Chapter 58: When an Immortal Ascends, so Too do the People Closest to Them

As it wasn't the first time Wu had brought his little pseudo-harem to their house, Tsunade didn't really react to the presence of Tenten, Sakura, and Ino outside of saying, "Oh, it's you three."

Smiling wryly, Sakura responded with a polite, "Good afternoon, Lady Tsunade." Tenten gave a similar response, but Ino was still in a bad mood, so she remained silent, prompting the busty Senju to ask, "What's got you in such a bad mood? Boy troubles...?"

Furrowing her brows, Ino responded with a half-hearted, "Something like that..." before shaking her head and appearing to regain her usual vigor as she asked, "So, what's for dinner?"

Before Tsunade could turn to Wu and ask the same, the latter said, "You'll find out soon. For now, the three of you should go and get washed up. I'll head in a little later with my beloved wife."

Smacking the back of Wu's head, or at least attempting to, Tsunade said, "Don't be cheeky." before turning to the three girls and adding, "Come on. You can 'explain' things in the bath. I'll hear you out."

Without giving the trio a chance to refuse, Tsunade began dragging Ino and Sakura while Tenten followed after them with an awkward smile. In their wake, Shizune, a modest-looking woman with short black hair and large black eyes, arrived with a similarly wry smile as she said, "I see you invited those three over again..."

Exhibiting his lack of shame, Wu gave a playful wink as he teased, "No need to be jealous. Tsunade 'did' extend you an invitation to 'help' out. I certainly wouldn't mind."

Exhaling a helpless sigh, Shizune remarked, "You really shouldn't say things like that, Wu-kun..." before asking, "Do you need my help in the kitchen? I could cook for you and Lady Tsunade if you taught me your methods."

Shrugging his shoulders in a different form of helplessness, Wu replied, "I would if I could. However, unless you can learn how to manipulate Natural Energy, the most you can do is help me prepare the ingredients. Come on, let's get started."

As she had gotten used to Wu being the 'man of the house,' Shizune gave a courteous nod before following him into the kitchen. She had served as Tsunade's attendant and apprentice for more than twenty years, so, even though Tsunade had given her permission to leave and lead her own life, Shizune had remained in the Manor to serve as a vassal of the Senju Clan. As such, even though Wu was more than fifteen years her junior, she still looked up to and respected him as her Lord...

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While Wu and Shizune were preparing dinner, Tsunade, Tenten, Sakura, and Ino were soaking their bodies in the onsen-like bath of the Estate. Hashirama, the First Hokage, had been obsessed with natural hot springs during his life, so he had constructed a massive bathhouse, complete with a small waterfall and heated by a rare ore that could only be found in the basins of active volcanoes.

With her breasts floating due to their buoyancy, Tsunade exhaled a sigh that alluded to her actual age as she remarked, "Haaaaa...I never get tired of this bath. Returning to Konoha was the correct decision..."

Though she 'glowered' at Tsunade's breasts for a moment, much like the other two girls, Ino perked up when she heard the buxom Senju's remark, asking, "What was it like on your travels, Lady Tsunade? Did you ever visit any foreign countries...?"

Without rising from the stone she was reclined against, Tsunade made a so-so gesture with her hand, lazily replying, "Once or twice. When you're as famous as I am, traveling abroad just invites trouble. I did spend a bit of time in the Land of Hot Springs, but I mainly rotated between Tanzaku Quarters and a few other towns famous for their gambling scene."

Expecting something more 'juicy,' the smile on Ino's face strained as she replied, "Uh...that sounds...interesting?"

Unashamed to admit she had wandered down a pretty dark path, Tsunade shook her head and asserted, "It really wasn't. I was just going through the motions for a long time, so don't feel you need to glorify my behavior, kid. I'm glad there are still young girls who look up to me, but you'll enjoy life more by focusing on your own paths, not following in the footsteps of someone else's."

"..." x3

Confused by the sudden silence, Tsunade raised her head, an awkward smile developing across her face as she questioned, "Did I get a little too serious for you girls? I supposed that's one of the pitfalls of getting older. Hahahaha~"

Recovering from her momentary daze, Ino narrowed her eyes and said, "Speaking of which...how is it you're able to look this good at your age? I'm not trying to sound rude, but you barely look older than the rest of us."

As Wu had never explicitly informed the girls he had been training about the peaches, Ino wasn't the only person who was shocked by Tsunade's appearance. Those who knew her well simply assumed she was using her infamous 'Eternal Youth Jutsu,' but, as they had never seen her adult form, Ino and the others had no point of reference for her 'true' appearance.

Instead of answering Ino's question, Tsunade pointed out, "Actually, you girls look a lot younger than you 'ought' to for girls going through puberty. Tell me, are you getting regular periods...?"

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Though she was a little taken aback by Tsunade's words, Ino eventually replied, "Yes...?" in a slightly uncertain tone. The truth of the matter was that she had never really 'noticed' her periods. She was certain she was having them, as she occasionally noticed faint traces of blood in her urine and panties, but they were nowhere near as bad as other girls in her class had described. If Kaia, Sakura, and Hinata weren't in the same boat, she might have worried.

Narrowing her eyes, Tsunade issued a thoughtful hum that made each of the other girls nervous. The former was known as the greatest Medic Nin in history, literally 'pioneering' the Iryojutsu used through the Elemental Nations. If there 'was' something wrong with them, it stood to reason that Tsunade would be among the first to notice.

Making a come hither gesture, Tsunade said, "Come over here. Let me give you a quick check-up. Don't worry; I'll only palpate your chest and use the Diagnosis Jutsu. Nothing invasive."

Despite her apparent age, Tsunade had an air of 'authority' about her that made it difficult not to obey her. Ino's nervousness was off the charts, but she still approached the busty blonde tentatively, her body trembling ever so slightly as Tsunade felt around her chest and abdomen before creating a veil of greenish-blue chakra on her palm.

Seemingly having confirmed something, Tsunade gave a slight nod and muttered, "Yeah...I thought as much..." before retracting her hand from Ino's abdomen and adding, "You're 'perfectly' healthy, and I mean that in a very literal sense. I'm something of an expert when it comes to things like cell division. In typical cases, a person's body is constantly losing and replenishing cells, somewhere on the order of 1,000,000 cells every single second. Your body isn't nearly as 'active.' If I had to approximate it, you're losing and producing cells around a tenth the normal rate."

As her knowledge of Iryojutsu was fairly shallow, Ino's expression was equal parts hopeful and trepidatious as she asked, "Is that a bad thing...?"

Shaking her head, Tsunade asserted, "It's an undeniably good thing, from a purely medical standpoint. However, if you have plans of 'maturing' any time soon, you might want to cancel them. As it stands, you're aging a lot slower than normal. I'd need to conduct a more thorough examination and several other tests to approximate just how slow."

Since Ino looked as though her soul had vacated her body, Sakura took it upon herself to ask, "Does this have anything to do with your appearance, Lady Tsunade? I already know it's related to Wu-kun...you know, given the circumstances..."

Nodding her head, Tsunade revealed, "Wu gave me a very special peach that revitalized the cells within my body, effectively reversing the effects of aging with no discernible detriments. My current appearance isn't the result of any forbidden technique or transformation Jutsu. Because of that brat, this is what I actually look like now."

"..."

With Sakura also falling silent, Tenten, the only one who was aware of the peaches, remarked, "Wu-kun told me that the peaches were the product of infusing Natural Energy into ordinary peaches over a three to ten-week period. He also mentioned that he infuses Natural Energy into the meals he prepares, albeit in much smaller quantities. So I'm assuming the more we eat his food, the slower we'll age?"

Nodding her head in approval, Tsunade remarked, "You have a good head on your shoulders. It's no wonder Wu made such a fuss when I attempted to get him to give up other women. If he disclosed that much, it's clear he trusts you considerably."

Feeling a little abashed, Tenten shrunk into the water and replied, "I don't know about that..." in an uncertain tone. She knew Wu informed her about things he probably shouldn't, but she believed it had less to do with trust and more to do with the fact he didn't fear the consequences of exposing the information. After all, he had gone toe to toe with the Raikage and, to an extent, the whole of Kumogakure. Who could punish Wu for revealing a secret or two...?

Believing Tenten was simply feeling embarrassed, a teasing grin appeared on Tsunade's face. Before she could tease the aspiring weapons expert, however, Ino and Sakura returned to their senses, the former asking, "Are you telling us that eating Wu-kun's cooking effectively makes us eternally young...?"

Shaking her head, Tsunade asserted, "I doubt it's that extreme. You're still aging; you're merely doing so at a much slower rate. If you stop eating his food and avoid letting him treat your injuries, the Natural Energy suffusing your cells should gradually exhaust. You could say his food is diminishing the 'symptoms' of aging, not 'curing' it completely."

As if realizing something, Sakura's expression became 'serious' as she softly muttered, "That explains why Hinata's breasts are growing so much faster than ours..."

Hearing Sakura's remark, Ino's pale-blue eyes came alive with the light of hope. She hadn't been too worried about her periods, but she 'had' been concerned about her lack of development in the breast department. Her mother was far from the most well-developed in that department, but her distinct 'lack' of improvement had been a sore spot over the past two and a half years. She even bloodied the nose of several of her former 'friends' for calling her a washboard. Now that she knew the 'truth,' she couldn't wait to rub it in their faces...especially as they got older and she remained young.

Undermining Ino's plans, Tsunade said, "As a responsible adult, I should probably prohibit you from eating Wu's food in the future. It's not much of an issue right now, but if you're stuck this way into your mid to late teens, a lot of people are going to notice. Being young is certainly a blessing, but you'll receive a lot of judgemental stares if you remain like this and end up going out for a night on the town with your future husbands."

Imagining her current self with an 'adult' Sasuke, Sakura's face became as red as a tomato. Ino also blushed, but, as she and Sasuke had never done anything 'explicit,' he wasn't the first person who appeared in her mind...

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(A/N: Natural Energy functions similarly to the energy found in cultivation novels. It drastically affects the apparent age and lifespan of the person cultivating it. This includes Wu, but as he is constantly training, his cells are being destroyed and replenished out of 'necessity.' This is also why he was consistently shorter than the other boys in his class xD...)

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