Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

Chapter 157 Shizune's Determination, Tsunade's Hesitation!

After Kakashi left, the reception room was quiet for a moment.

Shizune, carrying Tun Tun, walked out from the corner of the corridor and stood at the door with a hesitant look on her face.

She paused at the threshold, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the short fur on Tun Tun's back, as if trying to borrow some courage from the little animal to speak.

"Lady Tsunade—" she finally spoke, her voice soft and tentative, "Is this really alright? That's a method left behind by that person, won't something go wrong?"

With no outsiders present, Tsunade completely reverted to her lazy demeanor.

She put her legs on the table, ankles crossed, the hem of her yukata slipping down to above her knees.

One hand rested casually on the armrest, while the other held a teacup as he leaned back in his chair.

He looked as if his bones had been removed, glanced at Shizune, and casually waved his hand.

"What problem could there be? That's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, not some kind of bloodline limit." Tsunade's tone was casual and very certain.

"And I've already checked; although it's due to the left eye, it won't actually have much of an impact."

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"The real problem has always been with that left eye. It won't cause any problems unless the seal is broken and the abilities within the left eye are triggered."

At this point, her tone suddenly turned somber, tinged with resentment: "Unlike us, that bastard directly integrated his methods into the Yin Seal, affecting our entire body, making it impossible to undo."

Shizune gave a forced smile, pursed her lips, and didn't reply. She understood all too well the gritted teeth of Lady Tsunade.

If someone were used as an experimental subject and had something implanted in their body that could never be removed, they would not just laugh it off.

But she didn't continue the conversation on that topic today.

Shizune lowered her head, her fingers tracing circles on Tun Tun's back. The expression on her face changed from hesitation to confusion, and then from confusion to a cautious probing.

She bit her lip, finally mustered up her courage, and looked up at Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, I—I want to try too."

Tsunade paused, the rim of the cup hovering near her lips, her brow furrowing. "Try? What do you want to try?"

Jingyin felt a little uncomfortable under that gaze, so she turned her head slightly and looked towards the bamboo forest outside the window.

She didn't hide for long; she took a deep breath and turned her gaze back.

"I am not as important as Lady Tsunade, but my situation is the same as Lady Tsunade's."

"So I want to try to break the seal, cultivate the methods he left behind, and let Lady Tsunade witness all the changes in this process, so that she can find a way to break it."

She paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts, or perhaps trying to encourage herself.

"Actually, I know very well that the sealing team's sealing work has only temporarily slowed down the progress."

"As long as the Yin Seal is still flowing in our bodies and accumulating chakra, we will eventually step into that situation."

"So—why don't I take the lead and set an example for Lady Tsunade?"

Her voice trembled slightly, but she didn't utter a single word.

"Maybe, maybe we can find a solution."

Tsunade's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. The tea sloshed in the cup, almost spilling out.

She put down her teacup, pulled her legs off the table, and sat up straight.

Because of her lazy posture, the neckline of her yukata had slipped down a bit, revealing one shoulder and collarbone. She casually pulled it up, not paying much attention.

The languid look in her amber eyes gradually faded, replaced by a seriousness rarely seen on her face.

The silence in the room lasted for a few breaths. Only the bamboo leaves outside the window rustled softly in the morning breeze.

"Mute, do you know what you're saying?"

Jingyin raised her head, her lips moved, but she did not answer immediately.

She knew, of course she knew.

This thought had been lingering in her mind for more than just a day or two.

This idea, like a seed, fell into the deepest part of her heart from the very beginning, slowly taking root and sprouting, until today, it has finally broken through the soil.

"I know." Shizune's voice became more composed as she looked up to meet Tsunade's gaze. "Lady Tsunade, you said..."

"The thing that man left inside us has become intertwined with the Yin Seal, and it cannot be removed or broken."

"The sealing by the sealing team only puts it to a temporary slumber, but sooner or later—"

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Sooner or later, it will wake up. And when that happens, we will still become what it wants us to be."

Tsunade didn't interrupt her. She tapped her fingers lightly on the table twice, the rhythm slow and low, as if she was thinking about something or suppressing something.

"So you want to touch that thing on your own initiative?" Tsunade's tone was unusually calm.

Silent Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "Yes."

"Aren't you afraid?" Tsunade's question was brief and direct.

"I'm scared!" Shizune's fingers tightened on Ton-Ton's back. "But Lady Tsunade, I'm not afraid of something happening to me."

.

What I fear is that one day, that man will use me to harm you; what I fear is that I will become a tool he uses to hurt you.

Tsunade frowned: "Mute!"

"Lady Tsunade, please let me finish." Shizune's voice suddenly rose a little.

Even Tuntun was startled. She poked her head out from her arms, her little eyes darting around, looking at her master and then at Tsunade.

Shizune realized her lapse in composure, took a deep breath, and calmed down, but her voice still carried an eagerness that had been suppressed for a long time and was finally being released.

"Unlike Lady Tsunade, I don't have the bloodline of the First Hokage, the title of the Legendary Sannin, or the identity of Konoha and the Land of Fire behind me."

"I'm just an ordinary medical ninja. I have no family, no background, and nothing that I absolutely have to do."

She trembled slightly, but still continued speaking.

"But my situation is the same as Lady Tsunade's. The person planted something in our bodies using the same method and the same technique."

"If a solution can be found in me, then there is hope that Lady Tsunade's problem can be resolved."

Tsunade stopped tapping her fingers on the table, resting her palm flat on the table, her fingertips turning slightly white.

She looked at Jingyin, the words that were on the tip of her tongue: You are my disciple, it's not your place to step in on this kind of thing.

But she was silenced by the light in Shizune's eyes. It wasn't a grand light, nor was it the kind of heroic sacrifice, but rather a simpler, almost stubborn obstinacy.

She knew this girl who had been with her for so many years too well; Jingyin wouldn't listen to such words.

Tsunade's lips pressed into a thin line. Her fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeve, then relaxed.

"Do you know what that means?" Tsunade's voice lowered slightly. "Once the seal is broken, that person's technique will be fully activated, if they want it."

"You might lose control of your body, you might become his puppet, you might do things you never thought you would do."

"By then, even if I wanted to save you, I might not be able to."

"I know." Shizune's voice was calmer than before, as if she had suppressed all her unease and fear deep in her heart, leaving only a clear and resolute expression on the surface. "That's why this matter cannot be done by Lady Tsunade."

She turned her head slightly, her gaze falling once again on the bamboo grove outside the window.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting countless tiny spots of light, like a silent hope.

"Lady Tsunade's identity is too important. Konoha cannot do without you. The village's ninjas need you. The Third Hokage and Jiraiya need you."

Shizune withdrew her gaze and returned it to Tsunade's face, a slight smile playing on her lips.

He gave a somewhat forced but genuine smile: "But I'm different. If something really goes wrong, at least—it won't cause too much trouble."

"What are you doing—"

'

"And!" Shizune didn't give Tsunade a chance to speak, her voice suddenly carrying a rare hint of stubbornness.

"The seal has only temporarily slowed down the process. As long as the Yin Seal is still flowing in our bodies and accumulating chakra, we will eventually reach that point again."

"So—I might as well take the lead and take that step."

She stood up, placed Tonton on the low table, then put her hands at her sides, bent slightly, and bowed deeply to Tsunade.

The curve of his back resembled that of a bent bamboo, yet it never broke.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade, this is my own decision, and I hope—you can support me."

Tun Tun circled twice on the low table, making "plop" sounds of dissatisfaction, as if protesting being abandoned.

Tsunade lowered her head, looking at the deeply buried, slightly trembling head in front of her.

She could feel Jingyin trembling, not from fear, but from tension, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She reached out and gently patted the top of Mute's head.

It wasn't heavy, you could even say it was very light, like the force with which she patted the girl's head when she first met her.

"Raise your head." Tsunade's voice was a little hoarse, but it still carried that bossy, unquestionable tone.

Shizune slowly straightened up. Her eyes were red, but she didn't cry. She rarely cried in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade stared at her for a moment, her lips twitching slightly as if she were preparing some expression, but in the end she just shook her head gently.

"You—" She withdrew her hand, leaned back in her chair, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Let me think about it."

Shizune opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but Tsunade glared at her and shut her up.

"I said let me think about it, and I mean let me think about it." Tsunade's voice rose a few decibels. "What's the rush? Are you worried about missing out on a good opportunity to die?"

Shizune choked for a moment and silently shut her mouth. Tun Tun made two gloating "pfft" sounds, but Shizune pulled her into her arms and covered her mouth.

Tsunade didn't say anything more. She picked up the cup of tea, which had gone cold, and took a sip.

His brow furrowed; the tea wouldn't taste as good once it got cold.

She put the cup back on the table, pushed it away a little with her fingertips, then rested her chin on her hand, her gaze falling on the bamboo grove outside the window, illuminated by the sunlight.

The bamboo leaves swayed gently in the wind, and her thoughts swayed along with them.