Identity Confirmed

Hokage's Office.

Izumo Kamizuki knelt on one knee before the desk and rapidly reported everything that had happened at the border outpost. Senju Yunju, who claimed to be a surviving Senju descendant and Orochimaru's former backup vessel, had saved Neji Hyuga and was now being held by Kotetsu Hagane in a special office of the Konoha Security Force.

After hearing the report, Tsunade remained silent for two seconds.

Before Shizune could say anything, Tsunade had already risen from her chair. She moved so quickly that the chair slid backward and crashed into the wall with a dull thud.

Danzo Shimura sat in one of the office's guest seats, leaning on his cane. Half his face was wrapped in bandages, and the exposed eye showed no emotional fluctuation.

"Tsunade, this person's origins are unknown. He claims to be from the Senju Clan—as Hokage, you should not meet him immediately. ANBU should interrogate him first and confirm his identity—"

"He is from the Senju Clan." Tsunade cut him off. Her voice was not loud, but every word seemed squeezed through clenched teeth. "I know better than anyone what the Senju Clan's chakra feels like. You can't stop me."

Danzo's gaze darkened slightly, but he said nothing more. He knew Tsunade's temper. Saying more at a time like this would be useless.

When Tsunade left the office, she moved so fast that even Shizune had to jog to keep up.

Konoha Security Force, Special Office.

Hearing the footsteps outside, Kotetsu Hagane stood and opened the door. Tsunade stood outside, followed by Shizune and two ANBU.

"Where is he?"

Kotetsu stepped aside and pointed into the room.

Tsunade walked in.

Yunju was still seated in that chair, his hands resting on his knees and his back perfectly straight. When he saw Tsunade enter, he rose and lowered his head slightly—not as a bow, but as a gesture of respect.

Tsunade stood in the doorway and looked at him.

She did not speak immediately. Her gaze swept from the top of Yunju's head to his feet, then returned to his face. Tsunade was Konoha's finest medical ninja and the last direct descendant of the Senju Clan. Her eyes could see things ordinary people could not—bone structure, muscle density, the paths chakra took through the body, and its total volume.

This boy's physique was indeed far stronger than that of others his age. It was not the explosive strength of muscle, but the natural solidity of his frame and sinews. The chakra flowing through him was steady and dense, like a river that would never run dry.

Tsunade had seen the chakra of many people, but she could count on one hand those who possessed this kind of quality.

Something seemed to strike her chest.

"Sit." Tsunade pulled over a chair opposite him and sat down, her tone returning to the calm authority of the Hokage. "I have a few questions for you."

Yunju sat back down.

"Your name is Senju Yunju?"

"Yes."

"Where did you live when you were young?"

"In a ruined village near the border of the Land of Rice Fields. Later, Orochimaru's people took me away, and I grew up in one of Orochimaru's bases," Yunju said. "I don't know the village's name. By the time I went back to look for it, there was nothing left."

Tsunade's brow furrowed slightly.

"Orochimaru raised you?"

"Yes." Yunju did not avoid the word. "He taught me ninjutsu and gave me food and shelter. Without him, I might have died long ago."

A complicated expression flashed across Tsunade's face. Orochimaru—the bastard who had betrayed Konoha and killed the Third Hokage—had actually done something like that. Fortunately, he had not treated this child as a mere expendable resource. What angered her was that—he had never mentioned it.

Tsunade took a deep breath and suppressed those emotions.

She extended her hand. Yunju hesitated, then offered her his wrist. Tsunade pressed her fingertips against his pulse. This was no longer questioning; it was an examination. Medical chakra seeped from her fingertips into Yunju's body, swiftly traveling through his chakra pathways.

Then Tsunade released his hand.

Her hand was trembling slightly.

Not from cold, but because she had seen clearly. The breadth and resilience of this child's chakra pathways were not something that could be developed through training—it was bloodline. The bloodline of the Senju Clan.

Tsunade closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, her eyes were already red.

"You truly are from the Senju Clan." Her voice tightened, though she still tried to maintain the Hokage's dignity. "There is no mistake."

Yunju looked at her reddened eyes and said nothing. He did not know what he should say.

Tsunade turned toward the ANBU by the door.

"From today onward, the two of you will be responsible for his safety. Twenty-four-hour watch, rotating shifts. Orochimaru's people are not allowed near him. Akatsuki members are not allowed near him. No suspicious person is allowed near him."

The two ANBU dropped to one knee. "Yes."

Tsunade turned back to Yunju.

"You can't keep wandering outside anymore. The Senju Clan's bloodline cannot be cut off, and it cannot be targeted by all those unsavory people again." She stood and looked down at him. "I will teach you personally."

Yunju raised his head.

"Monstrous Strength, high-level medical ninjutsu, refined chakra control." Tsunade counted them off on her fingers. "Those things should have belonged to our family in the first place. Orochimaru can't teach you."

Yunju took a deep breath and stood. This time, he formally and solemnly lowered his head.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

Looking at his bowed head, Tsunade felt a complicated swirl of emotions.

The Senju Clan was finally no longer just her alone.

Yunju was arranged to live in an independent residence within Leaf Village, with ANBU patrolling around it day and night. Though it was called a residence, it was more like a semi-enclosed training compound—training grounds, a medical room, a scroll repository, everything was there.

Tsunade kept her word. Beginning the next day, she set aside two hours each day to personally guide Yunju.

The principle behind Monstrous Strength was not complicated—release chakra at the instant the fist made contact with the target, creating devastating impact force. The difficult part was the precision of chakra control. Release it too early, and the power would scatter. Release it too late, and the recoil would injure the user. Yunju trained for three days before he could leave even cracks across a practice stone wall.

High-level medical ninjutsu was even harder than Monstrous Strength. Tsunade tossed him a notebook as thick as his palm, densely packed with methods for treating all kinds of wounds, delicate chakra manipulation techniques, and every node of the human chakra pathways. Yunju practiced taijutsu and chakra control by day, then pored over the notebook at night. He slept only four hours each day.

The chakra control used in medical ninjutsu was completely different from combat—it had to be gentle, sustained, precise, with not even the slightest waste.

Refined chakra control was what Tsunade valued most. The Senju Clan possessed vast chakra reserves, but having more chakra did not mean having greater precision. Tsunade had Yunju perform the same exercise every day: lift a strand of hair with a thread of chakra and keep it suspended for ten minutes without breaking it. At first, he could not even last three seconds. A week later, he could barely hold on for five minutes.

Tsunade stood at the edge of the training ground and watched him practice. Her expression did not change much, but inwardly, she nodded in approval.

"You can't learn the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Seal yet." Tsunade walked over after he finished a set. "They require finer chakra control and enough chakra reserves. You still have a long way to go. But I can open the door for you first. Once your fundamentals are solid, you can come find me anytime."

Yunju wiped away his sweat. "I understand."

One week later, a Konoha high-level meeting.

People filled both sides of the long table in the Hokage's Office—two advisers, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the head of ANBU, a representative from the Ninja Academy, and several highly respected jonin.

Danzo Shimura sat at the far end, his cane planted before him. His eyes were closed, as though he was listening—or perhaps dozing off.

Tsunade sat at the head of the table. Before her lay a document—<Identity Confirmation and Placement Plan for Senju Clan Survivor Senju Yunju>.

"I have gathered everyone here today to formally announce something." Tsunade's voice was not loud, but everyone in the room heard it clearly. "Senju Clan survivor Senju Yunju has had his bloodline personally confirmed by me. Effective immediately, he will be entered into the Konoha Hidden Village ninja registry, and the Senju Clan's status as an orthodox clan of Konoha will be restored."

The meeting room fell quiet for a moment. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance, but neither spoke. The Senju Clan was one of Konoha's founding clans, the bloodline of Hashirama Senju. Although Tsunade was universally acknowledged as a Senju descendant, the Senju Clan's official clan status in Konoha had never been formally restored. What Tsunade intended to do now was make it final.

"I object." Danzo opened his eyes, his voice hoarse and slow. "This person's origins are unknown. Though you, Tsunade, have confirmed his bloodline, his loyalty has not been tested. Restoring his clan status directly is far too hasty."

Tsunade did not look at him.

"This does not require a vote."

Danzo's gaze darkened, but he said nothing more.

"Additionally," Tsunade continued, "Senju Yunju's current strength has already reached at least elite chunin level. With special training, he may reach jonin level in a short time. I do not intend to make him start as a genin. Give him a chunin position and place him in Konoha's ninja ranks."

This time, the murmur in the meeting room grew louder. A boy who had been in the village for less than ten days was being made a chunin directly? Quite a few jonin frowned.

"Neji Hyuga woke up this morning," Tsunade added unhurriedly. "His testimony completely matches Senju Yunju's account. In the Forest of Death, Senju Yunju saved Neji from Orochimaru and exposed the Senju name during the battle. During the Sasuke pursuit mission, he also rescued the critically injured, dying Neji and Choji from the battlefield."

The meeting room fell silent.

"Does anyone else have objections?"

No one spoke.

Tsunade signed her name on the document, closed the file, and handed it to Shizune.

"Enter him into the registry. Inform the entire village. Senju Yunju, chunin."

Time returned to the battle, deep within the forest outside Leaf Village.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

A sweeping kick tore through the air with a howling gust. Kimimaro shifted aside to evade it, but the kick had only been a feint—Rock Lee's body spun in midair, and his other foot was already driving toward Kimimaro's chest.

Kimimaro was kicked back several steps.

"You are..." Kimimaro's brow furrowed slightly.

"Konoha's Azure Beast, Rock Lee!" Rock Lee assumed a fighting stance, the forehead protector around his head reflecting sunlight. "I'm your opponent!"

Kimimaro said nothing more. Bone spikes slowly extended from his palms.

Rock Lee moved first. He was so fast that only a green afterimage remained in Kimimaro's vision, his fist hurtling toward Kimimaro's face from an unbelievable angle. Kimimaro raised an arm to block, bone spikes snapping from the back of his hand toward Rock Lee's fist.

Rock Lee did not pull back. Just before his fist struck the bone spike, it changed direction, and a hook smashed into Kimimaro's ribs.

Kimimaro took half a step back.

For the first time, a serious look appeared in his eyes.

Cursed Seal, Stage One. Black markings spread from Kimimaro's neck across his cheeks. His chakra surged, and the number and length of his bone spikes increased drastically.

Rock Lee did not retreat. He took a deep breath as the seals of the Eight Gates within him began to loosen.

"Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain—Gate of Limit, open!"

Green chakra erupted from Rock Lee's body. The force of it made his skin tremble, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints. Opening the Fifth Gate granted tremendous strength, but the burden on his body was equally immense—blood began to seep from his still-unhealed lower leg after surgery. Pain flashed across his face, only to be swiftly swallowed by his fighting spirit.

Kimimaro's bone spikes stabbed from every direction—elbows, shoulders, fingertips, back. Spikes thrust out from every angle at once, sealing all of Rock Lee's routes of escape.

Rock Lee's eyes caught the trajectory of every spike. His body moved through their gaps, twisting aside, lowering his head, flipping through the air. Every dodge was precise to the smallest margin. Spikes grazed his clothes and cut several bloody lines across his skin, but none struck a vital point.

"Leaf Rising Wind!"

Rock Lee kicked Kimimaro beneath the chin, launching his entire body into the air. Kimimaro adjusted his posture midair, bone spikes extending from the soles of his feet as he tried to pierce Rock Lee's head. Rock Lee leaned back to evade, then followed up with a kick to Kimimaro's abdomen, sending him crashing down from the air.

Kimimaro slammed into the ground, dust billowing around him.

He rose and brushed the dust from his body.

Cursed Seal, Stage Two. Kimimaro's skin turned dark red, a horn grew from his head, and a bony tail extended from his back. His chakra rose to another level.

As Rock Lee entered the state completely, he drank a flask of Tsunade's special leg-recovery medicine and charged forward again.

Kimimaro first sensed that something was wrong because he smelled alcohol.

Rock Lee had been so anxious to defy medical orders and leave Konoha to support Naruto that he had grabbed the wrong bottle in his rush. He had taken the sake flask Tsunade kept in the medical room, mistaking it for his medicine.

Kimimaro's bone spikes stabbed out again.

Rock Lee's body twisted as though it had no bones. The swing of his arms was entirely out of proportion with the paths of his legs, shifting left and right, forward and backward. Kimimaro's habit was to predict an opponent's movement trajectory, then generate bone spikes along that path to intercept them. But Rock Lee's movements now had no pattern whatsoever.

Drunken Fist.

Every bone spike missed. Rock Lee's fists rained down on Kimimaro's face, chest, and abdomen. Kimimaro staggered back again and again. His bone spikes tried to counterattack, but they could not keep up with Rock Lee's erratic movements.

One punch crashed into Kimimaro's jaw and knocked him flat onto his back.

But Drunken Fist did not last long. Once the stimulation of alcohol faded, the body's fatigue and pain would strike back twice as hard.

Rock Lee's movements began to slow, and his steps started to stagger. The wound in his lower leg tore open completely, blood dripping from his bandages onto the ground.

Kimimaro rose from the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

A bone spike stabbed toward Rock Lee from behind—not from the front, but from his blind spot. Rock Lee barely twisted aside, avoiding a vital hit, but the spike pierced through his lower leg.

Rock Lee's body tilted, and he dropped to one knee. Gritting his teeth, he braced both hands against the ground and tried to stand. His lower leg was pinned to the earth. Every movement felt as though someone were scraping his bones with a blade, but he still struggled.

Get up... Get up...

Kimimaro walked toward him, the bone spike in his palm extending even longer.

"Sand Binding Coffin."

Sand surged from the ground and wrapped around Kimimaro's arms and legs.

Gaara stepped out from the forest. A vortex of sand churned behind him. There was no anger on his face, no killing intent—only cold, absolute pressure.

"This one is mine."

Kimimaro turned to look at Gaara. Without a sound, Gaara moved Rock Lee to a safe location.

The sand became countless fine grains and rushed toward Kimimaro, wrapping around his entire body.

"Sand Burial."

The sand tightened. In his Cursed Seal Stage Two form, Kimimaro's bone density far exceeded that of ordinary people. The pressure of the sand was not yet enough to crush him, but it had already slowed his movements.

"Grand Sand Burial."

The entire layer of sand across the ground churned at once, dragging Kimimaro deep underground. Massive waves of sand crashed down one after another, burying him dozens of meters beneath the earth.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Kimimaro burst from the ground. The power of Cursed Seal Stage Two erupted in full. His body was covered in bony armor, and both his hands and feet had turned into bone blades.

"Sawarabi Dance."

The ground exploded. Countless bone spikes surged from beneath the earth, dense and endless, covering the entire plain. Every spike stood several meters high, like a white forest. The sand beneath Gaara rose automatically, lifting him into the air and away from the piercing spikes below.

But the bone spikes kept growing.

Gaara's sand gathered in the air into a massive hand and reached for Kimimaro. Kimimaro leaped up, splitting the sand hand apart with his bone blade. Like a white arrow, he shot toward Gaara, his bone blade already pressed close to Gaara's chest.

Gaara's pupils contracted.

Too late.

The bone blade pierced Gaara's chest—but only less than half an inch. Kimimaro's hand had stopped. Not because Gaara's defense had blocked him, but because his own body had stopped.

Kimimaro's eyes remained open, but his pupils had already begun to lose focus. His hand slid from Gaara's chest, and his body lost all strength in midair, falling toward the ground like a dead leaf.

As he fell, the forest of bone spikes began to shatter. White fragments of bone drifted down through the air like snow.

Kimimaro lay on the ground. The cursed seal was fading, and his skin returned to its original color. His eyes were half-closed as he looked at the sky, his lips moving faintly as though he were saying something.

Lord Orochimaru...

He did not finish.

Some organ in his body—he did not even know which one—completely stopped functioning at that moment. The Kaguya Clan's bloodline disease, the inborn fatal illness, claimed his life just an instant before he could complete the final mission Orochimaru had given him.

Kimimaro's eyes closed.

They never opened again.

Rock Lee lay on the ground in the distance, the wound in his lower leg still bleeding. He looked toward where Kimimaro had fallen and said nothing. Gaara stood atop his sand, looking down at the corpse on the ground, and he too said nothing.

Wind swept across the plain, sending bone fragments dancing through the sky like white snow.