Chapter 56: The Leaf Village Elders' Reluctance to Accept Defeat

"Rope Tree has mastered Wood Release?"

When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Tsunade's report, and after witnessing Rope Tree use Wood Release before his very eyes, he was finally shocked enough to believe it. He hadn't expected the serum for the Despair Virus to be this powerful. If he recalled correctly, Tsunade had only mentioned its remarkable regenerative abilities, sufficient to allow Rope Tree to become a ninja again, but she had never brought up anything about Wood Release.

Damn it!

Now, Hiruzen deeply regretted his earlier decisions. If he had known that the so-called Despair Virus serum could even awaken the Wood Release bloodline, he would never have allowed Tsunade to pursue her research independently. At the very least, he would have assigned people to monitor her and secured all experimental data for himself.

“Tsunade, Orochimaru, is there any more—”

“No, Sensei,” Orochimaru interjected before his respected mentor could finish, letting out a raspy chuckle. “The key to mastering Wood Release is the Despair Virus serum. Without it, Rope Tree would never have inherited the First Hokage’s power. And now, we have no serum left…”

“Not a drop remaining?”

“The supplier was meticulous about the quantity used in the experiments. By the end, there was nothing left; every bit of the serum was converted into data.”

Orochimaru replied with absolute certainty. As for his own share of the serum, he intended to use it on himself—his rightful reward.

“In the end, only Rope Tree and Karn received the new serum. Heh, Tsunade tried to entice Karn to join the Leaf with Wood Release, but he was quite resolute and refused outright. He didn’t even care for the most coveted bloodline in the ninja world…”

Tsunade shot Orochimaru an annoyed glare when she heard this, but it had nothing to do with her. Turning friends into enemies was the doing of those old men, not her. She had already done enough for the Leaf—one more ninja with the Wood Release bloodline was plenty.

“I see… I understand,” Hiruzen replied, his expression rather grim. Now, his only hope was that Danzo’s side would succeed. As soon as Root brought the target back, he would immediately dispatch the ANBU to retrieve him from Root’s custody.

For now, the strongest authority in the village was still his as Hokage. Danzo’s Root only handled inconvenient matters for the village, but in terms of strength, they were no match for the ANBU.

“And Rope Tree…”

Orochimaru stepped in, “Leave Rope Tree to me, Sensei. I’ll take him on missions to help him gain experience, and Tsunade can handle his training in Wood Release.”

Given Rope Tree’s status and value, Orochimaru had every reason to keep him close—something he had already discussed with Tsunade before returning. Moreover, Rope Tree’s temperament needed serious honing; last time, he’d gotten so flustered that he stepped right into an explosive tag trap—hardly a qualified ninja. If not for Rope Tree now wielding Wood Release, Tsunade wouldn’t want him returning to the battlefield at all.

Afterward, Tsunade and Orochimaru reported a few other matters to Hiruzen, such as Orochimaru taking control of the laboratory and requesting the ANBU not to interfere in his domain, before each went their separate ways.

During this time, Hiruzen had also considered pairing Rope Tree and Kushina into a new team. After Minato’s failure, he needed to consider new bonds to tie Kushina to the village; otherwise, a rift would grow between her and Konoha.

Rope Tree was an excellent candidate—living under the same roof as Kushina, possessing Wood Release, and upholding the pure Will of Fire. Over time, he could positively influence Kushina’s view of the Leaf.

However, Tsunade had flatly rejected the idea, and Orochimaru had no desire to take on extra trouble. Though he didn’t know Kushina well, her surname alone spoke volumes, and with Tsunade’s opposition, he was sure there were deeper reasons, so he followed suit.

After Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Rope Tree left, Hiruzen tapped his pipe on the table. Instantly, an ANBU appeared in the office.

“If any Root ninja return, have Danzo report to me immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, the ANBU vanished from the Hokage’s office in a flicker.

…

“Orochimaru-sensei, when will we start going on missions?”

Not long after leaving the Hokage building, Rope Tree, eager to make a name for himself in the shinobi world, asked excitedly.

But before Orochimaru could reply, Tsunade smacked Rope Tree on the head, scolding him angrily. “Missions? You’ve only just learned the most basic Wood Release technique. Go home and train properly for a while. Besides, Orochimaru’s upcoming missions aren’t suitable for you.”

Orochimaru’s lips twitched. He’d intended to take on some B- or C-rank missions, but from the sound of Tsunade’s words, she wanted him to accept A-rank or higher. But Tsunade was not someone he wanted to cross. He felt he was being dragged down by his foolish disciple. If he wanted to assign missions, he could do it privately—there was no need to bring it up in front of Tsunade.

“Yes, Rope Tree. I’m planning to accept some A- or even S-ranked missions soon. For now, stay home and get familiar with your Wood Release bloodline.”

Rope Tree replied, a bit disappointed, “...Alright. Then, Orochimaru-sensei, be sure to come back soon.”

Shortly after, the three of them ran into an acquaintance.

“Tsunade, Orochimaru, it’s been a while. You two have been busy lately. Is this your younger brother, Tsunade?”

Dan Kato greeted them with a gentle tone.

“So, it’s you, Dan. Yes, he’s my younger brother, Rope Tree. He’s only just recovered from his injuries.”

Tsunade had to search her memory for his name, having been so busy lately with researching the Despair Virus serum, reforming the medical system, and helping Orochimaru with his missions that her head was spinning.

Dan smiled warmly and said to Tsunade, “I’ve heard that the training of medical ninja has been a great success lately. There are many new trainee medics at Konoha Hospital. That’s your doing. How about—”

But Tsunade shook her head and declined directly, “Sorry, Dan. I’m simply too exhausted these days. I just want to go home and rest.”

With that, she took Rope Tree and headed in the direction of the Senju compound. Orochimaru gave Dan a polite smile and went his own way, leaving Dan standing there rather awkwardly.

After they had walked a distance, Rope Tree asked nosily, “Sister, was that man just now one of your suitors?”

Thunk!

Without hesitation, Tsunade replied, “He’s just a colleague from the village.”

“I thought so. Compared to Mr. Karn, that Dan Kato is hardly suitable for you, Sister.”

Rope Tree recalled for a moment. In his memory, only Mr. Karn could infuriate his sister so much with just a few words, yet she was powerless against him.