In the training ground in the backyard of Tsubasa's house, faint sunlight fell over a scene of utter disarray. Tsubasa's small figure stood beside a huge cherry tree. He had uprooted it himself that morning, and now he was planting it again. The cherry tree towered into the clouds, its trunk and branches thick and sturdy. The contrast with Tsubasa's tiny body was so stark that the sight looked completely out of place.
Nearby, Grandpa Senju Yasuhei and Tsubasa's six aunts stared at the scene with wide eyes and open mouths, their faces full of disbelief. Senju Yasuhei's hands trembled slightly without his noticing, and the same thought ran through his mind again and again. Could he be an immortal descended from heaven? A little child had effortlessly set a tree weighing over ten thousand jin upright. It was simply unbelievable.
Senju Yasuhei came to his senses, his face flushed with excitement. He clapped his hands again and again, exclaiming, "The Guigong branch of our Senju Clan has a successor! My grandson truly is a man of great fortune!" He recalled how Lord Hashirama had said that his grandson wasn't sick, but was absorbing Natural Energy and that his body was gradually adapting to it. He had been skeptical at the time, having never seen anything like it. Now, having witnessed his grandson display such astonishing strength, he was filled with pride and relief.
Dō Senju was the first to recover from her shock. Her eyes instantly dimmed as she thought of her husband and child, who had died on the battlefield. Her eyes reddened, and tears spilled out. She stumbled over in haste and pulled Tsubasa into a tight embrace. Her voice thick with tears, she said, almost pleading, "Little Tsubasa, you have to promise your first aunt you won't become a ninja, all right?" As she spoke, her body trembled slightly, and she held him even tighter, as if he would leave her the moment she let go.
Gi Senju also hurried forward and nodded vigorously, her face full of concern. "Your second aunt agrees. Whoever wants to be a ninja can go and do it. Our little Tsubasa can just stay home and be a young nobleman."
His third aunt, Kaidō Senju, frowned slightly and stepped forward, her expression serious. "Lord Hashirama said that our Guigong branch could rest and recover for fifty years. Starting with Tsubasa, at least three generations won't have to do a ninja's work."
His fourth aunt, Nanshin Senju, sighed softly, worry appearing on her face as she added, "These are peaceful times. They shouldn't force our Tsubasa to become a ninja."
His fifth aunt, Ame Senju, and sixth aunt, In Senju, exchanged a determined look and hurried over to surround him, as though building a sturdy protective wall around Tsubasa.
Tsubasa looked at his aunts, who wanted only the best for him, and was deeply moved. He could clearly feel the concern and fear in their words. They had all suffered the loss of loved ones and were deeply afraid of the ninja profession. He raised his head, gave them a sensible smile, and said in a clear, childlike voice, "I promise all of you I won't become a ninja, but I still need to learn some skills, so I can protect myself better when danger comes."
All six aunts smiled in relief. Dō Senju raised a hand and gently stroked Tsubasa's head. "What a good boy. As long as you don't become a ninja, you can learn whatever skills you like." His other aunts nodded in agreement, their eyes full of affection.
Senju Yasuhei strode over, his face dark and his brows knotted. His piercing gaze swept over everyone as he shouted sternly, "All of you, be quiet! What exactly are you so afraid of?" His deep, forceful voice echoed across the training ground.
Everyone was startled by the angry shout and fell silent. They looked at Senju Yasuhei with a mixture of fear and confusion.
Senju Yasuhei clasped his hands behind his back and paced slowly before them, his expression grave. "Our Guigong branch may no longer have to charge into battle, but if we don't have even the slightest ability to protect ourselves, if we don't know any Ninjutsu, how are we any different from lambs waiting for slaughter?" He paused, a pained expression crossing his face. "These past few years, things may have been peaceful on the surface, with no large-scale wars, but behind the scenes it's still bloody and brutal. Three years ago, the Shengong branch of our Senju Clan was slaughtered to the last person in Northern Border City. Have you all forgotten that?" His voice trembled slightly, his eyes full of grief and anger. "Because of that massacre, only thirty-five of the Senju's thirty-six branches remain!"
At his words, everyone's faces filled with horror and sorrow. They exchanged looks, their eyes still full of fear. Dō Senju unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, her lips trembling slightly, as though she were remembering that terrible scene again.
Senju Yasuhei continued, "And look at our Konoha. Haven't there been enough conflicts and assassinations?" He stopped pacing and looked at Tsubasa, his gaze softening a little. "Tsubasa is the most talented child I've ever seen. If you overprotect him and keep him from learning Ninjutsu, and one day he gets into an argument with someone outside and is killed for it, tell me, would you be protecting him or harming him?"
Hearing this, everyone lowered their heads, shame on their faces. Gi Senju bit her lip, full of regret, and said softly, "Father, we... we're just worried about Tsubasa."
Senju Yasuhei waved a hand, his expression softening somewhat. "I know you care about him, but there has never been such a thing as peaceful years. It's only that someone else has been carrying the burden for us. Since Tsubasa has this talent, we should do all the more to nurture him and help him become a peerless expert like Lord Hashirama. At the very least, we need the strength to protect ourselves, so that when disaster strikes, we won't be completely unable to fight back and can only let ourselves be slaughtered!"
Everyone nodded silently, a little more determination in their eyes. Tsubasa raised his head and looked at his grandfather, his eyes shining. Grandpa really is the sensible one. As a transmigrator, he was familiar with the later plot of Naruto. After Hashirama's death, one great war followed another, making it even more dangerous than the Warring States period. Later, it became a battle between gods. In fights like those, ordinary people were no more than ants, completely at the mercy of others. Nagato Uzumaki alone could flatten Konoha with a single ultimate move, to say nothing of the Ōtsutsuki Clan who later descended upon the ninja world. He had the advantage of being reborn and had now embarked on the path of immortal cultivation. How could he possibly be content to live an ordinary life as a nobleman? For now, he was only placating his aunts to put their minds at ease. He was destined to become the strongest in this world. His blood stirred, and he silently swore to cultivate diligently and live up to his grandfather's expectations.
As he was thinking this, a young man in a ninja vest came in, leading a filthy five-year-old child by the hand. They bowed and greeted Senju Yasuhei and the six aunts in turn. They were none other than his father in this life, Senju Tenpuku, and his younger brother, Tenmei.
Senju Tenpuku looked at the boy surrounded by his sisters-in-law, overcome with emotion, tears glistening in his eyes. The elegant, jade-like boy before him, with his ethereal bearing, gradually overlapped with the child in his memories, who had been plagued by misfortune from birth and struggled in pain every day. In the past, whenever he saw his son's illness flare up, he had been frantic with worry, wishing he could endure the torment in his son's place. Now he hurried to Tsubasa's side and pulled him into an embrace, his voice full of excitement and relief. "Son, congratulations on finally recovering. Thank heaven!"