The so-called Body-Refinement Pod was a device developed by Makoto, based on his own method of refining the body through chakra vibrations.
Originally, it was designed for forging the Brutal Justice's flesh armor.
Later, when it was adapted for human use, its power was significantly reduced—after all, human endurance had its limits, while the flesh armor was merely composed of active cellular masses.
Now that the human version of the Body-Refinement Pod had reached its upper limit for Tsunade, perhaps she could try using the Body-Refinement Machine meant for forging flesh armor instead.
However, Tsunade was skeptical about Makoto's apparent kindness.
He took her to the Biological Science Research Institute, where she witnessed the entire process of forging flesh armor.
"This machine's intensity is several times that of the standard Body-Refinement Pod at maximum power. Can you withstand it?" Makoto asked.
Tsunade remained calm and replied, "These lumps of flesh don't scream in pain. Do you think I can't endure it?"
Makoto said, "If you can endure it, all the better. I'm also quite curious to see where your body's limits lie."
But then Tsunade suddenly seemed lost in thought.
"Have you always trained using this method?"
Makoto simply responded, "I used to, but I don't need it anymore."
His power had already reached a bottleneck. If he wanted to grow stronger, his only options were to follow the path of the Otsutsuki, constantly planting Divine Trees and devouring their fruits to continuously enhance his chakra—or to find a new breakthrough through technology.
After instructing Tohnogawa and the others to build a Body-Refinement Machine with the same power as the one used for forging flesh armor, Makoto let Tsunade return home to wait for the Mechanical Science Research Institute's update.
Back at her residence, Hokage Tsunade was filled with doubts and took the initiative to seek out Tsunade.
"What exactly is he planning?"
Ever since the interdimensional exchange battle with the Shinigami, this world's Tsunade had stopped launching night raids on her counterpart.
This left the Hokage Tsunade confused—she had been mentally prepared to suffer further humiliation after losing the match, but Tsunade never came for her again.
Initially, she thought that if Tsunade came again on Makoto's orders to humiliate her, she would simply go along with it—treating it as compensation.
But after that day, it was as if he had completely forgotten about her.
Hokage Tsunade couldn't understand it.
She was unwilling to believe that Hyuga Makoto had lost interest in her.
That bastard was definitely plotting something!
After listening to her doubts, Tsunade said, "Tell me, this world already has me, so why did he insist on keeping you here?"
Hokage Tsunade frowned. "How would I know what that guy is thinking?"
Tsunade spoke slowly, "Back then, I could feel it—before I completely gave myself to him, his interest in me was strong. But after that, his interest faded. With his power and status, he doesn't lack women. What he cares about isn't the momentary pleasure in bed, but rather the process leading up to it."
Hokage Tsunade was silent for a while, then muttered, "What a pervert."
Tsunade continued, "At first, you and I were the same. He mostly coerced me. Now, maybe he just wants to try a different approach with you—perhaps he's waiting for you to make the first move."
Hokage Tsunade sneered. "Me, take the initiative? He's dreaming!"
But Tsunade countered, "Why not?"
She looked at Hokage Tsunade calmly.
"Have you forgotten what you want to achieve? If you can understand his desires, wouldn't that be to your advantage?"
"..."
Hokage Tsunade's gaze flickered.
Tsunade's words suggested achieving her goal from a different angle.
Tsunade continued, "Right now, your constant growth in strength is entirely due to Hyuga Makoto giving you this opportunity. Do you really think he would let you surpass him and become a threat? I fear that no matter how strong you become, there will always be an insurmountable gap between you and him. I believe the path you're insisting on is the least likely to succeed because, in the end, you are still under his control."
Her words jolted Hokage Tsunade.
Recently, her rapid increase in strength had made her hopeful—if she could keep improving like this, then one day, she would surpass Hyuga Makoto.
Is that really the case?
All of her power had been given to her by that man—even this body itself was his creation...
Hokage Tsunade remained silent for a long time, her thoughts in turmoil.
Three days later, Hokage Tsunade received a notification—the new Body-Tempering Pod was ready.
She went to the Mechanical Science Research Institute to inspect it.
The pod's exterior looked the same as before, but its internal mechanisms had been replaced with those used for forging flesh armor.
She immediately gave it a try.
The intensity of the new Body-Tempering Pod was far beyond anything she had experienced before.
When she awoke from the anesthetic, she found herself in excruciating pain—every single part of her body throbbed with agony, the sheer suffering nearly causing her to pass out again.
The pod's built-in medical facilities were no longer sufficient to treat fatigue and injuries of this level.
She could only rely on her own medical ninjutsu.
After taking a moment to recover, she directly activated Byakugo no Jutsu (Strength of a Hundred Technique), allowing her body to heal at an astonishing rate.
This level of pain was beyond what an ordinary person could endure.
It wasn't just pain—this kind of extreme overload training would cause irreversible damage to the body of a normal person.
Only someone with an exceptionally strong physique and unparalleled medical expertise could withstand it.
Only Hokage Tsunade could use this new Body-Tempering Pod.
But... what was its limit?
One day in the future, when this new Body-Tempering Pod became ineffective like the previous one, what would she do then?
Would she be able to reach Hyuga Makoto's level by then?
Relying solely on machines—technology had given her immense power, but at the same time, it had set a ceiling on her growth.
"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"
Tohnogawa watched her lying in the Body-Tempering Pod for a long time without moving, and couldn't help but ask.
Hokage Tsunade's eyes flickered.
"I'm fine. I'll come back the day after tomorrow."
"...Understood."
As Hokage Tsunade stepped out of the Mechanical Science Research Institute, she took a deep breath—but suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
Her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
That night, she couldn't sleep.
Lying in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to find rest.
Getting up to drink some water, she faintly heard sounds coming from the master bedroom.
She walked to Tsunade's door and listened more carefully.
The sound was clearer now—a faint jingling of bells, mixed with subtle rustling noises.
Hokage Tsunade was momentarily stunned.
She was certain that Makoto hadn't come here today.
After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but knock on the door.
The sounds inside abruptly stopped.
A moment later, there was another crisp jingle of bells.
The bedroom door opened.
Inside, the lights were off, and the dim glow barely illuminated the figure standing before her.
Tsunade stood there, wrapped in a thin robe.
"What is it?"
Hokage Tsunade glanced inside and confirmed that there was no one else in the room.
She opened her mouth slightly before finally saying, "Nothing, I just can't sleep."
"...Come in."
Indeed, there was no one else in the bedroom.
But on a nearby table, there was a camera.
Hokage Tsunade recognized this device instantly.
She knew it all too well—whenever Tsunade had been forced to humiliate her at Makoto's command, she had always used this camera to record everything.
To Hokage Tsunade, this thing was utterly disgusting.
Her expression darkened. "What are you doing?"
Tsunade calmly sat on the bed. "Just doing my own thing."
Hokage Tsunade's face grew even colder.
She strode over, reached behind the camera, and began operating it.
Soon, she pulled up the latest recording.
The timestamp showed today's date.
Seeing this, Tsunade's eyes flickered, but she didn't stop her.
But when Hokage Tsunade actually played the video, she froze completely.
She double-checked the timestamp.
It was today—no mistake.
Then, she noticed something wrong.
The video showed Tsunade's master bedroom, not her own room.
And in the final moments of the footage, just as a knock on the door sounded, the figure of "herself" in the video suddenly vanished into a puff of white smoke.
Shadow Clone…
Hokage Tsunade stood there, momentarily dazed, then looked at Tsunade on the bed with a hint of confusion.
No wonder…
No wonder she hadn't come looking for her all this time.
Hokage Tsunade had been overthinking it, wondering if Makoto had suddenly changed his ways…
But in reality, Tsunade had been handling everything for her.
"You've… been helping me all along?"
Tsunade replied calmly, "I am you. If I don't help you, who else will? … You didn't want this, did you?"
Hokage Tsunade couldn't help but tremble slightly at those words.
The only one who could help her was herself.
The only one who would truly care for and protect her… was also herself.
Hokage Tsunade had always thought that this world's version of herself had long since lost her sense of self under Hyuga Makoto's manipulation.
But now she realized—Tsunade had been protecting those around her in her own way.
In the end, the one who had been reckless, the one who had been blind to everything… was only herself.
After a long silence, Hokage Tsunade said, "You… don't have to do this."
But Tsunade replied, "If I don't, then you will. Would you rather endure it yourself?"
"..."
Tsunade's expression and tone remained completely indifferent.
"I've long since stopped caring about these things. Besides, I'm just helping 'myself.' You don't need to feel guilty about it."
Hokage Tsunade took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh.
"Let me think about this on my own."
She turned and walked toward the door but stopped at the doorway to glance back at Tsunade on the bed.
Her hands were wrapped around her robe, but underneath… Hokage Tsunade had already seen what she was wearing in the video.
A woman… How could she possibly not care?
Returning to her own room, she still couldn't sleep.
Makoto hadn't done anything these past few days—yet he loomed over her like an inescapable shadow.
It wasn't until the early morning, exhausted in both body and mind, that she finally drifted off to sleep.
—
By noon, she was awakened by Shizune.
"Lady Tsunade, it's already noon. You should get up and eat something."
Hokage Tsunade opened her weary eyes and looked at her.
"Shizune…"
"Lady Tsunade, why did you sleep so late today?"
"…I tried the new forging chamber yesterday. It was quite exhausting."
"I just made some soup. Come eat, Lady Tsunade."
Sitting up, Hokage Tsunade squinted at the bright daylight outside.
A sunny day.
For many people, it was a good day.
For herself… perhaps it was a good day as well.
There were only her and Shizune at home.
Hokage Tsunade asked, "Where's your master?"
Shizune replied, "Master went to His Majesty."
Hokage Tsunade understood immediately.
Today was the day again…
Shizune then asked, "Lady Tsunade, are you still going to train today?"
Hokage Tsunade silently drank her soup for a moment before responding, "Mm."
Shizune smiled warmly. "I'll buy some meat tonight. You've been working hard—you need proper nourishment."
Hokage Tsunade chuckled lightly. "Alright."
Shizune then playfully added, "I can also buy some sake for you and Master."
But Hokage Tsunade declined, "Forget the sake. I'm not in the mood to drink."
Her intense training had already kept her away from alcohol for many days.
This young, revitalized body had given her endless energy—wasting time drinking her days away no longer held any meaning.
Shizune rested her chin on her hand and mused, "It's been a long time since you last drank, Lady Tsunade. Now that you've stopped, Master barely drinks anymore either."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Of course! I'll get you another bowl."
As Hokage Tsunade watched Shizune in front of her, she suddenly felt a wave of emotion.
This was what she had been protecting all along.
No matter how much things changed—at least, this feeling would never waver.
—
Evening.
Tsunade usually returned around this time.
After wandering through the village for a long while, Hokage Tsunade finally made her way to the imperial palace.
Hyuga Makoto, the Emperor of the Empire, was still in the pavilion and had not yet left.
Having not visited for some time, Hokage Tsunade noticed that a new, stunning beauty had appeared at his side.
She gazed at the 1.9-meter-tall Hancock, her eyes filled with surprise.
Hancock was equally puzzled.
Tsunade had already finished work, so why had she come back?
And even changed into a different outfit…?
Lying on the lounge chair, Makoto spoke, "Hancock, you may leave."
Hancock was perceptive.
Without saying a word, she bowed respectfully to Makoto and then left.
Makoto asked, "What brings you here?"
Hokage Tsunade replied, "I tested the new body-tempering chamber… The results were underwhelming."
Makoto raised an eyebrow slightly, as if surprised. "Oh?"
Hokage Tsunade nodded. "Mm…"
Seeing her hesitate, Makoto prompted, "What is it?"
After a brief silence, Hokage Tsunade finally spoke.
"Back then, didn't you train using this method too? Can you teach it to me?"
Makoto's gaze flickered slightly at her words, but he did not answer immediately.
Hokage Tsunade continued, "Didn't you say you wanted to give me strength?"
There was nothing wrong with her words, but as she spoke, her eyes involuntarily avoided his gaze.
Makoto's lips curled into a smirk. "My method only works for me. Others can't do it—otherwise, there would be no need for the body-tempering chambers."
Hokage Tsunade countered, "How do you know I can't do it?"
"Can you use chakra to fly?"
"...No."
Hokage Tsunade pressed her lips together and said, "Then… can't you help me train using that method?"
Makoto suddenly chuckled, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at her. "Tsunade, what do you really want to say to me?"
Hokage Tsunade glanced to the side and replied, "I'm talking about training."
She bit her lower lip lightly and repeated herself.
"Training…"
She wasn't even sure who that second repetition was meant for, but to Makoto, it sounded particularly amusing.
"Alright, I can help you."
"…"
"But why should I?"
Hokage Tsunade was silent for a moment before she unexpectedly said, "Do as you please. You don't have to help me."
But Makoto ignored her words and instead said, "Go back and prepare yourself properly. Come to me in a way that will satisfy me."
A way that would satisfy him…
Hokage Tsunade suddenly recalled the sounds she had heard in Tsunade's room the night before.
Her entire body trembled slightly, but she said nothing more.
Instead, she silently turned around and left.
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