Still fuming from the Hokage's office, Tsunade kicked open the front door of her home, the doorframe buzzing from the impact.
She kicked off her shoes, and the wooden sandals hit the floor with a loud thud, perfectly matching her foul mood.
"I'm so pissed off!" Tsunade dropped heavily onto the tatami mat in the living room. The wooden planks underneath groaned under the weight. "That old man and his advisors, are their brains stuffed with mothballs? Konoha's a mess right now, and they're stirring it like a pot of rotten porridge!"
Kushina was sitting cross-legged beside the low table peeling an orange. Hearing that, she shoved the half-peeled orange into Mikoto's hand, who had been quietly reading beside her, then scooted over to Tsunade. Her tiny fists pounded vigorously on Tsunade's shoulders. "Tsunade-neesan, don't be mad. It's not worth it to get sick over those stubborn geezers! Just ignore them!"
Mikoto gently separated the orange slices, carefully removing the white pith, then placed them on the plate in front of Tsunade. Her voice was calm and gentle. "Tsunade-nee, have some tea and calm down."
She stood up, lifted the teapot with elegant fingers, and poured the clear tea into the cup with practiced ease.
Ryo leaned against the veranda pillar, holding a soft cloth as he leisurely wiped the Kusanagi sword resting across his knees.
The black blade devoured the surrounding light in the afternoon sun, leaving only its sharp, cold outline.
He listened to Tsunade's complaints in silence. Only when her breathing steadied did he look up, his gaze sweeping across the three women.
"If Konoha's such a mess," Ryo spoke, "why not leave? Get out and take a walk."
He set the cloth down and ran his fingers across the cold blade. "While the shinobi world is still relatively peaceful. Once war breaks out, it'll be chaos outside. We should take the chance to see the world."
He looked at Kushina, lips curving into a soft smile. "I promised to show you the world beyond Konoha, didn't I?"
"Really?!" Kushina froze mid-massage, her eyes going wide, nearly leaping up. "We can really go outside?"
She had come to Konoha at age eight. For nearly ten years, she had been trapped within these walls. The outside world existed only in blurry imagination and other people's stories.
She had fought with everything she had to control the Nine-Tails' power, all for the dream of breathing freely, walking freely.
Mikoto also set the teapot down, her eyes filled with gentle approval. "It's good for the family to get out and see the world."
She glanced at Tsunade, as if seeking her opinion.
The suffocating pressure in Tsunade's chest began to ease under Ryo's calm words and Kushina's sparkling gaze.
The suffocating political atmosphere created by Konoha's higher-ups... Getting out might be a good thing. Out of sight, out of mind.
She picked up the tea Mikoto had poured and drank it in one go.
"Alright!" Tsunade slammed the table. "Let's go! I'd rather get out and breathe some fresh air than stay here watching their ugly faces!"
With a decisive wave of her hand, she stood up. "Pack up. We're leaving now!"
Hokage's Office...
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, headache growing worse as he stared at the mountain of paperwork.
The door slammed open again.
Tsunade stormed back in, followed by Ryo, Kushina, and Mikoto.
His heart skipped a beat, fingers tightening on the pipe. Were they here to argue again?
He forced calm. "Tsunade? Something else?"
Tsunade strode to the desk, planted her hands on the edge, and leaned forward, exuding an unshakable aura. "Register a long-term external mission for the four of us." She pointed at herself, Ryo, Kushina, and Mikoto. "We're leaving the village to travel."
"What?!" Hiruzen jumped to his feet, pipe almost slipping from his hand as ash scattered. "You're leaving Konoha?!"
"Yeah." Tsunade's tone was casual. "You handle the paperwork. Make up a reason."
Hiruzen's eyes swept over the group. The moment his gaze landed on Kushina's bright red hair, his pupils shrank. "Ridiculous! Tsunade! I'll turn a blind eye to Ryo and Mikoto, but Kushina is out of the question! Absolutely not!"
His voice rose, filled with unshakable authority. "The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki is a strategic deterrent! She maintains balance among the Five Great Nations! If something happens outside, who will bear the consequences?!"
"I will." Ryo's voice was calm as he stepped forward, half-shielding Kushina behind him.
His gaze was steady. "Kushina can fully control the Nine-Tails now. With Tsunade and me around, there's no danger."
His voice carried unwavering confidence. "Even in the worst case, my Flying Thunder God can bring them back instantly."
"Impossible!" Hiruzen slammed his pipe on the desk, the dull thud echoing. "Rules are rules! There's no room for negotiation! Kushina must stay in the village!"
"What did you say?!" Kushina's long-suppressed rage burst through, shattering her restraint.
That cold, dismissive "rules" ignited her explosive temper.
A surge of blood-red chakra erupted without warning, filling the office with oppressive heat. Documents flew, curtains whipped in the wind.
The Nine-Tails' malice fused with the girl's fury and grief. Her blue eyes burned red.
"Kushina!" Ryo barked, moving like lightning.
He didn't make any flashy move. He simply raised a hand and pressed it firmly on her shoulder.
No violent chakra clash, only a deep, mountain-like pressure surged from his palm.
The raging Nine-Tails chakra collided with an invisible wall and let out a low hum before being forcibly shoved back into her body.
Kushina trembled violently, red fading from her eyes, face pale and breath rapid. But the fire in her eyes still burned as she stared at Hiruzen.
Ryo kept his hand on her shoulder, raising his head. His gaze cut through the air like a blade, locking onto Hiruzen.
The entire office fell into an oppressive silence.
Papers stopped flying. Curtains dropped limply. The silence was suffocating.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen! Get this straight," Ryo's voice was low but clear, cutting through the stillness. "We're informing you. Not asking. Whether you agree or not is irrelevant. Understand!?"
Hiruzen's wrinkles tensed. He felt like an invisible giant hand had seized his heart. His blood froze. His bones creaked.
Even the ANBU hiding in the shadows had their chakra go haywire.
Hiruzen froze, like a weathered statue.
He stared into Ryo's bottomless, indifferent eyes... searching for something.
Anger? Mockery? Even arrogance?
Nothing.
Only a cold detachment.
That oppressive aura didn't fade. It pressed down like deep-sea pressure, crushing his organs. Each breath was a struggle.
Cold sweat slid silently down his face, soaking his collar.
Humiliation gnawed at him.
He was the Third Hokage. The "Strongest Hokage." The highest authority in Konoha.
And now, under a young man's pure aura, he felt like his life was in someone else's hands.
At that moment, Hiruzen understood a cruel truth: rules? They're just chains the strong allow the weak to believe in.
When someone like Ryo appears, and he no longer chooses to obey, the authority of Hokage and village law… is just an illusion under the sun.
He, Hiruzen, was nothing.
The only reason Ryo hadn't acted was because... Kushina still cared about the village?
That realization struck deeper than any ninjutsu.
A core belief he'd clung to for decades cracked with a sharp mental screech.
In the shadows, the ANBU went completely silent, their killing intent snuffed out.
Tsunade folded her arms, watching coldly. There was no surprise in her eyes. Only a calm, icy clarity.
Hiruzen's Adam's apple bobbed. His lips finally parted, voice hoarse like sandpaper.
"...Fine."
The word drained all his strength. His back bent even more, like an old tree ravaged by the wind.
But he was still the Hokage. Even if his authority was shattered, he had to hold the last line for the village.
"But…" he inhaled deeply, forcing his spine straight, locking his gaze onto Kushina. "She must prove it. Prove she can fully control the Nine-Tails! Otherwise... I'd rather see blood flow in Konoha today than let her leave with that risk!"
His words were laced with desperation. His last line in the sand.
"Alright." Ryo answered without hesitation. He withdrew his hand from Kushina's shoulder.
The crushing aura vanished like the tide.
Air flowed again. Hiruzen gasped, lungs burning. He staggered slightly but managed to steady himself.
Somewhere in a Hidden Training Field, Konoha
Towering trees loomed like silent giants. Their dense canopy formed a dark green dome, letting only a few rays of light filter through, casting flickering shadows on the forest floor.
The air was damp, heavy with the scent of earth, moss, and rotting wood. It was eerily silent, no birds or insects, only the rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Hiruzen stood at the edge of the field with Koharu, Homura, and several elite masked ANBU operatives.
Tsunade stood nearby, arms crossed, face indifferent.
Mikoto stood quietly beside Ryo, a half-step behind.
Everyone's gaze focused on the crimson figure in the center.
Kushina stood still, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.
Hiruzen and the others held their breath. Koharu's fingers dug into her palm.
The next moment, Kushina's eyes snapped open.
Boom!
Even more violent and concentrated than before, a torrent of blood-red chakra erupted skyward!
It was no longer leaking mist. It had solidified, sticky like blood and blazing like flame.
The flames surged and shaped in an instant.
One tail. Two. Three... until nine massive crimson tails formed entirely from pure Nine-Tails chakra unfurled behind her.
Each tail radiated destructive power. The tips gleamed with deadly light.
The nine tails swayed, like flaming serpents hungry to devour. Every movement stirred the air, producing a deep, oppressive hum.
The ground around her cracked. Stones floated under the unseen force.
Kushina's body was wrapped in blood-red chakra. Her face was obscured, but her eyes shone through, piercing straight into Hiruzen's.
Clear. Cold. Exuding absolute control.
No madness. No chaos. Only chilling calm.
"Nine... Nine tails! Full transformation?!" Homura gasped, voice breaking from shock, taking a step back uncontrollably.
Hiruzen felt an icy terror race from his feet to his skull.
Those nine swaying, devastating tails, and those calm eyes, clearly showed one fact—this girl was no longer just a vessel.
She was a walking calamity.
Her power could crush the so-called "Strongest Hokage" like paper.
In the shadows, ANBU bodies tensed like bowstrings, hands on weapons but none dared move.
This was primal fear in the presence of a predator.
Hiruzen's throat was dry. He slowly, painfully raised a hand—not to form a seal, but to signal restraint.
He stopped Koharu, who had almost stepped forward in panic, and halted any sudden ANBU reaction.
All resistance and stubbornness were crushed under absolute power.
He lowered his eyes to avoid Kushina's cold gaze. His voice scraped like gravel.
"...I understand. You may leave Konoha."
The pressure across the training ground faded as Kushina's nine crimson tails vanished.
Floating stones fell. The cracked ground remained, a silent witness to the chaos.
Hiruzen stood still, his back bent even more than before, like an old tree hollowed out by time.
He gave one last look at Kushina, then at the expressionless Tsunade, calm Ryo, and quiet Mikoto. In the end, he said nothing.
He turned away, leading the shattered advisors and silent ANBU into the forest's shadows, disappearing.
Tsunade snorted quietly as they vanished.
"Free..." Kushina muttered, staring at her hands. The immense power from before still lingered on her fingertips, but more than that, there was a trembling uncertainty—freedom after so long in chains.
Suddenly, her head snapped up, a smile bright enough to rival the sun blooming on her face. Her blue eyes sparkled.
The constant surveillance, the invisible shackles of being a Jinchūriki... were finally history.
"Yeah. You're free now." Ryo walked up beside her, reached out, and habitually ruffled her fiery red hair.
Kushina squinted, enjoying the affectionate gesture like a cat being stroked.
Mikoto joined them, gently holding Kushina's other hand. Her eyes held a serene joy. "From now on, we can go anywhere."
Tsunade looked at them, and the last bit of frustration in her heart vanished.
She stretched hard, her tall figure glowing under the sunlight filtering through the forest. Her face lit up with energy again.
"Alright! Obstacle cleared! Pack your bags, we're leaving! I'm not staying in this damn village one more day!"
With a broad wave, her voice rang out with long-lost joy.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)