3. The Strongest of Women

Tsunade's chakra pricked at her skin. After the initial discomfort of the intrusion, Yoshino slumped against her pillows and let the woman do her job. Her chakra was warm and gentle, searching for more injuries as it travelled around her body.

Most particularly down her nether regions – at the behest of her clan, of course. They wanted to make sure their Nara princess remained pure and able to beget children, after all.

It almost made her laugh.

Almost.

''Can she still have children?'' One of the Elders asked just over the Senju's shoulder.

Yoshino had no energy to react, nor to feel anything at all. Although she knew she would normally feel something.

Anger, yes. She was good at anger.

But not today. This time she preferred to see the cold linoleum floor, watch the scruff marks on the tiles –

Veins, they looked like veins.

She remembered looking at her arms and being so cold that she could see her the blue of her veins. They reminded her of their clan's many trees. The big ones have roots that sink their roots desperately to the earth. As if they would be uprooted if they don't hold tightly enough.

She could empathise with the feeling.

She could still see them on her hand. It was all so familiar – the veins there and the tube taped into her. The only difference were the people around her and the lightness of the room.

She wondered if she was still there – down there, in Orochimaru's hide-out, all alone and vulnerable, waiting for the Sannin to come back and harvest more of her eggs, or even worse...

She tried to move, panic setting in. But she barely made a twitch, drugged up and weak as she was. A warm hand stayed her by the shoulder. Tsunade's hazel eyes anchored her to reality –

If this was even one.

For all she knew, she could be in a genjutsu and she was actually laying there – just waiting to die.

She remembered the strange numbness of her body again, the heaviness of her thoughts and how light and flighty her mind was. She was half-convinced everything must have been a dream as she walked the dark underground tunnel in Orochimaru's hideout – a place she thought she'd never get out of.

Tsunade made a last check around her female parts again. A line forming in between her brows and the tension in her jaw growing.

She ignored the other woman's growing annoyance. Let her know a little bit of what she goes through every day.

Also, the thought of lying down on a cold slab of table made Yoshino sick to the bone. She does not know how could she fall asleep normally now. She hated it, feared it. On her wedding night –

Yoshino felt nauseous.

A cold hand felt up her forehead. Tsunade's eyes were ever-piercing. ''You have a bit of temperature still.'' She said to her. The woman paused as if in wait. ''You might experience some pain and for that, I will be giving you more pain medications that will make you feel light-headed. Just sleep it off. It will help with the healing process. In terms of your health and your abilities to have children…''

The room held its breath.

''You will still be able to do so, with little or no complications at all. Oro—''

But then the room became fraught with killing intent. Focused and with controlled precision - all Nara-like. The dark aura around the room spiked as the Senju paused and only subsided when her doctor cleared her throat.

Yoshino knew what she was going to say and so did everyone else – that Orochimaru made sure not to damage her. That he was careful when he did it. They would know it was probably because he thought he'd have use of her in the future. After all, one harvest won't be enough.

They were right to think that.

They did not know yet that it was also her teammate's condition for bringing her in, for his betrayal.

Yoshino wondered if Tsunade felt the same when the other Sannin defected and his horrid experimentations and crimes against humanity was revealed to the world.

Not all, even. It was worse. It was worse than Yoshino thought.

When all the Senju received was a blink from her, the woman backed away with a sigh, telling everyone else to back off and let her patient rest.

'You will still be able to do so, with little or no complications at all.'

Yoshino closed her eyes as her mind bent and her thoughts dimmed. She refused to look in that side of the room where she knew her betrothed slouched, listening and taking everything in. No doubt, he memorised everything, down to the last and smallest detail.

She hated him. Hated him so much. She hated how he looked at her too. Like he was measuring everything she did – every breath, every word, every tiny move…

She took in the frantic whispers of the Nara Elders about her health and slowly let herself just disappear.

The relief was temporary.

In the dark, she fell deep into her memories once again – drowning.

Inoichi was sat on a settee not far from her. The man let out an inaudible gasp as he joined in and mind-walked the young woman's mind, unprepared for the shadows that has made a home in it.

xxx