But almost no one in the gambling world knew her true identity. After all, those people were ordinary civilians.
Yet this boy actually recognized her?
She had been away from Konoha for nearly ten whole years. Even in Konoha, there should not have been many people who recognized her now.
"Is that so strange? After all, you're one of the legendary Sannin, the last descendant of the Senju Clan."
Otsutsuki Toneri shrugged. Of course he recognized Tsunade. After all, this woman could be called the fiercest woman in Naruto.
Yes, the fiercest...
And she was also one of only two female Kage in the Five Great Shinobi Villages!
"You little brat..." Tsunade's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze flickering. This boy knew a little too much.
And she would never have known without sensing them: the two children before her were actually both ninja, and neither seemed to have weak chakra.
"Don't worry. I mean you no harm. I just came from Konoha."
Noticing Tsunade's expression, Otsutsuki Toneri spoke with a gentle smile.
He had no interest in fighting Tsunade. With her current fear of blood, her weakness was far too obvious.
"Konoha? Do you take me for a three-year-old? I don't see your forehead protectors anywhere." Tsunade sneered. Konoha ninja almost never put their forehead protectors away.
Besides, how could Konoha possibly let two children venture out alone these days?
This was not wartime!
"Coming from Konoha doesn't necessarily mean we're Konoha ninja, does it?" Otsutsuki Toneri scoffed.
What Tsunade had said was simply too funny.
(Please show your support~)
Chapter 45: The So-Called Senju Clan! Fifth Update!
"Heh, you have a point. But... forget it. It has nothing to do with me anyway."
Tsunade frowned. Her intuition told her that this boy, whose mind was far too mature, was no ordinary child-and that he was dangerous.
But then she thought, what did that have to do with her?
She had long since stopped wanting to concern herself with the affairs of the shinobi world. As for Konoha, which her grandfather had founded...
The Third would lead it well, surely~ Her clansmen were all dead, her lover was dead, and her little brother was dead~
She had long since become utterly disillusioned with this shinobi world filled with war and hatred.
"That doesn't sound like something you would say, Lady Tsunade. Are you saying that even Konoha has nothing to do with you?"
Looking at Tsunade, whose expression held a trace of gloom, Otsutsuki Toneri asked curiously with a smile.
Although he knew that Tsunade was still despondent over many things at this point, hearing words like those from her, the last descendant of the Senju Clan...
Really did leave Otsutsuki Toneri a little speechless.
After all, the Senju of the Forest had been one of Konoha's founders!
"Konoha? It has nothing to do with me anymore. You wouldn't understand." Tsunade glanced at the boy whose name she did not know, shook her head, and spoke expressionlessly.
Then she prepared to open the door and leave. She did not want to dwell on the past.
Those memories brought her nothing but pain and hatred. She did not want to recall them.
"Tsk, tsk~ Then if I destroyed Konoha, would you remain indifferent too, Lady Princess Tsunade?"
Just as Tsunade put her hand on the door, however, a casually spoken sentence drifted over from behind her, making her abruptly stiffen.
Tsunade instantly turned to look at the boy who had spoken. He still wore a gentle smile, but Tsunade, who had seen much of the world...
Clearly caught the undisguised malice and viciousness in that boy's smile.
This brat...
"Destroy Konoha? You? Brat, if you're going to talk big, aren't you afraid of choking on your own words?"
After a moment of silence, Tsunade gave a mocking smile. Although the feeling this brat gave her made her somewhat uneasy...
He was still just a brat under ten. Destroy Konoha? He certainly had the nerve to say it!
If Konoha were that easy to destroy, it would have been finished long ago.
"Is destroying Konoha as it is now so difficult? But it seems you aren't quite as indifferent to Konoha as you claim, Lady Tsunade. Hmm?"
At her words, Otsutsuki Toneri's lips curled into a disdainful smile. Then he asked Tsunade with renewed interest.
Sure enough, the instinctive reaction of Tsunade's body the instant he mentioned destroying Konoha had not been feigned.
Although she kept insisting that everything about Konoha had nothing to do with her, Konoha was, after all, the village her grandfather and generations of her clansmen had protected.
How could she possibly not care at all?
"Anyone can talk big. Say that after you can actually do it." Tsunade coldly tossed out those words, then opened the door to leave.
Her emotions were churning now, and she needed to settle them.
"Heh~ Lady Princess Tsunade, my name is Otsutsuki Toneri. If you need to reclaim Konoha for the Senju of the Forest, you can come to me anytime."
"You should know a thing or two about why the Forest Senju Clan dwindled to this state, shouldn't you?"
Otsutsuki Toneri chuckled twice. His voice, like a demon's whisper, slowly reached Tsunade's ears as she was about to step outside.
At his words, Tsunade's expression instantly turned cold. She looked back and stared fixedly at Otsutsuki Toneri, her eyes flashing with a chilling light.
"There's no need to look at me like that. I'm merely telling the truth. Or are you already able to ignore the hatred of the Senju Clan's dead, Lady Tsunade?"
Noticing Tsunade's gaze, Otsutsuki Toneri smiled unconcernedly and spoke evenly.
"Hmph!" The look in Tsunade's eyes shifted uncertainly. Finally, she snorted coldly and left, slamming the door behind her.
Otsutsuki Toneri's words had reopened the deepest scars in her heart. The Senju of the Forest...
"Useless woman." Otsutsuki Toneri's lips curled into a cold smile. With a casual wave of his hand, the door closed on its own.
Tsunade's reaction disappointed him somewhat, though it was also understandable.
The Senju of the Forest had been a flourishing clan that founded Konoha alongside the Uchiha Clan.
Why had they all but perished over the course of just two shinobi world wars? By the Third Shinobi World War, members of the Senju Clan were practically nowhere to be seen.
Even the Uchiha Clan, constantly targeted by Konoha's Hokage, had survived three shinobi world wars and even maintained its position as Konoha's foremost clan.
Yet the Senju Clan, which had produced two consecutive Hokage, had completely vanished from sight. In fact, at least ten years ago, Tsunade had already been its only remaining descendant.
Was that normal?
After all, during the Warring States period, the Senju Clan had been on par with the Uchiha, if not stronger.
Their clansmen had been innumerable.
Then Konoha was established, Hashirama Senju became the First Hokage, and Tobirama Senju became the Second Hokage. The Senju Clan's prestige and influence in Konoha reached their peak!
The Uchiha had been utterly cowed by the Senju at the time, and Tobirama Senju had even openly assigned the Uchiha to the Konoha Military Police Force.
A thankless position.
Yet after Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Third Hokage, the powerful Senju plummeted from their peak to rock bottom, then slowly died out.
Under those circumstances, who would dare say there was nothing suspicious?
(The fifth update is here. Honestly, the Senju Clan's decline has always puzzled me, Shiguang. It's so damn bizarre... They actually just disappeared without a sound after the Second died?)
Chapter 46: An S-Rank Bounty! First Update!
As the Princess of the Senju Clan, Tsunade surely could not have been unaware of the Senju of the Forest's past.
Or rather, she had chosen to let things take their course. She had chosen to run away!
And now, Otsutsuki Toneri had deliberately brought up these past events, attempting to stir the memories buried deep in her heart.
But this woman, whom Otsutsuki Toneri remembered as having a rather explosive temper...
Had actually managed to suppress her anger and remain silent. That further confirmed that Otsutsuki Toneri's suspicions should be correct!
The Senju Clan's decline definitely had something to do with Hiruzen Sarutobi-or rather, with both him and Danzo!
It was even possible that clans such as the Uchiha and Hyuga had helped things along!
When a wall began to fall, everyone gave it a push!
The Second Hokage had been far too domineering, and under his leadership, the Senju Clan had been far too prominent, naturally arousing the resentment of Konoha's many clans.
The Senju Clan, standing above all the rest, perfectly illustrated the saying that the tallest tree in the forest would be battered by the wind.
But what Otsutsuki Toneri had not expected was that Tsunade could still keep her emotions in check even when he tried so hard to sow discord.
Her clan had all but died out, yet she still cared about Konoha's safety.
Should he say that this truly lived up to Konoha's Will of Fire?
Or was she unable to abandon this village that her grandfather had built with his own hands, desperately protected, and left behind?
But it was precisely because of this that Otsutsuki Toneri had called her a "useless woman."
Perhaps there were all sorts of reasons, but the fact remained that the Senju Clan had now all but died out.
Yet Tsunade had done nothing at all. It truly left Otsutsuki Toneri feeling somewhat regretful.
Meanwhile, Tsunade returned to her room and sat on the floor with a dark expression, a cold gleam flickering in her eyes. She grabbed the wine flask beside her and took a great gulp.
How could she possibly not care about the Senju Clan's decline?
But...
Thinking of certain things, Tsunade hurled the wine flask in her hand hard against the wall, smashing it to pieces.
Before you continue