Taking a deep breath that made her chest rise and fall noticeably, Tsunade looked at Kizaru and continued explaining,
"Jiraiya heard you were going to become Orochimaru's student. He got curious and wanted to test your strength on Orochimaru's behalf."
Kizaru lowered his raised finger, then touched the side of his head with a sheepish smile.
"I'm really sorry about that~ I wonder if Jiraiya-sama's injuries are serious?"
Hearing that, Tsunade turned and looked toward the direction Jiraiya had been sent flying.
By then, the dust had mostly cleared.
Jiraiya lay sprawled on the ground in the distance, his clothes torn, his body covered in dust and blood.
At the very least, he was still breathing.
Tsunade quietly let out a breath of relief before turning back to Kizaru.
"He'll live."
I'm not fine at all, damn it…
Lying there flat on his back and staring at the sky, Jiraiya suddenly felt like crying.
"Tsunade-oneechan~ shouldn't you treat Jiraiya-sama first?" Kizaru asked kindly. He had followed her gaze and, seeing Jiraiya looking like he might die at any second, gave a very considerate reminder.
The Jiraiya lying there in the distance heard those words and instantly felt warmth surge through his heart.
His impression of Kizaru shot up on the spot.
What a good kid… little nephew-kun really is a good person…
"As long as I'm here, he won't die," Tsunade said confidently, folding her arms.
Crack.
The sound was almost like something snapping inside Jiraiya's heart.
"Mm~ he should be fine if you leave him there a little longer, I think~" Kizaru said with an easy nod.
Crack.
That was it.
Completely shattered.
Jiraiya could practically feel his heart breaking apart.
So this was how it was.
Love really did disappear.
There was no warmth left in this world.
Just as Jiraiya was sinking into utter despair over the cruelty of life, the sunlight above him suddenly dimmed.
A figure had stepped over and was now blocking it.
"You idiot."
Orochimaru's voice was as cold as ever as he crouched down beside him.
He wasn't a specialist in medical ninjutsu like Tsunade, but as a prodigy in ninjutsu, Orochimaru still knew enough to handle basic treatment.
After a quick examination, he found the injuries were more serious than they looked.
Subcutaneous bleeding.
Damage to internal organs.
Several cracked ribs.
As he worked, Orochimaru couldn't help inwardly reassessing Kizaru's absurd physical strength.
"Orochimaru…" Jiraiya called out in a deeply moved voice.
At that moment, Orochimaru seemed kinder and nobler than ever before.
It was honestly enough to make a man emotional.
"Stop looking at me with those disgusting eyes and quit imagining weird things, idiot," Orochimaru said coldly, clearly repulsed.
"You—" Jiraiya started angrily.
But the moment he met Orochimaru's dangerous stare, he swallowed the rest of the words back down.
Naturally, neither Kizaru nor Tsunade missed what Orochimaru was doing over there.
Both glanced in Jiraiya's direction again.
"It looks like Jiraiya-sama will be alright after all~" Kizaru said, his eyes lingering briefly on the young Orochimaru.
"Tch." Tsunade clicked her tongue, then looked back at Kizaru. "Kid, what was that glowing jutsu you used just now?"
Then, seemingly worried she might have crossed a line, she quickly added,
"If it's something you can't talk about, then forget it."
Kizaru smiled easily.
"It's not some big secret. That was the Bloodline Limit I awakened not too long ago—Light Release."
"Light Release…?" Tsunade repeated, confused.
Wasn't the Shimura clan known for Wind Release?
Since when had they started producing a Bloodline Limit like that?
A series of doubts rose in her mind. She studied Kizaru for a moment, hesitated, then asked anyway,
"Did you create it yourself?"
Kizaru was a little tempted to nod and show off just a bit.
But remembering the Great Elder's repeated warnings, he stuck to the story they had already prepared.
"No," he said with a smile. "It's a Bloodline Limit passed down from the Shimura clan's ancestors. It just hasn't appeared for a very long time."
Liar, Tsunade thought immediately.
Still, outwardly, she simply nodded as if she accepted it.
There had never been any record of Light Release appearing in the Shimura clan—not in any clan history she had ever read.
Which meant the most likely answer was obvious.
The brat in front of her had created it himself.
Thinking that, Tsunade took another long, careful look at Kizaru.
And then, unwillingly, she had to admit something.
With the talent and strength this child had already shown at just six years old, there really was a chance...
A real chance...
That one day he might reach her grandfather's level.
Maybe even go beyond it.
Tsunade unconsciously lifted her gaze toward the sky, as if she could see Hashirama's smiling face there.
Grandpa… a terrifying kid's been born in the village.
He might really become someone on your level one day.
When Kizaru noticed Tsunade staring blankly upward, he didn't just stand there.
He took the initiative and walked over to her.
Despite being only six years old, Kizaru was already around 175 centimeters tall—well above Tsunade's 163.1.
As he stepped closer, he lowered his head slightly—
And ended up making direct eye contact with her.
Tsunade's gaze flicked back down and landed on his face.
His face was undeniably handsome, but the look he wore was annoyingly suspicious—innocent enough at first glance, yet somehow making it feel like he was absolutely entertaining some perverted thought.
Almost immediately, she turned her eyes away.
It wasn't some ridiculous love-at-first-sight nonsense.
She just didn't like the feeling of having to look up at a kid who was supposedly only six.
That was irritating on principle.
Kizaru, of course, paid no attention to her avoiding his gaze.
And he was nowhere near narcissistic enough to think she was blushing because of him.
"Tsunade-oneechan~"
"Stop right there."
Tsunade cut him off immediately.
Even if he really was only six, his height and build made it impossible to treat him like an ordinary child.
So hearing someone who looked like this call her oneechan felt deeply wrong.
"Call me Tsunade-neesan," she said. "Not oneechan."
"Tsunade-neesan~" Kizaru corrected smoothly, then smiled. "I was hoping you wouldn't tell anyone about my Bloodline Limit."
Tsunade nodded.
She understood what he meant.
The taller the tree, the more the wind targeted it.
For someone like Kizaru, wanting to keep that hidden for now was only natural.
"Don't worry," she said, patting her chest confidently. "None of us are going to talk about what happened here today."
"Then thank you very much, Tsunade-neesan~"
"It's nothing," Tsunade replied with a grin. "Just a small favor."
But even after saying that, her eyes kept drifting back to the body in front of her.
In the end, she couldn't resist reaching out and squeezing his...
It was hard, firm and ridiculously solid...
Don't get her wrong she was touching his hand.
Tsunade's eyes twitched.
What kind of body does this brat even have…?
Looking at him, she couldn't help asking again,
"You're seriously only six?"
Kizaru gave her a slightly troubled smile.
"I know it's a little hard to believe~ but yes, I really am."
Tsunade stared at him for another moment, and then a sudden idea hit her.
"Kid," she said, eyes brightening, "do you want to become my student? I'll teach you my powerful strength enhancing techniques."
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.
Maybe she herself would never reach the level of her grandfather.
But if she could train someone who might one day stand beside that level—
That was different.
And with Kizaru's ridiculous physical ability, combined with her own Strength of a Hundred-style combat principles and chakra-enhanced strength…
The sheer power he could unleash would be terrifying.
Just imagining him turning into a battlefield monster with that kind of force behind every blow made Tsunade's heart race a little.
Kizaru, meanwhile, just smiled.
"I don't really mind~ but if you want that, you'll have to get the old man… and my uncle to agree first~"
"Easy." Tsunade patted her chest again, full of confidence. "Leave that to me."
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