A Thousand Years' Difference Wasn't Actually That Great

"You think you can go back like this? You're not lying to me, are you? Taking advantage of my ignorance of these things, are you?!"

On the soft, fluffy Island Cloud, a fair, lotus-root-like arm rested against her face. Tsunade looked at him strangely, wondering if she had been deceived by the person in front of her.

"What? You don't believe me? It's just that this branch is grafted onto the trunk of the God Tree. Karma Divine Tree to their own source of power, it will perfectly bring this planet back to the Ninja World."

As soon as she finished speaking, her fair, jade-like fingertips casually tossed the water, causing countless waves to surge across the calm sea, and branches to rise out of thin air.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence?"

The azure leaves were enveloped by the branches of the God Tree, devouring the gene pool and world coordinates recorded within the Karma Divine Tree.

When the God Tree curled up back into the depths of the sea, its azure eyes shone with light, and a faint connection filled Huayue's perception range.

Tsunade hurriedly put on her clothes, peeked out, and the blush on her face grew even more intense. She was so excited that she forgot her previous reluctance and shook Huayue's pure white haori vigorously.

"Look, look! The leaves have turned blue! It's a success? That's incredible!"

"What's so strange about it? The original design of the Karma Divine Tree was based on the life model of the God Tree, so it's perfectly normal for the two to be able to merge with each other."

"Then can we go back to our own world and see Shizune and the others again?"

Under Tsunade's expectant gaze, Huayue smiled and slowly shook her head.

"Ms. Tsunade, have you forgotten something? It takes at least a thousand years for the God Tree to bloom and bear fruit. I accelerated to the limit, sacrificing the life force of this planet, just to barely reach this speed."

"No way! How long will it take? How long will it take me to get back? Ten years? Twenty years? It can't be a hundred years! Can I even live to see a hundred years from now?!"

With her current hope seemingly out of reach, Tsunade's face darkened, and she completely retreated into seclusion.

"Around 15 to 20 years, at the latest no more than 20 years, are you in a hurry?"

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, and muttered to Tsunade, lost in a daze.

"Twenty years... twenty years! In twenty years, I'll be an old woman in my seventies or eighties..."

"Wait, you mean you're already fifty..."

Bang!

A strong wind blew up, and her almond-shaped eyes, filled with killing intent and coldness, glared fiercely at Huayue.

"What? You bastard, you're going back on your word after you've already done your dirty work? So what if I'm fifty-nine? Don't think I don't know you could even lay a hand on the progenitor of the Uchiha bloodline, and you still dare to look down on me!"

"Personally, I am actually against subtle differences in age. Besides, a difference of nearly a thousand years is not that big, right?"

Huayue subconsciously began to look him up and down, then suddenly realized what he meant.

"Oh! I see... Ms. Tsunade from another world, would you be interested in participating in a small surgical experiment?"

Subconsciously tightening her clothes, Tsunade watched Huayue, who was grinning strangely, with a wary expression.

"Experiment? You want me to be a guinea pig in a lab? No way!"

"Even if this experiment could allow you to stay young forever and maintain your vitality, making it possible for you to return to the Ninja World?"

With a raised eyebrow, Tsunade was caught in a dilemma, weighing the pros and cons. Although she didn't know what he was up to, the word "youth" held immense allure for women, especially those who deeply felt the erosion of time.

"Is it dangerous?"

"I'm 90% confident of success, and with your and other doctors' excellent surgical skills, I'm 100% confident."

"Think about it, without the need for Yin Seal to maintain youthful beauty, a vibrant and healthy body, you can greet the next day with full energy even after a hangover..."

During the conversation, Tsunade seemed dazed, and the urge in her eyes could no longer be concealed.

"Really? Such a good thing could happen?"

Staring suspiciously at the man she had spent the night with and who had drifted intimately with her in a foreign land, Tsunade narrowed her eyes and gave him a strange look.

"If such a good thing happened, would you give it to me?"

"Why not? Having eaten a portion of the Divine Tree Fruit, I am already immortal. This method is one of the small gains I've made in this world."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade suddenly realized what was going on and immediately launched a direct attack.

"So that's why you gave it to me! I knew you wouldn't let me have something so good, now I know..."

"Eternal youth is not youth maintained by the Yin Seal. Wait, why did you restore my youth?"

"The grander reason is to achieve mass production of methods for immortality and the certainty of the dangers; the more personal reason is that I want to experience what you were like at eighteen."

Her strange smile left Tsunade speechless. What did she mean by "taste her at eighteen"? Was she really that unpalatable now?

I subconsciously looked down at myself. Even though I'm over fifty, I still have the captivating charm of a thirty-year-old woman. My face is full of collagen, and my figure is stunning. How am I any different from when I was eighteen?

On the other hand, there's the Foosha Village, near the sea.

"Shanks, your hand is..."

"Are you alright, Luffy?"

With his eyelids lowered, the Lord of the Coast fled in a sorry state, while Shanks, who was holding Luffy, smiled broadly, and the blood gradually stained the seawater around them red.

"It's alright, let's go back."

With a red light gleaming in his eyes, Shanks remained optimistic even after losing an arm.

On the shore, facing Luffy who couldn't stop crying, Shanks thought for a moment, then picked up his straw hat and placed it on Luffy's head.

"It's a promise, Luffy. Let's set sail when we grow up. The next time we meet, we'll meet at the pinnacle of piracy. You have to come!"

"Waaaaaah!"

At the entrance of Foosha Village, the anxious members of the Red-Haired Pirates were about to cheer loudly when they saw Red-Haired Shanks return safely, but Uta, who was at the front, had a trembling eye.

"Shanks... Shanks! Your arm is..."

"It's nothing, it's just a small matter. Men, let's start the banquet!"

The lively banquet resumed, and a hint of sadness flashed in Ben Beckman's eyes. With his arm intact, he didn't even have a 30% chance of winning, and now...

"Shanks, the duel tomorrow is still..."

"It's alright, it's alright. No matter what my condition is, tomorrow will only be a decisive moment. I don't think I want to fight Whitebeard for three days and three nights."

Her smile grew wider, and under the moonlight, Uta began to sing softly. Her tranquil and pleasant voice, along with the moonlight, filled the bar, and laughter and cheerful chatter continued.

The following day, on the beach at the edge of the Foosha Village coast.

Before the eyes of the Red-Haired Pirates, a sky island descended from the sky, and a black robe fluttered in the wind, with blood-red bandages tightly binding his wrists and ankles.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Red-Haired Shanks."