"Thank you, thank you. Next time you come, don't bring anything. What the village provides is enough." Beside the edge of the Death Forest, at the doorstep of his house, an old man wiped his tears as he spoke to Tsunade and Tatsuma. Tsunade, who had been impatient and annoyed before setting out, now wore a rare gentle smile. She said, "Grandpa Namima, make sure to come to the Konoha Hospital when you have time. I'll give you a check-up."
"Okay, I'll come over as soon as I finish repairing the fence here," the old man nodded, glancing towards the fence not far from the house, which had a large hole in it. He had been repairing the fence all along, fearing that wild animals might escape and enter the village.
But with his old and ailing body, he couldn't repair much in a day. In the past, when his son and grandson were around, he could order them around. But now...
When he looked over, he couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, fearing that tears had blurred his vision. But after wiping away the tears and looking again, the fence that should have had a big hole was already repaired.
Namima turned to look at the toolbox in the corner. He used it every day, so his memory was clear. In an instant, he noticed that the tools had been moved.
Suddenly remembering the child who had just said he needed to go to the bathroom, Namima looked at Tatsuma and asked, "Did you fix it?"
Tatsuma waved his hand and said, "I just fixed it casually. Don't blame me if it's not done well."
Namima pursed his lips, feeling relieved. That big hole couldn't have been repaired so quickly. It must have been Ninjutsu. But he didn't say anything, just nodded and said, "That's good. The sooner it's fixed, the less we have to worry about wild animals coming in and out."
"Grandpa Namima, these can all be reported to the village. If there's anything found again, you can have other ninjas come to fix it."
There are many wild beasts in the Death Forest, and some of them can even unconsciously use chakra. It's the village's job to hunt down and control these beasts to prevent them from escaping. It shouldn't be left to an elderly person who can no longer fight.
But when Namima heard Tatsuma's words, he responded somewhat stubbornly, "I can't go to the battlefield anymore. Can't you let me repair things and help the village a bit?"
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma felt somewhat helpless. The character of the Senju Clan members was indeed quite unique. Today, he had encountered several individuals with similar attitudes.
Especially the elderly of the Senju Clan were even more stubborn and determined. In just one day, Tatsuma had seen people aged seventy or eighty sharpening their knives at home in preparation for conscription, or lying in bed claiming they could still get up and fight, even though they needed crutches to walk, insisting on demonstrating their Taijutsu and claiming to pass it on to Tatsuma.
In any case, if they are not allowed to serve the village, their gentle and kind side will completely disappear, becoming extremely resentful.
It was once thought that Tsunade's easily angered and irritable nature was an exception, but now it seems that Tsunade is actually quite calm.
If it were any other day, Tsunade might have been stiff-necked at this moment, retorting or even physically defending her disciple. But today she was unusually gentle, just standing in front of Tatsuma and saying, "Grandpa Namima, children don't know any better. Please don't take it to heart. Whatever you want to do for the village, whether it's repairing alongside Tatsuma or having other ninjas do it, it's all helping the village, isn't it?"
Only then did Namima nod, the tense muscles in his face gradually relaxing as he said, "That child is not bad. Don't blame him when you go back. It was my own impatience."
Seeing Namima speak up for Tatsuma, Tsunade also breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, Grandpa Namima, you go back and rest now. Remember to come to Konoha Hospital as soon as possible to find me."
"Alright, you two should head back early. Feel free to come over whenever you have time. Oh, I have another Ninjutsu. I've killed quite a few Uchihas with it. Kid, come learn it when you're free!"
"Okay, Grandpa Namima, I'll definitely come when I have time."
Seeing another elderly Senju offering to teach him a Ninjutsu that has killed Uchihas before, Tatsuma reluctantly agreed. He dared not refuse, especially after another similar elderly person in the morning insisted on showing him, which he politely declined. That elderly person, despite being sickly, wanted to refine Chakra to demonstrate to Tatsuma. If it weren't for Tsunade, the medical prodigy, and Tatsuma, who was quite skilled himself, something might have gone wrong.
Seeing that Namima had no intention of demonstrating on the spot, Tsunade immediately said, "Goodbye, Grandpa Namima."
"Goodbye, Grandpa Namima."
Tatsuma also quickly added, thinking that Namima, who was pondering whether his body could still refine Chakra, had given up on the idea upon hearing Tsunade's words. Namima nodded and said, "Alright, take care."
"Tsunade immediately took Tatsuma and left, their footsteps quickening until Tatsuma almost had to use Body Flicker Jutsu to keep up. After running for quite a distance, Tsunade finally stopped.
"Whew, it's finally over. But these old folks, despite their serious injuries and illnesses, not a single one of them wants to go to the hospital."
Tsunade sighed in relief and complained. Tatsuma responded, "They just want to help the village without causing any trouble."
Hearing this, Tsunade nodded and said, "I've heard from my grandmother before that when the village was being established, there were many clan members who could no longer continue as ninjas. They refused to stay in the village's accommodations. They knew that the village was just getting started and needed to save money, so they preferred to hunt and plant outside the village rather than let the village spend a penny on them. There were also many who couldn't stand the Uchiha clan and, after handing over all their belongings, left secretly without any farewells from their grandparents."
"On the contrary, those Uchiha shamelessly moved in as if they were extremely united, but in the end, they betrayed their own, that's all."
Hearing Tsunade using the term 'clan members' to refer to those people, Tatsuma finally understood why Mito, who was originally just a figurehead head of the clan, had asked Tsunade to come and comfort these 'clan members'.
For the tradition of Senju to criticize the Uchiha in the end, is it? Tatsuma finally understood why even the usually rational Senju Tobirama would easily label the Uchiha as 'evil'.
As the two slowed down, they walked towards the Senju clan's territory. Along the way, Tsunade asked, "By the way, did you say you're leaving the village with people from the Uchiha and Hyuga tomorrow?"
"Yeah, two classmates."
"You're not the type to leave the village for fun."
Tsunade insinuated, and Tatsuma was somewhat surprised at his sensei. His sensei was actually thinking today?!
"What's with that look?! You guys just want to fight, right? Why do you have to leave the village for this?" Tsunade raised her fist, and Tatsuma quickly withdrew his surprised expression, then said, "After all, it's the Uchiha and Hyuga. If they fight in the village, it won't be good, so they arranged to meet outside the village."
Tatsuma didn't tell the truth, but Tsunade, upon hearing this, didn't show any doubt. Instead, she nodded as if she suddenly understood and agreed, saying, "Then make sure you and Minato intervene in time. That Uchiha is fine, but I heard that Hyuga is from the main family, right?"
"Yeah, the two of us will go together. We're afraid that one person won't be able to stop them, and it'll end up being biased."
Seeing Tsunade's slightly smug expression, as if she felt she had figured everything out, Tatsuma simply went along with it and confirmed this reason.
"You and Minato both know Medical Ninjutsu. Treat them before you come back, at least don't let the villagers notice."
Tsunade's tone suddenly became solemn, with a hint of preaching in it. Tatsuma felt like Tsunade was in a different mood today.
In terms of interacting with the Senju descendants, Tatsuma felt a bit unfamiliar, but today, Tsunade, who shared the same temperament, was surprisingly adept at dealing with people. Perhaps for this reason, Tsunade felt she had the ability to teach Tatsuma about interpersonal skills.
Seeing her disciple deep in thought, Tsunade's mood became exceptionally good. Continuing to act like a qualified sensei, she asked, "By the way, how's your progress with the Flying Thunder God technique and the Medical Ninjutsu you're developing?"
"I've only just started researching the Flying Thunder God technique, so I'm far from learning it. As for Medical Ninjutsu, I've made some progress. I've been able to make cells temporarily store the Chakra of a Jutsu, rather than just pure Chakra. The only thing left is the instantaneous release of Chakra. Currently, the release of Chakra is still too slow to achieve immediate healing upon injury. Without meridians as pathways, the speed at which Chakra spreads between cells is severely limited."
Hearing Tatsuma's progress report, Tsunade also began to think. She didn't understand the Flying Thunder God technique, so Tatsuma skipped over that part. However, she was a master of Medical Ninjutsu, so Tatsuma mentioned the issues he encountered, probably hoping she had a solution.
After some thought, Tsunade spoke up, saying, "There are many ways to achieve the instantaneous release of Chakra, such as the Senju's Enhanced Strength and the Hyuga's Vacuum Palm. However, these techniques are mostly from the inside out, which is different from what you're trying to develop. When you go back, you can consult Granny. Sealing Jutsu should have similar theories and applications. If that doesn't work, you can refer to the Yin Seal. Granny won't hide anything from you. Alternatively, you can change your approach. Instead of releasing Medical Ninjutsu Chakra in a specific part of the body, you can first store it in the meridians. Then, by using Enhanced Strength to burst out Chakra, you can push the Chakra to the injured area. However, this method may not provide continuous healing for sustained injuries."
Considering that Tatsuma was developing this Medical Ninjutsu to complement a technique that would continuously harm himself, Tsunade didn't have a perfect solution. She could only let Tatsuma decide for himself or find another way.
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma pondered the feasibility of the various solutions Tsunade proposed and said, "I'll think about it some more, or maybe I'll consult Hyuga Sento tomorrow to see if it's possible to temporarily store Chakra through acupoints."
"After all, there are more acupoints, and they cover a wider range, allowing for the timely delivery of Chakra to various parts of the body."
"Yeah, handle it yourself. By the way, when you return to the Hokage Building in a few days, help me investigate something."
"What is it?"
"Help me look into Dan Kato. I feel like he's been turned against me. Lately, he's been subtly probing for information about me, and I suspect he's planning to ambush me."
Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Tatsuma's mouth twitched, and he asked back, "Is he asking about what you like to eat, drink, your interests, hobbies, relationships, your routines, and movement patterns?"
"Yes! You also sense something fishy, right? Do you think I should strike first?"
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