Chapter 150: Tsunade's Wood Release X Tōshirō's Mangekyō

Tsunade was startled by the image in the mirror. However, thanks to her exceptional mental fortitude, she quickly calmed down—only to realize something was off.

Wait a minute… this face looks like mine…

The hair, the eyes, the eyebrows—every facial feature indeed belonged to her. That is, if she ignored the pair of ears.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes for a closer look. These were not human ears.

Normal human ears had a slightly oval shape, but hers were different—sharp and pointed.

At first glance, they looked strange. But upon a second and third look, they seemed oddly pleasing, even beautiful.

"What strange ears…"

She muttered, raising her slender, jade-white fingers to touch them lightly.

"Ah!"

She let out a soft gasp. The ears trembled slightly as a tingling sensation, like an electric current, surged through them.

"So sensitive..."

Tsunade decided not to touch them further.

Pushing aside the matter of her ears, she focused on another unusual feature on her face.

If her elongated, pointed ears were merely strange but still within the realm of acceptance, then the diamond-shaped blue crystal embedded in her forehead could only be described as bizarre.

Tsunade touched the crystal. It felt as if it were fused directly into her flesh.

"Can this thing be removed?"

It looked beautiful, but the fact that it was growing out of her skin made her feel uneasy. Her instinct urged her to pry it off.

However, the moment her fingertips brushed against it, she hesitated. Shaking her head, she withdrew her hand. Better not mess with it. Who knew what would happen if she forcibly removed it?

She pinched her own cheeks. Aside from the obvious changes, she noticed her skin was smoother, firmer, softer, and more elastic than before.

Usually, she used the Strength of a Hundred Technique to mask her age, making herself appear young. But if one looked closely, faint wrinkles could still be detected.

Now, however, her skin seemed genuinely youthful—without any illusionary tricks.

"So beautiful… just like an elf…"

Tsunade couldn't help but praise herself as she gazed at her reflection. She never thought she'd have such a narcissistic moment.

Wait.

What was an elf?

Why did she know this word?

As far as she remembered, this term shouldn't exist in her knowledge.

Realization dawned on her belatedly.

Perhaps something significant had changed in the past due to those two brats, which, in turn, affected her in the future.

That was the only logical explanation.

Tsunade raised her arm and clenched her fist twice. She could feel the immense power surging within this body—stronger than ever before.

She glanced at her full-body reflection in the tall mirror.

Slightly surprised, she noticed that she seemed to have grown a few centimeters taller.

A slight increase in height wouldn't normally be so noticeable. But the problem was that all of her added height had gone to her legs, making her figure appear even taller and more striking.

"This is really strange… What exactly happened to my past self?"

She put on her clothes, but because of her longer legs, her once perfectly fitting pants now looked like cropped ankle-length ones.

"Anyway, I should wait for Shizune to return first…"

With that thought, she waited. And waited…

After a long time—so long that she was nearly starving—Shizune still hadn't come back.

"So slow…" she grumbled.

Impatient, Tsunade left the room and found the inn's staff to ask if Shizune had left any messages.

If Shizune had really left, there was no way she'd do so without informing her.

However, to her surprise, the staff looked completely confused and responded, "There's no such person."

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. "That's impossible! Think carefully!"

As she spoke, a realization hit her. Given her own unusual transformation, it was hard not to connect it with Shizune's sudden disappearance.

With things as they were, there was no point in asking further.

She hurriedly left the inn and set off alone toward Konoha. She needed to see what had become of the village in this timeline.

Tsunade was already an incredibly beautiful woman. Coupled with her ample figure, she naturally attracted attention wherever she walked.

And now, with her current appearance, she was like a walking sun—wherever she went, she became the center of attention.

"This is such a hassle… I should buy a cloak to cover up."

Sigh… The troubles of being too beautiful.

Tsunade allowed herself a tiny moment of vanity.

She approached a street vendor, casually picked up a brown hooded cloak, and asked for the price.

Just then, a gust of wind blew.

Tsunade lifted a hand to keep her golden hair from being tousled by the wind.

At that moment, the sunlight shining down on the street and the bustling crowd all seemed to lose their brilliance in comparison.

The vendor was stunned. "Uh… it's free."

Leaving the city, Tsunade once again stepped onto a land covered in sand. The endless desert reminded her of a joke Tōshirō had made a few days ago.

"Reforestation, huh…?"

A playful smile curved her lips as she recalled something.

Besides her outward appearance, she had changed in other ways too.

For example, she now seemed to possess a Kekkei Genkai—one she had once longed for but could never obtain.

Tsunade clapped her hands together and closed her eyes, focusing on the natural chakra around her.

After a moment of gathering energy, she opened her eyes, and a flower bloomed at the top of her head—white as snow, shaped like a rose.

This wasn't just for aesthetics. This was her unique Sage Mode.

She could sense natural energy through the white rose on her head, absorbing it to combine with her own chakra and create Sage Chakra.

But she wasn't done yet.

She clasped her hands together again, forming the "Ram" hand seal with her fingers interlocked.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes gleamed with power.

"Sage Art: Deep Forest Emergence."

From the barren desert, thick vines erupted, as if an entire forest had been uprooted and transplanted there in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, a lush woodland spread across the sandy landscape.

The petals atop her head gently fell as she exited Sage Mode. Hands on her hips, she gazed at the scene before her with pride.

She wasn't proud of herself, but rather of her past self—proud that she had finally awakened both Wood Release and Sage Mode.

A week later, Tsunade arrived at Konoha.

Standing before the open village gates, she hesitated briefly before stepping inside.

The guards at the entrance immediately took notice of the cloaked figure attempting to walk into Konoha without concealment. Naturally, they blocked her path.

"It's me."

Tsunade pulled back her hood, revealing her face.

The two gatekeepers stared at her in disbelief before their expressions transformed into sheer joy.

"Lady Hokage! Where have you been? You disappeared for so many days—everyone has been looking for you!"

Before she could react, one of the guards had already dashed off at full speed, likely to report her return.

Tsunade's mind went blank.

"…What did you just call me?"

She distinctly remembered that Jiraiya had just taken over as Hokage…

The gatekeeper repeated with a puzzled look, "Lady Hokage?"

"Wait a minute, my mind is a bit messy. Let me calm down for a second."

Tsunade rubbed her temples, feeling momentarily confused. Could it be that another mess from her past had come back to haunt her?

As her thoughts drifted, a familiar yet sinister voice rang through the air:

"Oh my, isn't this Tsunade? I finally found you."

Tsunade looked up and saw a man wearing a kimono. His features were delicate yet eerie, further accentuated by the purple eyeshadow that added a touch of wickedness to his appearance.

"Orochimaru!?"

Tsunade took a step back, instinctively going on high alert.

Orochimaru gave her a puzzled look. "Why are you so tense?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? You killed the Third Hokage, and yet you dare to walk around so brazenly… Uh…"

Hearing those words, Orochimaru's previously calm face showed a brief moment of surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and chuckled:

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you please. I am a respectable citizen of Konoha—how could I possibly commit such a heinous act as killing my own master?"

Tsunade immediately understood the situation—it was the same old problem.

In this timeline, the Orochimaru who was supposed to have defected had never betrayed the village and had chosen to stay.

If this version of Orochimaru never killed the Third Hokage, then that means the Third must have peacefully retired, and she… was the Fourth Hokage?

"Then where is the Third Hokage now?"

Tsunade asked casually, but the answer she received completely caught her off guard.

"He's dead."

Orochimaru's tone was cold, devoid of any respect or sentiment for the deceased.

"How did he die?"

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. Orochimaru hadn't defected, so why had the Third Hokage still perished?

"You've been acting strange ever since you returned," Orochimaru narrowed his snake-like pupils and speculated based on their conversation. "You wouldn't happen to have amnesia, would you?"

Tsunade couldn't help but admit that Orochimaru was as sharp as ever, noticing something was off so quickly.

She had no intention of explaining things to him right now. Instead, she was more interested in getting to the bottom of why Asuma had committed patricide.

Just as Orochimaru was about to explain, a gust of wind blew past, carrying a chill from the winter air. Orochimaru immediately understood who had arrived and smirked.

"Let's put that discussion on hold for now. Your husband is here."

"My husband?"

Orochimaru tilted his chin in a certain direction.

Tsunade followed his gaze and saw a white-haired, green-eyed young man walking towards her. He looked very youthful—too youthful. He didn't seem to have aged much since she last saw him, still appearing around twelve or thirteen years old.

(PS: Refer to the book cover for reference.)

Tsunade distinctly remembered that Tōshirō had black hair and black eyes, with the standard Uchiha appearance.

How had he remained a child for decades?

And why had his hair and eye color changed?

If it weren't for the fact that his age still seemed about right, she might not have even recognized him.

Tōshirō's face showed concern. "You finally decided to come back. I've been worried about you these past few days."

Tsunade blurted out, "Why do you look like this?"

Her question made no sense, leaving Tōshirō completely baffled.

As for why he had ended up looking this way—well, a lot had happened in between, and part of it was due to someone's peculiar hobby.

Tōshirō turned to Orochimaru. "What's wrong with her?"

Orochimaru carefully chose his words before replying, "She might have amnesia."

"Wha—"

Orochimaru suggested, "Do you want to check using the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

With the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, they might be able to uncover something.

Tōshirō was already considering it. His pupils turned red as three tomoe rapidly spun around his irises, forming a special pattern resembling a hexagonal snowflake.

"That's…" Tsunade stared in shock at Tōshirō's eyes. This wasn't an ordinary Sharingan—this was the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.

She had never seen one before, but that didn't stop her from recognizing it.

Orochimaru asked, "Well? Do you see anything unusual?"

Tōshirō closed his eyes and shook his head. When he reopened them, they had returned to normal.

He gave Tsunade another look. Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan, he couldn't detect anything strange about her.

Wait…

Maybe he had been too focused on other things and had overlooked something obvious.

"That mark on your forehead…"

Tōshirō narrowed his eyes. He vaguely remembered something about it.

But before he could ask, Tsunade suddenly collapsed.

When she woke up again, she no longer remembered what had happened and was back to her usual self. "What's wrong?"

"You don't remember?"

Tōshirō glanced at her forehead, where the diamond-shaped crystal had turned red again—it had previously been blue. How bizarre.

Tsunade rubbed her chin in thought. After a long pause, she suddenly lifted her head.

Tōshirō asked, "Did you remember something?"

Tsunade grinned. "Do you want a kiss?"

Tōshirō facepalmed. "Uh…"

He honestly preferred the old, rebellious Tsunade. This clingy version of her was too much.

Tsunade flapped her ears like a fan. "Come on, come on! Today is Kiss Day."

"What the hell is Kiss Day? Stop making up holidays!"

"July 7th—Kiss Day!"

"…"

Tsunade spread her arms wide. "Hurry up."

"Aren't you getting tired of this? I've already—"

Tsunade's face darkened.

"I will never get tired of it."

"Heh heh…"

A loud explosion echoed, sending thick smoke billowing into the air. When it cleared, two figures lay motionless on the ground.

Sakumo Hatake and the supervising Jonin immediately rushed over and woke them up.

The two groggily regained consciousness. Seeing the familiar surroundings and faces, they realized they had returned and smiled in relief.

Sakumo and the Jonin were puzzled by their reactions but didn't dwell on it.

The two had already discussed their story beforehand—they would simply say that after a blinding flash of light, they remembered nothing else.

"Where's Scorpion?" Sakumo searched the area but found no trace of the enemy's body.

Tōshirō casually replied, "Probably swallowed up by the power of the Ryūmyaku."

Sakumo nodded, accepting the explanation for now. There was no other evidence to suggest otherwise. "That makes sense… but why are you two completely fine? And weren't you poisoned? You seem perfectly fine now."

"The Ryūmyaku's power is mysterious. I have no idea."

No matter what they asked, Tōshirō just blamed everything on the Ryūmyaku's energy. If you have a problem with that, go ahead and try time traveling yourself.

He then suggested, "The Ryūmyaku's power seems dangerous. Should we destroy it?"

He felt a little bad about how it might affect Rōran, but leaving a time-traveling energy source intact was too risky. Who knew if someone with bad intentions might exploit it?

"Let's check it first," Sakumo said.

Upon inspection, they found that the Ryūmyaku's power had significantly weakened—nowhere near as terrifying as before. Future time travel using it seemed unlikely.

Sakumo decided to leave it as is.

Tōshirō shrugged. "Well, that works."

After completing their mission, the four-man team made their final report to Sunagakure and then returned to Konoha.

(PS: Just to clarify, my version of Tsunade's world is somewhat parallel but not entirely. The protagonist basically glitched into a world where they never existed, and history is adjusting accordingly. In Tsunade's heart, there's always a lingering feeling… of being cheated on.)

(End of Chapter)

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