"This is definitely not Medical Ninjutsu!"
"Jiraiya-sama, did you feel it?" Shizune also felt the calming aura and looked at Jiraiya in surprise.
Jiraiya's face was graver than ever.
Of course, he felt it.
That aura, that life force!
Though faint, its essence was identical to that of the First Hokage, revered as the "god of shinobi," in his memory!
Wood Release?!
This absurd thought flashed through his mind, only to be immediately dismissed. Impossible! After the First Hokage, Wood Release had long become extinct. Konoha had conducted so many failed experiments; how could it appear on a child of unknown origin?
But how could this unexplainable scene before him be accounted for?
Tsunade's hand trembled even more violently. She slowly raised her hand and gently caressed Kanzaki's forehead, pushing aside his messy black hair.
Under the touch of that familiar yet strange life force, the boy's dirty little face slowly merged in her eyes with the image of the young man in her deepest memories, who always followed her, calling "Big Sister, Big Sister."
Nawaki... Is it Nawaki?
No, it's not.
But this feeling... this sense of kinship from the Senju Clan bloodline, and this power that could soothe her soul... Tsunade's eyes instantly reddened, and a hot tear fell without warning, landing on Kanzaki's cheek.
She wasn't crying for the boy's plight, but for her own heart, which had long been dead, yet today, had unexpectedly felt a sliver of warmth again.
This is hope!
It is the Senju Clan's... the last hope after her father and brother died!
"Tsunade, calm down!" Jiraiya said in a deep voice, "This child's origins are too mysterious! And his ability... we must investigate it thoroughly!"
"Shut up!"
Tsunade turned sharply, the vulnerability in her eyes instantly replaced by an undeniable domineering aura—a madness born of regaining a lost treasure and wanting to protect it fiercely.
"I'm taking him back to Konoha!"
She carefully picked up Kanzaki, her movements as gentle as if handling a rare treasure. The boy's body was weightless, and as he leaned in her arms, the calming aura became even clearer.
"I'm telling you, Tsunade, you can't be so impulsive! Have you thought about how much turmoil bringing him back to the Village will cause? If Danzo and those guys find out..."
"I don't care!" Tsunade interrupted him sharply, holding the child in her arms tightly as if he were the whole world. "He is a member of my Senju Clan!"
She said the last two words very softly, yet with immense conviction.
Jiraiya looked at her, opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words of persuasion. He understood that this 4-5-year-old child reminded Tsunade of the deceased Senju Nawaki. He knew Tsunade too well; in this state, no one could reason with her.
He could only turn his gaze back to the unconscious child, his eyes filled with scrutiny and apprehension.
Who exactly is this child? Why did he appear here?
And what exactly is this Wood Release-like power he possesses?
Will Tsunade's insistence on bringing him back to Konoha bring an unpredictable, huge variable to this already turbulent Village?
Tsunade picked up the frail little boy and turned to leave. Jiraiya and Shizune immediately followed.
The lingering glow of the setting sun stretched the shadows of the three figures. Tsunade, holding the newborn "hope" in her arms, had an unprecedentedly firm look in her eyes... Konoha Village, underground.
Cold and dampness were the eternal themes here. The air was mixed with the pungent smell of disinfectant and earth. Fine water droplets seeped from the cold stone walls, sliding down the surfaces and collecting in small puddles on the ground. This was the Root's base, the root of the Village that sunlight could never reach.
Firelight flickered, illuminating the bandaged profile of the figure on the main seat. Danzo Shimura's half-body was hidden in shadow, his exposed right eye as sharp as an eagle's, scrutinizing the Root Ninja kneeling below.
"How is the First Hokage's cells experiment progressing?" His voice was hoarse and low, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
The person below tensed even more, their head bowed almost to the ground: "Reporting, Danzo-sama, more than half of the latest batch of test subjects have collapsed and died due to inability to withstand the cells' erosion. Currently... only five test subjects remain alive, but their physical data is extremely unstable, and their compatibility with the First Hokage's cells... is still immeasurable."
Danzo's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, making a "thump, thump" sound that was exceptionally clear in the dead silence of the space.
"Our First Hokage's cells reserves are running low."
Upon hearing this, the Ninja's body trembled imperceptibly. He hesitated for a moment, then dared to suggest: "Danzo-sama, perhaps we... could obtain some cell samples from Lady Tsunade? After all, Lady Tsunade is the First Hokage's most direct granddaughter, and her cell activity is far superior to those of collateral branches or test subjects."
"Foolish."
Danzo's voice suddenly turned cold, like an ice-tempered blade. The kneeling Ninja was scared out of his wits and immediately kowtowed.
"Tsunade is one of the Sannin, the last visible bloodline of the Senju Clan. Neither Hiruzen nor the old geezers in the Village would ever allow us to touch her. To touch her is to shake Konoha's foundation; that is Hiruzen's bottom line." A dark, unclear light flashed in Danzo's single eye. "That Senju woman has a fierce temper. If pushed too hard, she's capable of anything. Do not provoke her until we have absolute certainty."
"Yes! I understand my mistake!"
"Continue the experiment." Danzo waved his hand, saying no more. "At any cost, I must see results. Konoha needs this power."
"Understood!"
The Ninja, as if granted a great pardon, disappeared into the darkness in an instant. In the empty stone chamber, only Danzo remained. He slowly closed his eyes, and in his mind appeared the towering figure of that man, and the Wood Release power that ushered in a new era for the Ninja World.
For Konoha... this power must be wielded by me... Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building.
Warm sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling window, falling on the desk of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. He held his beloved pipe, unlit, allowing only the aroma of the tobacco to linger at his nostrils. The mountain of files on his desk remained untouched.
His gaze fell out the window, past the bustling streets, towards the distant Hokage Rock. The First Hokage's resolute face appeared especially solemn in the sunlight.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed heavily.
Tsunade... the girl who had followed him since childhood, like a little princess, was now his heaviest concern. Ever since Nawaki and Dan died in succession in battle, her once bright and confident amber eyes had been clouded by a thick gloom.
Her hemophobia was growing more severe, so much so that she couldn't even perform basic medical tasks. He had sent her to the border this time hoping a change of environment would help, but the battle reports that came back still worried him.
When she returned this time, he absolutely had to have a serious talk with her. She couldn't continue like this. She was the last of the Senju Clan; she was not just a Medical Ninja, but also one of the symbols of Konoha's spirit.
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe, finally lit it, took a deep puff, and exhaled swirling smoke rings, but his worries did not dissipate in the slightest.
He did not know that Tsunade, whom he worried about, was currently embarking on her journey home, carrying a "variable" capable of overturning the entire power structure of Konoha.