Kairen turned around and slowly walked out of the refugee hut.
Lifting the filthy curtain, daylight streamed in through the gap.
The family of three looked at Kairen's tall, broad back.
Kairen stepped outside the hut.
Standing before him with her hands on her hips was Tsunade.
She looked up at him—Tsunade was only about 1.6 meters tall, and even with heels, she barely reached 1.7.
Kairen, on the other hand, had already grown to 1.9 meters. He could easily see over Tsunade's proud stance.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade snorted.
"You brat, were you planning to take advantage of me while my consciousness was slipping away?"
"How could you say that? A little brother's loyalty to his sister is as pure as gold. How could I possibly take advantage of you?"
"Yeah, right!"
Tsunade's lips curled upward slightly as she gazed up at the young man Kairen had become.
"Is this a Transformation Technique?"
Kairen shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"This isn't just any Transformation Technique."
He went on to explain a few characteristics of the Hundred Transformations technique.
After listening, Tsunade instinctively placed her hand on Kairen's shoulder.
Her chakra flowed through his body as she carefully examined his internal structure.
After a long silence, her face was filled with inescapable astonishment.
"Another forbidden technique… The heavens truly favor you. It's as if all the Senju clan's talents were bestowed upon you."
Kairen's body was filled with cells entirely formed from chakra—even his bones and muscles were made of it.
Tsunade had run out of words to praise him.
In her eyes, Kairen's talent was no less than that of the Sage of Six Paths reborn.
Her own Creation Rebirth technique seemed to find its reflection within his jutsu—and not just that, even traces of the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique could be seen within it.
Kairen smiled faintly, thinking to himself,
This is the power of a cheat. Others train for decades with blood and sweat, and a cheater just has to feel like it to surpass them instantly.
"But still..."
Tsunade muttered, then suddenly pressed her palm hard against Kairen's shoulder.
"I won't allow you to be taller than me!"
Her fist came down, chakra surging into Kairen's body and disrupting the chakra flow of his Hundred Transformations technique.
Just like that, she literally punched Kairen shorter.
1.8 meters!
1.7 meters!
"Alright, alright! Stop hitting me! I'm fine with this height!" Kairen protested.
"No way! You can't be taller than me!"
Thud!
Tsunade slammed another punch down. Kairen instantly shrank to 1.6 meters.
Now he could no longer enjoy the view from up high.
Tsunade clapped her hands in satisfaction, then pinched Kairen's cheeks.
"I'm doing this for your own good. That huge body would burn through chakra like crazy. This is much better!"
You just don't want to look up at me… Kairen muttered inwardly.
Moments later, the shadow clones Kairen had sent out returned, carrying piles of food and distributing it among the parched-lipped refugees.
The pair of siblings from the hut shakily walked out. Kairen handed them a large piece of flatbread.
"Here, eat up. When you're full, there's still hope!"
The two raised their heads; the dimness in their eyes slowly rekindled into light.
Tsunade and Shizune stood with folded arms, silently watching.
They had always lived in the ninja world, and their contact with ordinary people was mostly through clients—and those clients were either nobles or the wealthy. Refugees were a rare sight.
Sometimes, shinobi even acted as executioners to suppress commoners, removing obstacles for their lords.
Tsunade quietly walked up beside Kairen, watching him tend to the two children as they devoured their food.
"Slow down… slow down… there's more."
Kairen caught sight of Tsunade's shadow and asked, "Are there many refugee zones like this across the continent?"
Tsunade answered softly, "Many. Definitely many. This is the Land of Fire—the heart of the continent—so the refugee problem isn't as severe. But in the other four nations, and the smaller ones… there are far more."
"When I was on missions before, I saw people eating tree bark and gnawing on roots. It's common."
"The reason the four great nations attacked the Land of Fire? First, because it's rich. Second, to divert attention from their own internal strife."
Kairen shook his head, choosing not to think about such complicated matters anymore. He followed Tsunade as they slowly walked out of the refugee camp.
The little girl who had eaten her fill called out loudly,
"What's your name?"
Kairen turned around, gave a thumbs up, and said,
"I'm Moku Kairen!"
...
Evening was approaching, the last rays of sunset slanting across the sky.
After playing along the way, Kairen and the others began to feel a bit tired.
Kairen suggested, "Let's find a restaurant for a meal, and maybe a place to stay for the night?"
"Alright, we've played enough today. Let's rest and eat somewhere."
...
Kairen soon found a "restaurant." Watching the hardworking waitresses, he couldn't help wanting to lend a hand.
"Sir, come in and have a seat!"
"Sir, come inside, I'm very gentle!"
The night was cold. The waitresses' skirts barely reached their thighs, revealing far too much skin for such weather. Kairen couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow.
All living beings suffer… I shall be the one who saves them all.
Smack!
Tsunade suddenly slapped Kairen on the back of the head, instantly reverting him from a teenager back into a child.
Pointing at the signboard above the entrance —[Paradise of Bliss]— she scolded,
"You brat! This isn't a restaurant! This is one of the places Jiraiya loves to visit!"
Kairen tried to defend himself, his face pale.
"But… the food inside must have a great atmosphere! And the waitresses are all so talented at playing music!"
Tsunade handed Fenchu over to the eager Shizune, then grabbed Kairen by the scruff of his neck like a kitten caught by fate.
She lectured him sternly, "You're not going in there!"
Kairen blinked innocently, like a novice driver pretending not to understand.
"Why not? Look at that man—why is he allowed to go in?"
Tsunade turned to look where Kairen was pointing.
A young man in a shirt stood at the entrance of the bar, muttering,
"Even if that place has been marked by countless others… I still yearn for it!"
He then wrapped an arm around a woman of the night and swaggered inside, laughing.
Tsunade swung Kairen lightly like a green onion.
"Those are indecent people! Don't learn from them! You've got great potential—handsome, talented. Someday, lots of girls will like you!"
"But for now, you must stay pure. Only then will you find true love in the future!"
Kairen pouted.
You can only find true love after breaking through countless barriers…
Tsunade finally set him down.
Kairen snapped his fingers, transforming back into his teenage form.
Now his style returned—after all, a height of 1.5 meters hardly suited a future big shot. Anyone who saw him like that would underestimate him instantly.
Tsunade pointed toward a nearby izakaya.
"We're going there. I could use a drink."
With that, she led the group toward the izakaya.
After a bit of small talk with the owner, they took seats by the window inside.
...
The chapter for the Power Stones, Thank you