Nawaki gave Tsunade that big, guileless grin and waved his farewells. Dan had their private little smile, the one he only showed when they were alone. He also raised a hand and waved. Then, both were gone.
Tsunade's tears hadn't stopped, but they meant something different now. She looked at her hands, still hidden beneath the illusion, and flexed her bloody fingers. The blood wasn't a problem anymore. Her whole outlook on life had changed. Dan and Nawaki were safe, happy, and waiting for her in the pure lands.
A smile showed on Tsunade's face, remembering Dan's scolding about her cynicism and giving up on Konoha. She'd never thought she'd be so happy to be told off. But that wasn't the only change; something else had changed.
She observed everything around.
Haido looked more like a dissected corpse than a man, with one arm missing, and like a century-old embalmed corpse. Ino was still unconscious, but her breathing was steady and strong.
Unbelievable.
Hinata sat seiza by Ino's side. She'd pulled the other kunoichi's head on her lap, one hand intertwined with Ino's hair, the other holding Ino in an almost hug. Hinata wasn't awake either. Her breathing was slow, almost like sleeping.
Almost.
The other person in the room was still unconscious. Kahiko lay where he'd been from the start of the mess, his pet ferret by his side.
Tsunade flexed her fingers again. She nearly canceled the illusion, but thought better of it. She had seen many things in her decades as a shinobi from Leaf, more than most but what Hinata had done shouldn't have been possible.
Bubbling laughter escaped her lips. She couldn't stop. What would Orochimaru's face look like when he learned this girl had done what he'd spent decades trying and failing to do?
The laughter woke up Ino.
The Yamanaka girl looked around — first Tsunade, the room around — until her gaze found Hinata. She started crying.
Tsunade looked away.
Who was the genius who put those two in the same team? It was clear they were in love. If Hinata doing the impossible and bringing back Ino's soul from the Pure Lands wasn't proof enough, the way Ino looked at Hinata shouted it to anyone who had eyes.
What was the jonin commander thinking?
Inevitably, most young shinobi developed feelings for cellmates. Life and death missions and forced proximity were more than a perfect environment to create relationships. Sometimes lifetime friendships, sometimes more. But one couldn't trust a shinobi to prioritize the mission if that endangered their loved ones. It was the reason most cells disbanded after a few years of training with a jonin, when the bonds had been forged.
More egregious cases, like these two girls, should have been nipped in the bud.
Not their feelings.
Tsunade knew most shinobi didn't mind or even cared about who others hung out with, aside from a few stuffy conservatives. More often than not, clan and family pressure were enough to make sure that, even despite a ninja's sexual preferences, the bloodline would continue.
The problem was sending a squad of immature shinobi into weeks-long missions without adult supervision. At least, in this case, there was no chance of pregnancy. Small mercies.
Tsunade got up, feeling her clothes loose. It didn't fit her frame anymore. Too big, somehow.
Instead of giving more thought to that, the slug princess centered her mind and walked to a still crying Ino.
The Yamanaka kunoichi had curled around Hinata, face hidden against the other girl's chest.
Interrupting the moment wasn't something she wanted to do, but Tsunade needed to make sure they were safe and healthy. She kneeled by the duo and used a diagnostic jutsu on both.
Tsunade blinked.
Yamanaka Ino was the perfect picture of health. No scars, no micro injuries, stronger bones, denser muscles, faster reflexes. What the hell? That wasn't normal. Hinata, on the other hand…
There were no glaring injuries, even if Tsunade could see several problems. The hole Haido carved on her sides was stitched closed, but the injury wasn't fully healed. She had a permanent throat injury; it explained the girl's raspy voice. Hinata's bones and muscles were too dense for her age. There were several microtears in her ligaments; her body couldn't handle its own strength. Strangest of all were the seals stamped onto her bones, heart and around her eyes.
They were inert, but Tsunade knew it was a recent thing. Until recently, they were active and slowly killing Hinata, the traces were all there.
She didn't need to think about who was responsible. She recognized the handiwork: Orochimaru.
Was this why the girl came looking for her? Tsunade didn't believe for a moment that a team from Konoha finding her in the Land of Rivers was a coincidence, even if Hinata had deflected with a valid rescue mission.
With a gentle pulse of chakra, Tsunade patched most of the pressing injuries, but left a complete treatment for later. These kinds of injuries should have Hinata bedridden and in an absurd amount of pain. She looked at Hinata's face.
Hinata wasn't asleep. She was in a coma. A problem for another time, possibly once they were back at Konoha.
The Sannin left Ino and Hinata alone, having intruded more than she wanted. Her next target was Kahiko.
The old man was unconscious, still hurt, but not in danger anymore.
She studied him, checking the area around the injury for any complications from Hinata's mystic palm. There was none. She finished the healing, but didn't wake the old man up.
Next, just to make sure, she confirmed whether the ferret was still alive. It wasn't.
A pang of sadness pierced Tsunade's heart. All too similar to Tonton's death. Caught in a battle that none of them were prepared for.
After making sure everyone was alive and not in danger, Tsunade studied the black kunai. She tried to bend it, but it didn't give. She tested the edge. She didn't recognize the material. It wasn't metal, even if it felt more durable than that. The black material hid the also black fuinjutsu, but for those who knew how to look, it was easy to find.
The kunai was in the same shape as the ones Minato used for his jutsu, but different from Minato, the inscribed seal covered most of the blade and pommel. The seal's inscription was intricate. She couldn't decipher what it all meant, aside from a few staples.
Hinata had, somehow, recreated the Fourth's jutsu.
Her thoughts inevitably went back to the battle that had just happened. It was eerie, how the somewhat cheerful girl just… turned off her emotions and behaved more like a machine than a person.
Was that something she could help with? Tsunade wasn't one to talk, having spent years in her own deep, mental trauma, but maybe…
The slug princess walked through the destroyed wall, looking around the stone. It was black and crumbling. Whatever energy had powered it before was gone. She searched around until she found more of those black kunai. She collected all she could find.
She stopped, looked around. There wasn't anything else to do aside from leaving. An investigation of the area would take place and the eggheads from the intelligence department would have a field day with this one.
With no excuses to delay, she used the diagnostic's jutsu on herself. She'd been aware of her condition: abused cells, premature aging, weak nerves. There was nothing like that anymore. She was healthy, brimming with vitality.
She canceled the illusion. Stared at her hands. Flexed her fingers.
Young, no wrinkles, smooth.
Nimble fingers performed hand seals, and a disk of water condensed in front of her. Not a standard jutsu by any means, but a must-have for any kunoichi in the field. One never knew when one would need a mirror.
A youthful face stared back from the mirror surface of the water. A nimble hand touched the girl's face.
She pinched her cheeks; the girl in the reflection mirrored the motion.
The slug princess shook her head, dismissed the water mirror, and recreated the illusion.
It shouldn't have been possible. How could someone de-age another person? The girl in the mirror hadn't looked a day older than fourteen. A face Tsunade hadn't seen in almost four decades. Even her chest had turned small.
Tsunade remembered decades before Jiraya teased her for being flat. A quick look down confirmed her girls were just starting to develop again. It wasn't a comforting thought, not after learning that Dan and Nawaki were waiting for her in the Pure Lands.
Another thought hit Tsunade. One that was even more worrying: she might have to live through puberty all over again.