Chapter 77: The Golden Twin-Tailed Girl! Tsunade

No matter how hostile Minato had once been toward Luo Fu.

But after absorbing Luo Fu’s blood and completing her own transformation, Minato could not help but develop an inexplicable fondness for Luo Fu, rooted deep in her bloodline.

This fondness, combined with Luo Fu’s killing of Samui Hanzo to avenge Mihara, also lifted the dire threat of pursuit by the Rain Village that had haunted Uzumaki Nagato and Minato.

Add to this Luo Fu’s teasing of Uzumaki Nagato, and Minato’s cheeks flushed faintly red.

A faint, elusive affection began to take root within her heart.

This affection was like a seed, taking hold deep within Minato’s soul, destined to grow into a towering tree in a short time.

And when that time came, Minato would become a wedge, deeply embedded within the Akatsuki, for Luo Fu.

Providing the greatest possible aid for Luo Fu’s further bid to seize control of the Akatsuki.

The reason Luo Fu cared so much about the Akatsuki was certainly not because Minato was beautiful or suited his tastes—he was a total control freak.

In the ninja world, if chakra weight were ranked, the absolute highest was Kaguya Otsutsuki, the progenitor of chakra, followed by the Six Paths siblings.

But there were several other unique beings whose weight was no less than that of the Six Paths.

These were the Nine Tailed Beasts, split from the Ten-Tails Tree by the Six Paths.

At this stage, the Nine Tailed Beasts were absolute taboos among the ninja villages; unless Luo Fu wished to become an enemy of the entire ninja world, he had virtually no chance to come into contact with them.

The only opportunity that gave Luo Fu a chance to interact with the most Tailed Beasts was the Akatsuki.

Before the Fourth Shinobi World War erupted, the Akatsuki had captured all seven Tailed Beasts except the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails.

This was why Luo Fu was willing to take even slight risks to engage with the Akatsuki—and now was the best possible moment to do so.

The original Akatsuki had been nearly annihilated, leaving only Uzumaki Nagato and Minato.

Minato had not yet perfected her Paper Release technique and could not yet unleash the terrifying combat power she would later possess; Uzumaki Nagato’s legs had been blown off, his summoning of the Outer Path: Shuriken had nearly drained his chakra, Mihara was dead, and none of the Six Paths Puppets had been created yet.

In short, this was the weakest moment for Minato and her companions since they had begun training under Jiraiya—a perfect time for Luo Fu to strike.

This opportunity had been created by Uchiha Obito; once missed, it would never come again.

After Luo Fu clearly expressed his weakness—that for Minato, he would abandon the Rinnegan—even Uzumaki Nagato began to view him differently.

Of course, objectively speaking, Luo Fu’s kind—powerful yet willing to forsake the Rinnegan for a woman—was something Uzumaki Nagato’s worldview could never truly accept.

But when such a man stood beside Minato, especially after they had just endured betrayal and deeply felt the darkness of the ninja world,

Luo Fu, powerful, uninterested in the Rinnegan, and even avenging Mihara, gained Uzumaki Nagato’s trust far faster than Uchiha Obito ever could.

After their relationship softened due to Minato, Luo Fu truly had no desire to continue associating with Uzumaki Nagato, a walking disaster.

Not to mention the countless spores hidden throughout Uzumaki Nagato’s body—even his internal organs—and the unknown origins of the Six Paths Sage himself were enough to make Luo Fu avoid Uzumaki Nagato as much as possible, unless he truly had the power to overturn the table!

Luo Fu changed the subject: “Nagato, Itachi should retrieve that corpse puppet as soon as possible. As for Minato, I’ll take her with me—I still need to teach her some things after her transformation.”

Before Uzumaki Nagato could speak, Minato was the first to reject Luo Fu’s proposal.

After a moment’s hesitation, Minato said reluctantly, “I can’t leave Nagato now.”

At that moment, her gaze pleaded with Luo Fu: “I must stay by Nagato’s side for a while—at least until he recovers.”

Luo Fu paused briefly, then nodded in response to her request, as Minato watched him with anxious eyes.

Even if Minato had willingly left with Luo Fu now, he still had no way to properly arrange for her.

He was about to return to the village immediately, and would inevitably clash with the Konoha F4.

This period would last until after the Nine-Tails’ Attack; neither Minato nor Ye Cang were suitable to remain by Luo Fu’s side.

Besides, Luo Fu had already imprinted the Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan onto his ocular position.

This was a divine technique capable of effortlessly piercing Konoha’s defensive barrier, allowing Obito to come and go freely without detection.

With Kamui Mangekyo, Luo Fu could leave Konoha at any moment and instantly appear in the Land of Rain.

“Very well. Your current state is truly worrying. Since Itachi’ve decided to rebuild the Akatsuki, let Ye Cang stay with Itachi to lend a hand.”

After Luo Fu revealed to Uzumaki Nagato and Minato how Ye Cang had been betrayed by the Sand Village—and even deliberately sacrificed as a hero to be killed by the Mist Village—

Both of them felt a deep sense of empathy toward Ye Cang.

In a certain sense, Ye Cang’s betrayal by the Sand Village mirrored their own betrayal by Samui Hanzo of the Rain Village.

They were all victims shrouded by the darkness of the ninja villages.

“What about Itachi?” Minato asked, unconcerned: “If Ye Cang stays with us, what will Itachi do?”

Uzumaki Nagato, seeing this, felt both relief and sorrow.

The three of them had grown up together since childhood.

This lifelong friendship had already begun to show signs of decay when they were deceived by Samui Hanzo.

Unfortunately, the moment Minato and Mihara had begun to develop feelings for each other, that seed was instantly erased by Mihara’s death.

After this blow, both Minato and Uzumaki Nagato had their personalities twisted by hatred.

Seeing Minato so quickly drawn to Luo Fu—even falling for this womanizer—Uzumaki Nagato felt a pang of sorrow, yet also relief that Minato had found her own happiness.

“Me?” Luo Fu chuckled. He glanced toward the Land of Fire. “I’m a Konoha ninja, and a hero of the Third Shinobi World War. Naturally, I must return to the village to claim the honor I deserve.”

“Konoha?” Uzumaki Nagato’s expression changed instantly. In his life, aside from his brief years with Jiraiya, everything tied to Konoha had brought him nothing but misfortune.

As a child, his parents were killed by Konoha ninja; even recently, Samui Hanzo’s deception had been aided by the Hand of the Shinobi Darkness.

In short, Uzumaki Nagato bore a deep, unforgettable hatred toward Konoha.

In the future, Uzumaki Nagato would kill Jiraiya without hesitation precisely because Jiraiya was a Konoha ninja, standing on the opposite side.

And now, Luo Fu was also a Konoha ninja.

After a moment of silence, Uzumaki Nagato said: “Itachi’ve surely felt the darkness of the ninja villages. Then why not stay and rebuild the Akatsuki? Samui Hanzo is dead. Once I recover, we’ll take the Rain Village soon. For Minato’s sake, won’t Itachi stay in the Rain Village?”

Under Uzumaki Nagato’s hopeful gaze, Luo Fu simply shook his head. “The Uchiha clan are founding elders of Konoha. Even if I leave Konoha, I must take what belongs to me.”

Uzumaki Nagato smiled.

Luo Fu’s words meant he was no longer aligned with Konoha.

Uzumaki Nagato targeted Konoha, especially its dark representative, Danzo Shimura—but ordinary ninja, if they didn’t cross his path, he had no intention of exterminating them.

After all, fundamentally, Uzumaki Nagato was not a cruel man.

After confirming Luo Fu’s stance, Uzumaki Nagato finally let go of his last lingering doubts about him.

Though Ye Cang felt reluctant to leave Luo Fu, compared to the potential dangers of accompanying him to Konoha, she could only choose to part from him temporarily.

She remained in the Rain Village as an elder to help rebuild the Akatsuki.

After bidding farewell to Uzumaki Nagato, Minato, and the others, Luo Fu headed straight toward the Land of Fire.

As the Third Shinobi World War gradually faded,

the election for the Fourth Hokage in Konoha grew increasingly heated.

As expected, Orochimaru, once the top contender, inexplicably lost to the newly risen prodigy, the Golden Flash, Minato Namikaze.

Even among the Hokage candidates, Uchiha Luo Fu—the rising star known as the Fang of Light—gained more public support than Orochimaru, thanks to Uchiha clan backing.

Luo Fu, having just arrived in the Land of Fire, sat briefly in a small tavern for a meal, and already heard most of the election results.

After all, the Hokage succession was the most watched event in the Land of Fire—and indeed the entire ninja world.

Though he had long suspected foul play in the Hokage selection, Luo Fu was still stunned by the Konoha F4’s underhanded tactics.

Before Orochimaru’s defection from Konoha, he was unquestionably the only candidate truly qualified to become Hokage.

But Orochimaru lacked the qualities of Jiraiya and Tsunade. Jiraiya was a carefree fool—or rather, though powerful, he had no real supporters. Tsunade’s status had plummeted after the destruction of the Senju clan.

Only Orochimaru had his own established faction.

No matter how twisted and dark his personality, his charisma was undeniable.

Just look at how, after defecting from Konoha, he built the Sound Village into a formidable force within just a few years.

Remember, the Sound Village was founded by Orochimaru after his second defection from the Akatsuki. In barely a few years, it even received an invitation to the Chunin Exams, and nearly all its ninja worshipped Orochimaru like fanatical disciples.

Countless children he lured away were willing to sacrifice their lives to fulfill his dreams.

Then how many staunch supporters did Orochimaru have in Konoha, from childhood onward?

Even Anko Mitarashi, who was harshly interrogated after Orochimaru’s defection, hated him not for betraying Konoha, but for abandoning her.

A Hokage candidate like Orochimaru—with deep roots and massive support in Konoha—was something the Konoha F4 could never allow to ascend.

Once Orochimaru became Hokage, even the former Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura of the Root, and the two Elders would be swiftly sidelined.

Compared to Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze—a commoner, student of Jiraiya (who offered no support), and a direct disciple of the Hokage lineage—was the perfect candidate for the Konoha F4.

Sitting in the tavern, Luo Fu listened with interest as countless people debated Minato Namikaze’s election as Fourth Hokage.

The next moment, Luo Fu’s gaze sharpened.

In his line of sight, a petite girl drank freely, her golden hair tied into twin tails—appearing no more than an underage child.

Beside this golden-haired girl stood a black-haired girl Luo Fu recognized instantly, hugging a pet pig, her face filled with worry.

“Katon Shizune?” Luo Fu instantly recognized her as a classmate of Kakashi and Uchiha Obito, and deduced the identity of the golden-tailed girl.

Hashirama Tsunade.

Of course, the current Hashirama Tsunade was likely drowning in debt and using a transformation technique to evade creditors—hence her current appearance as a golden-tailed little girl.

As if sensing Luo Fu’s gaze,

Tsunade, still under her transformation, blinked dazedly, her cheeks flushed with wine, and looked toward Luo Fu.

“Kid, what are Itachi staring at?”

Tsunade was clearly irritated; Luo Fu could guess the cause: the mindless chatter around her in the tavern.

The Hokage succession they discussed was Tsunade’s eternal pain.

“Luo Fu?” Katon Shizune, as if noticing Luo Fu for the first time, hurried to Tsunade’s ear and whispered: “Tsunade-sama, this man staring at Itachi is Uchiha Luo Fu of the Uchiha clan—the second great swordmaster since the White Fang.”

Logically, Katon Shizune and Luo Fu belonged to entirely different generations.

Age-wise, Luo Fu was of the parental generation to Naruto’s group of Konoha’s Twelve Strong, while Kakashi and Katon Shizune were a generation younger than Minato and Luo Fu.

Katon Shizune shouldn’t have recognized Luo Fu so quickly.

But in truth, after awakening his past-life memories, Luo Fu had seriously considered becoming Kato Dan’s disciple, seeking a way to enhance his Sharingan—after all, Kato Dan’s Spirit Transformation Technique was essentially a form of Yin Release.

It was during that time spent with Kato Dan that Luo Fu met Kato Shizune.

The fact that Luo Fu, an Uchiha, neglected his bloodline limit and instead pursued the Yin Release technique of Spirit Transformation left a deep impression on Kato Shizune.

“An Uchiha?” asked Tsunade, in her golden-haired twin-tailed little girl form, frowning at once.

In Tsunade’s current heart, she held no fondness even for Hidden Leaf ninja, let alone the Uchiha clan, which had been enemies of the Senju for a thousand years.

Upon learning Luo Fu’s identity from Kato Shizune, the flush of drunkenness vanished from Tsunade’s face in moments, and she quickly snapped out of her half-drunk state.

“Bad luck,” Tsunade glared at Luo Fu, then stood up. “Shizune, let’s go. Hidden Leaf ninja are already a nuisance—let alone an Uchiha!”

Just as Tsunade rose to leave—

Luo Fu suddenly smiled strangely.

The Seven Sins Eye, partially obscured by his falling hair, slowly opened a sliver so fine it was nearly imperceptible.

Wrath, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, descended upon Tsunade silently and unseen.

Though Tsunade was called the “Big Fat Sheep” of the ninja world, in Luo Fu’s view, the Sin most easily triggered in her was not greed—but wrath.

Ever since leaving the Hidden Leaf Village, Tsunade had constantly suppressed the fire of rage within her heart.

The deaths of her younger brother, Senju Shukaku, and her lover, Kato Dan, along with a series of tragedies, had piled unbearable resentment against the Hidden Leaf within Tsunade Senju’s soul.

That was why, despite being one of the Legendary Sannin, the famed Tsunade-hime, granddaughter of Senju Hashirama, she harbored hostility toward Hidden Leaf ninja—even toward her former comrade Jiraiya, she treated him with cold mockery.

In Luo Fu’s view, Tsunade’s so-called hematophobia, caused by witnessing her brother and lover’s deaths, was merely an excuse.

Never forget: Tsunade was the one who laid the foundation for ninja medical techniques.

Ninety-nine percent of ninja were mentally deranged.

Orochimaru routinely experimented on living people; Tsunade, in developing medical ninjutsu, had witnessed countless scenes of life, death, and blood.

For her, seeing blood was more ordinary than eating or drinking. Even if she witnessed her dearest loved ones die from eating or drinking, no one would fear such normal physiological needs.

The only explanation: hematophobia was an excuse—that was why Tsunade refused to return to the Hidden Leaf, and why she harbored such deep resentment and hatred toward its ninja.

She didn’t necessarily hate the Hidden Leaf ninja themselves—even toward the Hidden Leaf Four, her feelings were more like frustration at their failure to live up to potential.

After all, the Third Hokage was her master, yet his actions, cloaked in the Hidden Leaf’s name, inflicted the greatest pain upon her—that was why she could never accept it.

Now, Luo Fu intended to test his hypothesis.

If hematophobia was fake, then it meant Luo Fu could bring Tsunade into his plan.

In the instant the power of the Seven Deadly Sins invaded her, Tsunade froze mid-step, turned back, and swept her gaze—filled with murderous intent—across the entire tavern.

The Seven Sins Eye, a Blood Demon Art from the Demon Slayer world, after being shared by Uchiha Luo Fu, had been transformed into a unique ninja technique.

At the very least, Tsunade sensed an abnormal chakra fluctuation.

But such a method—directly provoking or manipulating another’s emotions—was exceedingly rare in the ninja world; even Tsunade had never encountered anything like it.

She felt manipulated, yet had no idea of the opponent’s intent. As a medical ninja, she knew something was wrong—she’d been struck by an unknown technique—but her chakra scan revealed nothing amiss.

This very sensation—feeling something, yet unable to detect it—was like a spark, continually stoking Tsunade’s rage.

It made her even angrier.

Not enough!

Luo Fu thought inwardly, then intensified his use of the Seven Deadly Sins’ power to stoke Tsunade’s fury.

Soon, under extreme rage, Tsunade’s eyes began to redden with blood.

She took a deep breath. Her petite golden-haired twin-tailed girl form vanished; her pale, delicate fists crackled with terrifying chakra as she slammed one into the floor by the tavern entrance.

BOOM!!

The monstrous strength of her punch shattered the earth instantly, carving a massive crater, spreading cracks across the ground.

Even the tavern building shook from the force of her blow.

“Damn bastard, come out and face me!” Tsunade glared at every patron in the tavern. “Who is it? Show yourself!!”

“T…The Big Fat Sheep!! No! It’s… it’s Tsunade-hime!!”

In her rage, Tsunade hadn’t fully lost her reason—but she’d lost all composure.

She didn’t notice that her outburst had little effect on normal ninja, but had injured ordinary civilians.

For instance, a middle-aged man seated near the tavern entrance had a one-inch-long gash across his cheek from a shard of stone flung up by her punch—blood streamed down his face, right beside Tsunade—but she showed not a flicker of fear.

Remember: during her search for the culprit, this blood-covered man had repeatedly crossed her line of sight.

Indeed, Luo Fu thought inwardly—Tsunade’s hematophobia was nothing but an excuse to deceive the Hidden Leaf.

Such an excuse only fooled those unaware of the truth.

To any truly intelligent person, Tsunade’s trick was as obvious as lice on a monk’s head.

After scanning the room for a long time, she still couldn’t find the culprit.

In her rage, Tsunade quickly locked onto Luo Fu.

Though uncertain if he was responsible, with no other suspects, Luo Fu—a Hidden Leaf ninja and an Uchiha—would simply have to bear the blame.

She strode toward Luo Fu and growled: “Kid, Itachi were staring at me just now—was it Itachi?”

Luo Fu smiled faintly and stood. “Lady Tsunade, I don’t know what Itachi mean. I was simply returning to the village and happened to meet Itachi in this tavern.”

“Don’t play the fool with me,” Tsunade clenched her fist and swung it straight at Luo Fu.

If initially Tsunade had merely intended to vent her anger on Luo Fu because of his Uchiha and Hidden Leaf identity—

Then his answer was like a bright flag declaring: “It was me.”

Facing Tsunade’s terrifying, monstrous punch—

The tavern patrons, already terrified, now scrambled wildly toward the exit.

But Luo Fu, facing Tsunade directly, as her fist neared his face, silently transformed his eyes into a Mangekyo Sharingan.

Tsunade had merely intended to vent her anger on Luo Fu; though her punch carried immense force—

Its true intent was more intimidation than lethal harm.

Especially upon seeing Luo Fu stand his ground, though her rage intensified, she still retained reason—she meant to teach him a lesson, not kill him.

In the instant before impact, Tsunade instantly reduced the punch’s power by ninety-nine percent.

Even so, this blow might hurt a civilian—but for a ninja, it would merely sting.

The moment her fist made contact, Tsunade’s expression changed instantly—her punch missed, and her center of gravity nearly collapsed.

Tsunade staggered, quickly regained her balance, and glared at Luo Fu: “What ability is this? Your eyes…”

Knowing Luo Fu was an Uchiha, how could Tsunade ignore his Sharingan?

If before she hadn’t understood his ability—

Then seeing his Sharingan, so unlike the normal form—

Her mind instantly recalled her grandfather’s research notes on Uchiha Sharingan.

Her expression turned grave. She spoke slowly, each word deliberate: “Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi’ve awakened eyes like Madara Uchiha’s. The entire ninja world has been deceived—Itachi, an Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo, is falsely regarded as a swordmaster rivaling the White Fang of the Hidden Leaf.”

“Lady Tsunade, your insight is remarkable.” After confirming Tsunade was no naive fool but a sharp woman, Luo Fu felt a sudden urge to recruit her.

After all, she bore the Senju name. Even if she hadn’t awakened the Senju’s Wood Release, the Senju clan’s formidable physiology had forged her into a powerful Kage-level ninja, and her medical ninjutsu had ushered in a new era.

Merely her bloodline, strength, and future status as the Fifth Hokage were enough to make Luo Fu set his sights on her.

As if sensing something, Tsunade stared at Luo Fu: “Itachi planned this? I never expected that merely coming here for a drink on a whim would lead me to Itachi.”

Slowly, she retracted her chakra and sat down across from Luo Fu.

In the tavern, after Tsunade’s explosive punch—

The only table left intact was the one before Luo Fu.

Other tables, though undamaged, were littered with shattered plates, cups, and bottles—chaos everywhere.

Only now did Tsunade notice the oddity of Luo Fu’s table. She sneered: “Itachi were waiting for me to lose my temper, weren’t Itachi? Your Mangekyo—one manipulates emotion, triggering rage; the other, just now, was that illusionary evasion?”

“So Lady Tsunade is more curious about my power?” Luo Fu replied with a question.

“I don’t care what Itachi do, as long as it doesn’t involve me. But if Itachi dare scheme against me…” Tsunade held up her clenched fist before Luo Fu. “I’ll show Itachi what a Strength Punch feels like.”

“Lady Tsunade, rest assured—I have no interest in feeling a Strength Punch myself,” Luo Fu replied obediently.

Tsunade nodded slightly, snatched Luo Fu’s wine flask, poured herself a cup, then said: “Speak. Why go through all this trouble to find me? What do Itachi want?”

Luo Fu gave her a strange look. “Lady Tsunade, why can’t Itachi believe that this time, I truly just happened to meet Itachi here?”

Tsunade sneered. “Do Itachi think I’m stupid?”

“Lady Tsunade, who could deceive the Third Hokage and others—how could Itachi be stupid?” Luo Fu shook his head.

“If Itachi know I’m not stupid, then be direct!” Tsunade slammed her fist on the table, leaning forward with overwhelming pressure. “What do Itachi want from me? Don’t think your eyes give Itachi the right to play games with me.”

Seeing Tsunade firmly convinced he had come here with intent, Luo Fu sighed inwardly. “Lady Tsunade, though I know Itachi won’t believe me, the truth is—we really did just happen to meet here.”

“The Hidden Leaf’s Star Fang—a Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo and hid it. After completing your mission in the Land of Water, Itachi vanished without a trace—then Itachi appear before me and claim it’s coincidence? Do Itachi take me for a fool? If Itachi don’t speak plainly, I’ll make Itachi regret it!”

Luo Fu sighed inwardly—he knew now, no matter what he said, Tsunade wouldn’t believe him.

Not just someone like Tsunade, already wary of the Hidden Leaf—even ordinary people trusted their own reasoning over explanations from someone they suspected.

Since explanation was useless, Luo Fu decided to offer a plausible excuse.

After a moment’s thought, he said: “Lady Tsunade, the entire ninja world is curious about the Hokage succession. What do Itachi think?”

“Think? A fool tricked by a con artist,” Tsunade scoffed dismissively.

Yes, though Minato Namikaze appeared the obvious choice for Fourth Hokage, in Tsunade’s eyes, he was merely a fool deceived.

The one who deceived him: the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Mizukami En, and Tōno Koharu—the four old vultures.

Tsunade saw clearly: Minato, as foolish as he was, would be manipulated even as Hokage—nothing more than a puppet with a title.

(End of Chapter)