Chapter 60: Gift

"Master Tsunade, Master Jiraiya, are you both okay?"

By the time Sato and Karin arrived, Tsunade had already rescued Shizune, Jiraiya, and Naruto. It was evident how far the sea of trees had pushed them.

Observing Tsunade and the others, who had avoided being crushed by the branches of the sea of trees, Sato pretended to feel relieved. With a little worry, he asked, "Master Tsunade, Master Jiraiya, Miss Shizune, Naruto, are all of you alright?"

Tsunade didn't respond to his question but instead walked towards Sato. She embraced him just as she had done with Karin the previous night, holding his head against her firm chest.

For the first time in his two lifetimes, Sato experienced the warmth of Tsunade's embrace.

Tsunade appeared as strong as she was the previous night, but her tone couldn't hide her excitement as she said, "Don't call me 'Master Tsunade' anymore. From today on, both you and Karin will call me sister."

"Elder sister?" Sato exclaimed.

Before Sato or Karin could respond, Naruto, who was nearby, blurted out unconsciously, "Sato is the same age as me, shouldn't he also call Tsunade... woooo!!"

But before Naruto could finish his sentence, Jiraiya covered his mouth.

Jiraiya crouched down, whispered in Naruto's ear, and reprimanded him, "Idiot, don't say such things right now, or I won't be able to save you!"

Jiraiya never forgot the punch Tsunade had given him in the past.

Due to Sato's appearance, Naruto and Tsunade didn't have their bet the previous night, and Naruto wasn't the one who convinced Tsunade.

If it weren't for Naruto's special status as the son of Uzumaki Kushina, he wouldn't have been allowed to call Tsunade "grandma".

Now Naruto wanted Tsunade's companions to refer to her as their grandma. Jiraiya was certain that Tsunade would go berserk.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was happy for Tsunade as well.

Sato and Karin's arrival, along with the creation of the forest by Wood Style, allowed Tsunade, who had lost "everything," to find "everything" again. It marked her self-redemption and overcoming of her blood phobia.

Tsunade's radiance now resembled her appearance before she suffered from blood phobia.

This was also Jiraiya's favorite version of Tsunade.

"Tsunade... sister," Sato said awkwardly after freeing himself from Tsunade's embrace.

This awkwardness was genuine, not an act.

Considering both his current life and the twenty-five years of his previous life, Sato, who had experienced two lifetimes as a man, was only thirty-seven years old.

Tsunade, on the other hand, was fifty-one or fifty-two years old, making her a full generation older than Sato.

Fortunately, Tsunade possessed the Strength of a Hundred Technique, which made her appear as if she were in her thirties, allowing Sato to address her as such.

If Tsunade appeared old and wrinkled, even if she were the future Fifth Hokage, Sato wouldn't be able to address her in such a manner.

Indeed, beauty is valued in any world.

This thought crossed Sato's mind.

"So cute!" Tsunade exclaimed, paying no mind to Sato's awkwardness. She happily held Sato's head and kissed his forehead passionately.

Then, to Jiraiya's envy, Tsunade removed a necklace from her neck, placed it around Sato's neck, and said with a smile, "This necklace belonged to my grandfather, the founder of Konoha, and also the First Hokage. It's one of the relics he left behind. I'm giving it to you now."

"That means... my parents are actually descendants of the Senju clan?" Sato asked, touching the necklace around his neck, feigning complexity.

"Yes, exactly," Tsunade affirmed, providing Sato with a brief explanation of the Senju family. She said, "Since my grandfather founded Konoha, the Senju family no longer carries the surname Senju."

"Not only me, but even my younger brother also doesn't have the surname Senju."

"After the Senju clan disappeared, the ninja world believed that the only remaining Senju member was me, the 'Princess of Konoha.'"

"However, the Senju clan didn't vanish; it merged completely with Konoha."

"It's all part of Konoha, including you!"

Tsunade's final words left Sato wide-eyed with surprise.

So that's why there was no mention of the Senju family's disappearance in the memories of the Senju clan. This was the reason behind it all.

Is this the grand design at work?

"By the way, I have something else to give you," Tsunade continued, recalling something. She took a few steps back, bit her thumb, and performed a summoning jutsu. A large white mist appeared, summoning a Katsuyu twice the size of Tsunade.

"Master Tsunade, did you summon me yourself? Has your hemophobia been cured?" Katsuyu asked, delighted to see Tsunade calling for her.

"Long time no see, Katsuyu," Tsunade greeted with embarrassment, scratching her head like a child. Then she got straight to the point, saying, "My phobia has been cured. I summoned you to retrieve the Wood Style scroll stored in your separated body."

"I see, the Wood Style scroll," Katsuyu responded, unable to discern her thoughts without visible eyes. Nonetheless, she seemed pleased and produced a large, slimy scroll from her body.

"Thank you, Katsuyu. I will visit you when I have the chance," Tsunade expressed her gratitude.

"I look forward to your visit, Master Tsunade," Katsuyu replied before releasing the summoning jutsu and returning to the Shikkotsu Forest, one of the three holy places.

Picking up the Wood Style scroll from the ground, Tsunade disregarded the slime on it. She handed it to Sato and said, "This is my grandfather's original Wood Style scroll. It contains the Forbidden Techniques Library in the Hokage Building and the Wood Style from the Sealed Book. Consider those as backups."

"Now, I present this Wood Style scroll to you. I hope you can use it to remind the ninja world of Konoha's symbol and revive the glory of the Senju clan."

"I understand, sister Tsunade," Sato solemnly accepted the Wood Style scroll, comfortably referring to her as "sister."

Sato didn't anticipate receiving two significant gifts from Tsunade right after "admitting" to being her brother. While he could acquire the Wood Style scroll directly from Senju Hashirama through the Impure World Reincarnation technique without any training or development, having Tsunade's original scroll was crucial to Sato.

With the endorsement of the Wood Style scroll, Sato no longer needed to suppress his Wood release. He could freely utilize any Wood Style ninjutsu he desired. Even the most extraordinary Wood Style techniques would only make Tsunade, who bestowed the original scroll upon him, regard him as an exceptionally talented individual.

Hence, Sato felt that recognizing Tsunade as his sister was worthwhile.

So, this is what it feels like to have a powerful backing!

From that point on, Sato's potential skyrocketed from an illusion-type Jōnin to the pinnacle of the Five Kages and beyond.