Chapter 55 (Patreon)

Naruto paused briefly before continuing.

“Granny Tsunade, I heard that Dan and Nawaki once dreamed of becoming Hokage.” His voice remained steady. “Even though they’re both dead—”

Tsunade’s head snapped up.

The moment she looked at Naruto, an icy chill filled her eyes.

Naruto met her gaze without flinching.

“They may be dead, but their dreams haven’t disappeared,” he declared. “Those dreams will continue to live on in the hearts of others!”

Tsunade’s expression froze. The chill in her eyes gradually receded, and she fell silent once more.

“I can guess why Orochimaru came to find you,” Naruto continued, going straight to the heart of the matter. “He wants you to heal his arms, doesn’t he? And the payment he offered must have something to do with Dan and Nawaki.”

The room fell silent.

Everyone stared at him in surprise.

Neither Tsunade nor Shizune had expected Naruto to “guess” the truth. Jiraiya, however, immediately realized that Naruto was almost certainly right.

Anxiety rose within him.

If Orochimaru had truly used Dan and Nawaki to tempt Tsunade, there was a very real chance that she would accept his offer.

Naruto intended to break through Tsunade’s defenses with the sheer force of his words.

He had no choice. He needed to complete the system mission [Help Tsunade Overcome Her Hemophobia], because its reward was simply too valuable to abandon.

The [Sage Body of the Senju Clan] could very well combine with his existing [Sage Body of the Uzumaki Clan] and form a complete [Sage Body].

If he could eventually advance both bloodlines to the god level, even Naruto could not imagine what kind of transformation might occur.

Furthermore, he currently had no system points to spare. Even if he did, there was no telling how many ninja he would have to kill before saving enough points to redeem the [Sage Body of the Senju Clan].

Therefore, he had to help Tsunade overcome her fear of blood and complete the mission.

That was why Naruto’s female avatar had stabbed Tsunade earlier. By exposing her to a large amount of blood and forcing her trauma to the surface, Naruto could make the words that followed strike even deeper.

“When Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage, he used a forbidden jutsu to summon the First and Second Hokage!” Naruto revealed, deliberately applying even more pressure.

Sure enough, the mention of her grandfather and great-uncle made Tsunade stare at him in shock once again.

Beside him, Jiraiya gave a grim nod, confirming that Naruto was telling the truth.

“A few months ago, someone deceived me into stealing the Scroll of Seals,” Naruto continued. “While I had it, I saw a forbidden technique called [Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation].”

“It’s an evil jutsu that recalls the souls of the dead to this world. Once summoned, the deceased are completely controlled by the caster and forced to fight like puppets!”

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune all stared at him in disbelief.

No—this was already the second time Naruto had shocked them in the span of a few moments.

He had stolen the Scroll of Seals?

And the Impure World Reincarnation could summon and control the dead?

“Granny Tsunade, suppose Dan and Nawaki were summoned with that jutsu,” Naruto said, staring directly at her. “What would you say if they asked what had become of the Konoha they loved?”

Then Naruto delivered his final blow.

“Oh, I know. You could tell them this: ‘Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage and crippled his own arms in the process. But there’s no need to worry—I healed him. Now he can continue trying to destroy Konoha.’”

Naruto’s voice grew colder with every word.

“Then you can tell them to rest peacefully in the afterlife and keep dreaming about becoming Hokage from there!”

“Shut up!”

The taunt shattered Tsunade’s restraint.

Although she had been lying weakly upon the tatami only moments earlier, she surged to her feet and drove her fist into Naruto’s chest.

He had struck directly at her deepest wound and then dragged the two people she loved most into it. At that moment, fury overwhelmed everything else.

Her hemophobia had been born from the deaths of Dan and Nawaki. Now, her rage at hearing their memories insulted crushed that fear beneath it.

Boom!

Naruto clenched his teeth and made no attempt to evade.

Tsunade’s fist slammed into his chest, injuring him and forcing a mouthful of blood from his lips. The blood sprayed directly across Tsunade’s face.

Yet this time, despite seeing blood—and even having it splashed upon her—Tsunade neither trembled nor cowered.

Her emotions had already been pushed far beyond the limits of fear.

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host. Mission completed: Help Tsunade Overcome Her Hemophobia.]

[Reward obtained: Sage Body of the Senju Clan.]

Naruto’s female avatar had first stabbed Tsunade to force her trauma to its peak. Now Naruto himself had driven her anger high enough to overwhelm it completely.

[Sage Body of the Senju Clan: Grants immense chakra reserves, exceptional chakra control, outstanding ninjutsu talent, ground-based sensory perception, and other abilities.]

Yes!

Naruto shouted in triumph within his heart.

He had finally completed the mission. All the deception, acting, and carefully chosen words had paid off.

Jiraiya and Shizune stared at Tsunade with disbelief written across their faces.

Neither of them had imagined that her hemophobia could be overcome in such a manner.

Her fear had been born from grief, and only an emotion just as powerful had been able to break its hold.

Everyone slept soundly that night.

The following morning, Tsunade joined Naruto and Jiraiya on the road back to Konoha.

However, her expression remained cold throughout the journey. She ignored everyone around her, and whenever she happened to glance at Naruto, she would give an irritated snort.

Naruto did not care.

His thoughts remained fixed upon the [Sage Body of the Senju Clan] he had just obtained.

In terms of combat ability, it was an even stronger constitution than the [Sage Body of the Uzumaki Clan]. Otherwise, how could the Senju have fought the Uchiha on equal footing for countless generations?

The [Immense Chakra Reserves] it provided were merely the finishing touch for Naruto, who already possessed an enormous amount of chakra.

The same was true of its [Ground-Based Sensory Perception]. It could not compare with Naruto’s existing [Mind’s Eye of the Kagura], although its method of sensing was unique. The Second Hokage had developed this particular ability to an extraordinary level.

What Naruto valued most were [Exceptional Chakra Control] and [Ninjutsu Talent]. Those two abilities directly strengthened the combat potential of the Senju clan.

Even at Level 1, the [Sage Body of the Senju Clan] had already advanced Naruto’s [Exceptional Chakra Control] from [Beginner] to [Proficient].

No wonder Tsunade’s medical ninjutsu and chakra-enhanced strength are so extraordinary. Both require exceptional chakra control!

The [Ninjutsu Talent] ability had also raised the Release techniques he had mastered from [Beginner] to [Proficient].

Tobirama Senju had relied upon that same innate talent to bring Water Release to astonishing heights.

As expected, the clan that had fought the Sharingan-wielding Uchiha for generations possessed far more than raw vitality.

Then another thought occurred to Naruto.

What about my Rasengan? That requires exceptional chakra control as well.

He raised his right hand.

Chakra gathered above his palm, rotating rapidly as it compressed into a blue sphere.

The Rasengan formed smoothly in his hand.

He no longer needed a shadow clone to complete it.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble learning the Rasengan a few days ago!

Naruto gave a rueful smile.

Walking beside him, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. An incredulous expression crossed his face.

He had already believed that he understood the full extent of Naruto’s talent, yet the boy continued to surpass his expectations.

Can Naruto truly surpass his father, Minato?

Jiraiya stared at the blue Rasengan spinning in Naruto’s palm.

Perhaps Naruto really is the Child of Prophecy.

Naruto, I’ll teach you everything I know. I’ll make certain you possess enough power to change the entire shinobi world!

Walking ahead of them, Tsunade glanced back. Her eyes narrowed the moment she saw the Rasengan.

“Hmph. I didn’t expect a brat like you to have mastered an A-rank ninjutsu.”

“Tsunade, you’ll never guess how long Naruto took to learn that jutsu,” Jiraiya replied, unable to conceal his pride.

Tsunade glanced at his smug expression.

“Given that look on your face, it must not have taken very long. Three years?”

“Not three years.” Jiraiya grinned. “Three days!”

Tsunade froze in shock yet again.

…

(Author’s Note: The climax of Sasuke’s defection is coming next.)