Chapter 101: I’ll be the Hokage when these old people die

(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)

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One of the legendary Sannin, Princess Tsunade Senju, unexpectedly returned to Konoha.

This surprising news had undoubtedly injected a much-needed boost of hope for Konoha, which was currently struggling.

Some people were excitedly boiling with anticipation, while others were gritting their teeth in frustration.

Meanwhile, in the hidden base of Root…

*Crash!*

Danzo angrily swept away the delicate teacup in front of him and cursed loudly.

"Since you willingly left the village, you should have never come back! Why do you want to return now and fight for the Hokage seat against me?!"

He had naively imagined that since Tsunade had left long ago, she wouldn't be interested in leading Konoha anymore.

Just like the traitorous Orochimaru.

Unexpectedly, in less than a week, Jiraiya miraculously brought her back.

This unexpected development shattered his long-held Hokage dream yet again.

"Jiraiya! Kamiyo Colt!"

In the dark, gloomy room, Danzo's angry wailing echoed hauntingly like a vengeful ghost.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage Office:

Tsunade, who had just dealt impatiently with that mischievous brat Konohamaru, was also yelling frustratedly.

"Why can't Colt become the Hokage immediately? He is the rightful descendant of the founding Senju clan!"

"Who else in all of Konoha is more qualified than him to lead?"

Opposite her sat Konoha's two elderly advisors, looking unimpressed.

Colt was also on the side.

"Tsunade, you're back now, so naturally, you should be the next Hokage," Homura Mitokado stated matter-of-factly.

They were all seasoned veterans, and Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane naturally wouldn't be easily offended by Tsunade's brash attitude.

"In terms of qualifications and personal prestige, Kamiyo Colt is still far inferior to you," Koharu added calmly.

"If you truly want him to become the Hokage in the future, the best way is for you to become a Hokage now and carefully watch over his growth."

"Damn it!" Tsunade was about to angrily slam the table when Colt quickly stopped her.

"Tsunade-sama, please don't get so excited. The two advisors are actually right; I'm still too young and inexperienced," Colt interjected smoothly.

Which served to lift their mood.

Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he added cheekily, "I'll gladly be Hokage when all these old people finally die off."

The words were said so directly and bluntly that the previously happy faces of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane instantly turned dark with shock and indignation.

They had initially thought that Colt was a polite person, but they didn't expect him to be so brazenly waiting for their deaths.

Tsunade chuckled appreciatively, her mood visibly improving.

"Give me three days to carefully think it over. I'll give you my final answer in three days."

After she finished speaking, she promptly dragged Colt out of the stuffy office.

"You cheeky brat," she said playfully once they were alone.

"That ought to humble them a bit, but moving on to more important matters…"

"You confidently said that my hemophobia could be cured within three days. Well, you'd better figure it out quickly. I absolutely won't become Hokage if it's not fully cured by then."

Looking at Colt with an amused expression, Tsunade was clearly in high spirits now.

She was genuinely curious to see what this talented kid was truly capable of.

Hemophobia is a complex mental illness, and even she, a legendary medical ninja, was helpless against it.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have troubled her for so long.

"There's no problem at all," Colt replied casually, exuding confidence. "Now, where exactly is that Wood Style scroll hidden?"

Since he dared to make such a bold promise, it meant that he had great confidence in his abilities.

At worst, it was just a matter of how long it would take.

"Come with me," Tsunade said mysteriously.

With a playful flick of her hand, which greatly moved her impressive chest, she promptly led Colt to the abandoned Senju clan compound.

"Here it is," she announced.

From a dusty old cabinet, Tsunade carefully grabbed a huge, ancient-looking scroll.

"Konoha seriously hides the priceless Wood Style scrolls in such a neglected place like this?" Colt asked incredulously.

He couldn't believe it. This was the legendary Wood Style! Was it really appropriate to carelessly throw it in here like common trash?

Senju Hashirama would surely cry in his grave if he knew that his proudest ninjutsu was preserved so disrespectfully!

Tsunade playfully stretched out her finger and tapped Colt's forehead amusingly.

"It's just that you naively treat this scroll as some priceless treasure. Think about it realistically: after my grandfather tragically died, has anyone in the entire ninja world successfully awakened the Wood Style since?"

"For a normal average ninja, what's the real difference between this scroll and a useless paper?"

Only then did Colt realize that he had fallen into a common misunderstanding.

'Sigh'

He carefully opened the scroll and examined it closely.

Various Wood Style ninjutsu techniques were recorded densely on it, even including the legendary "Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands."

"Thank you so much, elder sister. May I please take this scroll with me?" Colt asked eagerly.

People often forget that while the legendary Senju Hashirama could effortlessly use the Wood Style casually in his prime, the initial learning of the Wood Style techniques was incredibly difficult and complex.

According to the official Ninjutsu rating system, it far exceeded even the rare S-rank level.

Even the talented Colt would need a considerable amount of time to study it diligently.

"Take it, I certainly don't need it anyway. I'll entrust it to your care from now on," Tsunade said, waving her hand indifferently.

"By the way, are you really not planning on coming back to live in the compound? Now the Senju clan is left with just you and me, and you can freely choose from so many empty houses here."

Colt shook his head decisively. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm already used to my current place."

As the name suggests, the Senju clan compound was located far away from the bustling center of Konoha, near the tranquil edge of the forest.

Although the natural environment was undeniably beautiful, it would be quite inconvenient for Hinata and Ino to visit him regularly.

More importantly, it would feel a bit awkward to pursue romantic relationships right under Tsunade's watchful nose.

"Let's go then. Find me a secure private room so I can help treat your stubborn hemophobia," Colt said, standing up and ready to finally solve Tsunade's long-standing problem.

"Wait a moment. There's one more important thing I almost forgot," Tsunade suddenly remembered. She searched around for a bit and handed over another ancient scroll to Colt.

"This is the Summoning Scroll of Shikkotsu Forest. You can sign it now, then you'll be able to learn the summoning technique."

'Is it the legendary Katsuyu?' Colt thought excitedly.

Without hesitation, he immediately signed the binding contract.

Turning his back to Tsunade and biting his thumb he executed the summoning technique.

*Puff*

A palm-sized Katsuyu suddenly appeared before Colt.

"Tsunade-sama, has your hemophobia finally been healed? Oh? Who might you be?" the tiny Katsuyu asked in a surprisingly cute voice, which instantly made Colt feel at ease.

'This is the perfect summon for me…'

Colt marveled internally.

"Katsuyu, this is Colt, also a descendant of the Senju clan," Tsunade explained to the curious slug.

"Is that so? Colt-sama, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," Katsuyu said, her voice still gentle and soothing.

"The pleasure is mine" Colt was polite to his summon.

Among the three sacred summoning realms, the toads of Mount Myōboku and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave were not known for their pleasant temperaments.

Every time Jiraiya summons Gamabunta, he gets lectured for a while and has to laugh it off to get the toad to actually fight.

Even Naruto had to put in considerable effort to finally be recognized by the stubborn toads.

The snakes in Ryūchi Cave were a group of cold-blooded creatures, even someone like Orochimaru can only share a state of mutual exploitation with his summon.

Every time Orochimaru summons Manda, he has to provide a certain number of 'sacrifices' as payment.

Only Shikkotsu Forest was special. There were no numerous summoning beasts there, only the massive body of the Katsuyu sage.

And Tsunade summons just a small part of her each time.

The Katsuyu sage was also very accommodating and would not hesitate to execute the orders of her summoner.

This was another important reason why Colt eagerly signed the contract.

Another intriguing reason was that he wanted to experiment and see if he could use Katsuyu to perform systematic healing on a larger scale.

If successful, then the speed of earning valuable [Points] would also greatly increase.