At this moment—
At the entrance of the Akira household.
Akira Nao, whose health had been worsening day by day in recent times, stood there leaning heavily on her cane.
Her frail body trembled slightly.
When she saw the person standing before her, her lips quivered with excitement.
Her wrinkled, yellowed, and emaciated face flushed with an abnormal redness.
Struggling, she attempted to bow in greeting.
"Lady Tsunade…"
"Nao… you've grown old."
Looking at the elderly woman whose life force was nearly exhausted, Tsunade's eyes filled with complicated emotions.
She quickly stepped forward and supported her.
"That's enough. The Senju clan is gone now. There's no need for such formalities."
She was not unfamiliar with Akira Nao.
When Tsunade was young, before Nao had married and left the clan, she had served as one of the attendants responsible for looking after her.
Moreover—
Akira Nao's mother had been no ordinary person.
Her name was Senju Momoka.
She had been a trusted subordinate of Tsunade's grandfather, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
Within the Senju clan, Momoka had been one of the most powerful female ninja.
She was especially skilled in genjutsu, and her reputation was well known even among ninja of other nations.
Unfortunately—
Times had changed.
The once glorious and prosperous Senju clan had already vanished into history.
Many of its powerful members had gradually died in the brutal wars of the past.
Fortunately, years earlier—
Under arrangements made by the First and Second Hokage, many members of the clan had changed their names and married into other ninja clans or civilian families.
Thus, the Senju bloodline had quietly merged into the people of Konoha.
And precisely because of this—
Tsunade, who knew the darkness of Konoha all too well and harbored deep resentment toward its leadership, had long refused to return to the village.
But after receiving a letter that Akira Nao had sent through intermediaries—
She finally set aside her grievances and came back once.
Just to see the old woman one last time.
"Courtesy must not be abandoned… cough cough… Please, come inside."
However, the stubborn Akira Nao still insisted on completing her bow before inviting Tsunade in.
In her heart, even though she had taken her husband's surname after marriage, Akira Nao had always considered herself a member of the Senju clan.
Looking at the beautiful woman standing before her—graceful, voluptuous, and radiating youthful vitality as if she were only in her early twenties—
Nao couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Lady Tsunade truly deserves her reputation as a medical master.
Her techniques for maintaining youth were extraordinary.
She was already in her forties—
Yet she looked like a young woman barely past twenty.
"Ahem… and this is?"
Nao's cloudy old eyes turned toward the slender young woman standing behind Tsunade.
The girl had short hair, a capable appearance, and was holding a small pink pig in her arms.
"She's my disciple, Shizune," Tsunade said directly.
"Hello, Granny Nao," Shizune greeted politely with a slightly shy smile.
At the same time, she lifted the little pig in her arms.
"And this is Tonton."
"Bwee~ bwee~!"
The adorable pig squealed as if greeting her.
"I see… Lady Tsunade, Shizune, please don't stand outside. Come in!"
Nao quickly invited them inside.
Tsunade nodded without standing on ceremony.
Supporting the elderly woman whose movements were difficult, she helped her walk into the living room.
She did not immediately ask why Nao had sent word insisting that she return.
Instead—
She began examining the old woman's body.
But soon—
Her expression grew extremely serious.
Her brows knitted tightly.
Looking at Nao, who seemed to have long expected this reaction—
Tsunade realized that the woman's body was already nearing the point of complete exhaustion.
In fact, the fact that she was still alive at all was practically a miracle.
It was obvious that a highly skilled medical ninja had been treating her daily, expending their own chakra to nourish and sustain her body.
Whoever that medical ninja was—
They were no ordinary person.
"Your body…"
"Ahem… there's no need to worry, Lady Tsunade…"
Nao coughed repeatedly.
"I know my own condition."
"If it weren't for my grandson Ren, who has been using his chakra to regulate and nourish my body, this old woman would have been buried long ago… cough…"
Tsunade looked surprised.
"Your grandson? The son of that medical jōnin Akira Daichi?"
She remembered that when she had left Konoha, Daichi had only recently gotten married and didn't even have children yet.
Which meant—
Even at most, the boy couldn't be older than ten.
And she had heard that Daichi himself had died several years ago during the Nine-Tails incident.
"Yes. Ren is only eight years old… cough…"
"But his talent far surpasses his father's."
Thinking of her grandson, Nao's eyes filled with pride.
"That child studied the ninjutsu scrolls and notes Daichi left behind and taught himself."
"He mastered an A-rank technique like the Mystical Palm Technique a long time ago."
"He has been the one caring for my body all this time."
"What?!"
"An eight-year-old who has mastered the Mystical Palm Technique?"
Not only Shizune—
Even Tsunade's pupils shrank sharply.
She stared at Nao in disbelief.
The Mystical Palm Technique was not like ordinary ninjutsu.
Its difficulty was truly A-rank, and medical ninjutsu was far harder to master than conventional ninjutsu.
And mastering the technique was only the beginning.
Strictly speaking—
The Mystical Palm Technique was easy to learn but difficult to perfect.
Whether someone could truly use it effectively was the real challenge.
Yet from Tsunade's examination of Nao's body just now—
She clearly understood how difficult it was to maintain someone's body in such a condition.
Without a doubt—
This boy's Mystical Palm Technique had already reached the level of mastery.
"Cough… it's absolutely true."
"When Ren returns later, Lady Tsunade can test him personally," Nao said with a faint smile.
She understood her own body well.
And after witnessing Ren's extraordinary talent—
She had made up her mind to pave the road for his future as much as possible before she died.
So half a month ago—
When Nara Shikaku came to visit—
After Ren revealed his Wood Release, she entrusted him with delivering a letter to the legendary Sannin and former Senju princess—Tsunade-hime.
She simply wished to see her one last time before death.
However—
Tsunade's whereabouts were unpredictable.
Even the Nara clan had spent quite some effort before the letter finally reached her.
"You asked the Nara clan to send me a message and bring me back here… because of him, right?"
Tsunade suddenly understood.
But her expression grew serious.
She looked at Nao and sighed softly.
If Nao was telling the truth—
Then that boy named Akira Ren possessed astonishing talent.
His potential far surpassed Shizune's.
He was a true genius.
Nao's intention was clear—
She wanted Tsunade to take her grandson as a disciple.
If the boy really possessed such talent—
It might not be impossible.
In recent years, Tsunade had reluctantly realized something.
Even though she had spared no effort teaching Shizune—
Shizune's talent was limited.
Now already in her twenties, her medical ability was only slightly stronger than the medical jōnin Akira Daichi Tsunade had once known.
She simply could not fully inherit Tsunade's legacy.
"Ahem… that is indeed my intention…"
Nao coughed softly.
"But there is something even more important I need to tell you…"
As she spoke, she glanced toward Shizune beside them.
She seemed hesitant.
Understanding immediately, Shizune smiled.
"Lady Tsunade, Granny Nao, please continue talking. I'll take Tonton outside for a walk."
She hugged the little pig and prepared to leave.
"No need," Tsunade said calmly, waving her hand.
"Shizune is my disciple. She knows how to keep secrets. There's no need to worry."
"…Very well."
Nao hesitated briefly.
But since Tsunade insisted, she didn't press further.
She seemed to make up her mind.
Taking a deep breath, she looked directly at Tsunade and said:
"Ren… has awakened Lord Hashirama's Wood Release."
"What?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened instantly.
She shot to her feet.
For the first time, she completely lost her composure.