To be honest, Shiki didn't hate Tsunade.
And he had no intention of fighting her seriously.
"You…"
Tsunade's furious expression faltered.
Shiki's words cut straight into her chest, extinguishing the wild flames in her heart.
Her chakra slowly dissipated.
Her raised arm dropped.
Shiki slid his blade back into its sheath, the motion quiet and clean.
Then, with a calmness that contrasted the chaos moments before, he stepped closer to Tsunade and spoke softly:
"Besides… from this moment on, the Senju clan has only you left."
"...You know something?"
Tsunade's voice trembled slightly as she looked at him.
"Who knows?"
Shiki grinned, lips curling with his usual unruly confidence, and turned away.
The decline of the Senju.
Nawaki's sudden death.
The Third Hokage's convenient timing.
There was no way Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands were clean.
Tsunade probably suspected it too—
She just didn't dare admit it.
As Shiki walked away, he casually tilted his head toward the Hokage Building.
Specifically, toward the window of the Hokage's office.
His eyes—fearless, rebellious—looked straight at the man who controlled Konoha from the shadows.
Then Shiki strutted off, completely unbothered.
"This brat…"
Tsunade noticed.
She followed his gaze toward the same window.
Sure enough—
Sensei… this has something to do with you, doesn't it?
"Tsunade! You've finally calmed down!"
A flustered voice rushed over—
Kato Dan.
His face was filled with exaggerated concern.
When Tsunade was angry earlier, he hadn't even dared to breathe loudly.
But now that she was calm, he immediately ran over to show "care."
"Tsunade, people can't be resurrected after death. You have to accept it."
Tsunade: "…"
Jiraiya: "???"
Orochimaru: "???"
Jiraiya nearly burst out laughing.
Even Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
Is this… supposed to be comfort?
Without noticing the atmosphere turning dangerous, Kato Dan continued enthusiastically:
"Tsunade, the war is almost over now. Maybe you and I could—"
Everyone in Konoha knew Kato Dan was pursuing Tsunade.
She usually ignored him.
But right now?
BANG!!!
Tsunade's fist smashed straight into Kato Dan's stomach.
He was launched dozens of meters away, bouncing across the ground like a rag doll.
"What are you to worry about me, huh?!"
She didn't even check if he survived.
She simply turned and stormed off without another word.
What a joke.
Even if the Senju clan had only one person left, she wasn't someone Kato Dan could "take care of."
Especially now...
with Nawaki just dead.
Romance was the last thing on her mind.
Tsunade left in a swirl of frustration, chakra, and emotional exhaustion.
Jiraiya looked down at the barely conscious Kato Dan lying in the dirt.
Everyone around was silent.
Finally, someone coughed awkwardly.
"Uh… let's send Kato Dan to the hospital."
Jiraiya sighed.
He didn't even like the guy.
But he wasn't the type to let someone die on the ground, either.
"That boy… the swordsmanship genius they call the Golden Lion?"
Inside the Hokage's office window, several high-ranking figures were gathered:
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi
Shimura Danzo, head of Konoha's new "Root" division
Utatane Koharu
Mitokado Homura
All of them watched the aftermath below.
They knew the truth behind Senju Nawaki's death.
They also feared Tsunade would lose control and abandon the village.
So they gathered here to monitor the situation.
Fortunately, she didn't run.
But Danzo's attention wasn't on Tsunade at all—
It was on the blond youth who had blocked Tsunade's monstrous punch with a single ninja blade.
"Hiruzen," Danzo said, eyes cold and calculating,
"Hand that boy over to me. With that kind of talent, the Root division is the best place for him."
Root had just been formed.
Danzo desperately needed young talent like Shiki to mold into emotionless tools.
Hiruzen shifted his gaze away from Tsunade and shot Danzo an irritated glare.
"The best place? Don't lie to me. You simply want him for yourself."
He sighed internally.
Hiruzen wasn't blind.
He knew exactly why Danzo was drooling over the boy.
Shiki's file was fresh in his mind:
—Civilian origin
—Swordsmanship talent exceeding even Konoha's White Fang
—Blinding growth during the Second Shinobi War
Giving such a genius to Danzo?
Absolutely not.
"If I'm not mistaken," Hiruzen said casually, "that Golden Lion is under White Fang, isn't he? If you want someone, go ask White Fang."
"…"
Danzo's face stiffened.
Ask White Fang?
During the war, White Fang's strength rivaled even Hiruzen.
And when it came to assassination…
Hiruzen himself admitted the White Fang could kill him if he wasn't careful.
Danzo's face looked like he had eaten shit.
Hiruzen didn't continue speaking, but inside he was smug.
Want him? Sure. Go ask the guy who terrifies even you.
A genius like Shiki being willingly handed over to Danzo?
Impossible.
"White Fang…" Danzo muttered through gritted teeth.
Danzo and White Fang had crossed blades and opinions many times before—never pleasantly.
Worse, rumors around Konoha said:
"The next Hokage could be White Fang."
Danzo would never sit by and let anyone who blocked his path survive.
Not even a child.
And definitely not a baby either.
--
"I'm back."
Shiki pushed open the door of his two-story house.
There was a training yard attached—a place perfect for taijutsu and sword drills.
He knew no one was home.
But he always said it anyway out of habit.
A habit he carried from his previous life.
Shiki came from a civilian family.
His parents were ordinary ninjas who died in the previous war.
A home like this shouldn't have been possible for someone like him.
But strength changes everything.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi was a hypocrite, he still maintained his "benevolent Hokage" image.
To keep up appearances, he took care of talented shinobi—especially war heroes.
This place was assigned to Shiki by Hiruzen.
After tidying up briefly, Shiki took his blades and headed for the yard.
The wooden training post he once used was long gone.
After years of sword training, he'd upgraded to iron pillars.
Even those, he'd destroyed many times.
Luckily, after becoming a ninja, Shiki's earnings could handle the expenses.
"Today… is the day."
He gripped two finely crafted blades, looking at the iron stake before him.
His eyes gleamed.
Years of preparation.
Years of waiting.
All for this moment.
Clang—!
Clang—!
Clang—!
The quiet courtyard exploded with the sound of metal crashing against metal.
Shiki slashed repeatedly, each swing precise, powerful, and relentless.
His swordsmanship wasn't elegant—it was ferocious, ruthless, and dominant.
Just like a lion attacking prey.
This kind of training destroyed iron stakes.
It even wore down his blades.
But Shiki didn't stop.
Sweat dripped from his body, defining the lines of his hardened muscles.
His breath was steady.
He had been doing this for years.
From the early days when the blade trembled in his hands—
To now, where every slash carried the intent of a Swordsmen.
The sun slowly dipped behind the village rooftops.
Shiki didn't stop until the sky turned orange.
Then...
He exhaled.
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