"Come in."
The Third Hokage's voice came from inside.
Tsunade stepped into the office. The room was empty except for her teacher—perfect for starting this difficult conversation.
"Teacher."
"What is it?"
"You wouldn't come to the tower without a reason."
The Third removed his pipe and smiled faintly.
"Teacher… I want to ask you for a favor."
"What favor?"
He continued smiling. As long as Tsunade didn't ask for something outrageous, he would usually agree.
"My grandfather's cells… and the archived research data."
Tsunade remained straightforward as always.
"And what exactly do you want me to do?"
Only then did the Third's expression turn serious. A deep frown formed on his brow.
He knew better than anyone how many people had died because of that experiment in Konoha.
"I want to restart the research project."
"No. Go back."
He refused instantly—no hesitation. He would not allow more innocent casualties to result from that experiment. Even now, the deaths caused by it were like a thorn lodged in his heart.
That was why he had reacted with such furious anger toward Orochimaru's secret human experiments.
Had it been someone else, he might have killed them on the spot.
"Teacher, I won't do anything reckless."
"No."
His tone was firm, almost harsh. His face darkened.
"Teacher, I promise I won't conduct human experimentation before obtaining any results."
"There won't be innocent casualties."
"You rushed the experiments last time. That's why so many people died."
"I will never allow that to happen again."
"And besides… if this research succeeds, the village will gain another ninja capable of Wood Release."
"Without Wood Release, can Konoha still be called Konoha?"
"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire burns."
"And under the power of Wood Release, the Will of Fire will continue."
Tsunade spoke in a single breath. Her final sentence struck the Third Hokage deeply.
The Will of Fire was the ideal he devoted his whole life to.
"…Hah."
The Third let out a long sigh.
"I can give it to you—but you must guarantee it will not cause innocent deaths."
His words left room for interpretation—he wasn't naive. He knew the final phase of such research must involve a living test subject.
If casualties couldn't be avoided, then they had to at least be minimized. Only non-innocent subjects… not regular villagers.
"All right. I can do that."
Tsunade agreed—this was exactly what she and Kawakaze had discussed beforehand.
"And… I want to assign someone to the project."
Kawakaze had predicted this.
"No. I require complete autonomy."
"I am currently the top medical researcher in the entire village."
Tsunade's tone was unyielding—another instruction from Kawakaze.
"…"
The Third couldn't refute her. She was simply stating the truth.
"…Fine. I'll take you to get it."
Since everything had already been decided, he chose to trust her. In terms of lineage, Tsunade's bloodline was purer than even his own—the bloodline of one of the founding clans of Konoha.
The Third stood up, retrieved a dust-covered metal box from his safe, and took out a complicated old key.
"Let's go."
After closing the safe, he left the office first.Tsunade followed quietly.
Once they exited the Hokage building, the Third waved his hand, dismissing the ANBU following them.
He and Tsunade walked alone into the depths of the Konoha forest.
"Do you know where your grandfather's cells came from?"
He broke the silence with a soft voice.
"No."
Tsunade had never thought to ask.
"They were left by my own teacher. He believed the First Hokage's cells had unimaginable strategic value for the village."
The Third revealed this long-kept secret.
"If that really came from him, then I'm not surprised."
Tsunade didn't find it odd. She knew her granduncle—Tobirama—was a man who valued logic over emotion. Brilliant, calculating, and calm.
"Unfortunately, my teacher died young before he could complete the research."
"After that, Konoha lacked high-level combat power, and I became impatient… which led to a terrible mistake."
"You understand what I mean, don't you?"
The Third turned and fixed his sharp gaze on her.
"I understand, Teacher. I won't repeat the same mistake."
Tsunade did not soften his shame—because it was indeed a mistake.
"…Good."
The Third gave a self-mocking smile and continued walking.
They traveled a long, difficult path until they reached a mountain. The Third stepped forward and touched a hidden mechanism.
The stone door opened.
"To avoid detection by enemy nations, this entire hideout was built by my teacher himself."
He led Tsunade into the dark cave, switching on lights along the path. Everything inside was fully operational.
Tobirama really was a genius… even after all these years, his brilliance hasn't dimmed.
"It's up ahead. You brought the storage scroll, didn't you?"
Tsunade nodded.
They reached a large iron door. The Third inserted the key.
Time had weakened the mechanism—the door creaked and trembled before finally opening.
Inside were old lab equipment and scattered documents.
The Third walked deeper and opened another hidden chamber.
Inside was a single cabinet, neatly filled with files.
Test Subject No.1, Test Subject No.2, Senju Clan, Uchiha Clan, Shimura Clan, Sarutobi Clan…
The documents were all records of live human experiments.
Tsunade's heart shook. Only now did she truly grasp the catastrophic price Konoha had paid for this research.
"Take it. It's all my fault."
The Third seemed to age several years before her eyes.
"Teacher… I will succeed."
Without another word, Tsunade activated the storage scroll and sealed the entire cabinet away.
Watching the cabinet disappear, the Third felt a burden lift—yet he knew he could never escape the sin he bore.
He then led her to the freezing chamber and retrieved Hashirama's preserved cells.
"This place no longer needs to exist. It only brings back painful memories."
Once outside, the Third used Earth Release to completely seal the mountain hideout.
This burden… he would carry alone.
Tsunade sensed his lingering sorrow and chose not to leave immediately.
She walked beside him quietly. It was her first time seeing her teacher this vulnerable.
He truly was getting old.The days of training happily with Orochimaru and Jiraiya were long gone.Back then, he was young, energetic—a Hokage at barely twenty, leading the village into prosperity.
Now… it was her turn to inherit her teacher's role.
When they returned to the Hokage building and entered the office, the Third had barely sat down and lifted his pipe when an ANBU burst in.
"Lord Third! Urgent news!"
"Hanzō of the Rain has simultaneously declared war on the Hidden Leaf, the Hidden Sand, and the Land of Iron."
"Battle has already begun on the front lines!"
Tsunade's eyes widened—she was stunned.
Kawakaze's prediction had been exactly right—and barely fifteen days had passed.
"Summon all jōnin immediately. War Council—now. At once!"
The Third Hokage shot to his feet and slammed his pipe onto the desk.
In that moment, he shed all uncertainty and weakness—returning to the imposing leader whose authority no one dared challenge.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there