"Hey, let me tell you, last night I got up to use the bathroom and heard some noise outside. I climbed up on the wall to take a look, and guess what I saw?"
"What?"
"I saw none other than Lord Hoshiyomi—the one they call Konoha's God of War—fighting against Lord Danzō, the Hokage's advisor! In the end, Lord Danzō was beaten back by Lord Hoshiyomi. Judging by the way he looked, he must've been defeated."
"Heh, if you're gonna make up stories, at least pick someone believable. Lord Hoshiyomi is supposed to be in the Land of Wind right now, negotiating with Sunagakure. How could he suddenly run back here just to fight Lord Danzō? You must've been half-asleep and dreaming."
"No, I swear I really saw it last night! Hey, don't walk away—hey, listen to me!"
The rebellion of Root had come quickly and ended just as quickly.
While many were still asleep, the ANBU had already cleaned everything up. By morning, the streets of Konoha looked completely normal. Most of the villagers knew nothing of what had happened in the night.
A few who had been awakened by the noise and witnessed the events were excitedly retelling what they saw to their neighbors the next day. But under the subtle intervention of some unseen power, their words failed to stir up any ripples.
As time passed, even those few lost interest, dismissing what they experienced as a strange dream or an idle fancy. Everyone was busy with their own lives—who had the time to dwell on such vague and fantastical stories?
The common folk laughed off the rumors. But the great clans were shaken, for they discovered that the ghost who refused to disappear—Shimura Danzō—had truly vanished.
The elders of several clans gathered for meeting after meeting, and ultimately reached one conclusion:
Konoha was on the verge of great change.
...
Inside the Senju compound.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
With a series of hand seals, Nawaki's right arm suddenly transformed into several thick, sturdy wooden vines that lashed toward a wooden post planted before him. As the vines tightened, there was a loud crack! and the post was snapped clean in two.
"Hehe, so, what do you think, Kushina? My Wood Release is pretty impressive, right?"
Nawaki proudly brushed his bangs aside and struck a showy pose. Kushina, unimpressed, rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Nawaki. You're already fifteen. Can't you be a little more mature? It's just Wood Release. What's there to be so smug about?"
Hearing this, Nawaki pouted in protest.
"What do you mean just Wood Release? I'm the only man in the entire Senju clan—aside from my grandfather Hashirama himself—who's awakened Wood Release! In the future, if you can't control the Nine-Tails inside you, you might have to rely on me to suppress its power."
But Kushina wasn't called the Red-Hot Habanero for nothing. She let out an exaggerated laugh:
"Don't flatter yourself! My seal is strong—I can control the Nine-Tails just fine. And even if I couldn't, Minato would save me. If Minato couldn't, then Brother Hoshiyomi and Sister Tsunade would. No matter how you line it up, it still doesn't get to you, does it?"
Nawaki froze at her words, mouth open, but found himself unable to come up with a retort. In the end, he could only mutter under his breath:
"Hmph, I won't stoop to arguing with a girl."
When Kushina raised her fist, he quickly darted behind Hoshiyomi's back, making Hoshiyomi and Tsunade both shake their heads. This little brother/brother-in-law of theirs… no matter how they looked at him, he didn't seem like Hokage material. Better for him to stick to being the Senju clan head.
Hoshiyomi grabbed Nawaki, holding him steady, while Tsunade helped check his body. After a thorough inspection, Tsunade nodded in confirmation.
"It's already been two days. Even with intense daily use of Wood Release, there hasn't been the slightest sign of rejection. The transplanted cells inside him are stable and full of vitality. The fusion should be a success."
Hoshiyomi patted Nawaki's shoulder, signaling him to continue training, then turned to Tsunade and asked:
"Nawaki's condition seems stable. Should we go to the Hokage's office and report to the old man?"
Though he framed it as a health report on Nawaki, both of them knew what that visit would really mean. Ever since Hoshiyomi had broken through to Kage-level upon their first return to the village, Hiruzen had already hinted about stepping down. Now, after the incident with Danzō, he had even less face to remain in that seat.
If they went, it would essentially be to finalize the appointment of the Fourth Hokage.
Tsunade hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Maybe we should wait a bit longer. I'm only a single step away from Kage-level. Once I've fully developed those two techniques and officially stepped across that threshold, then we can discuss this matter—so no one has reason to gossip. Besides, Orochimaru and the others should be returning soon from the Land of Wind. This sort of thing should be decided with everyone present."
Hoshiyomi's heart stirred at her words.
"You're close to completing it?"
Tsunade nodded, removing the forehead protector from her brow to reveal a faint diamond-shaped mark. Though not fully formed, its outline was already clear.
"The Yin Seal should finish accumulating in about two months. I've also worked out the chakra pathways for the Strength of a Hundred Technique. Once the seal is complete, I'll test it out—I believe it'll push my combat ability to a whole new level.
Oh, and Nawaki's cell transplant reminded me of Grandfather. Thinking about him these past couple of days gave me a new idea. It's only a concept for now, but I've already named it: Creation Rebirth. What do you think?"
At the mention of Creation Rebirth, Hoshiyomi's eyes lit up. If he remembered correctly, this jutsu wasn't developed until after the Third Great Ninja War, during Tsunade's wandering years following Orochimaru's defection.
But now, thanks to Nawaki's situation, this technique was emerging ahead of time.
Many people confuse the Yin Seal, Strength of a Hundred, and Creation Rebirth, but in truth, the Yin Seal is the prerequisite for the other two.
Strength of a Hundred and Creation Rebirth are both powerful applications derived from the Yin Seal. Strength of a Hundred is a full-scale enhancement buff that boosts speed, strength, and chakra reserves while active.
Creation Rebirth, on the other hand, builds on that foundation by converting all of the user's chakra into Yang Release chakra, granting rapid regeneration at Hashirama-level recovery speed. Even internal organs can be healed. In the original story, Tsunade survived being bisected by Madara thanks to this technique.
With this jutsu, Hoshiyomi would no longer need to worry about Tsunade's safety.
Moreover, if she managed to complete it soon, her strength would temporarily surpass both Orochimaru and Jiraiya. That would make her claim to the Hokage seat all the more secure.