The noise was constant.
A hammer struck. Then another. A saw screamed against the damp wood. In the distance, someone shouted an order, and a team of men answered with a grunt. Konoha was open, wounded, but it was working.
Near the hospital perimeter, next to a pile of freshly cut wood that reached a man's waist, two genin stood. They had been there for three hours.
One of them, the taller one, kicked a loose stone. The sound was sharp and annoying.
"This is ridiculous!"
The other genin, Kurogane, didn't even turn. He kept his eyes fixed on the street.
"What's ridiculous, Kotarō? The pay? The sun? The wood?"
"Everything! Seriously, everything is ridiculous!" Kotarō ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "We survived that damn invasion, and they give us this? Guarding wood? It's wood, Kurogane! It's not even important wood! It's just... wood!"
"It's a supply pile. It's a D-rank mission. It's what we get."
"It's an insult!" Kotarō kicked the pile of planks. "Not even the carpenters respect us! That old man from before asked me to pass him a hammer. A hammer! I'm a shinobi of Konoha!"
"And you passed him the hammer," Kurogane said, his voice flat.
"Of course I passed it to him! He yelled at me! But that's not the point. The point is, this is humiliating. We should be out there. Hunting enemies. Doing something!"
"Calm down. Lord Hokage said the village is vulnerable after the invasion. Our presence here deters opportunists."
Kotarō scoffed. "Opportunists? Who's going to steal planks? An enemy builder? Is he going to build a bridge to escape? Your logic is boring, Kurogane!"
"Our job is to obey, not to find the logic in it."
"Well, I want action!" Kotarō started pacing. "I was keeping up with the Chunin Exam gossip, and just hearing about it all made me want to get into the fight. Did you see what happened? I heard the Uchiha used an A-rank jutsu! A Chidori or something! That's action!"
"It didn't look like much fun," Kurogane replied.
"And that weird Hyūga girl! She beat the prodigy! Neji Hyūga! Nobody could believe it! My cousin was there, said she moved like a demon and broke his arm!"
"Those are rumors, Kotarō."
"They're not rumors if everyone saw it! And us? What did we do? We guarded wood! And now we're watching to make sure nobody steals the nails!"
Kurogane sighed. "We're not paid to have fun. We're paid to be here. So we're here."
"Well, the pay sucks."
Kotarō crossed his arms, sulking. The sound of hammers continued. A group of medics ran past toward the hospital entrance, ignoring them completely.
"Great. More wounded. Probably someone who fell off a roof. How exciting."
Kurogane tilted his head. "No. They're... talking about something. They're nervous."
"They probably ran out of bandages."
"No. Shut up for a second." Kurogane strained his ears.
Kotarō fell silent, annoyed. He saw where Kurogane was looking. Near the hospital's main entrance, a small group of nurses and civilians had formed. They were... waiting. Whispering. Pointing in awe toward the door.
"Hey, hey..." Kotarō said, his frustration forgotten. "What's going on over there? Do you think it's a Daimyō? Did he come to see the damage?"
"No flags. No escort."
"Then what...?"
The hospital doors opened.
Two figures walked out.
The first was Shizune, Lady Tsunade's apprentice. Kotarō recognized her. She looked... well, she looked terrified. She moved stiffly, as if afraid to make a wrong move.
The other figure... was a woman.
She was tall. Much taller than Shizune. She had blonde hair, tied in two low pigtails that fell down her back. She was wearing a strangely baggy version of a green jacket, but it was too big for her, as if she had borrowed it.
"Whoa..." Kotarō's tone changed completely. His anger evaporated, replaced by adolescent lechery. "Look... at... that... Kurogane."
Kurogane said nothing.
"Seriously, look at that," Kotarō insisted, taking a step forward. "I don't know who she is, but she has... well, she has everything. And in all the right places. Do you think she's single? A cousin of Lady Tsunade, maybe?"
"Kotarō..." Kurogane's voice was low. "Shut up."
"What's wrong with you? I'm just appreciating the scenery. She must be a war hero, I bet. An elite Jōnin who was undercover or something. Think she likes younger men? They say strong kunoichi..."
"Shut up!" This time it was a hiss. "Right now."
"Why are you so tense? She's just a woman. An incredible woman, yeah, but..."
"She's not just a woman."
"How do you know?"
"Her chakra," Kurogane whispered. Sweat began to form on his forehead, shining in the midday sun. "It's..."
"What?" Kotarō asked, his lecherous smile fading. The tension in his partner's voice was real.
Kurogane swallowed. His hand moved instinctively, without him realizing it, toward the kunai pouch on his hip. A useless, stupid movement, but he couldn't help it.
"It's... I don't know, it gives me a strange feeling. Don't you feel it?"
Kotarō tried to concentrate. He tried to feel the chakra flow. He felt nothing.
"I don't... I don't feel..."
"Because it's too big," Kurogane said, his voice trembling. "It's so big you think it's the air. We're breathing her chakra, you idiot."
At that moment, the blonde woman stopped.
She was thirty meters away. There was the noise of hammers, of shouts, of saws. She couldn't have heard them whisper.
She turned her head.
Slowly.
Her eyes—young, vibrant, a hazel color—locked directly onto Kotarō.
There was nothing but authority. An authority so pure and absolute that Kotarō felt the air ripped from his lungs. The arrogance he'd had a second ago, the lechery, the boredom... it all evaporated. He felt small. He felt like an insect.
"Wh-Wh-Who...?" he stammered.
Tsunade said nothing.
Her eyes moved from Kotarō to Kurogane. She saw Kurogane's hand on his kunai pouch. She saw the sweat on his brow.
She snorted.
It was a soft sound of disapproval. A sound that said "pathetic."
Then, simply, she kept walking. Shizune hurried to catch up.
They headed toward the temporary Hokage tower.
Kotarō and Kurogane remained paralyzed, covered in a cold sweat, unable to move. The hammer kept striking in the distance. The world kept moving. But for them, it had stopped.
Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty.
The woman turned the corner and disappeared.
Kotarō finally let out his breath in a shaky gasp. "What... the hell... was... that?"
Kurogane wiped the sweat from his chin. His hand was shaking violently.
"I don't know."
"You... you felt something. What was that? Was it an enemy?" Kotarō looked around, panicked.
"No. It wasn't an enemy." Kurogane leaned against the pile of wood. His legs were barely holding him. "That... that wasn't a Jōnin. Not even an elite Jōnin."
"Then what...?"
"That," Kurogane said, his voice choked, "was a Kage. Or something worse..."
Kotarō stared at the corner where she had disappeared. "But... who? Lady Tsunade? It can't be. Lady Tsunade is..."
"I don't care who it was," Kurogane interrupted, grabbing his partner by the arm. His grip was painful.
"Hey!"
"We're going to guard the wood."
"We are guarding the wood!"
"No. We're going to guard the woodpile on the other side of the village. Near the west gate. Now."
"But our assignment is here!"
"Now, Kotarō!"
Kurogane started walking, almost running, dragging his partner with him. Kotarō stumbled but followed, looking back over his shoulder, half-expecting the blonde woman to reappear.
"But... what about the opportunists?" Kotarō whispered.
"Let them take the nails," Kurogane said. "Let them take the whole damn pile. I don't get paid enough for this."
...
The temporary Hokage's office was in the academy, in an old records storeroom that had been reinforced with barrier seals.
Hiruzen was standing, his back to the door, looking out the single armored window. He saw the scar that ran through his village. He heard the hammers.
"I knew you would come," he said, his voice tired. The bubbling of his pipe was the only other sound. "Shizune's report on your... 'rest'... was vague. She said you were exhausted. Are you better?"
"I'm better than ever, Sensei."
The voice hit him.
It wasn't the tired, jaded, and sometimes alcohol-slurred voice he remembered. It was clear. Strong. Young.
Hiruzen turned.
The pipe fell from his lips.
It shattered on the stone floor, scattering ash and hot embers. He didn't notice.
His eyes, normally calm and wise, flew wide. His face, marked by age and war, was a mask of absolute, total, and impossible disbelief.
"Tsunade...?"
She was there, by the desk, arms crossed.
"What... what is this?" His voice was a croak. He was stammering. The Third Hokage, the 'Professor', was stammering. "A Henge no Jutsu?! A trick? Is it Orochimaru? Answer me!"
"It's real, Sensei." Tsunade walked toward him. Her movements were fluid, powerful. There was no trace of the stiffness of her fifty years. "And it's permanent."
"Permanent?" Hiruzen took a step back, tripping on his own robes. "But how? Your age... your... your chakra... it's that of a twenty-year-old girl! No! It's stronger! Much stronger!"
Just then, the armored window of the office exploded inward in a shower of reinforced glass, splintered wood, and bent metal.
"Jiraiya the Gallant has arrived!"
The hermit Sannin landed in an exaggerated kabuki pose in the middle of the room, a small toad perched on his shoulder. Dust and debris settled around him.
"I heard Tsunade finally came out of her weird vacation! Where is that old hag? Probably complaining about her...!"
Jiraiya stopped.
He saw Hiruzen, standing against the wall, his mouth open like a fish, pointing a trembling finger.
Then he saw the blonde woman standing next to the desk.
Jiraiya's eyes slid over her. Up and down. Once.
Then again, slower.
His "research" mode activated. A lecherous, almost professional grin spread across his face.
"Well, well, Sensei." He straightened up, ignoring the mess he'd made. "I didn't know you'd taken on a new apprentice. And one so... gifted."
He started to walk toward her, strutting, hands on his hips.
"Hello, beautiful. I'm Jiraiya. The Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku. The Gallant Hermit. The... well, I'm many things." He stopped right in front of her, invading her personal space. "Would you like to help me 'research' the local hot springs? It's for the good of the village, of course. We need to make sure the water supplies... are 'flowing'... correctly."
Tsunade looked at him, her face impassive.
"You're a pervert, Jiraiya."
The voice.
The realization hit Jiraiya.
He recognized the voice. Instantly.
He recognized the chakra. Now that he was close, it was unmistakable. It was Tsunade, but... amplified.
His lecherous grin vanished. His eyes widened, losing all trace of flirtatiousness and filling with scientific disbelief. He had noticed the extreme resemblance to a young Tsunade, but he never considered it could be her, that was absurd.
He leaned in closer, so close their noses were almost touching.
"Tsu...?"
His eyes scanned her face. The skin. The eyes. The lack of... any lines.
"Tsunade?!"
He leaped backward, tripping over a piece of the window frame.
"TSUNADE?! It's impossible! Your face! Your skin! You don't have any wrinkles! You look...!"
His eyes dropped instinctively, like magnets, to her chest.
"Even they look... firmer!"
He held up his hands, trembling with excitement. "What forbidden jutsu did you use?! You have to teach me! I'll pay anything! Tell me your secret! The publishing world will love me!"
Tsunade's punch didn't use chakra.
It wasn't necessary.
It was pure, simple, and devastating S-rank physical strength, applied with a speed that Jiraiya couldn't register.
The punch connected cleanly with Jiraiya's jaw. His body became a white and red blur.
He flew through the reinforced office wall as if it were rice paper. CRASH.
Through the outer hallway wall. CRUMPLE.
Through the exterior wall of the academy building. BOOM.
And he continued, a human shooting star that disappeared over the damaged rooftops of Konoha, leaving a trail of dust and debris.
Silence.
An absolute, heavy silence filled the office, broken only by the wind blowing through the three new holes in the building.
Shizune, who had run in through the main door upon hearing the window crash, was frozen in the doorway, a hand over her mouth.
Tsunade brushed the dust from her knuckles. She turned to Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage was still staring at the Jiraiya-shaped hole in the wall. He was pale.
"As I was saying," Tsunade said, her voice perfectly calm. "He's still a pervert."
She walked to Hiruzen's desk, stepping around the rubble, and picked up a report scroll.
"And you, Sensei, need to rest."
Hiruzen blinked. Once. Twice. He finally tore his gaze from the hole. He took a deep breath.
"...An impressive punch," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "I think he landed near the Hyūga district. Or maybe farther."
"Probably farther," Shizune whispered.
Hiruzen bent down and picked up the broken pieces of his pipe from the floor. His hand, the one holding the pieces, was shaking.
"You're right." He looked at her, and for the first time, the disbelief was replaced by a serious assessment. "You've changed. This isn't just... cosmetic."
"It's not." Tsunade's tone turned hard. "The invasion failed, but the village is broken. Supplies are low. The hospital is overwhelmed. And Orochimaru is still out there."
"I know, Tsunade. I'm..."
"And that's not all," she interrupted. "Akatsuki. Or whatever they're called. The organization hunting the Jinchūriki. They will come for Naruto. It's not an 'if,' it's a 'when.' And you," she said, pointing the scroll at him, "are exhausted. You're making mistakes. You're slow. You almost died."
"You can't talk to me like that! I am still the Hokage!" Hiruzen said, his pride wounded.
"Barely," she replied, without pity. "You nearly let Orochimaru kill you. And then what, Sensei? Leave the village leaderless in the middle of a crisis? Let Danzō take control? Or that perverted idiot I just launched halfway across the village?"
Hiruzen fell silent. The truth of the blow hurt more than any punch.
"You're not wrong," he finally admitted, his voice falling to a tired whisper. "But who...? Jiraiya is... incapacitated, from what I can see. And you? You were gone for years."
"And now I'm back." Tsunade threw the scroll onto the desk. "I. I will take provisional command."
It was a statement, not a request.
"You? But you refused the Hokage position..."
"I. I will organize the defense. I will oversee the reconstruction. And I will prepare our ninja for the war that's coming. Because this is a war, Sensei, even if we pretend it's not."
She pointed to the door. "You will go to the hospital. You will get a full check-up. And you will not leave until I say so."
Hiruzen stared at her. He saw his student. He saw the First Hokage's granddaughter. He saw the fire he had thought was extinguished decades ago.
"I can't," he said, more firmly. "I can't accept your command without knowing the source of this. This power. This... rejuvenation." His eyes narrowed. "It was the boy, wasn't it? What did Naruto do to you? I'm not a fool, whenever something strange happens, Naruto is part of it."
Tsunade held his gaze. This was the moment. The truth was impossible. The lie had to be perfect.
"It was Naruto," she said. It was a half-truth. "He saved me. And he almost killed himself in the process."
"How?"
"He awakened something. An Uzumaki bloodline technique that not even he understood. Something neither Jiraiya nor you knew about. He called it... a 'revitalization technique'."
"Revitalization?" Hiruzen latched onto the word.
"A power that transfers vitality. It went out of control. He was trying to heal a minor wound on me and... it happened. It was too much. It nearly killed him. But for me... it did this."
She deliberately omitted the word "Falna." She omitted the stats. She omitted the system. She omitted the truth that it hadn't rejuvenated her, but reverted her to her prime.
"It's a secret we must protect with our lives, Sensei." Her voice dropped, becoming urgent. "Think about it. Not Danzō. Not the counselors. Not the Daimyō. No one."
"Why? If it's a healing power..."
"It's not a healing power!" Tsunade snapped. "It's a power that recharges. Do you understand the difference? If Danzō or our enemies find out that Konoha has a genin who can 'recharge' shinobi... who can take an exhausted Kage and return them to their prime... what do you think will happen?"
Hiruzen's eyes went wide. The realization hit him.
"They... they would hunt him."
"They wouldn't hunt him as a weapon," Tsunade said, stepping closer. "They would hunt him as a power source. As a fountain of youth. They would dissect him. Every nation, including our own, would fight to possess him. He is a threat to himself and to the village. Understood?"
Hiruzen nodded slowly. The logic of the threat was absolute. It was more believable than any bizarre truth.
"Understood. An SSS-rank secret." He stepped back and looked at her. "Do what you must... Provisional Hokage."
Tsunade gave a sharp nod. "Shizune."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune jumped.
"Prepare a room for the Third at the hospital. The best we have. And find my old battle uniform. The one I wore in the war. This Hokage robe is too big for me."
"Right away!"
At that moment, a groan sounded from the main doorway, which was open.
Jiraiya limped in.
He was covered in dust, leaves, broken roof tiles, and what looked like chicken feathers. He was leaning heavily against the wall. His jaw was visibly dislocated, hanging at an unnatural angle.
"Th... that... wash... the... shtrongesht... punch... of... your... life...!" he said, his voice slurred and drooling slightly.
"Oh, shut up," Tsunade said, without a hint of sympathy.
"No... sh... sheeriously...!" he sputtered, pointing at her with a trembling finger. "Th... that... wash... nu...!"
"That was a warning," Tsunade said. "Next time, I won't hold back. Shizune."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"
"Take this idiot and the Sensei to the infirmary. Get Jiraiya's face fixed. And make sure the Sensei rests. Post guards at his door if you have to."
"Understood." Shizune hurried over to Jiraiya. "Come on, Jiraiya-sama, lean on me."
"I... don't... fsh... need... help...!" he protested, as he nearly fell over.
Shizune held him up and then looked at Hiruzen. "Lord Third... please?"
Hiruzen looked at Tsunade one last time. He saw the woman she had become. He nodded, picked up the remains of his pipe, and walked slowly to the door.
"The village is in your hands, Tsunade."
"I know," she said, her back already turned, reading the damage report. "Now, go. I have work to do."
The three of them left the office, leaving Tsunade alone in the wrecked room, surrounded by the wind coming through the holes in the wall and the sound of the hammers outside.
...
In the cold, sterile depths beneath the village, where the air never moved, Danzō sat on his stone throne. The darkness was total, without a single torch.
A Root operative with a weasel mask materialized from the shadows. He made no sound. He simply appeared, kneeling.
"The report." Danzō's voice was like sandpaper.
"There has been... an anomaly."
Danzō's visible eye narrowed in the darkness. "Anomaly?"
"Tsunade Senju has been rejuvenated."
Silence.
The distant dripping of water somewhere in the complex seemed to stop.
"Our observers in the hospital confirm it," Fū continued, unfazed. "Her physical appearance is that of a woman in her twenties. Her chakra levels are... significantly higher than any previous record. She has assumed provisional command of Konoha. Hiruzen has accepted."
Danzō stood up.
He moved slowly, but it was the first time Fū had seen him move with such agitation. His cane struck the stone.
"How?"
"Unknown. The source is... unknown."
"Unknown?" Danzō's voice was a dangerous hiss. "UNKNOWN?! My Root sees everything, hears everything in this village! And you tell me a Sannin can reverse her age and multiply her power in my own village... and my spies were blind?"
"The event occurred in the hospital," Fū said, his voice level. "It was sudden. As far as is known, the only witnesses were Naruto Uzumaki and Temari of the Sand."
Danzō froze. He turned to the kneeling agent.
"Uzumaki?"
"Yes, Danzō-sama."
Danzō began to pace again. The sound of his cane was the only thing breaking the silence.
"So. Orochimaru's plan was simple. Chaos. In the chaos, I would take control. Restore order."
He slammed his cane on the ground. "But Hiruzen lives! And now... now he has his most loyal student at his side. A student who is at the peak of her power."
He stopped, staring into the darkness as if he could see through the stone.
"A rejuvenated Tsunade is a Tsunade without the weaknesses of the past. She is a total threat."
He turned back to Fū. "And the source? You say it's unknown?"
Fū remained silent.
"Don't be ridiculous, Fū. The source is obvious. The Uzumaki boy. Always him."
The air in the room seemed to grow colder.
"The weapon Hiruzen refused to give me. The weapon he protected and coddled. And now what is he? A Jinchūriki who can reverse age?"
Danzō laughed.
"Hiruzen is a fool. He thought he was controlling a weapon, and instead, he has been cultivating... something else."
He put his visible hand to his chin. "If he can do this to Tsunade... what can he do to others? The invasion report. The girls on his team."
"Are you referring to Team 7?"
"Of course I'm referring to Team 7! The Hyūga! The Haruno! Have you seen the reports on their... 'leaps' in power? Do you think it's a coincidence? Do you think Kakashi and Kurenai are such good teachers?"
"It seems... unlikely," Fū admitted.
"It's a pattern," Danzō hissed. "The brat is creating a personal army under Hiruzen's nose. And now, he has given them a commander. A commander loyal to Hiruzen and that brat. Not to the village. Not to Root."
He struck his cane against the stone hard. "This 'new era' of Tsunade's is a direct threat! It's an alliance! Her, the boy, and his team! Hiruzen will never give me control now! Not with her at his side!"
He stood still, breathing hard in the darkness.
"I must understand this power. I must... control it. Or destroy it."
He turned to Fū, his single eye glittering.
"The target is no longer Orochimaru. The target is this new alliance."
"Orders?"
"Your new orders will coincide with your previous ones. However, I want you to find a weakness in the new 'Hokage.' Everyone has one. Find it. Use every resource."
"Yes, Danzō-sama. And the Uzumaki subject?"
Danzō smiled. "The boy is a loud fool. He is the source, but not the brain. He is not the threat. The threat is the weapons he is unknowingly creating. And the woman who now leads them."
"Let him run. Let him think he's a hero. Watch. And bring me that information."
"As you command."
Fū dissolved into the shadows as silently as he had arrived.
Danzō remained alone in the total darkness.
"Tsunade..." he whispered to the stale air. "You think you've returned as a hero. But you have only painted a target on your back... and on everyone around you."
*****
Author's Note
It is my pleasure to announce that there is currently a 20% discount active, available only for a limited time!
This promotion gives you access to two full months of advanced chapters for Bestowing Falna on the Kunoichi.
This includes daily chapter publications (not limited to the public schedule), with a minimum of one chapter per day guaranteed.
Access this exclusive offer only at: patreon.com/shurazero
For every 60 Power Stones this story receives, I will release ONE (1) BONUS CHAPTER outside the regular schedule.
This is capped at four (4) extra chapters per week.
This is your chance to get ahead. If you want to read more, and read it faster, smash that Power Stone button.