Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 165 Showdown

"Gurgle gurgle..."

Aokiji clutched his stomach, feeling hungry: "It's so late, why hasn't Tsunade brought the food yet?"

As they were talking, the cell door opened and a blonde girl entered, carrying a food box. Her beautiful face added a touch of warmth to the gloomy air, though there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Oh, you've finally arrived! I'm starving!" Aokiji quickly got out of bed and went to the railing.

Tsunade came to him, opened the food box, and found a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.

"I won't be polite then," said the impatient Aokiji, reaching out to grab him.

With a "smack," Aokiji's wolf claws were slapped away.

Aokiji: ? ? ?

"It's dirty, wash your hands first."

Tsunade's gaze fell on Aokiji's dirty hands, and her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Aokiji was momentarily stunned, then chuckled and said, "Tsunade, you really have a lot of ambition for me."

Tsunade gave a soft snort with her delicate nose, feigning nonchalance: "Don't flatter yourself. If you get an upset stomach, I'll be the one treating you."

Aokiji suddenly realized, "Oh, you're right."

"So you'd better not eat anything that might upset your stomach, or I'll be in big trouble."

Aokiji nodded in agreement, then suddenly seemed to remember something: "Wait a minute, even if I get an upset stomach, with so many medical ninjas in Konoha, it wouldn't be your turn, would it?"

Tsunade remained silent for a long time before using force to subdue him: "Just wash your hands when I tell you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

The blue pheasant dared not utter a sound.

Tsunade took out a water bottle and unscrewed the cap: "Give me your hand."

Aokiji obediently stretched out both hands.

The kettle tipped over, and the icy-cold liquid poured out of the spout with a splashing sound.

Aokiji rubbed his hands together until they were clean of grime, and only then did Tsunade allow him to eat: "Hmph, eat up, eat until you're stuffed, you heartless bastard. You have no idea how much I've talked to you for you."

"Is that so...then don't plead for me, I think this place is quite nice."

Tsunade: "Huh?"

Aokiji took a bite of a large chicken leg and said contentedly, "This place includes food and lodging, which saves me a lot of money."

"Are you an idiot?" Tsunade seemed unwilling to pay attention and turned to leave.

"Feel sorry……"

Hearing the voice behind her, Tsunade stopped and turned around.

"I just didn't want you to worry."

Aokiji lowered his head and looked somewhat listless in Tsunade's eyes.

"I will definitely ask Sarutobi-sensei to be lenient with me..."

"Thanks."

After Tsunade left, Aokiji was alone again, leaning against the wall with his arms wrapped around his knees, feeling somewhat lonely.

Despite his days in prison, Aokiji hadn't suffered any physical pain. Even so, it would be strange if he were in a good mood.

I don't know when I'll be able to get out.

Is he really going to confess?

Thinking about all this, Aokiji felt uneasy. He clenched his fist and pounded the wall to vent his pent-up anger.

He looks strong now, but he's really just that kind of person. If he really meets a master, he'll have to keep a low profile and choose to endure.

After leaving the prison, Tsunade went straight to a small wooden house, where her grandmother was the only one who could truly help Aokiji at this point.

Looking at Mito's aged face, Tsunade couldn't help but sigh at how fast time flies. She wondered when her grandmother's face had become so wrinkled.

After a few moments of reflection, she told Mito about Aokiji's situation, hoping to gain her support.

Aokiji's situation is complicated, as it involves the village's relationship with the Land of Fire, and Mito, a woman without real power, cannot easily interfere.

Moreover, due to the influence of her maternal relatives, she had completely distanced herself from the center of power and remained indifferent to worldly affairs in order to avoid suspicion.

"Grandma, please help me." Tsunade clung to Mito's arm, pleading for Aokiji.

Mito looked apologetic: "I'm sorry..."

Tsunade pressed, "Why?"

In her eyes, with her grandmother's prestige, if she were willing to step in and help, she could definitely help Aokiji get out of prison.

"After all, the monkey is now the Hokage. If I interfere because I am the wife of the First Hokage, it will affect his future authority."

"Not even once?"

Mito ruffled Tsunade's hair: "Tsunade, once something happens the first time, it will happen again and again. I can't set that precedent. You have to trust your teacher; he will handle this matter well."

Tsunade bit her lip in frustration. She wanted to trust Sarutobi-sensei, but the problem was that he just wanted to hand Aokiji over to the Daimyo to quell his anger.

Seeing Tsunade's concern for Aokiji, Mito couldn't help but chime in, "Didn't you always dislike Aokiji? Why are you pleading for him on my side now?"

"That's just talk; he's my partner, after all."

Mito asked casually, "Is it just because of your comrades?"

Tsunade's eyes darted away: "Otherwise what?"

This guilty conscience...

Mito keenly observed this.

Mito, as a special member of the Uzumaki clan, possesses the ability to sense malice, or more accurately, to sense subtle changes in the other party's chakra.

For example, if a person sees their loved one being killed, their chakra will become extremely cold and gloomy. Conversely, if a person is in love, their chakra will be full of warmth.

Want to give it a try?

Mito was silent for a moment before asking, "Tsunade, do you have someone you like?"

Caught off guard, Tsunade was momentarily stunned: "Grandma, why are you asking this out of the blue?"

"Maybe it's because I'm really feeling old lately. I can't deny it, and I've started to enjoy reminiscing about the past." Mito sighed, "Without realizing it, you've grown up so much. When I was your age, I already liked your grandfather."

After saying that, she glanced at her granddaughter out of the corner of her eye, combined with her sensory abilities.

Tsunade knew the love story of her grandmother and grandfather well, and couldn't help but think of her own, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.

Mito asked, "Speaking of which, I remember that kid in your team named Jiraiya, he seems to really like you, right?"

Tsunade gave a nonchalant "Oh," and said, "You mean him? That's just wishful thinking on his part."

Mito recorded the changes in Tsunade's chakra.

Then she continued, "So, do you like Orochimaru?"

Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, "Grandma, you must be joking, okay? How could I possibly like him?"

Mito laughed and said, "But I remember you had a pretty good impression of him when you were little, didn't you?"

Tsunade waved her hand: "That was when we were young. Most girls would find it hard to resist someone like Orochimaru who is handsome and has a cold personality."

"But you're still very young."

"People always grow up."

"That's true..." Mito nodded, her smile kind.

Tsunade looked puzzled: "Grandma, you've been asking some very strange questions since just now."

Mito smiled and apologized, "Then let me ask you one last question."

"Huh? What?"

"So, do you like Aokiji?"

Tsunade: ? ? ? ?

Mito glanced at her, "Just as I thought..."

"What is it, really?"

"You've fallen for Aokiji, haven't you? And it might not even be unrequited love."

Tsunade, her secret exposed, felt her heart flutter: "Grandma, don't talk nonsense! How could I possibly like him!"

Mito smiled and informed her, "Your chakra has changed..."

Tsunade, her expression blank, asked, "W-what?"

"A person's chakra changes depending on their current state, and I can sense these subtle changes."

Tsunade:……

Mito shook her head: "Now that things have come to this, do you have anything to explain?"

"No, no..."

Her grandmother's perception was so amazing that she could detect even the slightest changes in chakra. The more she explained, the more guilty she felt.

Mito's gaze lingered on Tsunade for a while. She never expected these two to end up together.

The thousand-year-old grudge between the Uchiha and Senju clans can be completely resolved through these two individuals. I'm sure Hashirama, if you knew this from beyond the grave, would be delighted to see it.

With these thoughts lingering in her mind, she slowly stood up, intending to leave.

"Grandma, where are you planning to go?"

"Didn't you want to save your boyfriend?"

"what?"

"Let's go..."

………………

.....................

A small boat drifts on the vast sea, navigating the boundless waves.

There were five people on the boat: four guards and one prisoner.

Unfortunately, Aokiji was one of the prisoners.

This story begins a day earlier. Thanks to the efforts of the Uchiha clan and Mito, Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoned his plan to escort Aokiji to the Daimyo's residence.

Of course, releasing Aokiji outright wouldn't be the way to go, otherwise they wouldn't be able to explain it to the daimyo. So they came up with a compromise: first, they would throw Aokiji into Hozuki Castle and imprison him temporarily, and then retrieve him once the culprit was found.

The so-called Hozuki Castle is a prison commissioned by various countries to Kusagakure Village to specifically detain criminal ninjas. It is located on a small island near Kusagakure Village, surrounded by the sea.

Once a prisoner enters, there are only two ways to leave: either the village they belong to sends a formal request, or they die in the Ghost Lantern Castle...

After the ship docked, Aokiji was escorted to Hozuki-mae, passing through a patch of vegetation with red berries.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Aokiji saw a towering castle near a cliff; this was Hozuki Castle.

After entering Hozuki Castle, Aokiji was subjected to a powerful sealing technique called Fire Release: Heavenly Prison.

Once hit, chakra concentration will be restricted, making it impossible to use ninjutsu.

Moreover, if one is too far from the caster, the spell imposed by the Heavenly Prison will transform into chains of fire, binding the escapee's body.

After being subjected to the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison technique, Aokiji went through a standard prison procedure and was then thrown into a cage.

Lying on the hard bed, Aokiji was thinking about something.

Once he gets out, the first thing he'll do is find Kakuzu and then plot to kidnap the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and extort a ransom.

(End of this chapter)