"I might be able to save this tree, but I'll need to take it somewhere far away."
Heiyan said after a brief pause.
"Really?"
Upon hearing this, the people of Village Hidden in the Waterfall looked delighted and excited. They had deep feelings for this ancient tree. It was their village's totem and spiritual symbol, and they refused to let it die.
Therefore, when they heard Heiyan had a way to save the tree, everyone eagerly voiced support, insisting firmly that they would never let him pay anything.
"Let's focus on rescuing the tree first. Once it recovers, we can discuss payment later."
With that,
After gaining everyone's approval, Heiyan glided across the lake's surface toward the tree.
This thousand-year-old tree had an astonishing diameter of 30 meters, circumference of 95 meters, height of 120 meters, and weighed more than 3,000 tons. Half its weight came from its branches and foliage alone, showing just how lush it was.
If still intact, Heiyan could never have moved such a massive tree. However, after the fire consumed it, only a single trunk and underground stump remained—its weight now less than one-tenth of before.
Even so, facing this colossal three-hundred-ton mass, Heiyan still had to take a risk by re-entering Sage Mode.
Zoo!
He summoned thunderclouds of the Heavenly Release, rode them to hover above the tree, then swiftly performed hand seals.
Whoosh!
A powerful stream of white water burst from Heiyan's mouth like a fire hose, circling the trunk to douse every flame. In an instant, large amounts of steam spread out, engulfing the entire lake.
After initially dousing the flames, Heiyan flicked his right hand—the Celestial Binding Chain shot forward.
Clanging!
The red chakra chains wrapped tightly around the thick trunk, spreading and splitting until they formed a net that secured every part.
Under everyone's wide-eyed stares—
"Lift!"
With a sharp shout, Heiyan fiercely pulled upward with his right arm tensed, veins bulging.
Boom—Boom—Boom!
On the middle island of the lake, the ground violently trembled. Vibrations rippled outward across the lake surface, creating waves rushing toward shorelines.
"Quickly retreat back!"
Witnessing this scene, Pakura immediately organized the villagers to move backward.
Meanwhile,
As the central island crumbled apart, numerous thick roots burst forth from beneath the earth, together with the main trunk completely uprooted by the Celestial Binding Chain!
"Heh...heh..."
Mid-air, Heiyan gasped for breath, sweat streaming down his forehead. Yet he had no time to rest—he mustered his strength, first creating a Shadow Clone to remain here on standby, then using his left hand to form [Reverse Summoning] seals.
Next second—
Whoosh!
Together with the giant tree, Heiyan instantly vanished from above the lake's center without a trace.
Hundreds of miles away, over a vast ocean.
Above Shikkotsu Forest's island, gentle breezes accompanied bright sunshine—in perfect peace as always.
Suddenly—
Above the crater lake at the heart of the island, a massive tree stump appeared out of nowhere and slowly descended onto an open area beside the lake.
[Sage Art - Creation of All Things]
Midair, Heiyan formed another hand seal and summoned Terrestrial Release thunderclouds, which began drizzling fine, nourishing rain.
Bathed in this timely rain, the charred bark of the giant tree quickly peeled away, replaced by many new green sprouts. Meanwhile, numerous roots extended from beneath the tree stump, deeply embedding into the earth and merging with the land itself.
At last, after these emergency measures, the thousand-year-old tree had truly revived.
He had finally met the expectations of the villagers of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall.
Heiyan exhaled in relief, deactivated Sage Mode, and descended to the ground.
Thud, thud, thud.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he felt dizzy and staggered backward several steps, his face turning pale.
Guess I pushed myself too hard again.
Heiyan sighed inwardly. It seemed the injuries from the battle in Uzugakure were worse than he'd imagined.
Just then,
a soft feminine fragrance approached, and before Heiyan could retreat further, a pair of gentle arms reached around from behind, steadying him.
"Are you alright?" Tsunade asked with concern, supporting him.
"I'm fine. Just momentarily drained," Heiyan replied with a smile, but quickly stiffened, staring somewhat absentmindedly at Tsunade. She had been soaking in the crater lake for natural energy absorption training, and now her golden hair and skin were damp and glistening—irresistibly enchanting.
Noticing Heiyan's gaze, Tsunade blushed and immediately turned away, tidying herself up before pulling on her outer robe.
For a moment, neither of them said anything, the silence between them growing a little awkward.
Luckily, the arrival of Sage Slug helped ease the tension.
"Heh hem."
Heiyan cleared his throat, composed himself, and began explaining everything to Tsunade and Sage Slug—recalling his time in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall.
The three turned their gazes simultaneously toward the ancient tree.
Huh?
They were all surprised to notice that vast amounts of natural energy were pouring in from all directions, converging directly into the tree trunk.
During this process, branches rapidly grew from the trunk, extending outward in all directions. On those branches sprouted clusters of green leaves that rustled softly in the breeze.
"It seems my guess was correct…"
Observing the transformation of the giant tree, Heiyan mused inwardly.
This thousand-year-old tree from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, with its age and the Hero Water (a legendary elixir that grants enhanced vitality) it produced every hundred years, naturally reminded Heiyan of the God Tree.
He suspected that this giant tree was actually a fragment of the God Tree that had long ago scattered across the world of shinobi.
For the God Tree, natural energy was the most effective source of nourishment. That explained why this tree could directly absorb large quantities of natural energy to strengthen itself.
And right now, without question, the place with the richest concentration of natural energy in the entire world of shinobi was none other than Shikkotsu Forest.
Heiyan suddenly realized that if this giant tree were allowed enough time to take root here, it might actually grow into a small-scale God Tree.
For him, this would be incredibly significant.
Because over a thousand years ago, Kaguya Otsutsuki had fused her Immortal Sage Body with the God Tree, evolving into the Ten-Tails and thereby gaining supreme power capable of devouring oceans, tearing the land asunder, and moving mountains.
So if, in the not-too-distant future, Heiyan could perfect his own Sage Transformation and find a way to fuse with this giant tree, would that mean he could obtain similar power?
Thinking about this, Heiyan couldn't help but feel his heart race with excitement, as if seeing before him the true path of an immortal sage.
At this moment, Tsunade suddenly trembled all over, as if receiving some kind of summons, and step by step walked toward the giant tree.
"It's truly unbelievable. I feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity toward this tree."
She murmured to herself while placing one hand against the trunk.
Vrrrrrum!
Instantly, the tree shuddered, seemingly resonating with Tsunade's chakra, rapidly sprouting numerous branches and green leaves at an accelerated pace.
"Could it be...?"
Witnessing this scene, Heiyan's mind raced with thoughts, quickly forming another hypothesis.
It seemed that Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, had through ancestral traits caused his Wood Release bloodline to exhibit characteristics of the God Tree. The many Wood Release techniques Hashirama had used bore a clear resemblance to the God Tree — solid proof of its influence.
Now, after inheriting the Wood Release bloodline, Tsunade naturally felt a connection with this great tree since they came from the same bloodline.
Perhaps Tsunade was more suitable for this giant tree than himself?
Thinking about this, Heiyan stepped forward and suggested to Tsunade that she could try establishing some kind of bond with the great tree to accelerate her cultivation progress.
It was time to head back immediately.
After properly settling the giant tree, Heiyan wasted no time. Using the Shadow Clone he had left behind in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, he performed the Reverse Summoning technique to summon himself back.
"The God Tree is alive."
Upon returning to the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, Heiyan told everyone this good news under their expectant gazes. Furthermore, he promised to pay the Hidden Waterfall Village 100 million ryō in exchange for this tree.
"H-how much? O-one h-hundred m-million?!"
When the Village Headman heard this, his eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what he'd just heard. Other villagers from the Hidden Waterfall Village were also stunned, convinced that Heiyan was pulling their legs.
This giant tree in the village, although regarded by the villagers as a sacred totem — ultimately, it was still just a tree. Could it really be worth 100 million ryō?
They all knew this astronomical sum would be enough for every villager to live a life of luxury and peaceful prosperity for the rest of their days.
"Heiyan..."
Pakura also quietly tugged at Heiyan's sleeve, hinting for him to reconsider carefully and avoid acting impulsively.
However, Heiyan solemnly reiterated to everyone that it definitely was 100 million ryō without any mistake. Moreover, he immediately produced from his possession a bankbook showing a balance of exactly 100 million ryō and handed it directly to the village chief.
Everyone present was completely shocked by Heiyan's incredible display of wealth.
In Heiyan's eyes, if this giant tree truly grew into the God Tree in Shikkotsu Forest decades later, it would become priceless—no amount of money could ever measure its value.
To him, spending 100 million ryō was well worth it.
After completing this transaction amicably, Heiyan sought opinions from everyone in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, then wrote a letter to Konoha. He asked Azure Fox and White Elephant to arrange personnel to come assist with the village's reconstruction.
It was foreseeable that after this incident, with Heiyan facilitating ties, relations between the Village Hidden in the Waterfall and Konoha would grow much closer.
This could be considered his first achievement since becoming the Hokage's advisor.
"Sorry, but I can't stay longer as a guest this time," Heiyan said to the Village Headman, explaining his reason. "I need to track down the Seven-Tails to prevent it from causing destruction everywhere and creating an even greater disaster."
Upon hearing this, the Village Headman immediately displayed a look of guilt. He earnestly made a request to Heiyan: "Lord Heiyan, please capture the Seven-Tails. We are willing to give up this Tailed Beast and present it to you, to express our gratitude for saving our village."
As soon as he finished speaking, other villagers from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall voiced their support for the Village Headman's decision.
"In that case, I won't decline such a generous offer."
Heiyan accepted without pretense.
Frankly speaking, the current Village Hidden in the Waterfall simply didn't have the capability to possess a Tailed Beast. In the original timeline, the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki Fu was a cute girl with short green hair, who eventually got captured by Akatsuki, had her Tailed Beast extracted, and died.
Heiyan believed that if Akatsuki still appeared in the world of shinobi, they could just come looking for him.
Whether or not those guys from Akatsuki would actually have the courage to do so remained unknown.
With heavy hearts, the people of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall bid farewell to Heiyan and Pakura as they left and returned beyond the waterfall.
"Pakura, we should probably separate here," Heiyan told the young woman beneath the waterfall, deciding to express his thoughts. However, before he could speak, Pakura shook her head and spoke first:
"There's no need to explain. I already know from Kushina that your heart belongs to someone else."
Pakura looked crestfallen at this moment. She gazed at Heiyan and softly said, "That crystal necklace around your neck was given to you by Tsunade, right?"
Heiyan could only remain silent.
It seemed he really should thank little Kushina. Not only did she mess around matchmaking during dinner and gave him support, but she also helped dissuade Pakura.
What a little Hongniang! [A classic symbol of a matchmaker in Chinese culture]
"I'm returning this to you. I'll go back to Sunagakure now."
At this moment, Pakura took off the Two-Tails Catgirl Armor and held it in her hands, offering it to Heiyan.
"Please accept it as a gift from a friend. After all, back then at the Valley of the End, you suffered serious injuries trying to save me, and I've never had a chance to properly express my gratitude."
Heiyan pushed the armor back toward her and sincerely spoke to Pakura.
This catgirl armor was made for her. If someday in the future, Pakura was truly betrayed by Sunagakure and found herself in dire straits.
At that moment, Heiyan hoped she could use the power of this armor to change her tragic fate.
As for Heiyan himself, one reason he gave away the armor was that he no longer intended to dress as a woman in the future...
"Then... I'll borrow this armor for a while and return it to you later."
Pakura said, smiling faintly.
It seemed Heiyan truly did care for her—at the very least, considering her a true friend.
Suddenly, Pakura felt that this was enough.
Have a safe journey.
After saying these words, Heiyan watched Pakura leave, her graceful silhouette fading gently into the distance.
Heiyan collected his thoughts, carefully recalled the direction Seven-Tails Chomei had fled earlier, then set off in pursuit.
[Capturing the Seven-Tails Chomei didn't take much time at all.]
For one thing, the Flying Thunder God formula he'd marked on the Seven-Tails enabled him to sense its location from dozens of kilometers away and instantly teleport there.
Moreover, after escaping from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, the giant creature left too many traces by damaging terrain and attacking villages or merchant caravans along the way. It was simply too easy to track.
Three days later.
In a forest somewhere within the Land of Fire, Heiyan descended from the sky using the Flying Thunder God technique. This time, he gave the Seven-Tails no chance, immediately binding it tightly with the Celestial Binding Chain.
Then, he performed the Reverse Summoning jutsu again, transporting both himself and the Seven-Tails together to Shikkotsu Forest.
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