As Tsunade pondered these questions, Nawaki's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned to look at Araki.
"Araki, did you not see how I died this time?"
Nawaki's brow furrowed. He seemed to have sensed something, but was clearly uncertain as he questioned Araki.
"I didn't see anything." Araki shook his head, continuing his act.
"Could it be..."
Nawaki turned to Tsunade, took the First Hokage's Necklace from her hand, and put it around his neck. Then he looked at Araki and said, "Try again now!"
Nawaki's action immediately gave Tsunade a hint.
"Yes, yes, try it!"
Tsunade nodded repeatedly. She instantly understood what Nawaki meant, even though he had said nothing.
"All right."
Araki nodded, his face still expressionless, with even a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.
However...
He understood perfectly well.
Everything happening now was proceeding as he had anticipated, and the two had quickly realized what he wanted to convey.
Then.
Araki reached out and brushed the First Hokage's Necklace around Nawaki's neck. The moment his fingertips touched the chakra crystal, the green light reappeared.
Buzz!
The chakra crystal pulsed like a heartbeat again.
Tsunade and Nawaki had already grown accustomed to this pulsing and no longer found it strange. Neither showed any particular reaction in their eyes. Both focused on Araki, hoping to hear the answer they wanted.
After these several experiments...
Araki was also studying the relationship between himself and the First Hokage's Necklace.
That rhythmic pulsing really did match his heartbeat!
When he touched the chakra crystal on the First Hokage's Necklace, it seemed to become part of his body, pulsing along with him, its green light flashing at the same rate as his heartbeat.
It was an extraordinarily subtle harmony.
For now, he did not know whether it had to do with his identity as a transmigrator or his Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.
A moment later.
Araki reluctantly moved his fingers away.
"I saw it..."
Araki raised his eyes to Nawaki, a deep lament in his gaze. The flickers that arose in that instant seemed to carry a powerful story.
"Was it still the same scene?" Nawaki pressed.
"Yes." Araki nodded and said, "You died in an explosive tag trap, wearing these very clothes. Your appearance hadn't changed much."
"If your clothes and appearance hadn't changed, that means it'll happen soon!" Tsunade's face darkened. Upon hearing of Nawaki's death, she instantly forgot about the necklace and asked in a grave voice, "Can you see where it happened?"
"In a forest," Araki answered without hesitation.
"Then it happened while you were out on a mission." Tsunade's expression grew graver, and she was already beginning to consider countermeasures.
"Araki, wait a moment. Take another look."
Hearing of his death again, Nawaki no longer displayed particularly complicated emotions. Instead, he took the First Hokage's Necklace off his neck and put it around Tsunade's.
The chakra crystal on the First Hokage's Necklace immediately slipped inside her collar, nestling deep within her cleavage and finding its place.
"Try now!"
Nawaki spoke seriously, a thoughtful look appearing on his face as he began considering the pattern behind it.
"All right."
Araki silently gave Nawaki a thumbs-up. When he had decided to take this huge gamble, he had already devised this setup to lure the siblings into his trap.
From the look of things now...
Tsunade was less composed than Nawaki!
Even knowing of his own death, Nawaki could calm down, analyze things, and accurately identify the crucial point. That was quite an impressive ability.
Most importantly...
Nawaki was only twelve years old!
The age of a genin who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy!
Although Nawaki's current performance was not as outstanding as Minato Namikaze's, nor was he a genius like Kakashi Hatake, that did not stop Araki from having high hopes for him.
Araki was a transmigrator who had watched the Naruto anime. He knew that the Senju Clan had always been late bloomers, unlike the Uchiha Clan, whose strength skyrocketed the instant their red-eye condition flared up, achieving a qualitative leap.
Unlike the Uchiha Clan, the Senju Clan's strength manifested in their bodies. Powerful physical strength required persistent training, day after day.
Nawaki was still very young.
No one knew what he would grow into. After all, in the original course of history, Nawaki had died young.
At that very moment.
Under Tsunade's and Nawaki's gazes, Araki raised his right hand.
There was no helping it.
The chakra crystal was nestled too deep!
Tsunade had been absorbed in how to change Nawaki's fate, and before she could react,
She was just about to say something, but before the words left her mouth, she felt the First Hokage's Necklace tremble.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The chakra crystal on the First Hokage's Necklace began vibrating at a faster rate, accompanied by an intoxicating green glow.
"Ah!"
Tsunade immediately cried out. The First Hokage's Necklace was positioned perfectly, right in the middle, and the ensuing vibrations gave her an inexplicably pleasant sensation.
"I saw it."
Araki quickly withdrew his hand. It was not that the soft sensation had lost its appeal, but after hearing Tsunade's voice repeatedly, he felt that things could not keep developing this way.
He was still just a child!
In an instant.
The First Hokage's Necklace returned to normal!
Tsunade made another sound, a trace of unmistakable disappointment in her puzzled tone. The instant the necklace stopped vibrating, she felt a sense of emptiness.
Just a moment ago, she had thought the sensation was strange, something she could not describe, unsure whether it was good or bad...
But the moment that sensation disappeared.
She missed it terribly.
It made a strange thought arise in her mind: if she could make the First Hokage's Necklace vibrate herself, it would be much more convenient to use.
"What did you see?"
Nawaki, the only person present who remained composed, stared at Araki as he questioned him. His eyes held tension; this answer would have a crucial bearing on his judgment.
Chapter 51: A Necklace of Misfortune or Good Fortune?
Swish!
As Tsunade voiced her question, both she and Nawaki fixed their eyes on Araki, their gazes full of curiosity.
"I saw you, Lady Tsunade..."
Araki could not help taking a deep breath. As he spoke, he closed his eyes slightly, doing his best not to think about the sight he had just seen and to keep his voice calm.
"You arrived in the forest and saw Nawaki's body. Your hands were covered in blood. You held this necklace as tears poured down your face, and you developed a fear of blood because of it, leaving you unable to continue working as a medical-nin."
Araki's voice was low and hoarse as he described what would happen in the future. He simply omitted Dan Katō, focusing all attention on Nawaki to make it easier to deliver the full impact.
Araki was not fabricating everything about this matter. The only part he had chosen to invent was the ability to see the future by touching the First Hokage's Necklace.
But as for the future he described...
Those were things that really would happen!
Speaking the truth directly like this was actually quite a good thing. After all, if it did not happen, he could be certain he had changed the course of this world's history. But if it remained unavoidable, just as in the original timeline, at least it would make Tsunade trust him more.
After saying that.
Araki closed his mouth.
Having said this much, he felt it was already enough. There was no need to say anything more, and nothing more to say. If asked, he had only seen that much.
Araki no longer felt burdened. At least in his mind, he had repaid the favor.
Whatever happened afterward had nothing to do with him!
"So I still died?"
Nawaki could not help sighing, his eyes growing much dimmer. He had thought that with the necklace on his older sister, Araki would be able to see her future, or the state of her death.
He had never expected...
That he really would see it.
Only what he saw was his older sister in the future discovering his dead body.
This made Nawaki feel even more conflicted, like a patient who knew he had little time left. Waves of negative emotions surged up inside him, and even his complexion worsened at that moment.
This had never happened to Nawaki before.
What people feared was often not death, but the process of gradually approaching it. Ninja were no exception.
Since ancient times, people had spoken of making it quick.
After all, everyone had to die, and no one could escape it. Whether one died early or late, death was still death. Those prepared for it could be entirely free of mental burdens, but knowing that one would die soon was another feeling altogether.