The surprise Minato Namikaze had brought proved far more lasting in its effects than Senju Chen had expected.
Since that day, besides being her "sweet, sensible little brother," Senju Chen had gained another halo in Tsunade's eyes: a "once-in-a-millennium Sealing Jutsu prodigy."
Jiraiya, meanwhile, had fallen completely into a vicious cycle of self-doubt and indecision. His gaze grew increasingly complicated whenever he looked at Senju Chen, holding both the fervor of someone who had discovered treasure and a faint sorrow of "why is the Child of Prophecy so close to Minato and ignoring me?"
Senju Chen accepted all of this and thoroughly enjoyed it.
He continued his regular daily routine, refining chakra and studying Wood Release in the mornings, then pestering Tsunade or Minato in the afternoons, flawlessly playing the part of an exceptionally gifted child with an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
He knew that the more perfect his performance, the more smoothly his future plans would proceed. The "puzzle piece" named Kushina Uzumaki was already within reach.
However, just as he eagerly anticipated meeting the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero," an unexpected yet understandable visitor shattered the peace that had lingered over the Senju estate for days.
It was a gloomy afternoon. Heavy, leaden clouds filled the sky, and even the flowers and grass in the courtyard looked listless.
Tsunade was reclining beneath the veranda, sipping sake, while Senju Chen sat beside her, idly drawing misshapen sealing formulas in the dirt with a twig.
Suddenly, a heavy, oppressive presence came from the estate's entrance.
Tsunade's hand abruptly paused with her sake cup in its grasp. Her beautiful brown eyes instantly narrowed, her languid air vanishing entirely, replaced by the sharpness of a drawn blade.
"Who's there?"
Senju Chen also raised his head. He could sense that nauseating smell in the air, a mixture of disinfectant and darkness. He would never forget that smell for as long as he lived.
From beyond the gate came the aged, gentle voice of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Tsunade, it's me."
The frost on Tsunade's face did not fade. She spoke coldly. "Old man, did you really need to bring someone else along to visit me?"
Before she had finished speaking, the Third Hokage appeared at the courtyard entrance. He wore his Hokage robes, a wry smile carrying a measure of helplessness and exhaustion on his face.
Behind him followed a man whose entire body was shrouded in shadow.
His right eye and right arm were wrapped in thick bandages. His only exposed eye, the left, resembled a bottomless ancient well, without the slightest ripple, holding nothing but deathly darkness. He leaned on a cane, each step steady and oppressive, as though he were treading not on stone slabs but on the bones of countless people.
Shimura Danzō.
The instant Senju Chen saw this man, his heart skipped a beat.
Not out of fear, but from a loathing that rose from the depths of his soul.
Almost instinctively, he sprang up from the ground like a frightened young animal, rushed behind Tsunade in a few steps, and clutched her hem tightly. With only half his little head peeking out, he stared fixedly at the bandaged man, his eyes filled with "terror."
His body trembled slightly, fully displaying the lingering trauma of a child who had survived an assassination attempt and faced death.
Feeling the trembling behind her, Tsunade's fury instantly surged to its limit. She reached back and gathered Senju Chen protectively into her arms, her gaze scraping across Danzo like a blade.
"Danzo! You still have the nerve to show your face here!" Chakra infused Tsunade's furious roar, making the air hum. "Get out of my home!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and stepped forward, placing himself between them. "Tsunade, calm down. I brought Danzo here today to give you, and little Chen, an answer for what happened before."
"An answer?" Tsunade sneered, her laughter thick with derision. "What answer? To tell me that the one who sent someone to kill my brother was this 'Hokage's aide' beside you, Konoha's 'darkness'? I could figure that out with my toes!"
Facing Tsunade's fury, Danzo's expression did not change in the slightest from beginning to end. He resembled a lifeless stone statue, cold and hard.
He slowly took a step forward, his cane striking the stone slabs with a dull thunk.
"Tsunade." His voice was as hoarse as two sheets of sandpaper rubbing together, devoid of emotion. "Regarding the attack on your younger brother, I have ascertained that it was planned and carried out by a spy from Rock Shadow Village in the Land of Earth. I failed to maintain proper discipline and did not uncover this individual in time. I cannot escape responsibility."
He lowered his head slightly in a gesture of apology.
"I hereby offer my apologies to you and the orphan of the Senju Clan."
His words were watertight. He shifted all blame onto a "spy," taking responsibility only for a "failure to maintain proper discipline." His manner was less an apology than a condescending announcement.
Hidden behind Tsunade, Senju Chen sneered inwardly.
What a fine "failure to maintain proper discipline." What a fine "cannot escape responsibility."
He looked up and carefully observed the man through the gap beneath Tsunade's arm.
This was Shimura Danzō. An extreme egoist who used "for the village" as a fig leaf for every evil deed. In his eyes, there was no right or wrong, only self-interest. At this moment, under Hiruzen Sarutobi's pressure, he could lower his head. Yet the murderous intent and ambition lurking in those shadowed eyes were stronger than before.
He was someone who had even attempted to assassinate the Third for his own benefit. It was later discovered that he and Orochimaru had conducted forbidden experiments together, which was also the main reason Orochimaru subsequently fled.
His so-called "apology" today was nothing more than a political compromise, a temporary retreat. Given the opportunity, this venomous snake would bare his fangs again without hesitation.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi, this fence-sitting "strongest Hokage," was now playing the paperhanger, covering over the cracks to maintain an appearance of peace.
"Tsunade, look, Danzo has already admitted his mistake," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, trying to smooth things over. "Let this matter end here. What Konoha needs now is stability. We cannot keep wearing ourselves down with internal strife."
"End here?" Tsunade shook with rage. "Old man! The person he wanted to kill was my only little brother! The blood of my Senju Clan! You expect me to act as though nothing happened?"
"Tsunade!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice also sank, carrying the unquestionable authority of the Hokage. "That is an order!"
The air instantly froze.
Tsunade glared fiercely at Hiruzen Sarutobi, her chest heaving. She knew that once this man issued an order in his capacity as "Hokage," there was no longer any room for negotiation.
She could refuse to show Danzo respect, but she could not do the same to the Hokage.
A profound sense of powerlessness welled up in Tsunade's heart.
Just then, the little figure in her arms gently tugged at her clothes.
Tsunade lowered her head and saw Senju Chen looking up at her. The earlier terror was gone from his clear eyes, replaced instead by a composure beyond his years.
"Big sister..." Senju Chen's voice was soft, with a slight tremor, yet unusually clear. "I... I'm fine. Don't... don't argue with Grandpa Hokage because of me..."