PLEASE POWER STONE
Konoha's attitude toward Kekkei Genkai was still very inclusive.
But if it were just an ordinary Kekkei Genkai, there would be no need for the other party to specifically seek her out...
Thinking of her own identity, Tsunade's eyes flickered, and a guess she could hardly believe suddenly rose in her heart.
After a moment of silence, a rich aroma suddenly spread out, interrupting Tsunade's thoughts and making her unconsciously swallow her saliva.
"What did you make? Why does it smell so good?"
"Saliva chicken."
Minato held the plate for Tsunade to see.
On the plate were pieces of chicken thigh meat soaked in red chili oil, garnished with green and red peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.
The recipe for this dish wasn't complicated. Although it was a meat dish, it was very refreshing. He personally preferred it a bit spicier.
Tsunade picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece, and impatiently stuffed it into her mouth.
"So spicy! But so fragrant! Hiss... it would be even better if there was sake!"
"It seems you can't handle spicy food..."
Watching Tsunade gasping from the heat, Minato felt a bit embarrassed.
He hadn't expected someone to find saliva chicken too spicy and quickly handed a glass of water to Tsunade.
"Take a moment to recover; the other dishes aren't spicy."
"What other dishes are there?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up.
Although that bite of chicken was very spicy, it had somehow piqued her appetite.
Her stomach growled, and saliva began to secrete uncontrollably.
"There's also a plate of scallion beef, a portion of tomato and fried eggs, and a portion of pan-fried cod. The ingredients are all prepared; we can eat soon."
Minato created a Shadow Clone, and both stoves were lit at the same time. Before long, the dishes were ready.
"Oh oh oh! So lavish!"
After serving the rice, Tsunade impatiently picked up a piece of beef and took a bite.
The thickened beef was smooth and delicious, leaving a lingering fragrance in her mouth.
"So delicious!"
When she looked up again, her eyes seemed to shine as she looked at Minato.
"I've never eaten any of these dishes before. Where did you learn them? From the Izakaya? No, this is even better than the Izakaya!"
The Izakaya was a very famous Chinese-style restaurant in Konoha—that's what was written at the entrance.
Its selling points were stir-fry and famous wine. Minato had felt it was quite absurd when he first found out.
"It's just ordinary stir-fry. I researched it by watching my mother cook; the only difference is the ingredients and seasonings. I was worried it might be too greasy for you to get used to."
Minato smiled sheepishly.
Although there was stir-fry in the ninja world, the variety was limited and the technical level wasn't high. The most famous dish was something like Mapo Tofu.
"Are you kidding? Ninjas should eat high-energy food!"
As Tsunade spoke, she swept through the food on the table like a whirlwind.
In no time, the four plates were empty.
Seeing his cooking so appreciated, Minato gave a happy smile.
That sunny and handsome smiling face caused Tsunade to lose herself for a brief moment.
Tsk, isn't this kid a bit too outstanding?
Burp~
Letting out a very unrefined belch, Tsunade leaned back lazily against the chair, her fingertips tapping the table.
"Speak up, what do you want from me? For the sake of this meal, I'll do my best to help you."
Minato nodded, stood up to turn on the light, and drew the curtains.
Then he returned to his seat and, under Tsunade's inquisitive gaze, reached out a hand.
Crack, crack...
In the next second, under Tsunade's shocked gaze, a small sapling slowly grew from Minato's palm.
The sapling grew rapidly, sprouting branches covered with vibrant green leaves.
"So it really is like this..."
Until the sapling in Minato's hand stopped growing, Tsunade then waved her hand.
"Alright, put it away. It seems your purpose should be for the ninjutsu left behind by the First Hokage, right?"
"Yes."
Minato nodded and retracted the sapling in his hand.
Tsunade couldn't understand.
She and Nawaki were the direct grandchildren of the First Hokage, yet neither of them had inherited the power of Wood Release.
Instead, this little blond kid who popped out of nowhere suddenly showed her a hand of Wood Release!
"Does either side of your parents have Senju blood?"
"I'm not very clear about these things..."
"Hmm... forget it, it's not important."
Tsunade didn't dwell on Minato's lineage issue.
If a person traces back from their parents to grandparents, then great-grandparents, and keeps going back like that, by the eighteenth generation, there are as many as 520,000 ancestors.
Although Minato's surname was Namikaze, it was possible some ancestor had Senju blood.
While atavism was rare, it wasn't impossible.
Strictly speaking, those exceptional individuals with particularly strong Kekkei Genkai in Kekkei Genkai families were essentially signs of atavism.
Tsunade looked at Minato with a hint of appreciation.
"Not bad, you were right not to make a scene. But why didn't you go to the Third Hokage and chose to tell me instead?"
"To be honest... I don't really trust the higher-ups of the village."
Minato had already thought of a reason for Tsunade's question, which also served as a warning to her.
The mess the Konoha elders made in the original story made even someone with a good temper like him feel full of anger.
"My father was once a Chunin in the village. Later, because my mother was in poor health, he left the ninja ranks and became a merchant.
Besides that reason, I also heard my father mention... since the Third Hokage took office, the feeling the village gives him has changed."
"Changed?"
Tsunade was puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"My father once said that the First Hokage's strength was so great that he could make the entire ninja world love peace single-handedly.
Although the Second Hokage's strength wasn't as great as the First's, it was enough for the village to have only one voice."
Seeing Tsunade in deep thought, Minato continued.
"And after the Third Hokage took office, several members who originally belonged to the Second Hokage's Escort Unit also became higher-ups in various departments of the village.
At this point, whether intentional or unintentional, a community of interests centered on the Hokage's power and sharing the bond of teammates has emerged."
Minato spoke conservatively yet bluntly.
Conservatively because he was only a five-year-old child; fortunately, most children in the ninja world were precocious.
He was merely raising questions, which didn't even count as questioning.
And bluntly because Tsunade... or rather, including other characters in Naruto, their political thinking didn't seem very good, so he was truly afraid Tsunade wouldn't understand.
"You brat..."
Tsunade's brow furrowed.
Minato's meaning was clear: he was simply worried that the Konoha higher-ups would collude with each other, hold onto power, suppress... or even harm the new generation that they couldn't control.
Although she hadn't heard of such vile things in recent years, she couldn't guarantee they hadn't happened.
After all, the ninja world never lacked such dark and filthy affairs.
As for mutual collusion and holding onto power, she indeed had a faint feeling about it.
Especially in the last two years, the bureaucratic style of those few higher-ups had become increasingly obvious.
However, some things were known to everyone but couldn't be casually brought to the table.
"Such things are not to be said lightly!"
Tsunade warned.
"In fact, I'm just trying to ensure my own safety. I can't be sure of the attitude of other higher-ups toward me, so naturally, I won't pin my hopes on them."
Minato smiled sheepishly.
"But Senior Tsunade is different.
As the granddaughter of the founder of Konoha and the most outstanding female ninja of the village's younger generation, you are deeply trusted by everyone.
I think you must be proud of your identity and at least wouldn't do anything to tarnish the First Hokage's name."
Of course, these words were just a pretext.
Minato couldn't very well say he had read the script and knew she was more trustworthy, while by comparison, the Konoha higher-ups were all rotten to the core...
Fortunately, although these words were suspected of flattery, they did make Tsunade feel good.
"Hmph, that's not wrong to say, but don't say such things again in the future.
The village has many ninjutsu for gathering intelligence and can even monitor a person's privacy in real-time. You must be careful even when you're alone."
As Tsunade said this, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise.
She felt Minato's words made sense.
Although she hadn't inherited Wood Release, she had indeed inherited the Senju Clan's powerful sensory talent, and her intuition in certain aspects was surprisingly accurate.
At least from her perspective, those higher-ups were indeed not good people, especially the current Hokage's assistant, Danzo Shimura.
But she still warned again.
"At your current age and strength, you shouldn't understand so much.
And don't worry too much. Although the Old Man is a bit indecisive, he's still trustworthy. Currently, he's in his prime, and his position is very stable. At least there won't be any problems in the short term.
Besides, Wood Release has a special meaning for Konoha; those guys would love for a Wood Release user to appear."
"Then what if it's not just Wood Release?"
Minato raised his hand, and a brilliant light bloomed from his fingertips.
Whether it was Wood Release or the Sharingan, their strength was based on the amount of chakra.
Even if he possessed the Power of All Creation to accelerate his growth, it would take until his teens at the earliest to form significant combat power.
But the Glint-Glint Fruit was different.
This power from a neighboring world could be activated with just physical stamina.
Elementalization could ignore most attacks, and he could also try to combine it with the chakra system. It was his first choice for combat in the early stages.
"What is this again?!"
Tsunade suddenly sat up straight, her face full of shock.
"Another Kekkei Genkai?"