Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"You're all grown up now, stop crying so easily. There are too many people here, let's go outside first..."

Shinto looked at Nawaki's lifeless state and sighed helplessly. To be honest, it would have been better if he had been poisoned to death by his two underlings during World War II than like this. Not only could he not win Tsunade's heart, but this kid also had to endure so many years of hardship with Tsunade.

I wonder if it's because the Second Master Senju dug up his own brother's grave that this kid has to bear the consequences alone. He's clearly Hashirama Senju's grandson, but his talent is a complete mess, even inferior to ordinary Senju clan members. Not only does he have to endure hardship with Tsunade, but he also forcibly lowers the Senju clan's standards. It's just pathetic...

"...Hmph! I'll come back tomorrow! (▼he▼メ)"

Tsunade looked at this guy's serious expression. To be honest, although he was becoming more and more unkempt, he had a good foundation, so it didn't seem like much after a while. In fact, he was quite handsome when he was serious. However, this was not a reason for her to give up. The main reason was that it was related to her younger brother, so she had to give him face.

.....

"Tell me, what has this matter to do with Rope Tree?"

After leaving the casino, the three went to a pub. Nawaki seemed to have not eaten meat for many years, and he devoured a pile of large meat legs amidst the shocked gazes of those around him. Tsunade ignored her embarrassing younger brother next door and said...

"Here's the thing, look at this. Putting aside our relationship, Nawaki has been calling me brother-in-law for over ten years. I've watched him grow up day by day, and now he's in his mid-twenties. My nephew is several years younger than him, and he already has a daughter. Rasa is two years younger than him, and he's almost having his third child. And your Konoha's Minato Namikaze, Ino-Shika-Cho, and others who are Nawaki's generation or even a few years younger have almost all settled down and started families. It's not a good idea for Nawaki to keep drifting along with you like this."

"After all, you are the heir of your Senju clan. Although the Senju clan has declined and only you two siblings remain, your reputation still stands. I've also looked into Konoha. Apart from the Uchiha, no other family's daughter is worthy of Nawaki's status. The Uchiha clan is your Senju's sworn enemy, so that's definitely out of the question. The Hyuga clan's main family doesn't have any exceptionally talented daughters, and the branch family isn't a good match either. Nawaki's talent is what it is. You wouldn't want him to just marry any girl and have children, only to have the next generation's talent be inferior to his, would you?"

Shinto gave her a very serious analysis. Before leaving the village, he had consulted Sasori's father, a master of flirting, about it. He explained that the reason he couldn't win Tsunade's heart over the years was not only because of their different social statuses, but also because Nawaki was still alive and young. Nawaki was Tsunade's only family member, and he was also quite incompetent. Naturally, Tsunade's heart was set on her younger brother. Otherwise, to be honest, even with the difference in their social statuses, after so many years, even an iron man would have been moved to tears.

So, to increase the success rate of winning over Tsunade this time, the first thing to do is to separate Tsunade from Nawaki. But it's very difficult to separate Tsunade from Nawaki. Even killing Nawaki won't work. As long as Nawaki dies, when Tsunade is sad and upset, hand her a tissue to wipe away her tears, and lend her a shoulder to cry on... Isn't that pretty much the same routine as the one in the original work where something was broken?

However, the time to eliminate Nawaki has passed. The best opportunity was wasted by Danzo, that idiot teammate. So now, we need to appeal to Tsunade's emotions and make her realize that the younger brother she has "taken care of" since childhood has really grown up. As the legitimate heir of the Senju clan, he can't just follow her aimlessly for the rest of his life. A man, especially an heir who bears the heavy responsibility of inheriting and expanding the Senju clan, naturally wouldn't be willing to continue living such a muddled life with her.

So the first thing to do is to introduce a girl to Nawaki so that he can settle down and start a family. When Nawaki already has a family, Tsunade, as his older sister, won't have to devote all her attention to her younger brother. At that time, his success rate will be much higher than it is now.

"Oh? Do you have a good candidate in mind? Is it that child from the Whirlpool Clan in your village?"

Sure enough, Tsunade's eyes lit up when she heard this. She had thought before that after the war, she would give Nawaki to Hiruzen Sarutobi and have him give him a few girls, since Nawaki was old enough to have children. However, just as Shinto said, when she was preparing to take Nawaki back to Konoha, she suddenly realized that there were not many talented girls of Nawaki's generation in Konoha. Kushina had been reserved by Minato Namikaze since she was a child.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi were to randomly pair Nawaki with a few girls of average talent, she really wouldn't be willing. After all, Nawaki, who already possesses half of the Senju clan's bloodline, is already like this. If he were to marry those girls with mediocre talent, the bloodline would be diluted even more severely, and it would be a miracle if they could produce any geniuses!

Although everyone says everyone is equal, she, born into a wealthy family, knows firsthand how incredibly important bloodline and talent are in the ninja world. Hearing this guy say this, he's probably helping Nawaki find a good candidate. Doesn't Sunagakure have a child from the Uzumaki clan...?

767. Being buddies with handsome Scorpion means you'll get shot by him.

"Ahem! That girl is already head over heels for handsome Sasori, and they've even had a daughter. I reckon Nawaki doesn't want to be brothers with Sasori. But I do have another suitable candidate. My disciple, Pakura, is twenty years old. She's one of those rare Sunagakure scorching ninjas we only see once every few decades. Her talent is also quite good. She became a Jonin at sixteen and is now an elite member of our Sunagakure Anbu. The last scorching ninja was someone who could go toe-to-toe with my idol, Madara, for several minutes. Her talent is undeniable. Think about it, your Senju and Uzumaki clans both have a lot of chakra and strong vitality, but they can't awaken your grandfather's Wood Release, or even your great-grandfather's Water Release. Isn't that a waste? If Nawaki and my female disciple combine the genes of both families, imagine if the next generation of your Senju clan didn't awaken Wood Release, but had a bloodline limit? With scorching release combined with the chakra of your Senju clan's ocean waves, wouldn't your Senju clan rise again?"

Upon hearing that Tsunade had taken a liking to Sasori's sister, Shinto's eyelids twitched incessantly. This girl had no intention of letting her little brother live. Although Sasori's romantic relationships were weak, he was still considered a friend of Nawaki. But no matter how weak the relationship was, no matter how good the friendship was, if he knew that Nawaki was after his sister and wanted to be his brother, what would happen? He would definitely kill Nawaki.

He only wanted to introduce Pakura to Tsunade. After all, there weren't many girls in the entire ninja world around Nawaki's age who were presentable. The future Fifth Mizukage was one, but she hadn't even shown her face yet. The other was Pakura, but he didn't know the future Fifth Mizukage. Even if he introduced her to Tsunade, given Nawaki's level, he probably wouldn't be able to win her over. However, as for his disciple, Pakura... if Nawaki came knocking, there would be a good chance...

"Your disciple... her Blazing Release technique is not bad, but she's from your Sand Village, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Upon realizing that the girl wasn't from the Uzumaki clan, Tsunade was a little disappointed. After all, the Uzumaki clan often intermarried with the Senju clan in the past, making the Uzumaki clan the best choice. Although this scorching ninja was not bad, possessing a bloodline limit, she was still inferior to the Uzumaki clan, and there was also a difference in their social status.

Nawaki is the heir of the Senju clan, representing them. Marrying a girl from Sunagakure wouldn't be a good idea; it would ruin the reputation her grandfather and great-grandfather had built. But this guy's analysis isn't wrong either. There aren't many girls with good talent in the ninja world right now, and a Scorch Release ninja who is also an elite Jonin is indeed one. After all, in terms of the upper limit of the ninja world, women generally have a lower upper limit than men. Although Pakura isn't as sharp as her, becoming a Jonin at sixteen is already quite good, at least sharper than Shinku. According to Orochimaru, it can also combine Nawaki's talent genes to improve the next generation's talent. If the next generation can really awaken Scorch Release and combine it with their Senju clan's genes, they might really take off.

But the key issue is Nawaki's identity; the heir of the Senju clan marrying a girl from an enemy village is even more problematic than her marrying into Sunagakure...

"Look at you, after all these years, how come you still can't see things clearly? Back then, your grandfather, Hashirama Senju, was a role model for the ninja world, a loving family. Your grandmother, Lady Mito, was able to set aside the prejudices between villages. As a descendant, why are you still so hung up on these things? If the world really ends, won't everyone unite against a common enemy? If Hashirama Senju and Lady Mito knew that you, for the sake of the Senju clan and for the sake of Nawaki's next generation, disregarded past grievances and allowed him to marry someone from another village, I think... they would be very gratified..."

Seeing Tsunade still struggling with her decision, Masato felt that there was a real chance to persuade her. Of course, he couldn't openly tell Tsunade that Nawaki had come to visit. It was better not to say such things for now. By the time things were done, it would be up to them whether Pakura returned to Konoha with Nawaki or Nawaki stayed in Sunagakure.

However, he estimated that someone like Ebizo, who had been poisoned by traditional ideas for decades, would definitely not let Pakura go to Konoha. If it were just an ordinary elite Jonin, not some high-ranking official, it wouldn't matter if he left. But the key is that this elite Jonin is the only Scorch Release ninja in Sunagakure. Only one like him appears every few decades. Things are valued because they are rare. As the saying goes, every bloodline limit is a treasure of the village. Haven't you seen that Kumogakure's Storm Release hasn't produced any desirable individuals for decades, not even as good as Tsuchikage's Lava Release? Yet, almost every generation of Storm Release ninjas are the Raikage's guards because these people represent the face of the village. If a village doesn't even have a few bloodline limits, wouldn't it be laughed at by others? Iwagakure hasn't had any decent talents in recent years, but why is Onoki still so arrogant? Isn't it because he has the only bloodline limit in the ninja world, the Tota?

So even though Ebizo is now semi-retired, he definitely won't let Pakura and Nawaki go to Konoha. It's a matter of the village's reputation and standing. And if he knew Pakura and Nawaki were involved, who knows if he'd have a stroke...

"Nawaki, you've met Yekura before. Although she's not as pretty as Sasori, she's still world-class in looks. Don't you have anything to say?"

After finishing speaking, Masato gave Tsunade time to consider, then turned and raised an eyebrow at Nawaki, who was diligently working with a large, fleshy leg next to him.

No wonder the savior in the original story was able to persuade Tsunade to return to Konoha and become Hokage after Hiruzen Sarutobi's death. Even someone as ordinary-looking as Nawaki is much more handsome than the savior. The key is that their personalities are so damn similar—both have incredibly thick skin. He and Tsunade were right there discussing his current status as a clueless, single guy for so long, and he just acted like it was none of his business, completely oblivious, and went about his battle with his "flesh legs"...

"boom!"

"You idiot, don't act so nonchalant, we're talking about you!"

Looking at her good-for-nothing younger brother, Tsunade couldn't help but punch him so hard he fell onto the table, and then angrily sprayed him in the face.

She was so worried about her younger brother, and yet this big-hearted girl was still eating here. The more she looked at her idiot brother, the angrier she got...

"Sis, why don't you just decide this yourself...(╥﹏╥)"

Rope Tree, with a large bag on its head and its head resting on the table, looked at its older sister with a tearful and aggrieved expression.

Ever since his older sister said she'd send him back to Konoha in two years so the Hokage could find him some girls, he'd been mentally prepared to become a stud.

768. Tsunade was kidnapped by that bastard again.

He could only silently pray that the Naruto uncle's aesthetic sense was within the normal range, and that he wouldn't be forced to accept something of the Sarutobi or Shimura clan's caliber.

Of course, if she is his future brother-in-law's disciple, the girl he had met before was actually quite nice. Although they were both minors when they met, she was a beautiful girl from a young age. Compared to the unknown that the Hokage uncle gave him, he preferred the girl he already knew, the girl.

However, his opinion doesn't count. Firstly, he is the heir of the Senju clan. Although his strength is rather weak, the name "Senju" determines his status in Konoha. Not only can Minato, the Fourth Hokage, represent Konoha, but he, as the heir of the Senju clan, can also represent it. Therefore, his identity is very sensitive. It would be fine if he just flirted with girls from other villages, but if he were to take responsibility, he probably couldn't. But then again, she is his future brother-in-law's disciple. If he dares to play with her feelings, no matter how close he is to his future brother-in-law, his future brother-in-law will probably cripple his third leg.

Secondly, from childhood to adulthood, whether it was attending the ninja academy or becoming Orochimaru's disciple, his sister and the Hokage had arranged everything for him. Throughout his more than twenty years of growth, he had never had the right to choose and had become accustomed to a life without choices.

And seeing his older sister worrying about him, he simply stopped caring and did whatever she asked, as long as she was happy...

"Idiot! It's you who's looking for girls, not me! What do you mean 'I decide' is fine?!" (▼へ▼メ)

Seeing her younger brother's expression, Tsunade was furious, but ultimately she didn't bring herself to throw the punch.

He's my younger brother, after all; who would be willing to hit him hard...?

"Nawaki is already so big, there's no point in continuing to fight him. You've been battering him for so many years, if you could change him, you would have changed him long ago. It's also because you and Hiruzen Sarutobi have been too protective of him. Flowers in a greenhouse may not wither easily, but how can they see a rainbow without experiencing wind and rain? I think you shouldn't even consider it anymore. I was just mentioning it to you; I haven't even told my disciple yet, and I don't know if he agrees or not. Besides, matters of the heart are between the two of them, and we shouldn't interfere too much. How about this, I'll take Nawaki to Sunagakure tomorrow. If Nawaki thinks it's okay, then we'll go for it. Whether it succeeds or not depends on his ability. He's been out there for so long, even if he hasn't eaten pork, he's seen pigs run, so he should have some experience..."

Seeing his brother-in-law's teary eyes and pitiful expression, Mato really couldn't bear it. Even raising a dog for so many years would have created a bond, let alone his brother-in-law who had idolized him since childhood.

"...Okay then, but I'm going too. I'm worried about Nawaki being alone in Sunagakure. I don't want it to be like last time."

Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. What does it matter how long you've been in the ninja world and whether you can flirt with girls? You've been in the ninja world for decades, and you still can't flirt with me.

She wasn't comfortable leaving Nawaki alone in Sunagakure. Last time she went there, Nawaki got attacked, and she was still terrified. If it weren't for her brother's tough luck, he'd be dead already...

......

"Hokage-sama, Third Hokage-sama, news has come from the Daimyo's capital: Golden Lion... Golden Lion appeared in the capital of the Daimyo's capital and then left with Tsunade and Nawaki..."

"puff!"

"What?! How did that bastard Shiki manage to kidnap Tsunade again?"

No sooner had Masato, Tsunade, and Nawaki left the capital of the Daimyo's city than Hiruzen Sarutobi's underlings, who had been sent to help Tsunade pay off her debts, sent word back, giving Hiruzen a real headache.

This year has been incredibly unlucky for Konoha. First, there was the news of his beloved student conducting human experiments on villagers, and before that news had even died down, Tsunade was seduced by Shiki. Although he had confidence in his student, Tsunade has always been incredibly strong-willed, Shiki's methods of revealing true character over time are a huge threat.

To be honest, after all these decades of unwavering devotion, if we disregard their identities, he felt that Tsunade should have agreed to his proposal.

What if Tsunade actually gets seduced by Shiki and marries into Sunagakure? How would she explain it to her two masters after she dies? The First Hokage would be alright; with his great wisdom and the noble ideal of a loving family in the ninja world, he probably wouldn't say anything, and might even happily let her gamble a couple of times with him. But her Second Hokage would probably jump out of his coffin. Although he might not show it outwardly, he knows how much his Second Hokage hates Shiki…

"It is said that the Golden Lion arrived in Daimyo's mansion yesterday, and then, I don't know what he talked about with Lady Tsunade. It is said that it was related to Nawaki. They left Daimyo's mansion early this morning."

"That's what the underling from the secret service said."

After all, both Shiki and Tsunade are formidable figures, and their people dare not get too close. If they were to whisper sweet nothings and Tsunade overheard them, even if Shiki didn't make a move, Tsunade would still beat them to death. However, they had heard from the gamblers at the casino that Shiki was looking for Tsunade because of Nawaki, and it seemed that he had something to discuss with Tsunade about Nawaki.

"Rope Tree... Rope Tree... How did you drag Rope Tree into this again...?"

Hearing his younger brother's guess, Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart tightened again. Nawaki was Konoha's precious treasure. Although his talent was lacking, he was still the First Hokage's grandson, with impeccable lineage. Even if he couldn't become Hokage, he was still a representative of the Senju clan, the face of Konoha! Although Nawaki had been wandering around outside all these years, Hiruzen had worried about him a lot. Before his beloved disciple Orochimaru defected, Hiruzen would often go to Orochimaru to ask him to send Nawaki some living expenses from time to time.

He knew Tsunade's situation. It was impossible to expect Tsunade to raise Nawaki. Someone like Tsunade would only care about keeping Nawaki alive. Why would she care about Nawaki's health and growth? So it was someone as experienced as him who could help. Wasn't Nawaki well-fed and healthy in Konoha by him?

He had considered that although Tsunade had taken Nawaki away, she had remained in the Land of Fire. Nawaki was, after all, the heir of the Senju clan, and would eventually return. Therefore, he wasn't worried. He had even considered finding a few attractive girls for Nawaki from his Sarutobi clan or his best friend's Shimura clan to send to him upon his return, thus ensuring the Senju clan's continued growth. This way, even when he was in front of the two masters, his voice would be louder than his other companions...

769. My daughter is so successful that she doesn't even have the confidence to speak properly.

Over the years, he had been deeply worried about this precious child. Now that Golden Lion had abducted Tsunade and Nawaki, and it seemed they were heading to Sunagakure, he was no longer worried that Tsunade would be deceived by Golden Lion's sweet talk. After all these years, if she could be deceived, she would have been deceived long ago. But now, his subordinate's report was related to Nawaki, which made him inexplicably anxious again. Sunagakure was practically a cursed place for Nawaki. The first time, their village spent a lot of resources to redeem him from Sunagakure. The second time was even more exciting; he was directly captured by Iwagakure's spies. If he hadn't fought Onoki to the death, who knows if he would have been taken to Iwagakure as a specimen...

Now they're still stubbornly going to Iwagakure. Tsunade is the same; she knows her brother is incompatible with Sunagakure, yet she still insists on taking him there. Wouldn't it be better if they just stayed in Daimyofu and lived a carefree life?

So annoying!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's shop, which was slightly more bustling than Onoki's, saw a number of customers fall from its forehead again...

"Lord Third Generation, I think it would be better to have someone bring Nawaki back?"

The perfect grand-disciple was very understanding. Seeing that his teacher's teacher had lost a few more hairs, he simply offered a suggestion.

Becoming Hokage is completely different from being a subordinate, especially regarding the Senju clan. Before, as a subordinate, I only thought the Senju clan held a special position in Konoha, having produced two Hokage, but in reality, they were only slightly more special than the Uchiha clan. However, after becoming Hokage and reviewing records from the past few decades, I realized just how important the Senju clan truly was in Konoha, and how special and crucial Nawaki, the current legitimate heir of the Senju clan, really was. The most outrageous thing was that during the Second Shinobi World War, the village spent an enormous amount of resources to ransom Nawaki from Sunagakure—far more than the gifts his friends gave him at his wedding!

He also realized that rope trees were so valuable.

Now Nawaki is going to Sunagakure again. Although he doesn't mean to look down on Sunagakure, it's certain that Sunagakure is not as safe as Konoha. If they get thrashed like last time, it would be a real disgrace. Not only would Sunagakure lose face, but Konoha would also lose face. In the past, he didn't think losing face was a big deal, but after becoming Hokage, he realized how important the village's face is. It's related to the village's status in the ninja world.

Therefore, he could understand why his teacher's teacher had pulled people to fight with Onoki for Nawaki's sake, and he could also understand why his teacher's teacher lost his fur when he heard that Nawaki had left the Land of Fire.

"Arrange for the ANBU to follow behind them and protect Nawaki. We'll decide what to do after they return..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, agreeing with his perfect grand-disciple's suggestion. He had originally wanted Nawaki to return, but he had been preoccupied with many things lately, and the matter of his beloved disciple Orochimaru had left him exhausted, causing him to forget about it...

.....

"Brother Pakula, it's not that I'm shirking my responsibilities after taking your gift, but I really can't persuade your daughter to join the Jonin class as an office worker. It's harder to get her to do that than to kill her. But now there's an opportunity to get her to leave the Anbu. I brought the Senju clan's heir here the other day, didn't I? That young man has been obsessed with your daughter ever since he first saw her. If he can win her over and let her experience the taste of love, then we don't need to ask Rasa for permission to leave. She's so busy in the Anbu, who has time for romance? You agree, right?"

After Shinto brought Tsunade and Nawaki to Sunagakure, Tsunade had already become quite adept at gambling there. She was naturally much more carefree at the Sunagakure casino than at the Land of Fire, and the money she lost was practically nothing... However, Sunagakure was still not the Land of Fire.

Nawaki had been going to the casino with Tsunade for the past two days. The main reason was that Yekura was the captain of the Anbu operations team and was usually very busy. Even Masato had to make an appointment to see him. So, taking advantage of this time, Masato came to give Yekura's father, the guy who used to bring him gifts all the time to persuade Yekura to leave the Anbu.

Yekura's family is a small family, with only about ten members. Yekura's father is just an ordinary Sand Village Jonin. It's unclear what his relationship is with the Scorching Release ninja who was slapped into a meat sandwich by Madara. Anyway, none of the ten or so members of the family have anything special or have awakened Scorching Release, except for Yekura.

The head of such a small family has no say in the village. In the past few decades, the highest-ranking official in the family has been Yecang, who became the captain of the Dark Division. Therefore, Yecang's father speaks softer in front of his daughter than Handsome Scorpion's father speaks in front of Handsome Scorpion.

"Lord Shinto, the other party is from Konoha, this... isn't quite appropriate?"

Pakura, Yekura's father, said with some difficulty, "I'm naturally happy that my daughter has been doing so well in the Anbu over the years thanks to her status as a disciple of Master Shindou. Her mother died early, and he doesn't have the habit of having children everywhere like other big family scions. So he only has one daughter. Moreover, she has miraculously awakened the Scorching Release. The position of the future family head will definitely be handed over to her. I can't say whether the family can be carried forward, but it is certain that it will reach a higher level under her leadership."

He had spent a few years in the Dark Division and knew just how dark it was. He couldn't stand that kind of life, so he used his connections to get the third generation of elders to agree to let him leave the Dark Division. Therefore, he was afraid that if his daughter stayed in the Dark Division for too long, she would be influenced by that atmosphere and become too gloomy, which would not be a good thing. So he tried every means to persuade his daughter to leave the Dark Division. However, because his daughter held a high position in the Dark Division, he did not raise his voice in front of her. Their small families did not have the same strong sense of hierarchy as the big families.

Even if a father is useless, he's still a father; even if his children are arrogant, they're still his children. These small families only have a dozen or so members, so they don't distinguish between them so clearly. His daughter is doing better than him now, so he naturally doesn't have much confidence in his words. He can only turn to Lord Zhendou. He didn't expect that Lord Zhendou couldn't persuade his daughter, and now he's causing this mess.

The heir of the Senju clan is naturally quite good. He is the crown prince of Konoha. Although he is not as famous as Minato Namikaze, who is suspected to be the son of the current Fourth Hokage, Shinto, and is even rumored to have some lack of talent, he has the title of the grandson of the "God of Shinobi," Hashirama Senju. No one dares to underestimate him. In addition, he has an older sister, Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha. Even if this generation's talent is not good, it is possible that this Senju heir is just a filter, passing on Hashirama Senju's talent to the next generation.

But while the Senju clan's heir is good, he's not what he initially envisioned. He had only planned to find a talented son-in-law after his daughter left the Anbu, then pass the clan leadership to her in a few years so he could retire peacefully. If his daughter marries the Senju clan's heir, even if a genius is born, will that genius belong to their family or the Senju clan?

770. After spending so much money, shouldn't you at least give me a kiss?

Although the Senju clan has declined, their reputation still stands. Konoha, which has always been peace-loving, is capable of waging war for the Senju clan. Their clan can't even compare to Sunagakure in terms of treatment. If they were to compete with the Senju clan for offspring, they would definitely be the ones who suffer. They wouldn't get any geniuses and would even lose their daughters. He really didn't want to do something so unprofitable.