Where Did the Caged Bird Seal on Your Forehead Go?

"She was doing much better. Unlike the time right after Grandma passed away, when there was barely ever a smile on her face.

If the old man hadn't forbidden it, I would've brought her to the camp so you could keep her company."

At the mention of Kushina, Tsunade began to worry.

Ever since the Nine-Tails had been transferred, Kushina's emotions had remained unstable.

On top of that, the Nine-Tails was unwilling to stay sealed and kept causing trouble, leaving Kushina in constant physical discomfort. Tsunade's heart had been in her throat the whole time.

She worried that Kushina would be unable to pull herself out of her grief, and she also worried that the Nine-Tails would cause trouble.

The Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques had powerful suppressive effects on tailed beasts, but Kushina was too young.

Besides, the Nine-Tails was the strongest of all the tailed beasts. More than once, Kushina had been burned by the Nine-Tails' chakra until she hid beneath the blankets and cried.

"It's good that she's moving on. She's a strong, determined child. As for the Nine-Tails, once Kushina grows a little older, she'll be able to suppress it completely."

No one could help with something like this. Kushina could only rely on herself.

"By the way, how's the situation in the village?"

"Don't even mention it."

Tsunade had a headache. "That old hag Utatane Koharu has been jumping around everywhere, constantly hoping the old man will hand over control of the medical system to her. After he refused, she started trying to clear Danzo's name."

Shimura Danzō was no good, and Utatane Koharu was no better. Every last member of F4 was bad news.

Only Torifu Akimichi, who had stayed out of things, was somewhat reliable.

Shimura Danzō was ambitious, ruthless, and dirty-handed.

There was no need to mention the Third Hokage. On the surface, he was hailed as the Hero of the Shinobi, but in truth, he had done plenty of shady things.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were the same. They clung to power and refused to let go, constantly colluding with Shimura Danzō.

Not just now, either. In the original story, even after Konoha had been thrown into chaos and the Third Hokage had died, those two old fossils still repeatedly clashed with Tsunade for the sake of their own power.

They restricted Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, at every turn.

Jingyi curled his lip. "Not surprising. Every one of them values power immensely. The medical system used to be in that old hag's hands, but now it's in Torifu Akimichi's. Of course she isn't happy about it."

"Clearing Shimura Danzō's name is just her way of pressuring the Hokage and pulling in an ally while she's at it."

"You're right."

Tsunade agreed with Jingyi's analysis.

As they spoke, Tsunade suddenly laughed.

"Now that big fatty Torifu Akimichi has been propped up as the Hokage's advisor, he wants to step down, only to find that he can't. Even if he gets targeted, he can only cling desperately to the medical system."

"If he found out that you were the one who suggested Grandma put him there, he'd probably curse you to death."

If anyone else had been placed in that position, they would have been overjoyed.

But Torifu Akimichi was different. He was a hundred times unwilling.

Unfortunately, being unwilling was useless. Mito Uzumaki had directly pushed him up there, along with Torifu Akimichi and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans behind him, toward Tsunade.

In present-day Konoha, Torifu Akimichi sat in the position of Hokage's advisor while also holding power over the medical system, directly causing F4 to begin splitting apart.

"That was Lady Mito's order. It has nothing to do with me!"

Jingyi laughed shamelessly.

He was not taking the blame for that.

"By the way."

Tsunade's expression suddenly turned serious. "The village has decided to send people into the Land of Rain in response to Sunagakure's provocation. A new war may break out in the Shinobi World."

To ensure a smooth transition to the new Jinchūriki, Konoha had tolerated Sunagakure's provocations in the Land of Rivers. Everything had been centered around the Jinchūriki transfer.

But Konoha's restraint had made Sunagakure think Konoha was backing down, so its provocations became increasingly excessive.

Now that Kushina, the new Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, had stabilized, Konoha would no longer give Sunagakure the chance to push its luck.

Provoking them, were they?

Then Konoha would respond, while also suppressing Amegakure's development.

The Third Hokage would not stop making things difficult for Amegakure just because Hanzō said a few words. Between villages, there was no room for sympathy or tolerance.

There were only interests.

Responding to Sunagakure to defend Konoha and suppressing Amegakure's development aligned with Konoha's interests. As for whether Amegakure and the Land of Rain were innocent, no one cared.

"It probably won't turn into a war that quickly."

At this stage, it would only be mutual provocations at most, perhaps a few minor clashes. A true war was still far away.

"At the end of the day, provocation is just provocation. As long as no bottom line is crossed and neither side is prepared, a full-scale war between two villages won't break out so easily. At most, there'll be small-scale conflicts."

Jingyi had no need to worry about war.

Not to mention that wars did not begin just because someone said so, even if one did break out, given his status and apparent strength, his assignment would definitely be to remain at the camp's Medical Department, treating and caring for the wounded rather than charging onto the battlefield to fight enemies to the death.

Besides, how much money did he make a month? Why would he risk his life on the battlefield?

Jingyi could not control how others fought, but he would not risk his life for people like the Third Hokage.

"Don't talk about me. You're the one who needs to take it easy. You call yourself a medical ninja, but you're fiercer than anyone else."

Among all the medical ninja in the Shinobi World, only Tsunade bore the title of medical ninja while being more ferocious than anyone else on the battlefield. Other medical ninja did not dare play like that. Even when accompanying teams to the battlefield, they merely provided support.

Tsunade was the opposite. She turned herself into the main force and made her teammates the support.

"Cough, cough! Got it."

"What kind of look is that? Am I really that impulsive?"

Seeing Jingyi stare at her with distrust, Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger. She walked up to him and bent down. Once their foreheads touched, she said through clenched teeth:

"I could act like that before, but not now, and I won't. Grandma is gone, so I have to take on a lot of responsibilities. Most importantly, there's you."

"What about me?"

Jingyi raised a hand to test it. What had Tsunade been eating lately? They seemed to have gotten quite a bit bigger again.

Wasn't this development a little late?

"Stop that!!"

Tsunade forcefully pinned down his wandering hands, bumped her forehead against Jingyi's, and said irritably:

"Nawaki and I have special identities. No one can really do anything to us. Kushina is about the same. She's the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Once she grows up in a few years, the village will have to think carefully before trying to control her. But you're different."

"Damn Hyuga Main Family."

Whenever Tsunade thought of the Caged Bird Seal on Jingyi's forehead, she wanted to curse.

Before, no one needed to tell her twice. If there was a war, she would definitely rush to the front lines. But now, Tsunade did not dare act like that.

Because behind her were Nawaki, Kushina, the power of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and most importantly... Jingyi.

The others were fine, but Jingyi could be targeted at any time.

The Caged Bird Seal was too deadly.

Only if she, Tsunade, became strong, and the power behind her grew stronger and stronger, would the Hyuga Clan not dare jump out and cause trouble. Even if the Third Hokage wanted them to cooperate, they would have to remain neutral.

"Yes! Damn Hyuga Main Family!"

Jingyi burst out laughing.

What the hell was he laughing at? He could still laugh at a time like this?

After teasing Tsunade a little more and seeing that she was about to explode, Jingyi finally stopped laughing. "Want to play a game?"

No, she did not. She was not in the mood.

Tsunade stood up and slapped Jingyi's hand away from her chest.

Stop messing around. Cooperate and take this thing off.

Jingyi gestured for Tsunade to remove her forehead protector.

"Other members of the main family wish they could wrap their foreheads up tightly, yet you want to expose yours instead?"

After Jingyi hinted at it with his eyes several times, Tsunade finally gave in.

She could only raise her hand and yank off her forehead protector, using a little too much force.

Because she did not want to see the Caged Bird Seal. It was an eyesore.

She had taken it off. Was he satisfied now?

Tsunade was about to toss away the forehead protector in her hand, but the instant she raised her hand, she froze.

Was she seeing things?

She rubbed her eyes, then looked closely. It did not seem like she was seeing things. There was nothing there.

"The seal on your forehead..."

Where had that huge Caged Bird Seal gone?

Jingyi raised a hand around Tsunade's waist, lifted her onto the table, then leaned closer and gave her a hint.

"Do you remember when we were studying at the hospital, and you asked why I had such a strong smell of paint on me?"

Had she?

With her mind in disarray, Tsunade thought back. It seemed there had been such a thing.

She had asked him herself, but Jingyi had said he had been painting at home and gotten paint on himself. He had even lifted his clothes for her to see, and there really had been paint stains on them.

Tsunade had not thought much of it and believed him.

"So, the Caged Bird Seal on your forehead was painted on?"

Tsunade felt as if her brain was not working well enough. Wasn't the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Seal supposed to be incredibly tyrannical?

How had it simply disappeared?

"Yes, it was painted on."

"Impossible. Grandfather and Second Grandfather tried to break the Caged Bird Seal when the village was founded, and every attempt failed. The old man tried as well."

"How did you do it?"

"Is it possible..."

Jingyi pointed at his eyes. "That these eyes haven't degenerated?"

Tsunade stared at Jingyi's azure eyes, brilliant as stars, and fell silent.

If they had not degenerated, then had they evolved?

Like the Uchiha's Sharingan?