Chapter 213: Tsunade's Wood Release, The Greatness of the Transformation Jutsu
Kabuto stumbled back to the hidden base, gasping for air, his eyes wide with terror. He waited for a long time, but no one followed. He finally collapsed to the ground, a wave of disbelief and despair washing over him.
"Lord Orochimaru… he was just… killed!"
A sense of daze crept into his heart. He wandered through the empty corridors of the base, his mind a void. But as he passed by the fruits of Orochimaru's research—the countless scrolls of forbidden and secret jutsu—a new emotion began to take root: excitement.
"Lord Orochimaru is dead," he whispered, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "Which means all of this… is now mine… Hahaha!" His laughter echoed through the empty halls, but it died just as quickly as it had begun. "With my current abilities," he sighed, pushing his glasses up, "I can't possibly hope to claim any of this." He couldn't even control the more dangerous test subjects locked away in the facility.
"It seems I have no choice but to go to Konoha. If I offer them all of this, surely Lord Genichi will take me in. He could use someone with my skills…"
Konoha - Hokage's Office
Tsunade was trying to focus on her Yin-Yang Release research, but an inexplicable sense of restlessness gnawed at her. "Where is that Genichi?" she asked Shizune, who was busy with paperwork.
"Hm? Oh, he's probably training on that island overseas," Shizune replied. "He said he was at a critical stage. Is something wrong, Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade shook her head and walked over to the window, staring out at the blood-red sunset.
On a training ground somewhere in the village, Anko Mitarashi suddenly cried out, clutching her neck as a searing pain shot through it. Her teammates rushed to her side. "Anko, what's wrong?"
"N-nothing," she gritted out. The pain vanished as quickly as it had come. What was that? Is the seal Genichi placed on me weakening?
On the deserted island, Genichi stood before a massive crater, a triumphant smile on his face. "I've finally touched the edge of Magnetic Field Rotation!" The mountain before him had a perfectly circular hole bored straight through it.
He returned home to find Ina and Shizune in the kitchen, but Tsunade was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Tsunade?"
"She's still at the office," Shizune replied. "Something seems to be troubling her."
Genichi teleported to the Hokage's office to find Tsunade fast asleep, drooling on her desk. The faint smell of sake hung in the air. So this is what's 'troubling' her? he thought, his mouth twitching. He couldn't help but poke her puffy cheek.
Her eyes fluttered open. "Honey?" she murmured, still half-asleep.
Genichi grinned. "It's time for dinner, sweetheart."
"Oh… where's Nawaki?" she asked, looking around blearily before her eyes cleared and she realized where she was. "What did I just say?" she demanded, her face darkening.
"Nothing, nothing at all," he said quickly. "Just some sleep-talking."
On the way home, Tsunade noticed the strange looks she was getting from the villagers. "Is there something on my face?"
"They're probably just noticing how radiant you've been looking lately," Genichi said with a smile.
When they got home, Ina and Shizune also did a double-take. Tsunade, now used to it, went to wash her hands, only to freeze when she saw her reflection. There, written in ink on her forehead, were the words "I love to drink."
"KINOSHITA GENICHI!" she roared.
The ensuing "war" left three walls of their house demolished. At dinner, Genichi sported a prominent black eye, much to the amusement of Ina and Shizune. They knew he could have healed it in an instant, but he wore it as a badge of honor. Even Tsunade found it hard to suppress a smile, though she covered it with a series of fierce glares.
Amegakure - Akatsuki Headquarters
Nagato and Konan sat opposite Madara and Tekka. The core members of the Akatsuki were gathered to plan their next move.
"We can either start with the weakest of the Tailed Beasts and work our way up, or we can go straight for the most difficult: the Nine-Tails," Black Zetsu began.
"The villages are on high alert," Tobi chirped. "It will be difficult to capture the jinchuriki without causing a major incident."
"If we are to launch direct assaults on the villages," Nagato said, his voice cold, "then the order no longer matters." His battle with Genichi had changed his perspective. And with Madara and Tekka back in the picture, their old, cautious plan seemed obsolete.
"A direct assault will alert the other Great Nations," Black Zetsu warned. "If we're not swift, we could face a united shinobi alliance."
"The bonds between the five villages are not as strong as you think," Nagato countered.
"So, you've decided on a direct approach?" Madara asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"What do you think, Madara-san?"
"It matters little to me," Madara said with a shrug. "But Nagato, you are the one who has faced Kinoshita Genichi. Are you confident you can defeat him?"
"Not alone," Nagato admitted. "But with your help, and Tekka's, it may not be impossible. The element of surprise is on our side."
"Then let's start with the Nine-Tails," Madara declared with a casual smile. "Once we have it, we can use its power to crush the other villages. By the time they form an alliance, we will have the Ten-Tails, and we will be unstoppable."
Nagato fell silent. He had only been probing, but Madara had agreed so easily. "Very well. We will begin with Konoha."
Later, as they left the tower, Tobi voiced a concern. "Lord Madara, if Nagato sees your Rinnegan, won't that cause problems?"
"Don't you think you should have mentioned that before the meeting?" Madara said dryly.
"The situation has changed," Black Zetsu interjected. "In his current reanimated state, Madara-sama cannot defeat Genichi without the Rinnegan. Besides, Nagato has Uzumaki blood. It is not so strange that Madara, with Hashirama's cells, would also awaken the Rinnegan. And a stronger enemy will only make Nagato more reliant on us, more desperate to see you fully resurrected."
Madara just smiled. "He will resurrect me. Of that, I have no doubt."
Back in Konoha, after their nightly walk, Tsunade had returned to her own home, firmly declaring that if Genichi wanted her, he would have to come to her. So, after seeing to Ina and Shizune, he quietly made his way to Tsunade's house.
He found her meditating on the veranda, her body glowing with a faint green chakra. He watched in silence. Suddenly, a small sprout pushed its way through the wooden floorboards, rapidly growing into a thick vine that snaked toward him.
He leaped back, but more vines shot out, wrapping around his arms and body. He easily shattered them with a burst of strength. Then, a volley of sharp wooden projectiles shot toward him—the Deep Forest Emergence: Cutting Sprigs Technique. But these were different. As they flew, they sprouted smaller branches, like a net of vipers.
He incinerated them with a wave of fire. "Is that all?"
Tsunade formed a new hand sign. Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique! A massive dragon, its scales and fangs carved from wood, erupted from the ground, its eyes glowing with a green light. But this was no mere puppet. Genichi could sense a consciousness within it, an extension of Tsunade's own will.
The dragon lunged. Genichi teleported above it, but a wooden fist shot out from its back to meet his own. He was momentarily repelled as smaller dragons sprouted from the main body, attacking from all sides. The main dragon's head then twisted around and lunged, swallowing him whole.
Inside the dragon's maw, a forest of sharp, wooden teeth closed in. Genichi simply opened his mouth and released a torrent of explosive bubbles, blowing the dragon's head to pieces.
"Your Wood Release, a fusion of Yin and Yang… it's different," he said, landing before her. "That dragon… it was like a clone, with your will embedded within it."
"Exactly," she confirmed, a proud smirk on her face. "It doesn't need my direct control."
"How did you manage it?" he asked, genuinely impressed. In the future, she had never achieved this.
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu," she said, her chin held high.
Genichi blinked, then burst out laughing. "Of course! The Shadow Clone Jutsu is truly a magnificent technique!"
An hour later, they lay in bed together, discussing her breakthrough. "Can Wood Release be evolved into a Bloodline Culmination?" she asked.
"Of course," he said without hesitation. "Kaguya's Expansive Truth-Seeking Orb is a Kekkei Mōra." He began to theorize about the necessary components. "A tree needs more than just earth and water. It needs light, heat, carbon dioxide… Fire, Wind, and Lightning can all be integrated."
"That sounds much simpler than your Nuclear Release theory," she commented.
"Logic is one thing, execution is another," he said with a chuckle. "But let's think about that tomorrow. For now, let's continue our exploration of the mysteries of life." He then whispered in her ear, "I think the Transformation Jutsu is also a magnificent technique. Why don't we give it a try? You could transform into your eighteen-year-old self…"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Is he calling me old? She flipped him onto his back, pinning him down as she rained a flurry of playful, yet punishing, blows upon him.
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