The Third Hokage had no idea that just moments after he praised Heavenly Dao's research for having nothing to do with the human body, the young man would receive a new System task—one whose reward was a Cursed Seal.
In a good mood, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the Hokage Building. After a brief moment of thought, he spoke aloud.
"Tenzo. Has Root been doing anything unusual lately?"
A figure wearing an ANBU mask decorated with a cat pattern appeared silently in the room. Kneeling on one knee, he replied in a calm, steady voice, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Root has been rather active within the village recently. Their current surveillance target is the chunin known as Heavenly Dao."
The Third Hokage's eyes darkened slightly. He let out a long sigh, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"That Danzo… what is he plotting now?"
He rose from his chair and walked toward the window, gazing at the sky beyond. After a long silence, he spoke again.
"Tenzo, go pass a message to Danzo. Tell him to behave himself and stop making these petty moves."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Tenzo vanished like mist, his presence erased without a sound.
If Heavenly Dao had been present, he would have immediately recognized this old acquaintance.
Tenzo was once Orochimaru's experimental subject, later a loyal subordinate of Danzo, and now a direct subordinate of the Hokage within ANBU. He possessed the same Bloodline Limit as the First Hokage—Wood Release. Yet despite such power, he was famously mocked throughout the village with the saying:
The First Hokage conquered the world; Yamato uses Wood Release for landscaping.
Yes—Tenzo was Yamato.
The Third Hokage's decision to send Yamato to warn Danzo was anything but random.
Yamato, after all, was someone Hiruzen had forcibly taken from Danzo's grasp. Sending him was a clear message:
You may keep what I give you—but you may not take what I refuse.
Back on Heavenly Dao's side, the testing of the wind-release harvester had already concluded. Inuzuka Akita led the rest of the research team back to their respective duties, leaving Heavenly Dao behind in rare leisure.
Recently, his status within the Farm Implement Research Squad had quietly shifted.
Before, he was merely a capable technician—someone who did the work. Now, after earning the Third Hokage's approval, he had become something closer to an academic authority.
In simple terms: he was now someone who could secure funding.
As a result, he was treated with far more respect—despite doing far less hands-on labor.
Infuriating, really.
As for the new System task, Heavenly Dao was genuinely intrigued by the Cursed Seal.
Once Orochimaru's selfish resurrection mechanisms were stripped away, the Cursed Seal—originally derived from Jugo's Sage Physique—could be considered a "lite" version of Sage Mode.
Heavenly Dao might not need it himself, but after removing Orochimaru's hidden safeguards, it would make an excellent enhancement for those around him.
Sasuke, for example.
Heavenly Dao had always thought Sasuke's Cursed Seal state looked incredibly cool. It was a shame that Itachi had completely removed it during the brothers' final battle.
More importantly, Sasuke was an Uchiha.
Enhancing him might allow Heavenly Dao to exploit additional System rewards tied to reviving the Uchiha Clan.
As for what new product to develop next, Heavenly Dao was still considering his options.
In truth, the difficulty wasn't particularly high.
The reason the wind-release harvester had taken several years was because it was built entirely from scratch. Countless hours had been spent on foundational research—chakra storage units, scroll miniaturization, and automated ninjutsu systems.
Now that those foundations were complete, developing a second product would be far easier.
While Heavenly Dao's thoughts wandered, two travel-worn figures appeared at the gates of Konoha.
Tsunade's long cloak was coated in dust, her blonde hair plastered messily to her face. Shizune followed closely behind, a heavy suitcase slung over her shoulder, her expression etched with exhaustion.
Since receiving the Slug Sage's message, the two had traveled without rest. Along the way, mercenaries hired by Tsunade's creditors frequently appeared to collect debts.
Being clearly in the wrong, Tsunade couldn't afford to act too forcefully. She kept her head down, endured the pursuit, and pressed on.
The journey had been anything but pleasant.
The guards stationed at the gate were Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane. Newly assigned, they were still in the prime of youth. Seeing someone approach, they moved to intercept—only to be shoved aside by a furious Tsunade.
"No need for formalities," she said coldly.
Before the words had even settled, she strode straight through the gate toward the Hokage Building. Shizune barely had time to offer an apologetic nod before hurrying after her.
"Wait—"
The two guards stared at each other in stunned silence. As the figures vanished into the village, they were just about to raise the alarm when the captain of the guard unit stopped them.
This veteran, hardened by multiple Great Ninja Wars, stared at Tsunade's retreating back with disbelief.
"Why has that woman suddenly returned?"
Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage was bent over his desk, reviewing documents.
Bang!
The door flew open, and a familiar voice rang out.
"Old man, you're not dead yet?"
Hiruzen froze.
"Tsunade?!" He rose abruptly, his pipe hanging mid-air. "You… why are you back?"
Tsunade ignored pleasantries and explanations alike. She locked eyes with him, urgency burning in her gaze.
"Is there someone named Heavenly Dao in the village? Where is he—right now?"
"Heavenly Dao?" Hiruzen frowned deeply. "How do you even know about—"
Before he could finish, Tsunade's expression brightened.
"So he does exist. Where is he?!"
Though baffled by her sudden return and even more by her fixation on Heavenly Dao, Hiruzen knew his former disciple well.
Even if Tsunade intended to cause trouble, she wouldn't do anything catastrophic.
"Based on his habits," Hiruzen said slowly, "he should be at the Third Training Ground."
"The Third Training Ground…"
Tsunade repeated the words under her breath and turned to leave, her cloak billowing behind her. Shizune bowed hurriedly and followed close behind.
Silence returned to the office.
Hiruzen sat back down, relit his pipe, and stared at the door long after it closed.
"Heavenly Dao… Tsunade…" he muttered.
"What exactly happened between those two?"
At that very moment, in a forest clearing within the Third Training Ground, Heavenly Dao was practicing ninjutsu.
Sasuke hadn't held back.
The scrolls he provided recorded numerous Fire Release techniques—Great Fireball, Phoenix Sage Fire, Dragon Fire, and more.
There were even advanced techniques like Great Fire Annihilation and Great Fire Destruction.
When Heavenly Dao first saw Great Fire Annihilation, his immediate reaction was bitter.
The scroll's contents overlapped with a previous System reward. Granted, the System version was Master-level—far beyond what could be achieved through normal training—but it still felt like a loss.
He silently consoled himself and continued practicing, cycling through techniques to raise his proficiency as quickly as possible.
Then—
Boom!
A golden figure crashed into the ground ten meters ahead of him like a falling meteor, sending dirt and shattered leaves flying.
Before the dust could settle, a low, oppressive female voice rang out.
"Are you Heavenly Dao?"
Heavenly Dao's body stiffened.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
A blonde woman stood amid the broken branches, her robes stained with dust, her gaze sharp enough to cut steel.
One of Konoha's legendary Sannin—
Tsunade.
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