"Grandpa..."
Tsunade's body trembled uncontrollably, her shapely curves rising and falling as tears suddenly spilled from her eyes. She could no longer remember how long it had been since she last saw her grandfather.
If her grandfather's residual chakra really was inside the necklace...
Didn't that mean he had been protecting her all along?
The more Tsunade thought about it, the more excited she became. The feelings bottled up inside her erupted like a volcano. This sight alone had made her truly believe Araki.
Nawaki's reaction was completely different. Under the green light, his deathly pale face turned green.
If this was true...
Then Araki had seen a vision of his death!
At that thought, Nawaki felt awful. He had spoken with such unwavering resolve, but he was still young and didn't want to die!
Hum!
This time, Araki didn't rush to move his finger away. After trembling once, the chakra crystal began trembling again, its rhythm like a heartbeat.
What was going on?
Araki's thoughts raced. He could now confirm that the chakra crystal in the First Hokage's Necklace had changed like this because of his touch.
Was there something different about him?
Was it because of his Wood Release Kekkei Genkai?
But...
What was this heartbeat?
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, couldn't possibly still be alive. Araki had information confirming that!
But the chakra crystal really was behaving like a heart now.
Was there some secret here?
The more Araki thought about it, the more nervous he became...
Hum! Hum! Hum!
Just then, the chakra crystal's rhythm quickened, as though its heartbeat had sped up along with it.
Wait!
Araki's pupils abruptly contracted.
He immediately realized something very unusual.
This heartbeat...
It wasn't the chakra crystal's heartbeat...
It was his heartbeat!
Upon realizing this, Araki immediately moved his finger away. Almost simultaneously, the chakra crystal on the First Hokage's Necklace abruptly went dark, like a light being switched off.
"Whew..."
Araki took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. He had discovered many things in that brief moment, an enormous gain for him.
With each pulse of the chakra crystal on the First Hokage's Necklace, torrents of immense chakra had poured into his body through the point where his finger touched it, circulating through the chakra pathways throughout his body.
This chakra contained an indescribably terrifying vitality. Wherever it passed, it continually tore apart nearby cells and rapidly reconstructed them. Before he could even feel pain, it had turned into an intensely pleasurable sensation.
Chapter 48: Tsunade, Who Loses Every Bet!
"Th-this... this..."
Araki's expression didn't change at all, but inwardly, he was utterly shocked.
It was a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced.
He felt completely refreshed, all his fatigue swept away, as though he had been born anew. His entire body felt light and airy.
This astonished Araki. After withdrawing his finger, he could clearly feel that chakra remaining inside him. As it circulated through his pathways, the cells throughout his body greedily scrambled to absorb it, like thirsty travelers in a desert finding a clear spring.
After just a few breaths, this chakra's energy had diminished considerably, but it continued cycling through his chakra pathways, constantly producing a refreshing sensation that soothed him to his core.
Araki was incredibly excited.
That simple cycle just now had brought him a very noticeable improvement, far surpassing who knew how many nights of training.
An opportunity!
This was an opportunity!
Araki didn't know what connection he had to the First Hokage's Necklace, or whether it was simply a matter of his Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.
But...
He recognized very clearly that an opportunity existed.
If he could regularly absorb the energy inside the chakra crystal, it would provide tremendous help in increasing his own chakra.
This definitely offered high returns!
Of course.
It was also high-risk!
Araki didn't know whether anyone knew about the First Hokage's Necklace's special effects, such as Konoha's famous scientist, Orochimaru.
If word of this got out, the fact that he possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai might be exposed. That would be far too dangerous.
He absolutely couldn't wear the First Hokage's Necklace himself!
Based on Araki's assessment, this thing would very likely keep glowing until he had absorbed it completely.
That would practically be telling the whole world there was something suspicious about him.
Most importantly...
This necklace also came with a curse!
It would be safer hanging around Nawaki's neck. Then he could tie himself to Nawaki and go give it a rub whenever he had nothing else to do.
"I saw it again!"
While Tsunade and Nawaki were still in shock, Araki spoke again. He had already fully restored his ability to speak.
"Just now, when I touched the First Hokage's Necklace, I saw Nawaki die in an Explosive Tag trap. He was wearing this very necklace around his neck, and all the internal organs had been scooped out of his corpse!"
Araki's tone grew stern. This was part of his plan, a two-pronged approach involving seeing the future through the First Hokage's Necklace and rapidly recovering his ability to speak.
"Araki, your speech..."
Tsunade's face went deathly pale upon hearing Araki describe Nawaki's gruesome fate, but she also noticed the change in Araki's ability to speak.
"That's right, Araki! You can actually speak normally now!"
Nawaki suddenly widened his eyes. If Tsunade hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have noticed. When they chatted that afternoon, listening to Araki had made him want to stretch the other boy's tongue straight. It had been so exhausting to listen to that he had nearly fallen asleep several times.
"I... I didn't notice!"
Araki feigned surprise, his acting skills kicking in instantly. He slipped into character in a second without the slightest awkwardness. Coupled with his childlike appearance, it was extremely deceptive and highly convincing.
"I can talk!"
As though he had only just realized it, Araki raised his voice, brimming with delighted surprise. His previously indifferent expression changed as well, revealing an innocent smile.
That simple series of expressions portrayed an innocent child's transformation as he broke through the barrier caused by psychological trauma. Every emotion was expressed just right, neither excessive nor lacking, as though this was exactly how it should be.
This performance was also part of Araki's big gamble. Through this, he wanted Tsunade and Nawaki to believe that the First Hokage's Necklace had healed his psychological trauma-in other words, that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had healed it.
That way.
Everything would fall naturally into place.
He wouldn't need to explain much.
Tsunade and Nawaki only needed to fill in the answer themselves.
Of course.
Araki wasn't satisfied with just that.
Since he had already started gambling, he might as well try pushing a little further. What if he managed to get in?
"Teacher Tsunade, what's going on? How come I can speak normally now?"
Araki immediately turned the tables, directing his question at Tsunade. His puzzled manner was like that of someone questioning his attending physician.
Of course, that wasn't wrong. Tsunade was a medical-nin.
By tentatively taking this step forward, Araki would hand the problem over to Tsunade.
The risk was that he would be surrendering the initiative.
He could no longer define his own change.
Nor would he be able to take the initiative afterward and say what kind of situation it was.
But the advantage was that the answer would come from Tsunade's mouth, making the final result authoritative and unquestionably accepted by her!
"Hmm..."
Tsunade frowned slightly and fell silent. She touched the chakra crystal of the First Hokage's Necklace in her hand again, but there was still no change. Then she released the crystal and reached for Araki's wrist.
At that moment.
Araki's nervousness reached its peak.
He didn't know what level Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu had reached, or whether she could detect a Kekkei Genkai. This was unknown territory for him.
All he could do now was gamble!
Bet that Tsunade couldn't detect it!
Gentle chakra imbued with vitality appeared on Tsunade's palm. She slid it from Araki's wrist toward his throat, where she paused for about three minutes.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with your vocal cords."
Tsunade withdrew her hand, her expression extremely serious. She didn't know what Araki's vocal cords had been like before, since she had never examined them. She only knew what they were like now.