Chapter 17: The Tour
Tobirama Senju had actually been forcing himself to stay upright—his injuries were severe, and he was barely hanging on with the last bit of chakra he had left.
Under normal circumstances, that amount of chakra might've been just enough to manage the situation. But what he encountered was anything but normal.
As dizziness swept over him, he instinctively looked down at the wound in his abdomen. Had he misjudged the severity of the injury?
"Too much blood loss… No, that's not it. It's… my chakra…"
His weakness was certainly partly due to blood loss, but the real problem was that he shouldn't have gotten so close to Hajime.
It was only because Tobirama had tried to restrain Hajime that they ended up in close proximity—giving Hajime the perfect opportunity to siphon his chakra.
With continuous battles, relentless pursuit, and a bleeding injury, Tobirama's condition was already deteriorating. His senses dulled—fatally so. He couldn't react in time to the sudden loss of his remaining chakra.
He had been hanging by a thread; now the thread had snapped.
Clang.
His sword slipped from his weakening grip and fell to the ground.
Hajime easily broke free from Tobirama's hold. He slowly straightened, turned, and casually reached out to support the staggering "Second Hokage."
"You let your guard down. Good thing I'm a nice guy—I won't hurt you. But I know you're stubborn, always assuming the worst, so… don't worry, you don't have to die. But you do owe me a life."
Before he could even finish, Tobirama's eyes had already rolled back. Hajime let go, and the young Senju collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
Honestly, this would've been the perfect time to talk sense into him.
"Someone get over here—treat his wounds and move him out of the way," Hajime ordered.
Two shinobi quickly moved in, handling Tobirama like he was some kind of rare, fragile artifact. They carefully carried him into a nearby shack and laid him on a crude wooden bed, following the unspoken rule of "gentle, always gentle."
Well, to be fair, Tobiramas were rare.
The two of them started removing Tobirama's armor and clothes, cautiously cleaning and dressing the wound.
Frankly, without a proper medical ninja, the camp's treatment options were limited. But for someone like Tobirama, basic first-aid would suffice—you could always count on the Senju clan's tenacity and healing ability.
"So this is a real Senju, huh? First time I've seen a live one."
"Wow… he's really pale."
"Yeah, like, really pale."
"Whoa, lil' acorn."
Hmm? Is that really how you should be talking about a patient? Hajime couldn't bring himself to listen any longer and walked away to keep some distance.
Ryunosuke Hayasaka followed him. "Captain, I can't believe your technique actually worked on a Senju."
Hajime didn't sound proud. He replied honestly, "It was just a matter of catching him off guard. And his condition was horrible… That move only works once."
Lately, Hajime had clearly changed—everyone could sense it. But when it came to personal strength, nobody really dared to ask.
Still, stronger Hajime meant a stronger team. No one was complaining.
Ryunosuke nodded, then asked, "But Captain… he really is a Senju?"
Hajime thought for a moment before answering. "Definitely. And… if I remember correctly, his name is Tobirama Senju—second son of the current clan leader."
"The clan leader's son?" Ryunosuke's face lit up with a mix of awe and disbelief. "Captain, how do you know someone like that?"
Hajime shrugged off the question, giving no reply.
It was a bottom-up question with no top-down answer. Whether he explained or not—it all depended on Hajime's mood.
Seeing that Hajime wasn't going to elaborate, Ryunosuke wisely dropped it.
Instead, he asked, "Captain, is there any way we can use this to our advantage? Maybe build a connection with the Senju?"
Smart guy. The moment he heard Tobirama's identity, his mind jumped straight to networking.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Hajime said, shaking his head. "At his age, Tobirama can't make any clan-level decisions."
Trying to fleece a great clan? Easier said than done.
Seeing that Hajime looked like he had more to say, Ryunosuke cautiously asked, "What if we try… a marriage alliance?"
"…"
Hajime had mentally prepared himself for some dumb ideas, but this? This was extra dumb.
"Ryunosuke, the only woman in our camp is Granny Takamatsu."
Takamatsu was over forty. And sure, forty-year-olds have every right to pursue love… but not crimes.
Tobirama was just fourteen. That was not a match—it was a lawsuit.
Ryunosuke glanced toward Takamatsu, who was rummaging through supplies, and couldn't help but wonder: Does that Senju kid have an Oedipus complex?
Hajime ignored his overly imaginative subordinate and turned back to address the rest of the camp.
"Anyone want to try out what Senju chakra feels like?"
…
The next morning, the rain had started before dawn and showed no sign of stopping.
Tobirama suddenly awoke. He shot up and instinctively reached for a weapon—
Nothing. Of course.
The sudden movement pulled at his injuries, sending a sharp pain through his side and gut. He winced, gasping as cold sweat formed on his brow.
The constant drizzle echoed around him, and the chilly breeze quickly cleared his mind.
Looking around, he realized he was lying under a leaky shack with a thin, worn blanket draped over him. Lifting it, he saw that he was only wearing pants, his upper body wrapped in bandages.
His headband, tools, and clothes were folded neatly on a stump to his right, his sword resting beside them.
The memories of yesterday came flooding back, hazy but clear enough to piece together what had happened.
The bad news: he had fallen into enemy hands.
The good news: he had no idea he'd been treated like a rare animal and put on display.
"Oh? You're awake."
Hajime appeared right on cue, still carrying that oversized scroll from yesterday.
Coincidence? Not at all. He had been monitoring the area the entire time, which was why he could appear the moment Tobirama woke up.
Truth be told, Tobirama was still too young and inexperienced. A more seasoned Tobirama would've stayed "asleep," silently gathering information or preparing a sneak attack.
Sure, he'd evolve into a top-tier schemer one day…
But for now, he was just a baby schemer with a pure heart.
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