Chapter 50
It was as if the night didn't happen.
We traveled through two more villages before finally arriving at Kujirai Village. Before I knew it, almost two weeks had passed and I hadn't even seen Senju Tsunade yet.
"Tsunade is probably either drunk or gambling away her money." That was the first thing Jiraiya told me as we walked into Kujirai Village.
On the front, the village was organized like an entertainment district - taverns, bars, inns - attracting visitors from all over the country.
But underneath, that was where the real money flowed. A casino, like a whale buried in the depth, stirred the cash flow in and out, much like the village name suggested.
"We'd have more luck trying to find Tsunade's aid, Shizune." Jiraiya suggested from the beginning and sure enough, we found the short-haired woman by the grocery store.
Before I could even ask Jiraiya what was his plan of approach, the man just walked straight to Shizune-san and waved his hands, "Yo, Shizune-chan! Have you grown more beautiful since the last time I've seen you?"
Okay, I guess our plan is a frontal assault.
The woman named Shizune widened her eyes at the approaching Jiraiya and eventually let out a sigh. "Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama would not be happy to see you."
"Oh come on, Tsunade-hime and I go way back. I'm just an old friend visiting." Jiraiya scratched his hair, but it seemed Shizune wasn't having any of it.
"Really," Shizune said, not finding any of Jiraiya's antics funny. She turned her eyes towards me and asked, "then what is she doing here?"
"She's a shinobi from Konohagakure, isn't she. You know how Tsunade-sama views them." Despite the serious tone, Shizune said in a whisper, noting that this topic wasn't appropriate on the street.
"Let us go somewhere quieter then, shall we. Shizune, you know I wouldn't disturb Tsunade's peace for nothing." Jiraiya dropped his flirty pretense and somehow, that seemed to work better on Shizune.
"I'm Uchiha Maiko, and like you guessed, I'm a shinobi from Konoha." I introduced myself once we settled into a private room in a parlor. Shizune looked at me with surprise before turning to Jiraiya in confirmation.
The Sannin nodded, confirming that yes, I was one of the Uchiha.
"If you're from Konoha, then you've probably got an order from Hokage-sama?" Shizune asked me. There wasn't hostility, but the distrust was evident. "What do Konoha want from Tsunade-sama, then?"
"Konoha's power structure is changing, Shizune-san. In order to preserve that direction of change, Sandaime decided to retire. He wanted me to come and convince Tsunade-sama to return and become the next Hokage."
Shizune looked at me and Jiraiya in shock, like we were crazy to even think that was possible.
Thanks, you're not the only one to think that.
But I couldn't afford to give up. If Tsunade's medical ninjutsu lived up to her reputation, then she might be the only one who could heal Itachi.
Once again, I was getting ahead of myself, considering Itachi was at god-knows-where, busy being an S-rank missing-nin.
"Are you crazy? Tsunade-sama will kick all of you out the moment she hears that" Shizune replies in a harsh voice. Jiraiya gave me a look, as if saying 'what did I tell ya?"
"We still have to try," I said with a sigh. "We also brought recent news from Konoha. Even if we're unsuccessful in persuading her, she might still be interested in them."
Shizune looked conflicted. She got the undertone of my message - something big happened in Konoha, and it might be something she and Tsunade would like to know.
Konoha was still their origin, despite everything.
"Fine. But just a warning, Tsunade-sama … is not in a good mood right now." Shizune said, looking like she was getting a headache.
"Been on a losing streak again at the casino?" Jiraiya looked at her in understanding and Shizune nodded in a pained expression. Gosh, how often does this happen?
Shizune took us to a small hottage around the edge of the village. She had been selling home made medicine to cover their travelling expenses. They sometimes offer their medical skills in exchange for payment, but that was mostly Shizune.
She wasn't lying when she said that we came at a bad time. I saw the blonde-haired woman, looking like she was still in her thirties, facing off against a group of muscled man with weapons in hand.
They were debt collectors, Shizune told us using hand signs.
This might get ugly soon, for those men I mean, who had no idea that they were cornering a woman who could split mountains with her fist.
"Now, now, let's not get violent." Jiraiya jumped in between them immediately.
"Jiraiya …" Tsunade was only surprised for a moment, before it turned into irritation. However, it seemed like those men were even more annoyed.
"Beat it, old man, this doesn't concern you." The leader said, trying to look rough. "Unless, you're going to pay for her debt, that's it."
"I told you I'll pay when I have the money, which part of that do you not understand?" Tsunade shouted back with every ounce of annoyance.
"You said that two days ago, and two days before that! You either pay up now or you can say goodbye to your little dirt house there and everything inside." The leader said, veins popping in anger because of how uncaring Tsunade looked, as if daring them to try.
"Wait, how much does she own?" Jiraiya managed to interject the conversion before Tsunade could punch those people in the face. The leader made a number with his hand and Jiraiya's jaw dropped. Shizune rubbed her temple to ease the headache. Even I had to blink a little tot make sure I was seeing the number right.
Her luck wasn't okay, that was for sure.
Still, Jiraiya recomposed himself and said with gritting teeth. "We'll pay for her."
We will? Jiraiya looked at me and I stared back, very confused.
Just for now, the old man gave you a mission budget right? Jiraiya managed to say with his eyes.
Yeah, that's ALL of our money. I wanted to scream back.
The leader seemed out of patience and he knocked his katana against the ground. "I thought you're gonna pay up, I'm waiting."
Pushing down the urge to strangle Jiraiya, I pulled out the pouch with our fund and threw it to the leader. "There you have it. Need to count?"
The leader looked at me suspiciously, as if finding it unbelievable that things would go this smoothly. He opened the pouch and started counting the cash in the pouch.
He counted it two times just to make sure, but eventually, he had to admit that the cash was enough. He spat on the ground before calling his lackey to leave.
"The Kujirai Casino welcomes guests always, just be sure to have the money." The man said as he strolled out of the premises.
"The hell was that, Jiraiya? I don't need your help." Tsunade looked royally pissed, rolling her sleeves up as if she wanted to punch someone, anyone.
"And what will you do, Tsunade? Beat them up and get yourself on the wanted order of the Kujirai village. Leave again with Shizune-chan until you've forced your way through every casino on the continent?" I'd give it to Jiraiya, he was brave to say that to a woman who looked like she was out for blood.
"Tsunade-sama!" Suddenly, a voice broke up the tension. It was Shizune, running towards the older woman, her grocery still in hand. "Are you okay? How did you even lose that much money?"
Tsunade's anger seemed to deflate a little as she rubbed her temple. "I don't know. It just happened. Why would you bring Jiraiya here? And who is she?"
After the round of questioning, her eyes locked onto me.
"My name is Uchiha Maiko, and I come from Konohagakure. It's nice to meet you, Senju Tsunade-sama."
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
To think that we managed to get into the cottage, instead of being thrown out, I called that progress.
Maybe it was because I paid for her debt, or maybe because I had yet to piss her off, or maybe she also saw the humour in Hokage sending me to find her … Anyway, she didn't slam the door on us when Shizune-san invited us in.
"Thank you," I said to the younger woman, as she placed a cup of tea in front of me, She gave me a weak smile, as if she wasn't sure how to deal with the situation as well.
"So, you're the last Uchiha?" Tsunade said, examining me with narrowed eyes.
"One of the last Uchiha, but yes, I supposed," I corrected her and received a raised eyebrow from her.
"You're funny," She said. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Shizune said that Sandaime sent you here to convince me to return to the village and become the next Hokage. That's the most hilarious thing I've heard."
"The fact that he sent you, an Uchiha, to convince me, a Senju, to become a Hokage, that was even funnier." She said, letting out a short burst of laughter. "I find the entire situation entertaining, and that's the only reason why you're in here."
She stood up from across the table, pressed her palm down on the table and loomed over the table. "So, what other entertaining news do you have for me? That will determine when I'll kick you out."
I met her piercing gaze and said, "Shimura Danzō was executed and convicted as a traitor."
That got her attention. It always did.
"On what charges?" She asked.
"Keeping illegal military force, consorting with S-rank missing-nin, conducting illegal experimentation, blood-line theft, and murder … there are a few others, I can go on for a while." I said, watching their eyes go a little wider with each charge.
"It was Root, wasn't it?" Tsunade inquired after a moment of silence. So she also knew that Root was going to get out of hand one day under Danzō's control.
"Root was ordered to be disbanded after the Uchiha Massacre. But Danzō kept it running in secret," I explained. There were many details that I left behind, such as how it was only possible with the other Elder's support and the Hokage's passive attitude. But those who knew - like Tsunade - would just know.
"S-rank missing-nin, I supposed that was Orochimaru. So what did they experiment on?" Tsunade nodded at me, telling me to keep going. Great, it seemed that she was entertained so far.
"Shodaimo's cells. He was found with an arm infused with the Shodaime's cells, as well as his wood release abilities."
Crunch! The cup in Tsunade's hand got crushed into dust. "That bastard, to think he got the gut." Yeah, Lady, been there, done that.
She shook her hand free of the dust and said to me, "I supposed that was also the blood-line theft. Can't imagine the clans like the Hyūga would let it go if Danzō was crazy enough to do so."
"Wood release is a part of it. But mostly, it was the eleven Sharingan he pillaged from the Uchiha Massacre and transplanted onto himself." I replied, hearing complete silence in the room.
Moments later, Tsunade laughed frantically. "How far has Konoha fallen, that someone like Danzō could sit at the top of the power ladder even after doing all of those."
That, I couldn't deny.
"Wait, you said he was executed and convicted, not the other way around?" It seemed she noticed the little trick on the wording I used.
"He tried to escape before the full conviction fell through, causing a lot of chaos in the village. But he was found during his escape and executed on the spot," I replied, trying to make it as neutral as possible.
"So he finally felt threatened enough by a little jail time, didn't he. That means Sarutobi-sensei left him no mercy. I wonder, what pushed that trigger, or rather, who?" Tsunade gave me a knowing look. "I'm not supid, kid, Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't send someone just to be a messenger. It was you, wasn't it, who convinced him to deal with Danzō for good."
I said nothing in response, but she didn't need it. "What did he do to you, to warrant such a determined hate?"
That's right, she was looking for something entertaining. My presence was the most entertaining thing here.
I looked at Jiraiya, wondering if it's okay to tell her. Jiraiya gave me a nod. I supposed it didn't matter at this point. Whether or not Tsunade came back to Konoha, she wasn't going to let anything from this meeting leave the room.
"So many things, where do I even start?" I muttered. Tsunade caught that and her smile went wider, more intrigued than ever.
You see, to explain the whole ordeal that led to his death, one had to go way back to the Uchiha massacre and the rebellion that preceded it. So I told her a long and convoluted story ranging from five years ago to not even a month ago, exposing everything that had made my life miserable.
"Was that enough entertainment for you?" I said with a smile. Jiraiya was making eye contact with me, desperately telling me to calm down. He didn't need to, I got it.
"Tsunade-sama, there's no need to try to get me mad," I said to the blonde woman, who just raised an eyebrow at me. I knew she was trying to piss me off with her attitude, trying to make it seem like she was laughing off of my pain. "All I did was being mad during my fight with Danzō and I killed him twelve times to satiate my anger. You're going to have to do a lot better than that to get me truly mad."
Tsunade burst out in laughter. She gave me another once-over, as if trying to formulate her judgement again. "You're smart, I'll give you that. It's true, if I get you mad, then maybe you'll never want to see me again and get out of here by yourself."
"But you're more cowardly than I thought. If I were you, I'd leave the village that failed me so much. Yet, you're here, being a pawn to the Hokage."
Ouch, she knew to hit where it hurt.
"Why are you even here, girl? Convincing me to be the next Hokage, so you'll be a pawn for me instead of Sarutobi-sensei?"
Ahh, I walked into that myself, giving her all the information she needed to put the picture together.
"Maiko, let's go." Jiraiya said, already standing up and walking towards the door. It was very rare that he called me by my name, but I got his message. In that short ten minutes, I lost against her.
Still, I had to try, for Kakashi's sake, for Itachi's sake.
"I had no love for Sandaime, not after what he had allowed to happen." I said to Tsunade, ignoring Jiraiya's words. "But I saw the changes happen in Konoha, the old corrupted roots are being taken out, new trees are being put into place. Sandaime had to go, for the changes to be completed and maintained."
"I had no faith in the old Konoha, but this new one? Like you said, I set it forth in motion, with my crusade against Danzō and Root, but I'm not arrogant enough to think that it was all it would take for the village to suddenly be safe for us Uchiha again. People I trusted and loved believed that you could keep the wheel in motion, and I believed them. That's why I'm here."
At first, Tsunade didn't say anything upon hearing my words. It's fine, I've said what I wanted to say already. I stood up and started making my way towards the door.
"Hey girl," It was then that Tsunade called out to me. "That's not all, isn't it. there's other reasons why you want me to come back. You can't hide the smell of desperation from a healer. What is it?"
I contemplated whether or not I should tell her. I've already given her enough to use against me, and this would be the bullet that would rip open my most vulnerable scar.
But like she said, I couldn't hide the smell of desperation.
"My brother is dying, and you may be the only one who could save him." I let out a mocking laughter at myself, before turning to her and sad, "That really is all, Tsunade-sama."
I walked out of the cottage with Jiraiya and the door was closed behind us immediately.
"I'm sorry, I totally messed that up." I told Jiraiya as we walked down the street, but all he did was shake his head.
"Tsunade is cunning. We all had to be, to survive the war. We were always at a disadvantage because it was us that needed something from her." Jiraiya explained, and I couldn't agree more.
"Still, we'll be here for a while, so don't lose hope yet, not about Tsunade, not about Itachi-kun." I widened my eyes a little at the mention of Itachi. I turned my head to look at the Sannin, who gave me a thumbs up.
"Worst comes to worst, at least now you're clear on where you stand with Konoha. Like you said, the wheels of change are set in motion. With or without Tsunade, you and everyone else is working hard to keep the wheels in motion. Just be sure to witness that."
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
After going absolutely nowhere for two days on the mission - Tsunade was either drunk or in the process of getting sobered up - I met Shizune-san at the market, with two dead rabbits in hand.
Did I mention that we were out of money?
After Jiraiya's ingenious decision to spend all our money on Tsunade's gambling debt, we had absolutely no cash left on us.
So I was hunting wild animals to fill the stomach and also hoping that some butcher would be willing to exchange the meat for some money.
I lived in the forest. As for Jiraiya, I couldn't care less. He could be living in the gutter or enjoying life on the resort for all I cared, as long as I didn't see his face, I didn't get the urge to punch him in the face.
Shizune's eyes travelled from the rabbits in my hand, to the tantō and the ninjatō sheathed by my waist - the presumed murder weapon - before finally landing on my face.
I could see the pang of guilt hitting her.
"You really don't have to do this, Shizune-san." I followed Shizune around the market, the dead rabbits still in hand. I didn't know what kind of lifestyle she thought I was living, but she insisted on buying me some groceries.
"Think of it as a thank you, it's the least I can do." Shizune gave me another once over, and I could just see the kind of sad tale she was spinning in her head. A young girl, alone, poor, sleeping on trees, eating wild rabbit meat.
That was not completely accurate. I had a tent, a cooking pot, even cooking spices. I had a stash of edible leaves in my bag. I came on this mission prepared. The only reason I came here in the market with dead rabbits was because I wanted a change of taste.
"That wasn't my money. The Hokage paid for all of that." I felt like I should make that clear.
"I know," Shizune said with a sigh, but she still paid for the bag of groceries and handed it to me. "Tsunade-sama is not usually very mean, so please don't take what she said to heart."
I shook my head and replied. "If someone disturbed my peace, I'd want them to get out too." I wasn't looking for a source of comfort, I was looking at a possible Hokage candidate. So far, she had the intelligence and guts needed to say 'screw you all' without making herself look like a mad woman.
Personally, I found that a useful skill against all those Clan and Elders who couldn't understand that changes were mandatory, not optional.
"Are you planning to stay here until Tsunade says yes?" Shizune asked, eyes still on the grocery stand.
"Until I get called for another mission. Like I told Tsunade-sama, I had my reasons for trying to convince her to come back," I answered. I couldn't stay here forever and the Hokage couldn't wait forever. Tsunade was the most suitable option, but she wasn't the only option.
"Then you might have to go back disappointed," Shizune didn't bother to sugarcoat her words. However, she did pick up another bag of groceries and said, "In the meantime, these should make your meals a little more enticing."
Once again, her eyes travelled to the dead rabbits and realized that all my hands were occupied, left hand with the grocery bag from earlier, right hand with the dead rabbits.
"I'll carry it to your place for you," Shizune said after a moment of awkwardness. At this point, maybe she just wanted to see how badly I'm living my life.
"I change a spot every night, but sure, let's start with going to the forest. Thank you, Shizune-san." No matter how we got to this point, free food was free food and deserved my gratitude.
"I'd imagine that Jiraiya-sama had already told you that Tsunade-sama had experienced loss," Shizune told me on the way out of the village. "The village remembered Tsunade-sama as she was, the last Senju, one of the Sannin, but things are never that simple. Tsunade-sama might seem drunk all the time, but there are some things that not even alcohol could drown."
Shizune was a conflicted being either. She wished for us to understand Tsunade, but she didn't want to say too much either because it was Tsunade's story to tell.
Nevertheless, I got her message: 'Tsunade-sama ignored you all, not because she didn't care, but because she cared too much.'
I'd invited her for some grilled rabbit, but that plan was busted along with my dinner the moment I saw the burn mark on the soil. Jiraiya left me with some seals a few days ago that would self-combust if someone came into its marked area.
Shizune furrowed her brows when she saw me examining the black dust. "Unfortunately, it seems like the groceries will be a waste," I said to her "Please run and go find Tsunade-sama. If she hadn't decided to move to the next village, now would be a good time."
"Summoning no jutsu" Fuyuki appeared in a puff of smoke. "Protect her and take her to the cottage, then go find Jiraiya."
"Wait, I can help-" before Shizune could finish her sentence, a curtain of projectile weapons crashed onto us at a speed faster than lightning. I slapped my hand on the ground, letting the crimson red barrier rise up around us, melting the metallic weapons upn contact.
"There's here for me, and I don't intend to hold back." I gave her a glare, letting her see the Sharingan burning bright. Shizune choked back her words and nodded.
There was a moment of silence before everything set into motion. I let the barrier drop and disappeared with a body flicker. Fuyuki slapped her tail on the ground, summoning up a thick earth wall around her and Shizune. A wind blade hit the earth wall a moment later, shattering it into pieces, but there was no one inside.
Meanwhile, I appeared in the shadow, locking my eyes on the figure in front of me. Let's start with you. The next thing that greeted him was the flash of my ninjatō.
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
"When will you take a 'no' for an answer?" Tsunade looked at him with annoyance as she sipped down another cup of sake.
"Too bad, I can't decide that." Jiraiya responded, picking up a cup as well. Tsunade slapped the table hard when he tried to reach for her bottle of sake. "Hey, hey, drinking is no fun when you're not sharing."
Maiko refused to drink any sake, chatting with her was boring.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes on him, making Jiraiya wonder if his face would meet the same fate as the table. "Will you leave me alone if I let you drink?" She asked and Jiraiya nodded.
He wouldn't bother her again, but nobody said anything about Maiko.
Tsunade let out a grunt before picking out another bottle of sake from her cupboard and threw it at him. "One bottle, and don't touch my china."
"So the Uchiha did try to rebel." Ah yes, the gossip of the century.
"Tried to, but stopped in its tracks by a thirteen-year old boy. " Jiraiya took a sip from the sake bottle, savouring its taste.
"That's the brother that Uchiha girl wanted me to save? She really is an irony personified." Tsunade let out a laugh, but she didn't find the whole thing funny. "Why did Sandaime send her, did he think I'd emphasize with her, the last Senju to the last Uchiha?"
"Who knows, but I'm sure she's wondering the same thing as well." It's not as effective when Jiraiya just told them, it'd lose the 'whoa' factor. To be fair though, even Jiraiya was guessing it himself.
"Well, she'll be disappointed," Tsunade said, adding a moment later with a whisper, "in every way possible."
"Even if you don't want to return to the village. I would ask you to see if you can cure Uchiha Itachi." Jiraiya remembered the Uchiha boy from a week ago, the conversation between Itachi and Maiko still fresh in his mind. Even he, who had seen the true cruelty of war, found it painful.
"It's Konoha's debt. I don't have to pay for Sarutobi-sensei." Tsunade shot back, some anger slipping out of her tone.
"That's not what I meant. It's just me, your friend, asking you for a favour." Damn, he was definitely pushing it.
Tsunade looked like she wanted to punch him and laugh at him at the same time. She downed the last bit of her sake and slammed the empty bottle down on the table, cracking it a little.
"Jiraiya, I'm only going to say it once. Go back, take the girl with you. I am not coming back to Konoha and I sure as hell won't be the next Hokage." Tsunade looked at him with all seriousness, and said, "Everything she's hoping that I can do - the next hokage can do, I can't do it. So it's better for you, her, and everyone in Konoha to forget about me and move on."
Jiraiya found her words strange. He always thought that the only barrier they had on this mission was Tsunade's wish. Her capability was never within his consideration.
He wanted to ask her more, to make her explain what he meant. However, before he could do that, he felt his chakra flow being occluded, like a river frozen in cold ice.
"Tsunade, what did you do?" Jiraiya found Tsunade standing up, pulling out a bag from the back of the room. She was going to leave. She had already planned to leave before he even came here.
"It's just a drug to seal your chakra flow a little. It should pass within two days." Tsuande explained, not sparing him a look as he pillaged the sake bottle in the cupboard. "I'm going to leave as soon as Shizune comes back and I don't want you to follow me that quickly."
"There's still Maiko," Jiraiya said, feeling the weakness in his body that resulted from the sudden chakra withdrawal.
"You think she will leave you on your own without chakra?" Tsunade laughed, calling out his bluff.
"Don't do this, Tsunade. You've been running away for years. At least explain your words, damn it!" Jiraiya yelled just as the door opened, revealing Shizune and a snow wolf - Maiko's summoning creature.
"Root is here," Fuyuki growled, flapping her tail in agitation. "Maiko is keeping them busy. You need to go and help her."
"How many?" Jiraiya asked, feeling the blood drain from his face when Fuyuki answered "eleven".
"Tsunade-sama, I have to go back and help." Even Shizune said, as she pried out the hidden box of weapons under the floor.
"Tsunade, I get it, I won't ask you for anything else, but at least get this drug out of my system. Then you can be on your merry way and I won't bother to follow you." Tsunade pissed him off, but something else was more important right now. Eleven former root agents, probably modified by Orochimaru to have the cursed mark.
"Tsk" Tsunade rubbed her temple for a moment, before pushing the words out of her teeth. "Shizune, take Jiraiya, try to get the drug out of his system on the way. Let's go see those Root bastards I've heard so much about."
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
Tsunade arrived to see five bodies already littered on the ground.
Nausea filled her stomach and clouds started to occlude her vision, just by the scent of blood that lingered in the air
She took a deep breath, trying to drag herself back into reality. Fortunately, those Root agents wore black and that tended to hide the dried black quite well. Moreover, whoever was responsible for these bodies made clean and precise cuts,
Tsunade cleared her head just in time to see the person in question being cornered by six enemies, coming with jutsu from all directions. Tsunade saw the pulsing black mark on those agents' necks, sending forbidden power down their veins, making them faster, stronger, but also less human.
The girl raised her sword with crackling lightning, but one of them already broke through her personal defense, ready to slice her open with a guardless tantō.
In the blink of an eye, the girl changed strategy. Just before everyone thought she would get hit, a flash of lightning appeared where she once stood and the girl was nowhere in sight.
Less than a second later, Tsunade heard something crashing into the tree trunk. It was Maiko, grabbing onto the tree to steady herself as crackling electricity seemed to discharge from her body.
The moment their target appeared, the Root agents locked on to her. Chain of electricity charged at her like snakes attacking their prey, while others charged in with their weapons like a group of blood thirsty hyenas. One of them even had a bony mass that somewhat resembled a wing that started sprouting on his back.
This was an experimentation for Orochimaru. These Root agents were failed projects, but nonetheless, not completely useless. Their hatred for the one that completely destroyed their organization made them to be the perfect test subjects to evaluate the current capacity of the cursed mark and how to improve them.
The wolf landed in front of the girl, raising up thick earth walls to protect her. The attack shattered the defense almost immediately, but the wolf had already retreated and the girl was once again, nowhere to be found.
The Root agents tensed up, cautiously waiting for the next attack to appear. However, none of them could catch the flash of lighting that appeared behind one of them, passing through the agent without stopping.
Bump! Maiko crashed herself into another tree and it took a second for her mind to regain focus. Lucky for her, the rest of the Root agents were occupied with their fallen comrade - an agent whose face was half transformed by the cursed mark into a shade of scaly grey. Even the augmentation from the curse mark was not enough to prevent his neck getting sliced in half.
Tsunade saw the blood gushing out and suddenly, all of her mental preparation crumbled under the waterfall of red.
Her hands couldn't stop shaking and her leg seemed to get locked up in places, unable to move and unable to help.
It was always like this, with Nawaki, and with Dan. She was helpless against their bloodied body. All she could do was watch the event unfold in front of her, like the cowardly bystander she was.
She knew that this advantage that Maiko had was unsustainable.
Jiraiya seemed to realize the same thing. He pulled out a stack of seals from his jacket and handed it to Shizune. "Place these around us first, and when Maiko gets within its vicinity, activate them with your chakra.
In the blink of an eye, Maiko disappeared again, leaving behind nothing but the smell of electricity lingering in the air. The same trick never worked twice, let alone something as incomplete as what Maiko was doing.
The Root agent that became her next target instantly lashed back the moment he felt his life being threatened. He didn't make it in time to save his own life - the cut on his neck said it all - but Maiko gained a large slash on the side of her stomach, as well as a broken left arm when she tried to defend herself.
Fuyuki appeared from below the ground and sent a wave of earth spikes towards the Root agents, stopping them in their tracks, buying her the time to pick up Maiko and enter the ground.
The moment Fuyuki appeared above ground again, Shizune activated the barrier of protection, encasing them in a pale blue cube.
"Tsunade, can you please heal her?" Tsunade heard Jiraiya in some kind of distant voice, but nothing would move for her as she stared at the open wound on the young girl's stomach.
"Wait!" Shizune yelled, knowing full well what her shishou is experiencing. She turned to Jiraiya, her hand still pumping chakra into the seal. "Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama developed haemophobia after the war. I can heal Uchiha-san, but will the barrier be okay?"
Jiraiya seemed stunned. Who wouldn't? The greatest medical-nin, unable to see the blood of her patient. One of the Sannin, but would freeze up in battle when she saw a speck of red.
"Is that why … Nevermind. Shizune-chan, the barrier will hold for a few minutes even if you stop pouring in the chakra. Prioritize healing her." Jiraiya gave his order as Maiko struggled to stand up, placing a hand over her stomach.
She heard all of that. Perhaps she would finally go home, realizing that Tsunade couldn't offer what she needed.
Shizune let the green chakra glow warm on her palm as she healed the girl, who slumped over her summoning wolf.
The young Uchiha looked at Tsunade, her red sharingan burning ever intensely as she examined her shaking hands and distraught breaths. Tsunade used all her strength to summon up the chakra to her fist, but they faltered when she saw all that red surrounding her.
That was what broken dreams looked like. When Nawaki and Dan died, it never became more clear to her that dreams were useless and vision wasn't worth a dime.
What meaning did their death have, did their dream have?
Nothing, just like how her hands were nothing when facing the overwhelming red that stole the lives of her loved ones.
Konoha fostered dreams, and Tsunade couldn't bear to see them getting buried meaninglessly.
"Blood, is that it?" Suddenly, the Uchiha girl asked. Tsunade wondered if the girl wanted to laugh, she knew that she would, if she had the strength too. "Look, Tsunade-sama, forget about the Hokage, that's tomorrow's problem. Right now, I couldn't care less about that."
"But as of now, I'm barely managing and there are still four of them, stronger than any Root I've faced. So I can't protect him, her and you." Uchiha Maiko glanced at Jiraiya, now that was a mocking face. "Really, I hadn't seen you in two days and you got your chakra sealed? Some Sannin you are."
Jiraiya gave out a sigh himself, couldn't deny the fact that he was just a dead weight at the moment.
"So, if it's just blood we're talking about, I can work with that." Maiko looked at her, eyes determined and piercing, even the one that remained glassy grey.
Shizune was just about done with her wound on the stomach, but that broken hand was not so easy to fix in the moment for the younger medical-nin. "I've stabilized your arm to the extent that you'll be able to move them, but they can't take any weight."
Shizune wrapped her up in bandages and wiped clean all the blood, looking calm even with the fire, the lightning and the wind jutsu all banging on their barrier. For that, Tsunade was very proud of her apprentice.
"That's more than enough, thank you." Maiko stood up and stretched a little. "Feels good to have a medical-nin on the team," she muttered, a smile appearing on her face as she turned her attention to the chaos outside.
"If you don't want the blood, then just burn them all," she whispered as her hands moved swiftly to make the signs. Finally, she pressed her right hand on the floor and the flame erupted.
Blossoms of crimson-red lotus flower rose from the ground in an instant, at places where the four remaining Root agents were standing and at places where the bloodied bodies of their dead comrades once stood.
With a snap, every lotus shut tight, burning everything it had come into contact with.
For a second, Tsunade's senses were overwhelmed by the heat and the flame, burning away the flesh and the blood without distinction.
One of the remaining Root agents - the one with the bony wing - was caught within the lotus and was immediately incinerated, only able to let out an indistinguishable growl.
The three remaining ones were fast enough to jump out, but not before sustaining burns on their legs. Various inhuman traits marked their body, but at this point, all of their sclera were stained black, showing that there was no way back.
Maiko looked a little disappointed. "The speed needs improvement, but oh well, baby steps." She turned towards Tsunade, somewhat surprised, "There, it looked like you could move now."
Tsunade's attention snapped back and yes, the hands that she was trying so hard to move but failed, were clenched into fists in front of her body - a position that she used to do unconsciously, to get ready for battle.
It was a different kind of red, the flame replaced the blood. Her fire burned so brightly that it somehow made Tsunade forget about her hematophobia for a second.
"That thing you used, it's too much electricity and it's hurting your control as well as your own body cells. Try halving it and circulate the electrical chakra like waves, and you might have something there." Tsunade managed to speak to the girl as she placed her hand on the ground. A moment later, Katsuyu appeared, circling them protectively.
"Tsunade-sama!" Katsuyu exclaimed, how long had it been since she had summoned her in battle. Tsuande's hands were still shaking as the fear tried to claw back, dragging her back into that pond of nothingness where dreams, visions, and salvation didn't exist.
"Now that's a Sannin," Maiko said in awe at the giant slug, not forgetting to take a jab at Jiraiya, who was still chakraless - Tsunade wouldn't admit that it was her fault.
Not wasting any time, Maiko started to circulate the lightning chakra through her body, halving the concentration and feeling the pulsing rhythm. It was to stimulate her own body, using the electrical stimulatory properties of the lighting chakra. Since it was her own chakra, her body wouldn't reject it.
There was a resemblance to the Yondaime Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra mode, but Maiko's body wasn't honed to withstand that much simulation. For the Raikage, it was an overall improvement, a literal armour. For her, it was merely a tradeoff.
She wouldn't be able to use any other chakra releases during this time because it would disrupt her chakra flow. Instead, she gave up defense in order to increase her speed and reaction time. In that state, her Sharingan was the only thing keeping her aware of her surroundings.
Must be a coincidence when she first discovered it, but to have the guts to do it again and risk electrocuting yourself, that was something.
Leaving a mark of crackling electricity behind, Maiko disappeared, weaving herself between the remaining three Root agents. Since they were all more or less injured by her lotus flame earlier, their movement speed slowed, making them more or less dead meat for the assassin.
Still, the Root agents couldn't care less. Their body was about to die anyway and they already knew from the sacrifice of one of their own that in this state, Maiko was so vulnerable that one well placed hit could end her.
Maiko flashed past one of them, making a lick on one of their necks, but not deep enough to kill because the Root Agent bursted herself into lightning, sending out scorching voltage at the cost of her own disfigured body.
Maiko had to change her trajectory mid way to avoid that. She didn't linger, she turned and zoomed towards another Root agent.
The lightning filled Root agent seemed to think she was giving up on her right now. That was cute, to think that the Uchiha girl would let them know where she was going. The Root agent wasn't prepared when Maiko doubled back on her again, flashing past her in an angle that meticulously avoided the raging lightning, slashing her sword down and cutting her neck.
The blood sprouted again and once again, Tsunade's body felt like it was caught by spider webs. Clenching her teeth, Tsunade tried to remember the red from the burning flame, letting it replace the red from her memory that was drenched in despair.
"Katsuyu, wrap us up and prepare to take hits for her." Tsunade managed to say. Baby steps, she said. She might not be able to fight as well as she used to with the blood, but Katsuyu was still here.
"Understand, Tsunade-sama!" With an excited voice, Katsuyu started to shed smaller slugs all around them. Some of the slugs turned into a gooey substance and seemed to move on their own to create a dome over them. Others crawled towards the main battle field. Positioning themselves around the Root agent.
The little Katuyu moved the moment they saw Maiko appearing.
Maiko charged past one of the agents, but only managed to slice a hand off - it was the hand right? Despite the disfigured shape - because of the thickened skin. Maiko moved on immediately, appearing behind him again before he could move.
Facing the blade that would no doubt end his life, the Root agent had a wind bullet ready in his mouth and sent it towards Maiko. She wouldn't be able to dodge at this angle and distance, but she knew that the moment she decided to attack him again.
Her blade sliced through the flesh as the wind bullet imploded. But Katsuyu was already there, forming a puddle of mush that absorbed the implosion at where it fired off while Maiko safely got to the other side.
Katsuyu might not have seen Maiko before, but she was Tsunade's summoning beast, and Tsunade knew exactly what Maiko's weakness would be when she performed her attack.
The world seemed to shake when the last Root agent crashed into the barrier formed by Katsuyu.
He let out a scream as he pushed himself through further, ignoring the burns from the acid that Katsuyu secreted.
Tsunade looked at him, with disfigured skin and bloodied face, willingly became a tool for Orochimaru so that they could find a purpose in life - killing Uchiha Maiko, avenge Danzō, whatever, anything, something.
Now this was true sorrow.
Tsunade relayed a thought to Katsuyu. After a moment of hesitation, Katsuyu released the barrier, sending the last Root Agent flying straight at her.
Tsunade clenched her fist tight, feeling the chakra gather at her fist. Shizune knew that blood paralyzes her, but only Tsunade knew that it wasn't the blood, but what it reminded her of - the meaningless, senseless death that reduced her brother and lover, once full of hope, into an empty shell devoid of dreams and possibilities.
"Next life, I hope you have a dream to call your own." Tsunade whispered as he charged forward. The cursed mark made these Root agents stronger, faster, more resilient. They were destructive and would do anything to take their enemy down with them.
But those meant nothing in the face of absolute strength.
Tsunade's fist made contact with his chest and punched him into the ground, burying him into a crater formed by the impact. She felt his chest cavity collapse - he was dead.
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune called out and yes, Tsunade could feel the sticky liquid dripping down her left shoulder. It sickened her, sending shivers down her spine.
Baby steps, Tsunade took a breath and summoned up healing chakra to her hands and placed the warm green chakra over her shoulder. Within seconds, the wound stopped bleeding and healed itself.
Maiko walked over, gasping for breath. She dispelled the lightning chakra circulating in her body and now every one of her cells was complaining. Still, she narrowed her eyes and formed two half seals with her right hand.
She pointed a finger down on the ground and ten meters behind them, a lotus flower bloomed from the ground, snapping close immediately. Within it, a white snake writhed in pain before being reduced to dust.
"You should leave this village. Nothing is good when Orochimaru is involved." Maiko said to Tsunade and Shizune, before turning her attention to Jiraiya, "How in the world did you get yourself caught like this, Jiraiya-sama?"
Before Jiraiya could rat her out, Tsunade tapped an acupuncture point on her back and Maiko fell down like a ragged doll.
"What are you doing?" Jiraiya looked stunned as Shizune caught the girl and placed her head gently on her lap.
"Don't worry, she's fine. Let her rest a bit, she's exhausted from chakra overuse." Tsunade explained, running her medical chakra over her body. She might have had a larger than average chakra reserve, but for Tsunade who made her name on medical-ninjutsu that required precise chakra output, her chakra conservation skill was terrible.
"Tsunade-sama, your hemophobia …" Shizune exclaimed in surprise as Tsunade calmly healed the girl despite the cuts on her body.
"Yeah, you still owe me an explanation," Jiraiya said from the side as well.
"Baby steps, Shizune, I'm making progress." Despite her calm appearance, Tsunade knew that her trauma didn't just go away all of a sudden. Still, this much, she could definitely do.
Tsunade then turned to Jiraiya and said, "You want an explanation, well, we have a long journey back to Konoha, there's plenty of time for that."
Shizune and Jiraiya's eyes widened at her words. "Tsunade-sama …" "Wait, you mean …"
"Yes, I'm coming back to Konoha, and I'll become Hokage too, if you still think I'm the one for the job after seeing my sorry state." Tsunade said, wondering when she would regret this moment.
But the image of the blooming lotus flames burned bright in her mind. Maybe that was why the Hokage sent her.
She had shown Tsunade what the best part of the change in Konoha could be.
Not stuck in the past, not overwhelmed by the future. Uchiha Maiko had determined to focus on the 'now', pushing for solutions and changes in the present. Even she had to agree that she was intrigued.
Tsunade always knew that the dream of becoming a Hokage was sacred - it was sacred to Nawaki, and it was sacred to Dan. Their deaths were so powerful and overwhelming that Tsunade couldn't possibly want anything to do with it.
But Maiko was telling her that becoming a Hokage was just a means to an end. Respect the title, but use the position. She didn't expect Tsunade to make miracles, she just wanted her to be part of the solutions and changes that would happen in the village.
"Looking at that, I think we're good with the choices." Jiraiya pointed towards the body bashed into the crater before throwing a scroll to Shizune, asking her to seal the body inside to be taken back to Konoha for examination.
However, Tsunade knew very well that she needed to get over her hemophobia. She was coming back to push the wheel along, not to drag it back as a dead weight, for god's sake.
Baby steps, Tsunade reminded herself one more time. That was more progress in one day than a decade. Now she just gotta keep it moving in the forward direction.
A/N: So, Tsunade came back. I was originally just joking when I was like, wouldn't it be funny if Maiko was send to find Tsuande when talk-no-jutsu was definitely not part of the picture. And then when I was actually writing it, I wanted to scratch my hairs out. In the end, talk-no-jutsu still made itself into the picture somewhat, it's just too pervasive ...
Also, Kujirai was written with the kanji characters for 'whale' and 'water well', in case anyone was wondering about the reference I made in the beginning of the chapter.
Anyway, one more chapter to wrap up this arc, finally.