Returning to his room, Nasuhiko placed the two broken blades on his desk.
After some thought, he pulled out a storage card from his chest, placed it on the desk, and unsealed it. A grotesque, mangled arm appeared, its end still connected to numerous black tendrils.
The broken blade of White Fang and the severed arm of Kakuzu—these were the spoils of his recent battle.
No, perhaps one more thing should be added to the list: the invaluable experience gained from fighting a top-tier opponent like Kakuzu.
This battle allowed Nasuhiko to confirm that his Bubble Gentle Fist technique could still be effective against such high-level adversaries.
Moreover, the flaws revealed during the fight provided him with inspiration for further improvement.
It was time for Bubble Gentle Fist 2.0.
He even began considering the integration of the other four elemental techniques—not just bubbles and flowing water—into his taijutsu.
However, aside from Earth Release, the destructive power of Fire, Lightning, and Wind Release was simply too overwhelming. It was likely that without hitting the enemy, he might injure himself first. Unless he trained his body to the extreme, like the ninja of the Hidden Cloud, these elements would require much more effort to implement effectively.
This battle had also cost Nasuhiko significantly.
The price was that many of his techniques had been exposed to Kakuzu.
And Kakuzu was, unfortunately, a bounty hunter. Who knew if he might sell Nasuhiko's information for some quick cash?
For ninjas, information was life. Nasuhiko was no exception.
Fortunately, Nasuhiko's greatest advantage was his rapid progress and his knack for developing ninjutsu, thanks to the assistance of his three little helpers.
As long as he advanced quickly enough, no one could effectively counter him.
If someone did try to use Kakuzu's information against him in the future, Nasuhiko was confident he could give them an unforgettable lesson.
Just as he was about to study the seemingly lifeless Earth Grudge Fear tendrils on Kakuzu's arm, the door to his room suddenly opened.
Tsunade walked in, her eyes widening as she saw him.
"Nasuhiko, you brat, what are you doing in my room?"
"..."
Nasuhiko opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
It was true that he had been forced to give up the room for Tsunade, but wasn't that supposed to be limited to sleeping hours?
Why could Tsunade act so shamelessly, as though this room had always been hers, while making it seem like he was some intruder in a girl's private space?
Faced with her righteous demeanor, Nasuhiko couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
Had he accidentally granted her full-day usage rights to this room back then?
Uncertain, he tentatively asked, "Should I leave?"
"Pfft, I was just joking!"
Tsunade, clearly amused by Nasuhiko's reaction, patted him on the shoulder and laughed. "Why are you so easy to tease?"
Nasuhiko quickly stepped back to avoid the pain of another shoulder pat from the monstrous-strength woman, grumbling inwardly that her joke wasn't funny at all.
—Though he had just played a similar joke on Kakashi earlier.
It seemed that double standards were part of human nature.
"Tsunade-sama, is there something you need?" Nasuhiko asked, his expression serious.
He still wanted to conduct a detailed examination of Kakuzu's arm and had no time to entertain Tsunade.
Tsunade seemed to have something to say but appeared hesitant. Instead, she brought up a topic of interest to her.
Adjusting her red glasses, she asked, "Nasuhiko, what made you think of inventing these glasses?"
"This design is quite interesting, and it conveniently solves my problem. But don't you think using projection techniques for imaging would make the game more effective? Wouldn't it be more fun if everyone could see it directly?"
If I'd included the snake woman, fox girl, ghost lady, or Hachishaku-sama in the game, public projections would've turned into a large-scale social disaster.
Suppressing his complaints, Nasuhiko patiently explained, "As Tsunade-sama mentioned, there is indeed a projection-based version of this game, which offers superior realism compared to the AR version."
"However, compared to one-to-one projections, these AR glasses only need to generate miniature images on the lenses to achieve a similar effect, significantly reducing chakra consumption."
"The greatest advantage of these AR glasses lies here. After all, not everyone has an enormous chakra reserve like you, Tsunade-sama, and can play all day without tiring."
"I developed these glasses to let ordinary people enjoy the fun you just experienced, Tsunade-sama."
"In addition to these glasses, I also aim to bring capsule houses, scroll-based food storage, and arcade games to the entire ninja world."
"After all, I once promised Lady Mito that I'd create an era where everyone could benefit from the power of runes."
Just like Kushina and Mito before her, Tsunade was astonished by Nasuhiko's vision.
So, this guy didn't just invent all these incredible things for fun; he intended to spread them across the entire ninja world?
Tsunade couldn't even begin to imagine how the ninja world would look if Nasuhiko's inventions became household items.
But the reality was that ordinary civilians had limited chakra and financial resources. Even if the costs were minimized, many of Nasuhiko's creations would still be out of reach for them. To realize his vision, the entire social structure of the ninja world would need to undergo a dramatic transformation.
Could such a monumental task really be achieved by one person?
No, that wasn't it.
Tsunade's sharp mind quickly deduced part of Nasuhiko's plan.
"So, this is why someone as skilled as you stays at the ninja academy to teach."
"If you want to popularize these things, you'll need a large number of sealing technique experts who understand and share your vision. Starting with the academy is the simplest and most efficient way."
That Tsunade could discern part of his plan didn't surprise Nasuhiko.
This aspect was an open secret, one Nasuhiko neither concealed nor could conceal.
It was just one component of his grand plan to integrate the resources of the entire ninja world and ascend as the Chakra God. Still, he genuinely hoped to bring stability and development to the ninja world within his abilities.
Shrugging, Nasuhiko replied, "Tsunade-sama, you're absolutely right. But I'm not forcing students to adopt my ideas; I'm merely providing them with an additional path to choose from."
"Perhaps some children with talent in this direction are just waiting for an opportunity."
"It's like seven years ago, during the medical ninja selection exam at the academy. You, Tsunade-sama, noticed a child with poor medical ninjutsu talent but decent chakra control, so you sent him to the sealing class."
Indeed, part of the reason why the once-ordinary Nasuhiko ended up in the sealing class after graduation was due to this intervention.
Hearing this, Tsunade widened her eyes and scrutinized Nasuhiko. Yet, confusion lingered in her gaze.
It was true that she had once monitored the medical ninja selection exams at the academy.
But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't recall doing such a thing.
For someone of her stature as the princess of the Senju clan, such trivial matters were far too insignificant—she'd likely forgotten them by the next day.
Could it be that this sealing technique genius, Mito's last disciple, and the inventor of so many magical creations was the result of her casual whim?
Moreover, the glasses he invented just so happened to alleviate her hemophobia...
This made Tsunade marvel at the intricacies of fate and begin to grasp Nasuhiko's intentions.
Perhaps in the Ninja Academy, there are still many talents like Nasuhiko who cannot stand out due to the curriculum issues.
Not everyone can have Nasuhiko's luck and encounter a benefactor like her.
Thus, Nasuhiko's actions undoubtedly provided these people with an opportunity to change their fate, just like how she had thrown Nasuhiko into the Sealing Class back then...
But Tsunade still couldn't be certain.
She was terrified of pretending to remember something and attempting to return the favor, only for Nasuhiko to reveal that he had been joking and had completely made it up...
Considering Nasuhiko's nature as a great villain capable of inventing techniques like the Sheep Transformation Jutsu, he would absolutely do something like that!
However, Tsunade also understood that regardless of whether Nasuhiko made it up, the reasoning behind it was ultimately correct.
"I understand."
With that, Tsunade suddenly spoke and then turned to leave.
"Wait, Lady Tsunade, didn't you have something to discuss with me?"
Nasuhiko hurriedly called out, as he despised people who left their words unfinished.
Tsunade didn't look back. While walking away, she lazily waved her hand and said:
"It's nothing anymore."
Tsunade, who had originally been reluctant to return to Konoha but also couldn't bear to part with the arcade hall, had planned to make one last effort—convincing Nasuhiko not to return to Konoha and to join her in building an empire in the ninja world using the arcade business.
But now she realized that the arcade hall was merely a trivial part of Nasuhiko's grand plan, utterly incapable of binding him here.
Moreover, to realize his vision, he had to return to Konoha to continue nurturing those "saplings" of sealing techniques.
Her proposal, from the very beginning, was doomed to fail.
Now that she understood this, Tsunade naturally couldn't be bothered to entangle herself further.
But this left Nasuhiko feeling itchy with curiosity.
"So, what exactly did Tsunade want to talk to me about? And what did she ultimately figure out?"
A sleepless Nasuhiko finally found out what Tsunade had figured out the next day.
Because after breakfast, Tsunade mentioned she was going outside to catch demons but never returned—even by midday.
It wasn't until Shizune, frantically catching up on homework, wrote on the last page of her notebook that she discovered Tsunade's flamboyant handwriting leaving a message:
[Hahaha, bet you didn't see this coming! Once I become a Great Onmyoji, I'll return to the village, so don't come looking for me. Goodbye!!!]
[P.S.: Please help me send Shizune back.]
[P.S.2: I only took a tiny bit of the scroll-food in the fridge. I'll definitely return it in the future.]
After reading Tsunade's note, Nasuhiko expressionlessly opened the fridge, only to find, as he expected:
It was empty.
(Chapter End)