NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37: Chapter 37
"That… Hehe~ Big Bro Shin, thanks a lot! Otherwise, I, the future Hokage, would have died here."
Looking at Nawaki's goofy grin, Uchiha Shin resisted the urge to kick him in the face.
"If you keep rushing toward death like that, one day you won't get back up. Now stop grinning like an idiot and explain what the hell happened."
Even though he was annoyed, Shin still placed his hand over Nawaki's wounds and used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal him first.
A few moments later, Nawaki, now fully recovered, jumped up as if nothing had happened.
Watching him move so easily, Shin muttered under his breath, "The Senju's vitality really is something else. They bounce back way faster than normal people."
"Obviously! It's just a shame that this kid is like me—no Wood Release. Only Grandpa had it."
Tsunade, arms crossed, huffed and then turned to glare at Nawaki.
Nawaki immediately shrank under her gaze, lowering his head like a scolded puppy.
The near-death experience had finally made him realize just how reckless he'd been.
Tsunade then glanced at the two corpses—or rather, the ashes—of the Root operatives Shin had incinerated. She didn't bother asking him what technique he'd used. There was no point.
Besides, since those bastards took poison, it was impossible to confirm their identities.
If they had taken the bodies back to Konoha and confronted Danzo, that old fox would have just denied everything.
Tsunade clenched her fists. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she couldn't do anything about him—not yet.
For now, the priority was understanding how Nawaki even ended up in this mess.
Under the combined stares of Tsunade and Shin, Nawaki spilled everything.
From his perspective, this wasn't some elaborate setup. He had just wandered too far without realizing the danger.
Despite that, he still looked at Shin with awe in his eyes.
"Big Brother Shin! Let me call you big bro from now on! Teach me that badass jutsu you used earlier!"
The way Shin had manipulated the iron sand to shield him had looked incredibly cool in Nawaki's eyes.
Shin immediately smacked the back of his head in annoyance.
"Forget it. That's Magnet Release—something I developed myself. You wouldn't be able to use it."
"Shin's right. You should master the basics of your own clan's jutsu first."
Tsunade backed him up without hesitation, effectively shutting Nawaki up. After piecing together the details, she and Shin exchanged a glance before speaking in hushed tones.
"I'm guessing the Third Hokage wants to use this war to erase the last remnants of the Senju."
Tsunade said nothing.
She couldn't say anything.
Because, deep down, she knew Shin was right.
Her sensei, the Third Hokage, along with Danzo and the rest of the higher-ups, had all but abandoned the Senju Clan.
What made her blood boil even more was Danzo's involvement.
The Root operatives had clearly intended to take Nawaki's body.
She didn't even have to think to know why.
That bastard Danzo wanted to experiment on Nawaki's DNA, hoping to replicate Hashirama's Wood Release.
Tsunade's jaw clenched. Anger surged through her veins.
But even if she wanted to confront Danzo, she had no solid proof. The only thing she could do was return to camp and inform Grandma Mito about everything.
"You need to send Nawaki back immediately. Have your family keep a close eye on him so he doesn't run off again."
"Agreed. It's too dangerous here for him."
Shin and Tsunade were on the same page.
She turned to her younger brother. "Did you hear that? You understand the situation now?"
Nawaki scratched his head, not daring to argue.
Even if he was normally carefree, he wasn't stupid. He had heard everything Shin and Tsunade discussed.
Knowing that people wanted him dead had sobered him up quickly.
Just as they prepared to leave, Shin suddenly tensed.
His Sharingan activated instantly, scanning the area.
Ninjas were approaching. They weren't from Konoha.
He shot a quick glance at Tsunade and Nawaki before surrounding them both in iron sand and pulling them into the shadows.
Moments later, a squad of Amegakure ninjas arrived.
They examined the battlefield, their expressions wary.
"Looks like someone triggered an explosive trap."
"Did they survive?"
"Who knows? Either way, we should report back."
The group exchanged a few words before quickly retreating.
As they left, Shin condensed a small amount of iron sand and discreetly attached it to one of them.
If his guess was correct, they were probably talking about Hanzo's next move.
Amegakure was already losing ground against Konoha.
If Tsunade's antidote was finished within a week, then Hanzo's poisonous tactics would lose their effectiveness entirely.
They had no choice.
If they didn't want to surrender, they had to go all in.
But Shin didn't know when Hanzo would make his move—and neither did Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or Tsunade.
For now, holding the current front line was the safest strategy.
"I placed a marker on one of them. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to track their attack plan. Let's return to camp and prepare. Amegakure won't sit around waiting for us to counter their poison."
Tsunade nodded.
As they made their way back, she found herself sneaking glances at Shin.
He was focused, his expression sharp.
And yet, despite being the same age as Nawaki, he felt far more mature—far more reliable.
"When did I start listening to him so naturally?"
As an adult, she should be the one guiding and protecting.
Yet, around Shin, it felt like the roles had reversed.
Strangely enough, she didn't mind.
Lost in thought, she barely noticed when Shin opened his eyes again.
"Phew… The Rain Ninja are planning a full-scale attack on this camp within a day."
Tsunade snapped back to reality.
"Call Orochimaru and Jiraiya. We need to discuss countermeasures."
"On it."
She turned to leave but paused, glancing at Shin.
"You should rest too. Don't overwork yourself."
Shin blinked.
The last time Tsunade had spoken this softly to him, she had been drunk off her ass.
"…You good?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Idiot. Just accept my concern."
Then she walked away, leaving Shin both amused and slightly terrified.
"Man, when you act all sweet and caring while sober, it's kinda terrifying…"
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Bonus Chapter - 200 Power Stones