Tsunade looked at Orochimaru. Young as she was, she could hear the weight behind his casually spoken words. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched him. She wiped them away and said hesitantly, "But... I'm terrible. Compared to you, I'm nowhere close."
"Tsunade, you're from the Senju Clan. Your bloodline is something I can't match. Keep trying." Orochimaru was as gentle and kind as ever.
The physical traits of the Senju and Uzumaki Clans were special constitutions that could be inherited, not kekkei genkai.
As a member of the Senju Clan, Tsunade would certainly inherit its special constitution.
Doubting herself, Tsunade said, "But I... don't have any decent kekkei genkai. I can't have dōjutsu like the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan, and I don't have the talent to awaken Great-Grandfather's and Grand-Grandaunt's Wood Release."
"Tsunade..." Orochimaru reached out, laying his hand over the back of her little one, and said softly, "A kekkei genkai is a technique that can only be passed down through blood ties. Others can't learn it. But some kekkei genkai have side effects. Rather than a gift of the bloodline, they're more like a curse."
Tsunade fell silent at his words.
"To me, a kekkei genkai is both a blessing and a curse. There's no need to fixate on it so much." Orochimaru smiled. "Tsunade, would you like to listen to a lesson from me?"
At Orochimaru's suggestion, Tsunade nearly choked on her own saliva.
Coughing, Tsunade looked around awkwardly, then asked in bewilderment, "A lesson? Like the older boys and girls who already go to the Ninja Academy? You'll teach me, Orochimaru?"
Fortunately, they were on the rarely visited Back Mountain behind Konoha's Memorial Stone. No one seemed to have noticed Orochimaru's startling remark.
"Ah, yes. Although my abilities are still nowhere near my