Chapter 78 — Konoha's Marriage Crusade: Yujiro Opens the Eight Gates (Out of Rage!)
As winter crept in, Uchiha Yujiro's life took a sharp turn for the worse.
No—it wasn't the cold, or the missions, or even the paperwork.
It was something far more terrifying.
He had become the prime target of Konoha's newest menace—
the Marriage Pressure Faction.
And their undisputed leader? Uchiha Fugaku himself.
Whenever Yujiro passed by the clan compound, Fugaku would "casually" appear, hands behind his back and a smile that could freeze lava.
"Yujiro, Yujiro," he'd hum, "sooo… when are you marrying Lady Tsunade?"
Sometimes, to make things even worse, Fugaku would bring his son, Itachi, to serve as a prop comedian.
The poor boy would stiffly lift his chin, face devoid of emotion, and deadpan in perfect sync:
"Today. Definitely today."
Watching Itachi suppress his shame while his father grinned like a proud matchmaker was amusing, admittedly—
but no amount of comedy could make up for the daily torment of being hounded about marriage.
Of course, Yujiro knew he'd have to marry Tsunade eventually.
That much was obvious.
But did it have to be now?
He wanted a little more freedom first—a few more years to enjoy life.
After all, thanks to his recent experiments, he'd discovered something wonderful:
The Yin Seal wasn't just good for maintaining appearance and chakra control…
it could even enhance, well, vital functions.
"I could stay young and strong forever," he thought smugly.
"Why rush into marriage when I can… test things thoroughly first?"
Of course, he never said that out loud.
If he did, one good punch from Tsunade could send him flying past the Land of Wind.
So Yujiro's strategy against the "Marriage Brigade" was simple—
stall for time and play dumb.
But even that defense was starting to crumble.
The marriage fever was spreading through the village like a virus.
When even the Third Hokage—his lifelong skeptic—smiled at him over tea and said,
"Yujiro-kun, a man of your talents shouldn't stay single too long,"
he knew it was time to flee the village before they threw a wedding banquet without him.
Originally, Yujiro had planned to stay a few extra days—to finish deciphering the Byakugō (Strength of a Hundred Seals) technique.
Tsunade's jutsu, combined with the Yin Seal, could turn its user into a nearly indestructible powerhouse—
a living fortress that could endure any battlefield.
But Yujiro wasn't interested in defense.
He wanted to combine Byakugō with the Eight Gates.
"Open the Gates, tear the body apart—then let Byakugō heal it instantly."
A cycle of destruction and regeneration, power without limit.
The concept was insane… and brilliant.
He had already learned the Eight Gates from Might Guy himself.
Getting it was almost too easy.
All it took was Yujiro pretending to share Guy's enthusiasm for "youth."
Guy had grabbed him by the shoulders, eyes brimming with tears the size of ramen noodles, and cried:
"This is the essence of youth, Yujiro-kun!"
And then he taught him everything, holding nothing back.
Yujiro had to admit—Guy was the real deal.
A pure-hearted, painfully honest man who probably wished every shinobi in the village could run laps around the sun together.
Of course, most sane people took one look at the Eight Gates and said "no thanks."
Because, well—death tends to ruin the mood.
Now Yujiro had both halves of his plan:
Byakugō and the Eight Gates.
He discussed his theory with Tsunade: combining them under Lightning Chakra Armor to push his limits even further.
Tsunade listened… and immediately felt a migraine coming on.
"In theory," she admitted, "it could work."
"But it's incredibly dangerous."
Yujiro nodded thoughtfully.
"So… I'd need a superhuman body, right?"
"Exactly," Tsunade sighed. "Something far beyond normal limits."
"Like a physical stat of… fifteen points or higher," he muttered to himself, scribbling notes.
"And an absurd amount of chakra," she added.
"Chakra stat, twenty minimum," he said, nodding again.
"And remember, all three techniques—Lightning Armor, Byakugō, and the Eight Gates—are S-rank, forbidden arts. Merging them would take years of research and training."
Yujiro leaned back, tapping his chin.
"So I'll need to raise my Ninjutsu stat to fifteen, and Seal proficiency to ten at least. Huh. My head hurts just thinking about it."
Konoha's shinobi had long grown accustomed to Yujiro's habit of rating everyone like characters in an RPG manual.
Even the Hokage's office had quietly adopted his "Power Index System" for internal reports.
So when he spoke in numbers, everyone—including Tsunade—knew exactly what he meant.
"That's what I'm saying," she sighed. "Those numbers are absurd. You're already one of the strongest people alive!
Lightning Armor, Super Strength, Chakra Blade control, and weapon mastery—you're already beyond most Kage!"
Yujiro smiled faintly.
"Not enough. I'm still refining Hanzo's chain-scythe style—merging it with my Chakra Blade technique. There's overlap between the two; I can make them work as one."
"You're insane," Tsunade muttered.
"You're already stronger than my granduncle, and yet you're still pushing yourself further? Why?"
Yujiro looked out the window for a long moment.
Then he smiled—the kind of smile that made Tsunade's stomach tighten, half awe, half unease.
"Because the world keeps changing," he said quietly.
"And if I stop moving forward, even for a second…"
He glanced at his hand—at the faint seal glowing on the back of it.
"Someone else will decide my limits for me."
"Of course it's because I want to protect the people and things that matter to me," Uchiha Yujiro said softly.
"I don't ever want to face a moment where I regret not being strong enough… not trying harder when I still had the chance."
His words were calm, but the look in his eyes—gentle, steady, and filled with quiet conviction—
made even the fearless Tsunade blush and look away.
For a fleeting heartbeat, the air between them grew electric—
a warmth that could've ignited into something much more if left alone for even a second longer.
Unfortunately, they weren't left alone.
From down the path, an all-too-familiar voice broke the moment to pieces.
"Yo! Yujiro! Lady Tsunade! So when's the wedding, huh?!"
Both of them froze.
And then, without hesitation, the meddling elder—who bore a suspicious resemblance to a certain Third Hokage—was launched skyward by a combined Heaven-Smashing Kick and Lightning-Fire Sword (Scabbard Style).
He vanished into the clouds like a particularly noisy firework.
Yujiro sighed.
"Yeah… this Konoha isn't livable anymore."
Originally, he had planned to stay in the village a bit longer—to fully master the Eight Gates, Byakugō, and Yin Seal before departing.
But now?
Even a simple date required counter-sniper maneuvers and shatterproof glass.
So he made a decision.
"Tsunade," he said suddenly, taking her hand.
"Let's elope."
"Eh?! That's… a bit sudden, isn't it? I—I haven't even packed!"
"You don't need to pack," he grinned. "You just need to follow your heart! Come on, Tsunade—this is youth!"
And before she could protest, he dragged her with him into the setting sun.
It was a ridiculous sight: the legendary Princess of the Leaf being swept off her feet by a smiling Uchiha in full sprint.
If Might Guy had seen it, he probably would've burst into tears of joy, shouted "YOUTH IS BEAUTIFUL!"—and then immediately been punted into orbit by one of Tsunade's punches.
Fortunately, he wasn't around.
Three days later, far from the gossip and chaos of Konoha…
they arrived at the Great Northern Marshlands of the Land of Fire—
Shikkotsu Forest, the domain of the Slug Sage.
Yujiro clapped his hands together.
"Alright, Tsunade. Negotiating with the Great Slug Sage is your department.
Here's the plan: we tell her that her secretions have immense beauty benefits."
Tsunade blinked.
"...What?"
Yujiro nodded seriously.
"We'll market a full skincare line—Shikkotsu Forest Face Masks, Moisturizers, and Serums.
I've already thought up the tagline: 'Even Tsunade approves!'"
Tsunade just stared at him.
Her expression was caught somewhere between disbelief and resignation.
"So? What do you think? Any issues with the proposal?"
"...No," she sighed, pinching her temple. "No issues. It's fine."
This "elopement" was definitely not what she had imagined.
Sure, it could technically count as a "romantic getaway"…
but what kind of honeymoon involved crossing the Three Great Sage Lands to negotiate product licensing deals?
Still, Tsunade couldn't help but smile as Yujiro kept enthusiastically outlining his vision.
"Once we launch the line," he explained,
"we'll split the profits fifty-fifty, same as always.
That way, my Uchiha Industrial Park gains another business branch, the Senju Clan gets stable income,
Konoha's employment rate rises, Shikkotsu Forest gains prestige—
everyone wins!"
"Right," Tsunade murmured, watching his face soften in the golden light. "All good things."
As she looked at him—his bright eyes, his boundless energy, that unshakable confidence—
Tsunade couldn't help but feel her heart stir again.
Yes.
Yujiro was brilliant, driven, and endlessly strange—
but that strangeness was part of his charm.
He was the kind of man who could make even the absurd sound like destiny.
And Tsunade, no matter how much she tried to deny it,
found herself thinking the same thing every time she looked at him:
This man… this impossible, infuriating man…
is the one I love the most.