Chapter 73: Victory Celebration – Tsunade's Suitor?
Under the admiring gazes of the Konoha ninja, Tsunade led Ling Yu and the others back to the Konoha camp.
"Hahaha, excellent! Excellent! The Senju clan truly has worthy successors. Now Konoha has gained another legendary ninja!"
As soon as they arrived at the camp, Koharu Utatane walked out with a smiling face.
He had just received the report from the intelligence ninja: Konoha had turned the tide from certain defeat to overwhelming victory—and it was all thanks to Ling Yu single-handedly wiping out thousands of Rain ninja and crippling the Land of Rain's forces.
As the field commander, Koharu naturally had to personally greet Ling Yu to build goodwill.
"The Senju clan is also part of Konoha. Stepping up when the village is in danger is only natural."
Knowing Ling Yu disliked dealing with these people, Tsunade stepped forward and answered on his behalf.
Seeing Koharu's fake smile, Ling Yu felt deep disdain in his heart.
Neither strength nor cunning—yet he held the position of overall commander. What a waste. It would be better to give the role to someone more capable.
He still remembered that Koharu had once been teammates with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo. The other two were either overwhelmingly powerful or extremely cunning—Koharu, on the other hand, was basically useless.
"Jiraiya, you stay and report the battle situation. My brother is tired—I'm taking him back to rest first."
Noticing Ling Yu's impatient expression, Tsunade spoke to Jiraiya—who was still standing nearby—then took Ling Yu and left.
Jiraiya had no choice. Although he was also a high-level combatant, Tsunade outranked him. Since she had asked, he couldn't refuse.
"Oh, by the way—make sure to bring your brother to the victory celebration tonight. As Konoha's hero, we should show him proper respect."
Just as they were leaving, Koharu's voice called out. This had been his main purpose in coming to greet them.
"Got it."
Tsunade acknowledged the invitation and led the three back to her tent.
"So—how does it feel to be a hero?"
Pulling Ling Yu down to sit on the bed, Tsunade smiled and asked.
"Nothing special. I'm just too strong, and they're too weak."
Ling Yu put on an invincible expression.
"Hmph. You're probably secretly thrilled inside."
Kushina and Mikoto sat on nearby chairs. Kushina spoke with clear dissatisfaction.
If Ling Yu hadn't unleashed that massive technique, her own dazzling performance on the battlefield would have earned her the admiration of the Konoha ninja. She would have been the hero.
"I think you're just jealous."
Ling Yu playfully winked at Kushina.
"Who… who's jealous?! This lady isn't that kind of person!"
Kushina jumped to her feet, arms crossed, and retorted proudly—her tsundere side fully on display.
"Tsk tsk tsk. That's not necessarily true."
Ling Yu teased her in a sing-song voice.
"Damn it!"
Unable to hold back, Kushina lunged at him again.
"Alright—enough. Ling Yu, you have to be careful on the battlefield from now on, okay? You've already shown such terrifying strength. The enemy will definitely target you from now on."
Tsunade quickly pulled Kushina back, stopping their playful fight. She spoke to Ling Yu with serious concern.
"No problem. With their level of strength, even ten or twenty of them wouldn't be a threat."
Ling Yu waved his hand dismissively, his expression full of confidence.
The group continued chatting casually until evening arrived.
Tsunade brought Ling Yu to a massive tent—this was the venue prepared for his victory celebration.
Mikoto and Kushina weren't comfortable in such formal settings, so they stayed behind in the tent.
Inside the huge tent, a long table had been set up. Only jōnin with significant battlefield positions were seated. Koharu Utatane sat at the head as overall commander. Ling Yu sat next to Tsunade, while Jiraiya sat to Ling Yu's right.
"Alright—our great hero has arrived. Let me introduce him to everyone: this is Tsunade's younger brother, Senju Ling Yu."
Once Ling Yu took his seat, Koharu stood and introduced him to those who didn't know him yet.
As soon as he finished speaking, the seated jōnin began sizing Ling Yu up, their eyes revealing a wide range of emotions.
Those who had personally witnessed Ling Yu's devastating technique looked at him with admiration. Those who hadn't showed deep skepticism.
After all, given Ling Yu's current age, it was hard for anyone to believe that a single technique from him had wiped out thousands of Rain ninja and turned the tide of the entire battle.
Just as the room fell into a brief silence, a handsome blue-haired young man suddenly stood up.
"So this is Lady Tsunade's little brother—no wonder he's so powerful. He has perfectly inherited Lord Hashirama's commanding presence."
The moment he stood, the young man smiled warmly and praised Ling Yu in an extremely insincere tone.
As soon as he spoke, more and more people stood up—echoing his praise while subtly flattering the Senju clan.
Tsunade immediately rose and responded to each of them one by one. As the current acting head of the Senju clan, she understood exactly what they were doing.
This "victory celebration" might have been held in Ling Yu's name, but its real purpose was to build relationships between these ninja clans and the Senju.
After Ling Yu's overwhelming display of power today, they all believed the Senju clan's rise was inevitable.
Moreover, both the founder of Konoha and the Second Hokage had been Senju. Now another genius—Ling Yu—had appeared. If he continued to rack up achievements on the battlefield, the chances of him becoming the next Hokage would be very high.
Building good relations now would bring them great benefits when the Senju rose again.
The moment Ling Yu saw the blue-haired man stand up, he immediately felt annoyed.
At the same time, Jiraiya leaned over from the side and whispered with a jealous expression:
"Let me tell you—that guy's name is Katō Dan. Whenever he gets the chance, he always finds excuses to get close to your sister. If you don't want Tsunade ending up with him, you'd better keep an eye on him."
Jiraiya's expression made it clear—he had long disliked this man and saw him as a rival. Now he was trying to get Ling Yu to deal with him.
Hearing the name Katō Dan, Ling Yu immediately recalled the original story—how Dan and Tsunade had been involved.
With that kind of appearance—so androgynous and unimpressive—he thought he could compete with me for Tsunade?
Ling Yu glanced back at Tsunade. Despite all of Dan's flattery, her face showed no special expression toward him. Seeing this, Ling Yu finally relaxed.
The meal ended with the group of jōnin continuously praising the Senju clan. One by one, they began to leave.
In the end, only Ling Yu and Tsunade remained inside.
Because Tsunade had drunk quite a bit during the celebration, Ling Yu politely declined Jiraiya's offer to help. Relying on his small but sturdy frame, he carried her back on his back.
"Huh? Isn't this Ling Yu? Your sister Tsunade is drunk? Do you need me to help carry her back?"
Just as Ling Yu stepped out, Katō Dan's voice came from behind.
"No need. I can handle it myself."
Ling Yu refused without even thinking.
He wasn't stupid. With Tsunade drunk, how could he let Katō Dan take advantage of her?
"I see you're struggling a bit. Let me help."
Katō Dan still insisted, even reaching out toward Tsunade.
"I said—no. Can't you understand?"
Ling Yu turned back and looked at him coldly.
Then he activated his Rinnegan. A massive repulsive force pressed down on Katō Dan, making it hard for him to breathe. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
"S-so strong… but I won't give up."
Only after Ling Yu walked away did Katō Dan finally recover. He stared darkly at Ling Yu's departing figure, his expression growing colder and more sinister.