The morning sunlight streamed through the glass window, spilling across the large bed and illuminating two alluring figures.
Because of the Yin Seal's effects, Tsunade had maintained her youthful beauty — though she was thirty-six, she looked no different from a woman in her early twenties.
Gekko Hoshiyomi, meanwhile, was in the prime of manhood, radiating a natural masculine charm.
After a long while, the two woke up nearly at the same time.
Tsunade stretched her arms lazily, full of energy — she looked completely refreshed and satisfied.
When Hoshiyomi got up, however, he suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air, one hand instinctively going to his lower back.
Only after rubbing it gently did the soreness begin to ease.
Feeling that dull ache in his waist, Hoshiyomi sighed heavily.
That saying came to mind — some things, when overdone, leave you feeling completely drained.
Seeing his expression, Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle softly behind her hand.
That teasing smile of hers made Hoshiyomi's irritation bubble up.
"You're still laughing? It's your fault in the first place!"
Tsunade just smiled wider. Instead of showing any hint of embarrassment, she proudly puffed out her chest — which promptly bounced slightly with the motion.
"That's right, I did it. What, not satisfied?"
Seeing that expression, Hoshiyomi could only shrug helplessly and mutter while clutching his waist:
"Forget it. I'm taking the day off today — if this keeps up, I really won't make it."
Tsunade traced a small circle on his chest with a playful finger.
"Don't worry, that's an easy fix. I'll stop by Konoha Hospital later and whip up a couple of prescriptions for you. Drink them for a week and you'll be as good as new."
At those words, Hoshiyomi suddenly shivered. For some reason, an infamous scene from Water Margin (Classic Chinese novel) flashed through his mind —
"Dear, time to drink your medicine~."
He winced at the thought, inhaled sharply, and quickly waved his hands in surrender:
"No, no, that's not necessary. I'm still young — I can handle it.
Oh right, shouldn't you be getting to the Hokage's office?
If people see their Fourth Hokage skipping work, what'll they think?"
Tsunade laughed mischievously.
"What's the rush? I've got Shikaku and Pakura covering things — honestly, even when I am at the office, I barely do anything.
Besides, in another two months, Minato will be ready to take over as the Fifth Hokage anyway. My time in that chair is almost up — taking a couple of lazy days won't kill anyone."
She paused, then continued thoughtfully:
"Oh, right. Dan recently recommended his niece to me — she's been working at Konoha Hospital ever since she graduated.
He wants her to study more advanced medical ninjutsu under me.
I tested her, and she's definitely talented.
She's already mastered the Mystical Palm Technique at her age — far ahead of most medical-nin.
And apparently, she's good with clerical work too.
I was thinking of making her my Hokage secretary or something, but she's still a bit young.
Appointing her directly as my secretary might not be the best look."
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi immediately pictured a serene, gentle face in his mind.
"Her name's Shizune, right? I think I've heard Dan mention her before.
You should take her as a disciple first and see how things go.
If her personality fits, keeping her by your side long-term wouldn't be a bad idea.
Speaking of Dan — he's in his mid-thirties already.
He can't just keep living with his niece forever.
People will start thinking there's something strange about him."
Tsunade's eyes suddenly lit up with mischief. With a gossipy grin, she leaned toward Hoshiyomi and said:
"Oh, right — speaking of which, that guy Dan has been showing up at the Hokage's office a lot more often lately. Every time he comes to report a mission, I keep catching him sneaking glances at Pakura.
I think… he's got that kind of interest in her."
Hearing that, Hoshiyomi perked up at once — gossip truly was humanity's sixth sense.
"Seriously? No way. But if that actually works out, it wouldn't be bad at all. Pakura's almost thirty now, right? Still single too.
He's handsome, she's beautiful — they'd make a great couple, honestly."
Seeing Hoshiyomi getting into it, Tsunade nodded eagerly.
"Then how about this — in a couple of days, you talk to Dan about it. I'll find an excuse to give Pakura a day off, and maybe we can arrange a little 'date' for them?"
Hoshiyomi's eyes gleamed — this was getting interesting.
"Sure, why not? You know, matchmaking one pair or two makes no difference.
Since Dan's trying to help others find girlfriends, why don't we help Jiraiya find someone?"
At that, Tsunade froze for a moment.
"Are you serious?
I don't know, introducing a girl to Jiraiya kind of feels like pushing her straight into the fire pit."
Hoshiyomi shook his head with mock reproach.
"That's not fair. Sure, Jiraiya acts like a total playboy most of the time, but deep down, I bet he's actually kind of lonely.
And come on — after all these years, you still don't know him? He might seem unreliable, but when he's serious, none of us can match his dedication."
"Hmm… you might have a point," Tsunade murmured, rubbing her temples in thought.
She began mentally sorting through possible candidates, one name after another.
After a moment, her eyes suddenly brightened and she said excitedly:
"Wait — what about Nonō?"
Hoshiyomi blinked, momentarily stunned.
A few seconds later, he remembered that Nonō's life had gone quite differently in this version of events.
Back during the Second Great Ninja War, he'd discovered that Nonō was an enemy spy.
The two had joined forces to end the war together, and afterward, Danzo — the manipulative puppet master behind it all — had been eliminated by Hoshiyomi himself.
As a result, the "Walking Shrine Maiden" had truly regained her freedom.
Though she could have easily claimed fame and fortune as one of Konoha's war heroes, Nonō refused both.
Her years undercover in Sunagakure had drained her body and spirit.
When Hoshiyomi offered her high-ranking positions — ANBU commander, intelligence chief — she quietly declined, shedding all glory.
Instead, just as in the original story, she took over the Konoha Orphanage, dedicating herself to caring for war orphans.
Hoshiyomi realized he hadn't visited her in quite a while. He wondered how she was doing now — and whether she had still found Kabuto like before.
If memory served, Kabuto was supposed to have been an orphan picked up during the Third War.
But since Hoshiyomi's actions had changed the story, Kabuto was probably safe — meaning he had unknowingly shifted yet another major event in the timeline.
Thinking of all that, Hoshiyomi felt a faint sense of guilt toward Nonō.
And from another perspective… Nonō might actually be the perfect match for someone like Jiraiya.
A gentle, nurturing woman — and a wild, free-spirited man.
Tch tch. That pairing already sounded like it would be dangerously good chemistry.
The couple shared a conspiratorial smile — their thoughts perfectly aligned.
And just like that, the Konoha Bachelor Matchmaking Plan was born.
Konoha's Sword Saint [438]
After finalizing their matchmaking plan, the sun was already high in the sky.
Throughout almost the entire breakfast, Hoshiyomi and Tsunade were completely absorbed in refining the details of their plan.
The two of them were taking these two pairs' love lives far more seriously than the major policies of Konoha itself.
Once breakfast was done, they each went their separate ways.
Tsunade, of course, headed for the Hokage's Office.
As for Hoshiyomi—after finishing his usual morning sword practice—he decided to pay a visit to Orochimaru's Konoha Research Institute.
It had been quite a while since he had entrusted the Mangekyō Sharingan to Orochimaru for study.
By now, it was time to check on how far the man's research had progressed.
Over the years, with heavy investment and continuous development, the Konoha Research Institute had become quite an impressive establishment.
In fact, calling the aboveground structure a "research facility" was almost misleading—it looked more like a science exhibition hall.
Inside were Orochimaru's publicly approved research projects, as well as a few teams organized by Hoshiyomi himself conducting relatively simple experiments.
But Hoshiyomi's attention wasn't on any of that.
After a brief glance around, he quietly bypassed the crowd and descended into the underground area—Orochimaru's personal laboratory.
Perhaps it was a reflection of Orochimaru's personality, but the underground lab was far gloomier than the bright halls above.
The lighting was dim and cold, and the air was filled with an eerie silence occasionally broken by the slithering sounds of snakes—Orochimaru's "assistants"—as they carried heavy pieces of equipment back and forth.
The faint, flickering lamps combined with the hiss of serpent tongues created such a chilling atmosphere that it would drive away at least eighty percent of any curious visitors.
But Hoshiyomi had long since grown used to this.
Unbothered, he continued forward as if strolling through a garden.
When he finally reached the deepest part of the lab—the core chamber—he was surprised to find a metal door installed there, radiating an advanced, almost futuristic feel.
Curious, Hoshiyomi pressed the red button on the door panel.
A few seconds later, a screen descended from the ceiling—one with a distinctly "ninja-tech" aesthetic.
The display flickered with static before revealing Orochimaru's pale, smiling face.
"Ah… so it's Hoshiyomi-kun," Orochimaru said, his slightly distorted voice coming through the speaker.
"How do you like my new setup? Surprised?"
"Surprised" was an understatement.
Looking at the technology before him—so far ahead of the shinobi world's current level that it could easily be ten years early—Hoshiyomi was nearly moved to tears.
After nearly forty years in this era, he thought, I might finally get a taste of modern life again.
Orochimaru truly lived up to the title of a technological genius.
Even without Hoshiyomi's direct input, he had managed to develop such advanced electronic equipment on his own.
The speed at which this man was climbing the tech tree was downright terrifying.
Sure, it all still looked rather crude for now, but the breakthrough from zero to one had already been achieved.
And with Hoshiyomi—the man with knowledge from a more advanced world—ready to offer endless ideas, there was no telling how far they could go from here.
As soon as Orochimaru opened the laboratory door, Hoshiyomi eagerly rushed in, practically skipping steps, and began describing a series of improvements and design ideas he had in mind for the facility.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed a dangerous green as he listened, and when Hoshiyomi finally mentioned the concept of "Metal Garurumon," Orochimaru's entire body trembled with excitement.
Although Hoshiyomi's ideas didn't directly involve ninjutsu, they were undeniably fascinating—and more importantly, revolutionary.
If Orochimaru were to truly pursue these inventions, he would no longer be following in the Second Hokage's footsteps.
He would be forging an entirely new path—one no shinobi had ever walked before.
That thought alone sent a thrill through his soul.
The two of them spent the entire morning deep in discussion about the "technology tree," tossing around ideas that blurred the line between science and chakra.
Finally, Orochimaru let out a long sigh.
"Ah, Hoshiyomi-kun… everything you've described is truly fascinating.
But no matter how grand the ideas, they must be done one step at a time.
Before I start inventing new things, I must first finish the research I already began."
Hoshiyomi suddenly remembered why he had come today and quickly asked:
"Right—Orochimaru, about the Mangekyō Sharingan and the three-tomoe Sharingan I brought you last time, how far have you gotten with your research?"
At the mention of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the sigh that had just escaped Orochimaru's lips vanished, replaced by a delighted, almost fanatical smile. His expression became one of pure obsession.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan," he said reverently, "is nothing less than a divine gift to the Uchiha clan. It's just like its name—a true kaleidoscope. Its research value is immeasurable.
I've spent all this time merely standing on the shoulders of the Second Hokage, broadening the knowledge he once discovered just a little further."
Hearing that, Hoshiyomi subconsciously asked:
"And by 'broadening' you mean…?"
Orochimaru gave him a knowing look, the kind that said, You'll understand.
"My research on the Sharingan has been focused on two main directions," he explained.
"First, whether the Sharingan possesses any universal adaptability; and second, the mechanism behind its evolution."
"As for the Sharingan's universality, that part has proven quite difficult. I've discovered that the Sharingan contains a unique genomic sequence. It's this genetic configuration that causes the persistent rejection response we're familiar with. Overcoming that will take a long time—and it will inevitably require a deep understanding of genetic engineering."
At this, Orochimaru's face showed clear regret.
He knew that completing such research would demand a large number of experimental subjects—but both he and Hoshiyomi had long agreed not to conduct unethical human experimentation.
Naturally, that limitation slowed his progress.
But almost as quickly, a spark of excitement reignited in Orochimaru's golden eyes.
"Still, while the 'universality' path is full of obstacles," he continued, "my other line of research—the principle behind the Sharingan's evolution—has yielded a rather significant breakthrough."
He gestured for Hoshiyomi to follow him.
After weaving through several twisting corridors of the laboratory, they arrived at the chamber where Orochimaru stored the Sharingan samples—both ordinary and Mangekyō.
Pointing toward the preserved eyes floating in their glass containers, Orochimaru began to explain passionately:
"The Second Hokage began studying the Sharingan long ago. In the personal notes you gave me, I found detailed records of his findings.
Truly, he was a once-in-a-century genius. Even with the primitive research conditions of his time, he uncovered an astonishing amount about the nature of the Sharingan."
"According to his notes, the process of awakening the Sharingan depends on an Uchiha experiencing both the gain and loss of love—an emotional shock strong enough to generate a unique chakra in the eyes, one capable of evolving their ocular power.
And it's precisely here that I've made my breakthrough."
He placed a firm hand on Hoshiyomi's shoulder, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"It's all thanks to you, Hoshiyomi-kun. Without your help, I would never have discovered a secret that even the Second Hokage himself failed to uncover."
Hoshiyomi blinked, a little puzzled.
Seeing his confusion, Orochimaru chuckled softly and explained:
"It was because of the Hashirama cells you provided from Nawaki. Thanks to them, I was able to uncover a major hidden truth about the Sharingan's evolution."
...
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