Land of Fire.
As the days passed, Chiba’s daily routine fell into a monotonous loop.
Casinos.
Losing money.
Getting chased by loan sharks.
Sleeping out in the wild.
Only when they were at their most exhausted and hungry would Tsunade teach Chiba some of the most basic medical theories, always punctuated by loud scoldings about his “stupidity.”
Chiba played the part of a timid, average-talented Chunin to perfection.
Only in the quiet hours of late night, when he was completely alone, would Chiba silently circulate his Mokuton chakra to solidify everything he had learned during the day.
His true strength was undergoing a quiet, terrifying transformation.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
At the border of the Land of Fire, deep inside a dense primeval forest.
Chiba followed close behind Tsunade.
He instantly sensed that today’s atmosphere was wrong.
It was far too quiet.
Even Tonton, who loved grunting standardly, was currently burying its head deep in Shizune’s arms, trembling violently.
Tsunade walked very slowly, hands shoved casually into her pockets.
Yet through the keen perception of his Primary Sage Body, Chiba could clearly feel the chakra inside Tsunade gathering at a frightening speed.
She was like an active volcano on the verge of erupting—suppressed to the absolute limit!
Suddenly, Tsunade stopped in her tracks.
She raised her head slightly, looking up at the sky-blotting canopy of trees above.
“Following us for a whole month…”
“Do you really think I’m blind?”
Tsunade’s voice was deathly cold, enough to freeze the surrounding air.
Without any warning, Tsunade whirled around.
Her right leg lashed out like a golden steel whip, striking a massive tree three men wide!
BOOM!
Terrifying strength erupted instantly!
The massive trunk exploded from the middle as if made of paper!
A violent shockwave swept outward, blasting clear a large open clearing right in the middle of the dense forest!
“Ah!”
Shizune cried out in shock, forced backward repeatedly by the gust of wind.
Chiba crossed his arms in front of his chest, anchoring his feet firmly into the ground with chakra so he wouldn’t be blown away.
In the next second, amidst the dust of the falling tree, two dark figures were forced out from their hiding spot.
They tumbled several times through the air, landing steadily on a tree trunk dozens of meters away.
They were none other than the masked Root ninjas, Kinoe and Kinoto.
At this moment, both of their hearts were pounding wildly.
If that kick had hit them just now, they would have been turned into meat paste on the spot.
“You came out pretty fast, you sewer rats,” Tsunade said as she slowly withdrew her right leg.
She cracked her neck, producing a sickening pop, but her icy gaze remained locked on the two in the tree.
Kinoe and Kinoto exchanged a brief look, suppressing the deep terror in their hearts.
“Tsunade-sama,” Kinoe spoke up, forcing himself to stay composed.
“We are merely acting on orders. Both the Hokage and Danzo care deeply about your safety.”
“Care?”
Tsunade let out a cold laugh filled with endless mockery and rage.
“Sending two dogs to care about me?”
“Go back and tell Danzo!”
“Even though I left the village, it’s not the place of a crippled creature of the dark to monitor me!”
“Dare to follow me again…”
“…and I’ll tear off your heads and deliver them back to Root myself!”
“Get lost!”
That single order crashed over them like thunder, pushing a suffocating, overwhelming killing intent onto the two ninjas.
Beneath their masks, cold sweat instantly covered Kinoe and Kinoto’s foreheads.
This woman truly intended to kill!
“Since Tsunade-sama does not welcome us…”
“…we shall take our leave.”
Kinoe bowed slightly and made a hand signal.
Swish!
Swish!
Both figures vanished on the spot in a puff of white smoke.
Silence restored itself to the forest.
“Scared me to death… So they were people from the village,” Shizune let out a long breath, patting her chest.
Chiba remained silent.
He closed his eyes, extending his powerful perception into the surroundings.
One second.
Two seconds.
Chiba’s brows furrowed slightly.
They didn’t leave.
Those two hadn’t left at all!
They had merely retreated to a dirt slope five hundred meters away, hiding their presence using Doton.
As expected, Root operatives only obeyed Danzo’s orders.
Even when faced with the threat of death from one of the Sannin, they wouldn’t retreat easily.
Five hundred meters away, hidden two meters deep underground, Kinoe and Kinoto held their breath.
“That was close. That crazy woman almost attacked us,” Kinoe cursed softly under his breath.
“At this distance, she definitely won’t notice us,” Kinoto replied.
“Continue surveillance, as long as we don’t get too close—”
BOOM!
Before Kinoto could finish his sentence, the earth above them let out a painful groan.
The solid rock layer shattered instantly as soil mixed with violent chakra poured down like a waterfall!
“What?!”
Both were horrified.
They didn’t even have time to weave hand seals before a fist wrapped in chakra slammed straight through the dirt layer.
Carrying destructive, terrifying force, the fist struck directly toward Kinoe’s chest!
“No!”
Kinoe frantically mobilized all his chakra, trying to form a Doton defense in front of him.
However, in the face of such monstrous strength, any defense was as laughable as thin paper.
Crack!
A sharp sound of breaking bones echoed underground.
Kinoe’s chest collapsed inward at a horrifying angle, dozens of ribs snapping all at once!
Like a ragged sack, he was sent flying straight out of the ground by the terrifying fist wind!
Kinoto completely panicked.
Cold all over, his mind went completely blank.
Flee!
Must flee!
This woman actually dared to kill Konoha ninjas!
“Doton: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!”
Kinoto bit the tip of his tongue recklessly, using the sharp pain to clear his head as his hands wove seals frantically.
At this point, he couldn’t care less about Kinoe’s survival.
Like a mad dog, he fled wildly underground, vanishing at top speed.
Bang!
Above ground, Tsunade leaped out of the dirt pit.
She dusted off her hands, throwing a brief glance at Kinoe, who lay like a dead dog in the distance.
She didn’t bother pursuing Kinoto.
Leaving one survivor to carry the message back was the exact outcome she wanted.
A short moment later, Chiba and Shizune hurried over.
Looking at the Root ninja lying motionless on the ground, Chiba didn’t say a word.
In his mind, everything was now crystal clear.
The past month had all been an act staged by Tsunade for Root’s eyes!
All to numb Danzo’s vigilance—to make everyone believe that Chiba was nothing more than an insignificant, useless civilian.
And now, the play was over.
Tsunade had used the most violent method to bring a bloody end to the show.
“Do you understand now, kid?”
Tsunade turned around to face Chiba.
Gone from her tone was any of the previous playfulness, replaced by deep exhaustion and absolute resolve.
“I understand,” Chiba nodded earnestly.
“Thank you for your hard work this past month, Tsunade-sama.”
“The current Konoha…” Tsunade sneered, leaning against a tree as she looked toward the direction of the village with pure mockery.
“…is no longer the Konoha my grandfather built.”
“The leadership is corrupt, casting out anyone who disagrees. For power, there’s nothing they won’t do.”
“How did White Fang die?”
“Why were the Uchiha marginalized?”
“Even as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, they dare send Root rats to spy on me!”
Speaking up to this point, Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white.
“However…”
“…after today’s show, those two old men should restrain themselves quite a bit.”
“Danzo may be suspicious by nature, but as long as he confirms you pose no threat, he won’t waste time watching an ordinary civilian Chunin.”
A moment later, Tsunade turned her head, her burning gaze locking onto Chiba.
“Starting tomorrow, the good days are over.”
“I will use the harshest methods to wring out every last drop of your potential.”
“You must master your Mokuton in the shortest time possible!”
Meeting Tsunade’s gaze, Chiba didn’t back down in the slightest.
He knew his situation all too well.
The moment his Mokuton was exposed, Danzo would stop at nothing to drag him into Root for dissection and study.
Hiruzen Sarutobi would also use the excuse of “for the good of Konoha” to place him under complete control.
This was current Konoha: hypocritical and filthy!
At the thought of this, a surge of intense disgust welled up from the depths of Chiba’s heart.
Yet immediately after, that disgust transformed into wild, burning ambition.
Though he had been an orphan in his past life, in this life, the blood of the Senju of the Forest flowed through his veins.
Who founded Konoha?
The Senju and the Uchiha!
The Senju had produced two consecutive Hokage!
In a sense, Konoha was the property of the Senju clan!
And now, a group of thieves had occupied his family’s property, expecting to treat him as cannon fodder and a lab rat?
Keep dreaming!
As long as he became strong enough…
The Third Hokage…
Danzo, Darkness of the Shinobi…
Every single one of them would pay the price!
Everything belonging to the Senju clan—he would reclaim it with his own hands!
He would make this corrupt village run according to his will once more!
“Tsunade-sama!”
“I’ve been ready for a long time!”