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Feeling the changes within his body, Shuuzawa was in a great mood.
All that was left now was to find a good time to properly experience the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"Shuuzawa, what's going on?" Just as he was enjoying the moment, Yuugao leaned in curiously. "You look really happy about something."
"Of course I'm happy. We're finally back to Konoha," Shuuzawa snapped out of his thoughts and smiled.
But suddenly, a different thought crossed his mind. Now that Tsunade was back, he would likely train under her often.
Besides, Shuuzawa was still curious whether a Uchiha was buried underneath that spot.
That meant he'd spend much time at Tsunade's side, learning from her—and watching that white figure sway as she walked.
Meanwhile, Yuugao was already registered under the Medical Corps, and Tsunade was the most revered medical ninja.
So why not try to have Yuugao learn from her as well?
"This… sounds like a pretty good idea." Shuuzawa blinked.
No medical ninja could resist that kind of opportunity. Smiling, he turned to her and asked, "Would you be interested in training under Lady Tsunade?"
"Huh?" Yuugao froze for a second. She hadn't expected that question. She hesitated a bit, then asked curiously, "Wait… could I do that?"
"You won't know unless you try," Shuuzawa said softly, gently taking her hand.
Internally, though, he was already worrying about what to do if Tsunade said no.
After some thought, he considered converting his latest reward into cash—after all, Tsunade's debts were no joke.
"Tsunade… what is she up to right now?"
.....
While Shuuzawa was mulling things over, Tsunade had almost finished dealing with her end of things.
Still, Hiruzen couldn't help but speak up. These matters had been giving him a headache.
"This is troublesome. I'll need more supplies and resources. I'll give you a list. It's the only way to resolve this issue fully."
Tsunade wasn't slacking off this time—she was seriously focused on saving lives.
"The 'Nokizaru Group' really are a group of hunter-nin. Their methods aren't weak, and some cases are hard to treat."
"As long as they can be healed, just get them out of here," Hiruzen said with a nod. He was truly exhausted.
With all these issues falling on his shoulders, who knew how badly things could escalate if he didn't handle them carefully?
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something."
Tsunade glanced at her teacher, then at the Fourth Raikage, who was visiting his subordinates deeper in the base.
She lowered her voice and asked, "Shuuzawa… what's the story with that kid?"
"I knew you'd ask," Hiruzen replied without surprise.
As a member of the Senju clan, there was no way Tsunade wouldn't be interested in Shuuzawa—especially after he awakens Wood Release, which had drawn even more attention.
If she weren't curious, that would be shocking.
"I've personally reviewed the records. Shuuzawa is an orphan. His parents were once Konoha shinobi, but they died during the war. He grew up in the orphanage."
"An orphan?" Tsunade frowned. "Then what about detailed information on his parents?"
"Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything," Hiruzen sighed. "Danzō and I both searched, but Konoha's departments weren't well organized back then."
"After the First Hokage passed away, the ninja world became chaotic. We all, including our sensei, had to focus on the wars."
"I understand," Tsunade nodded. It was unfortunate, but she knew better than anyone what those times were like. She could tell Hiruzen wasn't lying.
Incomplete or missing records were common back then. The fact that they could even confirm Shuuzawa was truly born and raised in Konoha was already something.
"So what about the follow-up? I remember my grandfather conducted some experiments."
"Shuuzawa is not an experimental subject," Danzō spoke up this time, his expression as cold as ever.
"I was involved in that project. Only one test subject survived—every other one died."
"I picked Shigenari Shuuzawa from the orphanage. He wasn't even a shinobi before joining Root."
"Hmph. No wonder that boy has such extreme ideas. It's because of you," Tsunade snapped.
She hadn't forgotten Shuuzawa's words: using Wood Release to trap everyone and letting Shisui burn down the whole town.
That kind of ruthless thinking was exactly what Danzō would instill.
Still, she had to admit that if Danzō hadn't taken him from the orphanage, the Senju clan's Wood Release might have disappeared.
After all, her grandfather was the only one in the clan who could use it.
But now she was certain—Shuuzawa was a Konoha-born child who had awakened Wood Release on his own.
During his fight with the Fourth Raikage, she sensed life flowing from his Wood Release.
That feeling was just like her grandfather's. She couldn't have been mistaken.
"Still, Tsunade, aside from Shuuzawa, there's another troubling thing you need to know," Hiruzen added, sensing her growing displeasure toward Danzō.
"There's another enemy. He also possesses Wood Release—and Shuuzawa awakened his own because of him."
"Oh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, then something clicked in her mind.
"Don't tell me it was Uchiha Obito? I remember his bounty was quite high, and you even updated his wanted poster."
Obito's original wanted poster approximated what he might have looked like as an adult when he was still in Konoha.
But without an actual photo, how could they track him? Even if they added a mask and dark clothing, there was no guarantee someone wouldn't impersonate him.
At the time, no one knew what the right side of Obito's face looked like anymore, so it was only natural that they used a modified version of his childhood photo to piece something together.
Now that they had seen Obito's current appearance, they realized it didn't look too different from the photo they had originally used.
All they had to do was update the left side of his face, and it would be close enough.
So Konoha quickly released a new version of the wanted poster—and the bounty was increased again.
Tsunade could tell that beyond protecting Konoha, the generous reward was the real motivator.
"That's right. It's him," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, his expression darkening.
"He's not only behind the Fourth Hokage and Kushina's deaths but also the mastermind of the Nine-Tails incident."
"On top of that, he possesses both the Mangekyō Sharingan and Wood Release."
After summarizing Obito's background, he continued, "When he targeted Uchiha Shisui again, Shuuzawa happened to sense it."
"Because Obito carried the Flying Raijin mark under Shuuzawa's control, he was forced to use Wood Release to escape."
"Shuuzawa had already felt something strange in his chakra at that time. Obito's Wood Release triggered Shuuzawa's awakening."
"Wood Release, and Mangekyō Sharingan..." Tsunade's expression grew grave.
A Uchiha possessing Wood Release—it was all too obvious what that implied.
"All right, I understand. Now tell me, where is that kid Shuuzawa living?"
"He has his place, but right now, he's training in the Anbu," Hiruzen answered after thinking about it. Tsunade didn't look pleased.
"The Senju Clan doesn't have room for him? Let him live there instead. What can he even learn in the Anbu?"
Hiruzen felt a headache coming on. After all, Shuuzawa had awakened his Wood Release while in the Anbu.
But Tsunade didn't give him a chance to respond—she turned away and waved her hand.
"Old man, go gather the materials. That guy's not going to die. As for Shuuzawa, I'm taking him with me."
"He'll learn much more in the Senju Clan's ancestral home." With that, she left behind a helpless Hiruzen and a disgruntled Danzō.
But Tsunade didn't care in the slightest. As she stepped outside, she saw Shuuzawa holding Yuugao's hand, chatting with Shisui.
That made her raise an eyebrow. She'd been working herself to the bone, and these three were just laughing.
Without hesitation, she walked up behind Shuuzawa, grabbed him by his collar, and looked at Yuugao and Shisui.
"You three, come with me."
"Eh?" Shuuzawa blinked, confused, while Shisui and Yuugao looked at her curiously.
"I'm moving back home, but no one's cleaned the house. You're coming to help."
Tsunade's tone left no room for argument. Then she turned her gaze to Shuuzawa. "And you—pack up your stuff. You're moving in with me."
"???" Shuuzawa looked completely stunned. What was going on? He did have some thoughts in that direction, but living together already?
Wasn't that a little fast?
...
Meanwhile, back in the Root's base, the Fourth Raikage kept his eyes on his unconscious subordinate.
His breathing had stabilized, so he felt a little more at ease. But the issue with his other subordinate still made his fists clench tight.
Now what? What else could they even do? That brat with Flying Raijin and Wood Release had already said this would become public knowledge.
He'd be seen as a Raikage who "cares for his men"—a good reputation, sure, and it helped save some face. But the problem was... he had no choice but to accept it!
"Konoha bastards are the pinnacle of hypocrisy," the Raikage muttered as his fists tightened again.
It felt like someone had sucker-punched him, then told him it was for his good—and he was supposed to be grateful?
The shamelessness of it all reminded him of that earlier fight with Shuuzawa. That kid had shown what true shamelessness looked like.
"But... that brat didn't even throw a kunai. How did he keep appearing behind me repeatedly—and always right behind me?" The Fourth Raikage was no fool.
During the battle, Shuuzawa had pushed him so hard that he didn't have time to think. And after that, one troublesome thing after another kept piling up.
But now that things were calming down, he finally started to reflect.
After mulling it over for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. So he gave up thinking and shifted his attention elsewhere.
This time, he had truly suffered a major setback. He needed to find a way to make up for it, no matter what.
"Wood Release. Flying Raijin." The Raikage muttered again, his expression beginning to shift.
"And that other brat... the green chakra giant... that must've been Susanoo, right?"
As Raikage, he had access to plenty of intel. Naturally, he could identify what he saw.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was well-documented, even in the Hidden Cloud. That power was the only thing that could stand against Hashirama Senju himself.
"Konoha now possesses both of these powers. That old fossil Ōnoki won't be able to sit still anymore."
When it came to resenting Konoha, practically every major hidden village shared the same sentiment—they all wanted to steal everything Konoha had.
After all, Konoha had the best land, the richest resources, and the most convenient location...
And worst of all, they had talent in spades. Whenever the shinobi world went to war, Konoha got dragged in, whether they liked it or not.
The other villages would always take action against Konoha, regardless of their main enemy.
The Third Great Ninja War was a perfect example. Although all the villages were fighting each other, they still pulled Konoha into it.
"Konoha likes to spread the word, huh? Then let's help them advertise properly."
The Raikage narrowed his eyes and gave his subordinate a cold order, already knowing what must be done.
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