Wisps of breeze brushed past, lifting the boy's hems. Mist rising from the hot spring lent the scene a touch of atmosphere as the boy in a black hunting robe stood quietly on the water's surface.
"Morning, Sister Tsunade, Sister Shizune. Did you enjoy your soak?"
Naoki Senju slowly walked out from the center of the hot spring, but whenever he looked at Tsunade, he kept recalling last night's alluring sights, leaving him slightly awkward. Fair skin, intoxicating charm...
But Tsunade had no time to teach this brazen little pervert a lesson. Hadn't she only taught him Tree Climbing yesterday? Why did he already know Water Walking too?
"Naoki, how did you do it? Water Walking is training meant for Chunin and above! And you only took one night..."
Tsunade was stunned. Even the most basic Tree Climbing practice took an ordinary Genin three or four days, or possibly a week for those with less talent. Water Walking was another matter entirely. Even Orochimaru, the most outstanding of her peers, had taken two days to master Water Walking, while Naoki had only taken one night...
Talent like this really left everyone else no room to live.
Three innate chakra natures, the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, an ability to learn Ninjutsu comparable to the Sharingan, and now even his chakra control was this outrageous...
Seeing that Tsunade wasn't pursuing what had happened last night, Naoki Senju immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know whether she hadn't found any evidence or simply didn't want to pursue it. If it was the latter...
An idea struck Naoki Senju, and he staggered, looking as though he was about to fall. Tsunade and Shizune, who were watching him closely, immediately supported him on either side. Tsunade asked with concern:
"What happened? Did something go wrong during your training?"
Naoki explained weakly, "It's nothing. I just spent all night practicing Water Walking and used up too much chakra."
Tsunade didn't dare take any chances. She mobilized her chakra and carefully examined Naoki's body. Fortunately, there really was nothing wrong with him. He had simply depleted too much chakra and was a little weak.
She immediately relaxed, her gaze softening as she gently reassured him:
"It's nothing serious. Rest for half a day and you'll be fine. Don't train so hard next time. Your talent is already good. All you need is to keep at it. Don't push yourself too hard, understand?"
"Moved," Naoki Senju wrapped his arms around Tsunade's waist and said gratefully, "I understand. Thank you, Sister Tsunade."
But little did Tsunade know that Naoki Senju's weakness had nothing to do with excessive chakra consumption. He had stood on the hot spring's surface early that morning striking poses, gotten his clothes damp from the mist, and then caught a cold from the chilly wind...
He really deserved no sympathy.
At noon, the hot spring proprietor sent over a complimentary lunch: a freshly caught red sea bream weighing eight kilograms, also known as red porgy and called the king of fish in the Land of Hot Water.
After all, generous guests like Naoki Senju, who booked five private hot spring courtyards at once, were truly rare. Who knew whether the proprietor would still think that way after discovering the courtyard that had been devastated...
As a seasoned drinker, Tsunade naturally wouldn't pass up such a delicacy. Without the slightest attempt to refuse, she accepted the proprietor's kind gesture.
Seeing the disdainful looks Naoki and Shizune gave her, Tsunade smiled dismissively:
"Naoki, I'll teach you a Wood Release Ninjutsu later. You only destroyed one old tree, didn't you? Give him three back. Besides, if you two don't want any fish, I won't hold back."
"Sister Tsunade, I'll help you clean the fish. Here's some sake. Have a drink first."
Shizune glanced at Naoki as he hurried away, then at the mischievous smile playing on Tsunade's lips, and hastily blurted, "I'll help too."
Trailing behind, Tonton looked blankly at the yanagiba knife in Tsunade's hand, then was instantly scared out of her wits. She fled blindly in search of her most considerate young mistress, Shizune. Her actual owner, Tsunade, could only warm a pig's body, not understand a pig's heart.
In the end, with Tsunade wielding the knife, the three humans and one pig finished off the entire red sea bream, which still weighed over a dozen jin after being cleaned.
"Naoki, come with me."
Tsunade led Naoki back to the devastated courtyard. Walking ahead, she slipped into recollection. The Senju Clan had truly been quiet for too long, but from today onward, the Senju Clan would reclaim everything it had lost.
Seeing how solemn Tsunade was, Naoki followed behind with exceptional obedience. After a moment of recollection, Tsunade spoke:
"Wood Release is the Senju Clan's Kekkei Genkai. I didn't inherit it, so I only know the hand seal sequences for Wood Release Ninjutsu. I don't know the chakra pathways, much less the principles behind them. For now, you'll have to figure those out yourself."
"Yes. I, Naoki, won't let you down, Sister Tsunade."
Tsunade's expression eased slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared. The past was in the past. The Senju Clan's future had already appeared.
"All right, I'll teach you your first Ninjutsu now, Wood Release: Wood Clone. The hand seal sequence is Horse, Dog, Snake. Not only are the seals different from the ordinary Clone Technique, but the clones this Ninjutsu creates are completely different too. Wood Clones have physical bodies and can use Ninjutsu. They also aren't destroyed as easily as Shadow Clones or Water Clones. In short, this is a relatively easy Ninjutsu to learn, and it's highly practical."
Tsunade had no Wood Release chakra, so she could only explain the Wood Release Ninjutsu she had once seen in as much detail as possible to help Naoki learn.
She was feeling some regret now. If she had known in advance that she would meet Naoki Senju, who possessed Wood Release, she would have memorized every Ninjutsu scroll her grandfather had left behind, no matter what. Now she no longer had the opportunity. Fortunately, Orochimaru had done considerable research into Wood Release. Otherwise, she would have no choice but to return to Konoha.
At the thought of the familiar Konoha, Tsunade felt no warmth or nostalgia. Instead, she was filled with suspicion and caution, as though the present-day Konoha were a den of deadly beasts.
"Sister Tsunade."
Tsunade abruptly snapped out of her thoughts. Naoki's call had pulled her back to reality.
"Don't worry. Knowing the hand seal sequence is enough. If I don't even have that much ability, how am I going to surpass the First Hokage?"
Tsunade couldn't help laughing, then scolded him with a smile, "You little brat, you have no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is. You think you can surpass Grandpa? Learn the Wood Clone first."
Nawaki had once said he wanted to become Hokage, a Hokage as great as his grandfather, while Naoki proclaimed that he would surpass the First Hokage... Even as she felt heartened, a thought suddenly struck Tsunade. Perhaps Naoki didn't mean surpassing the First on the surface, but surpassing the Hokage! In other words, he had never wanted to become Hokage. He might even... look down on the Hokage...
Tsunade fell silent. Getting Naoki to love Konoha and the Hokage was clearly impossible. His experiences wouldn't allow it. Even she didn't like the current Konoha...
So be it. Neither she nor Naoki was in Konoha anyway. What did it matter whether they hated it or loved it? The Senju Clan had sacrificed far too much for Konoha. And what had Konoha done in return...?
Tsunade's gaze was deep. As the strongest medical-nin and one of the Sannin, she had never possessed misplaced mercy!