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Tsukimi hadn't planned to keep the Reverse Cursed Technique a secret.
Stepping into the Hokage's line of sight, into the view of the higher-ups, and gaining prestige among the regular shinobi—the Reverse Cursed Technique was the perfect, unique tool for the job.
Sure, the Third Hokage could be weak and underhanded in some matters, but Tsukimi still had some faith in the man's basic character.
He'd deliberately let Tsunade find out first. Not just to raise her favorability, but to wrap himself in her protective influence.
The plan, it seemed, was working perfectly.
Two birds with one stone.
"Hah! Well, if you've already made up your mind, of course I can't refuse!"
Tsunade's face still wore a teasing grin, but her eyes held a gentleness Tsukimi had never seen before.
"I need to handle some things. You go back and rest properly. I'll take you somewhere later!"
She ruffled his hair.
"Mm."
Tsukimi's eyes sparkled, brimming with expectation.
Tsunade's heart softened again. She watched his retreating figure until he was gone.
Then, she leapt from the window. A few jumps later, she landed before the Hokage's office.
"Lady Tsunade, please allow me to announce—"
The ANBU guard at the door didn't get to finish. Tsunade's hand practically smacked the words back into his face as she barged in.
"…"
Lady Tsunade! At least let me finish!
When Tsunade entered, Hiruzen wasn't alone. Her gaze swept over Danzō sitting in the council seat, and she frowned.
"Hiruzen, it seems your student holds little regard for Konoha's rules."
Danzō narrowed his eyes, his voice low and heavy.
Spotting Tsunade, Hiruzen's face was a picture of weary resignation. "Tsunade has always been this way."
There was no reproach in his tone.
"Humph!"
Danzō's cane struck the floor with a sharp crack. "The student of the Hokage himself, ignorant of even basic decorum. A failure of instruction, I'd say."
His words were layered, a pointed jab at Hiruzen himself.
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe. White smoke curled upwards. His expression remained calm.
"Tsunade is not only my student. She is also the First Hokage's granddaughter."
Scold me if you must, but will you also blame the First for how he raised his own grandchild?
Danzō caught the implication. He gave a cold snort and fell silent.
"Tsunade, what brings you to me?" Hiruzen turned his attention to her.
Tsunade shot another glance at Danzō, then looked back at Hiruzen.
"Danzō, you may leave."
Danzō's grip tightened on his cane. His face darkened. But he did not defy the order. Slowly, he rose and walked toward the door.
As he passed Tsunade, their eyes met. The profound meaning—the hostility—in that look was theirs alone to understand.
"Alright. Now you may speak freely."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, his gaze settling on Tsunade.
Since the end of the Second Great War, this disciple of his had rarely sought him out. He was curious. What matter was important enough for Tsunade to come personally, and with such obvious gravity?
"Tsukimi Heshu. Do you know her?"
An orphan with a Kekkei Genkai, adopted by a village shinobi. Tsunade was sure Hiruzen would at least recognize the name.
"That child."
The image of the girl on the training grounds that day surfaced immediately in Hiruzen's mind. His eyes grew kindly. "A fine child indeed."
Tsunade was surprised, but not puzzled. She wholly agreed.
"That child has created a jutsu. She calls it the Reverse Cursed Technique."
"Oh?"
Hiruzen's eyes showed genuine surprise. "It seems her talent is remarkable."
But that alone likely wasn't enough to move his stubborn student. Something else must have shocked even Tsunade into coming here.
"The Reverse Cursed Technique is a special ninjutsu. It can rapidly heal injuries. Its recovery speed… far surpasses any medical ninjutsu I possess."
Before she could finish, Hiruzen stood up, shocked.
The hand holding his pipe trembled slightly. "You… what did you say?"
Faster than Tsunade's medical ninjutsu? If anyone else had said it, Hiruzen would have called it a fantasy, an outright lie.
But the speaker was Tsunade.
"The child has volunteered to join the team treating the wounded."
Tsunade paid no mind to his astonishment. Hers had been no less when she learned the truth.
"However, I do not agree with sending her to the front lines. Nor do I agree with forcing her to hand over the technique!"
"I will take her into my medical corps!"
"No one gives her orders except me!"
Tsunade's brow lowered. Her beautiful face radiated a sharp, intimidating light. In Hiruzen's memory, her aura overlapped with that of his teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Hiruzen snapped out of his daze to hear this declaration.
He couldn't help but offer a bitter smile.
Just what kind of image do I have in her mind?
"I agree to all of it."
A genius like this… nurtured properly… her future achievements would be limitless.
Hiruzen was not so short-sighted as to send her to the battlefield and strangle that potential.
Moreover, he could never bring himself to send a child that young to war. If he could, he would give all of Konoha's children a peaceful world to grow up in.
With the officially signed document from Hiruzen in hand, Tsunade returned to the hospital.
The wall clock read 12:50 PM.
Naptime for a certain kid.
She decided to wait until two.
Inside the hospital room, Takenouchi was asleep on the bed, Tsukimi on the small couch.
Takenouchi's steady breathing signaled deep sleep. Tsukimi, however, cracked an eye open.
A moment ago, a notification had chimed in his mind. The Third Hokage's favorability had risen.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorability had successfully climbed from 55 to 60. Tsunade's had long since passed that mark.
This meant he was about to receive two skill allocations from the system.
Excitement buzzed under his skin, hard to contain.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Favorability of targets Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade Senju has successfully reached 60!]
[Does the Host choose to merge the two skill allocations for an increased Luck bonus?]
"What does that mean?" Tsukimi stared at the blue text in his mind. "Merge the two chances into one, but with a luck buff?"
"Correct."
"Let me think."
He felt a twinge of pain at losing two chances, but the lure of the luck buff was strong. His Six Eyes and Limitless… both were rewards drawn under that very buff.
"Let's gamble."
"I choose to merge for the luck buff!"
He clenched his fist, waiting for the skill allocation under the glow of boosted luck.
Don't let me down.
New words flashed on the blue screen.
[Zanpakutō: Shinsō]
[Weapon Introduction: Shinsō, a Zanpakutō from the anime Bleach. In its sealed state, it resembles a wakizashi with an S-shaped tsuba and a short blade, appearing ordinary. Upon release, it can freely extend and retract, changing its length to enhance attack speed and power. The extension speed of Shinsō is 500 times the speed of sound. Combined with close combat, it can achieve instant kills. Its true Bankai ability allows a part of the blade to turn to dust upon extension, containing a fatal toxin that dissolves cells.]
Tsukimi was silent for a beat.
Then—
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
What kind of god-tier luck was this?!
This was insane!
He never expected to get a Zanpakutō!
A silvery flash.
A short sword appeared by his hand on the couch.
Tsukimi sat up, eagerly examining the cold steel in his grasp. The hilt of Shinsō was nearly as long as the blade itself, gleaming with a cold light.
He gripped the hilt with one hand, the sheath with the other.
"Huh?"
"Hmm!"
"Ungh…"
His face turned red with effort.
Shinsō didn't budge. Not an inch.
He fell into a deep, contemplative silence.
"System… this isn't a knock-off, is it?"
"Blame others less. Reflect on yourself more."
The system's rebuttal was cool.
"Hah?"
"Rather than be hard on myself, I'd rather blame others! That's my truth!"
Tsukimi retorted instinctively. What era was this? Of course you chose to hurt others, not yourself!
"A favorability of 60 only supports the initial stage."
With that, the system went quiet.
"Initial stage? What kind of initial stage won't even let me draw the damn thing?"
He grumbled, giving up on sleep entirely. For the next two hours, he wrestled with Shinsō.
The result remained unchanged.
Tsukimi let out a long, suffering sigh.
"Tsukimi."
Tsunade's figure appeared at the door. She beckoned him. Her eyes flicked to the sleeping Takenouchi, and she lowered her voice. "Need to talk."
Tsukimi slipped off the couch and followed her out.
"Big sister Tsunade, what is it?"
She ruffled his hair again, leading him toward her office. "Starting today, you're my subordinate! How about that? Happy?"
She raised a brow, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. A smug curve touched her lips.
"Really?"
Tsukimi's eyes lit up. He looked at her with expectant hope, his small face alight with joy. "Really? I can really be your subordinate?"
"Of course!"
Tsunade nodded. "I had to work really hard to convince the Hokage, you know."
She didn't mind lying a little to this innocent girl's face.
Tsukimi's eyes narrowed slightly. Knowing Tsunade's temperament, he couldn't believe a word of that last sentence.
He took her hand, his expression movingly sincere. "Big sister Tsunade, to thank you… starting today, I will diligently practice my cooking! I'll make your lunch boxes myself!"
Tsunade's entire body stiffened.
She swallowed, forcing a dry laugh. "Hah… haha, th-that's really not necessary!"
Just the thought of Tsukimi's culinary skills was enough to make her want to die on the spot.
"Don't refuse, big sister. To repay you, I'm willing to—"
"Let's go check the main hall!" Tsunade cut in hastily, her gaze darting around, her smile plastered and stiff. "I'm sure a new batch of wounded has arrived!"
"Alright!"
Remembering his actual duty, Tsukimi nodded seriously.
Tsunade wiped imaginary sweat from her brow and breathed a sigh of relief.
The main hall of the hospital was still packed with the wounded.
The smell of blood hung thick in the air. Tsukimi frowned.
Shinobi lay strewn across the floor, faces etched with numbness or twisted in pain.
"Ready?"
Tsunade's hand came to rest on his head. She looked down, her gaze serious on the little figure before her.
Facing the despair of others was a despairing act in itself. She wasn't sure if Tsukimi had the mental fortitude to bear such a weight.
Tsukimi nodded. The motion was slight, but firm and resolute.
"I'm ready."
Tsunade's eyes held a mix of tenderness and pride.
[Ding! Favorability of target Tsunade Senju: 78!]
Tsunade stepped forward, raising her voice to the medical staff bustling among the wounded. "From now on, Tsukimi Heshu will assist in treatment! She is my disciple! Her medical ninjutsu is already on par with my own!"
Tsukimi looked up, surprised.
Her declaration instantly quashed most of the doubt the onlookers might have held. More than that, the title "Tsunade's Disciple" was a layer of armor, shielding him from unnecessary trouble.
All eyes turned to Tsukimi. They sized up the child who looked no older than ten.
"Now, bring forward the most critically injured!"
Tsunade didn't leave. She stayed, barking orders, determined to settle him in before she went.
It was a warm, almost maternal kind of care.
Tsukimi's heart softened.
A shinobi who barely looked human anymore was carried over on a stretcher by two medics. The stench of charred and rotting flesh made Tsukimi's stomach clench.
Every eye remained fixed on him. They all wanted to see if this child, endorsed by Lady Tsunade, truly possessed miraculous skill.
Tsukimi stepped forward. Chakra stirred within him.
A soft, jade-green light, pure and nurturing, blossomed from his hands.
A miracle unfolded.
The rotten flesh and gaping wounds on the shinobi seemed to reverse their decay. Fresh tissue replaced the corruption, knitting together into new, pink skin.
Tsukimi lowered his hands. Sweat beaded on his forehead, tracing a path down his cheek.
"This…!"
Many covered their mouths in shock. Such medical ninjutsu was unheard of. Divine.
Their gazes upon Tsukimi turned scorching with awe.
The tension in Tsunade's shoulders finally eased. She looked at Tsukimi, a soft, proud smile escaping her eyes.
The kid did it.
"Well done."
She ruffled his hair. Now she could leave with peace of mind.
Tsukimi could handle this alone.
Satisfied, Tsunade took her leave.
As the afternoon wore on and the number of treated shinobi grew, Tsukimi's mastery of the Reverse Cursed Technique soared.
From cautious, deliberate efforts to smooth, effortless application.
It took only a single afternoon.
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