At the same time, in a hot spring village twenty kilometers outside Konoha.
Inside a hot spring inn, Tsunade leaned back against the edge of the hot spring pool, her head tilted back and her arm resting over her forehead. She looked somewhat dispirited.
Minato Namikaze...
The image of a certain little blond boy kept flashing through her mind. Tsunade sighed ruefully.
How did it come to this?
When did it start exactly?
Unconsciously, Minato had quietly occupied every corner of her life in a harmless manner.
He would go grocery shopping and cook with her, patiently help her choose clothes, coax her when she was angry, play dice and cards with her, and occasionally watch the sunset together in the yard.
Even though he was younger than Nawaki, he took care of Nawaki like an older brother.
Even she was taken care of gently by him...
Actually, the moment she left the village, she regretted it.
Especially thinking that Kushina, that girl, already had designs on Minato. Leaving gave her a perfect opportunity. Tsunade couldn't help feeling a burst of sourness in her heart.
But thinking of her hasty and resolute attitude when leaving, she really felt embarrassed to just go back like this.
At least... I should develop that ninjutsu before going back.
Otherwise, it would be too shameful!
But after going back, what could she do?
Actually, the customs of the ninja world were relatively open.
A fourteen-year age gap wasn't a problem.
The master-disciple relationship wasn't really an obstacle either.
What truly made Tsunade feel unacceptable was Minato's current age!
I actually... towards... forget it, better not say it!
Probably because Minato was only five years old, she ignored the "threat" coming from him.
And his mature mind made her subconsciously ignore his age, which led to the change in her mentality.
But the most troublesome thing about feelings is that even if you can clarify your thoughts, you may not be able to make a rational choice...
This was also the most distressing thing for Tsunade right now.
Should she let nature take its course, or cut the Gordian knot?
She leaned against the edge of the hot spring pool, sinking deep into thought.
How does Minato... see me?
Will he think I'm a pervert?
He's so smart, he must be able to see something, right?
How should I face him?
Suddenly, with a poof, a puff of smoke exploded. Tsunade felt her body sink, the hot spring water turned into warm mucus, and the surrounding environment became pitch black.
"Reverse Summoning?"
Tsunade reacted instantly.
Because the Shikkotsu Forest where Katsuyu's main body resided wasn't suitable for human survival, every time she was reverse summoned, she was wrapped directly inside Katsuyu's body.
"Little Tsunade, someone has infiltrated your house. Minato asked me to notify you immediately. Also, Nawaki and Kushina are inside my clone's body, you don't need to worry."
Katsuyu's voice came from the darkness, and then the Reverse Summoning was quickly released.
Splash—
Tsunade fell into the hot spring water again. After being stunned for a moment, a fierce murderous aura suddenly appeared between her brows!
Minato is in danger!
Damn it, who did it?!
I just left Konoha, and someone is already targeting Minato?
Without bothering to dry herself, she quickly put on her clothes, flipped directly over the wooden fence of the women's bath, and rushed towards Konoha at her fastest speed.
Meanwhile, at Tsunade's house.
Minato and the two Wood Clones were eating, pondering the intention of the other party.
Four people. One guarding outside Kushina's window, one guarding between his and Kushina's room, and the other two were in his room.
Judging from the formation arrangement, the other party intentionally prevented him from supporting Kushina.
If that was the case, the purpose of the two people in the room might not be to kill him, but to stall him. Otherwise, given Nawaki's status as the First Hokage's grandson, he should have occupied an assassination quota no matter what.
Looking at it this way, the other party was probably someone from the village. The probability of it being Danzo was the highest.
The specific situation still needed contact to be confirmed.
If it really is Danzo...
Heh!
Having calculated in his mind, Minato made a gesture.
"I'm full!"
Kushina (clone) put down her chopsticks. "I'm going to take a bath later, you guys can be a bit later~"
Saying that, she walked towards the room with light steps.
"I'm full too. Wait, Kushina."
Minato followed closely. "Did you finish reading the manga Nawaki lent you last time?"
"Finished. I'll get it for you when I go back to my room."
"Mmh, thanks."
Minato shouted towards the living room, "The last one to finish washes the dishes, Nawaki!"
"I know..."
Nawaki (clone) sounded helpless.
Minato smiled and turned into the bedroom.
As soon as the door closed, the next second, a towel with the smell of anesthetic covered his mouth!
Poof!
Minato's figure dissipated, leaving a wooden log in place.
"Body Replacement Technique?"
Two figures wearing Hidden Cloud outfits and masks appeared in the room.
"Hidden Cloud people?"
Minato leaned against the wall, looking at the two vigilantly.
"Plan failed. We have to force it."
The two exchanged glances and quickly launched an attack on Minato.
Clang—
The sound of metal collision rang in the bedroom.
In the brief exchange, Minato deliberately exposed two flaws and found that the two in front of him indeed had no killing intent.
"Not good, Kushina!"
Minato pretended to be anxious, turned around, smashed through the window, and rushed into the courtyard. The two inside the house followed closely.
At this moment, the glass of Kushina's room shattered simultaneously. The lurker guarding outside her window and the person in the corridor completed the encirclement.
Pfft—
In an instant, Kushina in the bedroom had her chest pierced by a long sword.
"Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu!"
Thud!
With a muffled sound, amidst the assassin's bewildered gaze, a sharp branch stabbed into his body.
"It's a Wood Clone! Operation exposed!"
The branch inside his body bloomed violently, growing countless branches inside him. The person fell to the ground like a hedgehog. The other person inside the room hurriedly shouted towards the courtyard.
Minato's face turned cold. "So they really came for Kushina..."
"The target is not here. What do we do?"
"Mission failed. Retreat!"
Mountain Ghost didn't hesitate. They were wearing Hidden Cloud skins now, and they hadn't reached the point where they had to die.
Although completely loyal to Danzo, biological instincts still existed.
As the voice fell, the three had no intention of continuing the fight. They used the Body Flicker Jutsu to leave the courtyard and fled separately.
"Heh..."
Minato didn't chase immediately. Just as he wanted to check the condition of the corpse, suddenly with a boom, a violent explosion occurred in Kushina's room.
Destroying the corpse and erasing traces...
Minato sensed the direction the three were fleeing, his smile chilling.
He always felt that the most powerful thing about Wood Style was never strength, but its functionality.
Growth, construction, reconnaissance, endurance, and... parasitism!
This was an inspiration brought to him by the clone seeds. The volume of seeds was still too large, but spores were very hidden...
If it really was Danzo, even the Third Hokage couldn't protect him, because Minato didn't plan to give the other party this chance at all.
He had no intention of reasoning with the other party...
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