The Sword of the Thunder God?
That sounds familiar.
Natsume instinctively glanced at Tsunade.
"The Sword of the Thunder God is a ninja tool once used by my grand-uncle, Tobirama Senju," Tsunade explained, thinking Natsume was confused. "It has two properties: first, it possesses lightning attributes; second, the more chakra you input, the stronger it becomes."
Natsume nodded in realization.
No wonder it felt familiar.
There's a plotline about the Sword of the Thunder God: Aoi Rokushō instigated Idate Morino to steal it, after which he defected to the Village Hidden in the Rain. He eventually ran into the protagonists, was defeated by Team 7, and turned into their leveling fodder.
The sword suffered consecutive hits from Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan, and it cracked.
A great village sword—snap, broken.
But it wasn't the sword's fault, it was Aoi Rokushō's.
He didn't input enough chakra, so the sword wasn't hard enough to withstand the combined attacks of Sasuke and Naruto.
"This sword is a relic of my teacher and has always been kept by the Konoha. I don't mind giving it to you, but based on your current achievements, you haven't earned it yet," Hiruzen Sarutobi interjected. "Natsume, you know that as Hokage, the most important thing is fairness. I can't reward you just because you're my grand-disciple."
How do you define fairness?
Natsume was impressed by Hiruzen's straight-faced delivery.
No wonder he could be Hokage for so many years and earn the title of the strongest.
"Old man, give him my share of the reward as well," Tsunade spoke up. "I don't need any rewards anyway."
At her current level, she was already at the pinnacle of medical ninjutsu.
Ninjutsu or ninja tools meant nothing to her now.
"You really do dote on your student," Hiruzen sighed, glancing at her. "If you insist, then take the sword."
Technically, all Senju clan heirlooms should go to Tsunade, including the Sword of the Thunder God. But after she left the village due to her hemophobia, she stopped caring, so the village kept everything in trust.
So many years have passed, it's all tangled and unclear now.
But putting that aside, Tsunade's contributions are more than enough for any reward.
Now that she'd given her share to Natsume, Hiruzen was quite happy.
If he kept rewarding her, she'd eventually become the Hokage.
"Thank you, Grandpa Hokage!"
Natsume quickly thanked him, then shot Tsunade a look, meaning he'd thank her properly later.
"Shisui, go fetch the Sword of the Thunder God," Hiruzen instructed.
"Yes."
A voice replied—no one visible.
"Shisui's joined the Anbu now?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes," Hiruzen said with a satisfied smile. "He's inherited Kagami's will. He's strong and well-known, and is now an Anbu squad leader."
"He's very impressive," Tsunade recalled his fight with the Fourth Raikage; few jonin could fight to a standstill like that.
A few minutes later, Uchiha Shisui flashed into the Hokage's office and handed a sword hilt to Natsume, quietly saying, "I'll find you tomorrow."
Natsume looked at him in confusion, but Shisui didn't explain and quickly disappeared.
Natsume focused on the sword, channeled chakra into it, and the blade materialized.
Seeing it for himself, Natsume thought it looked even more like a lightsaber.
Perfect. From today on, he was a Jedi.
[Because of your actions, Aoi Rokushō's fate has changed. You gain 39 Fate Points.]
[Because of your actions, Idate Morino's fate has changed. You gain 28 Fate Points.]
Not bad.
After all, they were just minor side characters.
"Tsunade, soon the Cloud Village will send envoys for peace talks. Why don't you represent the Konoha and negotiate with them?"
"No."
Tsunade flatly rejected Hiruzen's suggestion.
"Let's go."
She got up, waved her hand, and left with Natsume and the others, not leaving a trace behind.
Hiruzen sighed.
He had already intended Tsunade to be the Fifth Hokage.
But she clearly wasn't interested.
Apart from her student, she couldn't care less about anything else.
How could someone like that govern the Konoha well?
"Looks like this old man will have to hold on for a while longer," Hiruzen mused.
As for Jiraiya—not even worth mentioning.
Fooled by an old toad, wandering the world looking for the Child of Prophecy.
Hiruzen had long realized that while Jiraiya listened to him, he always put Mount Myoboku first.
This annoyed him.
Are you a Konoha ninja, or a Mount Myoboku ninja?
…
Kabuto, on the way, detoured to the Konoha Orphanage to see Nonou.
Tsunade, Shizune, and Natsume returned to Senju's old house.
"I'm going to train. I'll cook dinner later," Shizune said, feeling inadequate after going out and determined to work harder.
"Thank you, sis," Natsume said, now that only the two of them were left.
"You're welcome."
Tsunade rubbed his head, her pleasant voice sounding, "If you keep being good, I'll give you more rewards."
Details, please.
What kind of rewards?
Anything… adult?
Natsume hugged her right arm, resting his head on her side, and said, "I'll do my best!"
Tsunade smiled with satisfaction, pinched his cheek, and enjoyed how soft it felt.
She couldn't help squeezing it again.
"Sis, I have a present for you," Natsume released her arm and, under her curious gaze, took out a necklace.
Compared to the First Hokage's necklace, this one looked much fancier.
Tsunade, being a woman, was immediately drawn to its beauty.
"Sis, you're a great beauty—how can you be without a necklace?" Natsume said with a smile. "Consider it our exchange of necklaces."
If any other man said that, Tsunade would think he was up to something.
But this nine-year-old, with sincere eyes, just looked at her.
She felt like she couldn't resist.
After a moment, Tsunade happily patted his head, smiling as warmly as spring.
"Help me put it on."
She turned around and crouched in front of him.
Natsume lifted her twin tails, fastened the necklace around her delicate neck, and clasped it.
"How does it look?"
Tsunade examined the necklace.
So big—no, so white.
Natsume nodded, "It's beautiful."
"You've got a sweet mouth," Tsunade poked his forehead, but her smile gave her away.
How do you know it's sweet?
You have to test it to know.
Natsume criticized her lack of rigor in his mind but said, "I'm speaking the truth."
"I believe you," Tsunade yawned. "Unsealing the Yin Seal used up a lot of chakra, so I've been kind of tired lately."
"I'll give you a massage," Natsume said, patting his lap as he sat on the sofa. "Sis, lie down."
Tsunade hesitated for a few seconds.
She didn't want to give in, but in this situation, it was impossible to refuse.
It's just a massage.
After fighting for so long, can't she enjoy herself a little?