Chapter 55 – Tsunade, It's Fine if You Just Treat Me Like a Little Brother
To leave a good impression on his brand-new ally,
Uchiha Yujiro kept his composure—and his smile—
as he shook Tsunade's hand for a full minute.
Yes, a whole minute.
With a woman who could accidentally shatter boulders just by getting excited.
But Yujiro didn't panic.
After all, the one who'd be spending chakra to heal him later was Tsunade herself.
So really, what was there to fear?
"Phew… hah… Tsunade-neesan, seriously—
your grip might be just a little too strong."
He exaggeratedly shook out his arm as he spoke,
switching from calling her "Tsunade-sensei" to "Tsunade-nee,"
like they were family already.
Smooth as silk.
This guy could sell snow to a Yuki-nin.
Tsunade knew he was playing it up—of course she did—
but still, she couldn't help laughing a little.
And, well, maybe feeling a tiny bit guilty.
Fine, she thought. She'd use a bit of Medical Ninjutsu: Mystical Palm Technique
to ease the strain she'd caused before getting into the serious stuff—
like how the hell they were supposed to "revive the Senju."
But that brief flash of guilt vanished the instant Yujiro flared his chakra.
A heavy, pulsing wave surged through the air—
and Tsunade's smile froze.
He wasn't bluffing.
The way his chakra coiled and burst, dense and perfectly controlled…
That was her technique.
The Superhuman Strength Release—
the Senju clan's signature power.
Yujiro grinned.
"This technique's incredible, huh?
At least a fivefold strength boost.
One clean strike could split a man in half!"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It's a little tricky to combine it with my Lightning Armor, though.
Chakra control has to be ridiculously precise—but if I can master it—"
He stopped when he noticed Tsunade's face darkening,
and quickly raised his hands.
"Whoa, whoa! Tsunade-nee, don't touch me there—
wait, were you about to pull my ear just now?!"
He dodged in a blur—his Shunshin no Jutsu so fast
that Tsunade's hand caught only empty air.
"How the hell did you learn that technique?"
Her tone was sharp now.
No teasing. No smiles.
The Senju weren't a bloodline clan like the Uchiha—
they were a secret-arts clan.
Despite being known as the "Forest Senju,"
only the First Hokage had ever awakened Wood Release.
The true strength of the Senju came from their mastery of chakra amplification,
their immense vitality,
and the ability to unleash explosive power like Tsunade's monstrous strength—
all rooted in the Yang Release inheritance of the Sage of Six Paths.
And now this kid—this Uchiha brat—
had somehow learned their most guarded technique.
Tsunade was beyond furious.
"Your damn Sharingan isn't enough for you people, huh?!
Now you've got to steal our clan's techniques too?!"
In a blink, her arm hooked around Yujiro's neck—
and suddenly, he could feel the soft, warm, and extremely deadly pressure
of being trapped in a Senju chokehold.
It was equal parts heavenly and horrifying.
The message was clear:
one wrong answer,
and she'd snap his neck like a chopstick.
Yujiro lifted his hands in surrender,
grinning like a maniac.
"It's totally normal, really! Nothing weird at all!" he said quickly.
"The Uchiha and Senju are practically family, right?
So isn't it natural that I, as an Uchiha, would eventually learn a Senju technique?"
Tsunade squinted at him.
"...What did you just say?"
Yujiro blinked innocently.
"I said it's in our blood, Tsunade-nee.
We're basically cousins.
So even if you just think of me as a little brother, I don't mind~."
He flashed his most charming smile.
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched—
half amusement, half exasperation—
and her grip around his neck tightened slightly.
"Little brother, huh?" she muttered.
"Keep talking, and you'll be a dead brother."
Yujiro just laughed through the chokehold,
eyes bright, utterly fearless.
Tsunade stared at Yujiro in utter disbelief.
Of all the things she'd expected an Uchiha to say,
"We're relatives" was not one of them.
If you asked ten people who the Senju's closest kin were,
nine would answer "the Uzumaki,"
and the tenth would shrug and say, "Who knows?"
But never—not once—had she heard anyone claim
that the Uchiha were family.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
Yujiro only wagged his finger, smiling as if lecturing a child.
"Ah, that's because your Senju clan lost too many of its archives during the wars.
The Uchiha, however, have been very diligent record-keepers.
Historical accounts, ancient texts—our clan has everything.
You could even call us the literary aristocrats of the shinobi world."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"So what?"
"So…" Yujiro leaned in slightly, his voice lowering.
"The Sage of Six Paths—Rikudō Sennin.
Both the Uchiha and the Senju are his direct descendants."
"Your clan descends from his younger son, Ashura.
My clan descends from his elder son, Indra."
"Indra inherited the Sage's yin energy—
the power of the mind, of illusion, of vision—thus, the Sharingan."
"Asura inherited the yang—
the strength of body, vitality, and chakra itself—
which became the hallmark of the Senju."
He smiled softly.
"So you see, Tsunade-nee…
we're not strangers.
We're family.
You could even treat me like a little brother if you want—
hey, ow, stop hitting me!"
Tsunade's fist came down like a meteor,
and Yujiro barely raised his arm in time to block.
"Even if what you're saying is true," she huffed,
"the Sage of Six Paths lived ages ago!
That hardly counts anymore!"
Yujiro only shrugged, completely unfazed.
"Why not? The older the lineage, the stronger the claim!
Besides, Tsunade-nee, if we start working together,
there'll be plenty of people in Konoha who'll object."
"So we can't exactly tell them we're teaming up for power and money, right?
We'll need a more noble reason—
like the restoration of ancient family ties!"
Tsunade blinked.
"…Okay, that actually makes sense—wait, no! You still haven't explained how you learned that technique!
That's not something you can just copy with a Sharingan!"
Her tone turned sharp again, her golden eyes flashing with suspicion.
If Yujiro had secretly been stealing Senju techniques,
then their "alliance" would end before it began.
Yujiro raised both hands disarmingly.
"It's simple—hard work."
That answer threw her off completely.
"Hard work?"
"Yeah. I'm… not like most Uchiha.
My genjutsu and ninjutsu are average at best,
so I had to pour everything into training my body—
strengthening my taijutsu just to keep up with the geniuses in my clan."
Then came the clever half-truth.
"You know better than anyone, Tsunade-nee—
the body and vitality fall under Yang Release.
And the masters of Yang Release have always been the Senju."
"So after studying old Uchiha records,
I discovered our bloodline connection.
That got me thinking—maybe the Uchiha still carry
a trace of the Sage's yang energy."
"Even a fragment would be enough.
So I focused on awakening it—
to emulate the physical strength of the Senju."
Tsunade folded her arms, her expression softening slightly.
"And the result of your… experiment?"
Yujiro smiled faintly.
"You've already seen it.
It worked.
Which means the old texts were right—
the Senju and the Uchiha truly are family."
He looked at her seriously now.
"We should join forces, Tsunade.
Restore our lost honor together."
"My dream is simple:
if the Senju inherited the Sage's body,
and the Uchiha inherited his spirit—
then together, we could recreate the Sage's legacy itself."
"Like Hashirama-sama before us,
we could bring about a new era of peace.
And if we go even further—
perhaps a peace that never ends."
His voice was steady, filled with a calm, radiant conviction.
And for the first time, Tsunade didn't scoff.
Her doubts hadn't vanished completely,
but the sincerity in his eyes—the logic in his words—
it wasn't empty talk.
He wasn't just daydreaming.
He believed it.
And for a fleeting moment, she almost believed it too.
Of course—
it was all a lie.
The so-called "awakening of Yang Release" had nothing to do with ancient training.
Yujiro's strength came from the Senju Revival System's gift,
not from any rediscovered bloodline.
But Tsunade didn't need to know that.
Not yet.