The Necklace Between the Pillars

Kushina clenched her small fists in front of her chest.

"I'm sorry, I knew you'd worry, so I didn't know how to tell you."

Because this was originally his willful act, and in order to become even stronger, he had to fight on the battlefield.

"But I don't think Tsunade would agree."

"Well, that's what I thought too, but I have my own way of leaving the Village."

"Hmm! That's fine then! After all, Eiji, you're the best, aren't you?"

Looking into Kushina's sparkling eyes, Eiji was momentarily speechless.

If Eiji's previous attraction to Kushina was due to his anime-like perception, then now he has truly fallen in love with her.

"If it were Eiji, he would definitely become a hero of the Village and return Village glory, wouldn't he?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I think."

If possible, he originally intended to wait until after graduation to go to the battlefield.

However, according to the original story, Nawaki will die on the battlefield on the eve of the Second Shinobi World War, and Tsunade will be traumatized.

He didn't have much time to prepare, and in order to make the most of his Earth Flow, he needed to address these potential problems.

"Then go ahead, I'll pray for you every day in the Village!"

Kushina placed her hands on Eiji's hands, her expression serious, before suddenly slumping down.

"Just thinking about not being able to eat your cooking for so long, Eiji, makes me feel like the next few days are going to be tough...!"

Eiji's lips twitched.

Give me back the emotion I felt just now.

"Uh, you don't really need to feel so pressured. Although Amegakure is quite a distance from Konoha, I still have many ways to get back to the village."

Although Cang's teleportation distance isn't that far yet, he can use Cang to jump back to Konoha multiple times, so it won't waste much time in total.

"That won't do! Eiji will definitely become an important figure on the battlefield. We can't let seeing me delay our battle! Don't worry, I've actually mastered your cooking skills!"

"Real?"

"You don't believe me? Fine then, tonight's chef is me Kushina! I'm going to show you my skills and prove my feminine prowess!"

Kushina rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair and healthy arms, and said with a grin.

"Okay, I'll look forward to it."

◇

Amegakure

The sky was overcast, dark clouds covered the sun, and rain continued to fall.

Raindrops pattered on the leaves of the Tree in the forest, causing them to sway. A group of Ninja wearing raincoats were taking a break in the woods.

One of the Ninja, wearing a breathing mask and with long white hair, punched a tree trunk that was half a meter in diameter next to him.

With a thud, the surface of the tree trunk dented deeply, leaving behind broken Wood Chips.

Hanzo of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure, has just finished a tedious battle.

I never expected that the old puppet woman could actually break my Poison Gas, and she even saw through my weakness that the Poison Gas in my body needed five minutes to replenish. She is truly a woman not to be underestimated.

However, even without relying on Poison Gas, I have ways to defeat her; that boring puppet show is really childish.

"Lord Hanzō, we have already engaged in battle with the Sunagakure. It will likely be long before Konoha deploys its Ninja stationed near the border of the Land of Rain to the battlefield. The Iwagakure (Iwagakure Village) is also showing signs of taking action."

A bespectacled, refined-looking Ninja stepped forward and spoke.

"Yes, it was bound to happen sooner or later." Hanzō removed his breathing mask, took out the discolored filter, replaced it, and then put it back on his head. "If Amegakure wants to gain a foothold in the Shinobi World, it must go through this ordeal. If it cannot persevere, it will perish; the victor will live on forever."

"It seems that Kumogakure is withdrawing from this war. It appears that the death of the Third Raikage has left them with no time to participate in this struggle."

"It's truly an ugly sight. Over two hundred elite troops were deployed, and even the Shadow of the Village himself took the initiative to attack, yet this is the result."

"According to rumors, it was all done by that boy named Ryuuzaki Eiji. If he is also dispatched to the battlefield in the Land of Rain, we might be in considerable trouble."

"Let him come. I don't care if he has the Eyes of the Blue Sky or anything else, he'll only meet the same fate when he encounters me and the Ibuse."

◇

The Senju Ancestral Home was exceptionally lively today, with the dining table laden with a dazzling array of delicious dishes.

Each dish is a special creation meticulously prepared by Eiji; the aroma alone is enough to whet your appetite.

Nawaki sat happily at the dining table, surrounded by Tsunade, Eiji, Kushina, and Grandma Mito.

Today is Nawaki's twelfth birthday, Eiji specially prepared a birthday party for him, and even made a lot of Nawaki's favorite foods.

Looking at Nawaki's almost beaming smile, Eiji could only picture one famous historical painting in his mind—"The Last Supper."

After this meal, Nawaki will accompany Tsunade to the battlefield in the Land of Rain tomorrow.

In the original work, Nawaki also tragically dies after stepping on Explosive Tag.

The death was meaningless, not tragic, and even somewhat comical.

Eiji felt that if death was inevitable, then let him experience the ultimate joy before it happened, since extreme joy can lead to sorrow.

After eating a bite of Anko Rice Nawaki, Nawaki made a birthday wish—that he would return from the battlefield as a hero.

As expected, Tsunade gave the necklace around her neck to Nawaki on her birthday. Looking at the transparent green cuboid pendant, Eiji looked somewhat dazed.

Seeing Eiji staring blankly, Tsunade curled into a smile.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade teased. "Oh, you're not jealous, are you?"

"No, I was just wondering why the First Hokage would always carry this necklace with him."

"I'm not too sure either. It's said that it stores some of my great-grandfather's Chakra, but other than that, there doesn't seem to be anything special about it."

Mito Uzumaki nodded. "This is a gift I gave to Hashirama a long time ago, and he's always carried it with him ever since, but it hasn't had any special effects." Eiji seemed thoughtful.

Since it has no special effects, there is no such thing as it causing death.

That's still not right. If the necklace is fine, then the problem must lie with Tsunade.

Many anime works feature characters with similar attributes, such as Yuko from Tengen Lagann and Tessa from Full Metal Panic!

Anyone who has intimate physical contact with the protagonist will die, unless they are the protagonist; even the protagonist may suffer a calamity as a result.

Could Tsunade have a similar trait...?

Feeling Eiji's somewhat suspicious gaze, Tsunade felt inexplicably annoyed, so she messed up Eiji's hair.

However, Eiji didn't resist; he was already used to it.