Sixteen years old Rei and Konan, and twelve years old Ringo stood in the Mizukage's office.
The man was eyeing them proudly as he turned to Rei.
"As of now, I declare you Rei Yotsuba, a jonin of Kiri." The Mizukage smiled and turned to Konan.
"As of now, I declare you Konan Yotsuba, a jonin of Kiri." He repeated and then turned to tense Ringo.
"As of now, I declare you Ringo Ameyuri, a chunin of Kiri." His features softened.
Rei and Konan grew bitter. They knew his features softened only because Ringo was proving her loyalty and drive to protect the village and become one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri. They could only sigh as the girl was already lost to them.
"With this, your team is also disbanded and Ringo will be put under the tutelage of the current wielder of Kiba. Rei and Konan will stay as a team. You may go."
The trio bowed and left the office.
"Well, shall we go celebrate it somewhere?" Rei asked the girls but noted that Konan was staring at Ringo.
"I want a spar." Konan told Ringo who looked at her in confusion.
"A melee spar." Konan elaborated as she took out her fan. She practiced a lot with it and wanted to know how good she was against Ringo.
Ringo slowly nodded. She knew that Konan was a ranged fighter but now she challenged her to a close-combat weapon spar? On one hand, Ringo was excited about such a fight. On the other, she was afraid she would lose to a long-ranged fighter in her specialty. Illogical fear it might have been but after sparring with Konan long enough, she learned to expect the unexpected.
...
The trio came to their clearing and found a lone figure of Mei practicing her katon. She was passable in futon so Rei decided to start katon as that was the nature she would need for both of her bloodlines.
Rei came to Mei and saw dried tears on her cheeks. He clicked his tongue. The Mizukage's idiocy did a number on the girl. The villagers really didn't like her and feared her and from time to time, some of them struck her. Well, Rei showed them exactly what he thought about that and since then Mei was practically worshipping the ground he was walking on... Konan was a bad influence like that.
Mei was quickly taught Henge and trained in it so she won't have to endure the glares. But the girl said she doesn't want to use it. Rei was really at the end of the rope with her. She wanted to be glared at!
Unknown to Rei, Mei hated the glares. She hated the civilians. And she despised Kiri. Konan really did make Mei open-minded. She never gave Mei any opinion or a way to look at things. Nor did Konan actually try to brainwash Mei. She just told her the things as they were. However brutal it was. She was blunt, honest, and precise when she explained things. This made the young mind of Mei mature faster. The very frequent injection of nature energy and elemental chakra through food Rei cooked only fastened this process exponentially. Mei Terumi started seeing things as they were. The subtle fear-driven hatred the civilians showed her. How other kids shied away from her. How the teachers were always awkward when she asked a question. Even if the last one was a shocker since they were chunin and should know better.
Mei started to form her own opinions. Her somewhat mature but still childish mind thought simply. People who hated her were on one side. Rei and Konan on the other. And those who hated her didn't deserve respect or acknowledgment from her. Mei Terumi officially hated Kiri with her whole heart. She was just good at hiding it, thanks to Konan's lessons.
There was only one thing Mei loved...
Rei came closer to Mei and firmly grabbed the distraught kid's chin, turning her face towards him. He saw the big purple bruise on her cheek and sighed. He put his hand on it, making Mei wince but her expression turned to a relaxed one after Rei started using soothing water chakra to relax her bruised muscles.
"Better?" He asked Mei who nodded.
Rei picked Mei up while she yelped and shunshined onto the lake, sitting there while putting Mei into his lap.
"Konan is going to fight Ringo. Watch, okay?"
Mei excitedly nodded as her very observant mind didn't want to miss even a second of the fight between the two strong kunoichi!
...
Konan stood opposite Ringo, holding her folded fan at the ready. Ringo, holding two swords, nodded at Konan, signalizing she was also ready. Just then a gentle breeze rushed through the clearing and when it settled... the battle started.
Ringo ran at Konan with her two swords, slashing one in a downward motion, aiming from above at Konan's head. Obviously, Konan raised her fan and blocked it, instantly opening herself for an upward slash of the second sword of Ringo, as it aimed at her belly.
Konan twisted her body and stepped to the left, evading the upward slash, her fan still clashing with Ringo's other sword. Konan slightly relaxed the hand holding her fan, unbalancing Ringo's hand and then Konan tensed her muscles, jerking the fan alongside the sword to the side while her body stepped into Ringo's guard.
Ringo was sent flying as Konan punched her in the gut.
"Don't underestimate me, kid." Konan snorted as Ringo sprang up on her feet, a sullen pout on her face.
Ringo did indeed underestimate Konan. She didn't find the fan threatening. In her mind, it was less than kunai! But it stopped her sword...
"Okay." Ringo accepted the rebuke and her swords sparkled with raiton chakra.
Konan smiled and her fan glowed in futon chakra.
...
On the side, Mei tugged on Rei's sleeve, making him hum and look at her.
"What's going on?" She asked, pointing at Konan and Ringo.
Rei smiled. Konan was parrying slash after slash in a high-speed clash with Ringo. Ringo was good. Strong. FAST. Extremely fast. But Konan's body was nurtured with nature energy. She might not be a close-combat fighter but she was fast enough and her mind was used to controlling thousands of papers. Split-second decisions were not a problem for her.
"The fight is a struggle between Ringo's strength as a swordsman and raiton user. She is natural and very strong. But Konan is more experienced and her mind is used to do fast decision-making. She is holding Ringo off by offsetting any momentum or deflecting any power she uses into the slash to the side, making Ringo unable to start her fast-slashing combo."
"Yes! But how! They both coat their weapons in elemental chakra!" Mei exclaimed as Ringo's sword again bounced off of Konan's fan, forcing her to regain her balance. Rei saw that Ringo was frowning hard. She was faster, better, and stronger than Konan but she was always interrupted mid-combo or always somewhat missed.
Rei patted Mei's head. The girl was very inquisitive and perceptive about matters she shouldn't know for at least a decade yet.
"The foundation of raiton is high-speed vibration. So fast it is actually cutting power. Futon, on the other hand, is sharpness itself. Raiton is weak towards futon. You can see it here." Rei pointed as sparks flew from yet another clash between Ringo's and Konan's weapons. "Konan's futon is so sharp it makes Ringo's raiton vibrations literally bounce away instead of letting them cut it. That sets them into opposite motion, sending Ringo's sword back, unbalancing her, therefore stopping any momentum she may have gained and making them reposition herself. Which must be a hell of a pain in the ass for somebody whose fighting style is based on speed. She is getting a stopper to her acceleration every time they clash." Rei chuckled.
"Oooh." Mei nodded and continued to watch the fight.
...
Ringo was frustrated. She would be seething mad if it was not so damn depressing! She couldn't build her momentum. She couldn't build her chakra! She was attacking and attacking, always moving around, looking for openings and Konan was still in that damn defensive stance, almost standing near the place when the battle began! At times side-stepping Ringo's slashes, at others parrying them.
Yes. Parrying her swords with a fan! It was ridiculous!
Ringo was faster and stronger. It was obvious. But Konan was patiently chipping away her strength by steadily guarding herself. She wasn't even attacking! Just waiting for a major opening!
Ringo decided that enough was enough. She charged at Konan again, gripping her two swords and her left one quickly slashed from the left side in a side-swipe at Konan's mid-section. It was her fastest possible speed and Konan would be forced to block it! She wasn't fast enough to dodge!
Konan did just that. She blocked. And Ringo was expecting it. Before their weapons met, she did what she was taught to NEVER do. She let go of her left sword and inwardly noted that it bounced from the fan and flew away.
Ringo didn't care and her right sword slashed at Konan. Konan wouldn't be able to block! Her fan was on the left side and the sword was coming from the right!
In her excitement, Ringo made a fatal mistake. Her swipe was too fast and too high. Only at the last moment, she realized. Her sword entered Konan's throat and her head... was sent flying.
Ringo's elation at hitting her opponent quickly fell as horror filled her. She could hear a childish horrified scream from the side but her mind was mostly blank, as she stared forward. Her world stopped to crawl as she watched the headless body in front of her, as her sword was moving in a crawl, away from the neck it just exited. Konan's head flying up, inch by inch, her serious expression still on her face, no signs of realization on it.
Ringo was mortified at what just happened that she missed one important detail.
Suddenly the arm of the headless body sprang up, unfolding the fan and sending a quick, concentrated, and strong but small tornado into Ringo's unguarded stomach, sending her forcefully flying and painfully rolling on the ground.
The detail was... there was no blood.
Konan's head reconnected with her body as papers re-created the neck that she previously changed into paper and 'vanished' before Ringo's sword could slash it.
Konan sighed and looked at her unfolded fan and then at the unconscious Ringo on the ground.
"Well. This is my loss as I used ninjutsu." She shrugged and went to kic-, ahem, wake Ringo up...
Rei and Konan were coming back from a mission. They were in the countryside, in the northern part of the Mizu no Kuni as they ate lunch in a tavern in a small town.
"I am never doing an escort mission again." Konan huffed and crossed her arms. "That pig ogled my ass the entire time!"
"I concur. I wanted to wring his neck at least fifty times." Rei agreed with a twitching eyebrow. "At least he didn't have guts to try anything."
"If he did," Konan snorted derisively. "noble or not, a friend of the Daimyo or not, his head would fly!"
As they conversed about the pig of a client they had to escort, a hooded figure in a small black cloak sat opposite them. They could see it was a woman and Rei took a peek at her chin, mouth, and nose that could be seen from under the hood. He quickly understood the woman is beautiful from these features alone.
"We need to talk." The hooded woman said.
It was not an order. Both Rei and Konan recognized it for what it was. The woman was pleading, almost begging them to hear her out. Rei looked at Konan and smiled when he saw her nod. They both felt a slight familiarity with the woman and didn't know why. He turned to the fidgeting woman and spoke.
"Follow us."
Rei rented a room for a day and they entered it. Konan quickly made papers with Rei's silencing and anti-spy seals stuck to each wall.
They sat on the bed and watched as the woman stood in front of them somewhat insecurely, quivering. Her shaky hands reached upwards, taking hold of the edge of her hood and she ever so slowly started pulling it down.
Konan just looked in confusion as Rei's jaw dropped the second the forehead of the woman was revealed.
"I am..." The fidgety woman quietly mumbled while her eyes tried to look anywhere but Rei and Konan.
"Tsunade Senju." Rei finished for her, half in disbelief.
Tsunade nodded silently, biting her lower lip. Rei never thought he would see Tsunade Senju act all insecure. Konan tensed but Rei put a hand on her shoulder.
"So why did you need to talk with us?" Rei asked calmly.
Tsunade opened her mouth and her eyes for the first time, landed on Rei, making her freeze. She stayed like that with her mouth open and wide-eyes, gazing at him intently while her body trembled.
Rei had some really bad premonition and activated his nature sensing and recoiled at what he felt.
He and Konan were the picture of calmness but Tsunade? The Nature energy was pushing, tugging, and forcefully pulling her towards them. Her chakra was invisibly leaking from her body, its tendrils trying to reach Rei and Konan. Rei saw why she would be trembling, fighting to even keep standing. He cursed.
"Konan, follow." He instantly ordered Konan and in a burst of raiton chakra, appeared near the still bewildered Tsunade.
Tsunade couldn't fight even if she wanted to. She was at the end of her strength. Half-dead and she wondered how it was even possible she could keep her eyes open, much less stand. When Rei swept her from her feet, bending her over his shoulder, she couldn't even protest as a jolt of pleasure sprang through her spine at his touch.
Konan tilted her head but listened and in less than a minute, Rei and Konan sped up away from the town, Rei carrying Tsunade on his shoulder.
They arrived near the cliff, in front of them only a high jagged wall of rock, Tsunade already unconscious.
"Let's create a cave." Rei said and Konan nodded.
Both Rei and Konan put their hands on the wall of rock and said.
"Doton: Hidden Cave."
The wall of rocks gave way and a big half-circular entrance appeared in front of them. They entered and the Jutsu completed its second function, sealing the entrance off as Rei created small balls of fire all around to produce light.
That Jutsu was a very useful thing to have in a repertoire. Earth was everywhere and making an underground cave or one inside a mountain as a headquarters was always a useful skill to have.
Rei removed any and all Jutsu affecting Tsunade and saw her revert to a very old woman. She was shriveled and wrinkled. Her body was just skin and bones, making him wince.
"It's even worse than I thought. We need to enter our dimension." He gravely told Konan.
Konan raised her eyebrows at Rei thinking of dragging that woman, Tsunade, into their dimension but she followed with a pout. Rei took out a storage seal and unsealed a square paper of the size of a half of the floor of the room in their apartment. Rei lifted Tsunade's body and carried her into the middle of the key seal on the paper as Konan followed. A chakra engulfed them and with a puff of smoke, they disappeared.
...
In their dimension, an influx of their nature energy swirled around peacefully. The second they appeared, their bodies started to be filled to the brim with the giddy energy, making them smile. It was a very soothing feeling. The complete opposite of what Tsunade felt. The nature energy rammed into her as it recognized her as an intruder and her body started to be destroyed from the inside.
Rei quickly whipped out the sense connecting seal that caused this in the first place and placed it on Tsunade's chest. Konan understood and put her hand on it. Rei activated it and their world... shifted.
The second Rei's and Konan's soul, one, connected, joined soul clashed with Tsunade's, the reaction was very violent.
The entire dimension pulsed. Years the dimension saw no use and only made nature energy stronger, more condensed. By now the energy permeated the air and saturated the entire space. It was clearly VISIBLE even by the naked eye. The energy was thick and now, now it finally had something that it could fill.
The bodies of the three people as if opened the floodgates as the energy pushed into them, doing the exact same thing it did previously when this happened the first time. Only, purer, stronger, concentrated. This energy BELONGED to Konan and Rei. This energy was in THEIR favor. It did its best to enhance and enforce their bond.
Tsunade's soul didn't have even a shred of a chance. It couldn't hold itself together as it was continuously forcefully ripped to shreds and repatched with parts of Konan's and Rei's big patchwork soul. It slowly started merging with theirs and from Two patchwork souls that made one bigger, quickly became three. The volume... increased. And then it momentarily separated into three parts.
One, the biggest and watery blue, containing a lot of the green and a massive amount of purple parts, was Rei's soul. Anyone skilled in soul magic from some higher world would tell you that what just happened should be impossible. But when the entire dimension pressurizes the soul... many things become possible. The purple parts were calm, collected, and happy. They invitingly welcomed the green bits that danced in delight and utter joy at the merging.
Only then did Rei find out the problem. He saw a small old and dull part of his soul that was green. Green that didn't belong to him and understood. Tsunade Senju was his. She BELONGED to him. How? He had no idea. But her soul craved to join with his and it was slowly killing her.
She must have been close when the mishap happened the first time... Rei thought.
The second part was mostly bluish purple with many patches of watery blue, creating harmony and tranquility. For this soul, this state was natural and pleasant. But when the green pieces started to fill it, they were not rejected. But they were not accepted with the same enthusiasm as Rei's soul did. Konan... accepted Tsunade as her sister-wife. It was abrupt. Too abrupt but... her mind and soul were telling it was a foregone conclusion. There was nothing to do anymore so she grudgingly accepted the woman. But... Konan also sent loads of 'demands' with the parts of her soul. She wanted Tsunade to be obedient, after all. To Rei only, of course.
The last part was the forest green soul. Cracked soul. Damaged. Broken. It was leaking. The piece that joined Rei's soul long ago created a very unpleasant thing. It created a crack that slowly over time weakened Tsunade's existence. Her soul needed mending. Yes, Rei's watery blue and Konan's bluish-purple bits filled it and patched it up, closing the leaks. Tsunade's soul was finally repaired and it took any 'demand' or bond these parts of souls as fish to water.
It wasn't like she HAD to listen to these 'demands' of Konan. Nothing really bound her but the nagging feeling was there. But the connection... Tsunade's mind came to one conclusion only. It couldn't help but feel deep unexplainable affection for Rei. The same Konan felt for him after the mishap with the seal and Konan was firmly placed on the level of Nawaki in her heart. This, however, was a two-way street and Rei and Konan also accepted Tsunade.
But even if Tsunade's soul was now mended, it was still half-empty. Rei knew this would be a problem later on. But for now, Tsunade was stable and will be for years to come. That was what really mattered. She will survive.
The souls re-established themselves, creating a certain hierarchy. Rei's soul gave away most. After all, these talents were on the level of Godly and Supreme. And while the souls received only a diluted version, it was way more than what they could get in this world even from the strongest beings, Otsutsukis. Rei's soul took the lead and bound Tsunade the same way Konan was bound to it. As his 'partner'. Someone unable to betray him. Both Tsunade's and Konan's souls firmly attached to Rei's while creating a 'bridge' between each other.
And then, the tree souls banged together, creating the one big lump of green, purple, and blue. One big soul. And with the souls changed, the outwards changes started.
In the dimension, Rei, Konan, and Tsunade were bathed in the swirling nature energy. Their chakra visible, whirling all around. Even Tsunade who was on the verge of dying from chakra exhaustion, had her chakra stores refilled by the energy of the dimension.
The three chakras leaned on each other and started merging, interweaving. Rei's and Konan's chakra no longer contained only two 'ingredients' but now it was made of three, getting even denser than before, heavier.
Their chakra reserves again rose by the factor of five, far surpassing Kage level reserves.
This time, both Rei and Konan were completely aware of the changes and marveled at them. The previous time, their minds couldn't stay coherent from all the energy but now... they saw what happened and Rei was already devising a seal to 'finalize' the change. For years he was drowning in darkness but now, finally a ray of light enlightened him. He finally knew what he needed to know to finish his binding seal and finalize this bond between them, making it iron-clad! To make their souls regain their form as right now, they were open. He had no idea how to describe it more but it was always there. A weak nagging feeling that something is not right.
They both watched Tsunade... the old woman looking around ninety.
"She is old." Konan frowned and Rei chuckled.
"She is in her late twenties." He commented, making Konan gape at him.
Rei leaned forward and tapped with his free arm on the purple diamond on Tsunade's forehead.
"This is the sole reason she is still alive." He saw Konan tilt her head so he elaborated. "When we connected, she must have been close and a piece of her soul was taken from her."
"Ah! So that's why you were so decisive in connecting with her! She was already a part of us!" Konan exclaimed in great surprise.
"Yes," Rei nodded. "she was not a finalized connection but she was a part of us nevertheless. We just never noticed due to the... small amount of her in us."
"Then? What was the problem?" Konan hummed.
"We took too little of her soul. That would be fine. But we didn't give her any of ours. Her soul was 'leaking' for the lack of a better word."
"Leaking... really?" Konan's lips curled into a small smile.
"I really don't have a better term to explain it." Rei shrugged helplessly. "It manifested in her chakra slowly leaking from her body. Sure, she regenerated it but it put a tremendous strain on her body and life force." Rei lovingly put his hand on Tsunade's cheek. "Day by day, she must have felt herself dying but even her lifelong medical experience couldn't save her."
"That's... shuddering thought." Konan bitterly grimaced and decided to be good to Tsunade.
"Her body couldn't keep it up and she was slowly starting to be unable to regenerate her chakra. She herself must have recognized she was dying. It must have taken years." Rei caressed Tsunade's cheek. "She would be dead years ago if not for her stored reserves in the yin seal."
"I see. She was lucky."
"More like dead tired most of the time." Rei snorted as he put his thumb under Tsunade's eye and gently rubbed it, removing a thick layer of make-up. Under Tsunade's eye was a deep black circle. One, a certain future Ichibi Jinchuuriki would be proud of. "Well... it also took a considerable amount of life force from her since there was nothing else holding her body together. She is a Senju. Senju would have her current look if he was around 150-180 years old. You can understand why I freaked out in the tavern."
Konan nodded. To think the woman who was barely thirty lost around a hundred and fifty years' worth of life force. Konan really couldn't help but pity her. She didn' know how much of that is the new bond and how much is her own sincerity but... it didn't matter. The bond was a part of her and she decided to accept it wholeheartedly.
"Oh, finally." Rei smiled as he saw Tsunade's body reverting. He saw the curious look on Konan so he explained with a chuckle. "Her body is regaining her youth. It is oversaturated with nature energy that is making her younger, giving her back her lost life force. And then, making this life force stronger. The Summoning Animals gained intelligence and speech due to nature energy. They live usually in highly saturated places with this energy and can live hundreds, if not thousands of years..." He trailed off as he noticed the look of understanding in Konan's eyes.
"We are similar to them, then." Konan concluded and Rei nodded.
"Yes. That's my conclusion. Tsunade is going through every change our bodies did when we connected. It is enhancing her all over. Her mind, body, and chakra."
Rei finally took his hand away from the connecting seal as he saw the nature energy around them to calm and settle down. The connection was finished.
"We would have lived for hundreds of years on nature energy alone. But now..." He said as he spread his hand to the sides, gesturing to the dimension of green, tall trees and a thin mist of healthy bright greenish glint, made of nature energy. "Now that we have our own source of an unending energy customized for us?" He turned to Konan with a smugly raised eyebrow and the left side of his lips curled in a smirk.
Konan understood he wanted her to finish the statement.
"We are unaging?" She half-answered, half-asked.
"Oh, we do age. Our souls do. But our bodies will stop at our prime. That's why..." He pointed at Tsunade and Konan's eyes widened. She was now looking like a twenty years old woman, her body strong and toned. Konan noted the woman was extremely beautiful and smiled happily. Yes, this woman would do. She started unconsciously caressing Tsunade's head.
"As long as we have our dimension, we won't age." Konan nodded in understanding.
"Yes... that's why I gotta make more seals in order to improve it and us." Rei chuckled. Konan tilted her head.
"Well, I can finally close our bond on a soul level. That will allow me to root our existences deeply in this dimension and connect it to our souls. Right now it would be dangerous..."
"The Uzumaki seals gave you a lot of knowledge and basis for new theories..." Konan grumbled. She didn't understand and didn't like it when Rei talked about something she didn't understand! But she could only sigh in annoyance.
"That they did." Rei snorted. "Uzumaki forbade soul-level sealing a long time ago. But they kept the knowledge. Most of their sealers couldn't pull it off safely anyway. It almost always ended with some deformities, accidents, or most likely death of the target, so they forbid using it. But with my talent? Hah, I can and will pull it off." Rei rolled his eyes. The knowledge about this kind of sealing was hidden very deeply and discreetly in the sealing scrolls in the Kiri Library. It was not even in one scroll. It was strewn through hundreds of them, most of them useless scrolls that wouldn't see any use. But Rei looked through them all and connected the dots. And he found out the most chilling and exciting art. Sealing on the level far above the grandmaster level. Soul and dimensional sealing.
Creating Dimensions... that always made Uzumaki stumped. They wanted to make their own small world and relocate there. Nobody would threaten them there. But their experimental dimension would ALWAYS collapse so they gave up.
Soul-level sealing... It was one of the most powerful things in the entire Narutoverse. Theoretically, creating Bijuu should be possible if only really, really hard. But in practice? Even Uzumaki couldn't pull it off safely. But Rei could. With enough effort… and time.
And now that he saw and sensed the entire process of connection creation when Tsunade joined... He was sure. He was going to make a soul-level seal. A seal that will allow for far too much than just a simple soulbond. He couldn't help
but getting excited
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NovelIn Naruto: Reborn with TalentChapter 49 - Ch49. Tsunade Senju 3
IN NARUTO: REBORN WITH TALENTC49 - Ch49. Tsunade Senju 3
After the end of the second shinobi war, Tsunade left Konoha with her apprentice Shizune. God, were there so many old senile people grumbling about that particular thing!
They all wanted her to be their personal healing tool. But... she was fed-up and left. In the middle of the Council meeting as they were all raving and raking at her, she just up and went away, consequences be damned. The council couldn't help but gape at her.
Tsunade traveled to the Ame no Kuni... And she saw the results of the war. It was disheartening, really. She tried to heal anyone she could as she trained Shizune on the innumerable amounts of injuries there. The girl was shaping up quickly into a good medic.
But... Tsunade couldn't find any clue about the phenomenon she felt during the war. It was only when she was on her wit's end, she met in the market of one town a girl who told her a peculiar story about two kids who grew a tree. It ignited her hope and she instantly checked it out only to find... mokuton. It brought new hope to her life.
Then... the problems started. She was dying. It took her years to find out what the discomfort was but when the first symptoms started, she quickly understood. Her body was slowly starting to lose its ability to replenish her chakra. She didn't know why. She tried everything she knew... but nothing worked!
Eventually, she accepted that her life in this world was coming to an abrupt end but she refused to die before she met the two mokuton users. Somehow even the thought of that made her seethe in rage and stubbornly continue her search no matter her condition.
And so, Tsunade traveled all around Ame once again. Trying to find more clues only to find... nothing.
At least her apprentice, Shizune, was shaping up good. She was ten but already on the level of elite medic-nins of Konoha when it came to iryo-ninjutsu. Tsunade could be proud of that. She left her medical legacy in the form of Shizune.
In the end, Tsunade decided to briefly return to Konoha. She wanted to 'deposit' Shizune back into the village and go on her last wild hunt across the Ame until the reaper claimed her.
But in a stroke of good luck, she could feel a tug. A slight tug on her chakra. When she focused, she found out it was pulling her... somewhere.
After she left Shizune in Konoha, she went to follow that tug as her instincts screamed at her to do so. It surprisingly led her to Mizu no Kuni of all places! Tsunade traveled all over the country following leads. She avoided only Kirigakure. It was frustrating, really.
But finally, after years of traveling around Mizu in various disguises, dragging her utterly exhausted, chakra-depleted self through the towns of the humid country as she visibly aged by the day and her body ached, bones creaked, and muscles weakened... when she thought she would just drop dead on her feet, she finally saw the two figures that plagued her mind for years. She just could feel that it was them, she was looking for. And her heart desired to be in their presence. She instantly approached them and her wish was fulfilled. She met them and was a nervous wreck due to it. Damn, she said the first thing that appeared in her mind! What 'we need to talk'! It was damn embarrassing!
Senju Tsunade... quivered in her boots. The sheer thought made her internally chuckle at her pathetic self. But as she gathered her courage to speak with them... her eyes landed on the man and she froze. Her heart desired to be held by that man. She didn't even know what or why but she deeply wanted it.
Before she could get her head out of the gutter, the man bent her over his shoulder and she, much to her eternal embarrassment, passed out due to the sheer exhaustion. Her body just shut out. And she remembered no more.
...
Tsunade Senju fluttered her eyes open. Slowly, groggily, only to close them quickly. She moaned! Moaned from the sheer pleasure she felt. The feeling of... being rested. She didn't feel at ease and rested for years! A cute yawn tore out of her throat and Tsunade's face split into a beautiful smile. She moaned again and giggled at the pleasant feeling of joy that filled her. This was heaven...
Tsunade rolled her body, lying on her side, her cheek burying into the lap of... wait.
She snapped her eyes open and if not for the firm hands that held her body down, she would have jumped to her feet. Her wide, shocked eyes looked in front of her as she regained her clarity.
She saw... Rei. That name sprang up in her mind almost instantly even though she was sure they never introduced themselves to each other.
Rei chuckled at the 'deer in the headlights' expression Tsunade showed. She was madly blushing and he couldn't resist and put his hand on her cheek, stroking it slightly.
He chuckled again when his little affection earned him a satisfied moan from Tsunade, making her even more embarrassed as he continued stroking her cheek.
"How do you feel." He asked her tenderly.
"I-, I feel..." Tsunade's breath hitched. She felt... amazing. Young. Energic. Strong. She felt... alive. Tears welled in her eyes and started to stream down her cheeks. The only thing she could hear was the cooing voice of Rei as she bawled her eyes out into his shirt.
"Don't worry, you are alive. Safe." Rei whispered to the distraught woman as he stroked her hair. Tsunade curled into him, her loud wails resounding through the dimension.
When her tears were finally exhausted, Tsunade looked again at Rei.
"What happened." She asked him quietly, sniffing. "How come I am... alive."
"Well, you see..." Rei started explaining the bond and their current situation with an awkward expression.
Hearing everything, Tsunade mulled over it. She was now bound to a ninja from Kiri. It was... baffling but she spent years trying to find him. She would not be deterred by a little set-back like this! She was a Senju! Senju didn't back down!
"I understand." Her expression turned to steeled and determined one. "I will defect for you, then." For her it was a foregone conclusion. If she couldn't keep Konoha and Rei at the same time, she had to choose what was more important to her.
Tsunade saw Rei's jaw drop at her statement and the casual way she said it. Both knew she meant every word thought.
"No, you will not." Rei recollected himself and admonished, putting his index finger to her lips, stopping any and all protests.
Just then a blue-haired woman with a slight smile came closer to them.
Konan. Tsunade's mind supplied. Tsunade returned the smile as she couldn't help but feel happy at seeing the unknown woman. Konan was the same. She decided to be good to Tsunade but it was astonishing that Tsunade's mere presence brought her joy. To a lesser degree than Rei's but it was still noticeable.
"This is..." Rei started introductions.
"Konan." Tsunade interrupted as her lips curled into a calm smile.
"Nice to meet you." Konan stated and Tsunade nodded.
Both women looked at Rei intently.
"If I won't defect from Konoha... how could I stay with you?" Tsunade asked but then blinked as her eyes grew horrified. "I can't be separated from you!" She shouted desperately.
Rei showed a mysterious smile.
"We will do it
Show menuALL NOVEL FULL
NovelIn Naruto: Reborn with TalentChapter 50 - Ch50. How To Get Your Girl Accepted Into The Hidden Village Full Of Paranoid Killers
IN NARUTO: REBORN WITH TALENTC50 - Ch50. How To Get Your Girl Accepted Into The Hidden Village Full Of Paranoid Killers
The Mizukage stared at Rei while Rei stared at the Mizukage. It was an epic staredown of two wills clashing, neither backing down!
"She is my slave!" Rei exclaimed shamelessly.
The Mizukage blinked and gave a fed-up look at the blond-haired around sixty years old woman with a wrinkled face who promptly snorted at Rei's proclamation. Konan was as always, completely stoic and uncaring about his suffering too. He slowly put his elbows on the desk and started to rub his forehead, trying to prevent his growing headache.
Ah... it's that time of the month again, I see... The Mizukage mentally sighed.
The Mizukage let out and then took a deep breath. He leisurely leaned back into his comfortable fluffy chair, sighing in relief. After a few moments of enjoying the pleasant softness on his back, he again looked at Rei, Konan, and the mysterious old woman with them.
Nodding to himself, he leaned down and opened a drawer. Slowly, he took out his precious smoking pipe, putting it in the middle of his table, right in front of him. He looked at Rei's group for five seconds straight and again nodded to himself as if reassuring his own mind that he is not hallucinating.
He reached to the drawer again and took out his special weed from the Land of Grass. It was a luxury good for very special occasions. At least, until Rei started going to missions. From then on it became a stress relief... and help to forget.
Sigh, being Mizukage is a hard job, maaan~... The Mizukage wistfully thought.
He again looked at Rei's group as he blinked a few times and slowly put his hands into a hand seal.
Rei could swear he heard a quiet 'Kai' before seeing the Mizukage nod to himself again.
The Mizukage, now doubly sure this was really happening, took out a sake bottle from his drawer and put it next to his pipe. He leaned back into his seat and took the pipe into his mouth, chewing on its tip.
"ANBU get out." He lazily drawled in a 'I don't care anymore' tone.
The ANBU hesitated. Not because they were afraid for the safety of Mizukage. Not because of their duty. Nothing so grand. They hesitated because they would miss the entire show, dammit!
"Now." The Mizukage ordered, and the reluctant, scowling ANBU vacated the room.
The Mizukage chilled in his chair, looking between his special weed and his very expensive sake as if he couldn't decide if he should get drunk or high.
His senses still worked though and with the corner of his eye, he noticed that only the old blond-haired woman gave him a knowing sympathetic look. Sigh, she clearly knew his woes. Drunk or high... that's the question. Suddenly, he felt it wouldn't be that bad giving her citizenship. After all, she clearly could relate to his problems.
With a sigh, the Mizukage started speaking, without lifting his gaze from the sake and weed as he curled the tip of his mustache in his hand.
"Rei... remember that mission two years ago where you somehow, and never let me know how or I swear I will use it on you, not henged but outright transformed your fat noblewoman of a client into a small ball of wool to escape your pursuers since she was too fat to run?" The Mizukage dryly chuckled to himself.
"Hehe," Rei chuckled at the image. "I am sorry, Mizukage-sama. I am afraid that was a long time ago."
"Long ago, heh? Indeed, let me refresh your memory... you somehow forgot her still transformed on the porch of her own house... and her cat has strewn the wool all over the porch and the garden. It took two whole days to get her back into the ball and transform her back into human form. Since then, I give you escort missions only when you are the LAST possible choice."
The Mizukage lifted his gaze and saw the confused look in Rei's eyes.
"I see... You forgot." He concluded and took yet another deep breath and his eyes went back to the weed as he smiled and stuffed a bit into his pipe.
"Or that mission year and a half ago where you were tasked to deliver a 'package' to a certain building and you delivered it too fast? ... the one where it was a bomb that due to your speed blew up with our informant still inside? Poor bastard won't ever have children..." The Mizukage puffed on his pipe and chuckled.
"That was not my fault!" Rei indignantly exclaimed.
"True. Nobody thought you would deliver it that fast... Since then I never gave you another delivery mission." Rings of smoke came from the carefree-looking Mizukage with a big lazy smile plastered on his face.
"Oh! Or that one! Where you were sent to interrogate a guy in TI a year prior? Damn... you somehow made him catch dementia, heh."
"To be fair, I was there to interrogate him. Not coddle him." Rei quipped.
The Mizukage nodded in affirmative.
"Since then I gave you no interrogation or torture missions."
The Mizukage smiled in reminiscence.
"Now... we have a similar discussion almost every two months. God forbid, I think it gets more and more frequent! So, Rei, tell me. How long did you study the law book to come with the excuse of her being your slave?" The Mizukage's smile changed into a curious one as he puffed on his pipe but his eyes were not on Rei and the women. He was too busy pouring himself a drink from his expensive sake.
"Around te-, ahem, thirty minutes... or so." Rei scratched his cheek. "But slavery is totally legal here!"
"I see... yes, it is legal. If you are noble." The Mizukage calmly stated, taking a sip from his cup.
"Oh..." Rei blinked. Then his demeanor completely changed and he gave a pleasant smile to Mizukage. "Mizukage-sama, you misunderstood! I meant to say, she is the new babysitter for Mei!"
Tsunade couldn't and burst into giggles as even Konan averted her head and covered her snickers with her palm.
Tsunade came forward and bowed slightly.
"Mizukage-sama, I am nothing much but I know some medical Jutsu. I may help in the hospital."
The Mizukage squinted his eyes at her.
"What's your name again?"
Tsunade gave him a sickly sweet smile with mischievously closed eyes.
"I am Tsuna Yotsuba."
The Mizukage instantly did a spit-take, covering the documents on his table in it.
Noooooo! My paperwooooork... Was his first thought.
Shiiiiit! I wasted my expensive sake!... Was his second thought.
Wait, did she just say Yotsuba?... Was his third thought that froze his mind.
He looked at the old wrinkled woman and gave a sheepish Rei an unamused stare.
Here I am showering the guy in young, firm, juicy, healthy, strong, gorgeous kunoichi and he takes an old woman as his wife!?...
The Mizukage wanted to bang his head on the table as he heard Rei's bashful 'Tehehe'.
He laid lifelessly on his table and could almost see his soul leaving him.
"Ya know what? Do what ya want, punk. Just don't cause any more trouble, I beg you!" Anime tears streamed from his eyes.
Wao, he is really Mizukage... Tsunade thought as she watched the eye waterfalls completely soak the full stack of finished paperwork with mirth in her gaze as the man didn't yet notice the catastrophe his tears were causing.
...
Rei and the company left the office as Himeno entered.
"Remind me why don't I just save myself the trouble and offer them defection without being pursued?" The Mizukage grumbled childishly.
"Because they are our S-rank ninja, silly!" Himeno giggled.
"Right..."
Himeno suddenly stopped in her tracks and robotically turned to Mizukage.
"You... smoked?"
Himeno hated it when he smoked. Long ago he promised not to, on the pains of months on the couch-kun. A fate worse than death.
"Himeno? Ah... it's just your imagination, ahaha." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, as he tried to hide his weed.
"You..." Himeno looked sweetly at him and the Mizukage did the only thing he could. He slowly slid towards the window, slid it open, and jumped out, running for his life.
Reeeeeeiiiii! Daaaamnnnnnn yoooouuuu! I blaaaameee yoooouuuu! ... He tearfully thought as he evaded sharp ice spers
Show menuALL NOVEL FULL
NovelIn Naruto: Reborn with TalentChapter 51 - Ch51. Tsunade And Mei Meeting
IN NARUTO: REBORN WITH TALENTC51 - Ch51. Tsunade And Mei Meeting
Rei, Konan, and Tsunade sat around the table in Rei's apartment, waiting for Mei to come from the academy.
"Was it smart to reveal your medical ninjutsu?" Rei asked Tsunade, not really caring.
Tsunade shrugged with a slight smile. She was in her young, normal form without any transformation. Konan told her that she trusts this Mei person so she would too. The entire apartment was filled with privacy seals no ninja in Kiri would be able to bypass so it was safe.
"I revealed my ability to use it. Not the extent. My chakra is looking like a low chunin level thanks to your hiding technique too. As long as I don't use anything too advanced, I will be fine. I did it mostly so I can protect myself if I am ever attacked. We wouldn't want a complete civilian defeating ninja, now, would we?" Tsunade chuckled and took Rei's hand into hers, playing with his fingers with a slight self-indulgent smile.
"Fair enough, Tsu." Rei nodded, making Tsunade blush at the affectionate nickname.
"I also wouldn't want to freeload..." She trailed off only to have her shoulder swatted by Konan.
"You are one of us. Just accept it." Konan reproachfully stated, making Tsunade lower her head, showing her understanding and Konan pecked her cheek for that.
"Good girl."
Tsunade internally squealed. It was so embarrassing! She was the strongest kunoichi of Konoha! And here, she was being verbally juggled by two kids younger than her! But... she wanted to feel Rei's and Konan's affection. She wanted them to tease her. She... oh.
Tsunade abruptly raised her head in a realization as she stared at Rei and Konan in utter shock at the idea of her having these feelings. Not once in her life did she actually feel like this.
"Hm?" Konan tilted her head when she noticed Tsunade's state and distraught.
"I love you." Tsunade blurted out. "Damn, I love you..." She blinked, not really knowing how to react. "I..."
Rei put his finger on her lips with a smirk, silencing her. Tsunade looked at him and her eyes morphed into acceptance. Wanting to be near them and outright loving them without even knowing why... that was a very big jump and it would need a long time for Tsunade to fully accept it. But for now, she wouldn't deceive herself. Her lips stretched into a gentle bashful smile.
Seeing it, Rei leaned forward and fully kissed Tsunade on her lips, startling her. Her hands quickly shot to Rei's shoulders but she didn't...want...to...push. Her hands became powerless as they laid on his shoulders while he played with her tongue and Tsunade just gave in. Her arms snaked around Rei's mouth and pulled him closer. Rei's hands took hold of Tsunade's cheeks and the two made out for minutes while Konan watched with an amused smile. She supported her chin with her hands, elbows on the table as she enjoyed the happy tingling on her lips. She could feel the sweet taste of Tsunade on them as well as the familiar taste of Rei and it was a very... peculiar feeling. She was only a bit rueful that it was such a delicate feeling she barely perceived it.
Rei and Tsunade separated as Tsunade had a bright satisfied face with a dreamy smile.
"That was... nice." She giggled with a content sigh. It was the first real kiss she received.
"Glad to hear that, Tsu." Rei chuckled and licked his lips. "You are sweet."
Tsunade gulped at that simple compliment. She couldn't help but feel herself getting hot as her mouth filled with saliva and her eyes intently stared at Rei. She bit her lower lip to not blurt out the first thing on her mind.
"Cute too." Konan snickered, making Tsunade blush even more, her face now nearing scarlet.
"Moooo~!" Tsunade let out a whiny sound and averted her eyes to the side as she pouted while petulantly crossing her arms on her chest and sullenly sniffing.
Konan and Rei secretly high-fived under the table with smug smirks as they exchanged subtle knowing looks.
"I am just a little sorry that you will have to wear that transformation technique." Rei refocused on Tsunade and sighed, making Tsunade gently shake her head.
"No. It's alright. Using it to appear old while I am young is much better than using it to appear young when you are actually old."
Both Konan and Rei smiled at her. They had to admit she had a point. It must have been hell to travel the Land of Water with a body nearing two centuries of age.
"Well, after I finished the seal for our bond stabilization, you will be able to spend time in our dimension." Rei said and Tsunade perked up. She really loved the nature energy-filled place. It felt oddly calming to her. Her Senju senses were all tingling!
Just then the door opened and in walked Mei. She ran and embraced Rei while greeting Konan but her eyes stopped at Tsunade. Both stared at each other quietly and Rei was getting awkward as the atmosphere was getting heavier and heavier. The sparks could be almost seen flying between them.
"Hi." They both exclaimed at once.
Mei looked at Konan, her expression openly asking who the blond woman was. She knew she would probably get someone to look after her when Konan and Rei were away. Even Konan told her as much and they expected it to be some Kiri-diehard-loyalist aka dipshit so she was getting mentally ready for it.
"She is Tsuna Yotsuba. Rei's second wife." Konan playfully quipped with a devilish smile and Rei froze. He could feel Mei's hold around his waist getting tighter and tighter as Mei's head snapped to Tsunade and her look was getting stormier and stormier by the second. She was visibly pouting as she glared at Tsunade who enjoyed the spectacle immensely and taunted Mei with a winning smile. The girl was adorable, indeed. She felt they would get along smashingly.
"Don't tease her, Konan." Rei ruffled Mei's hair with twitching lips and stood up as he tried to restrain himself from grinning. "I am going to cook something up."
He was about to step through the door into the kitchen when he heard Mei stomp her foot on the floor with a huff. He turned around and saw Mei intently looking at him, one hand pointing her index finger directly at him while the other was pressed on her hip as she gnashed her teeth at him.
"I will become your wife too! Count on it!" Mei loudly exclaimed with a determined look as both Tsunade and Konan snickered into their palms.
Rei knew that look! It was the horrible, horrible look of a woman that made her mind and won't budge! He better ran to the kitchen after he gave her a helpless shrug! He was only glad there was no 'dattebayo' in that statement!
He would let the girls talk among themselves and get to know each other. Especially Tsunade and Mei as these two would spend a lot of time with each other. He only hoped Tsunade would be a better idol for her than Konan. One Konan-like person was enough in his life. He really didn't crave more of THAT personality.
And who knows, maybe Tsunade would talk Mei out of it? ... He thought.
Oh, he had no idea how far from the truth that was! Tsunade would be a very 'positive' influence, alright!
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