Inside the Room

  Tsunade sat cross-legged on a wooden chair, her slender hands—adorned with red nail polish—idly toying with a scroll. Locking eyes with Shirou, she let out a cold smirk.

  "So, this is what you've been hiding?"

  "Are you sure there's nothing else you're concealing?"

  Facing Tsunade's sharp gaze, Shirou nodded frantically, his fear evident.

  "Captain Tsunade, I swear, I'm not hiding anything else! The information the elders passed along—it's about spies within the vilge pnning to assassinate you.

  They also intend to provoke discord between the Senju cn and the vilge…"

  But under Tsunade's calm, light-brown eyes, Shirou's voice faltered, trailing off into a whisper. In the end, he averted his gaze, unable to meet her unyielding stare.

  Seeing this, Tsunade's temper fred. Her anger surged, almost visibly simmering beneath her calm exterior.

  Shirou withholds such information!

  "Do you think dying would put an end to all of this? Spill everything. Now!"

  Her words were sharp, icy, and final as she stood, towering over him like a queen. Her light-brown eyes burned with fury.

  "Don't push me, Shirou!"

  Under her threatening gaze, Shirou's expression darkened as if he'd finally realized he could no longer keep his secret.

  Seeing his reluctant demeanor, Tsunade's stern expression gradually softened. Stepping forward, she gently ruffled the bck hair of Shirou who had, unknowingly, grown almost as tall as her now.

  "You've never been alone. Just like in that cave—I didn't abandon you then, and I won't now."

  Under her soothing words, Shirou lowered his head. In a hoarse voice, he began to reveal what he had been hiding.

  "According to the elders' intel, the Senju cn has become increasingly feared. After the war, some within the vilge pn to use experiments on the First Hokage's cells as a pretext to secretly purge part of the Senju cn.

  As for the White Fang incident, the specifics are unclear, but something's being pnned after the war ends…"

  Shirou carefully id out these two matters, his voice steady but heavy. He wasn't exaggerating—these were deductions drawn from limited intel. As a Naruto fan skilled in analysis, and a former top sales performer in his previous life, he understood the critical importance of information.

  In the original story, the Third Hokage had mentioned Konoha's secret research into the First Hokage's cells—sacrificing countless lives to revive Wood Release techniques.

  This likely didn't happen during the First Shinobi World War, when Konoha had been up against four other major vilges and the Senju cn was still a dominant force. For Konoha's leadership to undertake such experiments, the Senju cn must have tacitly agreed, indicating that the cn had already begun to decline.

  His inference aligned with history: such experiments likely occurred between the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, during the Senju cn's waning years.

  The death of White Fang and the failure of the Wood Release research had only further weakened the already fragile Senju cn, leaving the Hokage faction as the sole beneficiaries.

  "Damn it!"

  Tsunade erupted, smming her fist into the nearby wall. Her anger was raw, unrestrained.

  This was a long-conceived scheme!

  "Shirou, you hide this from me!"

  She gred furiously at Shirou, but as she gnced at the scroll in her hand, realization dawned. Shirou had been prepared to disappear with the truth, yet he had also chosen to warn her and the Senju cn.

  The Senju and the vilge hadn't changed; the truth had remained buried, with only one life sacrificed to keep it hidden.

  "Shirou!"

  Her anger surged again—not because of his secrecy, but because she realized how much Shirou had endured for her sake.

  "Well, you've certainly grown bold!"

  Tsunade said, her anger giving way to an ironic ugh.

  Shirou lowered his head in guilt, his hoarse voice trembling as he muttered, "I'm sorry. Everything I did was for the vilge."

  His words carried no falsehood. The vilge would undoubtedly conduct experiments with the First Hokage's cells, and the Senju cn would inevitably retaliate if they found out.

  He had simply chosen to reveal the truth earlier, hoping to prevent further tragedy.

  Before he could apologize further, Tsunade stepped forward and pulled him into a warm embrace. Her eyes reflected a mix of complex emotions—guilt, sorrow, and pride.

  "You've done nothing wrong."

  In her eyes, Shirou had borne everything—for the vilge, for the cn—even at the cost of his innocence.

  And it had all started with her. From the moment of Nawaki's death, Shirou, consumed by guilt, had awakened his Sharingan. Since then, he had become a double agent for both the Uchiha and Senju cns, spiraling deeper into darkness with every secret he uncovered.

  He longed for the light but had never taken a step toward it, choosing instead to bury the darkness within himself.

  Tsunade felt it was her fault. A once-carefree boy had become a solemn, restrained young man.

  For someone as strong-willed as her, being protected by Shirou stirred emotions she couldn't ignore.

  Suddenly, she noticed Shirou's flushed face and his awkward attempts to push her away. Lowering her gaze, she realized the cause—and smirked mischievously.

  "Looks like you've grown up, brat."

  She released him, and Shirou stepped back, gasping awkwardly. Her teasing tone lightened the mood, defusing the tension.

  "Captain Tsunade—"

  Before he could continue, Tsunade grasped his chin. Her pyful expression gave way to sincerity.

  "Shirou, you were never a repcement."

  The matter of Nawaki remained unspoken, but at that moment, Tsunade's emotions were genuine. No longer driven by ulterior motives, she felt only guilt, self-reproach, and heartfelt concern for Shirou.

  Feeling something warm touch his forehead, Shirou froze, his eyes widening in shock.

  "Shirou, thank you for the birthday gift."

  For once, Tsunade—so often commanding and authoritative—smiled warmly, like a kindhearted elder sister. She lifted the scroll in her hand, showing her gratitude.

  Who could reject a boy who had sacrificed everything for the vilge, even preparing a thoughtful birthday gift for her?

  The scroll contained an original A-rank jutsu he had created. Though it carried some ulterior motives—reminding her of the Uchiha cn's contributions—it also reflected his sincerity.

  "Captain Tsunade—"

  Noticing her teasing but tender gaze, Shirou softened his tone, correcting himself,

  "Sister Tsunade, happy birthday."

  It was August 2nd—Tsunade's birthday, and the day they returned to Konoha after narrowly escaping death in the Land of Grass.