Chapter 1070: A Deal with Tsunade-hime
Tsunade-hime’s Office, Konohagakure Hospital
Knock! Knock! After knocking on the door of Tsunade-hime’s office, Kuroto called out, “Tsunade-sama…”
Tsunade-hime raised her head to see who was visiting her this late at night, but seeing that it was Kuroto, she said to him, “Oh, it’s you… come in, Kuroto… also, close the door.”
“Alright,” nodded Kuroto as he closed the door of Tsunade-hime’s office, then casually walked inside; after sitting on one of the empty chairs, he asked, “I heard from Yui that you wanted to talk to me about something, I wonder what that’s about…”
It’s rare for Tsunade-hime to want to talk to him about something, so Kuroto was kind of curious, though he was also a little guarded about a certain possibility, ‘If she is in need of funds for gambling, then I can only apologize…’
Kuroto also considered another possibility, ‘Maybe this is about Kimimaro… considering that he is from the Kaguya Clan… and as a Senju perhaps Tsunade-sama knows of the distant relationship between the Hyuga Clan and the Kaguya Clan, so she wants to talk about it or something…’
Instead of giving an immediate response to Kuroto’s question, Tsunade-hime hesitated, as if unsure whether to speak that matter.
Tsunade-hime’s hesitation made Kuroto frown, “For you to hesitate like that… Is it something difficult for you to speak, Tsunade-sama?”
Tsunade-hime sighed, “Sigh, yes…” Then she shook her head, saying, “Forget it, I will just talk about it, it’s not that big of a deal anyway…”
“Well then, what is it about? Why did you want to see me?” asked Kuroto.“I want you to get in touch with Orochimaru for me…” answered Tsunade-hime.
Kuroto was stunned, “Get in touch with Orochimaru-sama?” When he came to meet Tsunade-hime, he had expected a multitude of points that she might talk about, but getting in touch with Orochimaru was not one of those.
Tsunade-hime nodded, “Yes,” and added, “I need his help with something.”
If it’s about getting in touch with Orochimaru, then Kuroto is certainly the best option, at least Tsunade-hime thinks so, and she is indeed correct, Kuroto can indeed contact Orochimaru, however, he did not give an answer immediately, rather put forward another question, “May I ask what is it that you want to contact Orochimaru-sama? What is it that you need his help with?”
This time Tsunade-hime did not take too long to answer Kuroto’s question, “With the implantation of Shodaime Hokage’s cells in my body…”
“You want to inherit Shodaime Hokage-sama’s Wood Style?” asked Kuroto in surprise. There are very few reasons why someone would want to implant Hashirama Cells, Wood Style, Balance Yin & Yang Chakra, and improve Life Force. Tsunade-hime has no need for Yin & Yang balance, she doesn’t need to improve her Life Force either, her body is already brimming with energy & life force, therefore, the only attraction for Tsunade-hime is Wood Style.
Kuroto’s guess was undoubtedly correct as Tsunade-hime nodded, “Yes, I want to awaken the Kekkei Genkai dormant in my body. By implanting Shodaime Hokage’s Cells, it should be possible to awaken it and inherit his powers…”
“I see…” mumbled Kuroto with a thoughtful expression.
Tsunade-hime continued, “Konoha’s enemies are using my grandfather’s Wood Style to bring harm to the village, as the last remaining Senju I cannot accept our former Patriarch’s special Kekkei Genkai being used to harm the village he had created… Konoha was his dream, he fought for this dream to the bitter end and died for it, I refuse to allow rogues and terrorists to harm the village using the very same power that was used to establish and protect the village.”
Tsunade-hime appeared rather emotional as she spoke about Wood Style, Shodaime Hokage, and Konohagakure, Kuroto had never seen her vulnerable side, it was completely unexpected, so much so, that he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt her.
“For these reasons, I have made up my mind to inherit Shodaime Hokage’s Wood Style, and I am even willing to implant his cells into my body for it…” explained Tsunade-hime. In fact, there is one more reason that she did not talk about, the rise of the Uchiha Clan. In the past decade, more and more talented people have emerged from the Uchiha Clan, and currently, the Uchiha Clan is without a doubt the strongest Clan in Konoha, there is no denying this fact. It’s not that she has any problems with the rise of the Uchiha Clan, it’s just that with the rise of the Uchiha Clan, the Senju Clan is fading away… Uchiha and their Sharingan have become the talk of the town, but Senju? People have begun to forget the Senju, even Wood Style is no longer associated with the Senju Clan, but rather with the Akatsuki Organization! Being the last Senju, Tsunade-hime is unwilling to accept this disappearance.
Having lost all her close relatives and people she loved and cared about, the Clan named Senju is all she has left now, she doesn’t want the Senju to disappear, nor does she want the Wood Style of the Senju Clan to be associated with terrorists and criminals.
“I understand,” nodded Kuroto understanding Tsunade-hime’s reasons and motivations. He pondered over it for a while, and said, “I fully support the notion of implanting Shodaime Hokage’s cells…”
Tsunade-hime snorted, “It’s not like I need your permission for this, kid… these are my grandfather’s cells, I can do whatever I want with them…”
Kuroto scratched his cheeks awkwardly, saying, “I know, I wasn’t giving you permission or anything, Tsunade-hime, I was just saying that I will support you in this endeavor…”
Tsunade-hime nodded, “In that case, you’ll contact Orochimaru for me, I haven’t been able to get through to him…”
“About that…” Kuroto interrupted, saying, “I am not sure it would be the best option to contact Orochimaru-sama for the implantation of Shodaime Hokage’s cells in your body…”
Tsunade-hime frowned, “What do you mean?” and said, “As far as I know, Orochimaru has conducted in-depth research on Shodaime Hokage’s cells, that was the very reason he became a traitor. I too have conducted my own research, and after combining his research with mine, I believe it will be possible to successfully implant them into my body.”
“That is indeed the case, but can you fully trust Orochimaru-sama? What would you do if he were to take advantage of that moment of weakness and take control of your body? In fact, there’s currently a problem Orochimaru-sama is suffering from… not long ago, he had fought someone and died… well, not exactly died, but experienced something very close to death, his body was destroyed leaving behind only his soul… currently, his soul is living in someone else’s body, and he lacks a body… your body would be a good vessel for him, what would you do if he were to take over your body?” asked Kuroto.
Tsunade-hime’s expression became dark, “Does he dare do that?” She didn’t think that Orochimaru would dare to take control of her body, moreover, they still have decades of friendship to back up her thinking.
In response to Tsunade-hime’s question, Kuroto simply shrugged, “Is there anything he doesn’t dare do?” Having dealt with Orochimaru so many times, he knows Orochimaru better than anyone, he knows that there is nothing Orochimaru doesn’t dare do as long as it is useful for him. Of course, he knows that Orochimaru wouldn’t take over Tsunade-hime’s body since he has learned his lesson after his battle with Danzō and understands that taking over other people’s bodies would continue to weaken his soul, but Tsunade-hime doesn’t know this, nor does she need to know this.
Sure enough, hearing Kuroto’s question, Tsunade-hime became a little doubtful, and asked, “Will he?”
Kuroto said, “When it comes to Orochimaru, you never know what he is planning…” Even when dealing with Shimura Danzō’s Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual, Orochimaru secretly made preparations to take over his body, so Kuroto really thinks that when it comes to Orochimaru, they can never tell what he is planning.
“That is indeed true…” mumbled Tsunade-hime no longer as sure as she was until a while ago. Understanding that she might not be able to rely on Orochimaru for help, she became worried, “Then what to do? It might take too long for me to make the required progress on my research of Shodaime Hokage’s Cells… we might not have that amount of time on our hands…”
Noting Tsunade-hime’s worries, Kuroto smiled, and said, “Well, I do have a method that can work… I can help you. You’ll be able to immediately inherit Shodaime Hokage’s Wood Style without needing to contact Orochimaru-sama.”
Tsunade-hime looked at Kuroto in surprise, “You have a method? And I will be able to immediately inherit Wood Style immediately?” As if she suddenly realized something, she asked him, “Don’t tell me… you have also been researching Shodaime Hokage’s Cells.”
Kuroto nodded, “Yeah, kind of… I wanted to see what’s so special about those cells, so I did some of my own research, and I can guarantee that my research is quite thorough, it’s more than enough to successfully perform an implantation operation…” He paused for a moment to let Tsunade-hime digest this information, then added, “Of course, I don’t mind helping you implant those Cells, but I have a few conditions… if you agree to those conditions of mine, then we can have a deal.”
Tsunade-hime stared at Kuroto as she asked, “What conditions?”
In regard to Kuroto’s research capabilities, Tsunade-hime does have some trust, after all, the boy trained under Orochimaru, and even created the Yin seal that can be used by males too, so if Kuroto is so certain that he can help her, she is obviously willing to listen to him, as long as conditions are not too outrageous.
Kuroto chuckled, and said, “In the second phase of the Chūnin Exam, the Forest of Death was severely damaged. I have been asked to ‘donate’ the mission fees I had received for that secret mission Hiruzen-sama gave me before the Hokage election, obviously, I do not want to give back… even if you were in my place, you wouldn’t give back, right Tsunade-sama?”
“Of course, once taken, it cannot be given back!” Tsunade-hime nodded agreeing with Kuroto. When it comes to money, they both have similar lines of thinking.
“But well, I was a little distracted at that time, and ended up agreeing to Hiruzen-sama’s request, so it has to be given back…” added Kuroto with a deflated expression.
“Really?” Tsunade-hime was stunned and looked at Kuroto as if looking at a novice, “Hahaha… You still have a lot to learn, kid.” If it was her in Kuroto’s position, he wouldn’t have agreed at all, even if distracted.
“Yes… yes…” Kuroto didn’t disagree while thinking to himself, ‘She is right, Itachi still has a lot to learn,’ then quickly got back to the topic, “So, I was thinking… since Forest of Death has been damaged, the council will definitely focus on its restoration, after all its very important for the village. Restoration will take too many funds… hundreds of millions of Ryōs if not over a billion… but, what if we have a Wood Style user…”
“I see, it’s a great idea…” nodded Tsunade-hime picking up Kuroto’s intention.
Kuroto continued, “I’ll negotiate the deal with Hiruzen-sama, you’ll plant the trees, and I will take care of the fauna, then we will share the profits together.” And added, “You can leave the implantation operation on me, I can guarantee success, but I need you to keep my involvement in that operation a secret. These are my conditions; I think it’s a win-win for both of us…”
Tsunade-hime did not answer immediately, rather she looked at Kuroto with an extremely gentle smile that made Kuroto extremely vigilant. With that smile, she asked, “How much profit will I be getting?”
“We will divide it 70-30. I will be taking 70 percent, and you’ll be getting 30 percent…” said Kuroto.
Tsunade-hime’s expression immediately turned dark, as she said, “50-50.”
Kuroto shook his head, and suggested, “65-35.”
Tsunade-hime gritted her teeth, “55-45!”
“Let’s settle on 60-40… any more than that, and it wouldn’t work for me, after all, you are also getting Wood Style Kekkei Genkai… one shouldn’t be too greedy,” suggested Kuroto.
Tsunade-hime pondered for a while, and nodded, “Very well, kid, we have a deal!”
“It would be a pleasure to work with you, Tsunade-sama,” said Kuroto with a smile at the same time, thought to himself, ‘Well, the problem is solved now, I wouldn’t have to be covert about it either.’
In fact, even if he hadn’t struck a deal with Tsunade-hime, Kuroto had a plan in mind to solve the newly emerged problem. He was planning to give the task of the restoration of the forest to Itachi, Shisui, and Shinichi in the name of training. With the three of them working together, the flora of the forest of death will be restored for free, and he can keep the restoration fees in his pockets, but the problem with using Itachi, Shisui, and Shinichi for the restoration is that he would have to be very careful about it, lest others in the village would learn about it.
If people in the village were to discover that Itachi, Shisui, and Shinichi have been implanted with Hashirama Cells, it would lead to a lot of trouble, but there are no such problems with Tsunade-hime. Even if someone were to learn that Tsunade-hime has implanted Hashirama Cells, they would be happy that Konoha finally has a Wood Style user after such a long time, so using Tsunade-hime is naturally the best option for him.
As Kuroto sighed in relief, Tsunade-hime questioned, “So when are we going to perform the implantation operation?”
“How about tomorrow?” suggested Kuroto.
“Are you sure it can be performed tomorrow?” Tsunade-hime was surprised, she was expecting him to take about a month or two to prepare.
Kuroto nodded, “Yes.”
“Alright then, I will be ready tomorrow…” nodded Tsunade-hime. The sooner the implantation operation can be performed, the better it is for her; therefore, she had no problem, and asked, “Is there anything I need to be careful about or prepare in advance?”
“Nothing in particular…” mumbled Kuroto shaking his head, but suddenly, his eyes stopped on the diamond mark on Tsunade-hime’s forehead, and he said, “Uh… yes… it would be helpful if you were to empty all the Chakra in the Yin-seal before the implantation operation since you’d need to store excess Chakra that your body can’t handle at once into the Yin-seal.”
“Alright…” mumbled Tsunade-hime as she stroked the diamond mark on her forehead.
Kuroto explained a few other things to Tsunade-hime that she needed to take care of then left the Konoha Hospital and returned to his home.