Tsunade was clearly displeased with her gambling luck. She had once thought that her streak of constant losses was behind her, but it seemed she was only fooling herself.
Following Tsunade was no longer Shizune. As a senior, Shizune no longer needed to concern herself with Tsunade's trivial matters. She could finally leave such tasks to Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Now, she could enjoy some well-deserved rest and finally free herself from the burdens she had carried for years.
Sasuke and Sakura flanked Tsunade on either side. Karin had seen the two before, but they were drastically different from how she remembered them. No, even their entire art style had changed.
Sasuke was no longer the pale, slender boy from her memories. The frail-looking boy with thin limbs was gone—replaced by a muscular man standing around 1.7 meters tall.
His well-defined muscles flexed subtly with every breath. His bronzed skin radiated masculinity, and his chiseled face bore a hardened, mature expression. The sharp contours of his features were accentuated by the sunlight, casting angular shadows.
The Fist of the North Star or even JoJo-style exaggerated physique didn't fit the familiar image she once had of him.
On the other hand, Sakura's appearance was far more grounded. Her short pink hair remained the same, and she still wore her forehead protector as a headband. However, she was now casually chewing bubblegum, and bizarrely, a skateboard was strapped to her back.
Karin: "???"
The sight was baffling, but upon noticing Sakura's flat chest, Karin suddenly felt somewhat comforted. At least not everyone could be as stacked as Tsunade.
"Hey, you've been staring at us for a while now. Is there a problem?" Sasuke's cold voice cut through the air. His hand instinctively moved toward the nunchaku at his waist as he eyed the black-robed woman across from him.
"N-No! Nothing at all!" Karin stammered, feigning weakness. "I'm a wandering doctor! I came to Konoha to replenish some herbs! I can even treat people for free! Please don't hurt me!"
Her pitiful performance was quite convincing—she looked like a harmless medic.
Sakura glanced at her and smiled faintly. The black-robed doctor probably had no idea that she was speaking to the strongest medical-nin in the entire ninja world.
Tsunade, however, felt an odd sense of familiarity when she glanced at Karin. She couldn't pinpoint the reason, but it was an inexplicable, strangely nostalgic feeling.
Without dwelling on it, the three left. Before departing, Sasuke begrudgingly wiped down his nunchaku, snorted coldly, and turned away.
Despite becoming Tsunade's apprentice, his cold and aloof personality remained unchanged.
Karin quickly slipped away as well. After all, she had learned most of her medical skills by studying Tsunade's medical notes. Seeing Tsunade now was like unexpectedly running into a strict old teacher from her school days. Even though she had grown, the influence of her "teacher" still lingered, making her feel slightly uneasy.
---
On the road, Sasuke suddenly spoke.
"I think… I'm strong enough to challenge Itachi now," he declared out of the blue, catching Sakura off guard.
"Huh? Sasuke, didn't you bring this up a while ago?" Sakura questioned, pausing her fidgeting with the skateboard. "Didn't Lady Tsunade say your strength is still unstable, and you need to…"
Her voice gradually trailed off. She could see it—Sasuke had regained his confidence. What he needed now was a victory to validate his progress.
"With your current strength? You're still far from it." Tsunade didn't even glance at him. "If you want to fight someone, challenge Naruto instead. Jiraiya mentioned not long ago that Naruto will be back soon. Beat him first before you even think about Itachi."
Tsunade was well aware of the massive gap in strength between Sasuke and Itachi.
Right now, Sasuke's power was on par with a Jōnin, possibly just below Kage level. There were plenty of shinobi in the same league.
But Uchiha Itachi? His power had undoubtedly reached Kage-level—perhaps even beyond. Every member of Akatsuki was capable of annihilating entire nations, and Itachi ranked among their strongest. If Sasuke tried to challenge him now, he would be like an egg smashing against a rock.
"If Itachi had truly wanted you dead, you wouldn't have survived this long," Tsunade thought to herself but chose not to voice it.
For now, Sasuke needed someone to wake him up from his arrogance—and Naruto might just be the right person for the job.
---
Meanwhile, Zixu was making his own moves.
After quickly grasping Clone situation, Zixu found himself at a crossroads with two distinct choices.
The first option was to make himself the Earth Grudge Fear's main body, implanting four hearts into his body to simultaneously wield the abilities of five fruits. However, this would require him to undergo a grotesque transformation, turning him into a tentacle-riddled monster similar to Kakuzu. It would also involve drastically altering his physical form—something he was unwilling to do after years of training.
The second option, following the system's suggestion, was to create a heart perfectly compatible with his body. This heart would be system-generated and implanted into an external clone that would wield the fruit's abilities.
The advantage was clear: Zixu could remain human while the clone wielded the separated Silence Fruit abilities. The downside, however, was that since the fruit was disconnected from his main body, he couldn't fully exploit its power. Still, because it came from his original form, he could "borrow" the clone's abilities when necessary.
The decision was easy. One path led to mutation, the other to cloning—Zixu immediately chose the latter.
He had no desire to become a tentacled abomination. If possible, he still wanted to remain humanoid.
The system swiftly activated the separation process.
A milky-white light enveloped Zixu's entire body. Suddenly, he felt weak—his once-powerful limbs were paralyzed. Though he knew it was part of the process, he instinctively tried to resist.
Naturally, he failed. His body, now limp and powerless, was completely at the system's mercy.
"Tch… what a disgusting feeling," Zixu scowled. He despised the sensation of being helpless and vulnerable—it stirred unpleasant memories.
Fortunately, the ordeal didn't last long. The white light eventually faded, and Zixu regained control of his body.
However, something felt wrong. Unlike previous system operations, this one left him with searing pain. His entire body ached, as though something vital was being forcefully torn from him. The pain was soul-wrenching.
Clenching his teeth, Zixu endured it.
[Separated Silence Fruit]
The system's cold notification rang in his ears.
Before he could fully process it, another sphere of white light appeared. The Silence Fruit gradually merged into the heart-shaped core at its center. From the glowing heart, white tentacles slithered outward, forming the outline of a human figure.
The silent clone was now completely separated.
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