Anyone who had ever heard of Naruto knew Tsunade's reputation.
The Fifth Hokage.
Granny Tsunade.
Princess Tsunade.
A woman whose fists could shatter mountains, whose temper could flatten cities, and whose legendary strength had terrified even Jiraiya into behaving… for a few minutes.
A medical genius.
Garfield rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Yes. That Tsunade.
And because of that, Garfield was absolutely certain of one thing… Senju Hashirama bringing her up now meant trouble.
Especially considering there was still a suspiciously alert little fox sitting on his head.
"Tsunade?" Garfield said carefully. "I've only met her once. Why?"
Hashirama stared at him, clearly disappointed by the lack of immediate understanding.
Inside, he sighed deeply, remembering the task his wife Mito had assigned him.
Straightening his posture, he spoke seriously. "Garfield, Tsunade is my granddaughter. Her talent is obvious, right?"
Garfield nodded, no argument there.
"I want to find her a good master."
Ah.
So that's what this is about. Garfield thought for a moment, then said casually,
"Then why not Uchiha Madara?"
"…No." Tobirama rejected it instantly. His expression was so sharp.
"My brother already spends far too much time with Madara. If not for the fact that Hashirama is built like a bear, I'd suspect he'd been caught in an illusion long ago."
"Tobirama." Hashirama said mournfully, "Can't you understand the suffering in your elder brother's heart?"
Tobirama turned away.
Hashirama squatted in the corner and began drawing circles on the floor.
Garfield watched this performance for several seconds before walking over.
"Hashirama." He asked gently, "What are you doing?"
Hashirama suddenly hugged Garfield and burst into tears. "Garfield, it's not easy for me!"
"My wife is terrifying! Madara is gentler than her! I don't even know what mood she's been in lately, she suddenly wants me to hand Tsunade over to you!"
Garfield stiffened.
…Wait.
That doesn't sound right. Could Mito possibly be one of his people?
Impossible. Garfield immediately rejected the thought.
I, Garfield, am pure, upright, kind-hearted, single-minded, noble, elegant, and wise.
I do not engage in suspicious activities involving grandchildren.
This is not only a moral issue, but a matter of species boundaries.
Darwin would be furious.
"Hashirama." Garfield said firmly, "Your granddaughter is still young."
"I wander across worlds constantly. That's dangerous and wouldn't be good for her to follow me."
Hashirama hesitated.
Garfield continued, more seriously. "Go talk to your wife. When Tsunade reaches a point you truly can't guide her… then come find me."
That… made sense. Hashirama nodded slowly.
"But when that time comes… how do I find you?"
Garfield frowned. If he wasn't in this world, finding him would indeed be difficult.
After rubbing his chin for a moment, Garfield snapped his fingers.
"I'll make a one-time portal anchor. Give it to her."
Hashirama's eyes lit up. "That's good!"
Garfield immediately got to work.
From his pocket, he pulled out several magical materials and fused them together, crafting a cat's claw-shaped talisman.
He anchored his personal magic signature to it and tied directly to a specific location in the Marvel universe.
If Tsunade were ever gravely injured, hunted, or pushed into a corner, activating the talisman would immediately send her to the High Claw Gold & Exorcism Shop, where proper treatment would be guaranteed.
If Garfield himself were present, he could even anchor local spacetime to prevent pursuit.
After a moment's thought, Garfield added another function…
The talisman now also stored Naruto-world spacetime coordinates, allowing return travel once danger had passed.
He handed it to Hashirama.
"One use only." Garfield said. "Tell her to treat it as her last line of defense."
As Hashirama examined the adorable golden cat's-claw talisman, his expression slowly grew thoughtful.
"…Something feels missing."
Garfield paused, then nodded in agreement.
After a brief moment of consideration, he began listing items off on his claws.
"Basic durability enhancement."
"Long-term stabilization."
"Automatic defensive countermeasures."
"Fixed armor-class protection."
"Active and passive mana recharge."
"Short-range emergency teleport."
"And most importantly, a magic shield that triggers upon critical damage."
Before anyone could respond, Garfield's soft-looking paws began moving rapidly through the air.
Hashirama and Tobirama stared in silence as hundreds of complex magic runes manifested, layer after layer, embedding themselves into the talisman.
Interlocking magic circles formed a dense lattice, each reinforcing the next.
The golden cat's-claw talisman grew brighter and no longer merely cute.
Manufacture complete.
"Here. This is for our granddaughter Tsunade." Garfield tossed it back to Hashirama.
"It's fully rechargeable and loaded with both active and passive defenses. If it encounters a high-intensity attack, it will automatically defend."
"If the talisman itself is compromised, the user will be transferred to my base immediately."
Hashirama held it carefully, visibly relieved. "…That's perfect. Now I won't have to worry about her safety."
This era was one of war.
Even with Hashirama's efforts, even with the uneasy calm among the nations, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before conflict erupted again.
With this talisman, at least, Tsunade would have a safety net beyond the battlefield.
The problem was solved cleanly.
Garfield was satisfied. No moral complications or cross-species misunderstandings.
Perfect resolution.
'Hmph. The perverted cat's intelligence has improved." a voice said smugly.
Inside Garfield's soul space, Pandora stood with her arms crossed.
'Hmph.' Garfield shot back. 'As if you don't know you're always finding excuses to bite me.'
'Hmph.'
Garfield squinted. 'Pandora. You and Shōkyū have you known each other for a long time?'
'Not telling you.'
'Come on, let's chat.'
'No.'
'I'll ask Shōkyū later.'
'You go ahead.' Pandora looked supremely confident. Garfield's teeth itched with irritation, but he knew better than to act.
Infuriating.
'You bully me like this.' Garfield snapped, 'Believe it or not, I'll report you to the Ancient One.'
Pandora didn't even look at him. 'Go ahead. See who the Ancient One takes seriously.'
'…I'll eat dinner early tonight.'
'Fine.' Pandora replied calmly. 'You'll just digest it anyway.'
Garfield bared his teeth. 'Good men don't fight women!'
And with that, he exited his soul space.
Damn it.
Truly sinful.
How did I end up as an orange cat, Garfield thought bitterly, getting stepped on instead of calmly discussing advanced theory with civilized people?
Heart aching and wanting to cry. He rubbed his eyes and stopped.
Tobirama was squatting directly in front of him.
"…What is it?" Garfield asked.
"Master." Tobirama said solemnly. "Please don't do that again."
"Oh. Right." Garfield sighed and patted his apprentice on the shoulder.
"What's wrong, Tobirama?"
"Please teach me spells."
Garfield nodded. "That's fine, but you need to understand something first." He grew serious.
"Our power systems are fundamentally different. While magic can draw on one's internal energy, most spellcasting relies on borrowing power."
"That power isn't easy to control," Garfield continued. "And misuse carries backlash. Before learning spells, you must strengthen your own foundation and perception."
"This is similar to your brother's Sage Mode, but Hashirama's version still needs work. The side effects are too severe, and he can't rely on it long-term."
This wasn't an exaggeration.
The difference between Minato's Sage Mode and Hashirama's was enormous.
Hashirama scratched his head. "Then… what do I need to do?"
Garfield smiled mysteriously.
"I need you." He said slowly, "To run toward the sunset."
"…That's it?" Hashirama relaxed.
"Naked."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream