"Roshi, remember—we are the Senju Clan."
"The Senju founded Konoha. We gave up our names and privileges for the sake of the Village. But as the last ones who still remember where we came from, we must never abandon our honor."
Those words had been engraved in Roshi's mind since childhood.
"From now on," the old woman had said, "I, your Granny, will look after you."
"Granny? Where are Mom and Dad?"
"They've gone to a faraway place."
He had understood what that meant. They died in battle—fighting for Konoha, for the name they'd buried in silence.
So Roshi trained. He fought. He pushed forward on the same path his parents once walked.
They were the Senju who had willingly hidden their surname—the last flicker of a fading lineage.
"You—you can still escape…"
Kaito's voice trembled as blood seeped through his vest. "Hurry… take the intel back."
"Kenta… sorry. This is as far as I go."
"Granny… it hurts."
"Just… hold on a little longer…" the frail voice begged.
I'm sorry, Granny… It's finally my turn—
—
Tsunade tore her hand away, stumbling backward. She clutched her chest, gasping for air as her body shook violently. Her face was pale as death.
"After I came back from the dead…" Roshi's calm voice reached her ears, "I kept wondering—was it all worth it?"
"The road to peace is long, with no end in sight."
"But if there are no successors… if no one carries on… then every sacrifice made before us was for nothing."
"There are no shortcuts to peace, Lady Tsunade."
He exhaled softly. "Fortunately, there are still people—more than one—running down that same road."
Then Roshi took off his red, gold-trimmed robe and draped it gently over her trembling shoulders before turning to leave.
"...Wait."
Her voice, still trembling, stopped him.
"You didn't come here just to learn Sage Mode, did you?"
Roshi paused but didn't turn around. "No."
"What else do you want?"
"The Third Hokage and his team…" Roshi said evenly, "are too old. Given the Village's current state—both inside and out—it's becoming difficult to maintain stability with such a worn-out leadership."
Tsunade's head snapped up, her tone sharp. "Are you talking about a coup d'état?!"
"That would be an exaggeration," Roshi replied. "I already informed the Third Hokage before coming to you."
"He didn't object."
'That's just like the old man', Tsunade thought bitterly.
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Then why come to me? Wouldn't it be better to just have Jiraiya take the hat?"
"You're the most suitable candidate."
"Jiraiya's strong," Roshi continued, "but he's too caught up in that 'Child of Prophecy' nonsense. 'And that child—the so-called savior—is still just a boy, enduring the loneliness of being a Jinchūriki.'
Tsunade, on the other hand, was grounded. She could stabilize the village faster than anyone else.
"I can't…" she muttered.
"As for your hemophobia," Roshi said calmly, "that's only a matter of whether you truly want to overcome it."
Tsunade scoffed. "You think I haven't tried? Just a few days ago, I tried treating the Hidden Cloud delegation myself! Otherwise, how would the Raikage even know about it?"
"You must have been desperate," Roshi said with a faint smile. "Revealing your greatest weakness when you couldn't even be sure who was friend or foe."
"Bastard! Get out!" Tsunade snapped, slamming her fist into the ground. "You're the one begging me, and you dare talk like that?!"
"Yes," Roshi replied smoothly, his tone polite but utterly unapologetic. "Please forgive me."
"Get out!" she roared, yanking the robe from her shoulders and hurling it at him. "Get far away from me!"
Roshi caught it, turned, and walked off without another word.
Still trembling with anger, Tsunade sank to the ground, her gaze drifting over the vast, silent sea.
Grandfather… your ideals… they're still alive, aren't they?
In the days that followed, her attitude toward Roshi grew colder, but she continued assisting with his training all the same.
Shizune occasionally crossed the sea to restock supplies. Though she'd heard fragments of what had happened between the two, she said nothing—waiting for her sensei to decide her own path.
Roshi, too, stopped pushing. Everything that needed to be said had been said; every method he could use, he already had.
And forcing Tsunade Senju with words was a fool's errand.
Half a month later, Roshi had achieved full stability in Sage Mode using only Katsuyu's guidance. Ten days after that, he could enter Sage Mode unaided.
Though he hadn't developed any Sage Techniques yet, he had essentially mastered the art itself.
When he asked Katsuyu about possible Sage Arts, the gentle slug replied,
"No, Roshi. Katsuyu is a single entity. Its attack methods already contain Sage Chakra. There are no Sage Arts that suit you."
That meant he'd have to create his own.
Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands technique was out of the question—it consumed far too much chakra. Even Hashirama himself, after being revived by Edo Tensei, couldn't maintain it for long. For now, Roshi had to focus on smaller, more manageable elemental techniques.
Any ninjutsu infused with Sage Chakra was, in essence, a Sage Art.
The challenge lay in adjusting chakra ratios—relearning and refining what he already knew.
Still, the greatest benefit of Sage Mode wasn't in new jutsu—it was the immense boost to his base strength, speed, and senses. Sage Arts could wait.
"Roshi."
As he was preparing to leave the ruins of Whirlpool Village, Tsunade finally broke the long silence.
"What exactly are you planning to do?"
"If you're dissatisfied with the old man's leadership, then you'd better have a more practical alternative."
"Otherwise," her tone sharpened, "you're just spouting empty words—and in that case, don't bother returning to the Village."
Roshi didn't answer immediately. He looked at her for a long moment before speaking softly.
"There's one thing I haven't mentioned. The Third Hokage agreed to let me find you… but under one condition."
"If your hemophobia isn't resolved, then once you return, we might have to use… unconventional means to convince him to step down."
"So—" Roshi's gaze met hers, unwavering. "Are you ready to face it?"
The sea breeze stirred Tsunade's golden hair as she stared at him silently. Her eyes swept over the distant ruins before returning to his face.
"First, tell me your plan," she said flatly.
"You really are willful, Lady Tsunade."
"Shut up and speak!" she barked, shaking her fist.
Roshi sighed quietly. "Do you want me to shut up… or speak?"
Her glare deepened.
He continued before she could explode again. "Where should we start, then?"
Tsunade lowered her fist, her tone steady once more. "Last time, at Deai Port—you mentioned you had thoughts about the Uchiha Clan."
"Then let's start there."
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