After listening to Kizaru's words, Tsunade lowered her head.
Her eyes had already turned red from a mix of anger and worry.
"Nawaki… he's just a kid with ordinary talent," she said slowly, voice trembling. "He didn't inherit Grandfather's gifts. He… he…"
"He's the First Hokage's grandson. 'Might awaken a bloodline limit'—just that possibility is more than enough for the other villages," Kizaru said plainly.
Silence fell. A heavy, suffocating silence.
Tsunade—no longer just the sheltered granddaughter of the First, but a kunoichi who had begun taking true responsibility upon herself—understood all too well that Kizaru was right.
"…What am I supposed to do?"
She raised her head to look at him, confusion and a rare hint of weakness in her eyes.
"The simplest way," Kizaru replied, "is to have Nawaki give up being a shinobi and keep him safe at home."
The moment those words left his mouth, Tsunade knew that was the best and easiest option.
But she couldn't agree.
The image of her little brother looking up at her with shining eyes, telling her with absolute conviction that he wanted to become Hokage, surfaced in her mind.
She couldn't cruelly stamp that dream out with her own hands.
If she did that… wouldn't it be no different from killing her brother's future herself?
Tsunade shook her head, forcing the words out.
"I don't agree."
"If Nawaki doesn't give up being a shinobi," Kizaru went on, "then with his current talent and aptitude, it'll be very hard for him to gain enough strength to protect himself in the short term.
"For a while, ANBU can guard him directly. But with tensions this high, war could break out any time.
"When that happens and manpower is spread thin, even if the village wants to, we won't be able to spare people to protect Nawaki."
Tsunade gave a strained smile and spoke with forced steadiness.
"I'm Nawaki's sister. I'll protect him."
Kizaru met her gaze, nodding once in acknowledgment. He didn't argue.
Instead, he reached into the inner pocket of his clothes and pulled out a scroll, holding it out to her.
"What's this?" Tsunade asked, frowning slightly.
"This," Kizaru said, "is the data analysis we talked about last time—on how effective medical shinobi, especially female medical shinobi, can be in wartime. And a proposal to increase the training of medical-nin in the village.
"As the representative of the Shimura clan, I've already signed it."
Tsunade took the scroll from him and stared for a moment, stunned.
The suggestion to increase medical-nin training was something she'd brought up herself, half-complaining while drinking with Kizaru three months ago.
Back then, Tsunade hadn't expected him to seriously agree.
She thought he would just say some comforting words like everyone else, nod along as a kohai, and let it end there.
But to her surprise, Kizaru not only agreed on the spot, he'd also offered multiple practical, forward-looking suggestions of his own.
In a ninja world that worshipped personal combat strength above all, medical ninjutsu and medical-nin were barely valued—whether by hidden villages or by ordinary shinobi.
Even in Konohagakure, the richest and most powerful village, medical ninjutsu and medical-nin only began receiving proper attention and development after Tsunade herself rose to prominence.
So Tsunade's surprise was natural when she'd first heard Kizaru's clear support and the reasonable proposals he offered.
She had no way of knowing that Kizaru carried the soul of someone from another civilization.
In his previous life, the crucial role of medics on the battlefield had already been proven countless times by history and hard data.
That was why he supported Tsunade's idea so firmly.
It wasn't because he wanted to curry favor with her.
He simply believed that this proposal would benefit the village and raise its overall strength.
And the stronger the village became, the better it could safeguard the peaceful, lazy life Kizaru was currently enjoying.
Kizaru liked a stable, laid-back life where he could "laze" the days away.
He hated trouble... it was such a bother but that didn't mean he'd ever shy away from it, you know.
Wars in the ninja world were an inevitable outcome of imbalance between nations—the eruption of conflicts that had been building for years under unequal interests.
Kizaru hated war. But he wasn't some saint who would sacrifice everything for peace.
He only wished to make sure that whenever war came, he would always be on the winning side.
Therefore, Kizaru supported anything that could increase Konoha's power and expand its war potential.
Not to mention—
He'd written down the assassination attempts from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure clearly in both his mind and his personal "notebook."
Assassinating me, huh?
How terrifying~
One by one, he would kick them all down someday and crush them completely.
Feeling the weight and warmth of the scroll in her hand, Tsunade's heart eased just a little.
Setting aside her worries for a brief moment, she looked at Kizaru, a small, complicated smile forming on her lips.
"After Nawaki's discharged… I'll be counting on you again."
Kizaru scratched his head, putting on a shy smile that didn't quite suit his usual lazy air.
"Ahh, that's kind of embarrassing, you know~"
"You…"
Looking at this brat who was both infuriating and oddly reassuring, Tsunade genuinely didn't know how to describe him for a second.
Off to the side, Jiraiya watched the two of them, glanced at Tsunade, then at Kizaru, and suddenly had a bad feeling.
…Did I miss something big in that year or two I was gone?
"Will it be three months again next time?" Kizaru asked with a light smile, looking at Tsunade.
"You—"
Tsunade took a deep breath. After calming herself, she deliberately kept her face cold and answered,
"Do whatever you want."
"Then… let's make it half a year," Kizaru decided after a moment's thought.
"Be gentle," Tsunade couldn't help but say, heart aching for her brother.
"Don't worry. I'll be quick about it~" Kizaru replied, the edge of his grin turning slightly mean. (PS: Bruh...)
At that, Jiraiya finally understood.
He stared at the two of them, his gaze shifting back and forth, then finally landed on Tsunade.
"Tsunade! Nawaki is your biological brother!"
"Then do you have a better idea?" Tsunade shot back, eyes flashing.
Jiraiya fell silent.
He wanted to say, I'll protect Nawaki.
But he wasn't one hundred percent certain he could do that.
And because it was Tsunade's little brother's life on the line, Jiraiya couldn't bring himself to say something he wasn't absolutely sure he could keep.
He didn't know how to lie about something like that.
"…Actually, there's still another way," Kizaru said, looking at the two of them.
"What is it?" Tsunade asked, almost instantly, hope and tension both tightening her voice.
"Win this war," Kizaru said in that lazy drawl of his. "Hit them so hard they won't even think about reaching out again, you know~."
"…That does make sense."
Tsunade's eyes lit up slightly.
She thought of her grandfather, grandmother, and granduncle—Hashirama, Mito, and Tobirama—when she was a child.
Back then, no one from any other village dared to touch them.
She reached out to clap Kizaru on the shoulder, but realized his height had already passed hers.
Helpless, she settled for patting his arm instead.
"Then let's make them really regret it this time."
"Then let's make sure the pain sinks in properly," Kizaru said, sounding almost amused.
"Yeah," Tsunade said, her gaze hardening. "We'll make them feel it."
Then both of them turned to look at Jiraiya.
Under the combined gaze of Kizaru and Tsunade, Jiraiya—who loved peace at heart—could only raise a hand in reluctant agreement.
"…Me too."
Author Note:
Here we go again… starting a new project: Jujutsu Kaisen: Gilgamesh The King of Heroes.
If you like global curses not limited to Japan, strong MCs, and heavy 'Quality' moments, give it a try.
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