Dappled light and shadow flickered through the woods, racing past their eyes as the group moved swiftly onward.
Lin Chen fully regained consciousness amid a gentle jostling. He did not open his eyes immediately, instead putting all his effort into sensing his surroundings.
His body felt light, cradled in someone's arms. A pleasant feminine scent lingered around his nose, mingling medicinal herbs with a faint hint of alcohol. The embrace was warm and safe. The despair of waiting to die beneath those tree roots felt like a lifetime ago.
The chakra within him, that vitality originating from the essence of Wood Release, was weak, yet it flowed like a gentle stream through his parched chakra pathways, slowly replenishing his depleted body. He could clearly sense the ocean-like reserves of chakra within the woman holding him, as well as the fractures of grief deep within that chakra, soothed by his power but still present.
It was Tsunade.
Lin Chen slowly lifted his eyelids, his long lashes trembling to reveal clear, limpid eyes with distinct blacks and whites. He tilted his head slightly, and Tsunade's gracefully contoured jaw and tightly pressed lips came into view. Her expression remained tense, but much of the persistent irritation between her brows had faded.
So soft. Sure enough, anime never lies to anime. Tsunade's figure really is out of this world, Lin Chen thought, inwardly drooling as he felt the pressure against his body.
Seemingly noticing the movement in her arms, Tsunade lowered her head. The moment their eyes met, her amber eyes filled with indescribable tenderness and pity.
"Awake?" Her voice was exceedingly soft, as though she feared disturbing the treasure in her arms.
Lin Chen's eyes held a trace of just-awakened confusion and fear of his unfamiliar surroundings. He blinked, his lips moving as he uttered his first fully conscious words since arriving in this world.
"Big sister...?"
Those two words were like a precisely targeted spell, instantly striking the softest part of Tsunade's heart. Her body abruptly stiffened, and even her breathing stopped for half a beat.
Nawaki... had been just like this as a child. Every time he woke up, he would call her "big sister" in that same soft, sweet voice full of dependence.
Tsunade's eyes reddened again. She held the boy a little tighter, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "Yes, big sister's here. Do you... remember anything?"
Lin Chen remained perfectly calm inside. He knew he had to play this part well. He gazed at Tsunade with those clear, innocent eyes, revealing just the right amount of distress and pain.
"Lots of people were fighting Daddy. Mommy ran away with me, and then she told me to hide by myself. I hid for days. I was so hungry that I came out to find food." As he spoke, he instinctively burrowed deeper into Tsunade's warm embrace, as though embarrassed, yet also like a young animal seeking shelter.
The movement melted Tsunade's heart all over again. She freed one hand and gently stroked the boy's messy black hair, her touch unbelievably tender.
"Big sister, can you take me to find Daddy and Mommy?" Lin Chen hurriedly said while she patted his head. It was the most fitting thing for a child who had lost his parents to say, and what he should say most.
Having experienced countless wars, Tsunade and Jiraiya understood at once.
Lin Chen's parents had been hunted by ninja. To let his wife and child escape, his father had chosen to stay behind, and later, his mother had gone off alone to lure the enemy away for Lin Chen's sake.
"Big sister will take you to find Daddy and Mommy right now. I also want to know just who dared lay hands on our Senju Clan." Hearing Lin Chen's account twisted Tsunade's heart into agonizing knots, and a surge of fury rose within her.
Jiraiya suddenly felt guilty toward the child as well. He had actually suspected a poor orphan who might have just lost his parents.
"Tsunade, take the child back to the village. I'll look for his parents. After all, it's been so many days..." Jiraiya volunteered to take on the task as he spoke to Tsunade.
Tsunade instantly understood what Jiraiya meant. Yes, so many days had passed. If the child's parents were still alive, they should have returned to find him long ago, rather than leaving him so hungry that he had to search for food himself.
Tsunade looked down at the child, who was trembling slightly with nervousness. One of his parents had to belong to their Senju Clan. Finding them was crucial.
But bringing this child back to Konoha was equally important. If something happened while they were searching, Tsunade would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.
"All right. Go look for his parents. I'll take him back to the village first." At the same time, she lowered her head and spoke to Lin Chen with aching tenderness.
"Don't worry. With big sister here, no one will ever hurt you again."
"Yes, don't worry, little guy. I'll go find your parents right now. Once I find them, I'll bring them to see you." Jiraiya also gave Lin Chen what he considered a kindly smile.
With that, he vanished from the spot with a Body Flicker Technique.
After hearing what I had said earlier, Shizune was instantly overwhelmed with maternal affection as well.
"Little boy, don't worry. Lord Jiraiya is very powerful. He'll definitely find your parents," Shizune reassured him from beside them.
"Little boy, what's your name?"
"My name is Chen."
"Mm-hmm. How old are you?"
"I'm four."
"Where's your home?"
Afterward, Lin Chen only managed to fend off the intensely curious Shizune by pretending to be tired. It was not that chatting with the lovely Shizune was unpleasant.
Lin Chen absolutely refused to admit that he simply coveted Tsunade's "embrace."
Still, he had finally made it past the first hurdle.
Resting against Tsunade's shoulder, Lin Chen finally had time to examine his system cheat.
"God-Level Stealing System."
Through the system, he could steal any "extraordinary thing" from others, including but not limited to:
Kekkei genkai, secret ninjutsu, talent and aptitude, special abilities, and so on.
However, he could only steal one ability from one person at a time, and only when that person's emotions were intensely stirred.
At this stage, there were four stealing slots in total. Aside from the Wood Release he had already stolen, three slots remained empty.
If all the stealing slots were full and he wanted to steal a new skill, he could replace a previously stolen ability.
So it's basically four extra skill slots, like in a game, Lin Chen thought.
Although intense emotion was a prerequisite, he could have four more abilities than other people, and he could use them as soon as he stole them. That condition was no big deal.
Only four skill slots? That feels a little inadequate, Lin Chen said to the system in his mind.
The system suddenly issued a notification: if he changed the worldlines of other characters in the Naruto world, then depending on the extent of the changes, the host could receive lottery draws or even upgrade the system and gain more stealing slots.
Hearing the system notification, Lin Chen instantly grew excited. So he could increase the number of stealing slots.
He already had Wood Release. If he stole a Sharingan as well, he would have both of Naruto's two strongest kekkei genkai all to himself.
Or he could steal the Rinnegan outright, along with a Sage Body, Flying Thunder God, Eight Gates Released Formation, Dust Release, and so on.
Just thinking about this made Lin Chen feel that his future path in the Naruto world was bright.
I wonder if I can steal the power of tailed beasts. Once I have more skill slots in the future...
If I steal the power of the Nine Tailed Beasts, could I stand on equal footing with the Sage of Six Paths outright?
Or he could simply steal Kaguya's power. Lin Chen remembered that in the movie, the protagonists had gone to the moon and encountered an enormous Tenseigan. There had even been a strike that split the moon.
If I can steal those things, won't I be able to do whatever I please in this world?
At this thought, tears of happiness were already leaking from the corners of Lin Chen's mouth.
The sun sank in the west, dyeing the clouds on the horizon a brilliant orange-red.
Ahead of the group, Konoha's tall, imposing gates were already visible in the distance.
Lin Chen leaned against Tsunade's shoulder, quietly watching those gates and the striking emblem upon them, like a swirling flame.
Konoha... here I come.