"Are we going straight back with Flying Thunder God?", Kurotsuchi sounded a little surprised; she'd thought the two of them would spend more time sightseeing.
"Mm. After being out so long, the village must have piled up a lot of things that need my attention."
Tsunade said this with her usual expressionless face.
"All right," Kurotsuchi felt slightly disappointed, if they were traveling back, maybe they could have visited a few cities they hadn't been to.
But since Tsunade said so, Tsunade's wish would be the priority.
As for Kakuzu and Sasori, they just stood to the side like background scenery.
Using Flying Thunder God to teleport people back to Konoha works on the same principle as Namikaze Minato directing the Tailed Beast Ball with the Flying Thunder God.
Aoba could set up that formation in an instant; still, to avoid falling back into Tsunade's clutches again, he chose to take his time.
He only finished just as Fu also left Takigakure.
"Ready to depart?"
Aoba asked with a smile.
"Yeah!"
Fu nodded excitedly.
"Wait!", As soon as she finished speaking, Shibuki hurried out of the waterfall.
"Village chief, is there something else?", Fu asked, puzzled.
Shibuki produced a scroll and handed it to Fu, "This is some daily necessities I prepared for you."
Shibuki began giving Fu instructions like a father sending his daughter off with someone: pained and helpless.
"When you get to Konoha, don't be so careless like in our village. Follow Konoha's rules and don't cause trouble for the Hokage and the others, understood?"
"I know!", Fu put away the scroll and beamed, "I'm going to Konoha to make friends. This time I'll make a hundred friends, Chief, don't worry!"
'You're exactly why I do worry!'
Shibuki sighed helplessly, "Anyway, be careful. Outside isn't like Takigakure, no one will indulge you, and there's a lot of danger. Be cautious."
"Got it! Chief!", Fu still wore a smiling face.
"…"
Shibuki noticed the impatience in her eyes and sighed inwardly, knowing she hadn't taken it to heart. People learn habits slowly; one telling won't fix everything.
He shook his head, then turned to Tsunade and produced a bottle of water.
"Hokage-sama, this is Hero's Water. Drinking it increases the user's chakra tenfold."
Shibuki explained, "Hero's Water is produced by a giant tree and is only produced in small quantities every hundred years. I can't give you much."
"Consider this a gift from Takigakure, and some support for raising Fu."
"Hero's Water?", Tsunade looked surprised after Shibuki's explanation. Being able to suddenly amplify someone's chakra tenfold was terrifying.
She took the bottle and examined it; outwardly it looked no different from ordinary water.
"Hokage-sama, although Hero's Water is powerful, it has severe side effects."
Shibuki continued, "As a cost for gaining chakra, it consumes the user's life. The more chakra you gain, the more lifespan is consumed. Be careful when using it."
"Mm, thanks for the warning."
Tsunade nodded slightly. She had no intention of having others use this Hero's Water directly. For such a natural treasure, the best approach is research and refinement to fully realize its value.
"Fu is in your care, Hokage-sama."
After finishing, Shibuki looked at Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu-senpai, regarding what happened back then, Takigakure is at fault. I formally apologize to you on behalf of Takigakure."
Shibuki bowed ninety degrees to Kakuzu in apology.
Kakuzu was taken aback by the sudden apology; he hadn't expected this move. For a moment he didn't know how to respond; the mouth behind his mask opened and closed, and eventually he forced out a single syllable.
"Mm…"
To say he wasn't moved would be a lie. After all, Kakuzu once dared to face the First Hokage for the village's sake. At that time the First Hokage was like a god. But the village's elders had left him cold. So he had taken the Earth Grudge Fear and, after killing the village elders, had not harmed the rest of the village. Even if Shibuki's words were meant to coax him back to Takigakure, he felt a slight stir.
But returning to Takigakure was already impossible.
Shibuki didn't say more. Logically, though Takigakure owed Kakuzu, the elders had indeed died at Kakuzu's hands back then. The grudges were settled. He simply hoped Kakuzu wouldn't keep hating the village.
Tsunade put away the water bottle and said to Aoba, "Let's go."
"Goodbye, Chief!"
Fu waved vigorously to Shibuki in farewell.
She didn't feel particularly sad. Not that she had no feelings for Shibuki or Takigakure, but she was still young and didn't dwell much. Having lived in Takigakure for over ten years, she longed to see the outside world.
"Goodbye."
Shibuki waved too. Aoba quickly formed hand seals, the space began to warp, and the group disappeared from where they stood.
Shibuki kept waving blankly, realizing what happened a beat too late.
"So that's the legendary Flying Thunder God, convenient indeed."
———
"Awesome!"
On the other side, Fu, still waving, gaped at the suddenly changing scene. The once lush forest and thundering waterfall instantly transformed into a plainly furnished office.
On the desk opposite was a character for "Fire." The black-haired girl who'd been at the desk looked up in surprise at their appearance.
"Aoba?"
Shizune stared blankly at them. She'd long been used to the Flying Thunder God, but a sudden crowd still required a moment to process.
"Why are we at the Hokage Building?"
Tsunade frowned and, displeased, tugged Aoba's ear to scold him.
"Didn't you say you needed to handle work?", Aoba looked innocent.
"Work can wait until tomorrow!"
Tsunade gritted her teeth. Is that what she needed right now? She had spent the whole night helping that brat experiment with jutsu and now wanted rest, not work.
"Tsunade-sama…", Shizune had already seen through Tsunade's plan to run, but Tsunade gave her no chance to stop her.
"I've been traveling for days; I'm tired. I'm going back to rest. Shizune, take care of things today."
With that, Tsunade strode out of the Hokage Building and, dragging Kurotsuchi along, went to check the lodging. Shizune looked resentful, this wasn't travel fatigue; it was clearly overindulgence.
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