Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

If she had put in a little more effort and learned some powerful ninjutsu, with the unique advantages of a medical ninja, let alone Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who were also among the Legendary Sannin, even Hiruzen Sarutobi might not have been her match.

A strong player at the top, but a complete noob at heart.

That's exactly what I'm talking about, like Tsunade.

It wasn't because he was suppressing his feelings that he was so concerned about Tsunade.

As the granddaughter of the Hokage and the granddaughter of the Daimyo, Tsunade's double noble status placed her at the pinnacle of Konoha from birth.

Shen'er, who was well-versed in the art of using the emperor to command the princes, knew very well that having such a noble and talented child in his hands was another great guarantee for him to control Konoha in the future.

It's hard to say whether Tobirama Senju considered the connection between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade's teacher when he chose the Third Hokage.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision to choose Minato Namikaze over Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage must have been based on careful consideration of Kushina Uzumaki's importance. In a sense, Kushina was the "emperor" in Minato's hands.

First of all, Minato came from a commoner background. Although his strength, intelligence, and temperament were all impeccable, and he was born to be the Hokage, his background was ultimately too weak.

The key to his successful ascension to Hokage lies in his role as the husband of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, which allowed him to control the "nuclear weapon launcher of Konoha" during the post-Hashirama era.

Taking all the above considerations into account.

Naturally, he had to stand up for Tsunade beforehand.

She's determined to be her own teacher!

For Shen Er, the emperor is not necessary, but he cannot be without.

...

After the first birthday celebration, a banquet followed.

Shen Er and Zhi Li were once again seated at the same table.

Everyone at the table was a distinguished guest whom Hashirama valued, and they had all witnessed the entire process of the baby's first birthday celebration. The dishes were served one after another, but no one took the first bite. They all sat quietly, their eyes fixed on Shen Er.

Shen Er pretended not to understand and said with a smile, "Why are you all standing there? Let's start eating."

With a slight smile, Zhili explained on behalf of everyone: "Everyone is waiting for the first person to pick up their chopsticks."

"Really, stop teasing me." Shen Er shook his head with a helpless smile and picked up his chopsticks first. "Then, gentlemen, please enjoy your meal."

With the first person taking the lead, everyone began to pick up their chopsticks and start the meal.

Zhili turned to the side and said seriously, "Shen'er, what you said during the baby's first birthday ceremony... the napkin theory, let's call it the napkin theory for now, I'm planning to include it in the new edition of the 'Will of Fire' textbook, what do you think?"

Where did this version of "The Will of Fire" come from? This reminds me of a saying.

[Fill in how many points you want to play ( )]

The Will of Fire is the same; it draws upon whatever scriptures or classics it desires and fills them with whatever it wants.

She gave an awkward but polite smile and said, "Let's forget about it."

He explained, "The napkin theory is essentially about the way of the king."

"The way of the king is to fight for protection, to have compassion and love in one's heart, to have the power to protect all living beings, to inspire people with his beliefs, and to ultimately make people recognize him as 'the first person to pick up a napkin'."

“And what is similar to the way of the king is the way of the tyrant.”

"Domineering means using violence to control violence, using fear to control people's hearts, and making the world forever respect power. Even innocent children must shed their naivety and innocence, leaving only their submission and fear of the powerful."

"The children at the Ninja Academy are too young and their minds are not mature enough. Even with the guidance of teachers, some people will inevitably misinterpret the meaning and mistake this principle for the Will of Fire advocating tyranny and power, which will lead them astray."

Shen Er didn't want anyone to hear the napkin theory and dream of becoming Hokage since childhood.

Zhili sighed in admiration, "I was too naive."

"From this perspective, the napkin theory is still suitable for the ninja class period, when teachers pass it on to their students."

...

Tsunade's first birthday banquet was in full swing.

However, he did not stay from beginning to end.

Even though Tsunade held onto him tightly, insisting that he, her advisor, play with her, he still got up early and left first after fulfilling his duties.

Today is Tsunade's first birthday.

It is also the first birthday of another very important child.

Therefore, Shen Er had to transform into a time management master and rush to another birthday party.

In Shen's mind, Tsunade represents "power," while Orochimaru represents "fist."

A fist is a symbol of power.

We must grasp both power and strength, and make both of them strong!

Tsunade watched Jin's departing figure, a look of disappointment creeping onto her face.

She didn't understand those profound principles, but she knew that Master Shen was very interesting. Whenever he was around, the adults smiled more and were more lenient with her.

Senju Takayuki noticed Tsunade's low spirits and quietly pulled her aside, intending to tell her a story to cheer her up.

Despite her young age, Tsunade was precocious and bluntly complained, "Dad, I don't want to hear stories. The ones you tell are all so boring."

"..."

Senju Takayuki, who had been teased by his daughter, coughed lightly and emphasized, "Today's story is different; it's about your grandmaster."

"What is Master Shen's story? Tell me quickly!" Tsunade slapped her thigh, her eyes sparkling.

"In the 9th year of Konoha, the head of the Senju clan was severely injured by a powerful enemy. He was supposed to die that day, but was saved by a doctor who came to Konoha during his 5th year of travel..."

...

After leaving the Senju family, she went to the cake shop to pick up the apple sandwich cake she had ordered in advance.

He probably can't imagine what an apple-filled cake tastes like in his lifetime, but that doesn't stop some people from liking to eat it.

The mother and son have snake-like habits; they love this kind of food.

Catering to someone's preferences is a foolproof choice, whether you're dealing with superiors or subordinates.

He quickly arrived at Orochimaru's house, carrying the cake.

"Lord Shen'er, you've arrived."

A year has passed since Hashirama initially requested to be monitored by the Anbu at Evangelion Hospital. The Anbu's surveillance of Orochimaru and his mother continues and has not been completely lifted. Starting the following day, the mother and son are permitted to be visited and allowed to go out for a period of time each day under Anbu surveillance.

After all, Matsumoto Waka is the first person in Konoha to venture into forbidden territory since Senju Tobirama, so it is only reasonable to keep her under strict control.

Tonight, the ones on duty here are Hinata Kotone and Yamanaka Yuki.

Ironically, even though the control over Matsumoto Kaori has been relaxed, she has no other close friends in Konoha besides these two friends and Shinji.

The classmates in the medical class were just casual acquaintances; no one would ever come to visit them.

"Lord Shen'er, you've arrived."

Hinata Kotone and Yamanaka Yuki saw Shen'er and went forward to greet him.

Four years ago on New Year's Eve, they were still at Matsumoto Kaori's house, eating the meal prepared by Lord Jinji and listening to his teaching that "the bond of friendship is the most precious treasure of a ninja."

If it weren't for that day's lesson on "friendship," they might not have thought of helping Matsumoto and Kaori conceal the forbidden experiments, let alone keeping it a secret for a whole year, risking their ninja careers for it.

No one could have predicted that four years later, the master and disciple would sever all ties.

Her former apprentice has become a prisoner, and her two friends have become her monitors.

The world changes so quickly, it's truly lamentable.

"Hmm." Shen Er, with a straight face and feigning aloofness, handed the cake box to Yamanaka Yuki: "Take this cake to Matsushita Orochimaru."

"This is!"

Yamanaka Yuki paused for a moment, then quickly accepted the cake box with both hands and respectfully replied.

According to Konoha's rules, the restrictions haven't been fully lifted yet, and outsiders aren't supposed to pass items to those under supervision at will. But Shen'er's rules are rules, and even if it wasn't just the two of them, most people in the Anbu thought so too, and no one objected.

The concept of the First Hokage's Will, the Will of Fire, and the Will of the Anbu—these three concepts have become deeply ingrained in people's minds through daily reprimands.

Mountain Snow held the cake box, and through the gaps in the packaging, she could vaguely see the apple pieces inside.

A warm feeling welled up in her heart, and she thought to herself: Even though the bond between master and disciple seemed to have been severed, Lord Shen still remembered what He Xiang liked to eat...

After delivering the cake, Shinji was about to leave when Hinata Kotone called out to him.

"Lord Shen'er, there is something I would like to tell you."

"Hmm?" Shen Er turned around. "What is it?"

"There was a reason why Kaori broke the taboo, so please don't blame her too much."

Is there more to the story?

Shen raised an eyebrow: "I've been wondering for a while how she managed to evade the Gospel Hospital's secret services and conduct forbidden experiments in secret. As her friend, you knew the inside story long ago, but you never reported it to me."

"You should know your identity within the Dark Guard, right?"

With a snap.

Hinata Kotone knelt on one knee.

“It is my fault, Lord Shen. As Kaori’s friend, I have kept it a secret for her until now. After you hear this, you can punish me however you wish.”

"Humph."

Shen Er snorted coldly: "No matter the reason, violating taboos is unforgivable. As a member of the Dark Guard, you neglected your duties and concealed the truth, so you are equally guilty. Now, explain your reasons clearly."

"Yes!"

Hyuga Kotone took a deep breath and explained Matsumoto Waka's situation: "Waka suffers from a bloodline disease and will die before the age of 25. She spends all her time in the laboratory conducting medical research..."

He didn't listen to what she said next; whatever her reasons were, they were irrelevant to him.

However, he was unaware that Matsumoto Kazuka suffered from a bloodline disease.

Will I die before I turn 25?

She even thought that without her intervention, a nobody like Matsumoto Kazuka would have died in World War I and wouldn't have lived to the age of developing hereditary disease.

He couldn't help but think of Orochimaru in the future. His almost pathological desire for immortality was certainly due to witnessing the deaths of too many close people, but could it also be because he knew he suffered from a bloodline disease and didn't have much time left?

It was under such motivation that they successively completed the development of forbidden techniques such as the Reincarnation of the Undead and the Impure World Reincarnation.

This is troublesome...