Chapter 126 – Wood Release! Tsunade’s Humiliating Treatment!

Chapter 126 – Wood Release! Tsunade's Humiliating Treatment!

Seeing the stunned look on Tsunade's face, Renji ignored it and continued speaking.

"I know this sounds harsh, but is it acceptable for you to kill others, yet unacceptable for others to harm the people around you? When you killed those enemies, did you ever consider that their children might be waiting for them to come home? Or that their parents were waiting for their children to return?"

In Renji's eyes, no one in the shinobi world had the right to judge others.

The anime only told the story from Konoha's perspective, so it rarely showed what happened in the other villages.

But if you looked at the three great shinobi wars, every single one had been brutal.

Tsunade hadn't participated in the First Great War. The Second made the Sannin famous—but that fame had been bought with countless sacrifices. The Third? Even worse.

This one was going to be more terrifying than any before. And on top of that, Tsunade wasn't the kind of ninja who spared lives during missions.

From Konoha's point of view, Tsunade was pitiable. But from the enemy's perspective?

So when Tsunade said what she did, Renji only found it laughable.

To think one of the Legendary Sannin could live with that kind of mindset—she might as well be dead already.

"You don't know anything!!"

Tsunade grabbed Renji's collar in fury, eyes flashing dangerously.

She wouldn't allow anyone to rub salt into her wounds like this.

In her mind, this guy had no idea what it was like. He hadn't experienced it. He had no right to talk.

"Hit me. Go ahead—hit me in the face. Do you even dare? Right now, you're just a broken-down has-been. Can't even act at the sight of blood. The so-called Medic Deity, scared of a little blood? Pathetic.

If any of the relatives of those people you killed knew about your condition, even a commoner carrying a bag of blood could take you out.

One of the Sannin, taken down by an ordinary civilian? What a joke."

Renji showed no concern for Tsunade's raised fist and continued mocking her.

The fist, however, never came down.

Tsunade's rage had reached its peak.

"When the people close to you, one by one—"

"That's right. That's exactly the point. When those around you die and you can't do anything, you'll understand what I mean. But unfortunately, this is the reality of being a ninja. Kill or be killed. You've taken so many lives—don't you understand this already? Why do people die? Because they're weak. Admiration is always the feeling farthest from understanding."

Those who lived in the past should have been left behind.

Renji honestly couldn't understand how Tsunade, with so many enemies, was still alive. Though being in the Land of Fire had a lot to do with it.

"Evil-born Uchiha... Fine. I admit I'm a failure. I can't overcome my hemophobia. But don't think you can trick me into helping you with that reverse psychology nonsense."

Tsunade suddenly sneered.

Of course.

She'd been blinded by rage for a moment. But now that she thought about it, she realized exactly what Renji was doing.

He was just trying to provoke her into cooperating.

She admitted she was a failure. She wasn't one of the Legendary Sannin anymore. Over the years, she'd become disheartened, nothing like the woman she once was.

"Then you can leave Konoha right now. I won't stop you. Konoha doesn't need a Senju—especially one that's already finished. The so-called Senju glory is gone. Today's Senju is—"

Boom!!

Before Renji could finish, a fist tore straight through his body.

Behind him, a massive crater was blasted into the floor. Tsunade stood coldly, glaring at the spot where Renji had been.

How had he dodged that?

Outside the door.

Shikaku rushed in. "Lord Hokage, what—?!"

"It's nothing. From now on, no one enters without my direct order."

"Understood."

Shikaku opened his mouth but swallowed his words. Clearly, this wasn't something he should interfere in.

How did those two suddenly start fighting?

He quietly exited the office and shut the door.

Leaning against it, Shikaku let out a sigh.

Kakashi, standing nearby, looked curious. "Everything alright in there?"

"Relax. He can handle it."

He didn't know why the two were fighting, but he trusted Renji to manage it.

Inside the room.

Tsunade was now pinned against the office desk. When Shikaku had left, she'd tried to launch a second attack.

But this time, Renji caught her fist and countered, pressing her down on the desk.

"So this is the strength of your so-called monster strength? Is that it? What are you proud of, really?

Your grandfather's passive ability turned into your active jutsu—Creation Rebirth? Sounds impressive, but that's all. Now you can't even look at blood. Your strength is below mine. What do you even have left?"

"Let me go!"

Tsunade struggled, but no matter how much she fought, Renji's strength kept her completely subdued.

Being held like this left her with a deep sense of humiliation.

"Here. Bite my hand. Hard enough to draw blood. Do that, and I'll let you go."

Renji extended his right hand in front of her, presenting two options.

Stay like this, or bite him and confront her fear.

"Are you insane?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she looked at him strangely.

Was he the masochist, or was she?

There was no way she was doing that.

In truth, Tsunade understood what Renji was trying to do—he wanted to cure her hemophobia so he could send her to the battlefield.

But she wasn't about to give in so easily.

Now that she understood his plan, she wasn't in any hurry.

"Fine. Suit yourself. Let's see who holds out longer."

Renji didn't mind. The key to breaking someone was outlasting them. Wear them down until they gave in.

And with his Sage Body, there was no way he'd lose to Tsunade in stamina.

So they remained locked like that. Occasionally, Tsunade would struggle, only to be subdued again.

Outside the door.

Kakashi glanced at the darkening sky and turned to Shikaku. "I'll head home. No sound in there. Looks like they're settling in for the night."

"…"

It sounded like Kakashi was saying something. But at the same time, it didn't.

"You scared? Come on—bite me! I'm not afraid. It's just blood. And you call yourself one of the Sannin? Hah! Senju deadweight. This little bit of fear and you're ready to break down?"

"You evil little Uchiha brat! You think I'm scared of you?"

"Then prove it, Senju failure!"

"Uchiha bastard!"

"Senju trash!"

Outside the door.

Shikaku was now sweating cold bullets.

Was Kakashi right…?

And more importantly—now that he'd overheard this, would they silence him?

He never expected those two to have this kind of… "dynamic."

"Hiashi-dono?"

As Shikaku was lost in thought, Hyuga Hiashi was approaching the Hokage's office.

After learning Renji was preparing to go to war with Kumogakure, Hiashi Hyuga couldn't sit still. The timing hadn't been right before, but now he felt this was the perfect moment to approach Renji.

"Shikaku, still on duty?"

Of course—pre-war mobilization. No wonder Shikaku hadn't left yet.

"Yes. Clan Head Hiashi, are you looking for the Hokage?"

"I am. He's inside, right?"

There had always been rumors that Renji didn't handle village affairs and that everything was done by Shikaku.

Could that actually be true?

"I'm sorry, but Lord Hokage is… currently unavailable."

Shikaku replied awkwardly. He had no idea what was going on inside.

But from a political, moral, and command perspective, it was his duty to stop Hiashi from barging in.

"Ah, is that so? Then I'll wait."

Hiashi nodded and quietly took a seat nearby.

They waited.

By the next morning, Hiashi squinted at Shikaku. Shikaku just gave him an embarrassed nod. Neither said a word.

By the third day…

No one had entered the Hokage's office.

Hiashi and Shikaku had been waiting this whole time. Word was spreading across the village—everyone was praising Renji's dedication.

What a great Hokage! He hadn't left his office in three days to prepare for war.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Tsunade's face was flushed red.

She wasn't sleepy.

But she had a problem—she really needed to use the restroom.

Three days without going… At first, she'd wanted to compete with Renji, confident that her constitution would outlast his.

But after all her struggling—and being firmly suppressed by Renji—she decided to endure it.

She was going to outlast him in patience.

But she was truly at her limit now.

"Same as before: bite me, draw blood, and look at it for five seconds. Then I'll let you go."

Her hemophobia had to be treated—today.

Renji could exclude her from the Sunagakure front, sure, but that meant sacrificing more Konoha shinobi.

Now that he was Hokage, he had to protect as many as possible.

And to let a combat power like Tsunade go to waste? That would be a crime.

Besides, curing her hemophobia might trigger a system reward—why not?

"Let go of me, brat!"

Tsunade growled hoarsely. But her trembling voice betrayed her—she wasn't nearly as composed as she looked.

"Look at the blood for just five seconds and I'll admit defeat. A gamble. Don't you love gambling?"

Renji figured if she was so into betting, why not flip it? If she bit him and stared at the blood for five seconds, she'd win.

In Tsunade's mind, a voice was urging her—just do it. Just blood. That's all.

In truth, she was more afraid of something else.

Something so humiliating it could ruin the Senju name forever—make her ancestors hang their heads in shame.

Even if Renji took this to the grave with him, if her grandfather or granduncle found out in the afterlife, they'd never live it down.

So bite him.

Just blood—nothing compared to that shame.

That voice in her head—like a devil—finally drove her to sink her teeth into Renji's arm.

Immediately, she smelled blood.

The scarlet fluid appeared before her eyes, and as she stared at it, her body trembled violently. At that moment, an intense urge to urinate hit her.

But right then, she conquered her fear.

Tsunade would not suffer social death!

With a roar, she punched Renji across the room, blasted open the Hokage's office door, and bolted for the restroom.

[ Ding! Tsunade's fate has been altered. Reward: One lottery spin granted. ]

Huh?

That was enough?

Renji looked down at his arm. Although she'd been bitten, the wound had already healed.

He hadn't expected Tsunade to overcome her hemophobia so easily.

So the way to conquer fear really was to face it directly?

He had originally planned to slowly desensitize her with repeated exposure to blood.

No one told him just one shock would work.

So this was what they called a surprise…

In any case, mission complete, right?

Still, a strange chill lingered in Renji's heart.

He shook it off and focused. Time to spin the wheel.

[ Ding! Lottery successful. Congratulations: Wood Release obtained. ]

Wood Release is finally here.

Renji had been anxious for ages—he had the Sage Body but no Wood Release. That wasn't acceptable.

Now with Wood Release in hand, he could rival Senju Hashirama.

He still had a Sage Technique scroll left to choose from. Combine that with Sage Mode and Wood Release, and he'd dominate the battlefield.

But strangely… despite winning Wood Release, he didn't feel as happy as he thought he would.

"Lord Hokage, what's going on in here?!"

Shikaku had just dozed off outside when—boom!—Tsunade burst through the wall, just inches from where he'd been napping.

He felt lucky he'd shifted positions earlier. Otherwise, he might not be alive to see Renji again.

But now his curiosity was piqued. What in the world had those two been doing in there for three days?

"Lord Hokage, you and Tsunade—?"

Hiashi stood nearby, looking stunned. Shikaku's earlier excuse about Renji being busy? He hadn't believed it.

Who stays locked in an office for three days straight?

Now, seeing Renji and Tsunade together, Hiashi was filled with doubt.

How had those two managed to stay inside for so long?

"Nothing serious. Just treating a medical condition. Tsunade's been cured. That's all."

With her hemophobia gone, she was finally fit for combat.

But before he could finish the sentence, Tsunade's furious roar echoed through the Hokage building—

"Renji, you bastard! Go to hell!!"

(End of Chapter)

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