It was a pity, though.
Looking at Kagetsu, Tsunade's eyes showed a hint of regret. But she quickly shook off that feeling. After all, they weren't her students, so why worry? At her current state, she didn't want to take on any new students.
"Can Tsunade-sama teach us new medical jutsu today?" Shizune asked, her face beaming with joy and her eyes fixed eagerly on Tsunade's face.
"Forget it for today; I'm not in the mood," Tsunade said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture, signaling that she was done for the day.
"Nara's kid, you can leave now," Tsunade said, shifting her gaze to Shizune, who had been standing quietly to the side, and giving her a hint to see him out.
Shizune was a bit confused by Tsunade's sudden change in mood but held back her questions. After saying goodbye to both Shizune and Tsunade, the young Nara was escorted out of the Senju clan's grounds.
"Tsunade-sama?" Back inside, Shizune looked at the silent Tsunade in the courtyard with some confusion.
"Keep your distance from that guy in the future. Actually, it's not necessary," Tsunade said, feeling inexplicably irritated.
"Tsunade-sama, why? The people in the Konoha Hospital, both the doctors and the patients, really like him. They praise his talent," Shizune said, finding Tsunade's reaction a bit strange.
"You don't understand," Tsunade said, gently patting Shizune's head. Seeing Shizune's continued confusion, she softened her explanation.
"I'm worried about you getting involved in trouble. My teammate Orochimaru isn't exactly a rule-abiding person. Though I don't know what he's up to or what he wants, I always have a bad feeling about his future."
"Orochimaru-sama?"
Shizune pondered. Despite her youth, children in the ninja world mature quickly, especially those who have lost loved ones.
Remembering Orochimaru's always gloomy, forbidding appearance, she found it hard to feel close to him. But what does this have to do with Nara Kagetsu?
"Do you think Nara Kagetsu will be a good medical ninja in the future?" Tsunade asked softly, having easily read Shizune's shifting emotions and sighing.
"Kagetsu-kun will definitely become a great medical ninja! He has such a talent and is well-liked in the Konoha Hospital," Shizune answered almost without hesitation.
"Not necessarily," Tsunade replied with an unexpected answer.
"Does Tsunade-sama think Kagetsu lacks medical talent? Or...?" Shizune was momentarily puzzled.
"It's not about that. I don't see any passion for being a medical ninja in him," Tsunade said, rubbing her head.
"He just learns medical ninjutsu as a tool. Do you understand? He thinks he'll need these skills in the future, so he has to master them, which is why he's learning from me.
He will become a skilled ninja using various medical techniques but won't be a pure medical ninja. He doesn't have that ambition.
Being a good medical ninja requires a lot of knowledge and skills, and generally, one can't afford to practice other techniques during the training period. So medical ninjas are often the weak link in a team.
Kagetsu gives me the impression that after reaching a certain level, he won't delve deeper into medical ninjutsu unless one day he feels his skills and knowledge are insufficient."
Shizune was silent, unsure of what to say.
"But still, does that mean I should distance myself from Kagetsu-kun?"
Shizune finally added weakly.
"I see some traits in him similar to Orochimaru's! I didn't understand why Orochimaru suddenly became so interested and went through so much trouble to take Kagetsu as his disciple.
But after spending some time with Kagetsu, I noticed many similarities between him and Orochimaru. I even feel some traits in him that remind me of my great-grandfather."
"These troublesome characters! I have a feeling that this master-disciple pair is going to cause some big trouble in the future," Tsunade said with a troubled expression and impatience in her voice.
Shizune found Tsunade's intuition hard to understand. Could it be that Orochimaru and Kagetsu will still harm Konoha in the future? How is that possible?
If nothing unexpected happens, the Fourth Hokage is likely to come from among the Legendary Sannin. Tsunade herself isn't interested, and Jiraiya reportedly isn't interested either. That leaves Orochimaru.
If Orochimaru becomes the Fourth Hokage in the future, what could he do to harm Konoha?
"Forget it, you're still too young. You don't know anything about the village matters, so why am I telling you this?" Tsunade decided to end the topic.
Even though she seems disheartened and indifferent now, as the princess of the Senju clan and one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, she still has her own subordinates and channels of information.
Although she finds some things annoying, many issues are unavoidable for her.
The Legendary Sannin seems glamorous and powerful, but she always feels that the invisible ropes around her are tightening, making it hard for her to breathe.
Was her grandmother Mito bearing these pressures and frustrations until her death?
Tsunade thought about her grandmother's appearance in life.
Her disheartenment and apathy are partly due to the deaths of her brother and lover, as well as her fear of blood. But returning to the village and constantly feeling the expectations and pressure from her clan, along with her own helplessness, are also significant factors.
The remaining clan members only need her to be a role model and representative, not to become someone with absolute authority like Mito.
Wood Release experiments.
Even if everyone is keeping it from her, can they really keep it from her?
The Konoha Hospital is her territory. Changes in personnel, reporting of news, and consumption of experimental materials—despite no one tipping her off, Tsunade, with her position and grasp of medical ninjas, could notice if she paid attention.
But even if she knows, what can she do?
As the disciple of the Third Hokage and someone whose clan wants to revive using Wood Release, she has no way to intervene or advise.
Even if she wanted to get involved and keep things in check, her fear of blood means she can't accept the departure of familiar people anymore, and she can't do it now!
She wants to vent, but there's no real target to vent her frustration on. All she can do is distance herself from those involved and completely shut herself off.
"Forget it, let's not think about these irrelevant matters! Hey, Shizune, would you like to go on a journey with me?"
In this oppressive environment, Tsunade suddenly had the idea of leaving everything behind and traveling with Shizune to escape from this troublesome place. Once this idea came up, it quickly took hold.
****
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