CHAPTER 236: SHIZUNE IS THIS CLOSE TO SETTING HERSELF ON FIRE JUST TO GET SOME PEACE

Ren and Tsunade’s brawl dragged on until the late evening, neither of them willing to call it quits until the sun had finally begun to dip below the horizon. The sky had already turned a hazy orange by the time they collapsed to the ground, side by side, breathing heavily.

Ren was panting more than Tsunade, by a good margin too. She wasn’t even winded, really. Her stamina consumption had been a joke in comparison, and her regenerative abilities were on a different plane altogether.

A few minutes of resting, and she looked fresh again. Meanwhile, Ren was still laid out on his back, arms spread, staring at the sky like he was half-dead.

Tsunade glanced over at him with a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "You’re so slow," she taunted playfully. "Want big sis to heal you?"

Ren turned his head and gave her a look like she’d just suggested eating gravel. Disgusted, he muttered, "Don’t do that. Not in public. If a kid hears you talking like that, they’re gonna think you’re the lady from those horror stories who eats children in the dark."

Tsunade frowned, hard. "Hah?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared back at him, brows twitching like she was about to throw a punch out of principle.

Ren’s classic grin appeared on his face which was just enough to push her buttons further. The tension rose again between them, and for a moment it looked like round ten was about to kick off.

But before either of them could get moving, they both felt a firm grip clamp down on their shoulders.

They turned their heads in sync and found Shizune standing behind them, her expression blank, her voice devoid of life as she spoke in a deadpan monotone, "Please stop. Just look at the mess you’ve made. If you keep going, I’m afraid the entire forest will be gone by tomorrow morning."

That’s when Ren and Tsunade finally took a proper look around, and... Shizune had a point.

The empty grounds outside the Senju clan compound, the ones bordering the forest, looked like a storm had blown through. Nearly half the jungle was absolutely wrecked. Trees were uprooted, cratered ground stretched for dozens of meters, and the terrain looked like someone had tried to dig up the earth with their bare hands.

It was bad. Not too bad, but still bad.

And that was just from a taijutsu-only brawl. No ninjutsu, no summonings, nothing even too flashy. Just fists and footwork. If they had actually gone all out with everything at their disposal, forget the jungle. Half the village might’ve been wiped off the map.

Ren stood up slowly, wincing as he stretched his back, and glanced around. Something struck him. "Shizune-san, where did the old guys go?"

Shizune folded her arms. "You two were taking forever," she said flatly. "And considering that all but one of them were civilians, I told them to head back for the day and come again tomorrow. Did you need them for something?"

Ren shook his head, stretching his arms above him with a small groan. "No, no. Actually, it’s better this way. Let ’em rest. You two wait here for a bit, I’ll be back soon."

Before either of them could ask anything, he flickered away in a burst of chakra, vanishing into the trees.

Now that things had calmed down a bit, Shizune walked over to Tsunade and knelt beside her, straightening her clothes like she was dealing with a spoiled kid who refused to act her age. She also handed her the haori that Tsunade had at some point tossed aside mid-fight.

Tsunade didn’t even bother putting it on properly and just slung it loosely over her shoulders and then flopped onto her back with a dramatic groan. "Phew... that kid’s a monster."

Shizune nodded, kneeling beside her. "Yeah. I don’t know anyone else who could last that long in a taijutsu match against you. And he didn’t even slip once. Not even at the end."

Tsunade chuckled quietly and closed her eyes. "Oh, there might be a few others out there who can manage it," she admitted. "But none of them would be as flexible with it as he is. What he pulled off just now... that was different. That wasn’t just strength or stamina or speed, not even control. It was monstorous."

Shizune tilted her head. "You mean the Eight Gates?"

"Not just that." Tsunade opened her eyes and looked up at the darkening sky. "He combined the Gates with chakra-enhanced strength. Two techniques that should never mix. One is reckless and explosive, the other requires inhuman control. Most people would combust trying to layer them together. Even I’d struggle to hold both at the same time if I tried to pair my enhanced strength with the Third Gate. But that brat? He just jumped straight to the Fifth like it was a regular day."

Shizune blinked, stunned.

Tsunade let out a small, tired laugh. "Yeah. He doesn’t think much of it, but if people knew what he was really capable of, they’d be lining up outside his door begging to learn."

Shizune blinked in surprise, her voice rising with the question, "You mean to say... his control is even higher than your own?"

Tsunade shook her head, not immediately answering. "Hmm... maybe," she said slowly, thoughtfully. "Maybe not. But that’s not the point."

She folded her arms behind her head, eyes drifting to the distant horizon as if seeing something beyond the trees.

"It’s not just about control. With him... it’s more about stability."

Shizune tilted her head, not fully understanding.

Tsunade continued, "His chakra... it’s extremely stable. I mean, so stable that even while using the Eight Gates, chakra that’s supposed to be wild, violent, raging inside you like an angry beast, even then... his chakra flows like a damn docile river. It’s like it listens to him."

She gave a short, breathy laugh under her breath, shaking her head again as if still amused by the thought. "He must’ve known that too. That’s probably why he even dared to try something like this."

Shizune’s eyes widened, trying to imagine what it would feel like, Eight Gates chakra flowing through the body like a calm stream. The idea itself sounded, impossible.

Tsunade chuckled softly, almost fondly. "He’s just like a treasure trove, honestly. The more you dig, the more valuable stuff you find buried inside."

Her voice softened as she added, "When I first laid hands on him, back in that forest a few years ago, I thought I was just doing a routine medical scan... his body didn’t stand out that much. Just seemed slightly above average for a kid his age. Definitely strong, but I figured that was just because he trained harder than most and had a good head on his shoulders."

She paused, the memory clearly playing in her mind.

"But then, next time I healed him... everything changed. His vitality, it was off the charts. And his body... it started showing these strange traits. They weren’t fully developed, but they felt familiar. Traits I’d only ever seen in people with Senju blood."

Shizune’s brows drew together, her curiosity now fully piqued.

Tsunade smiled faintly and went on, "That made me curious. Very curious. I kept an eye on him, of course. And today, when we fought, I got to examine his body again during the clash... and it was different. Even more different."

Her tone shifted again, a thread of nostalgia woven through it.

"His body now... it’s almost like someone from the Senju clan. The way it moves. The way it reacts. Especially similar to my granduncle Tobirama."

Shizune’s spoke, "But that’s only natural right, he is lord second’s grandson afterall."

Tsunade nodded slightly. "I didn’t get much of a chance to study Granduncle’s body in-depth, of course, but I remember one thing clearly, his chakra was insanely stable. That’s what helped him during all those experiments, all those crazy jutsu he invented. He had such fine control because his chakra never wavered. Ren didn’t have such traits before but now he’s starting to show that same kind of trait."

There was a silence between the two for a few seconds.

Shizune frowned lightly, then asked, "You mean to say... he’s slowly unlocking the Senju bloodline?"

Tsunade just hummed. "I’m not saying anything," she replied. "And I don’t want to say anything. I just... want nature to take its course."

Her voice grew quieter and gentler.

"I’ve already confirmed it for myself. Ren is my cousin brother. That’s enough for me."

She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers slowly before adding, "I don’t care about anything else. He could be hiding ten different secrets in that body of his and I wouldn’t care one bit. I’m just happy he’s here. That’s all."

A quiet, sincere smile stretched across her face as she finished.

Shizune looked at her, and when she saw the rare softness in Tsunade’s expression, she couldn’t help but smile too. They didn’t say anything for a moment, just sat there, silent in the calm after the storm.

~~~

While Tsunade and Shizune were getting all sentimental back at the inn, Ren was already halfway across the village, busy going through the usual motions with his favorite old man in the village, the one who couldn’t admit he had a soft spot for him.

After casually flickering away from the room, leaving behind whatever emotional moment was happening there, Ren reappeared at the front steps of the ANBU Command Centre. Without bothering to knock, he walked straight up to the door of Yoru’s office, swung it open with dramatic flair, and called out.

"Heyo, boss-man!"

He held the door open for a beat like he expected applause, then shut it just as abruptly. A moment later, realizing his mistake, he sighed, turned around, and gave the door a polite knock.

Then in a chipper voice, he called out again,

"Commander~ it’s your favorite subordinate. You know, the one you just finished using as a chew toy this morning?"

Yoru’s monotone voice floated out through the door, as dry as ever,

"What do you want?"

Ren gave a silent exaggerated pout behind the closed door.

"Aw, come on, commander. It’d make sense if I was the one sulking right now, you played me around all morning. But why are you acting all cold and grumpy?"

There was a pause, then Yoru’s voice came again, flat and unamused.

"Tenzo is with Dog Unit. That’s who you need right?"

Ren straightened up with a hand to his temple in a mock salute.

"Well damn, look at you. Sharp as always. You really do know everything, huh? But yeah, you’re right, I was actually looking for him."

He turned to leave, footsteps already halfway down the hall, but something tugged at his mind. A small grin formed on his face as a thought bloomed. He paused, dug into his pocket, and pulled something out only to freeze when Yoru’s voice came again. This time, colder.

"If you even think about drawing that symbol on my door again, I’ll make you scrub every drawing in Konoha at dawn. Bare hands with no chakra."

Ren stood there motionless for a long second.

"...That’s a good threat," he muttered under his breath.

Then, with a cheeky hum, he glanced at the walls next to the door. Not the door itself. He leaned forward quickly, one hand working fast and before the old man came out, Ren had drawn the Senju clan crest onto the stone wall beside the door. Underneath it, he scrawled a quick line of text with deliberate strokes.

Then, with a flicker of chakra and a smug grin, he vanished.

A few seconds passed and the door creaked open.

Yoru stepped out slowly. His eyes landed on the freshly drawn symbol. The Senju crest, etched just outside his office wall. His eyes flicked down to the sentence below.

He stood there for a long moment.

Then, without a word, he raised a gloved hand and pressed it gently to the line of text. His fingers lingered there for a second or two.

He exhaled. Then turned and walked back into his office.

Not long after, Two arrived at the Command Centre to deliver a mission report. He noticed the drawing on the wall and tilted his head slightly.

"Huh," he muttered.

The Senju clan crest stood out starkly against the stone. Below it, the words read.

"Boss-man belongs to the Senju Clan."

He squinted at it for a second, then gave a casual shrug. "Probably Five’s work," he mumbled, and knocked on the door.

"Commander."

"Come in," came Yoru’s voice.

Just like that, everything returned to normal

~~~~~

{A bit of Tsunade’s thoughts and something else too.}

{Also, a few of you guys were asking about what Ren knew and how much he knew when I wrote the Yoru killing Sayaka Chapter and I just want to say that Ren has the Observe function and that observe also had two upgrades till now, that’s all I’m saying, you can think the rest on your own.}

{If you want, you can support me on pat-reon}

{ h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n }

{You know what else}

{280 Stones = Extra Chapter}

{STONES!!!!}