"Well, never mind."
Ultimately, disposing of Tsunade was a post-war matter—no point considering it now.
Though countless organizations in the ninja world coveted 'Wood Release' power, from Hii Kōri's perspective, this made little sense.
Putting aside that the legend was only twenty or thirty years old, from a more realistic perspective, Wood Release was just another elemental kekkei genkai.
Hashirama Senju wasn't strong because he had Wood Release—he was strong because he was such a monster that he could use Wood Release to that extent. Without Wood Release, with his chakra reserves, he could treat others like dogs using Water Release or Earth Release.
Not understanding this sequence, blindly pursuing Wood Release alone was laughable.
Yes, the Land of Wind needed afforestation for windbreaks and sand fixation. But unless Wood Release could summon vast forests with a clap like Hashirama, it was meaningless.
Not the scale of the technique, but the more important expression.
The trees Hashirama's Wood Release summoned could survive long as living plants—even massive forests.
This side proved these trees were essentially brute-forced by his unparalleled chakra and life force, barely consuming soil fertility.
With insufficient life force, either consume soil fertility or summon dead wood. Then the Land of Wind might as well breed its own sand-fixing plants—seabuckthorn and such could at least be eaten.
Expecting Wood Release clones, cyborgs, or atavistic descendants to reach Hashirama's level? You might as well hope for Meteor from heaven to send the other four villages to hell.
Don't give up your dream, keep sleeping!.jpg
From this perspective, keeping Tsunade in Suna brought far less benefit than the harm of Konoha.
As for selling the 'Hashirama Senju's direct descendant' gimmick to other villages—not even considering whether this aided enemies—you could hardly guarantee buyers wouldn't turn around and betray Suna.
Thus, Tsunade's main purpose was probably as hostage, exchanging something from Konoha post-war—likely resources, mission shares, and regular jutsu manuals.
After all, Suna's casus belli was Fire Country unilaterally cutting trade with Wind Country. Even if acting, there must be a beginning and an end.
As for forbidden techniques... no one would expect trading Tsunade alone for anything particularly useful.
So-called forbidden techniques can be roughly divided into three categories:
First: 'evil techniques' violating human ethics.
Second: difficult to control techniques that could harm comrades.
Third: techniques whose training or use easily causes severe self-harm.
Notorious Impure World Reincarnation is first; Tobirama's Mutual Explosive Tags used to take Kinkaku with him, blowing up twenty-odd elite jōnin, is second; Katō Dan's Spirit Transformation is third.
Even trading for forbidden techniques, Konoha would likely offer only third-class ones.
Beyond such considerations, Hii Kōri found it hard to maintain a harsh attitude toward a woman he'd just been 'intimate' with.
Though he'd used Tsunade solely as a tool to break Katō Dan, emphasizing 'visual shock' and 'abuse,' he himself hadn't enjoyed it.
But seeing Tsunade's miserable state now, he felt some guilt—mostly toward Pakura and Karura.
No matter how much he emphasized 'utilitarianism,' it sounded like an excuse. Accused of cheating, he'd have no defense.
Yet he couldn't kill her to silence her now?
That would be too wasteful.
Letting these thoughts cool his overheated brain, Hii Kōri slowly approached Tsunade.
Seeing him draw near, her throat still swollen, Tsunade instinctively made a silent cry, tears in her eyes, shuffling back.
Ignoring her reaction, Hii Kōri casually summoned a water current, warmed it slightly, and transformed it into a warm water snake, flowing over every inch of her skin.
The subtle sensation of water touched her whipped and abused marks made Tsunade tremble slightly. She tightly shut her eyes and turned away, unwilling to meet his gaze.
After washing away sweat and filth, the water snake coalesced into a ball and evaporated in Scorch Release's heat.
Hii Kōri enjoyed such little tricks usable in daily life. Killing was simple; techniques developed solely for that were nothing to be proud of.
Seeing Tsunade's attitude, Hii Kōri didn't plan to speak. He took out the salve from his scroll, slowly applied it to her whip marks, and carefully rubbed it to loosen the dye.
Legs, chest, armpits... the cool medicine gradually took effect with his massage, dispelling the burning sting.
Then he squeezed the The entire tube onto her whip-marked back, pressed at her waist, pushed up sharply with his palm, then squeezed and rubbed thoroughly.
Back and forth several times, the salve covered her back. The cool sensation mixed with the tingling of wounds being rubbed created an unbearable overwhelming shock—not pleasure, but indeed unbearable—making the already trembling kunōichi emit pathetic faint cries.
"What a cute sound, Senju princess."
Hii Kōri teasingly patted her rear, then gripped her wrist, treating the obvious swelling.
Tsunade suddenly stood up as he was finishing up with her left ankle, and trapped his neck between her legs, trying to twist it off.
"Ah... I knew it."
A seasoned battlefield ninja, Tsunade's acting was quite good.
Indeed, a common kunōichi witnessing her lover tortured so miserably, then violated before him, would likely collapse completely.
What Hii Kōri sensed from Tsunade wasn't that fragile weakness, but more pure and concentrated—
Hatred.
Perhaps the curse spread while eroding Katō Dan had affected Tsunade too; her state was exactly like Chiyo's before his departure.
Ah, no it's more radical mania.
Chiyo wouldn't try killing a taijutsu master with bare hands while chakra-sealed.
But understandable...
"After all, your enemy is right before you."
In an instant, Hii Kōri thrust his arm into the gap between her legs, suddenly tensed his muscles, easily swung her scissor choke, then grabbed her ankle with his other hand and flung her away.
Tsunade's vision spun, then she felt herself slam into the ground. Before she could rise, and impact pinned her down.
"So, don't do that again."
Sitting on Tsunade, Hii Kōri gripped her neck with one hand, restraining her arm with the other.
Choked, Tsunade glared at him through gritted teeth, her gaze showing no timidity or fear. Even as suffocation grew obvious, her gaze never softened.
"Alright, alright. No need to glare. Even if you want revenge, at least wait until Konoha ransoms you post-war."
Feeling somehow losing in momentum to Tsunade, Hii Kōri released her neck, lightly patted her cheek twice, consoling thus, his eyes flickering with aglow.
"Looking like that now instead seems like teasing me? I'd have no qualms enjoying your body again—I am at a passionate age, after all."
Whether persuaded by his explicit remarks, Tsunade bit her lip, twisted uneasily, and looked away.
"Open up. Hold this—your throat should recover soon."
Turning her face back, Hii Kōri produced a throat lozenge and stuffed it into her mouth.
Perhaps traumatized by such actions, Tsunade instinctively pressed her lips tight. After futile resistance, she viciously bit the finger in her mouth, leaving conspicuous tooth marks on his knuckles as final defiance.
"You really won't give in..."
Manipulating shadow to pry open her mouth and withdraw his finger, Hii Kōri tediously clicked his tongue, not particularly annoyed.
He always liked stubborn people—like Yahiko. He didn't even particularly dislike Katō Dan; their conflict wasn't personal, only position-driven.
As for that cruel treatment—that was Hii Kōri's proportionate revenge for Katō Dan causing him so much trouble.
This liking applied equally to Tsunade.
Anticipating the fun of 'taming a fierce beast,' his mood actually picked up a bit.
"Put these on. I don't mind keeping you locked up as occasional stress relief, but there are children at my base. Not good letting them see you like this."
After fiddling at the table for a while, Hii Kōri returned to Tsunade—curled in a corner in classic post-coital pose, hugging her knees—and tossed her clothes.
"Size should fit—I personally measured, after all."
"Just a brat, yet surprisingly fluent in such vulgar lines..."
Sensing no room for resistance, Tsunade glanced at Hii Kōri without moving, spat: "Trying to anger me this way? Humiliate me further?"
"Brat? My old hag can say that, but Senju princess, you're not much older than me. In this area of experience, you're far more lacking."
He sat on a shadow stool, raised his foot to tilt her chin, again taunting.
Thirty-two in previous life, seventeen now—combined, older than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Factoring physical influence on mental influence, average twenty-four or five—indeed not much younger than twenty-seven-year-old Tsunade.
Magnetic field arithmetic, you could say.
"Speaking of which, our compatibility isn't bad."
"!"
Slapping away Hii Kōri's foot, Tsunade clenched her fists as if about to erupt. But after a moment, she stood and changed clothes before him without scruple.
Simple, comfortable, movement-appropriate short coat and pants—no deliberately shameful design.
As Hii Kōri said, the size were quite suitable.
"You're... not going to lock me up?"
Tying her disheveled hair, watching Hii Kōri write at the table, Tsunade was momentarily surprised.
"Is there need? You don't think this is inside some barrier, do you?"
Mental Derivation Spirit Transformation didn't hinder his writing. He rapidly filled a page—Tsunade noticed it was an Earth Release training guide, quite detailed at first glance.
Not looking up, continuing summarizing techniques looted from Iwa, he casually said: "This is an alternate space constructed within my shadow. Even space–time ninjutsu users couldn't invade without coordinates. As a prison cell, nothing's more reliable."
He glanced at Tsunade, lightly sneered: "Or do you think, with chakra sealed, you could defeat me? It's only a few months—can you endure?"
"Tch..."
Though Hii Kōri's words as an enemy couldn't be fully accepted, they made Tsunade realize her situation.
Unable to resist, unable to escape—completely a prisoner.
"You said there are children at your base... kids captured as decoys infiltrating the front?"
The Senju princess took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her raging resentment, deciding to annoy him—at least not let him sort out the notes peacefully—and maybe extract intelligence.
Unaware of Hii Kōri's quad-core 256-thread brain's capabilities, Tsunade apparently tried
provoking him with such talk, but her skills were lacking, her mudslinging was blunt.
"I haven't sunk that low. Just war orphans taken in along the way."
Mentioning this, Hii Kōri seemed to find it amusing. Leaning back, he nonchalantly tapped his chin: "Three children whose families were all killed by your Konoha ninjas. Lucky I found them before they died in the mountains."
Tsunade choked, momentarily at a loss.
"Alright. Almost there."
Seeing her awkwardness, Hii Kōri's figure gradually dissolved into shadow, swapping with his external shadow clone.
From afar, the hut they'd habitually called 'home' still stood quietly by the river, his disciples' chakra signatures equally calm.
"Ha... so tired."
***
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