Returning to the Village with a Beauty

Inside the private room of the most luxurious izakaya in Tanzaku Street.

The ninja hawk that had been crying atop the dilapidated eaves folded its wings and landed on the windowsill outside the private room.

Inside, meat sizzled on the iron grill.

Chiba picked up a slice of beef, put it into his mouth, and chewed with relish.

"Aunt, this toast is to you. Congratulations on the official establishment of the Senju Revival Fund."

Chiba raised his cup and winked at Tsunade across from him.

Tsunade lifted her cup and drained it in one gulp. Liquor slid down her fair neck and disappeared into her slightly loose collar. She shot Chiba a sideways glare.

"Cut it out. That's Yamato-ya's money. What does it have to do with me?"

Chiba stretched his foot forward, his toes brushing against Tsunade's ankle beneath the table.

Tsunade abruptly pulled back her calf, her brows immediately knitting together.

"Chiba, where are you putting your foot?"

"It's cramped under the table. What's wrong with bumping into you once? Aunt, you're not flustered, are you?"

Chiba smiled. Not only did he not withdraw his foot, he gently rubbed the top of it against her ankle.

Tsunade glared at him, and the mole by the tip of her ear visibly reddened.

"Behave yourself, or I'll break your leg."

Tsunade picked up the bottle and filled her own cup.

The blue diamond-shaped mark on Chiba's forehead gleamed beneath the lights.

Tsunade stared at his forehead, suspicion in her expression.

"Where exactly did that Byakugō Seal of yours come from? Don't try to fool me with that bloodline resonance nonsense."

"I'm just extraordinarily talented. I learned it with one look. Aunt, this is financial affection—you saw me getting stronger, so now you want to dig into every detail."

Chiba curled his lip.

"The Strength of a Hundred Technique requires precise chakra control. You're only seventeen. How could you possibly learn it in the blink of an eye?"

Tsunade tapped the table irritably.

"I'm seventeen this year, right in my prime. My body's in great shape."

Chiba grinned.

Shizune was counting the vault keys beside them. Hearing that, she could not help sighing.

"Chiba, please stop teasing Lady Tsunade. Still, Yamato-ya really does have a lot of assets. This money will be enough to last us for quite a while."

"A lot? This hardly counts as a lot."

Chiba leaned back in his chair.

"Once we return to Konoha, there'll be plenty of places to spend money. For example, buying back the Senju ancestral grounds and building a mansion taller than the Hokage Building, so we can parade around under Hiruzen Sarutobi's nose every day."

Tsunade scoffed.

"Talk about that after you manage to get back. Those old bastards in Konoha won't just watch a rogue ninja who awakened Wood Release live freely outside."

At that moment, the ninja hawk on the windowsill let out a piercing cry, flew in, and landed steadily on Shizune's arm.

Shizune jumped in fright, and Tonton in her arms squealed twice as well.

"Oh, it's a messenger hawk."

Shizune's expression changed as she removed the metal message tube from the hawk's claw.

The tube bore Konoha ANBU's special anti-counterfeiting mark.

"Konoha ANBU?"

Tsunade frowned.

"They moved that quickly? Weren't those people at the inn trapped by your Wood Release?"

"Those were just small fry. ANBU has its own means of communication."

Chiba's expression did not change as he continued eating grilled meat.

"Shizune, open it and see what it says."

Shizune opened the tube and took out a thin slip of paper. After one glance, her face turned deathly pale.

"What does it say? Read it."

Chiba spoke calmly.

Shizune swallowed, her voice trembling.

"Urgent classified order: Rogue ninja Senju Chiba faked his death during a mission. It has now been confirmed that he is active in Tanzaku Street. Root Organization elites have been personally mobilized by Lord Danzō and will cooperate with ANBU's Third Division to proceed immediately to Tanzaku Street and carry out the housecleaning operation. If there is resistance, execution on the spot is authorized. The corpse is to be sent to the Root laboratory."

The atmosphere in the private room immediately grew heavy.

Shizune looked at Chiba, her eyes full of worry.

"Chiba, Danzō's Root Organization is Konoha's darkest force. Since they've issued a kill order, the people coming will definitely be elites. And the letter specifically mentioned that Danzō's confidant, Torune Aburame, is leading them this time. He has a group of killers skilled in using nanoscale venomous insects, and they've already laid an ambush in the forest."

"Torune Aburame? That guy who plays with poisonous bugs?"

Chiba took a sip of sake, looking relaxed.

"Danzō sure thinks highly of me."

"Execution on the spot? They're even skipping the process of bringing him back to the village for trial?"

Tsunade slammed a hand onto the table, fury filling her eyes.

"What the hell is Teacher Hiruzen thinking? Is he really going to completely erase the last bloodline of the Senju Clan?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Chiba leaned back in his chair.

"Wood Release has returned to the world. To Konoha's upper ranks, that isn't good news—it's a death warrant. They're afraid another First Hokage will appear. They're afraid the Senju Clan will regain control of Konoha. So the best solution is to let me die outside and bury the secret of Wood Release in the ground forever."

"Chiba, what do we do now? Should we leave Tanzaku Street immediately?"

Shizune asked anxiously.

"If the Root Organization surrounds us, we won't be able to leave."

"Leave? Why should we leave?"

Chiba raised a brow.

"Shizune, do you think we can hide forever? If we escape Tanzaku Street today, they'll keep hunting us tomorrow in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water. As long as I'm alive, Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi won't sleep peacefully."

"But..."

"No buts."

Chiba rose to his feet, walked to the window, and looked out at the street below.

"I burned down the Senju Clan's ancestral grounds, mortgaged the deed, and now I'm a rogue ninja of Konoha. Since that's the case, let's make this big."

Tsunade looked at Chiba's back.

The lingering glow of sunset fell over his shoulders, casting a long shadow. At that moment, the decisiveness and dominance emanating from Chiba left her briefly dazed.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Tsunade asked in a deep voice.

Chiba turned around and looked at Tsunade, a wild, arrogant curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

"Return to Konoha."

"Are you insane?!"

Tsunade shot to her feet, crossed the room in a few strides, and grabbed Chiba by the collar.

Standing so close, Chiba could smell the rich scent of alcohol on her. The Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead glimmered faintly, revealing just how unsettled she was.

"Returning to Konoha is suicide! Danzō has operated in Konoha for so many years. The Root Organization's influence is spread throughout the entire village. If you go back now, they'll tear you to pieces before you can even enter the Hokage Building!"

Tsunade growled, tension in her voice that even she did not notice.

Chiba looked down at her.

Tsunade's fair neck had reddened slightly from agitation, and the view beneath her collar was unobstructed, yet his gaze remained exceptionally calm.

"Aunt, you're not flustered, are you?"

Chiba reached out and grasped Tsunade's wrist. Sage chakra flowed from his body into hers, seeping through her skin.

Tsunade only felt a warmth at her wrist. In that instant, the chakra directly drained all strength from her body, and the hand clutching Chiba's collar involuntarily loosened.

"You..."

Tsunade took a step back, looking at him with some panic. This suppression and resonance within their bloodline made her feel an unprecedented sense of helplessness.

"Danzō is nothing. Hiruzen Sarutobi is old too."

Chiba straightened his rumpled collar, his tone calm yet carrying immense weight.

"For years, they've used the name of the 'Will of Fire' to devour the Senju Clan. They even want to seize the foundation left behind by my first and second granduncles. Now that I've awakened Wood Release and possess the purest power of the Senju, why should I still hide outside like a dog?"

"Konoha was founded jointly by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. Now the Uchiha have been marginalized, while the Senju have been worn down until only I remain. Someone has to settle this debt."

Chiba stared into Tsunade's eyes.

"Aunt, you're the princess of the Senju Clan. Are you really going to hide in Tanzaku Street for the rest of your life, numbing yourself with gambling and alcohol? Watching the Senju name vanish completely from the ninja world?"

Every word Chiba spoke was a blade, mercilessly piercing through Tsunade's years of avoidance and pretense.

Tsunade swayed, her face turning pale. Nawaki's death and Dan's death were the pain of her life. She had chosen to leave Konoha because she could not face that war machine built upon the lives of companions. Yet now, this seventeen-year-old boy wanted to drag her back into that vortex.

"Chiba... you don't understand the cruelty of politics at all."

Tsunade's voice was low.

"They'll crush you with righteousness."

"Righteousness? Before absolute strength, righteousness is a joke."

Chiba sneered.

"My first granduncle cared too much about righteousness back then. That was why people like Hiruzen Sarutobi found an opening. If he had simply used True Several Thousand Hands to slap those scheming people to death, how would the Senju Clan have ended up like this?"

Shizune sat to one side, staring blankly at Chiba. She had never seen anyone dare judge the First Hokage like this, much less say something so rebellious in front of Tsunade. Yet somehow, she felt that Chiba made a great deal of sense.

"Chiba... but there are only three of us."

Shizune reminded him quietly.

"Three is enough."

Chiba turned his head toward Shizune and smiled.

"Shizune, put away Yamato-ya's asset deeds. They're our startup capital for rebuilding the Senju Clan. Once we return to Konoha, I'll build the biggest and most luxurious Senju residence next to the Hokage Building. We'll parade around under Hiruzen Sarutobi's nose every day and piss that old man off to death."

Hearing Chiba's nearly absurd plan, Shizune did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"You really are a madman."

Tsunade took a deep breath and looked at Chiba with an unusual expression.

"But it does sound rather interesting."

"Of course. What's the fun in being a turtle hiding in its shell? If we're doing this, we're doing it big."

Chiba flexed his wrist, the Byakugō Seal on his forehead faintly heating up.

"Since Danzō sent Root Organization elites after us, we'll collect some interest on the road first."

"The ambush on the road... are you confident?"

Tsunade raised a brow.

"Those vermin under Danzō who can't stand the light only deserve to poison and sneak attack from dark corners. Once we reach the forest, my Wood Release will teach them how to behave."

A confident smile hung on Chiba's lips.

"Shizune, pack our things. We leave tonight."

Chiba turned and instructed Shizune.

"Yes, Chiba! I'll get ready right away!"

Shizune hurriedly nodded, holding Tonton as she began packing up the private room.

Tsunade stood where she was, looking at Chiba. The struggle in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a long-lost resolve.

"Chiba, if something happens when we return to the village this time, I won't save you."

Tsunade crossed her arms and turned her head away.

"Don't worry, Aunt. When the time comes, you only need to stand behind me and heal me."

Chiba walked to her side and draped his right arm around her shoulders.

This time, Tsunade did not struggle. Her body stiffened slightly, then relaxed, allowing him to hold her.

"Get lost. I'm one of the Sannin, not your personal medic."

Tsunade cursed with a smile.

"It's all the same. From now on, you're mine anyway."

Chiba smiled and led her toward the exit of the private room.

Night fell, and the lights of Tanzaku Street gradually came on.

Chiba, Tsunade, and Shizune silently left the izakaya, merging into the night as they raced toward the forest at the border of the Land of Fire.

Behind them, Konoha ANBU's messenger hawk cried out once more and spread its wings into the night sky.

Deep in the forest, dozens of dark figures wearing featureless masks had already hidden among the treetops. Poisoned short blades glinted with chilling light beneath the moon.

The ninja leading them watched the path ahead, his voice cold.

"The target has entered the forest. Proceed according to plan. Execute on the spot. Leave no survivors!"