Chapter 357

Shikkotsu Forest.

Because Tsunade's injuries had not yet healed, Mizunuki Ryosuke and Tsunade were still lingering in Shikkotsu Forest.

Since the day the two opened their hearts to each other, three more days had passed.

Over the past three days, the two had learned much more about each other.

During this period, neither of them mentioned their respective identities, as if everything before had never happened, and the two were just the most ordinary of friends.

Tsunade was no longer the Senju Princess of Konoha, and Ryosuke had also set aside the heavy responsibilities of the Fourth Mizukage.

The thing that happened most every day was Mizunuki Ryosuke telling Tsunade all kinds of experiences and stories.

At this moment, the two were searching for food in Shikkotsu Forest.

For the past three days, the food they had eaten the most was the mushrooms of Shikkotsu Forest.

Shikkotsu Forest was a quite magical place; the air here was extremely humid, and misty fog often appeared in the air.

Thanks to the humid environment of Shikkotsu Forest, the fungi here were also exceptionally lush.

"690"...

"In my hometown, people say that above the clouds, there is a place called the 'Celestial Palace'."

"That is where the immortals live."

"Whether it is the morning glow or the dusk, they are all brocades made by the fairies."

"Wind, rain, and thunder are because the immortals above the clouds have used their magic."

Ryosuke casually picked a pure white mushroom from the ground and put it into the basket, then smiled lightly and slowly told the story passed down from his previous life to Tsunade beside him.

"In the sky?"

A hint of yearning flashed in Tsunade's eyes.

"Then how do the immortals live?"

The topic Ryosuke brought up piqued Tsunade's interest; she tilted her head and asked Ryosuke, her emerald eyes filled with curiosity.

"The lives of the immortals might not be as wonderful as you imagine."

"Any immortal living in the Celestial Palace must cut off the seven emotions and six desires of being human."

"Besides that, they also have numerous complicated jobs, and once a mistake is made in their work, they will be subjected to harsh punishment."

"There was a general who was even banished to the mortal world just because he broke the Jade Emperor's wine cup."

Mizunuki Ryosuke's account was like a bucket of cold water for Tsunade, causing Tsunade, who originally had beautiful fantasies, to have her illusions shattered directly.

"How could it be like that?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Tsunade's eyes; in her imagination, the Celestial Palace where the immortals resided should have been a place full of romance and carefree living.

"Then let me tell you a story."

"In the sky, there was a fairy; she was the daughter of the Queen Mother, and she had the duty of weaving the clouds and mist."

Mizunuki Ryosuke recounted the legend of the "Cowherd and the Weaver Girl," which was widely circulated in the China of his previous life, to Tsunade.

At first, Tsunade listened with great interest, thinking that the end would be a happy ending where the fairy and the mortal lived carefree lives together.

When she heard at the end that the Weaver Girl was caught and taken back to the Celestial Palace to be imprisoned, and the Cowherd chased after her with deep affection but was blocked by the Heavenly River drawn by the Queen Mother, Tsunade's mood became inexplicably low.

"In the end, the Queen Mother only allowed the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl to meet on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month each year."

"Riding a bridge made of magpies, they would have a brief reunion to pour out their longing and suffering."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said while walking forward naturally, but in his eyes, there was a hint of profundity hidden.

"Why would it be like this?"

Tsunade murmured to herself in a low voice, her emerald eyes already filled with disappointment.

She bit her full red lips gently with her teeth and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

At this moment, Tsunade suddenly thought, aren't she and Mizunuki Ryosuke before her just the same?

The prejudices of the Ninja World, the differences in camps—aren't these just a "Heavenly River" separating the two?

Could it be that their fates are also destined to be like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in Ryosuke's story? Only able to wish each other well after a long time, under the charity of others.

Seeing Tsunade stop in her tracks, Mizunuki Ryosuke also stopped and turned his head, looking at Tsunade with great concern.

"I—"

Tsunade prepared to say something, but when the words reached her lips, she suddenly lacked the courage to say them out loud.

"No, it's nothing."

Looking at Ryosuke's concerned expression, Tsunade could only respond with a forced smile.

"That's good."

Seeing this, although Ryosuke said it was fine, his eyes became increasingly profound.

"The mushrooms are picked enough."

"Shall we go back?"

Mizunuki Ryosuke smiled and said to Tsunade beside him.

"Okay."

To this, Tsunade just nodded gently.

The two returned to the tree fort with ease; over the past few days, the two had repeated this journey many times.

In the tree fort, Ryosuke skillfully cleaned, processed, and cooked the mushrooms they had picked.

On the other side, Tsunade just stared blankly at Ryosuke as he busied himself.

While preparing their dinner, Mizunuki Ryosuke seemed to recall that day when he had the good fortune to taste the food Tsunade had prepared...