Chapter 154: Implanting the Tailed Beast – Five-Tails, Kokuō

Tōshirō: ???

Tsunade crossed her arms, seemingly trying to emphasize something, yet achieving nothing: "If it weren't for your greed this time, none of that would have happened. So, it's all your fault."

Tōshirō lowered his head, seriously reflecting on his actions.

Orochimaru stepped in to defend him. "No one could have predicted this outcome."

Tsunade sighed. "You always take Tōshirō's side."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Perhaps…"

Tsunade gave Orochimaru a meaningful look. It was hard to imagine that one day, this same Orochimaru would commit such a treacherous act as killing his own teacher.

Jiraiya joked, "Tsunade, you're as harsh on Tōshirō as ever."

"When dealing with someone so lazy, this is the only way," Tsunade huffed. "And you're in no position to judge him either."

Jiraiya, caught in the crossfire, protested, "Why am I getting dragged into this…?"

"Enough about that," Tōshirō changed the subject. "Orochimaru, I have something for you."

Orochimaru looked puzzled.

Tōshirō took out a long, finely wrapped gift box. Opening it revealed a sleek longsword, its hilt designed in the shape of a snake—an exquisite weapon.

It was none other than the Kusanagi Sword that Tōshirō had snatched from Orochimaru's future self. Having no use for an extra blade, he decided to give it away.

"This is…"

Orochimaru only needed one glance to recognize that the sword was no ordinary weapon.

"I did some research," Tōshirō explained. "It seems to be the same type of Kusanagi Sword as my Enma. Given the snake design on the hilt, I figured you'd like it. So, I'm giving it to you—no point in me keeping extras."

Kusanagi Sword?

Orochimaru had heard of it before but never expected Tōshirō to just hand over such a legendary weapon so casually.

Though Tōshirō made it seem trivial, Orochimaru could tell he was only downplaying its value to avoid making him feel burdened by the gift.

"Thank you."

No more words were needed. Orochimaru silently vowed to repay Tōshirō one day.

"You're welcome."

Jiraiya, still clueless, asked, "What's a Kusanagi Sword?"

Tōshirō gave him a brief rundown of its significance.

Upon hearing it, Jiraiya cried out in protest, "That's so unfair!"

Tōshirō shrugged. "You're not even good with swords—what's the point of giving you one?"

"Fair enough," Jiraiya conceded. He wasn't skilled with long swords, so it didn't bother him too much.

Tōshirō smirked. "How about this—once you're healed, I'll treat you to a trip to the entertainment district? I've never been there myself."

Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah!"

Tsunade: stare…

Tōshirō felt a sudden chill down his spine and quickly backpedaled. "Actually… never mind."

Jiraiya: ???

"I've sworn off such things," Tōshirō declared.

Jiraiya: ???

Feeling the pressure, Tōshirō elaborated, "The only constant in this world is change, and I'm no exception. I used to dream of having multiple wives, living the dream of being surrounded by beauties. But as I've grown older and gained more knowledge, I realized that polygamy is simply unrealistic. So from now on, I'll focus on a simple love life—one partner, marriage, and raising a family."

Tsunade nodded approvingly.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. Is this really the Tōshirō I know?

Tōshirō patted him on the shoulder. "Jiraiya, you need to mature too. Maybe stop peeping at women's bathhouses."

"Let's live clean lives—go out more, read books we enjoy, visit places we like, spend time with loved ones. And when we're bored at night, we can meet up with friends for tea and conversation. Trust me, at the end of the day, you'll find that self-discipline is good for your health."

Jiraiya was almost convinced, but then he noticed a glaring flaw in the argument.

What do you mean by 'spend time with loved ones'?

If he had that luxury, why the hell would he be peeping at bathhouses? Wouldn't cuddling with his girlfriend be way better?!

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Wait… don't tell me you already have a girlfriend?"

Like any celebrity caught in dating rumors, Tōshirō was quick to deny it. "Impossible."

"Yeah, makes sense," Jiraiya nodded in relief. "I mean, someone like Tōshirōfinding a cute girlfriend before me? If that happens, I'll eat this table. Hahaha!"

To emphasize his point, he tapped the table with his finger, making a thunk thunk sound.

Tōshirō, who did have a girlfriend, suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to punch Jiraiya. Is this really how he sees me?!

Jiraiya, our friendship is officially over.

"Hehehe…" Tsunade was dying of laughter.

Jiraiya frowned. "What's so funny?"

Tsunade smirked. "You guys are so childish. Instead of training and improving your strength, all you do is waste time thinking about nonsense."

Orochimaru, who had been silent all this time, saw an opportunity to repay Tōshirō. "Tōshirō, if you really want a girlfriend, I can introduce you to someone."

Tsunade: ???

Tōshirō: ???

Jiraiya: ???

Tsunade was baffled. "You know a lot of women?"

Orochimaru explained, "Not really, but they'll come to me on their own."

Tsunade: …

She suddenly recalled that even during their academy days, Orochimaru never lacked admirers. Yet, he had always been indifferent to them.

Orochimaru added, "Women only slow down my research."

Tsunade scoffed. "I doubt you know any woman suitable for Tōshirō."

Orochimaru countered, "You won't know unless you try."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable. Any woman with common sense wouldn't accept him."

Orochimaru defended him. "You're too biased against Tōshirō."

Tsunade, standing her ground, declared, "Listen up—Tōshirō may have some talent as a ninja, but he's greedy, perverted, cowardly, and never takes the initiative. Throwing your admirers at him is like sending them straight into a pit of fire. Understand?"

Tōshirō, completely done with this conversation, turned and walked away.

Tsunade called after him, "Where are you going?"

Without looking back, Tōshirō muttered, "I am that fire pit… so I'll stay far away from you."

With that, he left in frustration.

Jiraiya was already used to these two bickering with each other, so he laughed and teased, "Tsunade, you made Tōshirō angry. Shouldn't you apologize to him?"

"Tch, who would apologize to him?"

One minute later, on the hospital rooftop.

Tsunade found Tōshirō . "You're not really mad just now, are you?"

"What do you think?" Tōshirō's face darkened. "Is that how you talk about your boyfriend?"

Tsunade sincerely said, "Sorry, I was just—"

"Haha, I was just messing with you."

Tsunade froze for a moment, then angrily pinched his side until Tōshirō begged for mercy.

Tōshirō rested his hands on the railing, the wind tousling his hair. "But seriously, what you said back there almost convinced even me."

"Huh?" Tsunade said honestly, "I was just speaking the truth."

Tōshirō chuckled awkwardly. "Didn't sound like a joke."

Tsunade smiled. "That's because it wasn't a joke."

Tōshirō: …

Tsunade clasped her hands behind her back. "But let me tell you something: No matter how many flaws you have, I still fell for you hopelessly. Just like I'm the only one for Tōshirō, the only person who can be with Tōshirō is me."

"For me, at least, I can't imagine anyone else but Tōshirō being my boyfriend. Do you have the guts to betray someone as devoted as me?"

Tōshirō gazed at the vast sky, watching as birds soared by.

The golden sunlight bathed her, illuminating her fair skin, brown eyes, and golden hair in a dazzling glow.

That soft curve of her lips reflected the sun—and also touched something deep in Tōshirō's heart.

She was a woman who reached straight into his soul.

He thought—he probably wouldn't have any interest in other women after this.

Tōshirō stepped forward.

"Eh? What are you—"

Tōshirō answered with action—stealing her lips.

"Mmh…"

As they parted, Tsunade puffed up her cheeks. "You're so sneaky, doing that so suddenly."

Tōshirō said bluntly, "I just couldn't help but want to kiss you."

Tsunade's cheeks turned pink, and she stammered, "W-What if someone sees us?"

"I don't care. If anyone has a problem, I'll beat them up."

Tsunade was momentarily dazzled by his boldness and lowered her head slightly.

Hehehe… Being in love is kind of fun…

For the first time in his life, Tōshirō felt like he had something he truly wanted to protect and work hard for.

Uchiha Clan Grounds, Training Area.

"Huff… huff…" Tōshirō panted heavily, swallowing dryly to moisten his parched throat as he prepared to continue training.

"Stop." Elder Itachi halted him. "If you keep going, you'll push your body beyond its limits. It could become dangerous—even life-threatening."

"I understand…"

Tōshirō let out a deep breath. The further he advanced in his training, the more he felt a frustrating gap between his ambitions and his abilities.

He didn't have enough chakra.

Chakra limitations weren't just an issue in battle but also in training.

For example, take Kakashi—if he trained at full power for an hour, he'd be exhausted to the point of collapse and would need several days to recover. But if it were Naruto, he could train for an entire day, sleep for a night, and wake up full of energy. That was the difference.

While resting, Tōshirō took the chance to ask, "Elder Itachi, our Uchiha Clan is the strongest Fire Release clan in the ninja world, right?"

Itachi Elder nodded.

Tōshirō continued, "I know that ninjutsu is ranked by difficulty from S to D. I've learned techniques from the lower ranks, but I've never even heard of any S-rank Fire Release jutsu. Why is that?"

Itachi Elder answered calmly, "That's because the ultimate Fire Release jutsu is restricted to the Clan Head. It's normal that you haven't heard of it."

Tōshirō nodded in understanding.

Itachi Elder chuckled. "What? Are A-rank techniques no longer enough for you? Are you starting to crave stronger, S-rank jutsu?"

Tōshirō admitted it openly.

But Itachi Elder immediately shot him down. "Forget it. S-rank jutsu are too much for you right now. Even if we ignore clan regulations and the difficulty of learning them, the most important factor is that most offensive S-rank jutsu require a massive amount of chakra. Even if it's not an issue now, in the future, if you use an S-rank Fire Release jutsu, it could instantly drain your chakra and leave you exhausted—or even put your life in danger."

Tōshirō sighed. As expected, chakra was the greatest bottleneck limiting a ninja's potential.

Take Naruto, for instance. Two uses of an S-rank Wind Release: Rasenshuriken could drain even his Tailed Beast-level chakra reserves. That alone proved how chakra-intensive S-rank jutsu were.

If Tōshirō continued training at a normal pace while being limited by his chakra reserves, his ceiling wouldn't be very high.

"It's enough for today. Go home and rest."

"Yes."

As the sun set, Itachi Elder watched Tōshirō's departing figure, his eyes narrowing with a sharp glint.

These past few days… Why had this kid become so serious all of a sudden?

It wasn't just his usual hard work—his determination was different.

In the past, Tōshirō would stop once he hit his limit, but now he was gritting his teeth and pushing through, as if he had been motivated by something.

Thinking of this, Itachi Elder decided to keep a closer eye on him.

It had been a long time since he had orchestrated the pairing of Tōshirō and Tsunade. He needed to confirm how far their relationship had progressed.

If it was at the right stage…

Then he—Uchiha Madara—would start considering the next phase of his plan.

The Tailed Beasts.

He was preparing to find an opportunity—

To implant a Tailed Beast into Tōshirō's body!

And he had already chosen the beast—

The Five-Tails.

(End of Chapter)

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