Future Threats

The battle began in an instant, and all stray thoughts were cast beyond the clouds. The defender was like a small boat at sea, facing the crashing, turbulent waves alone.

The fighting became so intense it was beyond description. Only after six rounds did the two finally call it quits.

Six really was a marvelous number!

When Doichi Hyuga woke up the next day, he checked the time. It was already nearly noon.

"Tsunade! Get up!"

Doichi Hyuga rubbed his cheeks and gave her a push.

Tsunade grunted twice, turned over, and went back to sleep.

"Little Tsunade! Baby..."

Tsunade jolted upright and threw a punch at Doichi Hyuga.

Doichi Hyuga smoothly redirected it, caught her wrist, and pulled her whole body into his arms.

"You bastard! Mention that again and I'll beat you to death!"

The night before, Doichi Hyuga had discovered that calling her "Little Tsunade" made her more eager to attack.

To get back at him, Tsunade had called him "Baby"! After the battle ended, Tsunade remembered it and nearly died of embarrassment. Whoever brought it up would have to fight her to the death.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Dad! Mom! Are you up yet? I've been waiting forever!"

Hearing them talk, Qianyue began pounding on the door. The little girl usually woke up early; Shizune had probably stopped her today.

"Qianyue! Wait a moment!"

"You're still not getting up? Hurry up, the child woke up earlier than you did!"

Doichi Hyuga released Tsunade, got dressed, climbed out of bed, and went to wash his face.

Tsunade slipped back under the covers, her muffled curses drifting out.

"You bastard! Hand me my clothes!"

An arm stretched out from beneath the blanket, and Doichi Hyuga helplessly stuffed her clothes into it.

"Hehe! What are you so shy about? Do we still have any secrets between us?!"

Leaving those words behind, Doichi Hyuga opened the door and walked out.

"Get lost!"

An angry roar came from behind him.

"Is Mom okay?"

"She's fine. Don't mind her!"

Doichi Hyuga picked up Qianyue and began chatting with her.

After the father and daughter played for a while, a Shadow Clone brought over their meal.

Once Tsunade had finished washing up, she sat down beside Doichi Hyuga.

Shizune and Qianyue sat opposite them, and the four began eating their breakfast... lunch.

"Shizune! Why do you keep looking at me?"

Tsunade found it strange. Since sitting down, Shizune had been sneaking glances at her, leaving her utterly confused.

"Lady Tsunade, you look wonderful! You're getting more beautiful every day!"

"Huh? That? I noticed it too, but I couldn't figure out why... Uh... Stop talking and eat!"

Tsunade seemed to recall something, and her face turned red. As a medical ninja, she naturally knew quite a bit about matters between husbands and wives.

After eating, Qianyue played on the swing in the courtyard. The little girl was bold, standing on the wooden seat as she swung back and forth.

Doichi Hyuga and Tsunade sat beneath the eaves and chatted while watching the little girl play.

"Tsunade! How has your Six-Syllable Breathing Method practice been going?"

"Not bad! I feel like my chakra reserves have increased somewhat, and my ninjutsu is a little stronger than before. If you had something this good, you should have given it to me sooner!"

Tsunade sounded somewhat resentful.

"It's not too late now! You need to study the scroll I gave you properly. Once you master it, you can begin cultivating Natural Energy!"

"Still, it will take a long time before you can use Sage Jutsu. Your strength is improving far too slowly!"

Doichi Hyuga sighed, looking somewhat hesitant.

"My strength is already very impressive, okay? What are you worried about?"

Tsunade was deeply dissatisfied. Was he actually looking down on my strength? There aren't many people in the entire Ninja World who could beat me!

"Do you know Itachi Uchiha?"

"I do! An S-Rank rogue ninja who nearly wiped out the Uchiha Clan! Why bring him up?"

Tsunade hated people who spoke in riddles. They never said anything straightforwardly.

"Itachi Uchiha joined an organization called the Akatsuki Organization. It is made up of S-Rank rogue ninjas! Orochimaru was once a member!"

Doichi Hyuga was somewhat helpless. This woman was practically a different person by day and by night.

Outwardly strong and resolute, yet inwardly a soft-hearted little woman.

"That bastard Orochimaru! This Akatsuki Organization is dangerous! Does the old man know?"

Tsunade frowned, no longer able to remain calm.

"He should. Itachi Uchiha has been passing intelligence to Konoha, and I received a copy as well."

"Itachi Uchiha is the village's spy? Then what was the Uchiha massacre about? Was that another one of the old man's schemes?"

Tsunade was no political novice. She had seen plenty of the Third Hokage's methods.

"Why would Itachi Uchiha pass intelligence to you? It seems your relationship is anything but ordinary."

"Itachi Uchiha had a terminal illness. I saved his life!"

"You can treat terminal illnesses? Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

Tsunade was getting angry, feeling as though he were mocking her.

"I used First Hokage Cells!"

"You bastard! And you said you hadn't transplanted Wood Release?"

Tsunade sprang to her feet and launched a punch at him.

Doichi Hyuga instantly caught her wrist and smoothly pressed her down onto his lap.

"You tigress, can you let me finish?"

Unable to move, Tsunade could only listen in helpless fury.

"I truly did not transplant Wood Release. I wasn't lying about that!"

After hearing this, Tsunade's expression improved somewhat.

"Then what about Itachi Uchiha? Why did you do it?"

"Itachi Uchiha is a rare powerhouse. It would have been a pity for him to die like that! In his heart, Konoha matters more than the Uchiha Clan. Do you want Konoha to lose such an outstanding tool?"

Doichi Hyuga asked in return before continuing.

"More than ten years have passed since the Third Shinobi World War! How far away do you think the Fourth is?"

Tsunade's entire body stiffened, and she began to tremble slightly. She remembered her younger brother, relatives, and friends who had died on the battlefield.

And Dan Kato, her former lover. Though decades had passed and Tsunade had long forgotten what he looked like, she still felt awful whenever she occasionally thought of him.

Since Qianyue was born, she had not thought of him even once.

Tsunade felt a little guilty, but not much. Her heart now held only Qianyue and the bastard sitting before her.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade! I shouldn't have brought those things up!"

Doichi Hyuga loosened his arms and let her lean against his chest, allowing her to be as comfortable as possible.

"Wood Release experiments have never succeeded. You really dared to do it? Weren't you afraid of killing Itachi Uchiha?"

After taking a moment to recover, Tsunade broke free and returned to her chair.

"The Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan are considered relatives. You share a common ancestor—the Sage of Six Paths. If anyone could successfully transplant the First Hokage's cells, the Uchiha Clan would certainly be among them!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

Tsunade found it hard to believe, but reality was this ironic. The Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan had slaughtered one another for thousands of years, wishing they could wipe each other out. Heaven truly had a twisted sense of humor!

"If Itachi Uchiha could succeed, there's no reason you, his direct granddaughter, would fail, right?"

"You want me to transplant my grandfather's cells?"

"That's right! This is the fastest way for you to increase your strength! You must become stronger as soon as possible. The pressure we will face in the future will be enormous!"