyu was carried back to his new wooden house. The feeling of his feet touching solid ground made him a little dizzy, but his thoughts quickly turned over the situation. Tsunade had come back to the village herself to verify things, and she'd been so excited... It seemed his Wood Release and Sage Body had really struck a chord with her.

If he could get Lady Tsunade's public approval and protection, that old dog Danzo would have to think twice before trying to go after him again. She was the granddaughter of the First and one of the legendary Sannin. Her reputation and influence in Konoha were no joke.

As he quietly weighed the possibility of latching onto a powerful ally, Tsunade merely gave him a long look, told him to stay put, then vanished again with Shizune.

The atmosphere in the Hokage's office had yet to recover from the earlier confrontation.

Tsunade returned. This time she didn't even bother with the door handle; she kicked the door open. Its hinges groaned in protest as she stormed in with a gust of wind.

"Old man!" She made a beeline for Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, planted both hands on it, and leaned forward, her anger nearly tangible. "Your letter didn't tell me the whole story! Had that old dog Danzo already gone after the kid? An assassination attempt? In the village?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his returning student, whose anger had only grown. Knowing he couldn't hide it, he sighed and briefly explained how Qianyu had been attacked, how Root shinobi had intervened, and how he'd stopped them in time. Of course, he still described them as "assailants of unknown identity."

"Don't give me that 'unknown identity' crap!" Tsunade wasn't buying it. She spun around and pointed at Danzo, whose face was dark as he stood by the window. Her voice rose, fierce and furious. "Who else could be so eager to kill a seven-year-old child besides you, you lingering old ghoul with your head full of filthy experiments? Is it because he looks like Madara Uchiha? Or because of that damned ambition of yours that can never be satisfied?!"

"Tsunade! Watch your tongue!" Utatane Koharu couldn't help but scold her.

"My place? I'm Tsunade Senju!" Tsunade shot back without an ounce of restraint, her gaze cutting across the two advisors like a blade. "And I'm his elder by blood. I'm making this clear right now—"

She turned back to Hiruzen Sarutobi and spoke each word with ironclad resolve, her voice ringing throughout the office.

"I'll protect that child, Cangshu Qianyu! I'll be responsible for guiding and looking after his Wood Release, his body, and his future! Anyone who tries to get their hands on him again, especially through underhanded means..."

Her gaze shot back to Danzo, sharp and murderous, without a trace of concealment.

"I'll rip your head off with my own hands! I mean it!"

With that, she stormed out again, not giving anyone else time to react.

The office fell silent.

Danzo's single eye glinted with inscrutable light in the shadows, and his fingers tightened slowly around his cane.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and removed his Hokage hat, rubbing his temples.

It gave him a headache, but deep down, he felt a quiet sense of relief. With Tsunade, that enraged lioness, standing in front of the child, at least he'd be much safer in the open.