Wood Release Awakening, Shadow's Defection
"Your people and your Medical Ninjutsu are all mine now, so naturally, I'll decide what to do with your injuries." Naruto's lips curled into an arrogant smile.
Tsunade took a deep breath, slowly raised her trembling right hand, and grasped Naruto's palm.
The moment they made contact, a vast and incredibly warm Yang Release Chakra surged into Tsunade's body through her palm, instantly calming her raging meridians. The root of her Hemophobia, which had plagued her for years, began to melt away like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun in the face of this pure life force.
[Bite!]
In my mind, the system's notification sounded like heavenly music.
[Detected that the final bond target "Tsunade Senju" has exceeded the affinity threshold, bond achieved!]
[Bond Critical Hit Reward: Wood Release Kekkei Genkai - Perfect Fusion Version!]
[God-Tier Life Law Fragment has been extracted!]
Naruto's pupils contracted slightly. Wood Release. The strongest Kekkei Genkai that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju to sweep across the Shinobi World, is now completely integrated into his Sage Body.
"Interesting."
Naruto grabbed Tsunade's hand and Tsunade into his arms. Tsunade gasped in surprise, and before she could react, she had already bumped into a broad, solid chest.
"Since you've agreed, you're now a member of the Uzumaki Clan." Naruto lowered his head and whispered in Tsunade's ear, his voice filled with undisguised domineering and mockery. "Come back to the village with me obediently, and I'll show those old men in Hidden Leaf who the Fifth Hokage they invited back really is."
Tsunade blushed slightly and lightly punched Naruto in the chest. "Stop being so conceited, I just... just had nowhere to go!"
Jiraiya to the side, was dumbfounded, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground.
He originally thought this mission was just to take a plague out of the village, but he didn't expect that this plague would not only not Teuchi, but would turn around and "pack up" and take away the legendary Legendary Sannin Tsunade Senju?!
And judging by his practiced moves, just how many women has this guy been secretly seeing?!
Just then, an extremely oppressive and despairing aura rose into the sky from the direction of Konoha.
--Konoha, ruins of the Root Base.
The cold morning wind swept across the charred ruins.
Sasuke Uchiha stood alone on the towering rock face, looking down at the terrifying, bottomless, radially shaped sinkhole below. This was the masterpiece left by Naruto a few days earlier when he opened the Eight Gates and flattened Root.
His fingers gripped the steel railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white and the veins on the back of his hand bulged out from the extreme force.
"Snap."
With a crisp crack, he crushed the arm-thick steel railing into a lump of scrap metal. Wood chips pierced his palm, and blood dripped through his fingers, but he was completely unaware.
The Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in Sasuke's eyes, almost breaking through its limits.
He trained relentlessly until late at night every day, his Sharingan evolved, and he mastered dozens of Ninjutsu. He once thought that as long as he worked hard enough, he could catch up with that figure.
But all of this pales in comparison to the destructive power of this insurmountable barrier, comparable to divine punishment.
That former underdog could now flatten the entire Root with a single kick, and even Danzo didn't dare to show his face. This suffocating despair completely overwhelmed him.
"Hidden Leaf... can it really give me the power of revenge?"
Sasuke's fingernails dug deep into his palm, and drops of blood fell onto the edge of the abyss.
He suddenly remembered what Naruto had said that day at the post station when he crushed Itachi Uchiha. The man who killed his entire clan was nothing more than an ant to be toyed with in front of Naruto.
If he continues to stay in Hidden Leaf, continuing to stay under Naruto's wing, he will never be able to kill Itachi, and will forever remain a groveling "underling."
His craving for pure violence had crossed the line of reason. The peaceful atmosphere of Hidden Leaf made him feel nauseous.
"Since you can't give me power..."
Sasuke turned around, his scarlet eyes gazing at the deep forest outside the village, his gaze filled with a mad obsession.
"Then I'll go get it myself."
He used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished silently into the shadows. Orochimaru's Cursed Seal on his neck was faintly burning; it was the call of the devil, and also the only lifeline he could grasp.
--Short Tanzaku Town, outside the casino.
The torrential rain gradually subsided, and the morning light tore through the clouds.
Naruto stood at the casino entrance, with Tsunade beside him, her expression complex but her eyes gradually hardening, and Tsunade still in a Jiraiya.
Naruto turned his head and looked in the direction of Hidden Leaf, a cold glint flashing in his azure eyes.
In my mind, the system popped up a glaring red notification again:
[Warning! A major shift in the trajectory of Sasuke Uchiha's fate has been detected!]
[Hidden side quest triggered: Prevent or allow Sasuke to defect?]
[Task Reward/Penalty: To be determined]
Naruto's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
He didn't turn around, but spoke softly, his voice drifting away on the wind:
"Interesting... Let me see what choice you make."
Naruto, with one arm around Tsunade's waist, led Jiraiya and Shizune away from Tanzaku Town, embarking on their journey back to Hidden Leaf. Although Tsunade was still somewhat unaccustomed to this highly aggressive control, the vast Yang Release pressure within her was ever-present, completely suppressing any thoughts of resistance, and her master-servant relationship was firmly established.
As dusk approached, the group passed through a bustling hot spring town. Naruto casually pulled out a black bank card he had looted from the Gato gang in the Wave Country, slammed it on the front desk, and booked the top-floor suite of the town's most luxurious hot spring inn. He then temporarily settled Tsunade, who was still somewhat resistant, on the top floor to await orders.
"You and Shizune go soak in a hot spring first, wash away this mustiness." Naruto patted Tsunade on the shoulder, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll come back to you after I've finished what I'm doing."
After settling Tsunade, Naruto took Jiraiya out into the streets, ostensibly to investigate clues about the next stronghold as guided by the system, but in reality, Jiraiya's old habit had resurfaced.
Just past a street corner, Jiraiya's previously sluggish steps suddenly quickened, his nose twitched involuntarily, and his eyes stared blankly at the row of izakayas and hostess bars across the street with their suggestive red lanterns. Without thinking, he turned and tried to slip across the street.
"Bang!"
Naruto reacted quickly, grabbing Jiraiya by the back of his collar and dragging the old pervert back.
"Ahem..." Jiraiya chuckled awkwardly as he turned around, rubbing his hands together. He shamelessly fabricated an excuse, "Naruto, I'm not going to enjoy myself, this is adult training! The Shinobi World's intelligence network needs to penetrate to the grassroots level, and the research work is urgent..."
Changing the subject abruptly, Jiraiya's sly eyes fixed on Naruto's bulging frog-shaped Frog Wallet at his waist, and a lecherous hand reached out to grope him. "Perfect timing, Master's going inside for some great 'research' work. Your wallet's pretty bulging, can I borrow it?"