Hajime followed behind Kushina all the way to her house.
Her home was quite spacious, but unfortunately, she lived there alone—so there wasn't much warmth to speak of.
Instead of entering through the front door, Hajime leapt up to the window outside her bedroom.
As he glanced inside, he suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity with the scene.
"When Kushina was pregnant, wasn't Kakashi the one standing guard outside, watching like a sad puppy?"
"Maybe that dog head carved into the Earth-Style Wall was inspired by that…"
He chuckled to himself, amused by the thought.
After a while, Kushina appeared in the bedroom, freshly washed and ready for bed. She lay down, her back turned to the window.
Hajime didn't disturb her.
"Um…"
Suddenly, Kushina's voice broke the silence.
Hajime turned around. "You can call me 'Alpha'."
Kushina looked at the rather intimidating ghost-faced mask and said, "Alpha-senpai… that thing—do you know what it is?"
Hajime's voice was calm. "You mean the Nine-Tails?"
"Of course I know it. One of the Nine Great Tailed Beasts in the Shinobi World, and the strongest among them."
Kushina asked nervously, "Aren't you afraid of it?"
"That kind of monster must be terrifying, right?"
Hajime replied with a hint of a smile, "If it dares show up in front of me, the first thing I'll do is beat it up—just to make it behave."
"Huh?"
Kushina was stunned.
This man, who had been recommended by Lady Mito herself, really did seem different from everyone else.
But still… that was the Nine-Tails. Could anyone really beat it?
Just then, Hajime added, "Don't forget—I'm a Wood Style user. You've heard of the secret techniques of Wood Release, haven't you?"
Kushina's eyes widened. She couldn't help but sit up on the bed, staring out the window at Hajime. "Alpha-senpai, you're the Wood Release user everyone in the village has been talking about recently!"
"That's amazing!"
Hajime smiled. "Nothing much. Just the third strongest in the village."
Kushina burst out laughing. "Alpha-senpai, you're so full of yourself!"
"There must be tons of powerful guys in the village!"
Hajime replied, "I'm still young. Once they all get old and can't move anymore, of course I'll be the third."
Kushina couldn't stop laughing but quickly covered her mouth, her giggles still escaping. "Hehe… Then who are the first and second?"
Hajime answered seriously, "Naturally, the Third Hokage and Lord Danzo!"
Kushina laughed again. "Alpha-senpai, you're really something…"
Feeling more at ease thanks to Hajime's warm attitude, Kushina worked up the courage to ask, "By the way, Lady Mito said you'd be teaching me something. Is it the Wood Style secret techniques?"
Hajime smiled. "If you want, I can teach you."
"But first, to learn Wood Release, you need to master both Earth and Water Style nature transformations."
Kushina was taken aback. "It's that complicated?"
Hajime nodded. "It's a new type of chakra nature formed by combining two existing ones."
"But… I do have a jutsu that's great for beating up Tailed Beasts. I can teach you that instead."
"It's much easier to learn than Wood Style."
Kushina's curiosity was piqued. "Really?"
"Is it even stronger than the Wood Release techniques?"
As she spoke, she got out of bed and walked barefoot to the window. She opened it and sat down on the window sill.
Hajime sat cross-legged across from her and smiled.
"A jutsu's strength doesn't lie in the technique itself, but in the shinobi who uses it."
"Even though I also possess the Wood Release Secret Techniques, I'm still far inferior to the First Hokage."
Kushina listened thoughtfully, then gave a firm nod. "I'll remember that!"
Hajime smiled, then extended his right palm. Under Kushina's watchful eyes, a Rasengan quickly began to form.
The swirling air stirred her bright red hair.
At that moment, Kushina's eyes were fixed on the Rasengan, and she gasped in amazement. "That's incredible!"
The Rasengan was only the size of a baby's fist, but as Hajime continued pouring chakra into it, it swelled rapidly, casting light all around.
Hajime spoke. "See? The strength of this jutsu depends entirely on the user."
"The better your chakra control, and the stronger your chakra, the more powerful the jutsu becomes. In theory, there's no limit."
"Or rather—the limit of this jutsu… is the limit of the person using it!"
Kushina hesitated, a little nervous and unsure of herself. "Alpha-senpai, this… can I really learn something like that?"
Hajime dispersed the Rasengan and answered with absolute certainty, "Of course you can."
"Don't sell yourself short."
"And remember, you're being taught by the third strongest in Konoha!"
Confidence lit up in Kushina's eyes. She nodded eagerly. "Right!"
"So can we start now?" she asked, barely able to contain her excitement.
Hajime spread his hands. "Not yet. I need to prepare a few supporting materials first."
"For now, go get some sleep. Once you wake up tomorrow, your training can begin."
Kushina looked a little disappointed. "I have to wait till tomorrow…"
"…Alright then!"
Soon enough, she perked right back up. "I'll go to sleep right now, so I can start learning a jutsu that can beat that thing tomorrow!"
With that, she turned and headed back to bed, but then stopped and looked back at Hajime.
"Alpha-senpai… will you still be here?"
Hajime nodded. "Of course."
"Thank you!"
Kushina smiled brightly, then climbed into bed, closed her eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
Hajime gently closed the window and turned to his left.
"Didn't expect you to be so good at coaxing kids," said a voice from the shadows.
Tsunade stepped out from the darkness.
Hajime made a hand seal, and a Wood Clone emerged from his back.
Leaving the clone by the window, Hajime and Tsunade leapt up to the rooftop.
"What brings you here?" Hajime teased. "Worried I might do something reckless?"
Tsunade snorted lightly. "You're too aggressive, that's what!"
Hajime chuckled. "Can't blame me for that—blame this world instead."
"This world…" Tsunade fell silent for a moment before continuing, "That jutsu just now—did you create it?"
Hajime nodded. "A moment of inspiration. I call it Rasengan. It can also be combined with chakra nature transformations."
Tsunade gave her assessment. "An impressive jutsu. No hand signs, with remarkable form control. Easily A-rank, at least."
Then she pulled out a scroll. "Here, Grandma asked me to give this to you."
"Lady Mito?" Hajime raised an eyebrow and took the scroll, curiosity in his eyes. "A sealing technique?"
Tsunade smiled faintly. "Take a look and see for yourself. Either way, you won't be disappointed."
Hajime opened the scroll—and his breath caught.
Sage Mode.
Yes, it was Hashirama Senju's notes and insights on Sage Mode training.
Hajime never expected this.
Tsunade said, "Seems like you're already aware of Sage Mode. So I don't need to explain much."
"But despite its power, Sage Mode is extremely difficult to master."
"I still haven't succeeded with it, even now."
"And more than that—training in Sage Mode is dangerous. If you lose control, natural energy can overwhelm you, turn you into part of nature itself, and kill you."
She looked serious as she continued. "My grandmother gave this to me after your last visit. She told me to pass it to you."
"I held off because of how dangerous it is."
"But… if you can learn it, it will definitely help when facing the Nine-Tails."
Hajime solemnly rolled up the scroll and said earnestly, "Thank you."
"I'll make sure to thank Lady Mito in person as well."
Tsunade shrugged casually. "Do as you like."
"But when you train, you'd better have someone nearby. In case you lose control, they'll need to stop you immediately."
Hajime nodded. "A clone should be enough."
"But if you happen to have time, Tsunade… would you be willing to help?"
No better time to strengthen their relationship.
Tsunade shot Hajime a glance and said coolly, "Something like this… you need someone you trust absolutely."
Hajime replied immediately, "There are three people in the village I trust completely."
"The Third Hokage, Lord Danzō… and you, Tsunade!"
Flirting was one thing—but he had to stay in character.
Tsunade snorted softly, then vanished without another word, leaving only a parting line:
"Talk to me when I'm free."
Behind the mask, Hajime smiled.
A sharp tongue, but a soft heart.
…
Under the moonlight, Hajime reopened the scroll and carefully studied it.
It was unmistakably in Hashirama Senju's style—plain, unadorned explanations.
Yet when it came to Sage Mode, even simplicity seemed cryptic.
To summarize: still your heart and feel the natural energy.
Only after sensing natural energy would one be qualified to take the next step.
Naturally, the scroll included a warning from Hashirama.
A type of mucus from Shikkotsu Forest could help with sensing natural energy.
Hajime guessed it was secreted by the Slug Sage—something like the toad oil used in Mount Myōboku.
The most dangerous part was the second step: absorbing natural energy.
That process required perfect balance—too much, and the natural energy would erode the body, turning it into part of nature.
That's why the more powerful one's chakra, the safer the process.
Compared to the vastness of nature, the human body was pathetically small.
Even a small amount of absorption would be a huge dose.
Especially at the beginning, it was hard to control the intake.
But if this step could be mastered, then the rest of Sage Mode training would fall into place.
…
After reading it several times, Hajime rolled up the scroll.
"Now's not the time to train in this. I'll try after this mission is over."
He thought to himself, If I have the aid of that mucus from Shikkotsu Forest, the process should go much faster. Tsunade should be able to provide it, right?
Mito Uzumaki had willingly given him the scroll, mainly because she could tell he harbored no malice.
Second, because of the Hashirama cells within him.
And third—likely because of his connection to both Kushina and Tsunade herself.
Perhaps… Mito was making her final arrangements.
After all, personal interests and the interests of the village often did not align.
Mito knew that truth well.
"This woman… the years have left scars on her, but so has the torrent of the world."
"She was once a princess of Uzushiogakure. The most powerful Jinchūriki… and yet she had to watch her homeland fall. That pain—who could truly understand it?"
Hajime sighed inwardly.
"She's no longer the princess of the Land of Whirlpools. She's the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki of Konoha, the wife of the First Hokage. She's no longer herself."
"I must never fall into such a fate… So I not only need strength, but a heart that can never be bound!"
"Talk of bonds? Nonsense!"
"I'm sincere and genuine to everyone—but I love myself most of all!"
Money is precious, love is priceless,
But for freedom—everything else can be cast aside!
"Now… how should I go about handling the Nine-Tails?"
"If I can't get to the Nine-Tails yet, I still need to nurture the Zero-Tails… Maybe I should look into the Dragon Vein first?"
Hajime mused, Either way, I need to seriously study sealing techniques.
Or bring someone skilled in sealing along with me.
Like… Kushina Uzumaki!
Tsunade knew sealing arts too, of course—but Kushina's lineage made her more specialized.
"Looks like I'll have to properly training Kushina's growth."
(End of Chapter)
✨✨✨
Support me on Patreon/RedX43 - Read up to 40+ Advanced Chapters There!
✨✨✨