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Shin put away the necklace and returned to the tent he shared with Tsunade. She had insisted they conserve resources and stay with her. Shin hadn’t objected. It was a good arrangement for him.
He’d be an idiot to refuse.
But when he returned, the atmosphere was strange. Kushina, Mikoto, and Konan were silent, while Tsunade was staring blankly into space, a heartbroken expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Shin asked.
Kushina glanced at him, then gestured for him to come outside.
Once they were outside, Shin learned the reason: Tsunade had just been informed of Nawaki’s “death.”
Shin chuckled. “Who told you Nawaki’s dead? He’s not.”
“Really?”
“Of course! I just saw him. He’s fine.”
“Shin, don’t tell me you saw a ghost,” Kushina said, her eyes wide with worry.
“There are no ghosts, Kushina. Nawaki’s alive. I used the Transcription Seal to implant my dōjutsu abilities in his eyes.”
Shin said.
“So Nawaki’s really alive?”
“Of course! Do you think I’d lie to you?”
“That’s great!” Kushina rushed back into the tent and yelled, “Tsunade, Shin said Nawaki’s not dead!”
Tsunade looked up, then lowered her head, clearly not believing her.
“Nawaki’s really alive, Tsunade. You know the life-saving dōjutsu I implanted in your eyes? I did the same for Nawaki. That’s why he’s not dead. Remember when I said I had something to do? I went to check on him.”
Shin entered the tent.
Tsunade’s eyes lit up, and she rushed over to Shin, grabbing his arm. “Shin, is Nawaki really alive?”
“Of course. You recognize this, right? I borrowed it from Nawaki.”
Shin showed her the necklace she had given Nawaki. Tsunade was finally convinced.
“Come on, I’ll take you to see him. That way, you can rest assured.”
Shin opened a Yomotsu Hirasaka portal and pulled Tsunade through it.
“Wait for us!” Kushina, Mikoto, and Konan followed.
…
“We’re home?”
Mikoto looked around the familiar courtyard in surprise. They had teleported from the Land of Fire’s border back to Konoha in an instant.
“Nawaki must have gone home. Let’s go find him.”
Shin knew Nawaki wasn’t here.
They arrived at Nawaki’s house, and he was indeed there. He was surprised to see them.
“Shin? Aren’t you on the battlefield? And Big Sis, why are you back?”
Thump!
Tsunade punched Nawaki, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Shin walked over and pulled Nawaki up like a radish.
“Big Sis, what was that for?! You almost killed me!” Nawaki complained.
“Hmph, you called me ‘Big’ Do I look that big?”
Tsunade glared at him, but seeing him safe and sound, she sighed in relief.
“What happened? I heard you died on the battlefield.”
…
Nawaki explained what had happened. Tsunade was furious when she heard the truth.
“That Kai is an ungrateful bastard!” she yelled.
He had been living in the Senju compound when he first came to Konoha. The Senju Clan had taken him in, and Mito had even taught him Fūinjutsu.
But Kai felt no gratitude towards the Senju Clan. In fact, he resented them.
This was partly due to Shin. He felt like he and Shin were treated differently by the Senju Clan.
“I’ll kill him when I see him!” Tsunade declared.
“No, Sis. I’ll avenge myself. You don’t have to worry about it,” Nawaki said.
Tsunade looked at him, and Nawaki’s expression was serious.
“Fine, but if you need help, just let me know. Don’t be shy; you’re my brother.”
“By the way, Shin, why did you want this necklace?” Tsunade asked Shin.
“I wanted to research Wood Release. I thought this might help.”
Shin held the necklace, sensing the strong life force within it.
“You’re researching Wood Release?” Tsunade looked at him in surprise.
“Yeah, it’s so powerful. I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t want to learn it,” Shin nodded.
“You should have said something! We have Grandpa’s Jutsu scrolls. They might be useful.”
“Wait here.”
…
Tsunade left, then returned with a large scroll.
“This contains all of Grandpa’s Wood Release Jutsu. Most of the Senju have seen it, but no one has been able to awaken Wood Release, so they can’t use it.”
She handed the scroll to Shin, who accepted it gratefully.
“Thank you, Tsunade.”
“Why are you being so polite?” Tsunade glared at him playfully.
“If I were being polite, I wouldn’t have accepted it.”
Shin unfurled the scroll. He skimmed through the Wood Release Jutsu, then focused on Hashirama’s notes on Wood Release.
The Jutsu were useless to him now. He didn’t have the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. Even if he learned them, he couldn’t use them.
“Any progress?” Tsunade asked.
“….”
“I just started reading. How could I have made any progress?”
Shin shook his head. He needed time to research. But he was confident he could awaken Wood Release.
“Shin, don’t push yourself too hard. Many talented Senju have tried to awaken Wood Release, but none have succeeded.”
“I’m different, Tsunade. Perhaps Wood Release will be revived through me.” Shin smiled confidently.
He had the same Perfect Sage Body as Hashirama. With the information in this scroll and Hashirama’s Chakra Crystal, he was confident he could master Wood Release.
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