Chapter 10 — Living Off a Woman Is Shameful—But It's So Good.
Ryusuke fished out his wallet and tossed it to Nawaki.
"Hehe, brother-in-law is so generous!"
Nawaki caught it effortlessly and dashed off in a flash.
"Um… Nawaki was just talking nonsense earlier. You…"
After a moment of silence, Tsunade lowered her head, clenching her small hands as she tried to break the awkward atmosphere.
"How long was I unconscious?" Ryusuke changed the subject instead of continuing that line of conversation.
"Ah—oh, six days already." Tsunade let out a breath of relief, grateful the topic had shifted.
"Six days already? How's your body?" Ryusuke asked with concern.
"Hehe, I'm fine now."
Tsunade swung her fist, returning to her usual bold demeanor.
"Hanzō of the Salamander's poison was really troublesome. I'm still working on a way to counter it."
She pointed to the scroll on the bedside cabinet.
But noticing the drool stain on it, she coughed lightly and casually shifted to block Ryusuke's line of sight.
"Oh, right. Thanks to the accuracy of your intel this time, the Land of Iron avoided an attack from Hidden Rain. Hanzō has already led their ninja forces back."
"You've earned great merit. You should be able to exchange it for a decent ninjutsu from the Ninjutsu Vault." Her voice brimmed with excitement.
"Then… what about that father and daughter from Hidden Rain? Were they brought back to Konoha?"
Instead of basking in his achievement, Ryusuke asked about something else.
Tsunade's excitement faded. She sighed.
"Hidden Rain has gone into full lockdown. I asked a newly infiltrated spy to look into it."
"They've been conducting large-scale purges of internal spies. Ninja broke into that father and daughter's home. They found Seiichi's body… but Konan wasn't there."
Ryusuke leaned back against the bedhead, falling silent.
"I wonder if, with my interference as a transmigrator, Konan can still survive like she did in the original story."
"And whether Hanzō of the Salamander will still declare war on the Five Great Nations as he did before."
"But in these turbulent times, I can't even guarantee I'll survive the next moment."
A sudden sense of urgency gripped him—born entirely from his own lack of strength.
"Right now, only Demon's Manifestation can boost my power enough to wear the armor long-term and reach Kage-level strength."
"So what I need to do is improve my physical condition."
"But Tsunade just said I can choose a ninjutsu from the vault. There's something I absolutely must obtain."
A sharp glint flickered in his eyes as he began planning his next steps.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Tsunade stepped forward and touched Ryusuke's forehead. "No adverse reactions."
Ryusuke took her hand in return. "I've been lying down for days. My body feels rusted. Let's go take a walk outside."
Tsunade's cheeks flushed slightly. "Mm… okay."
In the hospital courtyard, two figures strolled slowly along the path.
One handsome and sharp-featured, the other graceful and captivating—like a golden couple. Unsurprisingly, they drew envious and jealous looks from other male ninja.
Their Konoha princess had been claimed by an unknown civilian ninja without so much as a warning.
A breeze swept through, scattering Tsunade's bangs. Ryusuke gently brushed them back into place.
"Kotsuna, can you help me with something?" he asked softly.
"This isn't a mission—don't call me Kotsuna." Tsunade's face reddened as she muttered under her breath. "What is it?"
"You mentioned I could choose a ninjutsu. But can I pick one from the Forbidden Scroll instead?"
Tsunade paused slightly. Most of the techniques on the Forbidden Scroll required extreme conditions and could damage the user if practiced recklessly.
"Which one?" she asked.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique. The space-time ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage."
Ryusuke answered earnestly.
"Granduncle Tobirama's Flying Thunder God?" Tsunade hesitated. "It's not impossible, but the technique demands extremely high physical reflexes."
"And extraordinary spatial perception. Other than Granduncle Tobirama, no one has successfully mastered it."
"It's incredibly difficult to train. You could choose another rare ninjutsu instead. I could even help you get an additional one."
She tried to persuade him, worried he would waste this opportunity just because Flying Thunder God sounded impressive.
But for Ryusuke, a technique that allowed him to fight, flee, and ambush—perfectly suited to his cautious nature—was too ideal to pass up.
He looked at her firmly. "Flying Thunder God. I really need it."
Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "You're impossible. Fine, fine. I'll get it for you."
"If you can't master it, I'll help you find a suitable rare ninjutsu afterward."
Ryusuke, moved, picked Tsunade up and spun her around, drawing even more jealous stares from nearby male ninja.
Living off a woman might be shameful—
—but it sure feels good.
The afternoon passed quickly. After eating the meal Nawaki brought, Ryusuke began studying the scroll Tsunade had delivered.
It wasn't merely a copy of the Flying Thunder God Technique from the Forbidden Scroll. Tsunade had brought Senju Tobirama's personal research notes on developing the technique.
Such premium treatment made Ryusuke once again marvel at the sweetness of soft rice.
After reviewing the notes, his exceptional comprehension allowed him to grasp the essence of the Flying Thunder God Technique quickly.
Senju Tobirama truly deserved his reputation as a genius. The technique was wildly imaginative—a space-time ninjutsu built upon sealing techniques and summoning techniques.
The first step was anchoring a spatial marker. The medium could be any object. This was the foundation of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The next step was perceiving the marker. This required chakra sensory ability to detect the spatial imprint left on the medium.
The final step was activating the marker—using it to perform a reverse summoning transfer.
Each step interlocked with the next. One mistake, and everything collapsed. No wonder it was so difficult.
And the most challenging part—without superhuman neural reflexes, even mastering the three steps would only result in delivering yourself straight into danger.
Ryusuke once again marveled at Senju Tobirama's genius—and at Namikaze Minato's extraordinary reaction speed.
Mastering the Flying Thunder God would be a long road.
Fortunately, the first step—anchoring spatial markers—didn't require his body to be fully recovered.
He could train while recuperating in the hospital.
Time flew like an arrow; days without showing off passed swiftly.
More than ten days later, Ryusuke's injuries had fully healed.
Following his memory, he returned home. With no one to clean it, a layer of dust covered the furniture.
His original body's parents had died during the First Shinobi War. After coming of age in the orphanage, he inherited this three-bedroom house.
Ryusuke sighed softly and was about to start cleaning when a figure appeared at the doorway, instantly putting him on alert.
"Who are you?"