A/N: So sorry for the delay, had to go out of town for half of the week and just didn't have the time to write at all.
Chapter 48: What it means to lead
Time will make things better.
Those words had been spoken to her over and over again. And for a while, Senju Tsunade attempted to believe them. Grabbed onto them. Looking for hope as she fought for the dreams of those who'd already vanished from her life. And, for a while, for just a moment, the woman thought she'd find it. A bright glimmer of hope she placed her dreams onto, only to see the life of those she loved slip from her fingers. Almost as if the world itself was determined to prove her wrong, to throw her into an abyss where only her heart continued beating, surrounded by silence.
And so, she lived without ever living, drenched in her own bitterness, drowning in her own vices, ignoring the fact that she was throwing away not just her own hopes, not just the village and the people she'd grown surrounded by, but their very own hopes and dreams. Pretending to fool time with a henge, pretending not to notice Shizune's worry as the little girl took in, became a young capable medic.
But time didn't stop.
And no one could make it turn back.
The souls that had already crossed over would never return back to how they were. Their time had passed, and that was how things would be.
Even if her brother...even if Nawaki and Dan could be brought back, it wasn't something they would want. And as she stared at her hateful teammate in front of her, Tsunade forced herself to admit the truth...the truth that from the very start, she had known and simply tried to ignore it. Because those two...they were the kind of brave and honest to the point of stupidity that she loved the most. For someone innocent to be sacrificed for their sake...they would hate it.
"Orochimaru...I know that you not touching Konoha was a lie...I knew that, but I..." Tsunade trailed off, her own emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "Those two people, even if it was just once more...even for just one more time, I wanted to see them. Just once more, I wanted to touch them..." It hurt so much to face the truth of the situation. "I'll really be able to see Nawaki and Dan again...the moment I feel that in my skin...I realized it; I am a total fool...
"Their faces...from just remembering them, for me to become this blind..." Because she hadn't really fought the decision all that much. It had been so easy. "I loved them. Because I truly loved them, I wanted to see and hug them!...but I couldn't...thanks to that brat...I know remember their dreams...I tried to forget it, but the dream that they bet their lives on. Having those dreams come true was also my wish. All things that have shape eventually decay...you've said that...but this feeling...only this feeling will not decay."
"So, the deal is off..." There was anger so obviously lacing her former teammate's words. "No choice then...we'll have to force you to do it."
A laugh almost escaped her; trust Orochimaru to be so damn insistent even with his body that damaged. But it was alright, she wouldn't be fooled anymore, not by him...or herself. It was a bit annoying, though Tsunade supposed she'd owe that annoying brat...owed him for letting her see clearly for the first time in years.
Letting go of her honed restraint, she jumped. Leg high in the air in an arc that crashed against the ground. An old familiar trembling filled the area as the wall around them cracked and shattered. For the longest time, she simply ran away from her debts, but it did not mean she'd forgotten how to fight.
"Now that I think about it..." The man smiled bitterly. "I realize I never fought against you before..."
"That's true." With a start, she started sprinting after them.
"I wonder how you could say that..." the young man beside her teammate added wrily. "It's me who is fighting her now."
"You bastards, I'll kill you both here and now."
So, they were running away now.
As if she'd let them go after all this. Pushing chakra into her legs, Tsunade sped up. The city around her becoming nothing but a blur as the da,n fuckers kept their cowardly act. Barely dodging her punches every time she got near enough. For the condition Orochimaru was in, he was doing far better than she'd expected.
"Tsunade seems to be running out of breath...it might be good to use it now." Finally, the snake Sannin stopped.
"Although I'm not that strong with taijutsu, I suppose I don't have much of a choice." Without stopping, the teen swallowed an odd-colored soldier pill.
Familiar-looking chakra covered the teen's hands after a fast string of seals. So, the kid knew medical jutsu as well. Historically, medical ninjas overspecialized in healing and would often become lax in their fighting abilities...but this was the one person Orochimaru had personally decided to take with him to meet her. And he'd also been able to detect her killing intent in just an instant. After decades of not fighting, this could become a problem...
And then Kabuto sunk into the ground...
Jumping was all she could do to avoid the hand coming from the rocks beneath her. The bastard was fast, using the debris to hide and keep aiming at her as she was in midair. Pain erupted after a brief touch, curses running through her mind because the woman knew exactly what he'd done.
"I've cut your biceps and your abdomen; you won't be able to use your monstrous strength." Cocky kid.
"Chakra scalpel..." Tsunade mumbled. "Why aren't you aiming at my arteries?"
"Certainly, I could've severed all your muscles and blood vessels...however, during a fight, I can't maintain one long and precise enough to penetrate all the way to your arteries and heart muscles."
The next attack was one she couldn't block, the muscles around her lungs painfully contracting as she fought to breathe. Shit, she'd been right, this boy was far from an ordinary medic...with that sense and control...he may exceed herself at her prime. But raw talent was no substitute for experience. And pain wasn't something she wasn't used to. Chakra gathered quickly in her hand as Tsunade pushed the hurt away from her thoughts, willing her muscles to move as she went through with her attack. Overconfident, Kabuto couldn't dodge.
Chakra changed into electricity in a heartbeat.
Her next hit connected into his twitching, kneeling form.
Fully healing herself would leave her exhausted; it would need to be something partial, barely more than a bandaid. Forgoing hand seals, Tsunade guided her own chakra. First of all, her respiratory system had to be repaired. Without enough breath, there would be little she could do at all.
"Don't think that with that level of technique, you'll be able to defeat me!" Kabuto was moving again. A kunai on his hand. "You're afraid of blood, right? I'll show you some now! I'll scatter just enough blood until you are at the brink of death!"
Too fast, how could he have recovered from that...
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Ka...Kabuto-san?"
Kagome's intuition is never wrong.
No matter how unlikely it was or how much he didn't want it to be.
Somehow, Kabuto helping Orochimaru was not what he'd pictured when his friend warned him to be wary of the helpful senpai that aided them during two out of the three parts of the Chuunin Selection Exam. The symbol carved on the older teen's forehead protector was undeniable, the truth staring straight at his face as he stood between Kabuto and the old lady.
"I see, so you know who he is." Ero-sennin's voice was weirdly serious at his side.
Whatever Jiraiya was going to say next, Naruto wouldn't know as Tsunade pushed him aside, rushing against Kabuto without hesitation, not stopping even when the teen raised his blade and...and cut his own wrist open.
The only female member of the Sannin froze.
Even from here, the blond could see her trembling as the crimson liquid covered her form.
"My body has finally started to move." The teen spoke with unnerving calm as he moved, his punch sending Tsunade to the ground.
"You..." The words refused to form a sentence, but Naruto pushed through. "You really wanted to hurt us then?!"
"Oh?" the older teen gave a wan smile. "I suppose they warned you about me? After all, you're too thick to figure it out on your own; that's why you can't compare to Sasuke-kun or Kagome-chan.
"Naruto-kun, I've concluded something from your data. Unlike your friends, you have no talent for being a shinobi." Anger grew inside him with every word Kabuto said. "Even if you make such a scary face, you are nothing more than an out-of-place genin. You were relying on that monster inside you, but with the legendary Sannin in front of my eyes. You are worthless. You are like a small bug right now; if you try something...I'll kill you."
He was forgetting his form.
Still, the blond kept rushing forward, rage silencing his friends' advice as his hands moved. Because it didn't matter right now, as long as he could hit Kabuto, then it didn't matter. Cerulean eyes fixed on the blood still dripping from the traitor's hand. That was his advantage; a useless hand meant half of the job was already done. His own hands formed the seals without thinking.
"Kage bunshin!" he kept running, not caring for the smoke around him. "Four clones attack at once!"
It was a fast movement. Kabuto stepped backward, his right arm moving and...and something blocked his vision. The memories of his clones being discarded reached him just when he brushed the...blood? Was this blood?...out of his eyes, only to be kicked back. The feeling of a body colliding with him and breaking his fall was as reassuring as it was infuriating.
"Thanks, lady." He forced a smile to offer Shizune.
"You're bleeding a lot." Orochimaru's voice grated on his nerves. The man didn't look worried as he watched his subordinates.
"Please, take off the left bandage."
"Shizune, you handle the guy in the glasses; I'll take care of Orochimaru." Jiraiya's eyes were narrowed as he saw the snake Sannin move his arm. "But, before that, I would like Tsunade to do something about my body."
"This effect will probably last for a few more hours. I myself cannot do anything about it." The short-haired woman shook her head.
"Hmph, well, I guess there's nothing we can do...we have to do it like this." Giving only a short glance back, the toad Sannin gave one more order. "Tsunade, heal yourself."
"Then, what about me?!" Finally, Naruto lost his patience.
"You protect Tsunade and her pig."
"What?!" No, no, no. This could not be his role, again. "I wanna fight too! I can..."
"No!" With a single word, the jinchuuriki's voice died down. "As the guy in glasses said, they're on an entirely different level. The enemy is like me, one of the Sannin, plus, he killed Sandaime. An eye for an eye. Only I can take him. Also, the guy in glasses has the same power as Kakashi."
"Then!"
"Hey, wait!" Once more, his movements were forcefully stopped. "It's useless to use kage bunshin; with those two as your enemies, you'll only be wasting chakra."
It was frustrating.
This was just like back in Wave...
No...
Cerulean eyes flickered to where Tsunade remained kneeling. Tremors making her whole body shiver, a haunted look on her blood-stained face. No matter how strong she was, right now, it was her who needed defending. With a single nod, the jinchuuriki moved closer to the old lady as the two remaining Sannin made their move. Smoke filling the area as the summoning jutsu took effect.
Two giant snakes were now in front of them, both Oto nins on top of one of them, and Naruto decided there and then that he hated snakes. Completely and absolutely. They were officially the worst animal in his book. Tense, he looked at the smoke in front of Jiraiya as it slowly dissipated to show...Gamakichi?
"Sup?" the toad greeted them.
"What?!"
"Your stupidity still hasn't been cured, Jiraiya...I don't believe there exists anyone less talented than you." Dry amusement dripped from Orochimaru's tone. "As usual, you are shamefully indecent."
Frustration welled up again.
Fine, he would stay back and protect old granny Tsunade, but that didn't mean he couldn't help in another way. After all, he had more than enough power to make up for Ero-sennin's current lack of chakra. He ignored the taste of blood in his tongue as he bit his finger before pushing through to the ground, energy pooling at his own summoning.
This time, it would be him who succeeded.
o-o-o-o-o-o-
Hyper focused on getting his hands on the boy's teammates, Orochimaru had simply discarded him during their confrontation, not really caring whether the brat lived or died from the fall he'd sent him into. In his mind, there had been no point or reason to waste his precious time with him when two gems were so close by.
"The Kyuubi boy from the chuunin exams...maybe it would've been better had I killed him back then. For the time being, I'll overlook his attitude." At the very least, the boy was amusing. "But if that five-element seal has loosened...it would be difficult even for a member of the legendary Sannin. I've never dealt with a power like that of the Kyuubi."
Smoke covered the area the teen was in for a second. Tension filled him as possible scenarios tan through his mind. The Kyuubi's chakra was certainly more than enough to summon Gamabunta, which would place them both at risk considering the snakes he'd summoned were not at the toad boss' level...golden eyes narrowed as the smoke dissipated, here it was...
Another small, normal-sized toad...
"Looks like I won't have to." It took some effort to keep from laughing. "Seems like he doesn't have any natural talent as a ninja either..."
Like master, like student, he supposed.
"I'll take Jiraiya." With a signal, the snake summons made a dive forward. "The rest are yours!"
Unsurprisingly, his former teammate seemed to rush to rejoin the others, the weak trying to protect the weak, and nothing more. The pain in his arms still burned him, but even now, it still wouldn't be enough to allow Jiraiya to just escape like that; especially, when the man was still affected by Tsunade's poison.
"Your opponent is me!"
Beneath him, the ground changed, a swamp bursting from a frantic jutsu that failed to swallow his summon. This was still doable, the only one with any chance to actually stop Kabuto was Tsunade herself, and she was easily manageable thanks to her phobia. As for the idiot in front of him...well, Jiraiya had never been talented in any way, shape, or form.
Handicap or not, Orochimaru was still stronger.
There was no need for arms to mold his chakra, to send it to his neck and let it jump ahead, the toad obsessed Sannin to guard himself with another rushed jutsu, white hair extending as a porcupine. Not good enough. Pushing forward, his feet sunk into the sharpened hair, still not enough. Letting his neck stretch, let him bypass his guard, allowing him to sink his teeth on his enemy's neck.
Tch, so they were more paired than he'd like.
Pulling back, the snake Sannin gained some distance. Pure attacks wouldn't make the cut so easily; he had to go with another route. One where his already useless opponent got angry enough to make stupid mistakes.
"There's that insanity of my old village...you've become a companion to that lonely kid." With a sneer, Orochimaru glared back at his former teammate. "Even I can't beat the sharingan user who is heir to the Uchiha clan, why bother with someone like Naruto who hasn't got something like that?
"A ninja talent that enables the user to use and master every technique in the world...that is what his heritage entails. Now he only needs to encounter the jutsus...and once it mixes with the ability amplifier that is the Higurashi bloodline, the results will surpass anything that has ever seen."
"That's not what the talent of a ninja entails. You still don't understand." If Jiraiya's tone was anything to go about, the taunting was working. "What it takes for a shinobi to be called a ninja."
"Our perspectives differ..."
"I'll teach one thing. The most important ninja talent is not the number of techniques one acquires or the output of strength..." The man hadn't changed at all in all these years, not one bit. "The important thing is...a spirit which never gives up...he'll never give up. That kid will definitely do it."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Physical pain wasn't something he paid much attention to.
Between his childhood friend's unique medical jutsus and his own rapid recovery, physical pain had never truly bothered Uzumaki Naruto much or at all. Even Kakashi-sensei's grueling training that left them all ready to drop, he'd been re-energized after a good meal or a decent night of sleep. During missions, he usually didn't get all that injured. Passing out from chakra exhaustion, sure, but that was about it. Not even the fight against Gaara had managed to physically injure him. There was something similar, though.
A broken bone, some years ago.
Back when they still played inside the Uchiha compound, Naruto had fallen off a tree and landed wrong. Unable to twist on time, he'd landed on his arm and had actually managed to hear the bone snap. It had taken a second for the pain to fully register, but once it did, it had to be one of the worst things he'd gone through back then. Thanks to that person's knowledge of basic medical ninjutsu, the injury had healed fairly quickly, and Kagome-chan's reiki had taken the receding pain away. But he still remembered. Somehow, it was at once just like that and worse at the same time.
Shizune's pained scream was followed by Tsunade's panicked yell.
Fuck.
His body complained, refusing to move as he wanted, his head barely capable of turning to let him watch Kabuto cruelly kicking the medical Sannin. Shit, even though the old lady was the only one among them in good health, she was clearly the one in the worse position here. Fear was paralyzing her; that much was obvious. When he heard her story, he thought he got it. And yet, this was affecting her far more than he thought it did.
So the only one able to do something right now...was him.
Forcefully ignoring his own pain, Naruto willed his body to move, this wasn't the time to stay low. He was the only one who could step in; there was no way he could allow this to go on any longer. And besides, the thought crossed his mind somewhat bitterly, moving to protect others regardless of the cost to himself was what was needed to become Hokage. If he wanted to become strong enough to earn the title, to protect his friends from the demon they wished to hunt...then he had to get up and move.
He would need his hands free.
His steps were loud as he ran, breathing harsh and muscles complaining. But Kabuto was too focused on himself to notice until it was the metal of his forehead protector the older teen's fist connected with. Surprise and shock clear in his expression.
"Now, I'll put an end to this!"
His hands hit nothing but air, pain erupting from his right leg as his own weight became a torture to endure. The rasengan dissipated as he fell, crashing against the solid rocky ground. Shit, this hurt...this really hurt, but he had to move...he was slow to actually hit him, though. Perfected or not, the jutsu was useless if he kept hitting air.
"I managed to put a crack in your right femur bone with my attack..." If he thought Sasuke could sound conceited, clearly, he hadn't heard Kabuto before. "Even after that, you're still moving...but you can't win since you can't stand."
There was no need to tell him.
He already knew that.
No point in trying to move faster. Training with his friends had made it clear there was a limit to his own speed. And it was far more useful trying to force them to slow down...which didn't solve his problem. Let alone the fact that his leg would only endure so much abuse before the bone truly broke. Both hands were needed for him to actually sustain his attack. All of his training this last week centered around that.
"Heh, afraid of me?" The older teen was taunting him, slowly walking to him. "Do you feel like running away?"
Bastard...how the fuck had he fallen for his lie?
"Naruto...isn't this a picture of you from around the time of the test?" With a wave of his hand, Kabuto showed one of his cards. "You're nothing special, Naruto. You should run...if you still can move. It was luck that you became a genin, but with your exceptional spirit, it would be fitting for you to become Hokage...although...for that you cannot be so cowardly. Now, do you think you could possibly become something like that? If you want to grow up to become a true champion, it'd be best if you run. Under these circumstances, you should just quit. A person should run away when they feel like it.
"No, no, no...what's with those eyes?" Cruel and mocking, there wasn't a trace of the young man he'd met before. "That will get you killed! If you die here, you'll never attain your dreams or anything else...for a kid like you, I think the decision is completely simple, so if you can speak so calmly about a dream like that... you cannot run away...then die."
"I'm...not dead yet." Breathing was difficult, but like hell that would keep him down. "That is my ninja way."
There was no moving away when the next hit came sending him to the ground right in front of Tsunade. It hurt, damn it, it hurt, but he had to move because the old lady was still kneeling on the ground, and Shizune was still knocked out. His friends had gotten injured too, bloodied and torn, but they always managed to get back up, and now, Naruto would stand up too.
"Why..." Tsunade's voice was shaky. "Why are you..."
"Tsunade-baachan..." His movements were slow but firm as he formed the hand seals he needed. "Remember the arrangements of that bet...now you'll have to give me that bad luck amulet of yours...Kage bunshin!"
"For...my sake..." She was scared, worry lacing her words. "Naruto! Stop it!"
"For that insolence..." And Kabuto had definitely lost his cool. "I'll give you death!"
So, the traitor was finally anger, huh...good. Kagome always said people get sloppy when anger controls their movement. The traitor would not see through his trick.
"If you die, you'll never accomplish your dreams or anything else!" It was sort of nice to hear the old lady being so worried for him. "That's enough, Naruto! Get out of the way!"
This was...probably the first time he'd had a kunai piercing straight through his hand, the tip of the blade more than visible as it tore a hole through his flesh. This hurt less than a broken bone...and his fingers could still move. Could still close around Kabuto's hand, trapping him right in front of him.
"Truly great, cause..." Cerulean eyes glared at the traitor. "Until I become Hokage, I refuse to die!"
Finally, understanding seemed to dawn on his enemy's eyes. He needed more than one hand to keep the jutsu stable, to properly apply the rotation needed for it to be effective...lucky for him, the blond had more than just one hand available. "You won't be able to escape this one."
Chakra rushed to his hand, his clone moving both hands to ensure the power remained focused, stable. This was it; it was only one shot, but the chakra was entirely condensed, and his target was chained to him...there would be no holding back, a full-force attack...it would be his end.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
That boy...
That boy hadn't just made his jutsu connect...the force of the thing sent both of them all but flying until they crashed against one of the many boulders of the landscape, the power going through Orochimaru's lackey to carve the rock itself...but...
It should be impossible.
Only two people had ever been able to master that technique, and even they took years of training to fully succeed, but this kid...in just one week...
And yet...Kabuto stood back up, pained but alive...and with a bloody cough, Naruto fell to the ground, right in front of her.
"You took that attack..." Disbelief made her voice face. "How...?"
"I collected chakra in my abdomen before I took that attack and began recovering immediately." Reddened skin could be seen in his abdomen. "I'm the one who saved Orochimaru's life. It's senseless to try and kill me with that technique. My resilience is overwhelming. This is an ability that allows me to activate all of my cells, thus creating new cells which replace my damaged ones...this jutsu looked like Naruto-kun's last gamble..."
His voice died on his throat, blood slipping from his mouth as the pain hit him once more. Right...the rasengan wasn't just a simple technique; it went far and above anything a genin should be able to handle, a jutsu created and mastered only by a Sannin and the Yondaime Hokage. Resilience or not, escaping without a scratch would not be possible.
Naruto coughed once more.
Tsunade was on her knees before she noticed. Rushing to drag herself to him, placing her head against his chest, listening for his heartbeat only for fear to freeze her blood. The muscles of his heart had to be worn out, his heartbeat was erratic...shit.
Shit, she had to do something.
His orange jacked was opened in a hurry; she was barely able to thank the gods that her fingers were not shaking badly enough to stop her. There was no time to waste, she had to act, and she had to do it now.
"Heh, it's too late now." Even from the ground, that bastard was trying to taunt him. "The chakra in his heart muscles has been sapped...the blood flow to his heart...has been cut off...I've cut off any potential for him to recover on his own."
"Shut up!"
So similar...this was so similar she could almost see them in the young boy's place.
Chakra pooled at her hands in a panic.
No.
Don't die...
No...she couldn't fail...
Don't die.
Not again.
Don't die!
She couldn't lose him too.
Don't die!
It was slow, shaky, the movement almost looked painful...but Naruto's hand had risen...fingers barely closing around her cursed necklace...
"The...bet..." the boy was smiling, even as he struggled to keep speaking. "I won..."
She could see it...his breathing picking up...stabilizing even as exhaustion finally knocked him unconscious, making his arm fall limply to the ground. But Tsunade could see his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm...tears were falling before she could even notice.
"It's your dream to become Hokage, so..." Trembling fingers managed to hold the blonds.
One more time.
For just one more time...
There was no shaking as her hands unlocked the pendant around her neck, slowly, carefully placed it around Naruto's.
Just once more...she wanted to see his dreams come true.
Her body moved before she had time to think...reacting to the sound of her old teammate hitting the ground, looking up barely on time to see Orochimaru rushing towards her...no...towards Naruto. And Tsunade moved, jumped in front of the boy who'd saved her life...and felt Kusanagi's blade pierce her chest.
"Tsunade...I wasn't trying to kill you..." the man spoke, his tongue still wrapped around the sword. "If that brat survives, he'll cause a great deal of trouble for me later on...don't get in my way."
She was shaking, trembling all over as her own blood seeped through the wound, painting the ground around her crimson, dripping from her own lips. Her strength would begin to fail her sooner rather than later...
"No..." Her voice was firm now. "I'm going to protect him, no matter what."
"Hmph, trembling in fear of blood." Pulling away, Orochimaru glared at her. "Why of all the shinobi, Tsunade...one of the legendary Sannin from Konoha...why are you risking your life to protect a worthless brat?"
"To protect...Konoha..." This time, she would not run away.
"To protect Konoha?"
"You want to know why?" Tiredly, she turned to Naruto's unconscious form. "This kid...is the future Hokage of Konoha."
"Haha, what are you babbling about?" The man laughed, the sound loud and unrestrained. "The title of Hokage is worthless...only fools would want it."
They were...the same...
The same words she'd spouted in bitterness to the young genin who'd mastered an impossible technique in just one week...and now...now, she understood what Shizune had spent so long trying to tell her. The reproach in Jiraiya's eyes as her old friend tried to explain the mistake she was making.
The anger in Naruto's voice as he, young genin that he was, threatened to hit her, a member of the Sannin, for the mere act of disrespecting the title. She could feel it now, that same anger...that same determination.
"From now on...I, too, shall bet my life!"
"Feh, if you're going to throw away your life for a worthless brat like him, then die like the worthless trash you're protecting!"
The blade cut through her with ease, blood flowing from the new tear on her skin, pain blooming from the places where crimson was seeping as she fell heavily against the ground. It was not enough...not enough. Orochimaru would not just stop.
"Now," Cruelty dripped from every word the man spoke. "as for Naruto-kun..."
"Tsunade-sama!"
Her body still moved, turning around to cover the small genin with her own flesh, letting the blade hit her ribcage, stopping it at the price of her own wounds. It was worth it. "Didn't I tell you? I said I'd bet my life."
"You worthless trash!"
It was worth it.
The pain.
The hurt.
Her own blood being spilled...
Because this time...this time, she would keep death away.
Naruto's dreams...Tsunade would protect them properly this time. No matter what the price may be. It wouldn't be his life slipping through her fingers. Focusing on the seal on her forehead took no effort. Standing up became easy as her trembling stopped, her fist firm as it connected with Orochimaru's face, sending him to the ground.
"Why am I doing this?" Too long had her rogue teammate spent roaming free, it was about time for it to end, and it would be Tsunade herself. "Because now...I am the Godaime Hokage of Konoha!"
"Wai...wait! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune groaned as she fell down in her haste to try and get to her. "I'll heal your wounds! Please don't open that seal!"
Ahh, she'd have to apologize to the young medic, wouldn't she? But, there was no time, and even if there was, her injuries were far too severe for normal medical ninjutsu to work. With a single hand seal, the Sannin released her jutsu. Chakra rushing through her body, closing her wounds, leaving nothing but phantom pain.
"Seems like I'm the only one developing new jutsus." There was worry now in his voice. "Care to tell me what it is?"
"I've been gathering my chakra to the seal on my forehead for quite some time. I used that chakra to stimulate the production of various enzymes that accelerated my cell duplication rate for rapid reformation." Wiping the blood from her chin, Tsunade smirked. "I can reconstruct any damaged parts and organs of my body. It's not simple healing; it's regeneration. In other words, I'll never die in battle...ever!"
The price was steep, but she would gladly pay it one hundred times over just to see the panicked eyes in that bastard's eyes as he realized what she had in mind. Her hand hit the ground at the same time the other two teammates did in some sick parody of the amount of synchronization the three of them used to have back when the war had been going.
Smoke filled the clearing in an instant only to dissipate and show the three giant summons that had once stood on the battlefield as comrades.
This was it.
A/N: And here we are, this is going to be the last chapter that focuses on the whole Tsunade retrieval arc. Honestly I do like Tsunade's character since she's the one female character that has some development (though her character arc is kinda short), also I think she's the only person we see that has some really visible psychological trauma/phobia from what she's been forced to live through. I mean, sure, we know that Kakashi is dealing with a lot of grief and way too much guilt, but he's still functional enough to keep working as a shinobi, even if he's not an ANBU anymore and I don't think we see any other person having to stop being a shinobi because of a psychological issue. I do wish they could've delved a bit deeper in that part of the world. That said, after this the story is going to go back to Sasuke and Kagome, plot will follow the scrip for just a bit more before it goes off the window thanks to the butterfly effect that all the additions to the story have started.
As always thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/criticism/comment is greatly, greatly appreciated.