One-Tenth of Hashirama's Power

Ten minutes later.

Three human-shaped craters had appeared in the ground above the abandoned underground base on the outskirts of Konoha.

Jiraiya lay sprawled in the largest one, his white hair disheveled and his face swollen like a pig's head.

His left eye was black, his right eye was purple, and he was missing a tooth.

He had given up resisting entirely.

Orochimaru was in slightly better shape.

Only the left side of his face was swollen, his collar was torn, and an egg-sized lump rose from his forehead.

After all, Tsunade had taken eighty percent of her anger out on Jiraiya.

Tap, tap—

Hurried footsteps came from the distance.

Three ninjas in security uniforms rushed over, weapons in hand, at Speed.

"What happened? We heard a huge crash over here—"

The Chunin in the lead stopped mid-sentence when he saw the three of them.

Tsunade stood with her arms folded, her face expressionless.

Orochimaru leaned against a pile of rubble, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

Jiraiya lay in the crater like a dead dog.

The three guards exchanged glances.

The leader silently put away his kunai.

"Nothing to worry about. Lady Tsunade and the others were... sparring."

He signaled to his two subordinates.

"Let's go."

The three turned and left, walking even faster than they had arrived.

Once they were ten meters away, one muttered, "Three Jonin fighting... Why would we get involved? Do we have a death wish?"

The wind carried his words to Tsunade.

She snorted.

"All right." Tsunade kicked Jiraiya. "Get up. We're going back."

Jiraiya let out a dying groan.

"Tsunade... I didn't deserve this... I only came to confess my feelings..."

"Confess?"

Tsunade looked down at him, her eyes narrowing.

"By kicking down the lab door and picking a fight with Orochimaru right in front of me?"

"That was a misunderstanding..."

"Try having fewer misunderstandings."

Tsunade couldn't be bothered arguing. She grabbed Jiraiya by the back of his collar and dragged him along the ground like a sack.

"Orochimaru, come on. Back to your lab."

Orochimaru stood and brushed the dust off himself.

He glanced at Jiraiya being dragged away and, for once, showed a trace of sympathy.

Only a trace.

The idiot had wrecked his lab, after all.

The three of them—one of them little more than a limp heap—returned to the underground base, now almost unrecognizable.

Tsunade tossed Jiraiya into a corner.

Thud.

The back of his head hit the wall with a dull knock.

Jiraiya: "..."

He couldn't even be bothered to groan.

Tsunade flexed her wrist and looked at Orochimaru.

"How much of the data did you record?"

Orochimaru dug through the wrecked equipment and pulled out a scanner that had somehow survived.

He dusted it off, pressed the switch, and the screen lit up.

"Fortunately, the core data finished transferring before you lost control."

He scanned the screen, unconsciously licking his lips.

"Come here. I need to run a full examination."

Tsunade walked over and held out her arm.

Orochimaru took out a portable blood sampler.

Though most of the lab had been smashed, he had hidden a backup set of equipment in a corner.

A researcher could never be too careful.

Blood sample. Chakra fluctuation scan. Cellular activity analysis.

Orochimaru worked quickly, his eyes growing brighter by the moment.

Five minutes later, he set down the instrument.

"The results are in."

"Tell me."

Orochimaru took a deep breath.

"Your cellular activity has reached... one-tenth that of First Hokage Hashirama's cells."

Silence fell for a moment.

From the corner, Jiraiya mumbled hazily, "What... Only one-tenth of what...?"

Tsunade said nothing.

One-tenth.

At first, it didn't sound like much.

But who was Hashirama?

The God of Shinobi.

The life force in his cells was practically a bug in this world.

One-tenth hardly sounded impressive.

But Tsunade knew what it meant.

She closed her eyes and focused inward.

A warm sensation flowed slowly beneath the spot on her forehead where the Yin Seal lay.

It was the feeling of Chakra gathering and being stored.

Before, the process had been as slow as honey dribbling from a jar in winter.

Now it was like turning on a tap!

Tsunade's eyes flew open.

“The Yin Seal’s Speed of accumulation...”

"Ten times faster."

Tsunade clenched her fist.

She could feel the steady, abundant power within her body.

Unlike when she had lost control, it was gentle now. Controllable.

But her reserves were on an entirely different level.

"And this is only version 1.3."

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"If I keep refining it..."

"Take it slow."

Tsunade cut him off.

"First, understand every bit of the data from version 1.3. Record every indicator clearly. Find out what my body can withstand and whether any side effects might appear later. Confirm everything."

"One step at a time."

For once, Orochimaru had no answer.

But after thinking it over, he nodded.

"You're right. Science takes patience."

Tsunade clapped her hands in satisfaction.

She turned toward Jiraiya, who had passed out completely in the corner.

She hoisted him onto her shoulder.

His head bobbed behind her back as he murmured in his sleep, "Tsunade... marry me..."

Tsunade headed for the base's exit without a change in expression.

"Orochimaru."

"Hmm?"

"I won't interfere with your lab. But watch what you're doing."

"And remember!"

"Don't give those Root people anything to use against you."

Orochimaru smiled but gave no clear answer.

"Don't worry."

Tsunade carried Jiraiya out of the base, and the night breeze met her face.

Cool.

She looked up at the night sky.

The Yin Seal accumulated at ten times the Speed.

At this rate... completion of the Hundred Healings Technique was within reach.

And when that happened...

The corners of Tsunade's mouth lifted slightly.

"This world is going to get a lot more interesting."