Chapter 364

Chapter 364: Chapter 364

The chakra in her eyes intensified as she focused, peering deeply into me. I felt completely violated. I quickly covered my chest with both arms. "Why are you doing exactly what you just asked me not to do?"

Tsunade kept a deadly serious expression on her face. "Kid, this is beyond stupid. I can see you have a lot of insights into fuinjutsu and even a few Uzumaki techniques. I am not sure how you acquired those, but what you did to your physical body is beyond reckless. Even I cannot tell if something might go wrong with that seal formation and randomly destroy an internal organ at any given moment due to how entangled it is with every inch of your flesh."

I kept my arms crossed firmly over my chest. "I am highly confident in my knowledge. I also have incredible instincts, so I would not have gone through with the procedure if I felt like it was going to kill me."

Genta nodded vigorously. "He does have a frighteningly accurate instinct. Sometimes we genuinely doubt whether he can just sense the future."

Tsunade let out a long sigh. She leaned forward onto the table, supporting her head with both hands. "From what I can see in this complex formation, you clearly possess the theoretical knowledge of a medical-nin. Are you a practitioner?"

I shook my head, a sad smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "I am absolutely terrible at Yang release, so I cannot learn the practical jutsu. I simply used my medical insights in combination with fuinjutsu to achieve this."

Tsunade tilted her head curiously, trying to extend her hand toward me again. I instinctively backed away. "Lord Jiraiya checked my chakra before. He said that my only natural affinity is to Lightning release, and I basically have zero talent for any other chakra nature."

A vicious snarl instantly appeared on Tsunade’s face at the mention of his name. She shot her hand forward, grabbing my shirt collar in an iron grip and pulling me aggressively toward her. "Like I would believe a single word coming out of that pervert’s mouth." She forcefully flared her own chakra into her hand, directly examining the flow of my body herself.

She closed her eyes, focusing intently for a few tense seconds. Finally, she let go of my shirt, moving her hand away to pinch the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Your Lightning release affinity is beyond ridiculous. It is the best I have ever seen. It almost matches the Raikage’s. But absolutely everything else is indeed complete trash."

I felt slightly offended at her harsh critique. Straightening my shirt, I puffed out my chest. "For your information, I can successfully perform a Water jutsu."

Both Genta and Naruto dropped their jaws in utter shock. They stared at me with wide eyes, asking at the exact same time, "You can?"

I nodded confidently, a deeply smug look settling on my face. "Where do you think all the water I use for cooking comes from? I have saved an absolute fortune because of how low my utility bills always are."

Tsunade kept her intense focus completely locked onto me as I continued talking to Naruto and Genta about my brilliant cost-saving ideas. However, her boiling rage increased by the second the more she peered into my body. Without any warning, she grabbed me and used the Body Flicker technique, disappearing from the living room in the blink of an eye.

I could have reacted and tried to break her grip. However, fighting a legendary Sannin did not seem like a good career move, especially if I needed her medical help later down the line. So, I simply went along with it, letting my body go entirely limp. As we flickered continuously toward the Hokage building, my analytical mind could not help but notice how incredibly clean and efficient her movement technique was. It made perfect sense given that she possessed arguably the best chakra control in the entire world.

We appeared abruptly right in front of the Hokage’s office door. I was still being dragged along like a broken toy. A masked ANBU guard immediately moved into the way, holding up a hand to stop us. "Lady Tsunade, the Hokage is currently busy with paperwork. You cannot just barge in without asking for permis..."

Tsunade simply shoved him aside with effortless, terrifying strength. "My grandfather built this whole village. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want." She slammed the heavy wooden door open so hard it almost escaped its iron hinges completely.

Fugaku’s tired eyes slowly shifted up from his desk to focus directly on her. He let out a weary sigh, raising a calm palm to stand down the ANBU guard who had instantly rushed in behind her. "It is fine. Leave us be." The guard bowed deeply and retreated, closing the door securely behind him. Fugaku immediately formed a quick hand sign, activating the room’s soundproof privacy barrier.

"How can you let him do this to himself?" Tsunade snarled, raw and visceral rage burning clearly in her hazel eyes. "Is this really how far you are willing to go now? To let little kids risk certain death just so the village can gain another powerhouse? That is absolutely despicable."

To my genuine surprise, Fugaku did not look offended in the slightest. Instead, he turned his calm, unreadable gaze toward me. "Noa, did I ask you to do this to yourself, or did I manipulate you in any way to force you into doing it?"

I shook my head rapidly, which seemed to surprise Tsunade deeply. Fugaku then asked one more direct question. "Did I even know what you were planning on doing to yourself?"

I was sweating bullets under the combined pressure of two absolute monsters staring at me. "No, Lord Hokage."

Tsunade finally released her iron grip on my collar, throwing me casually into a nearby wooden chair. She sat down aggressively in the seat next to mine, narrowing her eyes at the Uchiha leader. "Right. As if a na?ve brat like him would even know about the hidden games you powerful people play."

Fugaku shook his head in quiet resignation, briefly shifting his gaze up toward the Second Hokage’s stone face carved into the mountain outside his window. "I am absolutely certain that no matter what I say, you will not believe me."

A throbbing tick mark popped onto Tsunade’s forehead. Her aggressive chakra flared outward violently, literally causing the wooden floorboards beneath her feet to splinter and crack. "What are you insinuating exactly?"

Fugaku did not bother replying to the question. Instead, he looked directly into Tsunade’s eyes. His patience was clearly running low, and the ambient temperature in the room plummeted noticeably as his cold, authoritative aura leaked out. "I respect you as one of the legendary Sannin and the granddaughter of the First Hokage. However, I will not allow you to be rude in my office for no valid reason. If you are genuinely worried so much about the younger generation of this village, then stay here and actually help train and raise them."

Tsunade’s rage spiked even higher at the cutting remark. "Why? So you can just use them as disposable tools for another pointless war and get them all killed?"

I immediately moved, stepping directly between the two of them before the situation could escalate any further. I looked at Tsunade, keeping my voice firm and steady. "I have done this to myself, completely of my own volition. I did it to gain the strength necessary to protect those I love and care for. There was absolutely no other hidden motive behind this."

Tsunade’s intense eyes softened just slightly at my earnest declaration, the destructive flare of her chakra dimming a fraction. I then turned my attention back to Fugaku, bowing my head respectfully. "I apologize, Lord Hokage. I should have clarified things much faster."

Fugaku closed his eyes for a long moment, letting out a heavy breath. When he opened them again, his voice carried a rare, genuinely apologetic tone. "I should have controlled my emotions better as well. It is simply exhaustion catching up to me. I will go and rest. Noa, come see me once you finish your first lesson with Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi. I have a new mission for you."

He then shifted his cold gaze back to Tsunade, his facial features instantly returning to being as hard and unreadable as carved stone. "As for you, Lady Tsunade, as we previously agreed, please make your way toward the Land of Rivers. Your specific mission details will be handed to you by an ANBU operative once you are on the move."

Tsunade stood up sharply, grabbing me by the shoulder and pushing me roughly toward the office exit with a highly frustrated grunt. I kept my eyes fixed on the Hokage’s firm, uncompromising stance, the ambient lighting around his desk almost seeming to darken with heavy shadows just before Tsunade aggressively activated the Body Flicker technique and whisked us away.