This place was so familiar that Tsunade felt her very soul tremble.
A chill crawled up her spine, and her heart clenched as though an invisible hand had gripped it tight.
She spun around, only to find that Shizune and the small pig she'd been holding Ton-Ton were both gone. The dense mist had swallowed everything behind her.
"No... impossible." Her voice came out hoarse and uncertain. She took two cautious steps forward, eyes darting around in alarm.
Then, without warning, a shadow stumbled out of the fog and collapsed heavily onto the ground a few meters away.
Tsunade froze.
That face she knew it.
"Dan?!"
Her pupils contracted sharply.
He was wearing that same blue flak jacket she remembered from years ago, now soaked through with blood. He was pale as a ghost, his breathing ragged and shallow, each inhale sounding like it tore at his lungs.
A massive, gaping wound cut clean across his waist, blood pulsing out in dark red waves that spread across the ground like the petals of a dying flower.
The sight, the smell, the sounds it was all the same. The battlefield where Dan had fallen. The day her world shattered.
Her breath caught, and her whole body began to shake uncontrollably. The iron scent of blood filled her lungs, and her phobia slammed into her like a tidal wave.
But when Dan raised his trembling head, his voice weak, fading broke through the fog in her mind.
"Tsu... nade." He managed a faint smile through the agony. "I'm glad... at least I get to see you... one last time."
Tsunade's heart stopped. The world blurred around her.
All thoughts of blood vanished. She ran to him, stumbling, and caught him in her arms. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
"No... this can't be happening. You're not going to die. You're not!"
Dan smiled weakly, his voice barely a whisper. "Looks like... my road ends here. From here on... Nawaki's dream... and mine... I'll leave them to you."
"Don't talk like that!" she cried, voice trembling. "You're not dying! I won't let you!"
Her hands, slick with blood, glowed with healing chakra. She pressed them to his wound, ignoring the dizziness creeping into her vision.
The wound was severe too severe. Infection had already set in; the organs were failing. His blood was tainted. He needed a complete transfusion, but on a battlefield like this, there was no way.
Still, she refused to stop.
"Tsunade-sama!"
Shizune suddenly reappeared through the mist, clutching Ton-Ton tightly as she ran toward her.
Tsunade froze. Shizune? Here?
That didn't make sense. Shizune hadn't even been there back then.
A spark of realization shot through her mind.
Wait... this isn't real.
Her chakra flow faltered and the illusion shattered.
The battlefield fractured like a mirror breaking apart, shards of false reality scattering into the air.
When the world settled again, Tsunade was no longer holding Dan, but Kimimaro. His body lay on the ground before her, pale but alive. Shizune stood beside her, surrounded by medical instruments and sterile seals already in place.
It was a surgery scene not a battlefield.
In the trees nearby, Sasuke lowered his eyes, the blood-red glow of his Mangekyō Sharingan fading. "She broke my illusion."
Jiraiya crossed his arms, smirking slightly. "Heh. That's Tsunade for you. You managed to catch her off guard using Dan's image, but with such a strong emotional flaw, she was bound to see through it eventually."
Orochimaru's serpentine gaze lingered on Sasuke. "Impressive. So, you've already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, have you?"
The hunger in his voice was unmistakable.
Sasuke met his eyes, the tomoe spinning slowly. That single glance made Orochimaru's spine crawl. The gleam of desire vanished from his face immediately.
He understood perfectly well what that look meant.
Trying to possess someone with a Mangekyō Sharingan was suicide. With Sasuke's current mental strength, the risk wasn't that Orochimaru might fail it was that Sasuke might turn the tables and consume him instead.
The serpent sage smiled thinly. "You've grown, Sasuke. The Uchiha clan truly breeds monsters."
Back in the clearing, Tsunade continued her work. Despite the illusion being broken, she showed no hesitation as she treated Kimimaro's wounds, the fear of blood gone entirely from her hands.
Naruto watched from a distance, his arms crossed. "Looks like it worked. Her hemophobia's gone."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, his tone softening. "Who would have thought, Naruto-kun you'd find such a creative way to help her conquer her trauma."
There was something genuine in his voice. A rare note of warmth.
"After all," he added quietly, "she's still one of the Sannin. My old comrade."
Naruto shrugged. "I just gave her the push she needed. You were the one who made it possible by bringing Dan back earlier with Edo Tensei. It reminded her of what really mattered."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Maybe so. But I only wanted to ease her regrets."
"Saving Kimimaro is like saving Dan all over again," Naruto said. "This time, she didn't have to watch someone die in front of her."
Jiraiya sighed. "Still... when she finds out you were behind all this, she's gonna be furious."
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm ready for it."
Even if he couldn't beat her, he could definitely escape. One quick Flying Thunder God jutsu, and he'd be halfway back to the Leaf before she finished yelling.
The surgery went on for hours. The sun was already sinking behind the trees by the time Tsunade finally withdrew her glowing hands, her chakra exhausted. Shizune immediately began cleaning up, carefully sealing away the instruments.
Tsunade stood, wiped the sweat from her brow, and stepped out of the sterile field.
Then her voice boomed through the forest. "Orochimaru! Get out here!"
A moment later, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sasuke emerged from the trees.
Tsunade's glare could have cracked stone. "Whose idea was this?"
Naruto raised his hand without hesitation. "Mine."
The ground split beneath her feet.
With a thunderous crack, fissures spiderwebbed outward, tearing through the forest floor.
Before anyone could react, Tsunade launched herself forward like a cannonball, the ground exploding beneath her heels.
Her fist cut through the air with a deafening roar, aimed straight for Naruto's face.
The wind pressure alone made the trees bend backward.
It was a full-force punch enough to send even a giant summoning beast flying.
Naruto didn't flinch. His blue eyes stayed calm, focused.
Just before impact, a kunai flashed from his hand.
Whsh!
At the last possible instant, his body vanished in a shimmer of light.
Tsunade's fist met only earth.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the forest. Dirt and rock blasted upward like a volcanic eruption, leaving a crater several meters deep.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Sasuke had already retreated to a safe distance on Naruto's instructions. He'd told them to give Tsunade room to vent her fury.
After all, if she didn't hit something, Sasuke might've had to intervene for real.
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