Konoha Notes

Chapter 100 Communication
“A village dominated by a single ninja clan can hardly survive, even for us.” Tsunade’s voice broke the silence, calm as she looked at Shuji. “Before, Granny Momoka was there, and now you are here too. They won’t be bullied, so…”

Shuji probably understood why Tsunade had specifically brought him to Uzushio Village.

But he remained unmoved, simply gazing at the ruins.

Seeing Shuji's state, Princess Senju lost interest in continuing the conversation, leaned wearily against a broken section of the low wall, and closed her eyes.

Activating the Yin Seal means consuming one's long-accumulated chakra, and even with Shuji's replenishment, it is still a mentally taxing process.

"Whatever, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

Xiu Si adjusted his tone, which was neither as cold and slightly prickly as before, nor as docile and somewhat greasy as before, but became clear and steady.

"Although you have been emphasizing this point, your actions suggest that you do not think so."

Tsunade lifted her eyelids, glanced at him, and said with a hint of surprise, "You can talk normally again now."

“Since I met you again, I have been so rude, yet you have tolerated it and are willing to help me cultivate immortal arts, saying that you have let go of everything.” Shuji met those bright brown eyes. “But the one I have never been able to let go of is you, Lady Tsunade.”

Tsunade clenched her fists, lowered her head, and avoided eye contact.

The mental exhaustion caused by the massive depletion of chakra quietly spread, causing her vision to blur for a moment, and she almost saw that tender yet lifeless face.

Rope Tree...

"What nonsense are you spouting now..."

"Have you ever wondered why I'm being so blunt?"

She twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing an expression that could hardly be called a smile.

There's no need to even think about it. Granny Taohua had already heard about the child she had with her. What kind of kind look would someone who would do anything to prove the glory of the Thousand Hands have for a coward like her, who had fled the village and was addicted to alcohol and gambling?

Especially now that she has her grandfather's cells and has learned immortal arts, everything she does afterward is predictable.

“Empty words won’t make you understand.” Shuuji stretched out his hand, his palm glowing with blue light. “I’ve heard that in the beginning, people used chakra to understand each other.”

Tsunade's eyes flickered slightly, her arm rose a little, and her fingertips extended forward almost imperceptibly, but just before they touched, she suddenly swung her hand away, scattering the docile chakra with a single palm strike.

"Enough!" She stood up abruptly, her tone curt. "I have no interest!"

Seeing Tsunade flee as if escaping, Shuji withdrew his hand.

Tsunade's hemophobia is partly due to war PTSD, but judging from how she overcame it after witnessing Naruto's desperate struggles, there are other reasons behind this symptom.

For example, Hashirama Senju's dream was to achieve peace by creating a village.

She fought for everything she loved and cherished, and then died, but peace remained a distant dream.

Based on the experience of the original work, there are two points to help Tsunade overcome her fear of blood: 1. Let her see that there is still hope for Hashirama Senju's dream; 2. The situation is urgent, so that she has enough motivation to immediately overcome the fear brought by blood.

Naruto Uzumaki proved the first point, which in turn made the second condition true.

The problem is that he's not a passionate man; he doesn't have the infectious charisma to easily influence others.

If so, resolving this matter would be much simpler. Even if Tsunade's hemophobia can't be cured, mastering Sage Mode would at least make this vacation worthwhile.

The next day, Tsunade showed no signs of anything amiss, as if the conversation from the previous night had never happened. She continued to help Shuji with his Sage Mode training.

Having learned from the previous day's experience, Xiuji was no longer as overwhelmed by the natural energy today.

Although some woody features may occasionally appear on its body, the overall condition is under control.

Having overcome the first hurdle in absorbing natural energy, the training methods at Shikkotsu Forest also demonstrated advantages different from those at Myoboku Mountain.

When the slug diverts excess natural energy, it does so gently and continuously, unlike Mount Myōboku which directly eliminates it. This prevents the practice from being interrupted, making it easier to maintain balance during the practice.

After completing her training, Tsunade did not leave again this time. After having her chakra replenished twice, she had figured out the experience and methods. As long as she could intercept and integrate the vital chakra that Shuji fed back, she could offset the damage to her body caused by the Kachi Yin Seal, and she would no longer age.

This time, Shuji took the initiative to approach Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama."

"What?"

"There's something I forgot to tell you yesterday."

Tsunade replied nonchalantly, "Oh, what's the big deal?"

“You may have misunderstood again. I have no intention of rebuilding the clan.” Shuji looked at the sea. “I understand your concerns. In fact, since Hashirama and Tobirama, the Senju clan has not produced any outstanding figures.”

The veins on the woman's smooth forehead suddenly bulged. After listening to the first half of the story, she seemed quite relieved, yet also somewhat regretful.

Hearing the rest, my temper flared up again; I felt this kid was still as tactless as ever.
"I am one of the Legendary Sannin! You brat!" Tsunade practically spat out the words through clenched teeth, throwing a punch that was dodged by Shuji.

With another punch, Shuji realized that Tsunade wasn't really using her full strength, and caught it with his hand.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to mention you separately."

"What I mean is that I do intend to unite the clansmen in the village, but not to form a clan. I just hope to use their strength to speak out about the current situation."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's anger subsided slightly, but she then frowned again: "So this is how it is... Wait, if that's the case, what is it that you're unhappy with me for now!"

I'm not an extreme proponent of the "thousand-hand" philosophy, so what was the meaning behind my previous sarcastic remarks?

Are you deliberately trying to disgust people? You bastard!
The strength that had loosened in her hands increased again as Tsunade's anger flared up.

Shuji also unleashed a powerful burst of chakra, steadily holding his own against it.

"That's exactly what I'm about to explain..."

He sank his consciousness deep into the depths, discarding the chaotic memories belonging to the otherworldly soul, and stripped away everything accumulated by the original owner of this body during his fourteen years of life, passing it on through their intertwined hands.

Tsunade was about to break free, but hesitated for a moment. Everything about a boy who had lived for fourteen years entered her mind through the connection of chakra.

(End of this chapter)