Konoha.
It was August — the height of summer.
Though the Second Great Ninja War had broken out, most of the fighting remained confined to distant fronts. Within the village, Konoha still basked in a fleeting moment of peace.
On a sunlit rooftop, Tsunade leaned against the railing, her golden ponytail swaying slightly in the warm breeze. She had changed into a sleeveless short top that revealed her toned midriff, a mesh shirt beneath it.
"Happy twelfth birthday, Nawaki," she said with a soft smile.
Across from her stood her younger brother, Senju Nawaki, proudly wearing his newly tied Konoha forehead protector.
When he saw his sister holding out a wrapped gift, he puffed his chest out, trying to look mature.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Sis. You don't need to give me birthday presents."
Despite his words, the way his eyes sparkled — and how quickly he took the gift — betrayed his excitement.
Tsunade chuckled. "Go on, open it. Who knows, maybe it's something you'll like."
As she leaned lazily against the railing, the warm smile on her face hid a shadow of tension in her eyes.
Nawaki tore open the shiny wrapping and froze, eyes widening.
"Sis… is this—?"
Tsunade's expression softened further. "That's right. It's Grandfather's necklace — the First Hokage's."
The confirmation hit him like lightning. Nawaki's face lit up in pure joy.
"I love it, Sister! Thank you!"
Watching his bright smile, Tsunade forced a small laugh, masking the unease creeping through her chest.
"Nawaki," she asked casually, "I heard you're heading out on a mission tomorrow?"
Her tone was calm, but it carried a hidden edge — a quiet test.
Too happy to notice, Nawaki nodded eagerly. "That's right! It's already been approved. I'm going with Orochimaru-sensei!"
He looked up, eyes shining with pride, wanting to reassure her.
Tsunade's smile didn't falter — but deep in her gaze, a dark gleam flickered.
So it was true. The mission was happening tomorrow. But was Orochimaru really part of it?
She didn't dare dwell on it too long — this was her little brother, the Senju heir, her only family left.
"Alright then," she said teasingly, "just remember, there's still that Uchiha kid from your class who beat you for top scores. Otherwise, you'd be under my command already."
At the mention of Uchiha Ye, Nawaki laughed.
"Don't worry, Sis. Even if I'd been top of the class, I'd still have chosen Orochimaru-sensei. But that Uchiha guy— I bet he's going to give you a headache someday!"
Tsunade smiled faintly at his mischievous tone. The two of them spent the rest of the day together in laughter — his twelfth birthday, a simple and happy one.
The next morning, the weather had changed.
Yesterday's clear skies had turned into heavy clouds, the air thick with the scent of rain.
At the village gates, Orochimaru stood at the head of the formation, his golden eyes glinting.
"Let's move out," he ordered, and Nawaki's squad dashed forward, vanishing into the forest beyond Konoha.
Once they were gone, a faint shimmer appeared in the shadows near the gate — Tsunade's figure, hidden beneath a hood, watching silently from afar.
Her eyes were cold. In her hand was a mission dossier.
"A simple C-rank mission," she muttered. "A group of rogue samurai sighted near the border. But in wartime? That shouldn't even be possible."
Her brow furrowed deeper.
"Especially this close to Konoha."
She had gone over the intel again and again — there was nothing out of place.
If someone hadn't warned her beforehand, she would have dismissed it as ordinary.
But the distance, the timing, the objective — it was too convenient.
A round trip in less than a day.
Close enough for reinforcements to arrive instantly.
And yet somehow… still assigned to a genin team?
Who in their right mind would make such an oversight during wartime?
Her heart sank.
This wasn't an accident.
Without hesitation, Tsunade vanished into the shadows, heading straight for the mission site.
With Orochimaru leading a full team, tailing them directly would risk exposure — better to arrive first and watch from a distance.
Half a day later.
In a dark, humid forest, several figures darted between the trees.
A muffled scream rang out — a man's body went limp, his neck crushed by a coiled serpent.
The snakes withdrew back into the sleeves of their master. Orochimaru smiled faintly, golden eyes narrowing with quiet satisfaction.
"Nawaki's already showing spirit," he murmured. "At this rate, he'll adapt to the battlefield soon."
Nawaki, full of energy and potential, was every bit the Senju prodigy — his chakra was vast and vibrant, far exceeding other genin. If tempered by combat, he would reach elite chūnin level in no time.
But just as pride flickered in Orochimaru's smile—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion ripped through the forest. The blast's fiery light illuminated his pale face, widening his eyes in disbelief.
"…Impossible!"
Behind him, Nawaki's two teammates froze, horror spreading across their faces. They'd seen death before — but this? This was different.
The firestorm painted their faces orange and red.
And within that inferno — Tsunade's eyes burned with fury.
"There are explosive tags here?! So many of them?!"
She had arrived more than an hour before the team and had scouted the area thoroughly.
There were no traps then. No signs of ambush.
And yet now, the rogue samurai had drawn the squad straight into a perfectly set explosion field.
There was only one explanation.
The trap had been prepared long ago.
Could this really be a coincidence?
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
"Nawaki!"
His teammates screamed his name — but Tsunade was already moving. In a blur of motion, she flung forward a decoy body she had prepared, tossing with it the necklace she had given him only the day before.
She hadn't meant to use it — but she had no choice.
"Hold on," she whispered, her face a mask of grief.
In a single leap, she grabbed Nawaki's charred, limp body and vanished into the forest, the blazing light swallowing her silhouette.
Behind them, the inferno roared, swallowing everything.
At that time, none of the "Legendary Sannin" had yet earned their titles.
Among them, Tsunade was the strongest, Orochimaru second, and Jiraiya still far behind.
Ninja power required resources — and Tsunade, as the Senju princess, had both heritage and training beyond ordinary reach.
Orochimaru had yet to dive into forbidden jutsu, not yet the near-unkillable figure he would become.
Even years later, a few explosive tags nearly ended him when he defected.
As for Jiraiya — he hadn't even begun to study Sage Mode.
For now, only Tsunade — granddaughter of Hashirama, student of Hiruzen, heir of the Senju — had the strength and resolve to carry the weight of what was to come.
And as she disappeared into the stormy forest, the flames behind her painted the sky red — as if the heavens themselves were mourning the loss that was about to shake her soul.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
60+ advanced chapters available.
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 30 Power Stones.
Bonus chapter for every 10 reviews/comments
Daily chapter Updates