Roughly six kilometers away from Hashirama and Tobirama, Aramaki's body emerged from the trunk of a massive tree.
[THUD!]
No sooner had he separated from the bark than he collapsed heavily to the ground.
Right now—
He was covered in blood and bruises, his entire body black and blue. Even his Justice coat had vanished without a trace—he was in complete disarray.
"Ugh… Damn it, that hurts! Aaargh! It hurts like hell!"
"Damn you! Damn it all! You just wait! You hear me? You wait for me!!"
Clutching his chest in pain, Aramaki shouted curses through gritted teeth.
If he hadn't absorbed nearly a thousand pre-prepared 'blood packs' through the root network beneath the ground to replenish his stamina and heal his injuries…
He would've either been killed on the spot by that overwhelming barrage of Buddha palms—
Or, more likely, left gravely wounded and unconscious, only to be captured alive.
And honestly, that would've been worse than death.
Captured alive? Forget about becoming a full general—hell, even retaining his lieutenant general rank would be a stretch.
What a disgrace!
"Ugh… I need sunlight. Only sunlight can save me now…"
Aramaki struggled to his feet and slowly dragged himself toward an open patch of sun-drenched ground.
His photosynthetic energy reserves were fully depleted. At the moment, he was barely staying functional by relying on Life Return.
"Good thing I had a backup plan~"
"Those special ability users I captured earlier—I've still got them. And I even killed that so-called Hokage, so it wasn't a total loss."
Wheezing heavily, Aramaki leaned on a rough tree trunk and tried to console himself.
"That guy's Wood Release… it's pretty interesting. I should find a chance to study it."
"Oh, and that Sage Mode thing too… I wonder if I could learn that?"
This defeat had sparked a deep curiosity in him for Hashirama's techniques.
Aramaki mused—if he could somehow integrate Wood Release into his Mori-Mori no Mi framework...
And master that all-encompassing power boost known as Sage Mode…
Then he'd definitely be able to beat the crap out of that bastard Crocodile. His path to general would be assured.
[THUMP!]
Aramaki, bruised and battered, collapsed again—this time onto a sunlit patch of earth.
Eyes closed, he basked in the warmth of the sunlight—
While his mind wandered, dreaming of the day he'd master Wood Release and Sage Mode.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Snow—
"You're afraid of blood?"
Esdeath frowned deeply, looking in disbelief at Tsunade, who sat trembling in the snow. A small cut from Esdeath's fencing blade had opened a gash on Tsunade's arm—and it had sent her into a state of collapse.
"Hmph. Pathetic."
Esdeath sneered in contempt.
Her opinion of Tsunade instantly plummeted. She had thought Tsunade might be a formidable female warrior—but now found her utterly disgraceful.
"It's not like that!"
"Lady Tsunade's hemophobia has a cause!"
Shizune, who was still being restrained by Kurome, shouted angrily as she struggled harder to break free.
Kurome glanced at Guren. When Guren nodded, Kurome released her grip, and Shizune immediately rushed to Tsunade's side, beginning to clean and dress her wound.
"Lady Esdeath, would you be willing to hear the story behind Lady Tsunade's fear of blood?"
Katsuyu asked gently.
"Fine, go ahead. But I'm only giving you five minutes. If your story doesn't satisfy me—don't blame me for killing her right here."
Esdeath's expression remained cold.
She wasn't the merciful type. Just the fact that Tsunade had disappointed her this much was reason enough to die.
Behind her, Guren, Akame, and Kurome also watched with curiosity.
They had never heard of someone so terrified of blood—especially someone with such considerable strength.
"Very well."
...
"Ridiculous!"
"She supposedly developed hemophobia just from witnessing the corpses of her lover and her younger brother?"
"In the end, it just shows how weak-willed she is!"
Esdeath scoffed after listening to Katsuyu's explanation.
She looked down even more on Tsunade, who was trembling all over, slumped in the snow, clutching the green crystal pendant tightly to her chest.
And her words only further enraged little Shizune beside Tsunade.
The young girl raised her head and glared angrily at Esdeath.
"Lady, have you never had someone you loved? Do you truly not understand what it feels like to watch your beloved die right in front of you?"
Esdeath lifted her chin and sneered coldly. "Hmph. If they died, it only proves they were weak. And the weak deserve to die. What's there to be sentimental about?"
Compared to the 'original work,' her own background was actually a bit more fortunate.
For instance, her parents and clan hadn't been slaughtered by the 'Northern Tribes,' so her ideology hadn't fully radicalized.
But the principle of survival of the fittest was already deeply rooted in the beliefs of the Partas Clan.
That's why, from Esdeath's perspective, Tsunade's current condition and personal history—
Were nothing short of pathetic. Utterly disgraceful.
"That's cruel… You're way too cruel..."
Shizune's face was full of disbelief. How could someone so beautiful speak such cold and heartless words?
"Akame, take her aside."
Esdeath shot a cold glance at Shizune. She didn't bother arguing, considering the girl was still just a child.
"No—don't touch me!"
Shizune stood her ground, pulling out a kunai in a defensive stance.
[Thud!]
But Akame walked over and swatted the kunai from her hand, then kicked her more than three meters away.
Still, Akame didn't seem to be trying to hurt her. Even though it looked forceful, the thick snow cushioned Shizune's fall, and she wasn't really injured.
"Then, as promised… I'll end your life here and now."
Esdeath, expressionless, raised her massive rapier and pointed it straight at Tsunade's throat.
But Tsunade didn't react at all—still lost in her fear of the blood on her arms, her vacant eyes seemingly replaying some distant memory.
"Lady Esdeath."
Just as Katsuyu was preparing to use the Reverse Summoning Technique to send Tsunade back to Shikkotsu Forest, the quiet voice of Akame finally spoke up behind Esdeath.
"Hm?"
Esdeath turned her head in surprise. "You're pleading for her?"
"Yes."
Akame nodded calmly.
"Just as you said—this woman Tsunade does not possess a will as strong or unyielding as yours."
"But I believe she's someone kind and gentle. I'd like for us to help her overcome her fear of blood. Besides, her status makes her more than worthy of such help."
After Akame finished, Guren also stepped forward with a faint smile.
"Katsuyu mentioned that she's highly skilled in some kind of medical ninjutsu. You don't currently have anyone like that in your ranks, do you? Why not help her out—and while you're at it, recruit her as a subordinate?"
Esdeath turned her gaze back to Tsunade, hesitating slightly.
She actually quite admired Tsunade's strength.
Before developing her hemophobia, Tsunade's presence had been powerful and domineering. And she clearly had her own specialties when it came to medical techniques.
Of course—
There were also skilled female doctors aboard the airship, sent from the medical academy, and even a female alchemist proficient in biological alchemy.
But they had no combat strength to speak of.
If they wanted to follow her on dangerous expeditions, that simply wouldn't do. So, she indeed needed a female doctor with solid fighting capabilities.
And beyond that, she could already foresee that the number of consorts around Imu would only continue to grow in the future.
With more of them around, competition in all aspects was inevitable.
Apart from the most crucial factors—personal strength and unique value—
One's own power base was also something to consider.
And a major part of that base came from one's subordinates.
As a former top general of an army, Esdeath was well aware of this.
"Hmph!"
As these thoughts passed through her mind, Esdeath gave a cold snort and withdrew her sword.
"Phew—"
Just as Katsuyu, Shizune, Akame, and the others breathed a sigh of relief, Esdeath's chilling voice rang out again: "Once she recovers, have the doctors onboard test her skills. If her abilities are up to par, she may stay. But if she disappoints me again—she dies."
"Thank you, Lady Esdeath!"
Akame showed a grateful smile. She knew her earlier plea had overstepped some boundaries.
But after hearing about Tsunade's story, she couldn't bear to just stand by and watch her die—especially now that Tsunade had no strength to resist.
"Thank you so much! I truly believe Lady Tsunade's medical ninjutsu won't disappoint you!"
The massive Katsuyu's gentle voice was full of confidence. Little Shizune, who had rushed back to Tsunade's side, was equally certain.
"She can't even heal herself—hard to believe she'd be of much use."
Esdeath responded indifferently, clearly unconvinced. Then she shot a glance at Akame: "Enough. Take them back to the ship and get them settled."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Akame quickly nodded and complied.
[Poof!]
At that moment, Katsuyu suddenly shrank into a smaller version of herself, about a meter long, amidst a puff of white smoke.
"May I remain with Lady Tsunade for a while? I also have many questions I'd like to ask the representatives of the World Government."
"As you wish."
With that, Esdeath once again led Guren and Kurome toward the capital of the Land of Snow.
She still needed to continue discussions with the daimyo here about submission.
If the daimyo still refused to yield… then she'd simply have to deal with him.
And she still had to find the 'Environmental Reformation Machine' that Imu had mentioned.
Once everything was done—
She'd finally be free to go wherever she pleased and enjoy a proper tour of this so-called shinobi world.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---