Chapter 207: Tsunade's Heart-to-Heart
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Hoshikawa , until next time." Katsuyu said in a gentle tone.
Poof!
Smoke rose and dissipated, and Katsuyu's body vanished.
Tsunade lay back down on the mat, a complex expression on her face. The emergence of a new Wood Release user and the suspected restart of the Wood Release experiments were both too sudden, catching her completely off guard.
"Master." Hoshikawa moved his body closer to her.
A faint, subtle fragrance wafted from her.
Tsunade subconsciously turned her head, realizing the distance between them was less than ten centimeters. Hoshikawa 's face seemed magnified in her eyes. She stared for a second, then looked away.
"What do you want to say?" Tsunade asked softly.
"Don't be unhappy because of someone like Danzō Shimura." Hoshikawa moved his fingers and quickly brushed against her hand. He glanced at Tsunade, saw her lack of reaction, and confidently held her hand.
"I just feel a little regretful," Tsunade said slowly, staring at the ceiling of the tent. "He was my great-uncle's student; he wasn't like this when he was young."
"People change," Hoshikawa said, feeling the softness of Tsunade's hand.
"Yes." Tsunade thought of Hashirama Senju and Nawaki, speaking with a touch of sadness.
"Master." Hoshikawa hesitated, unsure how to begin.
"I'm fine." Tsunade shook her head. She had spent too much time with Hoshikawa , and even though he hadn't spoken, she knew what he wanted to say.
"Do you want to hear about the past?" For some reason, Tsunade suddenly felt the urge to confide. Perhaps the mention of Wood Release had stirred up old memories.
"Sure." Hoshikawa quickly nodded. "My master must have been amazing back then too."
When a woman opens her heart, the meaning is obvious.
"You little brat!" Tsunade couldn't help but laugh.
"Was I wrong?" Hoshikawa blinked and asked.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong about the amazing part." Tsunade said proudly, "Your master has been beating people up since the Academy!"
"I bet it was Jiraiya-sensei you were beating." Hoshikawa turned his head to look at her, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the snowy mountains.
"That guy has been a massive pervert since childhood!" Tsunade snorted. "The fact that I didn't beat him to death is a testament to my mercy!"
Hoshikawa immediately broke out in a cold sweat and quickly averted his gaze. He felt as if Tsunade might violently beat him up at any second. But on second thought, he was stronger than Jiraiya, and he didn't sneak into hot springs or carouse in izakayas.
"What about Orochimaru?" Hoshikawa changed the topic.
"Orochimaru was a bit like you, a genius at ninjutsu," Tsunade said with a sigh. "He mastered every technique quickly. In contrast, Jiraiya was like the Dead Last."
Hoshikawa nodded. In the original story, Orochimaru mastered countless forbidden techniques, such as Impure World Reincarnation and the Eight Branches Technique. Moreover, he could not only learn but also create new ninjutsu, like the Living Corpse Reincarnation and the Cursed Seal. Aside from lacking a Kekkei Genkai, Orochimaru was considered one of the pinnacles of non-bloodline ninja.
"What a pity." Tsunade suddenly said.
Hoshikawa subconsciously looked up at her.
"I had a younger brother named Nawaki, who was Orochimaru's student." Tsunade began after a long silence. "After he died, Orochimaru seemed to become a completely different person."
Hoshikawa was surprised. He hadn't expected Tsunade to even mention Nawaki's story. But on the other hand, it proved that he had penetrated deep into Tsunade's inner world.
"Master." Hoshikawa squeezed her hand. "Nawaki wouldn't want to see you all so sad over him."
"You little brat! Who told you to be so disrespectful!" Tsunade stared at his hand for two seconds, then suddenly glared at him.
"What's wrong?" Hoshikawa asked innocently, looking into her beautiful eyes.
"Did I say you could call him Nawaki?" Tsunade said crossly. "You should call him Uncle!"
"...?" Hoshikawa was completely stunned.
What the hell was going on? Why did "Uncle" suddenly pop up?
Nawaki was Tsunade's younger brother, and Hoshikawa was Tsunade's student. By seniority, he should indeed call him "Uncle." But he absolutely couldn't! Hoshikawa adamantly refused to change the address; how could he be a rebellious disciple if he did that? He intended to be Nawaki's brother-in-law!
They couldn't possibly address each other differently later, could they? I call you Uncle, you call me Brother-in-Law?
"Master, please continue," Hoshikawa used his topic-shifting technique again. "I want to hear about your time at the Academy."
The issue of the address absolutely could not continue. After all, he would be the one losing out.
"The Academy, you say?" Tsunade's face was filled with nostalgia. As for Nawaki, she didn't want to dwell on it anyway, so she didn't continue arguing with Hoshikawa about the address.
"Stop moving your hand!" Tsunade noticed that Hoshikawa wasn't behaving. Not only was he holding her hand, but he was also secretly stroking the back of her hand and her palm.
Hoshikawa cursed under his breath. But then he was surprised again. Tsunade hadn't let go of his hand; instead, she gripped him tighter. The only downside was that he couldn't move anymore.
Hoshikawa could only quietly lean on her and listen to her stories.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound gradually ceased. Exhausted, both of them drifted off to sleep.
Somewhere on an Island
Although the main camps of Konoha and Sunagakure suffered damage from the Three-Tails, the overall mood of the alliances was relatively positive. After all, they had achieved victory.
However, the Kirigakure main camp was completely different. When the body of the Third Mizukage was brought back, every Kirigakure ninja's face was etched with shock and disbelief.
Inside the main tent, the atmosphere of silence was oppressive and volatile, like a sudden storm.
Mei Terumī couldn't help but let out a long sigh. When Kirigakure deployed its forces, she had envisioned many scenarios for meeting Hoshikawa . But she never imagined the Third Mizukage would die because of him.
How strong exactly was Hoshikawa ?
Did she even have a chance to surpass him?
Various questions surfaced in her mind, making Mei Terumī's mood even more complicated.
"What should we do now?" Ao broke the silence.
"Revenge!" a middle-aged man couldn't help but say. As the Mizukage, he naturally had many supporters. He was one of them.
"The urgent matter is to select a new Mizukage," a young man spoke from not far away. "Only the Mizukage can make the decision."
Mei Terumī frowned slightly. This young man was close to Yagura Karatachi. And Yagura Karatachi was the most powerful contender for the next Mizukage.
What a shame. Mei Terumī also wanted to compete for the Mizukage position. But she was too young and lacked convincing achievements, making it difficult to compete against Yagura Karatachi.
She suddenly thought of Hoshikawa . With terrifying achievements like capturing a Tailed Beast and killing a Kage, becoming the Mizukage would probably be no problem.
Would that pervert become the Fourth Hokage? Mei Terumī quickly shook her head. The Fourth Hokage was impossible with Tsunade around, but the Fifth Hokage was likely his for the taking. In contrast, whether she could even become the Fifth Mizukage was a question mark.
"He's right." Another Jōnin agreed. "In this situation, whether to retreat or fight depends on the new Mizukage's decision."
"Shouldn't we invite Elder Gensui to discuss the new Mizukage?" Ao asked after thinking for a moment.
"Elder Gensui will take days to travel back and forth. We don't have that much time left," the young ninja countered. "No one knows what Konoha will do next."
"I have an idea. We have half of Kirigakure's Jōnin gathered here. We can hold a Jōnin vote right now." Yagura Karatachi suppressed his excitement and said calmly. Although he felt grief over the Third Mizukage's sacrifice, the thought of becoming the Fourth Mizukage inevitably made him excited.
Yagura Karatachi originally thought he would have to wait many years to become the Fourth Mizukage. After all, the Third Mizukage was in his prime. But who would have thought the opportunity would arrive so unexpectedly? In a sense, he even had to thank Hoshikawa .
"I think that's acceptable!" the young ninja quickly agreed.
"Then let's vote." Seeing that the majority had agreed, Ao could only nod.
Half an hour later, Yagura Karatachi smoothly became the Fourth Mizukage. Most people weren't surprised, as his strength and prestige were second only to the Third Mizukage.
"We cannot retreat," Yagura Karatachi said gravely. "We cannot simply retreat, both for the sake of the Third Mizukage and the face of Kirigakure."
"The Mizukage is right!" Many people immediately nodded. If five thousand ninja, who had launched a massive attack on Konoha, were to slink back after only two months, they would be ridiculed.
"But as the situation stands, Konoha and Sunagakure do hold the advantage," Yagura Karatachi changed his tone and said slowly. "We need to proceed cautiously and slowly."
Mei Terumī raised an eyebrow. She generally guessed Yagura Karatachi's thoughts. He had just become the Mizukage, so even if he didn't want to fight, he had to. Furthermore, they had recently extorted a sum of money from Kumogakure and couldn't run away so quickly. The best option was to stall, the longer the better.
They could also choose to push the attack aggressively. That would mean bringing in both Jinchūriki from Kirigakure. But this approach was extremely dangerous. Konoha and Sunagakure also had two Jinchūriki. The combined power of the One-Tail and the Nine-Tails exceeded that of their Three-Tails and Six-Tails. Moreover, Yagura Karatachi's strength was not much greater than the Third Mizukage's.
Mei Terumī sighed inwardly. This might be the most rational approach, but had Kirigakure truly fallen to this extent?
"We will now begin to assign missions." Yagura Karatachi continued.
As Mei Terumī expected, Kirigakure reverted to its previous strategy: relying on the sea to wage a war of harassment.
Konoha Village
By the afternoon, the news had reached Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the first to receive it. Although the Anbu ninja, Hare, was present, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. Killing an enemy Kage on the battlefield was an achievement no less significant than capturing a Tailed Beast alive. And once again, it was Hoshikawa .
Capturing a Tailed Beast alive, then killing the Third Mizukage—Tsunade's student's performance on the battlefield truly left him dumbfounded. Sarutobi thought carefully and concluded that in recent years, it was difficult to find a second ninja with more merit than him. Although the Legendary Sannin and the White Fang of Konoha were famous, in terms of combat achievements, Hoshikawa had a slight edge.
If not for his young age, Sarutobi would suspect that Hoshikawa could become the Hokage after the Third Shinobi World War ended.
But if he couldn't become Hokage, Tsunade could.
Sarutobi rubbed his forehead. It was indeed time to consider it. And even if he didn't bring it up, others would. After all, every new Hokage appointment benefits many people, leading to a rise in status. Just as when he became the Third Hokage, Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado all became Konoha elders.
"Hare." Sarutobi closed the scroll, handed it to Hare, and instructed, "Publicize this information."
"Yes." Hare took the scroll and turned to leave.
After leaving the Hokage's office, she curiously glanced at the scroll and showed a trace of surprise. Hoshikawa again? Although she was an Anbu ninja, she had her own thoughts. In her view, both Tsunade and Hoshikawa were figures with whom good relations must be forged.
Hyūga Clan Compound
Since the intelligence was relayed by Hizashi Hyūga, he specifically sent a copy to Hiashi Hyūga. Of course, he did not mention the existence of the Wood Release ninja. After all, angering Tsunade would be very troublesome, even for the Hyūga Clan, especially since she was currently at the peak of her power.
"Truly remarkable," Hiashi Hyūga murmured.
"Remarkable how? Is there good news?" a woman in a kimono asked gently in front of him. She was Hiashi Hyūga's wife.
"It's the intelligence from Kirigakure sent by Hizashi," Hiashi Hyūga replied. "Hoshikawa killed the Third Mizukage."
"Hoshikawa ? The young man who captured the Four-Tails alive before? I remember he's only a teenager." The woman in the kimono widened her eyes in surprise.
"Hmm." Hiashi Hyūga nodded. "He is Tsunade's student, and his future is boundless."
"Indeed." The woman in the kimono agreed, recovering from her shock. Hoshikawa had the strength, the status, and the youth; virtually no one in all of Konoha had a brighter future than him.
"It seems we need to find a way to get closer to him," Hiashi Hyūga mused.
"How do we get closer?" his wife asked curiously.
"I'm not sure yet." Hiashi Hyūga paused, then suddenly had an idea. "Perhaps when we have children, we can ask him to be their teacher."
"Huh?" The woman in the kimono blushed. "Then let's try harder."
Land of Hot Water
Jiraiya was soaking in a hot spring, a comfortable expression on his face. Separated by a single wall, he could hear the cheerful sounds of young women playing and giggling.
Poof!
A toad suddenly popped out of the hot spring. Jiraiya instinctively looked over, his expression immediately turning serious. This was a toad messenger from Fukasaku-sama.
"Does Fukasaku-sama have new instructions?" Jiraiya asked.
"No." The toad messenger opened its mouth, spat out a scroll, and said, "It's from the slug summoner of Shikkotsu Forest, Lady Tsunade."
The three great sage lands of the Summoning World had certain connections. Katsuyu-sama was known for being the most good-natured. After talking to Tsunade, one of her split bodies rushed to Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and quickly opened the scroll.
His face instantly darkened. Someone was conducting Wood Release experiments?
....
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