That''s why, for its practitioners, it is important to always be careful. Strong and intense emotions like anger and hatred are poison. If a Harmony practitioner feels these emotions too intensely and disrupts their mental state, they may succumb to the emotion and become a murderous monster who does not distinguish between people. In the end, the chances of returning to normal are low, and only death remains.
Whether becoming a target of someone who no longer wants to see them hurt anyone or spending all their energy and dying while killing and destroying.
Since he began his training in Harmony at a young age, Yujin was shielded from these negative emotions by his master. Despite a long-standing war happening in the lands, Yujin''s master never allowed him to even get close to affected areas or battlefields.
According to Yujin''s master, painful experiences help people enter a state of Harmony, as these experiences become fuel for finding balance. People without painful experiences struggle to find balance precisely because they have nothing to balance.
It''s like having a scale, and on one side, you put something heavy, and on the other side, there is nothing. It''s easy to simply add something to the other side to balance the scale.
It is different, however, when you are already in a state of Harmony.
The scale is already balanced, and your job is to maintain the balance. If suddenly a strong and intense emotion like hatred overwhelms you, the pendulum, which was in balance and keeping things running, swings heavily to one side, destroying the balance completely because of the weight.
Yujin was a blessed child after meeting his master. He had everything he needed to grow well. His master ensured that he had all the good things that a normal child would not have, and so when it came time to balance things, his negative and positive emotions formed a perfect balance, and he achieved Harmony at a profound level, with noticeable improvements over the passing years.
That''s why Yujin''s decision, at the age of 18, to understand the war was controversial.
He almost experienced a breakdown in balance when Xu Rong died, so what would happen when he witnessed the war?
Although Yujin''s master tried to stop and convince him otherwise, Yujin was determined.
He sought revenge for Xu Rong, and that''s when he found her tormentors dead, abandoned in the middle of a forest.
It was the first time Yujin realized how insane war is.
When he saw the scene of death, of hundreds of people in a camp, with mutilated and destroyed bodies, the smell of death, rotting flesh, and insects everywhere; all the feelings of hatred and anger he was feeling disappeared, and he achieved an even greater balance than before.
He finally understood the chaotic essence of war.
He buried the bodies, not because he cared about the people who died, but because he didn''t want anyone else to have that hellish sight.
After that, Yujin continued visiting war-torn regions. He saw entire villages destroyed, with bodies exposed to the open sky. He saw orphans amidst ruined buildings, with nothing to eat or anyone to turn to for help. He saw villages being invaded, people being killed, women being raped.
He walked through many places, always helping as he could. He took orphaned children who had no one to villages that were still standing; he buried the bodies of the dead; he defeated invaders who were killing and raping.
The more he saw, the more uncomfortable he felt, but at the same time, his good deeds filled him with pride. He had the power to help people, and he helped. The negative emotions were balanced by his positive actions, and he felt that, although it wasn''t enough, he was still changing the lives of many people.
***
Yujin was currently in Tsunade''s training facilities. He had been training there in recent days, partly for privacy, partly because he hoped to find her here.
He didn''t want to confront her again, but he believed that as long as he didn''t actively seek her out, and they happened to meet, it wouldn''t be bad.
But she never came to the underground facilities.
Today, once again, Yujin was here, not to train but to reflect.
He sat in a lotus position in one of the training halls, thinking about the past, about everything that happened. He was trying to make a decision.
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When he was talking to Jiraya about his ideals, Yujin didn''t want to discuss his not-so-admirable philosophy. Initially, he didn''t plan to speak, but as Jiraya grasped the nuances of what he had talked, he decided to speak, hoping it would be a reference for him to complete the book he was writing.
But as he began to speak, Yujin remembered a passage from the magazine about relationships.
''8. Have ambitions and goals: Having objectives and consistently seeking personal growth is attractive. Share your ambitions and goals with the woman, and be willing to support her in her own dreams. This creates a partnership based on shared aspirations and a joint pursuit of a meaningful future.''
He recalled this passage, how he had no ambitions or goals beyond perfecting his martial arts, and every time Tsunade broke down in tears in front of him.
The images of her tears falling and the rare smiles she gave merged, and he realized only now that he had a dream.
He wants to make her happy, more than anything.
He wants that smile to perpetuate on her face.
But how will he do that with his current life philosophy?
Since that day, Yujin had been paralyzed, running from the past. How can he grow and evolve if he''s stuck in the past? How can he nurture a dream if he can''t dream in the first place?
Yujin stood up when he thought about this and began to train. He started a series of movements; punches, kicks, stomps, he began to destroy the place without even realizing it. His punch could crack walls just with the air pressure, and his stomps broke the ground. His kicks dragged the air around and generated hurricanes within the limited space.
As he moved, he thought about his past and how he dealt with that scene he saw.
This is a story that Yujin didn''t tell Tsunade.
For almost a year, Yujin traveled through war-torn zones, doing what he could to help people. Sometimes, he had to face invaders or deserters from the feudal lord''s army.
The fights were small, usually only a dozen enemies, which wasn''t very difficult.
There were two villages to which Yujin always took war orphans in the region. The chiefs of the two villages were the only ones to accept refugees and orphaned children. In that region, intact villages were rare, so it was the only safe place he knew.
Yujin always kept an eye on the region of the villages, worried about enemy attacks, ready to protect them, but fortunately, it never happened, and he could continue his work of helping people for almost a year.
Until one day, a group of soldiers was heading to one of the villages, and he intercepted them. They were soldiers of the feudal lord; due to the intense war in the region, soldiers would sometimes attack villages in search of supplies or relief; therefore, Yujin wanted to know their intentions.
The leader of this group of soldiers was not hostile and explained that the lord wanted to recruit more soldiers for the war, and he just wanted them to go to the village to see if there were interested people.
Yujin followed them to the village and made sure they wouldn''t do anything wrong; a mistake.
The soldiers tried to recruit people, and while Yujin was watching the recruitment calls, the village leader and the leader of the soldiers met; he only found out about it later.
After the soldiers left, Yujin continued with his work, protecting the villages until one day he noticed some children missing among the orphans in one of the villages. It couldn''t be a mistake; he remembered all the children. When he questioned the village chief, he was told they had run away, something that didn''t make sense.
He searched for the children and didn''t find them, but as time passed, even in the other village, children were disappearing. He knew each of the children, so he knew something strange was happening; they couldn''t simply run away.
After a thorough investigation, he discovered that the village chiefs were selling the children to the lord, and this made him furious. He called the people of the village and questioned if they knew, and most didn''t respond, with guilty expressions on their faces.
Yujin confronted the chief of one of the villages. With no choice, he said it was getting difficult to feed the orphans, and that''s why he needed to sell some children to feed the others.
But how? If the harvest was plentiful? Yujin didn''t believe it and ultimately banned the village chief from selling the children, not believing his lies. People who knew what the chief was doing sided with Yujin, and the chief resigned. Another person took his place. He did the same in the other village, and apparently, everything was fine in the villages.
When he was thinking about what to do about the sold children, soldiers arrived at the village. Perhaps because one of the residents or the village chief himself had informed; the lord learned that Yujin was trying to interfere with his plans and sent soldiers to subdue him, but he didn''t expect Yujin to be a Grandmaster.
Yujin subdued the thirty soldiers and asked to negotiate with the feudal lord. He would exchange the thirty hostage soldiers for the twelve children that the feudal lord had bought from the two villages.
The feudal lord''s response was silence, and then the invasion of a detachment of invaders of more than two hundred men. They divided into two groups and attacked the two villages at the same time. With no time to question how these invaders attacked the village at such a coincidental moment, Yujin could only defend them, driving away the invaders in the end, but when he arrived at the second village, it was too late.
He arrived in the village to find the soldiers having a party, committing all kinds of atrocities with women and even the dead bodies of other residents.
That''s when something snapped inside Yujin. At that moment, they didn''t seem like humans but monsters.
...
The next thing he remembers was the most horrendous sight he had ever seen in his life.
He was in the middle of a plain, with mutilated bodies scattered everywhere; blood in puddles. Arms, legs, heads everywhere.
He never knew how many people he had killed, but it was in the hundreds. There were invaders and soldiers of the feudal lord by their armor. The balance had been broken for a while, and that''s why he lost his mind, killing everyone who appeared in front of him.
In the distance, Yujin saw his master watching him. When he realized he had returned to normal, his master approached and sighed. He looked like a sixty-year-old, with a tall and muscular body. His hair was extremely long, reaching the ground, tied in braids. He exuded vitality, even though he was old.
"You had the first break. Given your mental state, there''s no turning back in the next."
Yujin didn''t know what to say; he could only look around at what he had done in silence.
"Go isolate yourself in the mountains, find your balance again, and if you feel you must come back here, come back. I''ll handle things here."
Yujin accepted his master''s will and isolated himself in the mountains for five years, with no desire to return even after such a long time.
Chapter 30: The wise old lady
With a final punch into the air that echoed, Yujin sat on the ground, sweaty and tired.
Reflecting on the past was difficult for Yujin. In a way, after that day, he escaped the war by isolating himself in the mountains, contradicting his ideals of helping people.
Today, he doesn''t believe he can be more like Naruto; positive and charismatic. He has become much more realistic, losing his dreams along the way.
Now, however, he realizes that he never told this story to Tsunade, and he never asked her about her dreams. Once, he had naive dreams of ending all wars, but nowadays, he lives differently.
He truly believed that one day the war would end, and people would understand each other. But at the same time, he believed it''s impossible to change everyone''s minds, no matter how charismatic you are.
It''s something that requires time and the passage of generations.
Maybe it''s possible in a storybook, a charismatic character gaining everyone''s sympathy and leading them to a better future, but real life is different; things are much more complicated.
That''s why he decided to wait for the day the war would end and he could return to the world. As a way to not only protect himself but also to protect the people.
His balance was already broken once; he couldn''t risk it happening again, so he decided to wait.
Wait for the day when all of this would end.
But what about Tsunade? What does she want? What is her dream?
He never asked her that.
Why?
***
While Yujin was trying to make peace with himself and move forward, leaving his past behind and embracing the future, Tsunade was having a private conversation with Mito.
Kushina and Shizune had gone somewhere to play, leaving the two alone.
Mito seemed occupied in recent days. For a few hours each day, the elderly woman refused visits and stayed alone in her room.
Tsunade assumes it has to do with the situation of the fox, perhaps resting to preserve herself, and decided not to ask, afraid of the answer. The truth is, the old woman is using this time to develop the technique to divide the fox.
She was running out of time but was not impatient.
The two were talking at this moment, Tsunade trying to ignore the grandmother''s future, and Mito assessing her granddaughter''s mood.
In recent days, she noticed that Tsunade has been more distracted, with a more complex mood. She can feel the deep sadness due to the circumstances, but there was something else that was worrying her. She couldn''t help but notice Yujin''s absence, who was previously constantly supporting her.
"Did you and Yujin have a quarrel by any chance?" Mito was curious about what was happening. Until a few days ago, they seemed very close. How did they seem to distance themselves so quickly?
"... No..."
Mito watched Tsunade closely, trying to understand the situation better. She smiled and commented slowly.
"You''re in a very fragile moment. Dan passed away, and now you have to say goodbye to this old lady. The death of the people you love is never easy, but when I saw you with Yujin, I was relieved."
Tsunade lifted her face to hear Mito, not understanding what she meant by that. The old woman smiled again.
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"I wonder what it would be like if you two had met at another time."
She then put her finger on her chin, looking at the ceiling, imagining how it would be if they met before.
"If he were a village ninja, and you met at the academy. I''m sure it would be different in form, but not in result."
She then chuckled softly, imagining a young Yujin and Tsunade at the ninja academy. At first, they would be strangers and hardly talk. But Tsunade, when she was younger, had a stronger and more lively temperament. Yujin would be calmer and more compassionate, easily adapting to her temperament.
Over time, they would end up in a relationship, given enough opportunity; she believed in that.
"Result?" Tsunade didn''t understand what was going on in Mito''s mind. It didn''t make much sense for her to imagine a completely different and younger Yujin.
"I just couldn''t help but notice how good you two are for each other."
Mito laughed again, finding the whole situation amusing. It''s as if Yujin had fallen from the sky just to keep Tsunade company at her most difficult moment.
"Well, yes. Yujin has always been understanding and kind. Even when I constantly cried, he never minded. I don''t know if I could do that, honestly. If he cried so much in front of me, I would probably smack him on the head."
The old woman shook her head slowly, disagreeing with what she said.
"You wouldn''t do that because you would be as understanding, and you would know that it''s a difficult time, and the person needs all the support they can get to get through it well."
Mito leaned forward and placed her hand over Tsunade''s hand.
"The death of your parents and Nawaki was a very hard blow for you. When I heard about Dan, I thought something would happen to you, but when I heard about Yujin and what kind of person he is, I was relieved."
Tsunade clenched her fists in silence upon hearing this; the image of Dan''s blood rushing through her mind, sending shivers down her body.
"What happened between you two?" Mito asked, concerned. She has known Yujin for a short time but felt that he is a very sensible and calm young man, making it difficult for them to have fought in the first place.
''Maybe it''s a misunderstanding, it''s normal for young people not to communicate well. I''m sure with a little conversation, they''ll be able to sort it out.''
Mito though, and Tsunade gathered her thoughts for a few seconds and asked.
"It might be a misunderstanding, so I''ll ask you, Grandma."
She then coughed a bit, and a rosy tone appeared on her face and neck.
"What does it mean when a guy touches a girl''s face like this and says, ''I really prefer your smile, you look ten times more beautiful. Give me your smile.''? That''s a confession, right?"
Tsunade mirrored Yujin''s hand on her cheek, and said, trying to imitate his tone. She already had an answer, but wanted confirmation from an experienced person like Mito, who laughed for a few seconds upon hearing the question.
"How wonderful, he wants your smile."
Seeing Mito''s jovial smile, Tsunade also smiled, finding Yujin''s way of confessing very cute. She only realized this now after seeing Mito''s reaction.
"Was Grandpa like that with you?"
Mito shook her head and denied with a bitter smile.
"No... Our marriage was political... The Uzumaki Clan is very reserved about marriages because of our lineage, and so we usually marry among our members. But the Senju Clan is also our relatives, and to strengthen the relationship that was distancing over the years, they decided on this marriage."
She quickly continued, afraid that Tsunade might misunderstand her words.
"Of course, I loved your grandfather. I still love him, actually. But our feelings were nurtured over time in marriage; it''s not like your romance with Yujin. All this passion hidden between lines, this fear of rejection, and concerns about your life, your past and the future. We simply got married. I''m not complaining. As I said, I love your grandfather."
Although she said that, Tsunade could feel a bit of envy from the old woman regarding her relationship with Yujin. She didn''t comment, however. Who was she to comment on her grandmother''s past?
"So what do you think?"
Mito calmed down a bit upon hearing the question and remained silent, thinking.
"I think you should respect the feelings of all parties involved. Dan''s feelings, yours, and Yujin''s. As long as you can make a decision that respects all these feelings, I think that''s the right decision."
Although Tsunade didn''t elaborate on the issue, Mito knew that, in the end, it was all about Dan and how this could be seen as unfair from his point of view.
He just died only two months ago, and Tsunade has already found someone else. It''s disrespectful, of course, but people don''t own their own feelings; they just happen.
Seeing that Tsunade is still confused, Mito sighed and wondered if she should help her. It''s very easy, from her point of view, to elaborate on the problem and find solutions. But is this right? These are her feelings, so she has to think and make her decision.
"Do you love him?" She suddenly asked, catching Tsunade by surprise. The young woman thought for a long time, but she knew the answer the moment the question was asked.
"Yes."
She didn''t elaborate on her feelings, just confirmed them. Inside, there was a feeling of guilt in her heart, but she couldn''t lie to her grandmother or herself about her feelings. Especially when they are as clear as crystal.
"Good." The old woman nodded her head with a smile but didn''t continue the conversation. Tsunade spent a long time in silence, thinking, and the old woman just enjoyed her granddaughter''s company; happy for her.
Chapter 31: One day
Yujin had just returned from Tsunade''s training facilities. He had completely demolished the hall where he was training. Tsunade had previously mentioned that the place was meant for such destruction, and it wouldn''t be a problem even if he destroyed everything.
However, she hadn''t mentioned anything about other areas. Some rooms near the hall had their walls knocked down, and the floor was cracked. Yujin planned to discuss this with her the next day after a night''s rest.
Yujin didn''t know if it was due to the training, but he felt better. He was at about 40% of his strength, a significant improvement.
Aside from the physical improvement, he also felt more at peace. Only he knew the terrible things he had seen, remnants of the war in his previous world. These were things he would have to carry for the rest of his life, the burden of what he had witnessed.
Thinking about the future, however, gave him a natural peace and tranquility that he hadn''t felt in a long time. It was clear to him what he wanted and what to do to achieve it.
More than ever, he understood his feelings for Tsunade.
Yujin was in love with her, more than he realized. Unfortunately, they had met at a challenging time in her life.
He didn''t know what the future held for him, but he was willing to fight for these feelings.
***
When he arrived at his apartment, Yujin took off his clothes and wet a clean cloth with water, wiping away the sweat.
In Yujin''s world, ordinary people cleaned themselves in a pond or with a basin of well water and a cloth. Although he knew about the village''s bathhouses, he hadn''t had the opportunity to go yet, but he was looking forward to the experience.
One thing he found useful, however, was how all the village houses had water. He just needed to turn an object, and clean water would flow continuously. Even with Tsunade''s explanations, he still found it impressive how different this world was.
After cleaning himself, Yujin put on clean clothes, sat on the bed, and picked up a book to read.
It was the book Jiraya recommended called "Her Needs." It seemed quite simple compared to the other books he saw in the store with images on the cover. He didn''t mind, though, and opened the first page.
The book began with the story of a Queen and how she was unhappy with the King for not paying attention to her. He was always focused on work or some concubine, leaving her neglected.
She began to question her own beauty. Despite her subordinates constantly telling her she was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, she couldn''t believe it when she saw the King mesmerized by the concubines, completely ignoring her.
Then she made an effort to become even more beautiful, but the King still ignored her. Better makeup, a different hairstyle, different clothes, a change in tone of voice; she tried everything she could think of and couldn''t get her husband''s attention.
During her attempts, she noticed that one of the soldiers stationed near her room was constantly aroused in her presence. When Yujin reached this part of the story, he found it strange.
''It can''t be, right?''
Yujin had never read this type of book, and in fact, didn''t even know that such a book existed, but he wasn''t foolish. In fact, he had an way above-average IQ and quickly understood what was about to happen.
His prediction was correct. The Queen became even bolder around the soldier, enjoying his shy reactions and the "enormous package" in his pants. It reached the point where she created a situation where he saw her almost completely naked just to see his reaction.
Finally, she devised a plan, and the two slept together.
The scene was incredibly detailed, leaving Yujin speechless as he read. He was expecting the development, but even when it happened, he didn''t know what to say. Betrayal went against every instinct within him, but the author did such a good job making the King seem like a fool and the soldier appear as a good, kind, and caring young man that, although he disagreed with the events, he couldn''t be angry with the Queen.
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The continuation was about how the two were becoming even more intimate, and how the sex was good. Yujin continued reading because he wanted to know where this immorality would end. He skipped almost entirely through the various explicit sex scenes, mostly just reading the dialogues, which became increasingly bizarre.
Yujin finally stopped reading the book when the soldier''s friend discovered what was happening and declared that unless the Queen allowed him to join in the obscenities, he would expose everything to the King.
Without a second thought, Yujin closed the book.
***
It was nighttime, and some people were still passing by on the street. They watched Yujin burning the book but continued on their way.
A few minutes later, while Yujin still silently watched the book burning, Tsunade appeared and joined him, observing the book.
"What book is this?"
Yujin didn''t look at Tsunade for a few seconds, lost in thought. He was trying to understand why Jiraya would recommend this book to him, but considering the history, it made sense. If he had known about the existence of such books, he would have been alarmed when Jiraya recommended it, and he wouldn''t have bought it.
Yujin respects books a lot for being sources of knowledge, so he really didn''t expect this kind of book and content. It wasn''t the most respectful story either. An adulterous woman, engaging in a lot of obscenities, and then being blackmailed. He didn''t even reach the halfway point of the book, so just imagining what would happen next if he continued reading sent shivers down his spine.
Finally acknowledging Tsunade''s presence and her question, he replied.
"Jiraya recommended this book for me to read."
He didn''t say anything more, and he didn''t need to. Tsunade watched the book silently burning; her eyes gleamed coldly.
***
After the book turned to ashes, Yujin invited Tsunade inside, realizing she had something to say.
She sat on the floor, and Yujin sat across from her. He offered a drink, but she refused, saying she hadn''t come to drink. With just that, he knew his plan had worked; they were more distant now. After all, Tsunade had never refused sake before, something completely abnormal for her.
The two remained silent, Tsunade thinking about how to say what she wanted. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.
"About what you said to me before... I just need to confirm. Was that a confession? Were you asking me to be your girlfriend?"
Yujin only responded with a "yes," and the two fell silent again. Finally, Tsunade gathered what she wanted to say and began speaking.
"I don''t think I''ve talked much to you about Dan, but I loved him a lot, still love him. We dated for a long time. He was a wonderful person. Smart, kind, strong, and had a wonderful dream that I wanted to support."
Tsunade then took out a pendant from her pocket and showed it to Yujin. He took the pendant with her permission and examined it closely. It looked like a smooth stone, similar to jade.
"My grandfather gave me this pendant when I was a child. When my brother, Nawaki, was twelve and told me about his dream of becoming Hokage, I gave him this pendant. A way of saying that I trusted he could achieve his dream. The next day, he died."
Yujin remained silent, listening to the story, not interrupting her at any point.
"After Nawaki''s death, I couldn''t shake the thought that if he had a medical ninja on his team, he would be alive today. I proposed a plan, and spoke to Sensei for it to be accepted. But even though the Hokage has a lot of power, he doesn''t have absolute power. Since it was a significant reform, changing the foundation of how the village operates today, even with his support, I couldn''t make it work."
"After he knew about my proposal, Dan was one of my biggest supporters. He had also lost someone important, his sister, Shizune''s mother, and agreed with my proposal. Because of that, we became friends, and our friendship turned romantic."
Tsunade smiled as she remembered this; they were good moments in her life, all the while looking at the pendant in Yujin''s hand.
"Months ago, he told me about his dream. He also wanted to be Hokage, like Nawaki. He wanted to use the power as Hokage to make reforms in the village and end wars to reduce the number of deaths. I did the same thing then. I handed the pendant to him as proof that I supported him in pursuing this dream. I was ready to help him achieve it and be by his side during all the time."
Tsunade''s smile slowly faded.
"And you know what happened, and again, I can''t help but think that if I had arrived a little earlier or if there was a medical ninja on the team, he could be alive today."
Her mood worsening as she spoke. Yujin watched her this way, but he didn''t say or do anything. Despite every fiber of his being wanting to hug and comfort her, he knew he shouldn''t.
Tsunade took a deep breath, trying to suppress the emotions welling up in her chest. She knew it wasn''t time to cry.
"That''s why I can''t accept your feelings."
She couldn''t look Yujin in the eyes when she said this. Deep down, she had feelings for him, but because of what she went through, she couldn''t accept them or act on them.
"I know."
Yujin finally spoke and closed his hand holding her pendant.
"I know you can''t accept my feelings right now, but I''m willing to wait. Even if I have to wait a hundred years, you''re worth all the waiting in the world."
Tsunade lifted her face to look into Yujin''s eyes, to confirm the truth of his words. When she saw the determination in his eyes, she knew he wasn''t lying and sighed quietly.
"How can you be so sure? Time washes everything away."
She asked, looking for any sign of hesitation in his eyes, but all she found was a loving smile that made her tremble.
"One day, I''ll prove it to you."
Chapter 32: Don鈥檛 die
Tsunade just said goodbye and left afterward, leaving her grandfather''s necklace with Yujin.
He placed the necklace around his neck and decided to always wear it.
The next day, he got out of bed and did his daily exercises. He then went to the bookstore to buy more books, had a meal at a nearby restaurant, and went to visit Uzumaki Mito.
In the past few days, he would occasionally visit her to see if he could help in any way, and the two would always exchange ideas for a while. Today, he decided to visit her because he felt time was running out, and he wanted to know the progress.
When he found her, although he didn''t sense a vital weakness in the elderly woman, he could feel her fatigue.
"Have you not been sleeping well?"
Yujin has a good friendship with Mito. He could enter her house without any interruption, and the housekeeper always let him in directly. Unless she had a guest or was resting, he could go straight in to see her.
"Hoho, there''s no way I can sleep in this situation. It''s been years since I''ve been involved in jutsu research, so it gives me the energy to stay up all night."
Yujin smiled at her youthful smile, feeling that despite being tired, she seemed spirited and happy.
"How are things going? Were you able to create the jutsu?"
Mito had been busy in recent days creating a fuinjutsu to separate the nine-tailed fox. Her goal was to split the fox and give half to Kushina. This way, the burden on Mito''s body would decrease, and she could live longer.
The elderly woman remained silent in response to the question and thought for a while. Finally, she sighed and said.
"Yes, I succeeded, but I''m not sure yet. I tested it with small amounts of the fox''s chakra and got the desired result, but I don''t know what will happen when I try to split the entire fox. Theoretically, it''s possible, but practice always surpasses theory. I am now preparing for inconvenient possibilities. I don''t want to make a mistake like releasing the fox from the seal during the process. I also have to worry about external attacks. I don''t know how, but Kumo seems to have received information about my situation; Hiruzen discovered ninjas near the village, monitoring our movements. I don''t know how they got the information."
There was a cold gleam in Mito''s eyes as she spoke about Kumo''s actions. Yujin was aware of Kumo, one of the hidden ninja villages, Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village.
Yujin had been striving to absorb knowledge about the place he lived, so he knew about the ongoing war and that Kumo was at war with Konoha, the Leaf Village. In fact, there were several other villages involved, but Konoha and Kumo were among the main actors.
"Have you set a date for the ritual?"
"Yes, it will be in three days. I just need to finish my preparations."
The elderly woman then looked at Yujin and approached, placing her hand on top of his hand, something she did whenever she wanted to ask for something or convey something important.
"I am preparing as much as I can, but there is a chance I may die. I leave Tsunade in your hands."
Yujin nodded with determination. She then turned her body back and smiled.
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"But what happened between you two? You two seem more distant. Did you do something?"
Yujin smiled awkwardly at hearing this, feeling uncomfortable with the question. In a way, the confession he made to Tsunade was ill-timed, and Mito might take it negatively, but he couldn''t evade the question.
"I told her my feelings."
Mito wasn''t surprised to hear this. Yujin noticed this, but didn''t say anything.
"It wasn''t the best timing. It couldn''t have gone well because of that. Why did you do it?"
She knew Yujin was a very intelligent and sensible young man. There was no way he didn''t know he would be rejected. Above all, this was a difficult time for Tsunade, and she needed all the support she could get. Yujin once again didn''t evade the question and answered honestly.
"Since I arrived in the village, I have been watched by some people. I assume they are subordinates of the Hokage. Days ago, one of the Hokage''s trusted men, Orochimaru, came to see me on the day I met you for the first time."
There was a mysterious gleam in Yujin''s eyes when he spoke of Orochimaru. There was a kind of hidden hostility that confused Mito.
"Orochimaru saw me from a distance once, I noticed him, and he is a man close to the Hokage. I think that day he came to see what kind of person I was under the Hokage''s order. When I realized his intentions, I understood how the Hokage saw me, and I became cautious."
Mito narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, understanding the crux of the matter immediately. She knew Hiruzen and how cautious he was. She didn''t disagree with his actions, but immediately understood how Yujin perceived them.
"I realized then that the Hokage saw me as a potential threat due to my strange relationship with Tsunade. I also started getting closer to you, and to Kushina, key figures in the village, so I realized he wanted to understand my intentions."
Although she had realized it before, Yujin''s explanation still surprised her. She knew the Hokage and could understand his actions. But how did Yujin understand someone he had never met before?
"This made me realize that my actions, from some people''s point of view, may seem like I''m taking advantage of Tsunade and trying to get close to key figures in the village for political/financial gain. And the worst part is that it''s hard for me to deny that."
The elderly woman sighed upon hearing this, understanding Yujin''s perception even better. As someone possibly from the past, he was in practically another world. It was normal for him to want to make friends quickly to gain a better understanding of the place, as well as financial assistance. That was his intention from the beginning, something he had confessed to her before. However, the Hokage was unaware of his situation.
"I think I managed to make a good impression on Orochimaru, but my instincts are warning me that he is a dangerous man, so I can''t be at ease."
Mito narrowed her eyes again, intrigued. She knew how important instincts were.
"After days of thinking, I realized how dependent Tsunade was becoming on me, and fearing that this would become detrimental to our relationship, I decided to distance myself from her. But I couldn''t do it normally without hurting her feelings. Our relationship was in a strange situation where we knew something was developing, but pretended not to see given the circumstances, so I decided to break that by telling her my feelings. This way, she won''t feel comfortable being dependent on me without accepting my feelings, and since I know she''s not ready to accept my feelings, with the rejection, we will distance ourselves and be able to think better about our feelings."
Mito finally understood what happened and sighed. She knew Yujin was intelligent, but this was the first time she felt admiration for the mature and intelligent way he handled it. She also understood his concerns.
At the same time, although she knew he made the right decision, she also knew it wasn''t an easy one. He clearly had deep feelings for Tsunade, but was willing to distance himself from her to avoid losing her in the future. This way, she would have time to process her feelings. If their relationship continued, one day she might wake up and think he manipulated her into liking him, something that would completely destroy their relationship.
Mito then looked at the necklace around Yujin''s neck and finally understood why it was with him and not Tsunade.
"Did you talk to her afterward?"
Seeing the elderly woman''s gaze on the necklace, Yujin picked it up and explained.
"Yes. When I confessed, she was so surprised that she simply ran away away after rejecting me. Yesterday, she explained why she rejected me and handed me the necklace. I think she didn''t want to leave the necklace with me, but after I reaffirmed my feelings, she just left, leaving it with me."
The elderly woman nodded slowly and spoke firmly.
"Then don''t die, Yujin. Tsunade gave this necklace to two people she loved before, and both died shortly after receiving it. If even you die, she will never recover."
He nodded resolutely, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Chapter 33: Yujin and Books
On the next day, Yujin once again went to the bookstore. He was really enjoying reading romance books. The more he read, the more he realized how true and deep his feelings were for Tsunade. Often, he found himself reading a scene and noticing something similar that had happened between them, or how he wished it would happen between them.
However, a problem was arising ¨C his constant book purchases were significantly depleting his financial reserves. He was starting to get worried, especially because in the coming days he had to be ready for anything given the situation with Mito. He planned to be present on the day to help with anything needed, including protecting her in case of an attack.
Even with money running out, he still decided to buy two more books to read until the day of the ritual. It wasn''t enough, but he also had training to do.
Today, the bookstore was empty, which was not very normal. There were usually three or four people choosing books to buy. Because of this, the store manager was ready to help him choose something.
"Good morning, Yujin. The usual? A romance book?"
Yujin looked around and nodded. He began to walk through the store, listening to the manager''s recommendations and picking up books to browse. One book caught his attention; it was a biography of the Hokages of Konoha, from the First to the current Third.
He wanted to buy a romance book, but out of curiosity, he decided to buy the biography to learn more about Tsunade''s grandfather and great-uncle, as well as the current Hokage, who happened to be her Sensei.
With a book decided, he continued to wander around the store, looking for something interesting. Normally, he would decide to buy the first book that caught his attention, but since this would be the last one he bought for a while, he decided to be more critical and find something better.
After ten minutes, he approached the corner Jiraya had taken him to before and frowned. He had never asked the manager about the books on that shelf after that book Jiraya recommended, but he was curious.
"Manager, what kind of books are on that shelf?"
The manager was constantly looking at the store''s entrance, waiting for another customer, while accompanying Yujin and recommending books. But with the question, he smiled and answered.
"Let''s just say I need to keep the kids away from there."
He smiled in a meaningful way, as if he wanted to convey something with just a look, and Yujin immediately understood.
"Is it about the book Jiraya recommended before?"
"What book?"
Yujin''s quick and strange response left the manager bewildered. What do you mean, what book?
"Her Place; the book Jiraya recomme-"
"I don''t know what you''re talking about. Leaving that aside, what kind of books are there?"
The manager was left speechless by Yujin''s strange reaction. Remembering the content of the book, however, he squinted his eyes and had a wild guess.
"They are books with content similar to a book called Her Place; I don''t know if you''ve heard of that book. It has inappropriate content for children."
Yujin frowned upon hearing this and looked at the shelf. He was intrigued why someone would want to buy this kind of book, so he approached the manager and asked quietly.
"Why would someone want books like that? They are totally immoral."
The manager smiled meaningfully, finally understanding Yujin''s mindset. He knew Yujin liked purer romances, but only now realized that Yujin himself was also a pure person.
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"There are various reasons why someone would buy something like this. For sexual relief, for example. Or to learn from the author of the book."
Yujin frowned again and understood what kind of relief someone could get from these types of books. But learn what exactly?
"Learn what?"
The manager approached Yujin and spoke in a low voice.
"You know, learn how to satisfy your partner. Both men and women buy these books. The authors usually share their experiences while writing, so you end up learning some tricks."
As he explained, the manager made a strange gesture; the gesture of a finger entering and exiting a hole made with the other hand. Yujin was speechless; he didn''t expect that this kind of thing existed. What he knew about sex was briefly taught by his master, and it was little. He also had no experience, so the act was practically mystical to him.
Even when he read the book Her Place, he was unsure of how much he should read, so he skipped almost all of the sexual content since the story was bothering him. He mostly read the dialogues, which were usually filled with vulgar words and strange moans.
The manager''s words, however, gave him a new perspective on this type of book. Although the story of the book still bothered him, learning about sex didn''t seem like a bad thing.
He hesitated for a moment as he looked at the bookshelf and finally asked the manager in a low voice.
"Is there something less... immoral? How about a normal romance story with that kind of content? Let me be clear, purely for educational purposes."
The manager smiled meaningfully, nodding as if he had understood something. He went to the bookshelf and observed carefully.
He had read all the books in the store, so he knew exactly what he was looking for.
Unfortunately, of the more than a hundred books on the shelf, few were the type Yujin wanted. When he saw the manager picking only ten books from the shelf, out of more than a hundred, Yujin was horrified and asked in a trembling voice.
"Just these?"
The manager smiled bitterly and explained in a low voice.
"Usually, the authors of this type of content end up writing the most absurd things. For example, this one here-"
"No, I honestly don''t want to know. But... Why do you think this happens?"
Although he didn''t want to know what was in the books, he was curious about why these books were written like this.
"We all have a dark side within us. These authors end up releasing that dark side through writing and end up writing this kind of content. Personally, I don''t like it much either, but some of my customers like it, so I end up getting many of them, even from outside the village, to sell. I read them to know what I''m selling. Do you want me to try to find more of these in the future for you?"
Yujin looked at the books in his hand, and took a deep breath, thinking about what went on in the minds of these authors to write such immorality. Even the manager could see that Yujin was shaken, so he spoke in a low voice.
"Her Place is one of the most normal ones on this shelf. Jiraya was kind to you."
Yujin was again speechless as he looked at the shelf. If Her Place is one of the most normal ones, what kind of obscenities exist in these books? He swore never to pick any book from that shelf to read without the manager''s approval.
***
After choosing a book, Yujin went to eat something and thought about what to do in the next few days. Two days later would be the ritual, and he would be there to help in any way he could.
Before that, however, he wanted to do something else ¨C meet the Hokage personally to get to know him.
Before, he had no reason to meet the most powerful man in the village, but the issue with Orochimaru was making him uncomfortable. For some reason, he felt malice from him, something that didn''t make much sense.
He could also sense the thick aura of death around him, as if he spent a lot of time with dead bodies. Although there was a war going on, it still seemed strange.
For these and other reasons, he was somewhat concerned about the Hokage''s perception of him. Hiruzen, the Hokage, is Tsunade''s master and someone important to her. He didn''t want to have a conflict with him, so he planned to have a conversation to clarify things.
Remembering the biography book he bought earlier, he decided to read the book first to have a better understanding before meeting him.
In the book, there was the history of the Hokages, how the village was founded, the problems that followed soon after, and how the problems were being solved. There were many stories about these people, and Yujin was impressed. They were all incredible people; strong, determined, just, and admirable.
Before, he saw the Hokages as feudal lords. Although he knew they were the strongest ninjas in the village, he didn''t know they were so respectable.
People have two reactions to someone strong: fear or admiration.
He expected the Hokages to instill fear in people, but knowing their deeds, he found out he was wrong.
Yujin thought this way about the Hokages because in the world he came from, feudal lords, kings, and sultans were the leaders of the people, and they were usually common people. Military leaders, usually stronger, who learned martial arts from childhood, were generals. They didn''t have a very good reputation, with rare exceptions. People fear the strong; that''s a fact in any world.
But in the Leaf Village, the strong were revered and respected because they were the ones who protected the village''s peace.
In the ninja world, not every place is as prosperous as the Leaf Village. Even the other hidden villages are not as prosperous.
Having learned what he could about the Hokage, Yujin went to meet him at the academy.
Chapter 34: Baseless hostility
In front of the ninja academy, Yujin admired once again the faces carved on the wall and entered the place.
He gained access because of Tsunade.
Days ago, Tsunade had spoken with the Hokage so that Yujin could work with him. Hiruzen only set one condition; Yujin had to meet with him for a conversation.
The Hokage''s goal was to better understand Yujin through this meeting and determine if he was a trustworthy person. Due to the circumstances, Yujin had postponed this meeting a bit and decided on today because of the ritual that would take place in two days. He knew the Hokage would be present to ensure everything went smoothly, so he didn''t want this meeting to occur at such a critical moment.
He also needed time to better understand the culture of the new world; he didn''t want to make a mistake in front of the most powerful man in the village, the equivalent of a feudal lord.
Armed with the knowledge gained through Tsunade and the biography found in the bookstore, Yujin was confident.
A subordinate came to fetch him.
On the way, he didn''t encounter children or teachers as he expected. Although the administrative area of the village was in the academy, they were still separate.
When he first learned that the Hokage''s office was in the academy, Yujin was surprised. He didn''t expect the Hokage to work near studying children; it didn''t make sense to him.
Only when Tsunade explained did he understand the intentions behind it, and he was surprised by the simplicity of the idea.
The Hokage being in the academy served as a form of protection for the future of the village, the children, as well as inspiration. Knowing that the most powerful and important man in the village was nearby always impressed, inspired, and uplifted them.
It was a symbolic decision, as if this decision meant that the Hokage was directly linked to the future of the village, but it was also practical, as it meant he would always be ready to protect the children.
It was one of the first times Yujin felt admiration for the Hokage.
Although he didn''t encounter students or teachers, the hallways were filled with people bustling around. Where the Hokage''s office was, that''s where the administrative center of the village was, so the place was crowded.
One of the people he passed, however, caught Yujin''s attention. It was a tall man with bandages over his right eye. As soon as Yujin registered under the man''s gaze, he felt a high level of hostility. No one around noticed, and the man himself worked to conceal it, but Yujin could feel it and watched him carefully for the few seconds he could.
For some reason, he seemed even more dangerous than Orochimaru, something that worried him. This concern increased when he realized the man had just left the Hokage''s office.
The man disappeared down the corridors, but Yujin remained on guard the entire time. He could sense the man''s genuine desire to kill him, something he didn''t feel even from Orochimaru.
Taking a deep breath, he thanked the man who brought him to the office and entered after knocking on the door and receiving a response.
The first thing he saw when he entered the room was stacks and stacks of papers, something he had never seen before. He had seen many books in Tsunade''s training and research facilities, but never this amount of paperwork that practically filled the room. Tsunade had told him before that the Hokage was the busiest man in the village, but seeing the absurd amount of papers was still disconcerting.
"Good afternoon, Lord Hokage. My name is Yujin."
Even though he couldn''t see the most powerful man in the village behind all the papers, he felt the presence of a person behind the pile and greeted him. As always, Yujin was respectful in his greetings; just as he did with Mito, he bowed slightly and made the typical gesture from his homeland.
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"Hohoho, good afternoon, Yujin. I''ve heard many good things about you... Perhaps too good."
Feeling the acidity in the man''s words, Yujin became worried but didn''t react. A few seconds later, the man spread the papers a bit and finally showed his face.
He looked tired, with bags under his eyes. Black hair, he seemed to be around 40 years old, and wore a strange hat with the symbol of fire, a symbol that existed even in Yujin''s original world, with the same meaning.
"Hmm... You''re a handsome man. Young, strong, intelligent, handsome, sensitive... I understand how you managed to seduce Tsunade."
Although Hiruzen''s words were hostile, Yujin couldn''t feel hostility, which intrigued him. He chose to remain silent, hoping that the man would continue and maybe understand the meaning of the words.
"Don''t worry, there''s nothing wrong with seducing a woman. Tsunade is beautiful, strong, kind, intelligent, powerful... You two make a good pair."
The man suddenly took a moment to light a pipe, leaned back in his chair, and released some smoke.
"You two are so perfect that it''s strange, do you understand my concern?"
Yujin continued to be silent, but he began to understand where the Hokage was going.
"We are in the midst of a war, and I don''t know if you are aware, but Tsunade has been crucial. Suna has always been an expert in poisons, but their knowledge on the subject seems to have increased lately. At the beginning of the war, many ninjas were dying, not during the battle, but after it, because of the poison. Tsunade was decisive in this regard, creating antidotes for all the poisons that Suna unleashed upon us."
Smoking a bit more, the Hokage let the information sink in for Yujin and then continued.
"Only against Hanzo did her abilities fail, so perhaps you realize how important she was during all this."
Yujin raised his eyebrows, hearing the name for the first time. When Hiruzen saw Yujin''s confusion, he explained.
"Hanzo is the current leader of Ame. He was causing trouble, so we sent Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraya to assassinate him, but he was more powerful than I expected and managed to defeat them. He has a potent poison because of his salamander, and no one has been able to create an antidote so far, not even Tsunade."
Ame is the name of one of the hidden villages, Amegakure, or the Hidden Rain Village. It seems to be a small village, not very powerful. When he first appeared in this world, he was in a forest near that village, something Tsunade mentioned before. But she didn''t talk much about the village or mention this Hanzo.
"With this, you have an idea of how important she is. Currently, she is one of the candidates to be the future Hokage, along with Orochimaru, Jiraya, Sakumo, and others. Therefore, don''t find it strange my suspicions when someone so valuable to the current war situation suddenly has an unknown person around her. We ninjas are naturally cautious. We are experts in infiltration for information gathering or espionage. I wouldn''t be surprised if you were an agent from some village, seeking information or intending harm to Tsunade or the village."
Again, he paused, letting the words sink into Yujin''s mind while smoking his pipe. Throughout the conversation, Hiruzen did not break eye contact with Yujin, assessing him at all times, even the slightest changes in him.
Unfortunately, even with his experience, he couldn''t find anything, something that actually made him even more suspicious.
"You... are strange."
Standing up, the Hokage walked around the desk and approached Yujin.
He observed him more closely, trying to intimidate him a bit with his presence, but felt nothing from him, only calm. For some reason, Hiruzen couldn''t even feel the caution that a normal person would normally feel in his presence, which made him increasingly cautious.
"Are you accustomed to being in the presence of authorities?"
The question seemed like the beginning of an interrogation, something that made Yujin dissatisfied. Although he understood Hiruzen''s suspicions, he felt that he was going too far. Yujin had no reaction because he didn''t feel hostility from Hiruzen, even when he tried to be intimidating. Being sensitive to others'' emotions, he could feel the man''s caution, but not hostility, only curiosity.
Because of this, Yujin realized something.
Hiruzen wasn''t cautious about Yujin because he thought he was a spy. He has many different ways to find out if someone is a spy. Normally, spies are hard to find because they don''t attract attention. It''s not like he could employ all methods to find the spy in each of the village''s people, so Yujin, who suddenly appeared and drew attention from the first day, had a minimal chance of actually being a spy.
After using all the methods he could, he knew that Yujin was not a spy.
What intrigued Hiruzen about Yujin was his very existence.
Hiruzen could feel the strength emanating from Yujin''s body, which made him curious because he doesn''t have Chakra... Or at least didn''t have it until some time ago.
He also had Yujin investigated to see if he found anything about him, but even after using all the connections he had, he found nothing, as if Yujin suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
A person this strong can''t just appear out of nowhere.
The more he investigates and assesses Yujin''s existence, the more curious he becomes.
Of course, Hiruzen didn''t plan to explain this to him; not that he needed to, Yujin realized it, which made him feel even more relaxed.
''Well, I guess this is a success... But why did that man I met in the corridor have so much hostility towards me?''
Yujin was calmer when he noticed the lack of hostility in the Hokage. After all, he saw that man leave the Hokage''s room, so he thought Hiruzen had said something to him, creating the hostility. That''s why he was worried before entering the room.
Why was that man hostile?
Chapter 35: Might Duy
"Are you accustomed to being in the presence of authorities?"
Although he was thinking about other things, it wasn''t difficult for Yujin to respond to the Hokage''s inquiries.
"Not much."
"You seem quite calm for someone meeting the Hokage."
Hiruzen observed Yujin calmly but couldn''t really find anything, which truly surprised him.
"I have perfect control over my physical and emotional functions due to my training, so I can remain calm in the most difficult situations."
"Hoho, and what kind of training is that?"
Hiruzen was curious about Yujin and how he accumulated so much strength.
"Martial arts."
The Hokage put his hand on his chin and thought for a long time, trying to understand what martial arts meant. In the village, something similar would be taijutsu, but it was far from the same.
"I think I''ve heard of something like that... Martial arts."
Hiruzen has access to all the knowledge present in the village¡ªthings only the Hokages would know. The only other person with such access would be Mito, and that''s because of her influence as the wife of the First Hokage, the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, as well as the numerous contributions she made to the village.
She literally built the village with her own hands, so it''s not strange for her to have the same influence as the Hokage.
"Well... Let''s leave it at that; I''ll look into it further later."
As they conversed, Hiruzen walked around the room, circling Yuji slowly, observing him. Yujin didn''t react to the Hokage''s actions, but he was starting to feel displeasure.
Suddenly, without any warning, the Hokage moved. With a kunai in hand, he attacked Yujin from behind, aiming for his neck. It all happened in less than a second.
When Hiruzen snapped back to reality, Yujin had already turned around, using his left hand to stop the kunai and his right hand to throw a punch at the Hokage''s head.
Everything happened so fast that even the Hokage was surprised. He knew Yujin could thwart the attack, but he didn''t expect a counterattack. When he tried to think about how to defend himself, the punch stopped just inches from his face.
Along with the halted punch, a gust of wind hit his face, and papers in the room started flying everywhere. Although the wind that came with the punch was powerful, Hiruzen made an effort not to be affected by it and stood still, locking eyes with Yujin.
"You''re better than I thought."
"That was very rude."
Yujin seemed quite relaxed as he said that, but there was displeasure on his words. Hiruzen couldn''t see any caution on his part, so he wanted to know how he would react but didn''t anticipate the speed and fluidity of his response.
"Impressive. I apologize. I just wanted to test you so I can confirm your skills."
The Hokage slowly sheathed the kunai, returned to his desk, and began searching in some drawers. A few seconds later, he handed three scrolls to Yujin and explained.
"I''ll give you a chance. I''ve specially chosen these three missions for you. If you can complete them perfectly, I''ll allow you to take missions up to A-rank in the future."
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Yujin looked at the three scrolls in his hand and nodded. Tsunade had already discussed with the Hokage the type of work he was willing to do, so he didn''t question it.
"I wanted to ask something before I go."
Hiruzen waved his hand, giving permission, while calmly smoking his pipe.
"If I complete these three missions, will I also be treated as a resident? I know that currently, my status is that of Tsunade''s guest, something I intend to change if possible."
The Hokage nodded slightly and explained.
"If you can complete these three missions, I''ll give you permission to live here. You''ll be treated like any other resident."
Satisfied, Yujin left the Hokage''s office.
The Hokage remained silent after Yujin''s departure. Initially, he planned to talk more with Yujin, try to better understand what kind of person he was. However, after hearing the words "martial arts," he decided to cut the conversation short and test him to see how strong he was.
He had read about "martial arts" in some village scroll and planned to find out what it was before Yujin returned with the mission results. He thought he could learn more about Yujin just through conversation, but this need for research intrigued him even more. The little test earlier also yielded interesting results.
''What''s the secret of this mysterious strength he possesses?''
Although most people couldn''t sense it, individuals at the level of Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hiruzen could vaguely feel his power.
***
As Yujin left the academy, he quickly read through the scrolls to learn more about the missions. At the same time, he was concerned about the dates. Currently, it was not the time to go on a mission since two days later, he needed to be present at Mito''s ritual.
He had a bad feeling about this ritual.
After looking at all three, they were all escort missions. Two of them were item escorts, and one was the escort of an important person. All of them were scheduled after the ritual.
The Hokage chose the missions well.
It was quickly getting dark, and as he returned to the apartment where he lived, Yujin saw a man running with both hands in the distance. Yujin had seen this man several times before and had always been curious about him. Once he asked Tsunade about the guy who spent the whole day exercising in the village, and she replied that he was a rarity.
He was the only ninja in the village who couldn''t use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu.
Ninjutsus were the magical techniques that ninjas could perform; using Chakra and hand seals, they could summon elements and perform other impressive feats that even Yujin couldn''t. Genjutsus were techniques capable of using Chakra to affect people''s psyche, creating illusions to confuse them.
This man, Might Duy, couldn''t use either type of technique, which were things ninjas had to learn. Might Duy had consulted many doctors, including Tsunade, about his condition, and her response was that he had little Chakra.
His condition was only slightly better than that of ordinary civilians, which would normally prevent someone like him from becoming a ninja.
What made him a rarity was that, despite this condition, he never gave up and became a Genin, the lowest rank among ninjas. Genins, Chuunins, Jounins¡ªthese were the three ninja classifications.
Genins were ninjas who graduated from the academy. They had just learned and mastered the basics a ninja should know, so they were always inexperienced, but in a few years, they became Chuunin. In most cases, they only needed experience and specialized training to become Chuunin.
Might Duy, even more than ten years after leaving the academy, remained a Genin, earning him the nickname Eternal Genin.
Nevertheless, he never gave up and continued to train to improve. According to Tsunade, although he couldn''t use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, he was one of the most powerful ninjas in the village, and the reason he hadn''t become a Chuunin was that he prioritized training so much that he forgot to do missions, or when he did, he didn''t achieve good results because he was tired from training.
Might Duy was a person who caught Yujin''s attention precisely because of his determination to train.
Yujin recognized that determination because he shared it. Yujin was extremely diligent in his training; hardly a day passed without him training.
He could see that determination in Might Duy. At the same time, he learned from Tsunade that he was the village''s greatest Taijutsu specialist, something similar to Martial Arts but involving the use of Chakra.
For various reasons, Yujin was interested in Duy. When he was around, Yujin would stop what he was doing and watch him from afar, curious about him.
In recent days, he had been studying the differences between Qi and Chakra and was determined to find someone to try to teach his Martial Arts. Tsunade seemed interested, but now that they were apart, he was tempted to teach Duy.
Seeing him in the distance training, Yujin thought for a moment and decided to have at least a first contact.
Approaching, Yujin greeted him warmly.
"Good evening. My name is Yujin; may I know yours?"
Pushing himself up with his hands, Might Duy stood up and greeted Yujin with a big, jovial smile.
"Pleasure to meet you, Yujin. My name is Might Duy."
Chapter 36: Not again
Yujin hadn''t planned on eating before, but he invited Duy to dinner; Ramen. After sitting down and choosing their meals, Yujin turned to Duy and spoke.
"I''ve been curious about you for a few days. You train every day, quite admirable."
Duy smiled upon hearing that and replied in a slightly louder voice than usual.
"I need to put in the effort if I want to get somewhere. I don''t have as much talent as others."
"Hope you don''t mind, I asked Tsunade about you."
Duy nodded as if he didn''t mind at all and commented.
"I''ve been curious about you too. I don''t feel... Wait. Now I''m sensing your Chakra."
He raised his head and looked confused at Yujin. Duy had heard about Yujin from friends, an outsider who came to the village with Tsunade. He usually didn''t care about such gossip, but occasionally some news reached him, and this was one of them.
One day, during his training, he spotted Yujin in the distance, and the two briefly locked eyes. Duy felt a strength within him, a kind of strength he had never felt before. At the same time, he also noticed that Yujin seemed like a civilian, which was incongruent with his strenght.
Since then, he had been curious.
"I recently acquired Chakra, an unusual case, I must say."
Duy squinted his eyes upon hearing this, but after a few seconds, he sighed and asked.
"You didn''t invite me to eat just because you''re interested in my training routine, I believe."
"No, I wanted to ask you something."
Duy waved his hand again, feeling that Yujin''s politeness was a bit awkward.
"You''re the only ninja in the village who can''t use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. In return, you''re a Taijutsu specialist. I admire that... As you know, I didn''t have Chakra, but I was already strong before obtaining it, as you noticed that day."
Seeing Duy nodding in agreement, Yujin continued.
"That''s because I train something different from Chakra, called Qi. It''s an energy similar to Chakra but with different properties. For someone like you who has issues with Chakra, I suppose learning Qi from me would be interesting, what do you think?"
Duy became curious about Qi, especially when reminded of the struggles he went through to use Chakra. Yujin continued when he saw Duy contemplating.
"Qi training is called Martial Arts, and it''s quite similar to Taijutsu, so I believe you''ll pick it up quickly. Unlike Chakra, Qi can be accumulated over time and diligence. You''re not limited by your body''s potential."
Yujin knew exactly what to say to pique Duy''s curiosity, and it worked. He was a bit resistant to the idea since he had been training with Chakra for over ten years, so starting something new, especially when he hadn''t mastered the old one, seemed strange to him. However, Yujin knew how to convince. At the same time, he also thought it wouldn''t hurt to learn. If he didn''t like it, he could always stop Martial Arts training and go back to training his Eight Gates.
"Alright, Yujin. I can feel your sincerity, and I''m curious. When do I start?"
Yujin smiled, seeing how eager Duy was to learn, but managed to convince him to meet him an hour before sunrise the next day.
The two spent the rest of the time casually chatting about their training routines while eating. In the end, Yujin returned home to rest.
***
Arriving home, he wiped himself with a wet cloth and lay on the bed. He thought about the day, what he did. It was a long but interesting day.
The conversation with the Hokage was better than he expected. Although the man was clearly paranoid, Yujin couldn''t judge, as he led a nation of ninja experts in disguises, assassinations, information gathering, and espionage. If the leader of this group wasn''t the most suspicious man in the village, he would find it strange that the village was still standing.
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Of course, it was annoying to receive suspicion. He also didn''t like the little test the man did by attacking him suddenly.
After thinking for a while, he picked up a book to read. It had become a habit for Yujin to read a book before bedtime. Especially now that he had a new book.
This was a new book from that cursed shelf, called "Between the Sheets." It looked a bit like the novels Yujin had read before.
A man meets a woman in a bar, they talk, arrange to meet days later for a date. Each had their problems. The man had just come out of a difficult relationship, and the woman was having trouble at work; her boss constantly harassed her.
They went on a date and enjoyed each other''s company. At first, they didn''t talk much about their problems, but as they saw each other more often, they began to confide in each other.
On the fifth date, they slept together for the first time, and Yujin read attentively. A series of sexual scenes later, the man seemed happy and satisfied with life, hopeful for a better future. He had finally overcome his ex-girlfriend and was happy in his new relationship.
One day...
BANG!!!
***
Tsunade was at home, getting ready to sleep. Shizune was already lying in bed. It was a quiet and peaceful night like all the others in the Senju complex.
Whenever she went to sleep, for some reason, Tsunade thought of Yujin. She often replayed many of the interactions she had with him to better understand her feelings.
At the same time, while having these thoughts every night, she constantly questioned how good he had been to her from the beginning and when the feelings he has now appeared. The only way she could think of was that Yujin fell in love with her at first sight, and whenever she thought about it, for some reason, she felt happy for a while.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by a noise.
BANG!!!
Quickly getting up from bed, she analyzed the direction of the sound and quickly got dressed. When she saw that Shizune was still sleeping like an angel, she left the house and looked in the direction of the sound, realizing belatedly that it was the direction of the house where Yujin was living.
She hurried to the scene, and upon arriving, found half of the house destroyed. There were several people around, from guards to civilians in the complex. The guards surrounded the building and were investigating around.
Tsunade quickly assessed the situation, and when she saw Yujin through the hole in the wall, she was surprised. He was making an expression she had never seen before; he looked furious.
Looking at the state of the house, which was practically half destroyed, she approached the building. Some guards tried to stop her, but with a wave of her hand, they stepped back.
Yujin seemed not to register the commotion around him. Although some guards asked him questions from afar, he ignored them.
Taking a deep breath, Yujin walked out of the house with a book in hand through the intact front door, which was quite strange. There was literally a huge hole on the side, but it''s like he didn''t even saw half of the house destroyed, he just walked out of the intact door. He lit a match, set fire to the pages of the book, and threw the burning book on the ground.
Seeing this, Tsunade was extremely confused. Assessing the hole, she realized that whatever destroyed the house came from within. She then looked at the guards around, who were investigating the surroundings confused, and clapped her hands to attract people''s attention.
"You can all go home. The guards too."
The guards tried to argue, but she didn''t give them a chance to speak and simply dismissed them with a hand gesture.
Tsunade''s authority was not insignificant within the complex, so everyone left.
Approaching Yujin cautiously, Tsunade looked at the burning book. Earlier, she had managed to read the title of the book by coincidence, "Between the Sheets".
"What happened? Was it Jiraiya again?"
Yujin remained silent, unresponsive, as if he hadn''t heard the question. The expression of anger slowly disappearing from his face as the book burned.
Tsunade decided to stay silent and just observed the book with a cold gleam in her eyes. She was planning to find out what the book was about later in case Yujin didn''t want to talk.
An hour later, when the book was practically ashes, he took a deep breath and finally calmed down. Finally realizing Tsunade''s presence, he commented slowly.
"It''s like this has happened before."
"Because it indeed has¡ª"
Yujin put his hand on his mouth and started to shush while looking at the burning book. Tsunade was somewhat scared of him at this moment; he seemed very strange.
"This has never happened before. Book? What book? There''s no book. Understand? There was never any book, not before, not now, not ever."
Yujin gave a big smile when he said that, sending shivers down her spine.
"By the way, what happens if the bookstore disappears from the village tomorrow?"
"Are you joking... or not."
When she saw Yujin''s bizarre smile, Tsunade shivered again. What happened to him?
"The manager is a good person."
"Is he? I''m questioning that now."
Yujin spoke while looking at the burning book. Swallowing saliva, Tsunade thought quickly, but in the end, she didn''t know what to say.
"Do you know how I can find a person?"
"And who would that be... if it''s not too much trouble?"
She asked politely, feeling Yujin''s bizarre mood.
"Don''t know the name, but the pseudonym is HentaiGodZ."
Tsunade spent some time with him to make sure he wouldn''t do anything wrong. Two hours later, he had returned to normal and seemed like the old Yujin she knew, which relieved her a lot. After spending another hour with him to make sure he had returned to normal, she left for a moment to explain to the guards what had happened, as they had been investigating the area until now.
When he saw her leaving, Yujin looked at the moon in the sky and murmured.
"I can''t believe I almost had my second breakdown because of a book... Wish I could erase my memories."
Chapter 37: Drinking with her again
It was dawn, and Tsunade brought Yujin to sleep at her house since he had destroyed the house where he lived.
It took him a while to realize that he had destroyed the place where he was sleeping due to a mistake. Along the way, he apologized to Tsunade several times for the damage caused to the house and promised to repay her for the damages. He had never felt so guilty about something he did before.
It was a mistake he didn''t expect.
When they arrived at the house, Tsunade went to check if Shizune was still asleep, and when she saw the little angel sleeping peacefully, she grabbed sake and took it to the room she had lent to Yujin.
It was very familiar for Yujin to see her carrying a sake gourd with cups in hand as she approached. He missed it. Handing a small cup to Yujin, she poured sake for both of them and drank it in one go.
The two remained silent for a few minutes while drinking. Tsunade was thinking about what she wanted to say, but feeling the atmosphere in the room, she sighed and commented.
"I missed this."
Yujin smiled and nodded, agreeing.
"Me too, I like drinking with you, even if we''re silent."
Tsunade smiled, understanding how he felt. She felt the same. In silence or in conversation, Yujin''s company always made her happy.
"Let''s keep doing our drink sessions in the future."
"As long as you don''t mind..."
Yujin was cautious about Tsunade''s reaction. Because of the confession, they naturally distanced themselves and stayed apart for a while. This situation, however, sort of created a reason for them to come together, and Tsunade was no longer willing to stay apart.
"You know how I feel, Yujin."
"No, I don''t; you didn''t tell me."
She planned to continue talking, but Yujin interrupted her, wanting an answer. Tsunade looked into his eyes and sighed, silent for a few seconds as she looked at the sake in the cup.
"I have feelings for you too. If we had met in different circumstances, I''m sure my answer that day would have been different, but now is not a good time."
"I understand. I already expected your rejection."
Tsunade was surprised to hear that and raised her head to look into Yujin''s eyes, wanting to understand what he meant by that. Yujin took another sip of sake, and after a long sigh, he explained.
"We needed this, this space."
He filled the cup with sake again while waiting for Tsunade''s reaction, who didn''t show any, she seemed confused.
"You know, our relationship didn''t start in a healthy way. You were going through one of the most difficult times of your life, and I needed someone to help me in this new world. In a way, I took advantage of the situation to gain your sympathy and trust."
"No, no, wait."
Tsunade stopped him from speaking with her hand and began to think silently about what this meant. Yujin gave her space to think and continued drinking, occasionally pouring a cup for Tsunade to drink.
Minutes later, Tsunade began to understand, but she needed confirmation.
"I understand that you wanted to gain my trust, and there''s nothing wrong with that; you needed help adapting to a completely different place, I get it."
Yujin nodded, agreeing with her statement. She continued.
"And what you got with that was my company, so you could get information as well as a place to live. That was when we reached the village."
Yujin nodded again, agreeing with her.
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"But what does that have to do with you confessing to me and us needing space?"
Tsunade found the situation confusing; she couldn''t understand Yujin''s thought process. He thought for a long time before explaining.
"You are going through a difficult time, so it''s normal to be more vulnerable. Because of our friendship at this moment, our relationship was taking a direction I didn''t want. Even though it wasn''t my intention, our feelings were growing, and you were very emotionally dependent on me."
Tsunade understood when he said that. In the days they were apart, whenever she felt sad or tired, she had the urge to go see him.
"If our relationship developed in this situation, one day, you would regret it. Whether because of Dan or if you came to the conclusion that I took advantage of you because of the moment. With the rejection, we would have space for both of us to evaluate our feelings and make sure this is what we want. Confessing my feelings was the first step."
Tsunade was at a loss for words hearing this. She did it. She started to evaluate the feelings she had for Yujin without even understanding his intentions. Again, she was impressed with how insightful Yujin was.
"You don''t have to feel obligated to accept my feelings. As I said before, I''ll wait, no matter how long it takes, because my feelings are genuine. If one day you accept my feelings, I want you to never regret it and feel my sincerity. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Hearing this was very difficult for Tsunade; she used all her strength not to cry; it wasn''t the time. She was very happy with Yujin''s words and at the same time very sad that she couldn''t accept them.
Yujin continued drinking after expressing what he wanted. Now, everything depended on Tsunade, and he didn''t plan to do anything else, just wait. Tsunade took a deep breath to calm herself but didn''t comment on what he said, keeping the words in her heart.
"Let''s continue what we were doing before. Drinking together and researching Qi and Chakra. You promised to teach me how to train in Qi, and I promised to teach you how to use Chakra."
"Sure, I don''t see a problem."
Yujin seemed satisfied with the arrangement. Although they remained a bit distant compared to how they were before, the confession didn''t prevent them from having a normal friendship where they drank, studied, and trained together.
"Today, I talked a bit with Might Duy. A nice person, full of enthusiasm. I invited him to learn Martial Arts from me in a few hours. Want to join? I''ll try to teach you both to accumulate Qi."
"Great, I''ll participate too."
With the end of the previous conversation, Yujin decided to change the subject, and Tsunade finally remembered what she wanted to talk about before. With narrowed eyes, she asked.
"About that book earlier..."
Yujin froze upon hearing her bring up the book in the conversation. When she saw him like that, she insisted.
"Aren''t we friends? I want to know what happened."
He remained silent, drinking the sake. Seeing him being so stubborn, Tsunade played her trump card.
"You destroyed the wall of my house..."
"Okay, fine, geez, you didn''t need to bring that up. I already feel guilty enough without you saying anything."
Taking a deep breath, Yujin sighed and explained.
"Do you remember the other day when Jiraya recommended a book to me, and I burned it?"
"One day I''ll have a conversation with Jiraya about that. Continue."
Tsunade looked at Yujin with narrowed eyes, a cold gleam passing when she thought about how Jiraya dared to present that kind of content to Yujin. She didn''t know what kind of book it was, as she had never read it, but knowing Jiraya and Yujin''s reaction, she had a good guess.
"In the world where I came from, there were no storybooks, only books with knowledge. So, since I learned to read and discovered these types of books, I started devouring romance books for... educational purposes. I asked the store manager about the type of book Jiraya recommended, and after he explained it to me, I got curious. He said I could learn even more about romance, and other things, so..."
Tsunade averted her eyes when he looked at her, feeling a bit embarrassed. She felt strange knowing that Yujin was learning about romance and... that, because of her.
"So... I asked for a less immoral book from the manager; he recommended ten books, and that was the one I chose. I just didn''t expect that to happen..."
Yujin sighed as he thought about it. When he read that part, he was so furious that he didn''t know what to do with so much anger, so he unconsciously threw a punch and destroyed the house''s wall. He was far from having a breakdown of his Harmony state, but there was a momentary fluctuation. He just didn''t expect that.
"What happened?"
Tsunade was curious about what kind of story would make Yujin react like that. Yujin took a deep breath when he heard the question, wondering if he should talk.
"It was a normal romance, up until near the end of the book. A man and a woman who liked each other. They had many intimate encounters. And I felt that both were meant to each other. But... Damn HentaiGodZ."
Yujin punched his own hand in protest. He really wanted to punch the author. How dare he write such garbage.
"But what? What happened?"
Tsunade was getting impatient, wanting to know what happened. Yujin saw her curious gaze and sighed. With great difficulty, he spoke.
"But she... I don''t really know; I stopped reading when it happened. A scene of her with three more men. Geez, I feel like vomiting just imagining it."
Yujin took a deep breath, making the thoughts about that scene disappear from his mind. Tsunade was speechless when she heard this and felt shivers running through her body.
"What a bizarre story... And the manager recommended that to you?"
"Yes, now you understand my frustration. I trusted him. Later, I need to have a serious conversation with him."
Tsunade remembered Yujin''s previous reaction, where he apparently wanted to destroy the bookstore and find the author to do something, so she decided to go with him.
"I''ll go with you."
Yujin nodded, and he couldn''t wait to confront the manager later. He needed an explanation.
Chapter 38: Bath
The two talked for a few more hours as they drank. The topics were simple, such as how Shizune became so attached to Kushina, and the two were inseparable. How Kushina seemed to be doing better. The three spent a lot of time with Mito, so she always came up in the conversation.
Yujin didn''t talk about Mito''s plan; he respected her decision not to give Tsunade hope without being sure that everything would work out.
Hours later, the two were a bit tipsy. Yujin remembered a topic he wanted to discuss with Tsunade. However, he couldn''t be too direct.
"You know, I find the clothes people wear in this world strange. I still haven''t gotten used to the clothes I bought, and I plan to ask a tailor to make custom clothes for me. What do you think?"
Tsunade looked at Yujin, specifically at the outfit he was wearing. He had on a dark blue jacket over a white shirt and long black pants, a relatively simple outfit that suited him well.
"You look good in that outfit, what''s the problem?"
Yujin was pleased with the compliment but still decided to order some custom clothes later.
"I don''t know, it''s different. I''ll show you what the clothes I used to wear looked like. Do you have paper and pen?"
Tsunade got up to get some sheets and a pen. While Yujin focused on drawing, Tsunade asked.
"But why the sudden interest in clothes? You didn''t seem to care about your outfit when you bought it."
Yujin continued drawing the clothes he used to wear and replied.
"It''s uncomfortable. I can''t explain. The way it fits on my body, the way I wear it. For example, I had shirts like this."
He then showed a drawing of a T-shirt with something resembling buttons.
"I wore shirts like this. They''re open, and I put them on, and then I button them up. They''re a bit loose, which I found more comfortable when I''m moving. The pants were also looser. Anyway, it''s uncomfortable."
Tsunade had never seen Yujin in such clothes, so she imagined him in them, but she wasn''t sure.
"I don''t know... I think you look good the way you are. If it''s about mobility, I don''t think it hinders you."
"Yeah, it doesn''t hinder, but it''s a bit uncomfortable."
Yujin continued drawing more clothing models during the conversation, and he remembered something else.
"Another thing I noticed is that people in this world usually have shorter hair. What do you think?"
He grabbed his waist-length braid and showed it to her. Tsunade looked at him with narrowed eyes, finding the conversation strange but responded.
"I think it depends on the person; it''s not like there aren''t men with long hair. Jiraiya is one of them. But your hair..."
She then took Yujin''s hair and was surprised. His hair was quite oily, and she could see various parts where the strands were broken.
"Don''t you wash your hair?"
"Sometimes, I usually keep it tied up."
Yujin quickly took his hair away from Tsunade''s hand when he saw that she didn''t seem to like what she saw. She then realized something important: there was no bathroom in Yujin''s house.
"Where do you take a bath?"
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"At home, I use a wet cloth to wipe off the sweat, and sometimes I wash my hair with tap water."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes again and finally realized that Yujin hadn''t taken a proper bath since she met him. He didn''t have shampoo or soap to wash himself either. She approached him and started to smell him but didn''t detect a bad smell. When she realized what she had done, she quickly backed away and coughed slightly, embarrassed.
"You need to take better care of yourself, take a proper bath, wash your hair, and so on. By the way, why do you let your hair grow if you don''t bother taking care of it?"
Yujin grabbed his hair and briefly measured the length. He then explained.
"It''s a custom where I come from. Most men cut their hair once it passes their shoulders. But in the Martial Arts society, when you start training, you let your hair grow without limits. It''s a way to show how much you''ve trained. The longer your hair, the longer your training. My master''s hair reached the floor. Not that it matters anymore, I guess."
He then lost himself in thought. Long hair is a cultural custom where he comes from, but that culture no longer exists in the world he''s in. In a way, it seemed important to cut it, a symbol of a new beginning.
"Maybe I should cut it."
"You don''t have to cut it if you don''t want to. There are people with long hair here; it''s not strange. What''s strange is you not taking a bath with shampoo for your hair and soap for your body."
When she saw that he seemed a bit sad about the idea of cutting his hair, she quickly tried to stop him and gave advice on what to do.
"Shampoo and soap... I''ve read those words in a book before. Do they serve to clean yourself? I''m not sure."
"You use shampoo to remove the oiliness from your hair and clean it. Soap cleans the sweat from your body and dirt. At the same time, both products will make you smell good. Then you use a bit of conditioner to moisturize your hair."
Yujin paid attention to her words, memorizing everything she said. Tsunade suddenly had an idea, and she smiled.
"How about you take a bath for the first time in a bathtub today? My house has a huge bathtub, and I have shampoo, conditioner, and soap."
He didn''t seem against the idea, so the two went to Tsunade''s bathroom, which was indeed large as she had said. To the right, there were two sinks side by side, with various beauty products that Yujin had seen before scattered around; baskets full of dirty clothes, and some machines that Yujin didn''t know. A huge mirror above the sinks; something that still amazes Yujin as that was very expensive in his old world.
There were some benches to sit on to the left, and two closed cabinets that he didn''t know what was inside. The rest of the bathroom was occupied by a huge bathtub, which was currently empty. It was so huge that, if he laid down on it, there was space for six more of him.
Tsunade approached the empty bathtub and started fiddling with a hole in the floor. She covered the hole with an item and stepped back. She turned several taps next to the bathtub, and the water began to flow. There was so much water coming in that he was surprised at how easy it was to fill the bathtub.
He realized that the water was already warm since the room temperature started to rise, and steam began to appear in the bathroom.
"Five minutes, and the bath will be ready. Come on, let me show you something."
Tsunade then showed him the shampoo, conditioner, and soap. After briefly explaining how to use them, she left the bathroom and closed the door.
It didn''t take long for the water to fill up, and Yujin took off his clothes. He was about to enter the bathtub when he heard from outside the door.
"Hey, don''t get into the water right away; first, wet your body with water and soap up your body!"
Yujin knew Tsunade was nearby, but he didn''t expect her to be paying attention to his bath.
"How did you know I was going to get into the water?"
On the other side of the door, Tsunade was left speechless, embarrassed by her actions. She had been listening carefully to the sounds in the bathroom and noticed that he was going to get into the water when she heard the sounds of footsteps moving away from the entrance. She just wanted to make sure he was going to take a bath correctly but forgot to mention all the details he needed to know.
Hesitating a bit, she remained silent, and when she heard Yujin again walking toward the bathtub, she explained.
"I''m just making sure you''ll take a bath properly. Now listen to me, first, close the taps so that the water stops filling the bathtub."
After hearing the sound of water disappear, she continued.
"Then, fill a basin with water from the shower and pour the water over your body."
"Shower? What''s a shower?"
Tsunade was getting frustrated. She had to guide him through the bathroom door, and for that, she needed to almost shout so that he can hear. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down, remembering that Shizune was still sleeping, and she couldn''t be shouting; not knowing that she didn''t need to shout in the first place since Yujin had senses far above normal.
Hesitating a bit, she considered all the options she had, and finally made a decision.
"Cover your lower part with a towel; I''m coming in."
She heard him walking a bit, and seconds later, he spoke.
"Ready."
She then slowly opened the door and looked carefully inside. When she saw that Yujin was properly covered, she sighed, entered the bathroom, and closed the door.
For a moment, the two stood silently looking at each other.
Chapter 39: How to bathe
The two remained silent, looking at each other for a few seconds, but Tsunade composed herself and coughed lightly, trying to disguise the embarrassment she was feeling.
"I''ll explain, so listen carefully."
Yujin nodded and waited for her to speak. Inside, he found the situation strange but tried to ignore it.
"First, you can''t just jump into the water because you''re still dirty. Although the bathtub water is for cleaning the body, other people might want to bathe in it too... It''s fine here, I guess, as I plan to open the drain later and let the water drain. But if you were to bathe in a public bath, for example, entering all dirty would make the water very dirty, and others wouldn''t be able to clean themselves properly."
Yujin raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled by what she said.
"Do you bathe with other people in public baths?"
"Yes. It''s a large bath, much bigger than mine, and dozens of people can comfortably bathe at the same time. Why do you think Jiraiya likes to go there so much? There are lots of women bathing every day; it''s paradise for him."
Yujin raised his eyebrows again, feeling disgusted by Jiraiya''s actions. Tsunade sensed his mood, so she quickly continued.
"So, you need to remove most of the dirt before getting in. That way, the bathtub water will clean the rest, which is more acceptable. To get rid of the bulk of the dirt, you fill a basin with water in the shower, turning on this tap here."
Tsunade then approached Yujin, a bit nervous. She tried her best not to look at his chest, took the basin from his hands, and turned on the shower tap to fill the basin with water. When the basin was full, she pulled a stool near Yujin and grabbed a towel from one of the cabinets.
"Now, you need to clean yourself. First, pour the water over your body, getting wet. Then, use the soap and lather all parts of your body... including down there."
Tsunade coughed again as she said this, hiding her embarrassment. She then realized that Yujin was standing still.
"Come on, start washing."
Although Yujin wondered how he would do it with her next to him, he still moved and followed her instructions. Sitting on the stool, he took the basin and wet himself with water. With soap in hand, he began to lather as she taught, covering his body.
Tsunade silently observed his actions, concentrating more than usual. She watched as he soaped his arms, chest, stomach, neck, legs... Turning his back to her, he also soaped down there.
She was genuinely surprised by Yujin''s physique. Although she had seen it before, and he had lost some muscle mass, every time she saw it, she found it impressive.
It was so sculpted that it didn''t seem real.
"- Tsunade? Hey, Tsunade?"
She was so lost in thoughts that Yujin had to call her several times before she snapped out of it.
"And now?"
Taking a deep breath, she composed herself as best as she could. Realizing that he hadn''t soaped his back, she hesitated for a moment, then approached, taking the soap from Yujin''s hands.
"You forgot your back; let me help you."
Yujin wanted to say he could do it himself; he was flexible enough. But for some unknown reason, he simply watched her as she went to his back and started to lather.
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The two remained silent, and several minutes passed. Yujin realized that she had already soaped him enough but didn''t say anything. Finally, she realized she was done, stood up, coughed again, and continued as if nothing had happened.
"Now, you need to rinse off. Get into the shower and let the water flow over your body to wash away the soap and dirt."
Yujin gave Tsunade a strange look but followed what she said. He stood under the shower he had seen water flowing from before and turned on the tap. The water ran over his body, washing everything away. In secret, he opened the towel a bit and let the water fall there too, to clean it.
When he finished, Yujin looked at Tsunade, who was behind him. She had a strange expression, staring at him, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere.
Yujin ignored her expression again and woke her up. Again, she coughed, trying to hide her embarrassment, and spoke.
"Now, it''s time for your hair and face. Let me make it clear; don''t let the soap or shampoo touch your eyes. If it does, it''ll sting. Lather your face, then rinse with water."
Yujin began to do what she said, closing his eyes as he applied soap to his face. Tsunade looked at Yujin''s hair and approached while he had his eyes closed. She then started to undo the braids, releasing his hair completely.
"Now, the shampoo. Take a bit, not too much, apply it to your head, and start scrubbing."
Without Yujin needing to move, she began to scrub Yujin''s head with shampoo. Slowly, she descended through his hair, also applying shampoo. Only now did she realize that Yujin''s hair was much longer than hers; something that should''ve been obvious before.
"Run your hand through it; you can feel your hair losing its oiliness, right?"
Yujin ran his hand over his head, and indeed, he felt his hair becoming... drier, strange. After she had washed his entire hair, Tsunade poured water over Yujin''s head, and the shampoo washed away.
"Now, the conditioner. Put just a little on your entire hair to make it softer and more hydrated. If you think you''ve put too much, take some off with water, and that''s it; now you can get into the bath."
Yujin stood up, his hair taken care of, flowing down his back. As if remembering something, Tsunade quickly added.
"When you enter, take off the towel from your waist and use this one to dry yourself."
Yujin nodded as he received the towel and waited for her to leave the bathroom. However, when he saw her looking at him again, lost in thought, he chose to get into the bathtub.
He took off the towel before entering and got into the water, letting out a long sigh when he felt the warm water on his body.
He had never felt anything like this before, so he momentarily forgot about Tsunade, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the moment. Occasionally, he submerged his body in the water, wetting his head.
A few minutes later, Yujin felt movement and looked to the side to see Tsunade entering the water with only a towel covering her body.
"Don''t look too much."
She said when she felt his gaze, embarrassed. Yujin averted his gaze and remained silent. The water rose a bit with Tsunade''s entrance.
She didn''t even know why she felt the urge to get into the water. She just felt like bathing with Yujin. Currently, she was trying to come up with excuses for her actions.
''I''m all sweaty; I need a bath. And it would be a waste to throw away the water. If I wait for Yujin to leave, the water will be cold. And I saw Yujin half-naked, so what''s the problem with him seeing a bit too?''
There were dozens of reasons she could think of. Meanwhile, Yujin occasionally glanced at her, feeling something different that he had never felt before.
Yujin is a good, kind, and fair man. Because of his upbringing and the culture he grew up in, he had little contact with women. The women he had contact with were either elderly or children; rarely young, unmarried women of his age. All the young, unmarried women he had seen before in his world wore very conservative clothes that almost completely covered their bodies.
This was one of the strange things about this new world Yujin found himself in. Women wore more revealing clothes and weren''t afraid to show a bit of skin.
Even so, of all the women he had seen so far, he felt no sexual attraction to any. He also felt no sexual desire even when he read all those sex scenes in the book he read before.
Not even for Tsunade; perhaps that''s why she always felt safe around him, never afraid that he would attack her. Even when she got excited while drinking and ended up showing more than she intended, Yujin never had a reaction to her.
That''s why Yujin was confused about the reaction he was having now.
He was trying to control the blood flow so that the reaction would disappear, but it was harder than he thought. The more he looked at Tsunade, the harder it got.
Tsunade noticed Yujin''s strange reaction. He looked at her from time to time, then looked away, sometimes looked at the water, and then looked at her again. To distract him a bit from the situation, Tsunade asked something she had been wanting to ask for a while.
"My grandmother... Is she up to something?"
Chapter 40: Duy sees the Peak of Youth
Tsunade''s question wasn''t a surprise to Yujin. He noticed that Tsunade was calmer. Perhaps she realized that Mito was up to something, and so a glimmer of hope appeared in her heart.
Yujin respected Mito''s decision and, therefore, didn''t respond. His silence, however, spoke more than a thousand words, and Tsunade smiled.
"I''m glad... It''s something good amidst all the bad things happening."
He remained silent and didn''t look in her direction. Tsunade didn''t question why no one told her about it and simply accepted the situation with a grateful heart.
The two continued in silence for a long time, just enjoying each other''s company. Yujin managed, after a while, to calm the fire he was feeling, a task quite easy for a master of Harmony. He had control over many physiological functions of his body, and although it was more difficult than usual, he achieved it with a little effort.
***
Yujin was getting ready to meet Might Duy, putting on clean clothes. His mind, however, was elsewhere. He wondered what that reaction with Tsunade was all about.
He knew what an erection was and what it was for; it wasn''t his first time. However, it was certainly the first time he felt something like that near a woman, and it was also the first time he felt it with such intensity.
For some reason, when he realized that Tsunade was naked next to him, less than three meters away, his body started to have this violent reaction, something he had never felt before.
He wasn''t sure what it meant, as it was the first time he felt this way. Even now, when he thought about that moment, his body reacted the same way, and he needed a dose of effort to calm down.
Taking a deep breath, Yujin calmed his emotions and focused on what was going to happen.
He and Tsunade left the house; Shizune was still sleeping. The sun had not yet risen. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at Yujin''s destroyed house and found Might Duy lightly exercising, doing some squats and push-ups.
When he saw the two approaching, he showed his usual youthful smile and spoke loudly.
"Good morning, Yujin, Tsunade-sama!"
"Good morning, Duy-san."
"Good morning, Duy. I see you''re excited for our training today."
When he heard that, Duy started doing squats even faster and shouted loudly.
"But of course, I am! It''s been a long time since I felt this passion for learning something new. Since my academy days."
Tsunade laughed when she saw Duy like this, remembering the academy days. Tsunade is a year older than Duy, so they didn''t study together, but she remembers when he was young. Basically the same as today, full of energy. In a way, he is quite different from the other ninjas she met before.
"It''s good that you''re excited, but before we get to the practical part, I think it''s good to start with the theoretical part."
Duy nodded vigorously and listened attentively, pausing his training out of respect. Tsunade already knew what Yujin was about to talk, but still listened carefully.
"Qi is very similar to Chakra. It''s an internal energy that can be controlled to strengthen oneself. If I had to say the biggest difference between the two, however, it would be that Qi lacks versatility. While it''s possible to transform Chakra into other elements like fire, water, earth, and wind, Qi doesn''t have that capability. It''s basically an energy cultivated within us with the ability to strengthen our bodies. Martial Arts were then created to use this energy efficiently. Now, can you imagine what Martial Arts were created for?"
"To defeat enemies, right?"
Duy quickly answered, thinking the answer seemed obvious, but he could sense by the way Yujin spoke that it wasn''t so straightforward. Tsunade stayed silent; she had never heard Yujin address this in their previous conversations.
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"Actually, there are two answers to that question, and it''s unknown which one is correct. It''s like the question of which came first, the egg or the chicken."
Duy and Tsunade fell silent and contemplated the question. They had never thought about it. What came first? The egg or the chicken? Both seemed possible. Impatient, Duy asked.
"So what''s the second answer?"
"The second answer is that Martial Arts were created for self-improvement."
Neither of them understood what he meant, so Yujin explained slowly and calmly.
"Another way to call Martial Arts where I come from is Cultivation. That''s because, according to those who say so, you cultivate yourself; training your body, disciplining your mind, perfecting your technique, and refining Qi. For those who call Martial Arts cultivation, it''s not about how strong a person is, but about their mastery over themselves. It''s about self-improvement until you reach the pinnacle of your potential. It''s about being better every day. Personally, I prefer this answer."
Duy was speechless when he heard this. For some reason, although the first answer seemed obvious initially, the second answer resonated much more deeply within him. He thought about the past, the difficulties he had in becoming a ninja despite lacking aptitude, and how, with pure effort and determination, he became what he is today.
The word cultivation reminded him of how happy he felt every day as he grew stronger, and it touched him deeply. He felt that, even without cultivating Qi until today, he had cultivated his entire life.
Seeing Duy suddenly start crying left Yujin speechless. Tsunade also seemed surprised by the second answer, and she also liked it more, but Duy''s reaction was much more dramatic.
"Yujin!!! You need to teach me how to cultivate for real!!! I want to be better every day!!! Perfect myself!!! Reach the peak of my youth!!!"
The more he spoke, the louder Duy''s voice became, and the more excited he felt. Yujin respected his passion.
Suddenly, from one of the nearby houses, a woman shouted.
"Stop screaming, you lunatic, let me sleep, I have to work tomorrow!!!"
Duy didn''t hear the shouts, and feeling that he could continue disturbing people, Tsunade and Yujin dragged the crying man to the training facilities.
After a few minutes of crying and some incoherent words, he finally calmed down, and Yujin continued the lesson.
"I want to make it clear that there is no correct answer to the origin of Martial Arts. It''s possible that when they were created, they were used for war/self-defense. Or it could be that when created, the creator just wanted to improve himself. Either way, deciding what it will be used for is important when you start training. You can even use them for both, fighting and self-improvement. You decide. Just never betray the reason why you train. Our minds work with stimuli, and to function well, you need to give the right stimuli. If you have a conviction and betray that conviction, your mind will be stimulated in the wrong way, and it can negatively affect you in various ways. Consider yourselves warned."
Both nodded, and they continued listening attentively.
"The reason I''m saying this is that Martial Arts are about discipline. Duy has plenty of it. Tsunade..."
He honestly didn''t know. Since he met her, he had never seen her train her ninja arts, but he didn''t know if it was due to a lack of discipline or if she was going through a tough time and couldn''t concentrate. Feeling the doubt in Yujin''s voice, Tsunade felt embarrassed and didn''t respond.
In fact, she hasn''t trained for many years. For years, she has focused more on her medical studies, after all. Does that mean she lacks discipline? No. After all, studying is also a form of training; brain training.
"It''s something important to think about before starting Martial Arts. My master spent a whole day explaining this to me when I started training, and honestly, it was very boring. I was eight years old, so I didn''t care; I just wanted to learn how to punch to destroy a tree like he did. You guys are adults, so I''ll leave it at that. After all, you also had your ninja training, which I think needs plenty of resolve to go through."
Feeling them both agreeing with his words, Yujin began explaining about Qi.
"So let''s start talking about Qi. As I mentioned, it''s an internal energy similar to Chakra, although much less versatile, but it doesn''t mean it''s weak. Our body can create Qi from breathing. There is an external energy, also called natural Qi or natural energy. This energy is everywhere. Our body can, through breathing techniques, draw this energy into our body. The energy is then refined. One part goes back to nature, which is the impure part. Another part stays in our body and merges with our physical energy, creating Qi."
Yujin sat on the floor at the end of his words and gave a demonstration. He breathed in and out, in and out. Neither of them could feel this energy or notice any difference, however. When he opened his eyes and saw them confused, he explained.
"You can''t feel it, as I thought. Continuing. When natural Qi and physical energy merge, it spreads throughout the body through the meridians, occupying as much space as possible. There are levels of mastery over Qi: Beginner, Adept, Expert, Peak, Master, and Grandmaster. When you reach the Grandmaster level, breathing techniques become complementary because your body opens all pores, and you can passively absorb natural Qi, although more slowly."
Tsunade also didn''t know this. It means that Yujin is constantly absorbing natural Qi and increasing his Qi reserves, even without doing anything. Duy then asked since he didn''t know.
"Yujin, what is your level of mastery over Qi?"
"I am the 43rd Grandmaster of Yin-Yang Harmony school."
Duy nodded. He could feel Yujin''s strength, and if he wasn''t a Grandmaster, he would be very surprised.
Chapter 41: On the tightrope
I got carried away writing and ended up with four extra chapters; I''ll just post this one today.
I wanted to take the opportunity and ask what you think about me creating a Patreon. In that case, I would write ten advanced chapters, and put them there. Anyone who wants to pay can read it in advance. But I''m going to continue with one chapter a day the same way I''ve been doing it, regardless.
Info dump strikes again.
***
"Yujin, I observed this from your previous remarks, but is it common for people in your past world to sense Qi?"
Yujin had already conducted this test, demonstrating his breath in front of Tsunade earlier, and now he did it again in front of Duy. Both times, he seemed to expect them to feel the natural Qi, but neither of them did. This raised concerns that maybe they couldn''t learn to train Qi.
"No, normal people don''t feel Qi. I only tested you two because you have a different type of energy within you, Chakra, and I wanted to see if that would enable you to feel natural Qi. Unfortunately, Tsunade, you can only sense natural intention, not Qi, which is quite unusual."
"If you''re talking about the energy Jiraya uses to enter Sage Mode, I''ve trained for Sage Mode before. I managed to get to the point of feeling natural energy, but I could never pull it into my body or merge it with my Chakra."
Yujin nodded slightly and explained.
"As I mentioned before, and it''s not relevant here, there''s a difference between energy and intention. What Jiraya uses for Sage Mode is intention, and I''ve told you this before; it''s like being born and instantly learning to run instead of walk. At least, from my perspective. Normally, you familiarize yourself with Qi during training and meditation, perceive the intention behind Qi, open the Fourth Extraordinary Meridian, and only then feel the intention."
Yujin looked at Might Duy, who seemed confused by the conversation, and explained.
"Jiraya can enter a state called ''Sage Mode,'' where he merges natural energy with Chakra. His strength then multiplies several times, which is quite interesting. But in Qi practice, the natural energy Jiraya uses and the natural Qi that Qi practitioners use are different. Natural Qi is the energy that makes the world turn and function. It makes fire burn, water flow, earth nourish, and wind be everywhere. The "intention" or "law" of the world uses this energy to make these things happen. Theoretically, natural Qi has no intention of its own. When you understand this concept during your Martial Arts training and open your Fourth Extraordinary Meridian, you can feel this intention and understand how the world works around you much more easily."
Might Duy nodded constantly, as if he were understanding, but in reality, he wasn''t. It''s not that he was dumb; he could logically understand the words, but it seemed so abstract that it was just information in his head, and he didn''t grasp the essence of what Yujin was saying.
"Let''s move away from this topic; it''s not relevant here. Now I''ll explain some general things about Martial Arts. In addition to mastery levels, there are three types of Martial Arts. Every person who trains with Qi needs to decide which path to follow. External, Internal, Harmony. External Martial Arts involve using the Qi you accumulate to permanently strengthen your physical body. Internal Martial Arts use Qi to temporarily strengthen your body. Harmony is a mental state that only a few rare individuals can achieve, where it''s possible to use both types of Martial Arts."
"There are advantages and disadvantages to all three types. External Martial Arts improve your physique permanently, strengthening your entire body, making it more resilient. The advantages are, for example, they are more challenging to defeat in surprise attacks since their body is always strengthened with Qi. Their skin is tough, and internal organs resistant to impact. They have Herculean strength. They are tough to defeat. A Grandmaster in External Martial Arts is practically a death god, hard to knock down, with high stamina and inhuman strenght. They can fight for days without getting tired."
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"Disadvantages would be that they are quite heavy, making them slower than usual. A Grandmaster can weigh tons. When Qi strengthens the body, it makes the person denser and therefore heavier. Their body''s regeneration is also slower, requiring more energy and time to heal. Training is also very challenging, requiring high pain tolerance and determination of steel. The training is also longer. Grandmasters in External Martial Arts are all at least over sixty years old. One thing that can also happen is the person going insane during training due to intense pain."
Even Tsunade was paying close attention. Many of the things Yujin was telling them hadn''t come up in their previous conversation, so she was memorizing as much as possible to write about later.
"Internal Martial Arts are the most commonly practiced. The advantages are that training is faster and painless. You will also be much faster than any external martial artist. Your strength will be less, but it''s often compensated with weapons, so most internal martial artists are experts in weapons like swords, staffs, etc."
"The disadvantages are that when your Qi runs out, you''re just a normal person. You also need to constantly control your Qi so that you''re not sneakily attacked. Good Qi control is required for training, so some people with little control can only choose external martial arts. Lack of control also wastes a lot of Qi."
"Of the two types, the safer one is definitely internal martial arts, and that''s what I''ll be teaching you."
Duy saw no problem with that; he found the disadvantages of external martial arts too significant. As long as he had aptitude, he preferred to train in internal martial arts. Tsunade felt the same, but her main reason was more superficial; she simply didn''t want to weigh hundreds of kilograms.
"I won''t teach Harmony to anyone, only to my successor. And you two don''t have what it takes to achieve Harmony. So, I''ll explain it just for your understanding."
Yujin saw that neither of them seemed to care, and he continued.
"Harmony is a state of mental duality. It''s not possible to train both External and Internal Martial Arts at the same time because they are two different types, like Yin and Yang. When someone tries to train in both types, there''s a risk of entering Qi Deviation, a state where the person''s Qi loses control and starts destroying the body internally. When someone enters such a state, the chances of survival are low."
"Some people, however, manage to enter a mental state called Harmony. Some call it Duality, others call it Harmonization with Heaven and Earth... It has various names. But basically, it''s a mental state where you can divide your mind into two. Not everyone can do this, only a few very rare individuals. With this mental division, you can practice both things at the same time without them colliding internally."
"The advantages are obvious; you can train both types, gaining the advantages of both and losing many of the disadvantages. With training, it''s also possible to have perfect control of the physical body, and you become emotionally balanced, able to make reasonable decisions without being affected by emotions. There are several other advantages, but I won''t go into detail."
"The disadvantage is not obvious, but I would say it''s the biggest of all. Harmony is a mental state that you need to maintain constantly. Only two things can make you exit this mental state: your will or a very intense emotion. If you exit the Harmony mental state willingly, you will enter Qi deviation, with high chances of death."
"If you exit this state due to an intense emotion, you enter a state called Breakdown, where your mind is taken over by the emotion that shook you. Most emotions can''t shake Harmony, only one: anger. So, if I undergo a very intense emotional shock and become very angry, I will go through a Breakdown, and anger will take over my body. When this happens, I lose all reason and become an unstoppable death god driven only by death."
Tsunade and Duy were left speechless by this revelation. It''s as if Yujin is constantly walking on a tightrope. A violent swing, and he will fall to his death. Seeing the solemn expression on both of them, and realizing that they understood the grave implications, he sighed and continued.
"I''ve been through a Breakdown before. Because of my deep state of Harmony, I managed to regain control in time..."
For a moment, that scene flashed in Yujin''s mind, causing him to stutter at the end of his words. Taking a deep breath, he controlled his emotions and finished what he was saying.
"If it happens again, however, either I die, or I kill; there is no other choice. When I''m consumed by anger, I don''t differentiate friend from foe; I just kill and destroy everything in my path."
The two could only remain silent; there was nothing they could say. This is a reality about Yujin that Tsunade didn''t know, and it profoundly shook her.
Chapter 42: The first step
Tsunade was deeply shaken by Yujin''s words. For some reason, she felt a profound fear when she understood the implications. The tremor in Yujin''s voice and the brief glimpse she caught in his eyes, as if he had remembered something disturbing, left her very afraid.
Knowing that someone she cares about is practically walking on a tightrope every day was despairing. It''s as if Yujin could die at any moment. This reality was hard to swallow, even for someone experienced with life-or-death situations like her.
Yujin noticed Tsunade''s distress, and his heart squeezed. He deliberated for a long time whether he would tell her, but in the end, he decided to. After all, you never know what might happen in the future. He didn''t want her to be caught off guard if he undergoes a Breakdown and ends up being killed by some ninja.
He needed to prepare her for the possibility.
When he started training Harmony, Yujin knew the risks, but he was never afraid. He always had complete confidence in himself. Unfortunately, that incident where he had his first Breakdown cast a shadow on his heart. Even though everyone he killed were enemies, one thing is killing people who were doing harm to others, you have a reason for that.
It''s entirely different what he did, indiscriminate killing. Although he was fortunate to have only killed enemies, at that moment, he was willing to kill anyone, even people he loves.
It was a bad feeling, knowing that, with one mistake, he could become an uncontrollable killing god. That''s why he isolated himself in the mountains and never left.
Taking a deep breath, Yujin composed himself. Tsunade still didn''t seem to have calmed down, so he decided to continue with the lesson.
"As I mentioned, I will teach you Internal Martial Arts. To practice any type of martial arts, it''s important to have a breathing technique. Please, sit in the position I am in."
Yujin sat in the lotus position, hands in front of his chest, forming a hand seal that Tsunade and Duy had never seen.
The two copied Yujin''s position and began to breathe following his instructions.
The technique required perfection during its execution, so the two spent some minutes following Yujin''s instructions, but it didn''t take them long to learn.
When he saw that they could do it, Yujin stood up and continued guiding them, explaining more theoretical aspects of Qi and trying to explain the sensation of Qi entering the body so they could better perceive if they were succeeding.
He knew that, even if they seemed to be doing it correctly, they needed a perfection they had not yet achieved, so he also began correcting the small errors they were making without realizing.
Even after many minutes, however, they felt nothing. Although they had internal doubts, Yujin constantly explained to them that it''s not a quick process.
"Most people take days to create their first Qi thread. You will get it quickly, I believe, because of your experience with Chakra. Keep trying."
Both nodded, and they continued. Over an hour later, the sun began to rise, and they finally felt a difference. When he saw their expressions improve, he explained.
"The first thirty minutes when the sun rises are the best for accumulating Qi. During this time, Qi is extremely pure, and therefore easier to absorb. Consequently, it is the perfect time for beginners to try to create their first Qi thread."
Vaguely, both began to feel something entering through their noses during breathing. It was a very vague feeling, but they knew it must be natural Qi, so they continued to breathe.
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Minutes passed, and when he saw that they were succeeding, Yujin fell silent and just observed. Thirty minutes later, they lost the sensation they had before and became confused. Before they stopped breathing, Yujin began explaining again.
"The thirty minutes have passed; now it is much more difficult, but keep breathing even if you don''t feel anything. Try to remember the feeling you had during those thirty minutes, and keep trying until you can do it without the help of the sunrise."
Both nodded again and continued, but even after an hour, they couldn''t feel anything. Seeing this, Yujin approached them and spoke.
"Well, I wanted you to achieve it on your own, as it would improve your perception of Qi. With this improvement, in the future, you would have better results, but more than that, I think it''s useless."
"What do you mean?"
Tsunade seemed worried that she might not be able to train Qi, but it was an unfounded concern. Yujin explained patiently.
"It''s impossible for normal humans to feel natural Qi. Do you know why?"
It was a rhetorical question, so neither of them answered.
"Because there are eight interconnected meridians in the human body that connects us to natural Qi, and these meridians are closed. These eight meridians are called the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Meridians are like the tenketsu you use to guide Chakra. I took a look at them before, and all of them are meridians that Qi can also pass. The difference is that the meridians through which Chakra can pass are few, while Qi can pass through them all."
"When I started my studies on Chakra and realized this, I was afraid that Chakra and Qi would clash, but my body is proof that they don''t. The two energies do not mix, as if they were two rivers running side by side, just ignoring each other. Although it seems that the Chakra of other people ends up being restricted by your Qi, as was the case with Tsunade when she examined me using Chakra before."
Tsunade nodded slightly, remembering the experience she had earlier. She tried to examine Yujin, but his body''s Qi seemed to act like an antibody, protecting him all the time.
"Back to the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. It''s one meridian only, divided into eight different blocked points. To feel Qi perfectly, you need to make a Qi thread pass through the first of these eight points and reach the second point, completely opening the first meridian. Usually, it takes a master to help you in this process, but some very talented people can do it unconsciously."
Tsunade looked at Yujin with envy. She didn''t even need to ask and already knew that Yujin is one of those rare cases of someone who managed to do it alone.
"So, I will be assisting you. By now, thanks to the thirty minutes of sunrise, you should have condensed a Qi thread. Please turn your backs to me and sit in the previous position I taught you."
Both did as he asked, and they began breathing again at the correct rhythm when he instructed. Yujin first approached Tsunade and placed his hand on the center of her back.
He used a bit of Qi to enter her body and investigate the situation.
He felt her Chakra, as well as the rest of the internal organs. Tsunade felt a bit uncomfortable with the Qi inside her, investigating, but she said nothing.
Finally, after searching for a long time, he found the Qi thread in the center of her chest, near the heart. With the help of Qi, he slowly drew this Qi thread to one of the nearby meridians, and from there it was easy, moving it to the head, where the first meridian was.
Tsunade was trying to feel what was happening, but she couldn''t. She could only feel the uncomfortable sensation slowly rising to her head, and minutes later, she felt a small pressure.
The feeling of pressure lasted for a few minutes; Yujin said he was trying to open the first point and that it required patience. Minutes later, she felt as if a dam released the water all at once, and the feeling of pressure disappeared.
The first thing she felt after that was something around her. Opening her eyes, she realized she was surrounded by some kind of strange energy. She couldn''t see it, but she could feel it.
"There, the Qi thread made its way to the second block point. If you want to open this second block point, you''ll need a lot more Qi and very good control; I won''t be able to help you with that next time."
Seeing that she was extremely surprised by the new sensation she was feeling, Yujin continued.
"You will become a Grandmaster in Martial Arts as long as you can release the fourth meridian. When that happens, you can feel the intentions of the world. Now you understand why I was surprised that you could feel natural energy, which is the union of that intention with natural Qi, since you don''t even have the First Extraordinary Meridian open?"
With the knowledge she now had, Tsunade understood what Yujin was saying, but she didn''t have much to respond. She doesn''t even know how she can do that. She only trained a little in Sage Mode, and that was the only thing she could take from the training. Yujin then went to Duy and did the same.
But when Duy began to feel the slight pressure on his head, he spoke to Yujin with closed eyes, surprised.
"Is this discomfort I''m feeling in my head you trying to open one of those block points you mentioned earlier?"
Yujin realized he didn''t explain it properly and confirmed with a "Yes."
"But this is the location of the First Gate, Gate of Opening."
Chapter 43: Dilemma
Tsunade was surprised to hear this, while Yujin was simply confused.
"Gate of Opening? What is that?"
Even as he asked, Yujin continued his work, not thinking it was relevant. Duy took a deep breath and explained for Yujin to understand.
"I don''t have very large Chakra reserves, and that''s one of the reasons why my potential as a ninja is low. However, I received a technique from the Third Hokage called the Eight Gates. It''s a technique where I use my Chakra to open Eight Gates that exist in the human body; the more of these gates I open, the more potential is unlocked from my body, thus multiplying my strength several times. Gate of Opening is the first of the eight gates, and it''s in the left hemisphere of the brain, where I am feeling the pressure right now."
Yujin found the conversation fascinating but didn''t stop working, continuing his task. Later, he planned to explore these "Eight Gates" further. Tsunade, however, was lost in thought, and suddenly she realized something.
"Yujin, wait, maybe you shouldn''t open Duy''s first meridian..."
Before she could explain why, the pressure vanished, and Duy felt a good and relaxing sensation throughout his body. Like Tsunade, he began to feel the energy around him. It was as if he were experiencing the world for the first time. The unknown energy he had never felt before seemed to be everywhere.
"I hope I''m wrong..."
Yujin finally shifted his attention to Tsunade and saw the concern in her expression.
"What''s the problem? Duy did it; now he can accumulate Qi too."
Tsunade thought for a moment and explained her concern.
"What if Duy''s Eight Gates are the same as the Eight Extraordinary Meridians? The Eight Gates are the only technique Duy can use. What if opening the first meridian interferes with the Eight Gates?"
Duy was excited, immersed in the new sensations he was feeling, but he still heard Tsunade''s words, and it surprised him.
"I''ll test it."
Duy then focused his Chakra on the Gate of Opening, as he had done thousands of times before. This time, however, he felt enormous resistance. He spent several minutes in silence, trying to force the Chakra to pass through the first gate, but it was as if the gate were locked with a latch, preventing the entry of Chakra.
At that moment, he started to worry, and Yujin asked after seeing this.
"Are you sure these Eight Gates are the same as the Eight Extraordinary Meridians?"
Tsunade was distressed by the situation, and Duy was getting worried, but Yujin remained calm, analyzing the situation coolly. Duy began to explain about the Eight Gates.
He explained what the gates were, how to open them, the abilities of the gates, the consequences of opening them, and many other details. Duy was the greatest expert in the technique in the village, so he knew everything about it. Yujin, on the other hand, seemed relaxed and just listened silently.
"Hmm... What an intriguing technique. Listening to you, I''m sure that the ''Eight Gates'' are the same as the eight block points of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. The eight meridians do not refer to these ''gates'' themselves but to the path that is made from one ''gate'' to another. For example, from the first ''gate'' to the second, it''s called the First Extraordinary Meridian. It allows us to feel Natural Qi, increases our Qi accumulation speed, and gives us a greater affinity to Qi, providing better control."
"The Second Meridian is between the second and third ''gate,'' and it also gives enormous advantages for martial arts training. It goes on like this until the Seventh Meridian, which is the path between the seventh and eighth ''gate.'' It is speculated that only one person in history managed to open it; the God of Martial Arts... Recently, I just opened my Fifth Meridian, the path between the fifth and sixth ''gate.''"
Tsunade noticed something strange in his speech and quickly asked.
"But what about the Eighth Meridian? Is there a Ninth Gate?"
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"No... The ''ninth gate'' is the heart itself."
After a few seconds, realizing he didn''t explain it properly, he continued.
"The Eighth Gate is superficially in the heart. It is theorized that if you can open the Eighth Gate, you can flood your heart with Qi through the Eighth Meridian and produce a different type of Qi. According to the theory, this different Qi would have the ability to give you eternal life, making you literally a god in human flesh. Whether it''s true or not, I don''t know. The God of Martial Arts I mentioned before didn''t have eternal life, I think."
Everything about the God of Martial Arts was speculation, so Yujin didn''t know what to say. Duy listened attentively, but he wanted to hear something else.
"What does all this mean? Is it impossible for me to reopen my gates?"
Feeling the anxiety in Duy''s voice, Yujin felt a little guilty. He had inadvertently caused an optimistic and determined man to practically panic with his thoughtless actions. Yujin explained in a low, calm voice, trying to reassure Duy.
"I think whoever created the Eight Gates used the Eight Extraordinary Meridians as a basis, creating this forbidden technique. After all, if you can only open these gates temporarily and cause so much physical harm, with the opening of the Eighth Gate meaning death... It''s a violent technique that doesn''t consider the user, only the instant power gain. The Eight Extraordinary Meridians are the way we humans can acquire power; it''s closely related to Qi training. Some call the Eight Extraordinary Meridians the Spiritual Root because of how important it is to us Martial Artists. When you open the first of the Eight Meridians, it never closes, and it brings extraordinary benefits."
"I think the reason you can''t get the Chakra through the gate is that there''s a Qi thread connecting the first to the second gate. If that''s true, either we try to make it possible for both energies to flow through the First Meridian, or I erase the Qi thread. If we can''t go with the first option and go with the second, it means I won''t be able to teach you Qi. Without the Qi connecting each gate to the other, you won''t be able to advance in your Qi training. Without the First Meridian, for example, you''ll only be able to practice Qi for thirty minutes a day, and your control over the accumulated Qi will be nonexistent."
Duy fell silent upon hearing this, clenching his fists tightly. He wanted to learn Qi, but having to give up the Eight Gates that he had trained for so many years was not an option. Taking a deep breath, he bid farewell to Yujin, saying he would think about it, and left.
Tsunade did not expect this outcome for the first training session, but she could only accept it. Yujin, on the other hand, felt guilty. He should have explained more about the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. That way, the Eight Gates would have come up in the conversation, and they would have realized the problem.
He just hopes it''s not irreversible.
***
Even without Duy, Yujin decided to continue teaching Tsunade. He explained again that to accumulate Qi, she needed to meditate using the breathing he taught.
"Do this as much as you can, but realize that our bodies have limits. If you don''t feel an increase in your Qi reserves during breathing, it means you''ve reached your limit temporarily, so focus on something else."
Tsunade nodded, excited about the idea of a different training. She had trained in all the ninja techniques that interested her, so a new area, something completely different, a subject in which she was practically a pioneer in the Leaf Village, was very interesting to her.
"What do I do besides accumulating Qi?"
"Now, you need to accumulate Qi. Currently, the only Qi thread you have is connecting your First and Second Gates. How do you plan to train Qi if you have none to use? Keep that Qi thread there and just focus on creating more Qi. When you have some, practice your control over it. Move it through your meridians, including those containing Chakra."
Hearing this, Tsunade nodded and noticed something intriguing.
"Why did the Qi block the entry of Chakra into the first gate if the other meridians can pass both Chakra and Qi at the same time?"
This was something Yujin had already considered, so he explained.
"Unlike the other meridians, only the Eight Extraordinary Meridians have Qi blocking points... I''ll call them gates from now on; I like the term. Perhaps because of these gates, only one energy can enter. Of course, we don''t know, maybe it''s possible for a second energy to pass; I''ll test that later. The Eight Extraordinary Meridians are special in the human body, no wonder they are called extraordinary, so who knows under what kind of laws they operate. We need to study more about this."
Tsunade nodded and sat down to accumulate Qi. Yujin watched her for a moment to make sure she was doing it right, then decided to play with Chakra a bit.
He had Chakra, so in recent days, he had been playing with it a bit, practicing his control according to Tsunade''s previous instructions. She had already explained how the initial Chakra training works, and he was willing to pay attention to it from time to time.
Currently, although Chakra seemed interesting, Yujin wasn''t very interested in training it deeply. He had plenty of time, so he wasn''t in a hurry. Learning to use Chakra wasn''t going to immediately increase his strength.
Honestly, control over Chakra is similar and at the same time different from Qi. He had a more fluid control over Qi, perhaps because of years of training. His control over Chakra, however, was much more rudimentary and imprecise.
Today, he decided to train what Tsunade had talked to him about before: walking on walls.
Focusing Chakra on the soles of his feet, Yujin put his foot on the wall. He felt that the Chakra was trying to fill the space between the sole of his foot and the wall, so he focused on the sensation.
Slowly, he felt a bit of grip on the wall, as if he were merging with it, but he knew it wasn''t enough, and he just kept trying to move the Chakra.
Time passed slowly as Yujin trained Chakra, and Tsunade accumulated Qi.
Chapter 44: Confidence
Yujin had a good training session, making progress in wall walking. However, he decided to take a break from training to settle a score with someone suspected of a serious crime.
Tsunade and Yujin were in front of the bookstore.
"It''s time to get some answers."
The two entered and observed people browsing books to buy. The manager seemed to be further inside the store. As they walked in, Yujin looked around and commented.
"These people don''t know the danger they''re in by buying books here."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at this. He had already told her about the origin of the book, so she knew that even if the manager hadn''t warned him, he was still at risk by picking up a book from that immoral shelf.
At the back of the store, the manager seemed to be unpacking a box when he heard the sound of a knock on the counter. As he stood up, he was met with Yujin''s cold gaze. Confused, the manager asked.
"Good morning, Yujin. Did you come to buy another book...?"
Suddenly, Yujin began to laugh out loud, startling the manager with his actions. Yujin had always been a polite and gentle person, so he didn''t understand why he suddenly seemed aggressive, almost furious.
"Manager... I trusted you. After what you did to me, you still act clueless? The least I expected from you was respect, and now you''re not even giving me that."
Yujin''s gaze was as cold as the wind from the Land of Snow; capable of freezing a person quickly. Under this gaze, the manager, an ordinary person, was having trouble breathing. He quickly said.
"I don''t know what you''re talking about. I didn''t do anything to you. What''s going on?"
The manager''s words quickly calmed Yujin, surprisingly. He could feel the manager''s sincerity, confusing him.
"How do you not know? You sold me that..."
Just the thought of the content made Yujin uncomfortable.
"... that cursed book. Without any warning. How could you do this to me? I trusted you."
Yujin''s words again left the manager confused.
"What''s wrong with the book? It''s just the way you like it, a romance between two people, and with... educational content."
Tsunade, who was silently standing behind Yujin observing the conversation, rolled her eyes at this. ''What can you learn from that kind of book?'' she thought, but didn''t say anything.
"It''s not just a romance. Ten pages from the end of the book, something happens."
The manager looked even more confused, so he opened the box he was moving before and pulled out a book identical to the one Yujin had bought before. When he saw the unassuming and simple cover of the book in front of him, Yujin gritted his teeth, feeling an urge to set the book on fire.
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''The person who wrote this book is not a good person,'' he thought.
The manager flipped through the book to where Yujin had pointed earlier, and began to read attentively word by word. Gradually, the manager''s confused expression changed to one of dismay, and then to fury. Finally, he looked at Yujin with pity and sighed.
"I apologize, Yujin, I didn''t expect this..."
Yujin saw the manager''s reactions, so he believed him when he said he didn''t know, but that didn''t calm him.
"You said you had read all the books in the store, what happened?"
The manager sighed deeply upon hearing this, and closed the book.
"I''ve read all the books, but some books that I don''t like, I end up not reading to the end. This was one of them. As I said before, I''m not much of a fan of this type of content, so I read until after the halfway point, and thought I had read the most important part, so I stopped reading."
Yujin was speechless upon hearing this, but understood that it made sense. He didn''t need to read a whole book to understand its content. Clearly, the author of this cursed book was malicious.
"He waited until the end to write this twist... The book has 312 pages, but it''s only on page 301 that this twist happens. Clearly, the author is malicious. Who is he? I want a name."
Yujin''s eyes gleamed; he needed to know the name of this author, and at least give him a good punch in the face. At the same time, in the future, every bookstore he entered, he would report its content to the owners, and not allow him to have any more sales.
"I don''t know... He''s an author from outside the village. I think even from another country, since I found this book in a bookstore in the Land of Earth."
Yujin looked at the book still in the manager''s hand, and then commented.
"You know what to do, right?"
The manager looked at the book, and then at Yujin. Thinking about what he had to go through when he read the book without warning, the manager felt sorry for him, so he nodded.
"Leave it to me."
***
The two were leaving the bookstore, and Yujin took a deep breath and commented.
"One day I''ll find this HentaiGodZ."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at this, finding Yujin''s issue with the unknown author at least funny. It''s just a book, what''s the problem? Seeing his serious look, however, she commented.
"Let''s have lunch. You go grab us a seat in the restaurant across the street, while I take the opportunity to buy a book to read."
Yujin nodded, and headed to the restaurant. After Tsunade bought the book she wanted, she stored it in a scroll and had lunch with him. The two sitting across from each other, they initially had a brief conversation about trivial things like Qi training, and a bit about Chakra.
However, he could see that her mind was elsewhere, so he brought up the topic she was avoiding.
"We''re less than twenty-four hours away from the ritual. How are you dealing with it?"
Tsunade was surprised by the question, and remained silent for a few seconds. She didn''t have an answer to that herself. Every passing second, her chest tightened. She could distract herself with Qi training, or with the book she bought, but with each passing second, she knew that the inevitable was coming; it didn''t leave her mind.
Currently, the only glimmer of hope she felt was the signals she was receiving from Mito and Yujin. Although Mito had made an effort to conceal her strange actions, Tsunade could see that she was busy with something. Yujin''s previous silence also hinted at this.
"Whatever she''s doing, will it work?"
Instead of answering his question, Tsunade asked, hopeful, yet afraid of the answer. Yujin considered whether he should tell her, but in the end, decided to be ambiguous again, respecting Mito''s wishes. Leaning in, he placed his hand on top of hers and spoke softly, calmly.
"It''ll be alright, trust me."
Tsunade held her breath upon hearing this, and looked deeply into his eyes. She felt the sincerity and confidence in his eyes. It wasn''t the eyes of someone resigned to the situation, but rather of someone who truly believed that everything would be fine.
The confidence in Yujin''s gaze calmed Tsunade''s anxiety, who nodded with a beautiful smile. She didn''t expect that just a few words from him could calm her down, but upon further thought, she realized that''s what it meant to love someone.
Chapter 45: A good day
After having lunch together, the two returned home to find Shizune awake. As soon as she saw the two together, she jumped in joy and hugged them both, happy.
"Yujin! I thought I wouldn''t see you anymore."
It''s been a few days since she saw Yujin, and it was hard for the girl. Tsunade explained that there would be days like this, where they wouldn''t see each other, but the girl still felt sad.
As intelligent as she was, she commented to Tsunade on how she should make amends with Yujin. Although Tsunade tried her best to explain that they hadn''t fought, the girl didn''t believe it.
Seeing the two together, however, she was satisfied, blindly believing that they had made amends.
Yujin smiled to see how happy she was and felt a little guilty for staying away. He had a reason, but that reason didn''t prevent him from visiting the girl.
"Of course not. We''re friends, how could I abandon you?"
Shizune gave a broad smile and then commented as she blinked her beautiful eyes.
"I would prefer if you were my dad."
Yujin smiled at hearing this, ignoring the strange reaction Tsunade had, and gently stroked her head.
"I would also like to have a beautiful and intelligent girl like you as my daughter. Let''s see, in the future, how it will be."
Shizune gave a broad smile, and Yujin smiled too. He knew how intelligent the girl was, so he understood why she said that. He understood her mindset. She didn''t want to be separated from Yujin, and the few days they spent apart made her afraid that this would happen in the future. Therefore, the girl was trying to play the role of matchmaker, which was amusing.
"Why in the future? Why can''t you be my dad now?"
Yujin almost rolled his eyes. He could see the cunning sparkle in the girl''s eyes, so he patiently explained.
"I also want to be your dad, but we can''t force these things. Don''t worry. In the future, I will work hard so that you become my daughter, I promise."
Shizune briefly looked between Tsunade, who was red as a tomato, and Yujin, who was smiling gracefully. Finally, she accepted and nodded.
As Shizune was hungry, the three of them left the house. They decided to take Shizune out to eat something and then stroll through the village.
After Shizune filled her little tummy with food, they simply walked around. The people knew and respected Tsunade, so many greeted her, making the walk lively. Many children, mostly girls, looked at Tsunade with admiration and shouted her name from afar.
The attention the villagers gave to Tsunade impressed both Yujin and Shizune again.
They strolled, took Shizune to play in the park, bought her some accessories, among other things.
They didn''t do much more than that, but they were satisfied. Yujin could feel that, although Tsunade was more confident after what he said, she was still quite worried, and therefore needed to relax.
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As it was getting dark, the three had another meal together and returned home.
Shizune went to bed, and Tsunade brought sake for them to drink. Yujin watched all this with a smile on his face, thinking about how good it would be if this life with the two of them were permanent.
"You have a silly smile on your face."
Tsunade commented when she saw him smiling without saying anything. She could feel how happy he was, and that feeling infected her, a smile on her face too.
"I''m happy, plain and simple."
Yujin poured some sake and began to drink quietly, thinking about the day he spent with Tsunade and Shizune.
"We can''t drink too much today. In a few hours, it will be the ritual."
Seeing him drinking in silence, she commented and also poured some for herself to drink. Even though she was happy and satisfied with how the day went, Mito''s situation wouldn''t leave her mind. Seeing her worried again, Yujin sighed and thought about how difficult this situation was for her to deal with.
"Yes... Do you think the village will be attacked?"
Mito had already mentioned to him before the possibility of external threats, and he kept that in mind. He didn''t know how powerful the Leaf Village was, so he was ready to help in case of an invasion. When Tsunade heard the question, the concern vanished, replaced by a coldness in her eyes.
"I don''t think, I''m sure. Somehow, Kumo got information about the ritual and they plan to disrupt it. The village is being watched, and there are reports of Kumo troops approaching the village. We don''t know how much force Kumo will employ in this attack, but if the Third Raikage shows up, it will be a tough fight. That guy is a monster."
Tsunade had access to advanced intelligence reports, so she knew how powerful the Third Raikage was. Not even Hiruzen guaranteed a victory against him, making the attack really dangerous.
"I''ve only recovered 60% of my strength in the past few days. By the time of the ritual, maybe only 70% at most, and that''s it."
Yujin realized something today. The Chakra in his body was trying to match his Qi, something he no longer doubted. But the closer the Chakra was to his Qi, the slower the process was becoming, which didn''t make much sense to him.
It was close, the difference wasn''t large, but the Chakra was growing very slowly. One thing to note, however, was that Yujin''s Qi reserves were constantly growing thanks to his status as a Grandmaster.
His body pores were open, receptive to natural Qi, constantly increasing his reserves. When he realized this, he understood that maybe because of this, the Chakra couldn''t match the speed of growth.
It was as if the Chakra was constantly measuring the size of his Qi reserves, and as the reserves increased every passing second, the Chakra couldn''t match the growth rate.
When he realized this, he sealed all the pores of his body, and noticed a rapid increase in Chakra reserves. In another two days, the Chakra would be completely matched, and in another two weeks, he would regain the muscle mass he lost, returning to his peak strength.
Because of this, every second, Yujin was feeling the improvement of his condition, and he felt that, by the time of the ritual, he would be 70% recovered.
"And how strong is 70% of your peak?"
Tsunade was interested in Yujin''s strength; she had never seen him fight, but she could feel that he would be a formidable opponent. Unfortunately, she didn''t know exactly how strong he was.
"I don''t know, I have nothing to compare in this world, honestly."
She then put her hand on her chin and thought for a moment. She wanted to fight Yujin to understand his strength, but she felt that if they went too far and got hurt, it would be bad for the ritual.
"And with the Grandmasters in your world? How do you compare?"
Yujin thought for a moment, remembering what he knew about the other Grandmasters. There were hundreds, and all were ridiculously strong and famous.
"Well... I haven''t fought many Grandmasters, so it''s hard to say. But in terms of combat potential, for example, I surpassed my master a few years ago. When we fought last, I won most of the time. The times I lost were always due to lack of combat experience, something I don''t have much honestly."
Tsunade raised her eyebrows upon hearing this, but still didn''t understand what that meant. She didn''t know how strong his master was.
"And how strong is your master?"
Yujin was speechless at the question; he really couldn''t answer. His master wasn''t exactly famous. The only thing he knew was that in the Yin-Yang Harmony school, there were seven Grandmasters, including Yujin, and Yujin''s master was the third strongest, which would place Yujin between the second and third strongest.
There wasn''t exactly a ranking outside of martial arts schools; there were only vague comparisons made by some people based on some fights.
After all, martial arts go far beyond simple strength.
Chapter 46: The Attack I
"I don''t know, there''s nothing to compare. How about you tell me a little about our enemies?"
Tsunade drank another glass of sake and then began to explain about Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village. She explained that it was one of the five great ninja villages, the title of the village leader being Raikage, and how they are famous for their lightning ninjutsu.
"The Third Raikage, current leader of Kumogakure, is known as the most powerful Raikage in history. Sensei once told me that it would be difficult to defeat him in battle. He is tall, strong, and fast. Known for using a lightning-style ninjutsu capable of creating a kind of armor around his body, making him even faster and stronger."
"What is lightning style?"
Upon hearing the question, Tsunade was surprised. She looked into Yujin''s eyes, and seconds later, realized something.
"Lightning is electricity... Wasn''t there electricity in your time?"
When Yujin shook his head, she thought for a second and said.
"Lightning appears in nature during storms. When it rains heavily, have you ever seen a light falling to the ground, making a loud noise?"
"You mean thunderbolt?"
Tsunade nodded, again impressed at how he lived in, perhaps, a much more primitive time. She already knew that, but every time he asked something that was obvious to her, she became even more impressed.
"Yes, lightning style is that. Lightning is actually electricity... I wouldn''t know how to explain to you what electricity is without starting to talk about a bunch of things you wouldn''t understand, but basically, if you touch electricity, you feel your whole body convulse and go numb. At high intensity, electricity can pierce and burn things easily. Therefore, if you see someone using lightning style, I recommend not letting it come into contact with your body."
Tsunade then realized that Yujin was still quite ignorant of how ninjas fought if he didn''t even know about lightning style. With a possible battle in a few hours, she decided to spend the rest of their free time explaining to him how ninjas fought. That way, he would be ready for a possible battle.
***
All the military force present in the village was mobilized for the Nine-Tails Fox''s passing ritual to the new Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Kushina. Sensor ninjas watched over the region, the barrier was working at maximum capacity, Anbu protected other important locations, citizens were warned that there could be an attack.
The ritual would be performed in a secret underground facility of the village, and the two most important people, Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina, were already present making preparations.
The village''s greatest military power, in the figure of the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was present at the site supervising the preparations for the ritual and the security of the location.
To ensure the success of the ritual, Hiruzen spread Konoha''s military force among six strategic locations, with constant communication between the locations. The aim was not to make the location of the ritual too obvious, so that the enemies would also divide their forces. At the same time, he also ensured that some important locations, containing important people and information, were also properly protected.
He couldn''t focus solely on the ritual and forget that he had a village to defend. At any moment during the invasion, they could change their target. The village had many valuable things, such as the Byakugan and Sharingan dojutsus, as well as important people with information, and locations containing valuable items.
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His Nara clan strategist had spent the last few days thinking about all the possibilities, and that''s why the orders he gave were concise and meticulous, leaving no room for error. This was a critical day for the village. Even a direct attack on civilians was predicted, with a developed action plan for the possibility.
Yujin and Tsunade arrived at the location and saw people moving around. The two quickly made their way to Hiruzen, who greeted them with a smile.
"I see you''ve arrived. The preparations are going well, but stay alert."
The two nodded, then went to Mito and Kushina, who were busy with the ritual preparations. They stood nearby, observing, but not interfering. Seeing how busy they were, Yujin looked at Tsunade and spoke in a low voice, careful not to disrupt the preparations.
"Should we stay here? I think we should be outside, ready for a possible attack. It seems pretty secure in here already."
Tsunade looked at Yujin, then at Mito, her mind worried not about the attack, but about what the ritual meant. Even though Yujin had reassured her several times, she still couldn''t help but feel anxious. Seeing her like this, Yujin sighed and remained silent.
If his words weren''t enough, only Mito could calm her down.
***
While defense preparations were underway in Konoha, somewhere near the village, two men met.
One of them was tall and muscular, with tan skin and long blond hair. The other was also tall but hid almost his entire body behind many bandages, only his two eyes and nose visible on his face.
"So, the Mizukage didn''t come, huh..."
The blond man commented disdainfully, thinking that the man in question wasn''t man enough. The bandaged man replied, equally disdainful.
"It must be because of my presence, but it doesn''t matter. We''re enough."
The blond man is the Third Raikage, leader of Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village, named "A." The bandaged man is the Second Tsuchikage, leader of Iwagakure, the Hidden Stone Village, named "Mu."
The Raikage discovered, through intelligence reports, that the situation of the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Mito, was not optimistic, and how she was preparing to perform the ritual to pass the fox to a new Jinchuuriki. He obtained this information with only one day left until the ritual, so initially, he didn''t plan to do anything, as an attack on Konoha''s base would be difficult with only a day''s preparation.
However, the ritual was postponed for a few days, giving the Raikage time to prepare. He wanted to launch a heavy attack to disrupt the ritual, but knew it would be difficult with just Kumogakure. The Third Hokage was no weaker than the Second, and the village as a whole had people like the Three Sannin, Hatake Sakumo, as well as the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, with their powerful dojutsus.
It''s no wonder Konoha is currently the most powerful ninja village.
He then thought of bringing more villages into this attack and sent messages to Iwagakure and Kirigakure, hoping to establish a temporary alliance for the attack.
Mu, the Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, gave a positive response, while the Mizukage was ambiguous, seemingly hesitant about the attack. In the end, he decided not to move.
With the two villages united in the attack, they discussed each one''s role using the information they had obtained. They found an unusual concentration of troops in six different places and decided to set up six mixed teams from the two villages to attack those six locations.
The Raikage and the Tsuchikage stayed behind, waiting for them to find the location of the Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, ready to move at any moment.
"What are the chances of the Mizukage taking advantage and stabbing us in the back?"
The Raikage asked the Tsuchikage. He knew that the Second Tsuchikage was a smart and meticulous man, so he wanted to know his opinion on one of the concerns he had about this attack.
"Gengetsu is an idiot, he wouldn''t do something like that. He''ll stay out, thinking that we''ll have a conflict with many losses on all sides, and therefore he''ll have the advantage in the future. Idiot."
The Raikage grunted in agreement. When he decided to call Kirigakure and Iwagakure for the attack, he took into account the personalities of the two Kages, as he didn''t want to complicate the situation. He knew that Mu would accept the invitation, as they had a somewhat friendly relationship, and he was smart enough to see the importance of this event.
At the same time, he didn''t know what to expect from Gengetsu, but he knew that, regardless of what he chose, it wouldn''t be bad. If Gengetsu chose to help in the battle, things would be easier, although there was an uncertain factor because of the strained relationship he had with Mu.
If he didn''t choose to join the battle, being an honorable person, he wouldn''t think of making a cowardly attack from behind.
Therefore, no matter what happens, the Raikage wasn''t too worried. He was satisfied, therefore, that the Tsuchikage had a similar opinion.
Chapter 47: The Attack II
At the ritual site, Tsunade and Mito were conversing in hushed tones, while Yujin stood a little apart, watching Hiruzen giving orders. The attack had begun, and all the decoys created to confuse the enemies were being attacked simultaneously, including the base they were in.
Hiruzen''s priority was to maintain the confusion so that the main force wouldn''t attack the correct location.
Yujin looked over at Tsunade, who seemed worried. They had finished talking as the ritual was beginning. From what Yujin overheard, thanks to his keen hearing, Mito explained her plan and the potential problems, making it clear that there were real chances of everything going wrong.
Seeing Tsunade approach after the conversation, Yujin remarked.
"The attack has started. It seems Iwagakure is also attacking along with Kumogakure. They''ve divided their forces and are attacking the six locations that the Hokage created as decoys, including this one."
Tsunade nodded, lost in thought. She didn''t seem to have heard, her attention on Mito, who had begun the process of sealing the fox.
Yujin continued to listen to the Hokage, paying attention to the details of the battle outside. He wanted to be prepared with all the details in case he needed to enter the fight.
...
At the same time, on the outskirts of the village, the Raikage and the Tsuchikage had just entered the village with some subordinates.
Next to the Raikage was a young man who resembled him; tall, muscular, dark-skinned, blond, with a goatee on his chin. Next to this young man was a small boy, who couldn''t have been more than ten years old, dark-skinned and blond.
"B, does the Hachibi sense anything?"
The Raikage asked as he looked at the boy. He was having trouble finding, among the six locations, the location of the ritual. The forces he had sent were not enough to defeat the forces at the locations, and he wasn''t willing to waste more of his troops in futile battles.
The ritual was what mattered.
He tried sending some sensory ninjas to see if they discovered anything, but they felt nothing. Clearly, the Hokage was prepared and had placed seals at all the locations. Unless they enter the locations, it will be impossible to know what''s inside.
"Whee, whee, yo, yo, he said, yo, so far nothing, yo, wheeee."
The Raikage rolled his eyes as he saw the boy start to rap.
"When Hachibi senses the Kyuubi''s location, let me know."
Ignoring the boy who continued with his rap, the Raikage looked at his temporary ally, the Tsuchikage, and commented.
"Do you have any way to find out the correct location?"
The bandaged man remained silent upon hearing the question, thinking of solutions. Unfortunately, it wasn''t so simple. The Third Hokage is known to be experienced in fuinjutsu, not to mention that Mito Uzumaki herself is the greatest fuinjutsu expert from Uzushiogakure. The only thing he could think of was the obvious, to send a larger force to one of the locations and enter the place.
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"Unfortunately, no. I think we have to go with the obvious while we wait for a reaction from the Hachibi."
The Raikage grunted an affirmation, dissatisfied with their incompetence. Unfortunately, they don''t have many fuinjutsu specialists in their villages.
He only has three solutions, although only one of them is currently possible:
Brute force, Hachibi''s senses, or the mysterious contact in the leaf village.
Going for brute force would take time and waste the lives of his subordinates, something he wasn''t willing to do easily. Hachibi, who is also one of the tailed beasts like the Nine-Tailed Fox, has a special connection with the fox, and so they can sense each other through Chakra, but maybe because of the seal, Hachibi still hasn''t felt anything.
The mysterious contact is a person from the leaf village who mysteriously provides information. The only thing he knows about this person is that they are a high-level figure within the village.
The Raikage doesn''t know the motivations of this person, although he assumes it''s for political gain. He also doesn''t care since the information this person gives always proves to be true after mobilizing some of his own spies to confirm it.
Unfortunately, it''s a one-way communication. He can''t communicate with the person; he only receives the information passively, making it an unreliable source of information.
Now, for example, would be a good time for him to receive information, but he hasn''t received any messages so far.
He only had one course of action possible currently: brute force.
***
At one of the six locations, leaf village ninjas were fighting against cloud village and stone village ninjas. The stone village ninjas were focused on creating fortifications so they could gain ground, and the cloud village ninjas focused on protecting them.
The leaf village ninjas tried their best to defeat the enemies, but it wasn''t so simple, and so the battle was extending, neither side gaining an advantage.
In this specific base, in its underground, there was a man with long black hair and reptile-like eyes. He was in communication with the Hokage, commenting on what he thought of the enemy''s actions.
"They don''t seem to have a good method for finding the location of the ritual. Soon, they will come with brute force to destroy each of the locations. Normally, since we are in the advantage, I would expect more, but if they come to attack with everything, the bases won''t hold for long."
The Hokage, on the other side of the conversation, responded after thinking for a few seconds.
"All decoys have an escape route; be ready to flee. When the Raikage decides to attack, I''ll send Jiraya to delay him. If he attacks your location, join the fight and keep them busy."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and asked slowly.
"When do we plan to attack? I personally don''t like your passive attitude, Sensei. They''re invading us; we should counterattack."
Hiruzen frowned and replied, discontented.
"I don''t like it either, but the ritual is more important. If something goes wrong, we''ll have to deal with the Nine-Tailed Fox in the middle of this battle. The results of that would be devastating. When the ritual is over and the fox is safe with Kushina, we will launch a full attack on the enemy forces. I won''t let this attack slide at such a critical moment."
As dissatisfied as he was, Orochimaru could only accept it. He couldn''t oppose the orders of the Hokage, especially at such a delicate moment. He thought silently, discontented.
''When I become Hokage, everything will be different.''
***
At the ritual site, Mito was working rapidly. The ritual for the fox''s passage was simpler than what she was doing, and therefore demanded more time and effort. The ground, walls, and nearby pillars were filled with seals, unfamiliar words with uncertain meanings.
Her concentration was at its peak; there was nothing else, just what she was doing.
More than two hours after the start of the ritual, she made a hand seal and placed her hand on her belly, where a spiral seal appeared. Her fingers seemed to pierce the skin, and from within, she pulled out a mass of blue Chakra.
Upon seeing this, everyone watching the ritual held their breath. The mass of Chakra slowly took the form of a blue nine-tailed fox, gradually being extracted from her belly.
The process was slow but continuous.
...
At that moment, not far from the ritual, a mystical being with eight tails opened its eyes and spoke aloud.
"I found it."
Chapter 48: Attack III
At the ritual site, Mito seemed to be at a critical moment. In her hands, there was what appeared to be a blue fox made of energy, and she was slowly dragging this blue fox out of her belly.
The scene was bizarre, to say the least. Yujin was the most surprised; he had no idea how something like this was inside the lady''s body.
Everyone watched the ritual in silence, with Hiruzen and his subordinates discussing at a distance. Even amid the situation, the Hokage was paying attention to the progress of the ritual, alert to any problems that might occur.
Even for someone like him, with his vast knowledge of fuinjutsu, he could only superficially understand what was happening. The theory, he had heard from Mito before, but seeing it happen is still impressive in every way.
The legendary Nine-Tailed Fox is being divided into two completely different entities.
The idea of dividing a chakra being is something that could never leave his mind; no wonder Mito is known as the best fuinjutsu specialist from Uzushiogakure, he thought.
Even while watching the ritual, he was coordinating the battle. He was also receiving recurring reports on the location of key individuals from the enemy field such as the Raikage and the Tsuchikage.
As long as the nine-tailed fox is not completely sealed, he did not plan to do anything drastic, just defend.
Inside, however, he was not satisfied. With his normal temperament, he would have gone into battle immediately, not standing still listening and giving orders like this.
Unfortunately, he knew that the fox was the most important thing. The village had the power to defeat the cloud and rock villages even if they joined forces, but if the nine-tailed fox escapes from the seal...
He fears that this will be a catastrophic event for the village.
While he was lost in thoughts about the battle situation, one of his subordinates spoke aloud.
"Hokage-sama, the Raikage and the Tsuchikage have started to move. They are approaching."
Hearing this, Hiruzen''s eyes shone coldly. He knew that the time had come for him to move.
"The Nara Clan leader will be in charge of coordinating the battlefield. I will go into battle."
With an expression never before seen by most of his subordinates, Hiruzen quickly left the site, ready to engage in combat.
Seeing Hiruzen leaving quickly, Yujin frowned, worried. Tsunade was still paying full attention to the ritual, only occasionally hearing a summary of events from Yujin''s mouth.
With the Hokage on site, Yujin wasn''t so worried, he knew it was the safest place in the village. With his departure, however, it became one of the most dangerous places.
''How powerful are the leaders of the other villages to make him so tense?''
The tension finally began to build up in Yujin with the Hokage''s departure. The feeling, however, was not strange.
''It''s been a long time since I''ve been in a battle... I thought maybe I wouldn''t need to fight, but my intuition tells me otherwise.''
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Yujin then sat in a lotus position and began to prepare for battle. He didn''t know when the village would need his strength, but he needed to be ready for anything.
The ritual was still far from over.
After leaving the ritual site, Hiruzen moved away a bit, and frowned as he watched the Second Raikage and the Second Tsuchikage approaching.
Without taking his eyes off his enemies, Jiraya, Orochimaru and Sakumo appeared behind Hiruzen. They had everything planned. Hiruzen would take care of the Second Raikage while the three would deal with the Second Tsuchikage.
"Sensei, I want to remake my previous request. It''s too good an opportunity to simply let pass."
Hiruzen frowned upon hearing Orochimaru''s words. Without averting his gaze, he responded strictly.
"We''ve already discussed this. Your goal is to hold the Tsuchikage and not engage in an all-or-nothing battle. The Second Tsuchikage is very powerful, you don''t have the ability to kill him. If you fight with everything, seeking his death, you will lose quickly, and this will give an opening for them to attack the ritual. Remember, the ritual is the most important thing."
Orochimaru frowned, but didn''t respond. He has been having this discussion for days with Hiruzen about how to deal with the attack on the village, and knew he couldn''t convince him. In Orochimaru''s opinion, the best defense is offense; they should have attacked from the moment the enemies appeared.
Hiruzen, however, has a different thought, and believes it is more important to defend the ritual.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru''s opinion failed to convince Hiruzen, who used his authority as Hokage to give orders.
Seeing that he couldn''t convince him, Orochimaru told about an alternative plan, where he, along with Jiraya and Sakumo, would try to kill the Second Tsuchikage during the battle.
When he heard about this, Hiruzen was instantly against it. He knew how powerful the Second Tsuchikage was. Although he was confident that the three would not be killed by the Second Tsuchikage, he knew that if they fought with everything, this would end up giving the Second Tsuchikage the opportunity to kill them.
If even one of them dies, the battle will take an unfavorable turn for the village.
Therefore, the goal of the three is, from the beginning, just to buy time, to prevent the Second Tsuchikage from approaching the ritual site.
While they were talking, the enemies arrived, less than a hundred meters away. Present were the Second Raikage, the Second Tsuchikage, the son of the Second Raikage, and B, the host of the eight-tailed beast.
The presence of the Raikage''s son, and the eight-tailed host made Hiruzen frown. He didn''t know why they were there since they wouldn''t help in the battle that''s coming. In fact, they will end up becoming a problem, as they will have to protect them.
"A, you came prepared. Isn''t it enough the constant defeats you''ve been having in the war, you came to lose more of your army."
Hiruzen was the first to speak, releasing a provocation.
"Hahaha, Hiruzen, you seem cornered. Normally, you wouldn''t say something like that, but given the situation, I understand your concern."
The Second Raikage, A, then looked around, and commented.
"I gave the order for all units to gather here, it seems you had already predicted this would happen."
Hiruzen coldly mocked upon hearing this. He had already predicted that, if they discovered the true location of the ritual, the Raikage would give the order for everyone to converge in the same place to make a total attack.
When he heard about the Raikage''s movements, without even needing to say anything, his subordinates already gave orders for everyone to hold the enemies on the battlefield.
If before, the enemies were attacking, and they were defending, now it''s the opposite, they are attacking, and the enemies are defending.
An insidious smile appeared on the Second Raikage''s face, not at all worried about this. He then looked at the eight-tailed host beside him, which was just a little boy, and extremely quickly, before everyone could react, he pierced young B''s shoulder with his fingers, and moved them.
Chakra shone in the spot, and in seconds, before everyone could react, B''s body began to writhe and grow in size.
When he saw this, Hiruzen was shocked. He didn''t expect this action from the Raikage, not even in his most extreme thoughts.
"Hahaha, you think I came unprepared? If I want to destroy the leaf village, I need to do at least this, bet everything on this battle. Hiruzen, if you expected that you would hold us here so that you could finish the ritual, you are sorely mistaken. I came today determined to destroy the leaf village. An opportunity like this won''t appear a second time, after all."
The Second Raikage''s eyes overflowed with madness. He was determined to put an end to the leaf village, even if he has to risk everything by releasing the Eight-Tailed Beast, Gyuki.
Chapter 49: The Attack IV
The words and actions of the Second Raikage, A, seemed incomprehensible to everyone, even his allies. The only one who appeared only slightly surprised was Orochimaru, who mentally evaluated the actions of the leader of the Hidden Cloud Village.
"This is quite an extreme tactic... The Raikage seems determined to deliver a hard blow to the village. The tailed beasts are an unstoppable calamity; in a chaotic battlefield like this, where enemies are scattered, and the tailed beast can cause mass destruction, this move is cruel, but extremely efficient..."
Orochimaru frowned when he reached this point in his reasoning. At the same time, he began to calculate the combat power of both sides and realized that things didn''t look good for the Hidden Leaf Village.
"... Have you gone mad?!"
Hiruzen was so speechless that he could only watch, almost in panic, as the eight-tailed beast appeared right in front of him. He never thought the Raikage would make such a drastic decision.
Gyuki, the eight-tailed beast, is necessary to maintain the balance of power between the villages. With growing animosity between the villages, it''s because of this deterrent power that the villages don''t engage in total battles with the aim of destroying each other.
No matter how powerful a village is, if they try to enter this type of battle, the response will always be to release the tailed beast so they can protect themselves.
Therefore, the Raikage''s actions in using Gyuki, not as a deterrent power, but as an attacking power, was beyond the Hokage''s imagination.
After all, with Gyuki freed, it will fight to remain free. Without a power as overwhelming as Hashirama''s, capable of easily suppressing the tailed beasts, it''s difficult to seal the beast again, especially one of the most powerful like the eight-tailed beast.
By freeing Gyuki in the Hidden Leaf Village, the Raikage was risking losing control of the beast, thus losing the deterrent power that the tailed beasts have.
He is literally risking everything in this battle, something unthinkable from Hiruzen''s point of view, but which was happening right in front of his eyes at this moment.
Even though he was deeply shocked, however, when he saw Gyuki almost completely transformed, he knew he had no time for this.
Among the allies, the Tsuchikage was also surprised, but quickly adapted to the situation, moving away a bit, and paying attention to the movements of the Hidden Leaf Village side. Even though the Raikage hadn''t warned about his plan to release Gyuki, this didn''t bring any harm to the Hidden Rock Village.
On the other hand, the Raikage''s son seemed tremendously shocked by the situation. He wanted to question his father about what had just happened, but he knew it wasn''t the time for that. He was also caught off guard by the situation.
Perhaps no one, not even in the Hidden Cloud Village, knew what he was planning to do.
It was under these circumstances that one of the most powerful tailed beasts, Gyuki, appeared on the battlefield.
With a height of tens of meters, the beast roared as soon as it completely transformed, making the earth and the hearts of nearby people, even allies, tremble.
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"Son, keep the enemies busy with Gyuki."
Without saying anything else, the Raikage disappeared with his lightning armor, once again catching the Hokage by surprise.
"Oh, but you''re not going to!"
Hiruzen quickly tried to intercept the Raikage, but the Tsuchikage, as if he had been expecting this to happen, interfered, getting in the way.
Mu, the second Tsuchikage, said nothing, but his intention was clear.
"Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Sakumo, deal with Gyuki."
Resigned to the situation, Hiruzen could only grit his teeth as he watched the Raikage moving away.
Gyuki''s presence alerted the entire village, not just the battlefield. The colossal size of the beast, and its power, which could be felt from a distance, caused panic among civilians. The beast''s roar was simply deafening.
On the battlefield, the ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village were worried, but when they noticed the Hokage''s presence at the site, they calmed down and continued with the battle.
The enemies from other villages, however, were in doubt about what was happening.
The ninjas from the Hidden Rock Village began to worry about the Tsuchikage, who was with the Raikage at the place where the beast appeared.
The ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village, on the other hand, were confused by Gyuki''s appearance. They knew about the beast, and they knew that its presence is a bad sign.
Although with different reactions, the battle continued, with people dying at every moment.
At the ritual site, Yujin slowly got up when he heard the Hokage''s subordinates commenting on the events outside. He could feel the presence of enemies approaching, as well as the overwhelming presence of a gigantic creature.
"Tsunade, the enemies are coming."
Yujin could already feel the approach of one of the enemies, who seems to have managed to get rid of the Hokage, making him frown.
As if she were a different person, Tsunade''s expression changed drastically. If before she just looked like a simple woman worried about the ritual, now she looked like a fighter ready to face whoever comes.
"Our enemy is the Raikage."
Even while talking about his opponent, Yujin showed extraordinary calmness, surprising Tsunade for a moment.
She had already explained who the Raikage was, and his monstrous strength, but Yujin didn''t look like someone about to face a deadly battle.
He seemed calm, very calm.
At the same time, she could also feel a sharpness in him that she had never seen before.
Even though he seemed calm, Yujin was ready, she thought.
"Then let''s go outside."
Tsunade led the way, her expression as sharp as a sword, with resolute steps showing no fear of what she was going to face. Yujin followed right behind, observing her back, a mysterious gleam in his eyes.
''This woman...''
...
At the ritual site, Mito calmly observed Yujin and Tsunade''s departure.
Even though it seemed that she was completely oblivious to everything that was happening, Mito still maintained some degree of attention to the events outside.
At this moment, Kushina was sleeping on a stone altar in the center of the place. Several ninjas were around assisting in the ritual process, and Mito was extracting the fox from inside her belly.
It''s been hours since she started extracting the fox, but it still didn''t seem close to finishing.
The ritual she is conducting was something she had thought about and created from scratch. The process is much more complicated and time-consuming than simply transferring the beast to another person.
She had to separate one entity into two; transform one source of chakra into two; thus creating two different beings. With her power, and her ability as a practitioner of fuinjutsu, this was the best she could do.
While many may think that the biggest reason she did all this was so that she could live longer, only she knows the truth.
Only she knows that she was doing everything, in large part, just out of curiosity.
Being one of the best practitioners of fuinjutsu in the world, Mito took great pride in her abilities.
Separating the most powerful tailed beast, the Nine-Tailed Fox, into two different entities, is a feat never before seen, of absurd complexity.
Her curiosity as a practitioner of fuinjutsu guided her to this moment, while her concern for Kushina and Tsunade''s future was the driving force for her not to give up.
After all, internally, Mito was already at peace with her eventual death.
...
Seeing the two leaving the place, Mito''s eyes slowly closed, and she finally focused completely on the task ahead.
''You can think what you want of me. Just accept your fate, Kyubi.''
Internally, the fox was thrashing about, in panic, with the situation it was going through.
''I don''t understand!! There''s no way this can pass without consequences for you! Why are you doing this?!''
The beast''s screams, however, reached no one''s ears.
Chapter 50: Attack V
Leaving the underground facility, Yujin and Tsunade didn''t have to wait long for their opponent''s arrival.
Wearing a lightning armor, his speed was so great that many inexperienced ninjas wouldn''t even notice his movement, but his opponents didn''t let it go unnoticed.
"Stay where you are, Raikage!"
With Tsunade''s shout, the Raikage finally stopped dozens of meters away from the two, temporarily releasing his lightning armor. He analyzed Tsunade and Yujin for a moment, and then, very quickly, looked at the underground entrance, where there was a large number of ninjas hidden, ready to fight at any moment.
"You must be the Senju princess... Do you think you can stop me?"
The Third Raikage, known as the most powerful Raikage in history, didn''t seem worried. Thanks to his strategy of freeing Gyuki, he has the advantage. The ninjas protecting the ritual site didn''t have the ability to stop him.
"The question isn''t whether I can or not, but that this is something I have to do."
Yujin carefully observed the Third Raikage, and noticed one thing immediately.
While it seemed he was casually conversing with Tsunade, he was actually having several thoughts internally; he seemed to be plotting something.
"Haha, I suppose so. I guess I''ll take care of you before going down and ending the ritual."
With a cold smile, the Raikage again covered himself with his lightning armor, and charged at Tsunade, who even expecting it, was still surprised by the speed.
''He''s too fast.''
She thought while narrowly dodging the Raikage''s punch, who observed Tsunade''s movement as if he already expected the dodge.
Jumping back and creating distance, Tsunade made some hand gestures, and hit the ground with her hand.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a large cloud of smoke, a huge white slug tens of meters tall appeared on the battlefield, surprising Yujin.
"Tsunade-sama, your orders."
Without taking her eyes off the Raikage, Tsunade gave her chakra to the slug, and said in a firm voice.
"Katsuyu, protect the entrance to the ritual site."
"Alright."
Katsuyu, the giant slug, crawled to the indicated location, and her body slowly sank into the entrance, leaving only a part outside, as if she wanted to use her body as a shield so that no one could enter.
The Raikage doesn''t seem to react much to Tsunade''s actions, and simply chose to attack her again. His speed was so fast that even for Tsunade it was difficult to react, causing cold sweat to run down her forehead.
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Meanwhile, Yujin silently observed the Raikage''s movement, memorizing each movement, getting used to his speed. He could see that Tsunade wouldn''t last long if he didn''t go help.
In response to the Raikage''s speed, Tsunade began to hit the ground, creating obstacles in the way to decrease, even if just a little, his speed.
With a punch to the ground, a crater formed on the ground, and entire rocks rose up, hindering the Raikage''s path, who had to go around the rocks.
"How long do you think you can do this?"
Before Tsunade could react, the Raikage pointed three fingers in front of himself, and pierced all the rocks in his way, surprising Tsunade who didn''t know the technique.
Unfortunately, she couldn''t dodge, since she had just broken the ground to create obstacles.
Tsunade could feel the Chakra approaching rapidly, and knew that if the attack hit, her head would be pierced, killing her instantly.
Even in this life or death moment, however, there was no panic in her expression, and she moved her body as if she wanted to punch the Raikage after having her head pierced.
When it was centimeters away from her head, suddenly, a hand appeared behind Tsunade.
The hand deftly redirected the Raikage''s arm, deflecting and preventing the blow from hitting Tsunade, also breaking his posture. It was at this moment that the punch Tsunade had prepared hit the Raikage''s chest squarely, who took the blow with only his lightning armor.
Like a bullet, the Raikage flew backwards at a frightening speed, surprising the Leaf Village ninjas who were nearby watching the fight.
The Raikage''s body hit several trees, breaking them in half, hit the ground, making his body bounce, throwing him upwards, to finally fall to the ground, opening a hole with a deafening thud.
A few minutes ago, Yujin was discussing the battle strategy with Tsunade.
"Yujin, I want you to just observe the battle initially, for you to get used to how the Raikage fights. I explained everything I know to you, but it''s not much. So I want you to analyze him, and choose the best moment to intervene when you feel confident."
Yujin frowned upon hearing this, and commented after a quick thought.
"Will you be able to hold him? You told me he''s absurdly fast, and that one of your weaknesses is your speed."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, calculated for a moment, and responded confidently.
"Maybe if the fight is prolonged... But at first, I can stay alive. During this time, analyze the Raikage, and intervene when you deem necessary. I trust your judgment."
Yujin nodded, and then looked into Tsunade''s eyes. When he saw her sharp gaze, he commented.
"You know the objective of this battle, right? It''s not to defeat the Raikage, but to prevent him from disrupting the ritual."
Tsunade seemed not to understand why Yujin was saying something so obvious, but before she could question him, he continued.
"If you focus too much on fighting him, he can use his superior speed to enter the ritual. He doesn''t need to make much effort to disrupt the ritual, after all. As long as he manages to get in there, and starts fighting, the ritual will be impacted."
Upon hearing Tsunade''s words, the mouth that was open about to say something, closed. She gently frowned, and thought silently, before speaking.
"That''s true... We need to protect the entrance. I have an idea, leave it to me."
More at ease after seeing that Tsunade understood his intentions, he continued.
"Then I''ll stay away for a while, and wait for an opportunity."
The two looked into each other''s eyes and could feel the confidence they have in each other.
Tsunade observed her fist for a moment, and commented to Yujin.
"I hit him squarely, thanks to you. I doubt it''s enough to defeat him, but he must have suffered some damage. The Third Raikage''s lightning armor is known to have a very powerful defense, but my punch isn''t weak."
Yujin observed the trail of destruction left by the Raikage''s body. He was truly surprised by Tsunade''s explosive strength. It was the first time in his life that he sees such a powerful woman.
The punches capable of opening craters in the ground was already something, but the punch she gave the Raikage was a level above. She put everything into the blow, and achieved the feat of isolating the Raikage''s two-meter body hundreds of meters away.
Saying that her punch "isn''t weak" is an understatement.
Chapter 51: The Attack VI
Lying in a hole in the ground, the Raikage remained motionless while thinking about what had just happened.
''I didn''t notice that guy moving, and when I did, he was already dodging my attack... Is he faster than me?''
Slowly getting up from the ground, the Raikage felt his chest, which was a bit sore. Tsunade''s hit was direct; he didn''t even have a chance to lessen the impact, it all happened so fast.
''They moved in perfect sync. The Senju Princess already knew that guy could deflect my attack, and then prepared in advance to strike me...''
The more he analyzed what had just happened, the stranger it seemed.
''He can''t be faster than me... So how did he manage to get close without me noticing?''
The Raikage began to walk slowly towards Tsunade and Yujin while thinking. What had just happened seemed so mysterious that he wanted to understand it before returning to the battle.
''Is it possible that he''s faster than me? No...''
Although the obvious answer that he was faster seemed the most apparent, the Raikage had too much confidence in his speed to think there was an unknown person faster than him. When he tried to approach the situation from another angle, however, he realized.
''He stayed out of my field of vision most of the time. I thought he would join the battle at some point since he was with the Senju Princess, so I always kept his location in mind. But when I saw the opportunity to kill the Senju Princess by destroying all the obstacles in front of me...''
When he reached this point in his thoughts, realization dawned on the Raikage, who seemed genuinely surprised.
''Just before my attack, he always stayed in my blind spot, and when I went to attack, he used the rocks that were in front of me, as well as the fragments of the broken stones from my attack, to move without my eyes seeing him... He reached the back of the Senju Princess along with me, all calculated.''
Looking at Yujin next to Tsunade, the Raikage frowned and thought coldly.
''Even the Senju Princess''s strike was in his calculations. He''s dangerous, I need to deal with him first.''
Yujin observed his hand that had come into contact with the Raikage''s wrist and commented towards Tsunade.
"I only touched briefly, and I suffered injuries... This lightning is really difficult to deal with."
Tsunade observed Yujin''s hand, which was slightly dark, with traces of burns, and asked.
"Will the injury hinder you during the fight?"
Yujin then closed his fists and, although he felt pain, it wasn''t too bad.
"I''ll be fine. Leaving that aside, stay alert, he''ll probably attack me next."
Tsunade nodded, aware that it was a high possibility. Yujin''s interference caused the Raikage to suffer a powerful blow. Because of Tsunade''s lack of speed, he will probably lower his guard against Tsunade and focus on Yujin. With Yujin out of the picture, Tsunade will be easier to deal with later.
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It didn''t take long for the Raikage to approach, and Yujin and Tsunade were surprised by the apparent lack of injuries on the Raikage''s body.
Although Tsunade didn''t think it would be a critical hit, she expected it would have caused some kind of injury, but by the Raikage''s appearance, there seemed to be none.
Yujin was even more surprised since he saw up close how powerful Tsunade''s strike was. The fact that there seemed to be no injury surprised him greatly.
"His defense is more powerful than I expected."
Tsunade commented in a low voice, thinking about how to handle this situation. Although that wasn''t the most powerful blow she could deliver, it wasn''t far from it.
If it didn''t injure him with that, it won''t injure him with anoter slightly more powerful. The only thing she can think of is trying to focus her blows on the same part of the Raikage''s body, to try to injure him through persistence.
But will the Raikage let her do that?
It''s hard to say if she''ll be able to land such a precise blow as the previous one again.
"Hahaha, you got me with that blow! I didn''t expect that. The Leaf Village seems to have gained another talented person. Who are you?"
The Raikage looked at Yujin deeply, evaluating him, while Yujin responded lightly, apparently without feeling pressure despite the situation.
"My name is Yujin, that''s all I have to say."
Tsunade and Yujin prepared themselves, and when he saw them like this, the Raikage snorted lightly and prepared with his lightning armor.
"You''re interesting, it''s a shame I don''t have time to play with you."
The next moment, the Raikage disappeared from Tsunade and Yujin''s field of vision.
In the next second, he appeared in front of the two, using both arms to aim at their heads.
"Two Lariat!"
The strike was so fast that Tsunade almost couldn''t dodge, barely jumping backward, away from the Raikage''s arm that passed a few centimeters away from her head.
Yujin, on the other hand, calmly lowered his head, passing centimeters away from the Raikage''s arm. He then spun his body completely, appearing behind the Raikage, who was still moving forward by inertia.
He extended his hand, even without much support on the ground, and hit the palm in the center of the Raikage''s back, who received the blow and was thrown forward.
The force of the blow, plus the inertia of his previous attack, caused the Raikage''s body to fly towards Tsunade, who was already ready, as if she had predicted what would happen.
Again, with all the strength she could muster, Tsunade hit her fist into the Raikage''s stomach, who once again had his body thrown forward, but this time he didn''t fly as far. He actually managed to regain his balance in mid-air and landed smoothly on the ground.
Tsunade looked at the Raikage, who again seemed unharmed, but didn''t look particularly surprised.
"Before I landed the punch, he jumped backward."
The Raikage wasn''t going to fall for the same trick twice. He was ready for this kind of combination from the two. This time he had time to cushion the blow.
"Hahaha, your synchronization is impressive, you two. How do you do that?"
The Raikage seemed really surprised by Yujin and Tsunade''s combination. What he didn''t know, however, was that even in the silence of the battle, the two were communicating.
''It won''t work twice, it seems.''
Tsunade nodded in response to Yujin''s words that simply resounded in her mind.
This is one of Yujin''s abilities that Tsunade found out about just a few hours ago. Apparently, he can send his words through Qi to specific people without others being able to hear.
Tsunade learned the principles behind the ability, and even tried to replicate it to make it more convenient when the two fought together later, but couldn''t.
This is a technique that requires meticulous control of Qi, something that is only possible with a lot of training, which she didn''t have time to do.
Because of this, although they are communicating, it is unilateral.
Even so, this was enough for Tsunade to understand exactly what Yujin wanted to do, and prepare for it.
For those who didn''t know, it was as if the two had been fighting together for decades since their synchronization was perfect.
''This technique seems very similar to the Yamanaka clan''s technique.''
Tsunade thought silently while seeing the surprise in the Raikage''s expression, who didn''t know what was really happening.
She then looked at Yujin and again realized how special he was.
Chapter 52: the Attack VII
Tsunade furrowed her brows, concerned about how the battle should proceed. She didn''t think she would be able to defeat the Raikage, even with Yujin''s help. From the beginning, she only wanted to prevent him from interfering with the ritual, and she was confident that she could do at least that.
Right at the start, however, she noticed a flaw in her strategy when Yujin told her that the entrance to the location was practically open. Although there was a large and heavy door at the site, apparently hidden by various trees and foliage, it wasn''t very difficult for someone like the Third Raikage to discover.
With his power, he can easily enter the place, even if there''s an army of ninjas in the way to stop him.
Tsunade then decided to use Katsuyu to physically seal the location. Even the Third Raikage will need some effort to enter with Katsuyu completely occupying the entrance.
This way, the Raikage has the difficult task of having to defeat Tsunade and Yujin first.
That was the plan.
Unfortunately, the Raikage''s speed is much greater than Tsunade had anticipated, and she was having trouble reacting.
If it weren''t for Yujin''s constant warnings, she would already be dead, something that truly shocked her.
Her fight against Hanzo had already been a setback. She thought there weren''t many ninjas more powerful than her, and even someone like the Third Hokage, although she couldn''t defeat him, she thought she wouldn''t be defeated so easily.
Hanzo proved her wrong, and again, the Third Raikage appeared to show her that she''s still not strong enough.
''I''m not fast enough...''
She thought while gritting her teeth, hearing again Yujin''s instructions on how the Raikage would attack, and how she should dodge.
While dodging, scenes of Dan''s death appeared in her head.
Now that she was thinking about it, she realized. If she had been a little faster, he wouldn''t have died.
If she had the Raikage''s speed, she could have reached the battle site, and prevented Dan''s death.
''Focus on the battle, forget everything else!''
Suddenly, she heard a shout in her mind, interrupting her thoughts.
Yujin was being attacked by the Raikage, and although he managed to dodge almost all attacks, some he had to defend, which ended up increasing his wounds.
Taking a deep breath, Tsunade shouted out loud.
"Katsuyu!"
Not far away, a voice responded, politely and gently.
"At your service, Tsunade-sama!"
Not far away, Katsuyu, the giant slug that was physically blocking the entrance to the ritual site, suddenly trembled, and from her body, several smaller slugs came out and crawled towards Tsunade.
In a short time, two of the slugs managed to reach the battle site, and approached Yujin, who didn''t prevent them from climbing onto his body, and lodging themselves on his arms.
"Yujin, she will heal you, and help defend."
Yujin nodded while once again dodging the Raikage, who stopped shortly after and observed the slugs approaching the battlefield.
There were hundreds of slugs, and they surrounded the area, slowly joining together again, and forming twenty slugs over three meters tall.
"Hahaha, what an adorable summoning."
With Katsuyu''s presence, the battle became different. While before they had to defend, dodge, and use rocks and obstacles to slow down the Raikage, now they also used Katsuyu''s bodies as shields.
"Acid rain!"
Although she tried to hit the Raikage with a rain of extremely corrosive acid, the Raikage dodged with ease.
The battle became intense, and although it seemed like a battle of strength, with destruction happening at every moment, only the Raikage knew it was primarily a tactical battle.
''This can''t be the work of the Senju Princess...''
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The Raikage thought while dodging once again from an acid rain, and when he planned to approach to attack, Tsunade landed a kick on the ground, raising more rocks in the way, interrupting his attack for a second, and it was in this second that Yujin appeared in front of the Raikage, easily dodging his attack with the finger spears, aiming a punch at his ribs.
Although he knew it would come, the Raikage was surprised to realize that, even when trying to lessen the impact of the blow, he still felt considerable force, throwing him back dozens of meters.
Quickly getting up from the ground upon realizing that Yujin didn''t plan to stop his attack, the Raikage dodged Yujin''s kick, which hit the ground where he was.
The kick broke the ground, not like Tsunade did, but making an almost perfect hole in the stone that was previously intact even with the Raikage''s body falling on it from dozens of meters high.
When he saw the hole in the ground, the Raikage frowned, realizing that it seemed like a kind of concentrated attack, similar to his finger spear.
Jumping back, the Raikage took distance to once again analyze the battlefield. His eyes, momentarily, passed by the direction of the entrance to the ritual site. Normally, no one would notice, but...
When he made a feint, and actually tried to enter the place, with the now smaller Katsuyu still blocking the entrance, the Raikage was surprised by an acid rain, and when he dodged, he almost took another blow from Yujin who appeared by his side. When he dodged Yujin with a lateral jump, to the only place where there was no corrosive acid falling from the sky, there was Tsunade, ready to land a blow.
This time, the Raikage didn''t notice, and received a full blow from Tsunade right in the middle of his back.
His body was again thrown hundreds of meters, hitting various rocks, trees, bushes, and anything else that was in front.
When he finally stopped on the ground, he slowly got up, feeling a burning sensation in his back, and a slight pain in the rib area.
''He''s predicting each of my moves.''
Tsunade is known for her intelligence, but not in the way it''s being applied in this battle.
An instinctive fear began to appear in the Raikage''s mind when he saw Yujin''s calm eyes in the distance.
He felt as if Yujin could read his mind, constantly predicting each of his moves.
No matter how fast he moved, or how much he tried to take advantage of the environment, he never gained an advantage.
Although it seemed that they were in a fierce battle, with him constantly causing threats to Tsunade and Yujin, he knew the truth.
He was playing by Yujin''s rules.
As if he were a wolf slowly cornering its prey, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
If it weren''t for the accumulation of Yujin''s injuries, and his extreme confidence in the defense of the lightning armor, the Third Raikage would have already retreated.
Staying in this battlefield without these two advantages would be suicide.
''Fortunately, I still left an ace up my sleeve. If I have an opportunity...''
Quickly approaching Yujin and Tsunade''s location, he decided to focus his attack on Yujin again, who was injured.
Even with Katsuyu''s healing, the injuries were accumulating. Eventually, it will be enough to decrease Yujin''s efficiency in combat, and consequently, he would win.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Third Hokage and the Second Tsuchikage were fighting silently.
Although it seemed like a full-force battle, the two were actually holding back. They knew that it''s simply not worth wasting their combat potential in this situation.
The Second Tsuchikage was satisfied with this, since his job from the beginning was to tie the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen, however, was not satisfied.
''This is frustrating. It''s frustrating that I can''t do anything else.''
He couldn''t escape from the Second Tsuchikage. A fight to the death with Mu wouldn''t be short either, and he doesn''t have time for that.
At the same time, he can''t simply join other battles, as it would bring the Second Tsuchikage along, which would make everything even more complex.
He was in a situation where the best thing he could do at that moment was to keep Mu in that location with a facade battle.
...
Not far away, Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Sakumo were succeeding in keeping the damage from Gyuki, the eight-tailed beast, to a minimum.
Even with the help of the Third Raikage''s son, they were using a series of complex jutsus, with the help of Orochimaru''s sealing and summoning techniques, to keep the beast in place, avoiding as much as possible letting it approach the populated area of the village.
In the distance, it was possible to see a huge wall with a demonic face blocking Gyuki''s blows, which seemed out of control.
''If the bijuu wasn''t out of its mind, this would be an impossible battle, even with Jiraiya and Sakumo''s help.''
Orochimaru thought silently, surprised by the power of the eight-tailed bijuu. Because of so much power, he had to summon the Rashomon, a defensive summoning technique he acquired recently.
''When I locate the seal, I''ll put Gyuki under control. If all goes well, the Leaf Village will have another bijuu. This is so exciting.''
While thinking about the absurd power that Gyuki would give to the village, at the same time, he was also considering the possibility of using the beast in experiments.
With the Kyubi in Mito''s body, he would never consider this possibility, but in front of him currently is an uncontrolled bijuu. As long as he can put it under control, anything is possible.
While having these happy thoughts, his Jutsu finally managed to locate Gyuki''s sealing mark, and a cold smile appeared on his androgynous face. It was time for him to get his reward.
Standing like a statue, Tsunade was staring fixedly at what was in front of her.
The Raikage''s hand, pointed at her head, a few centimeters away.
She could see the energy flowing through the Raikage''s single finger, unlike anything she had seen before.
Until that moment, the Raikage was using only three fingers to attack. Although the attack had great penetrating power, and was impossible to defend against, she had already gotten used to the speed of this attack.
With Yujin''s help predicting the attacks with precision, it was possible to dodge.
This attack, however, was different from anything she had seen up to that moment.
The Raikage''s speed increased tremendously when he reduced his finger from three to two, and then from two to one. When she realized, it was too late, and she thought she had died.
Seeing the finger stopped in front of her, however, she realized.
She was alive. She wasn''t hurt.
But why was she feeling such great pain in her chest?
In front of her, someone was in the way of the blow.
The Raikage''s arm completely through Yujin''s chest, right where there should be a beating heart.
She would rather die than feel this pain.