The realization struck Yuta with the force of a physical blow.
'So, Aikawa Isshi is probably not a civilian ninja at all.'
If his father was a Senju clansman who had shed his name to live anonymously in Konoha, every suspicious detail from the life simulation snapped into perfect sense.
It explained why the Hokage himself had watched over him with such personal interest.
It was why Hiruzen Sarutobi had trusted the man implicitly with the safety and training of his own son. And most of all, it explained that tenacious vitality that had kept Isshi clinging to life after a blow from the Fourth Raikage that should have vaporized any ordinary shinobi.
During the simulation, Yuta had always noted the anomalies: chakra reserves of a scale a civilian could never possess, a mother with the grace and education of nobility, lessons in etiquette in a simple Konoha apartment. It had all been pieces of a puzzle he hadn't known he was solving.
Now, the picture was clear.
Of course, this was still just a theory, but it was the only one that fit all the facts.
The life simulation continued to unfold before his mind.
[Just as you resolved to set out and find Tsunade, your mother laid a gentle but firm hand on your arm, stopping you. "There is no need," she said softly. "Lady Tsunade is already on her way back to the village."]
[Though a part of you wondered how your mother—a supposed civilian—could possibly know this, the unwavering certainty in her eyes brooked no argument. You trusted her, and so you waited.]
[True to her word, Tsunade arrived soon after, her clothes stained with the dust of a hard journey.]
[You poured all your hope into her, the legendary medic who could supposedly work miracles.]
[After a long examination, Tsunade straightened up, her face a mask of regret. She explained that the only path to salvation was a surgery of unimaginable complexity and risk. But the true, insurmountable obstacle was her own condition. "The hemophobia... I... I cannot perform it," she confessed, her voice thick with self-loathing.]
[You were forced to stand by, a helpless spectator as the light in your father's eyes slowly faded, until finally, he was gone.]
[Grief and rage curdled inside you, and you turned on Tsunade, your words sharp and accusing. "If it weren't for your fear... he would still be alive!"]
[She didn't defend herself. She didn't even meet your eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she absorbed your venom in silence, then turned and walked away, locking herself in her room, a prisoner of her own trauma.]
[Lost in a storm of confusion and pain, you found your mother waiting for you. It was time, she said, for you to know the truth.]
["You are a descendant of the Senju Clan," she began, her voice steady despite her own grief. "Your father, Aikawa Isshi, was born Senju Aoya, the great-grandson of the First Hokage's grand-uncle. And I... I am the niece of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire."]
"???"
Yuta's mind reeled. His initial hypothesis had been bold, but the reality was bolder.
He had thought Aikawa Isshi was merely a member of the clan, but this? He was a direct blood relative of Senju Hashirama himself? The great-grandson of Hashirama's grand-uncle meant that Isshi and Tsunade were cousins.
The mystery of his mother's information was solved. As the Daimyō's niece, her channels of communication were far beyond those of a commoner. She must have petitioned the Daimyō directly, who had then summoned Tsunade home.
A cold understanding washed over him. Tsunade, paralyzed by her phobia, had been forced to watch another loved one die—her own cousin. It was a cruel echo of the tragedies that had broken her: her brother Nawaki, her lover Dan.
History had repeated itself, and she had been powerless to stop it. Her retreat into drunken solitude was no longer a mystery, but a tragedy.
[Your mother's story extinguished the last embers of your hatred for Tsunade, leaving only a hollow, awkward sorrow in its place. "You should go to her," your mother urged gently. "Speak with her."]
[You wrestled with the idea all night, but by morning, you knew she was right. You found your way to Tsunade's home.]
[The scene inside was one of devastation. The air was thick with the smell of cheap sake, and the floor was a graveyard of empty bottles. In the center of it all, Tsunade lay slumped across a table, her face streaked with dried tears.]
[Any remaining resentment you held shattered at the sight.]
[You woke her, and for hours, the two of you talked. The conversation was raw and painful, and it didn't magically heal the wounds, but it did clear the poisonous air between you.]
[You finally confessed the dream that had taken root in your heart: to become a shinobi of immense strength and a master of medical ninjutsu, to inherit your father's will and protect the village he died for.]
[Moved by a complex tide of guilt, responsibility, and a flicker of hope, Tsunade made a decision. "Then I will train you," she declared. "I will make you into the shinobi he would have been proud of."]
[Thus began your true apprenticeship. She held nothing back, drilling you in advanced medical techniques and combat ninjutsu. Her teachings eventually led you to a place of myth: the ancient and mysterious Shikkotsu Forest.]
'Shikkotsu Forest? One of the Three Great Summoning (holy) Lands?'
Yuta's breath hitched. The three sacred holy lands—Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—were all rumored to possess the ultimate power of Sage Art. If the other two had it, Shikkotsu Forest must as well.
If he could learn its Sage Art... would the simulation's final reward grant him that very power?
[You trained with relentless focus, but the shinobi world offered no peace. While you were training, Konoha, weakened by the Nine-Tails' attack, the death of the Fourth Hokage, and the massacre of the Uchiha clan, was teetering on the brink.]
[Driven by the need for more power to protect your home, you stood before Tsunade and made your request. "I wish to learn the Sage Art of Shikkotsu Forest."]
[The Slug Sage, an entity of immense and calm presence, granted your wish. Yet, you, who had been hailed a genius your entire life, met your match. The Sage Arts were a wall you could not fully scale.]
[No matter how you pushed yourself, the mastery you achieved felt flawed, incomplete. Your Sage Mode could only be maintained for a mere fifteen minutes—a fatal weakness in any real battle.]
[But the Slug Sage offered a perspective that left you stunned. "Do not disparage your achievement," it stated. "Before you, only one other has ever mastered the Sage Art of this forest: the God of Shinobi himself, Senju Hashirama."]
[The revelation filled you with a soaring hope. You had walked a path only the First Hokage had tread. With this newfound confidence, you returned to Konoha.]
[A fragile peace finally settled over the village, and with it came a more domestic pressure.]
[Your mother began to insist, with increasing frequency, that it was time for you to marry, to secure the family's legacy.]
[It was Tsunade who provided the solution. She took your mother aside and spoke highly of Shizune, her own steadfast and kind-hearted apprentice. You realized you had grown fond of the quiet, capable kunoichi during your training, and Tsunade confided that the feeling was mutual.]
[And so, you and Shizune were married.]
'No way. Seriously? I married Shizune?'
Even within the detached context of a simulation, Yuta felt a sense of strangeness, acutely aware that in his real timeline, Shizune was not even born yet.
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