The process of upgrading the Ink Sword was incredibly intricate, at least beyond Natsuro's understanding. Thankfully, nothing went wrong along the way.
A few days later, Natsuro finally held the newly forged Ink Sword.
The moment he held it, he felt that familiar sensation despite the change in weight. He sensed instinctively that this wouldn't affect him at all. As he gripped the hilt, he felt he had already mastered every aspect of the sword.
To Master Takumi, this indicated that the sword had truly "bonded" with Natsuro, making him the ideal wielder.
However, Master Takumi sighed. Though this was likely the best work of his life, he could only guarantee that the new Ink Sword's sharpness and durability matched the original Kusanagi Sword; its special abilities, however, couldn't be retained.
"No, it's just that you aren't a shinobi, so you can't sense it," Natsuro replied, infusing his Wind Release chakra into Ink. The blade didn't extend, but the Wind Release chakra extended by several meters, remaining exceptionally stable.
Satisfied, Natsuro admired the sword's new capabilities. Though it didn't retain the Kusanagi's original ability, he was more than pleased with this.
Next time he faced someone with a several-meter, or even hundred-meter, Susanoo...
Well, Natsuro thought, he could at least reach dozens of meters with his blade now.
When that time came, he could shout, "Take my forty-meter blade!"
Master Takumi and Tetsuya watched the extended chakra blade with satisfied expressions, feeling their lives were complete.
They had no doubts that Ink would be well-used, as Natsuro's reputation had reached even the Land of Iron.
After securing Ink and bidding farewell to the Takumi duo, Natsuro returned to Konoha.
Originally, he thought the upgrade wouldn't take much time, so perhaps they'd already returned… or so he thought.
Natsuro paused, realizing he couldn't sense Naruto's Flying Thunder God mark within the village. Entering a sensory state, he discovered that the group still hadn't reached Konoha.
They were close, but for ninja, the remaining distance could be covered in a day or two if they moved at full speed.
Clearly, they'd been dawdling.
With a sigh, Natsuro decided to report to the Third Hokage about the recent events.
Two days later, Natsuro waited at Konoha's gate for the slow-moving group.
"It's been days! Even if an average person hurried a little, they would've made it back by now," he complained.
"Haha, we had to teach Naruto the Rasenshuriken along the way!" Jiraiya scratched his head and laughed.
Naruto nodded, confirming Jiraiya's statement, explaining that he'd been training non-stop during the journey, even though he was still only learning Wind Release nature transformation.
"But you could have waited until you got back to Konoha," Natsuro said, giving Jiraiya a pointed look.
"Oh, yeah! Pervy Sage always leaves right after teaching me something…" Naruto clapped his hands, eyeing Jiraiya suspiciously. Knowing Jiraiya's habits, he suspected he had taken detours to certain places.
"Aha, I was just doing some, uh, research~" Jiraiya chuckled without a hint of embarrassment.
Natsuro sighed. "Jiraiya-sensei, at this rate, I think Naruto might master the Rasenshuriken before you do."
"Impossible! That kid hasn't even mastered nature transformation! He still needs a Shadow Clone to complete the Rasengan," Jiraiya retorted, glaring.
Natsuro paused, noticing Naruto wore the First Hokage's necklace, which meant Naruto had won his bet with Tsunade.
"Ah! So it's true, you don't know the Rasenshuriken either Pervy Sage!" Naruto pointed accusingly at Jiraiya, looking betrayed.
"Hmph, you brat! Even if I don't know it yet, I'm more than qualified to teach you!" Jiraiya yelled back, locking eyes with Naruto.
"Work hard, Naruto. Aim to master the Rasenshuriken before Jiraiya-sensei to prove it to him," Natsuro said, watching with a smile.
"Leave it to me!" Naruto grinned, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Hmph, as if you could master the Rasenshuriken before me. You'd need a hundred more years," Jiraiya muttered, though he was feeling some pressure. If Naruto did master it faster, it'd be a major embarrassment!
Besides, Jiraiya couldn't deny his envy of Naruto's ability to use Shadow Clones for training. How he wished he'd had that ability when he was younger!
Tsunade, amused by the scene, glanced at Natsuro, seeing he was clearly pushing their competitive sides.
But even if Jiraiya noticed the encouragement, could he really ignore it?
"I'm sorry, Lord Natsuro. I tried to remind them along the way, but…" Shizune apologized, bowing to him.
"Ah, don't worry about it. Konoha's quiet lately, so it's fine that Lady Tsunade returned a little later," Natsuro reassured her, slightly taken aback by Shizune's formality.
"Lady Tsunade, the Third Hokage is waiting for you at the Medical Center," Natsuro informed her.
"Alright, I'll go see the old man."
With that, he led Tsunade and Shizune to the Medical Center while Naruto wanted to continue his training, and Jiraiya, surprisingly, decided to join him instead of taking another detour.
At the Third Hokage's hospital room.
"Old man, I'm back," Tsunade announced loudly as she barged in.
Hearing her voice, the Third Hokage looked up, smiling, "Welcome back."
As she took in the wrinkles and aged face of her former teacher, Tsunade was struck by the realization of just how old he'd become.
With a silent sigh, her earlier resentment melted away. He was nearing the end of his journey—what was the point of holding a grudge? Beat him up again? Better to let it go.
"Let me examine you, old man," she said, her tone noticeably softer.
"Alright," he replied, smiling warmly.
After a long examination, Tsunade fell silent.
"Hehe, Tsunade, I'm already old. It's only natural," the Third Hokage said gently. He didn't expect her to cure him but was glad she cared enough to examine him.
"If you knew that, you should have stepped down from the Hokage position sooner," Tsunade huffed, glaring at him. Though his injuries had healed, his body was simply too old to fully recover.
The truth was, the Third Hokage's health was far from ideal…
"But even if I wanted to pass it on, none of you were willing to come back," he sighed.
The room fell silent.
At that moment, Natsuro led Shizune out, giving the teacher and student some space.
"If you need anything, Shizune, just let me know," Natsuro said. "It's been years since you've been back, so Konoha might feel unfamiliar."
"Thank you very much," Shizune replied, bowing again.
"You're welcome."
Natsuro took a closer look at Shizune, wondering how someone like Tsunade could have raised such a disciplined student.
With that thought, he headed home.
…
Soon, the Hokage succession ceremony was officially announced, becoming a widely known event in Konoha.
The legendary Tsunade, one of the Sannin, had returned to take on the role of Hokage!
As the day approached, the village was decorated with lanterns and festive decorations, immersing Konoha in a celebratory atmosphere. The villagers were thrilled with the new Hokage.
However, what they didn't know was…
Right before the ceremony, Tsunade used her Hokage authority to summon Natsuro to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade looked over a stack of documents, then glanced at him with a peculiar smile.
"Hmm… so, you're Natsuro Shindōkawa?"
"Yes." Natsuro felt an uneasy sensation. Tsunade must have gathered some intelligence over the past few days—was she here to settle scores?
Tsunade flipped through several files, recounting Natsuro's accomplishments, especially focusing on the rumors suggesting he should be the Fifth Hokage.
As expected, it was about this matter. Natsuro sighed inwardly. While he wasn't worried Tsunade would do anything extreme, it was clear she wasn't thrilled.
"Well, well, so you're quite popular in Konoha, huh? Enough that so many people thought you should be the Fifth Hokage," Tsunade commented, clicking her tongue in disbelief as she went over his achievements. If she didn't know the records were accurate, she'd think they were exaggerated—who could be this perfect?
Honestly, with someone like him around, she wondered why they even needed her back. He could've taken the Hokage position himself. His age wasn't really a problem…
If he refused, they could just announce it and seat him in the Hokage's office. Would he really be able to say no?
"Well, there is some support, but it's mostly just a trend," Natsuro replied, suspecting the Third Hokage had informed Tsunade of Danzo's role in spreading the rumor.
"Still, it takes something significant to cause that sort of trend," Tsunade countered, not letting it go.
"That's why I agreed to strive for the position of Sixth Hokage," Natsuro said sincerely.
Tsunade said nothing, then rose, pulling on her familiar green haori with the "Gamble" kanji on the back. "Come with me," she commanded, leaving no room for refusal.
Natsuro followed without a word, with Shizune trailing behind anxiously.
Eventually, Tsunade led Natsuro to a very familiar location: a training ground.
This was where matches were held.
So, she wanted a match with him? Natsuro thought.
Sure enough, Tsunade's voice reached him.
"If you want me to let this go, fight me!"
Shizune's anxiety spiked. She had seen Natsuro's power in the recent battle and didn't believe Tsunade could beat him. What made her even more dizzy was Tsunade's next words.
"And don't hold back! Or I won't take the role of Fifth Hokage! You can take it yourself!"
Shizune thought she should probably get Lord Jiraiya and the Third Hokage to stop this!
What they didn't know was that as soon as they reached the training ground, their whereabouts were reported to a certain individual.
Danzo's eyes gleamed as he reviewed the report. Just as he expected.
So, Natsuro Shindōkawa!
Faced with the Fifth Hokage's displeasure, how would he respond?
Danzo smiled...
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Currently on Chapter 217 - Retribution