Red Riot - Chapter 49 - Red understanding (Patreon)

Matsu Uzumaki:- person of high interest to other Shinobi Villages. Jonin. Medical/Taijutsu/Ninjutsu/Sensory speciality. Chief Medical Officer of the Kiri Medical Program. He is now fifteen years old.

Shoto:- ANBU operative, which effectively takes him out of the standard ranking system. Has been absent for several months. A highly skilled Stealth specialist. Friends with Matsu and Rei.

Rei:- former classmate with Matsu, Shoto, and Sayuki. Only the first two know she’s alive. During a brawl at the brothel she was hiding in, she was injured, with her eyes being damaged. Something of a prodigy at Fuinjutsu, she now lives in the Land of Vegetables, assisting Matsu from afar.

Kori Yuki:- assistant and Yuki Clan head who worked under Gengetsu. Attempted to have Gengetsu die in a mutual kill with Mu only for Matsu to foil the plan. Was granted a Byakugan as a test from Gengetsu that he failed. He is now Gengetsu’s whipping boy, has retained his eye only after having it almost plucked out of his orbital socket. 

Nami:- Girl Orca calf that is part of the Orca summons

Minoru:- Boy Orca calf that is part of the Orca summons

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Tsunade almost wished that she’d blacked out or entered some fugue state for the rest of the preliminary exam.

Instead, she watched as Genin came face to face with their own mortality, only to be wrenched back by Matsu Uzumaki.

She watched one Genin bleed out from a cut to the arm that tore open a major artery, only for Matsu to close the wound and have the girl back up on her feet. “Let’s give her a hand folks!” he called, causing her to hate him a little.

When one person started convulsing from poison Matsu dropped to one knee. “Welp, can’t do much for poisons,” he declared. “They’re dead…” he announced, only to smirk and draw out a syringe. “Good thing I have back up shinobi for this!” He then stabbed the boy in the chest, injected something into their heart as other shinobi appeared and whisked the suddenly alive Genin away.

“Nothing to worry about folks! Just some minor toxins that we’ll be flushing!” he announced.

Clinically Tsunade noted that down as something of a weakness, only to second-guess herself a moment later. Was this just a ruse? Was he presenting a weakness so openly only to have others attempt it?

If so, it was rather cunning. People would have to try before they knew.

The next match was called only for a Kiri nin to march out and unlimber a blade against their foe. The other Geinin, seeing where this was going, raised their hands. “I surrender!” they called before the match had even started, earning a chorus of jeers.

She watched Kiri nin become emboldened while others faltered. 

Kisame must have been a setup for the test. One supreme show of violence and others were rattled, allowing Kiri nin walk over matches to advance, as well as denying critical intelligence on how those Genin fought.

Other fights played out like normal with demonstrations of skill determining who could advance, as Genin realised they were outclassed and gave up.

Until that no longer worked.

One genin from Suna of all places stepped forward against a kunoichi of Kumo.

The fight was over in seconds. The girl unleashed a powerful lightning jutsu that blasted into the kid and sent him flying.

When he hit the ground, he did so with a heavy thud.

Matsu didn’t appear next to him, and the kunoichi narrowed her eyes. “Oi? Is that really all Suna got?  Fucking fakes! Weak as shit without your desert aren’t you?”

Matsu simply continued to watch as the other genin remained on the ground.

“Oi? You seriously not going to call this? This is going to be a one-sided beatdown!”

“He’s not dead, therefore the battle of spirit is still underway,” Matsu answered.

The girl processed that for a moment, only to snort and shunshined over to her downed opponent to deliver a brutal kick to his guts. “Get the fuck up and give up, punk! I got better things to do than beat on you!”

The Suna nin gasped as he was forcefully returned to consciousness. He staggered to his feet only to try to form seals. His foe contemptiously batted them away and delivered another heavy punch.

“Fucking! Give! Up!” she snarled, punctuating each word with a punch.

The Suna nin collapsed to the ground, heaving and spitting. The kunoichi circled him like a caged beast. “Gonna do the smart thing?”

The Suna nin, rather than admit defeat, straightened with a smile on his face. “Hahaha! You’re going to lose!” he replied.

That got the girl’s brow twitching in annoyance. “The fuck you say?” she surged in and began to methodically beat on the boy. “Think you’re something? You’re nothing! A bug that blew in! I’m the storm bitch!” she screamed.

Tsunade wanted to look away, but her body wouldn’t let her.

Blows started to send blood flying into the already red sand, splashing about and feeding into the colour, giving it a new coating.

When the Kumo kunoichi was done, she stood over a brutalised shinobi who wheezed more than breathed.

“GIVE! UP!” snarled the kunoichi.

The boy laughed wetly. “Never, I have to defend my Village.”

“You ain’t gonna do that when I’m done with you!” growled the girl.

“That’s where you’re wrong…” He took a moment to regather his breath. “The people watching will understand that I’m willing to die to achieve my goals! Can you say the same?”

The girl blinked at him dumbfoundedly, only for the boy to suddenly exhale a cloud of dust into her face.

The girl's screams filled the arena floor as she threw herself backwards only to begin clawing at her eyes. “The fuck did you do to me?” 

“Poisoned you so you’ll be blind for life. I’m not without fangs!” laughed the Suna nin from where he lay.

Tsunade shuddered as the kunoichi tried to pour water over her eyes, only to find that did nothing.

“If you surrender, I’ll give you the antidote so you don’t go blind,” called the boy.

“F-fuck you!” screamed the girl only to smash her fists into the ground. “Fuck you fuck you fuck you! Fuck!” with her fist bloody from beating on the sand, the girl glared blindly towards where the Suna Genin lay. “You fucker. You win this round. I surrender!” she growled.

Matsu nodded. “Very well. Winner! Torun of Suna! What a shocking upset!” 

Torun chuckled. “Hahaha! That worked?” Torun raised his arms only to twitch in pain. The smile remained however. “Oh that’s grand! I was ready to die! You just fell for ground pepper spray in the face!”

“W-what?” asked the girl dumbly.

“You’re not blind! You’re just in so much pain you can’t register the—” whatever Torun was about to say was lost as the girl snarled and unleashed another lightning jutsu at his location.

With the state of her eyes, her accuracy was obviously shot, but with wide-area jutsu like that, it was more a matter of being vaguely in the right direction than true accuracy.

The bolt of lightning launched across the arena only to be cut through by a single kunai.

The lightning vanished as quickly as it came.

“The match has been called. You are disqualified, Oh of Kumo. You will depart now or be expelled fully from the preliminary. If you still have any aches or pains, you may see the medical staff before your next fight.”

That caused a few battered shinobi to twitch in surprise as they turned to acknowledge the Kiri nin that had set up behind each village block. 

For Tsunade, she only felt relief that doubled as the next few matches called up Konoha nin to face various foes.

One thing that immediately stood out to everyone was that Torun’s words during the previous match had reminded the Genin that they were being observed, measured, and judged for their actions.

Nobles conferred behind handheld fans while their eyes drank in the show Kiri was putting on.

The fights no longer became just about demonstrating fighting spirit to the Genin, but also to nobles. How would you fight? Would you slay your opponent to complete the mission objective, or would you be willing to die for success?

The matches continued along for a while until one of Tsunade’s Genin marched out against a sickly-looking shinobi from Takigakure.

The kid stared at his opponent for a long moment, only to surprise everyone when he drew his kunai and placed it against his own neck.

“Oi! Surrender or I’ll kill myself!” screamed the Taki nin.

Tsunde’s student stared blankly back.

It almost drew a snort of amusement from Tsunade. Never in their feeble conditioning would Danzo have accounted for a situation like this.

“If you don’t surrender, I’ll kill myself and win anyway!” growled the Taki nin.

Matsu chose that moment to cough politely. “Ah, it’s only if he kills you that it works that way… if you do it…” Matsu gave the Genin a flat look as if to say that the rest should have been obvious.

The Taki nin faltered at that, only to turn back. “Still surrender! You can’t touch me for risk of killing me through your actions!”

Tsunade’s genin turned back to look at her for directions, and she could do nothing but raise an unimpressed eyebrow.

That was apparently enough for Danzo’s toy to launch a kunai and strike the other kid in the chest.

“Winner, Lee from Taki!” declared Matsu after shunshin in and reviving the downed Taki nin who remained lying on the ground.

Tsunade put her head in her hands. Of course, the little operative thought she meant just kill their opponent.

Fucking Danzo.

From there, multiple upsets and strange situations occurred, including an instance where both shinobi put kunai to their throats and demanded the other surrender.

When it came to the second round, things became more tense, some of the shinobi that only had one more shot at passing suddenly found themselves under pressure.

Once more Kisame Hoshigaki stepped forward only to scoff and cut down his opponent’s head off in a repeat performance.

“Winner! Geta of Village Hidden in the Stars! Kisame, you’re out of the tournament!” declared Matsu as he healed up Geta.

“Hmph, I got what I wanted from this event,” declared the rather tall Genin. 

The boy glared around. “The rest of you think you’re going to get lucky, aren’t you? Well, you’re wrong! Kiri won’t take it easy due to something as idiotic as rules! We’re shinobi!” he roared, his fangs flashing in the light.

Once more, his actions and words inspired a dread in anyone facing Kiri Genin, allowing more and more people to pass easily where before they might have been under pressure. 

It made Tsunade wonder if perhaps Kisame had been weighted more heavily, and that was the reason he only had two chances to pass compared to others.

By the end of the test, Kiri had the majority, but it was done in such a way that none could dispute the result.

Kiri had stepped forward, either with a will to succeed or dominate, while others had faltered. More than a few people tried to argue bias, and that Kiri genin had been fed the answer beforehand, but more than one Kiri nin scoffed.

“All you had to do was meet us head on, and you’d have been in our places. Don’t make this out to be anything but a weak will within your own Genin!” 

And it was true, it came down to the Genin themselves having to hold the line.

One thing she did notice was that when they walked back to the rooms they were assigned, more than one genin was seen to be touching cuts and scars that should have killed them.

How would those Genin react who had felt death’s touch upon them only to be wrenched back?

Tsunade shook it off, retreating to her room. Her job, as far as she was concerned, was done.

It didn’t surprise her that this test allowed her ‘team’ of Genin to fail over and over despite having multiple attempts at making others surrender.

Danzo made tools, not shinobi. 

They hadn’t been able to adapt, and therefore, they failed.

Which suited Tsunade just fine. She wouldn’t be able to leave straight away, not without saying goodbye to the Daimyo, but with this turn of events, she could depart with her ‘team’ and report her findings to Sensei.

 Then she’d be off again until it was time to keep Shizune safe.

“Lady Tsunade?” a man’s voice called, cutting through her musings. 

“What?” she growled as she wrenched open the sliding door of her room to glower at the man.

“A messenger from the Daimyo! He wishes to talk with you,” he blurted.

“Hnnn!” she grunted, marching back into her room and checking her attire over before adjusting her hair and storming back out. 

“Lady Tsunade? What should we say to your team?” the man called, earning a snort from her.

“Tell them their sensei will talk with them soon!” she called over her shoulder, knowing that it wasn’t going to be up to her to deal with them. Danzo wasn’t one to failure.

She paused and sighed. “... tell them they did as good as they could be expected,” she offered. “I’ll talk to them later.”

The man nodded, clearly uncertain about the sudden shift in mood but not willing to question it. He vanished from her sight faster than some people shunshinned, leaving Tsunade in the hall, annoyed at herself, and Danzo, and Sensei, and the world.

She reached up and rubbed at the jewel on her necklace. Then she caught what she was doing and grimaced as she dropped it back to her cleavage and marched on

The Daimyo’s quarters within the castle that Kiri had somehow erected for them were laid out differently, with multiple cushions and curtains draped about the room giving it more of a smokers den feel than the chambers of a Daimyo.

The man himself was laid out upon several cushions with his lackeys and several attendants around him. New members of the Guardian Twelve were in the room, one of whom was a Hyuga. The man seemed oddly tense, and he flashed Tsunade a ‘warning’ hand sign that had her giving the room another sweep.

There, sitting next to the Daimyo, perfectly at ease, was Matsu Uzumaki.

“Ah Tsunade! Thank you for accepting my invitation!” the Daimyo called upon noticing her.

“I was honoured,” she replied, “In fact, it gave me the chance to inform you that I will soon be departing as my Genin team failed to progress to the final round.”

“Ah? Is that so? That’s a tragedy!” The Daimyo turned to Matsu. “Jonin Uzumaki, perhaps you could confer with your Kage and ask for an allowance for Tsunade to remain?”

Matsu smiled lightly, and now that she was much closer Tsunade could make out his features properly.

He had a rather handsome face that even at rest seemed to radiate a certain patience. His nose was slightly bent in a manner that made him look more distinguished rather than less. Long red hair draped itself across his shoulders and rested artfully down to his shoulder blades. 

Red eyes stared back at her. 

“I’m sure an allowance can be made. I, for one, would be disappointed to miss out on a chance to confer with you,” Matsu stated calmly. Even his voice was controlled, although there was an odd click with some words… what was that about?

“Oh? You wish to trade pointers with Tsunade?” asked the Daimyo, earning him a light glower from Tsunade. She could speak for herself, damn it!

“What did you want to talk about?” she growled, ignoring the looks of reproach that some members of the court shot at her. 

Matsu smiled. “If you had a patient with genetic defects that result in growth in their lungs that were yet to be born, resulting in their lungs being compromised. How would you treat them?”

Everyone stared.

She had to admit. That was a good question. “You’ve encountered such a patient?” she demanded.

Matsu’s lips tightened and he nodded. “Yes, this particular case was something I was the lead treating medic for.”

A few of the nobles tilted their heads while Tsunade grimaced. “Hmmm, sounds rough. How old was the mother? What gestation?” she asked as she started to run through some clarifying questions.

“Ah, I see that this is perhaps a conversation that is best conducted privately, seeing as a patient’s information is being shared!” cut in the Daimyo. “Please, enjoy my sitting room,” he suggested.

Tsunade held back a snort. The man obviously had no idea where to begin with their talk and was finding a way to shoo them off so he could continue his fun.

Then her mind caught up with the implications of such a talk.

Matsu and her would ostensibly be alone, but close to both their Daimyo. If she had to protect herself she wouldn’t be able to lash out with her full strength due to the risk of collateral damage to the nobles. Which would cause a whole new level of shit to rain down.

She’d have to rely on being able to defend herself and… urgh, playing the defenceless woman card if it came down to it.

Nodding her head to the side, Tsunade led Matsu to the room, which had a small table and chairs with a teapot set up. Eyeing it and weighing up the risks of it being poisoned, she decided not to touch it.

She sat across from Matsu, watching him like civilian might a tiger. Had he noticed her reaction when the blood started flowing? Was he going to try something?

“So, you were asking about the treatment plan I devised yes?” Matsu prompted, causing Tsunade to tilt her head.

Huh, she’d actually expected him to change the topic, having used it to get a private setting for their real talk. 

Deciding to play along for now she nodded slowly and Matsu began to list off what he did.

Part of her made mental notes of everything he mentioned while another stayed aware of her surroundings and the state of her chakra. She wasn’t about to let an illusion slip by her.

Matsu, it turned out, was a rather good medic, able to handle her rapid-fire questions before detailing how he’d attempted to treat the condition, only to have the treatment not take.

Tsunade drummed her fingers on her handrest. “That… would have been the best I could have offered, unless I had a sealing expert that could have shored up certain systems. But there hasn’t been a medical sealing expert since you, Kumo and Iwa destroyed Uzushio.”

“I very much had no part in that,” Matsu replied flatly. “As to your other point, we did have some trainee medics spending time with him to bolster his chances… but,” Matsu waved his hand vaguely. “He was very much living on a support system.”

“Surprised you wasted so many resources on what sounds like a peasant,” Tsunade pointed out, curious as to his reasoning.

“Hmmm, he needed help,” Matsu replied simply.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Hmph, and pigs could fly, and Danzo was about to retire for good, she thought to herself. 

Rather than be offended by the clear doubt she was sending his way, Matsu bobbed his head.  “Now, if I might indulge in your time, what would you do with a neurological condition that has been present at birth? Or conditions that caused nerves to misfire or caused incorrect signalling to the brain or oversensitivity even?” 

Tsunade considered Matsu. This … wasn’t how she expected this conversation to go at all.

“What are you playing at?” she demanded, tired of this discussion.

Matsu blinked. “I’m conferring with a fellow medic, workshopping ideas on better treatment methods, specifically for those that wouldn’t impact shinobi.”

“Riiiiiight,” Tsunade drawled. “That’s believable.”

Matsu sat back and considered her, causing her eyes to narrow. What was he going to do now?

“I suppose it is a bit much to only ask questions and not offer any in reply. Do you have any questions you’d like to ask?” he offered.

Snorting Tsunade shook her head. “And you’re just going to offer them up?” she scoffed.

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Yes? So if I ask you why you created the multiple specialised fields of medicine what would you say?” she demanded.

“Oh, that’s to improve the quality of care while also allowing people their own fields of expertise. At the moment we’re all working together and pooling a great deal of our knowledge but there are specific knowledge that could see a lot of good being done.”

Which matched with her understanding of the specialised departments. “How did you gain such knowledge?” she asked.

“I didn’t hoard what we knew,” Matsu replied. “I also sourced more and more information from experts across the Elemental nations, much like I had been doing with you.”

“Typically, most doctors getting around aren’t worth much,” Tsunade pointed out.

“You get a lot of that yes, but if you shift through them, or even invite them to learn, you end up raising the standards for everyone while also exposing yourself to new skills or knowledge. Those shifty doctors do have a few good tricks after all.”

“Like what? Being able to get out of town before their medicine kicks in?”

“Like getting a patient to trust you and relax. Some of those quacks have great communication skills that we shouldn’t dismiss so quickly.”

That got a raised eyebrow. “So you have them teaching how to cheat and lie?”

“If you must, but I prefer to think of it as bedside manner. If the patient works with you on the treatment, doesn’t it typically lead to better outcomes?” he pointed out.

She snorted but allowed him a nod. 

“What are quacks?” she asked, her mind catching on the odd term. Where had he picked that up?

“Ah, a slang term that derides those who ‘hawk cure-alls and salves’.”

“Hmm, Quacks, not a bad term for them,” she muttered.

Coughing lightly, Matsu inclined his head. “So, about those neurological conditions?” he prompted, causing her to feel a flicker of doubt. Was he still on about that?

“Hmmm, well I suppose I’d be trying to perform mild shock treatments to the nerve to make them adjust, otherwise I’d need a better understanding of the brain. Which—” she shook her head. “— is probably a question for Orochimaru more than me,” she admitted.

“How so? The functions of the brain can easily be monitored through controlled stimulus and a group study that has simple tasks,” Matsu replied. 

For a long moment they stared at each other, then Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

“How many medics are you trying to claim you have, because there is no fucking way you’ve created that many in the time since you create your medic program!” 

“Ahhhh, but we have?” he replied with a slightly confused tone that she didn’t buy at all. He was far too smooth and controlled with his expressions and mannerisms.

“Bullshit! You’ve gone out and spoken with various ‘experts’ that have been plying their craft for years, that I can understand but some of what you’re claiming seems like you’re reaching. To perform ‘studies’ of any worth you’d need dozens, if not hundreds of shinobi stuck doing the same task over and over again.”

“Yes?” Matsu replied. “That’s possible,” he pointed out, as if it were reasonable.

“There’s no way you’d tie up that many resources on such a task that wouldn’t offer the Village serious benefits!” Tsunade cut back.

She stood and levelled a finger at him. “Or is that it? You’re trying to slip a treatment plan through that instead empowers your shinobi? What are you hoping to get from this?”

“I’m trying to make the world a better place,” Matsu replied earnestly, “Is it so unbelievable that people in Kiri want much what others do? A better life for them and their close ones?” he implored, eyes locked with hers.

There wasn’t a hint of deception that she could pick up.

For just a moment, another face swam over Matsu’s.

Dan had been like that. 

Wanting to make the world a better place. He’d had a lot of ideas on how to improve the medics and the hospital…

Tsunade took a step back, pushing her chair before shaking her head. The door behind them opened slightly and the Hyuga from before poked his head in. “Lady Tsunade, is everything alright? Shall I escort… this man out?” he asked even as he moved towards Matsu.

Rather than be bothered by the implied threat Matsu kept his eyes on Tsunade and raised an eyebrow. “If I‘ve offended, I apologise. I merely wanted to talk with a fellow medic, and there is no one more experienced within the elemental nations as you,” he stated firmly.

Tsunade paused at that. She hadn’t been expecting that from a Kiri nin. She’d read the file on him before coming. The unredacted one at that. 

Konoha had tried to kill him before he established his hospital and medical system.

A cold part of her knew they’d been right to. If this system that he’d created survived him… she waved a hand to the Hyuga. “You can go,” she ordered, causing him to glare at Matsu like he’d done something.

Again, Matsu ignored him.

Tsunade took her seat and sighed. “I’m not so sure of my experience mattering as much anymore,” she admitted freely.

“Agree to disagree, you should put yourself down so much,” Matsu replied, causing Tsunade to snort.

Dan had been like that… she grimaced and looked away from Matsu, afraid that she wouldn’t see Matsu if she did. 

“You make it sound so easy, giving people better lives,” she remarked. “But that’s not Kiri’s way.”

“You know, I used to think the same thing. I would put in so much effort into creating positive change only to have it twisted in some way. And I’d sit there and justify it as being the way Kiri ran things, but then I got a chance to interact with other shinobi, both from my Village and others, and I realised something.”

“It’s not just one village’s way of doing it, but everyone. The problem isn’t restricted to one person but to all of us. People will always twist what we create to suit their purposes. And that… It kind of depressed me at first but then I thought some more… does that mean I should give up making good things?”

Matsu laced his fingers together and leaned forward. “The answer is no. You keep trying, and you keep making the world better, cause even small changes matter for some people. When I become Mizukage, I will be able to change more,” he stated.

He said it with such quiet confidence that it took Tsunade a moment to realise what he’d said.

“You… want to be Mizukage?” she asked, suddenly unable to look away from him.

“Yes,” he nodded, giving her perhaps the first honest smile she’d seen. 

It was a mix of Dan’s reserved smile and Nawaki’s huge grin.

“You’re an idiot,” she grit out even as she felt tears threaten to spill forth. It was only because of where she was that she didn’t stand and run away or lash out. Instead, she clenched her fists and—

When had she started clutching her grandfather’s necklace?

“That necklace… it belonged to someone very dear, didn’t it?” Matsu asked, his eyes dipping to it.

“Yes,” she grit out, not willing to mention to a foreign nin that it was the First Hokage’s. If she did she expected she’d have bounty hunters trying to steal it from her within days.

“Do you ever talk about them?” he asked, causing her to blink and stare at him.

“What?”

“Well,” Matsu drummed his fingers on his knee. “It’s just that… one time when I failed to heal someone,” he swallowed tightly and licked his lips before continuing, “I was pretty sad about the whole thing. I did what I could to apologise to the family… but they thanked me for my efforts. Told me to forgive myself for trying my best in that moment.”

Tsunade’s mind flinched at that, her memories conjuring the moments where she clutched at their bodies… remembering how they’d been so still… almost like they’d been sleeping.

Matsu nodded. “It hit me pretty hard, and I didn’t really accept it for a while… it took a few people saying the same thing over and over to eventually make me accept it. But that family… they grieved and were hurting, and I didn’t know how to help them. To them, I’d done all that I could.”

Matsu’s lips twitched upwards. “Then one of the old herb women we recruited to teach us about applications of various herbs walked up quietly and sat with them. Asked about their loved one, they quietly affirmed that yes, they lived.”

Matsu stared out the window, lost in memory. “I remember her saying something to the effect of grief not being the same as sadness.”

“What is it then?” she bit out, feeling tense and unsure if she wanted to lash out or run away at that moment.

“It’s love,” he replied with the same soft smile as he looked at her like… he understood. How? How could he understand?

“She told the people to continue keeping their loved one in their hearts. Don’t push them away. Create a space for them, on a stand, or with a necklace or wristband. Light a candle for them, and look over old memories, pictures or draw a picture of them.” 

Matsu opened his hand. “It hurts at first she’d said, but then… time wears down the pain until it's the things you realise you forgot until you recall what you’d lost, like how they laughed, or twitched when you touched a ticklish spot. The stories you lived or didn’t get to live with them.”

Tsunade stood, her fists clenched. He knew. He had to know! Was he baiting her? Was this some sort of sick joke to him? 

She glared down at him.

Matsu stayed seated, completely placid, merely watching her. “It makes it so much harder being both the medic and the person losing your loved one, but I hope you let yourself start healing Tsunade.”

With a whirl, she moved.

It took her a few seconds to realise that she was stalking out of the castle.

She wasn’t fleeing, she just… hadn’t want to smash Matsu’s face in.

Sweeping past anyone that might get in her way she cut a line to Konoha’s quarters and entered her rooms before slamming the door shut with a loud clack that made it clear she didn’t want to talk with anyone for the foreseeable future.

And then, like a puppet that had lost its puppeteer, she collapsed onto her futon.

She lay there for… she wasn’t sure. A dull ache had formed in her chest, and tears ran down her face.

She reached up and ran a thumb over her grandfather’s necklace… he…

She swallowed, feeling the bitter taste of tears and a bit of snot run into her gut.

Slowly, she sat up, knowing that her grandfather would understand her grief. He’d always been one to feel emotions more passionately than others. He always expressed them loudly. If he was happy, he cheered and laughed; when he was sad, he bawled like a baby.

Her grand uncle on the other hand, well he would have been quietly disapproving. But he’d have stayed close. Small trays of water, snacks or tissues might suddenly be found around your room without noticing. It had taken her years to work out that they had been his way of expressing himself.

Nawaki had been like Grandfather… the thought caused a spike of pain. 

Huh, maybe she too was like grandfather? She just felt so strongly…

She chuckled at the odd thought and it wasn’t a wet, broken thing but a quiet laugh which felt oddly freer than it… when was the last time she’d laughed?

Was it something Jiraiya had done? Or Nawaki? No… it was a gift that had been so terrible that she’d been unable to do anything but laugh in Dan’s face.

She felt her lips curl slightly.

Fuck. Matsu was right.

She began lighting more candles. Mito, her grandmother, gone now for a few years, her burden handed over. Her aunties, uncles, father and mother… all gone.

She lit a candle and remembered rather than turning away. Tears flowed and yet… she felt better than she had in years. 

That night, she found herself basking in a room full of soft light.

It was warm, and for a moment she thought… this was better than wallowing in a bottle.

She fell asleep that night, exhausted, but with a smile on her face.

_____________________

She woke up feeling dehydrated, with a sticky tongue, a slight burn mark around where she might have forgotten to blow out the candles before she went to sleep, but eh, fuck Kiri, it was their problem, not hers.

Heh, maybe on the way out, she’d knock a few over and enjoy everyone’s reactions as the place burnt to the ground.

She smacked her lips and blinked her eyes to get rid of the sandy feeling before searching around for a bottle of water. She instead found a few hidden flasks of booze and a gourd of sake. It was a minor miracle that none of them had been opened.

Hmmm, she’d keep those for later, but they weren’t what she needed right now.

She got up, adjusting her outfit and flexing her chakra to do away with the shitty feeling before staggering out to the hall…. Only to find three kneeling genin.

Ah, her team.

“Have you been out here all night?” she demanded.

“Yes, Lady Tsunade!” they barked as one.

Tsunade rubbed her eyes with her fingers. “Fuuuuuuuuck,” she muttered, annoyed that they had enough skill to get close and linger outside her rooms without her detecting them.

Yeah, that sounded better than her getting so caught up last night that she hadn’t detected them.

“Right… fetch me some water, food, and clean my room, then we’ll talk while I eat,” she decided. The trio broke off to perform her duties. She left them to it and went to the toilet.

When she got back and had some food and water, she gave them another look over before nodding to herself.

“Right! You all fucked up, and that’s mostly on you!” 

They bowed their heads only for her to smash her fist into the ground causing a small shake to rock the building. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t also drop the ball with you. You were assigned to me, and that’s not about to change. You’re staying with me here.”

The trio stared at her, only to lick their lips. “Elder Danzo only assigned us—”

“Hiruzen Sarutobi!” she cut over them, “Is the one who assigned you to me. Not Danzo!” she snapped. “You are mine as per your Hokage’s orders! Do you have a problem with that?”

They shook their heads, and Tsunade nodded. Of course they wouldn’t. 

“Right! First order of business!” she stated, ignoring that she’d already had them perform a task this morning for her. “Your names.”

“Lady Tsunade, you know our—”

“Not your code names! Your actual names!” she demanded. 

They stared at her, and it took a few moments for them to understand she was serious. “Nataro,” muttered the tall, dark-haired one. 

“Miwasa,” offered in the kunoichi.

“Jimbei,” growled the last shinobi, earning a nod from Tsunade. 

“Right! You’re all mine until I hand you back over!” she barked. “So! You’re going to follow me today and learn from me!”

The trio stared blankly back at her. “What will we be learning… sensei?” asked Miwasa carefully.

Tsunade grinned. “Communication skills,” she replied as she got up and began marching towards the Kiri hospital. 

Time to test just how hospitable Kiri wanted to be!

____________________________

My head thunked down over and over on my desk. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” I punctuated each word with another light headbutt.

In their tank, Nami and Minoru watched on, the water slightly bloody due to the fish I’d released in there for them to hunt. Nami was now wearing one like a hat.

Shoto in the meantime, was lounging in the chair across from me with a shit-eating grin.  “So you fucked up pretty badly, I take it?”

“I was like… just…you know?” I muttered more into my desk than to Shoto.

“No, I don’t know,” he taunted, taking enjoyment in how I was wallowing in my failure. “But for what it’s worth, everyone’s talking about the preliminary exam as the most out there test they’ve seen. Seriously? You had people holding themselves hostage! That was insane! And hilarious! Gengetsu has got be happy with the results there!”

Considering Gengetsu’s a psychopath I wasn’t about to base ‘good results’ with his state of joy. That usually meant there was a body count. But Shoto was right. I had done as he’d asked and added lots of trauma to the event for practically everyone involved while still progressing the Chunin exams.

Lifting my head to put my chin on the table so I could glower at him I said, “The ones that held themselves hostage… are a special kind of stupid that we’ll need to watch out for in future.”

Drumming my fingers, I exhaled heavily from my nose. “You’ll never be able to predict that sort of crazy,” I muttered. “I take it Kisame is on the fast track for promotion with his antics?”

“Obvious,” snorted Shoto. “And you’re probably right about those suicidal genin. They are going to be trouble, but that’s not what’s eating you. So what’s going on? Is this about your talk with Tsunade afterwards?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“What about it then? You pretty much had her fleeing the castle after your talk.”

I waggled my hands in annoyance before groaning and rolling my head to the side. “Urgh! I think I only had one shot at this, and I messed up!” I

“...you hit on Tsunade Senju?”

“What?” I raised my head and sat up only to find Shoto staring at me in… awe?

“You dog! And you’re still alive! Damn man! She’s like the woman with the biggest boobs around!” He beamed at me like he couldn’t be prouder.

He winked. “Shame she ran off on you. Guess you’re not as smooth as you thought!”

When I continued to stare at him, he blinked .”You… didn’t actually hit on her at all, did you?”

“No, but good to know your type. You’re a boob man, eh? Does Rei know?” 

Shoto coughed. “No, and you can't say shit! Bro code and all that, man. What’s your type then?” he demanded.

“Personality,” I said with a straight face, only for him to snort.

“I’m putting you down as a foot dude,” he teased right back, earning a chuckle from me as I leaned back in my seat. 

“Uhhhhhh, I had a shot, Shoto, a real shot to just step back from the edge.”

“How so?” he asked, tilting his head. 

I waved a hand towards the door. “Everyone is gearing up for a third shinobi war. People are even trying to tout the new hospital and medical system as an escalation, but it shouldn’t be. This is just us looking to have a better life!”

Shoto remained silent.

“I’d never get the chance to talk with someone like Hiruzen and convince him meaningfully. He’s locked in for all that he makes out that he wants peace, he’s accepted that war is coming. Tsunade though… she’s close to him and could have been a voice of reason…”

“Well, you tried, buddy,” he muttered, reaching out and patting me on the shoulder.

I sighed again. Stopping the war would have been a huge upset for Madara and Zetsu. 

If they didn’t have easy access to Obito so many people would be safe. Kiri wouldn’t destroy itself in a civil war and hundreds, if not thousands, more shinobi might be able to make it towards the final fight if Madara does use another, like Pein, to get resurrected.

Was I trying to fight a tidal wave with just a bucket? Somedays it felt like that.

A chakra signature that I’d made sure to burn into my senses began marching towards me, causing me to frown.

What was she doing?

Tsunade, and the trio of ‘Genin’ that she was leading walked towards the hospital and I sat up. Was she trying to pull something?

“Get to the entrance two,” I ordered to Shoto, causing him to pay attention.

“Problem?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I replied honestly as I stood and hurried out of my office and out to the entrance closest to Tsunade.

My arrival caused Tsunade and the others with her to stop in the street before resuming their walk. Around the street multiple ANBU and even a few curious shinobi had begun to circle, observing one of the Sannin marching towards the hospital.

If this came down to a fight, she surely wouldn’t be the one walking away.

Fuck, had I pushed too hard?

When she got within ten metres, I nodded, my face a mask of polite interest rather than the inner turmoil that roiled within my guts. “Tsunade. I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk again after how our last talk went.”

“Well, I do!” she proclaimed. “These are my Genin, give them a job that’ll keep them busy, and we’ll talk!”

I blinked at her slowly. What? Why did she bring them? They had clear signs of being ANBU, if not ROOT-trained shinobi with how blank they were emotionally and how bad they were at adjusting to the no-kill rule.

They’d tried torturing someone only for it to backfire twice on them.

And now Tsunade was claiming them as her own?

Was this a trick? Or had Tsunade been subverted?

No, Danzo shouldn’t have access to any Mangekyo Sharingans yet. Heck, I don’t even think Shishui would be born yet. Or would he? The timeline was always a bit fluid in Naruto.

“Are you… Alright?” I asked carefully.

“Not at all!” she declared, causing me and everyone watching to blink in confusion. “But, I’m going to work at getting better.” Her lips twitched upwards, and there was a softer look being directed at me.

Oh.

Oh?

Huh, I had been sure I’d fucked up but perhaps I got the result I was aiming for?

“That’s a good approach to it,” I declared before considering her Genin. “Well, we always need orderlies to scrub bedpans and help in the laundry, “ I suggested before flexing my chakra and forming a shadow clone.

“Follow me!” he announced with a wave of his hand, leading the group off to a separate building that had slightly less security around it than the hospital itself.

The Genin gave Tsunade an unsure look, but she just jerked her chin and grunted before waving a hand towards the hospital. “I think I want to continue our talk from yesterday. Not the sappy shit, the professional part,” she stated.

“I’d like that. We can talk in my office,” I replied as I mentally tugged on the line of chakra that I kept feeding towards my Orca summons. They might be cheeky little shits, but they were smart enough to de-summon themselves when things got serious.

As much as I respected Tsunade, I wasn’t about to hand her confirmation of my orca summons. I kept those strongly under lock and key and only ever summoned them while away from people or in private with close friends.

People obviously knew I had summons as spikes of chakra signatures entered and left the hospital, but no one I couldn’t trust knew just yet.

When I returned to the office, Nami and Minoru were gone and Tsunade gave the massive tank of water a long, curious look. There was a singular fish swimming around, probably stunned at its luck at surviving in a tank with two Orcas in it. 

Tsunade dismissed the surviving fish and swept the rest of the room.

Her gaze swept over the board behind my desk before coming back to rest on it. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her lips moved as if she was reading some of the text.

I sat, pretending like I was perfectly in control, but mentally spinning my wheels on how I was going to manage this new situation.

“You keep the letters?” she asked, eyes still moving over the board.

“Yes, I find it helps when things don’t go so well, or I need a pick-me-up to remember the good,” I replied.

Her gaze shifted once more and this time she looked at me like she was doing so properly.

Hmmm, she was re-evaluating me based on that? 

Funny how something that a Kiri nin would mock me for worked well with her.

“Hmm,” she grunted before giving the rest of the room another look only to pause on the books I had stacked to the side. “You… wrote those?” she asked, pointing towards several medical textbooks that I had stored away for casual referencing as well as for making the place look good.

“Ah, yes… I wrote… well all of the syllabus for our medics. Needed to start somewhere so…” I gestured with a hand, feeling oddly proud of showing off to her.

“May I?” she asked and I considered her before nodding.

She approached the shelf and selected a book dedicated to basic biology that I’d cribbed together.

She flipped through it idly only for her eyebrow to shoot up. “How do you know this?”

“A lot of work, “ I replied, as well as spending… well, a lot of time just sitting and thinking about it I suppose?” I lied, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to ever tell the truth that I was a reincarnated soul with knowledge from a world without chakra.

Tsunade gave me another look that told me she’d just bumped her estimation of me up.

I considered her as she leafed through the book, occasionally pausing on a page to give it more scrutiny. 

“I could offer you that knowledge, you know? Share it around,” I suggested.

She looked up from the book. “What?”

“I could share that and other teachings. I imagine that Konoha has much to offer as well with their specialised medicines or experience.”

She gave me an incredulous look. “You’d never be allowed to do that,” she stated.

“Why not? This isn’t like combat jutsu or actionable intel. This is the basic building blocks of the world. You’ll eventually work these things out yourselves so why not share and get something back?” I suggested, making sure to frame it like I was making the argument not to her, but to a superior.

“Your Mizukage would never make that trade.”

“I would if he knew we were the ones coming out ahead,” I pointed out. “And that’s the situation. We’ve got the head start, don’t we?” 

Rather than deny it, Tsunade nodded, shutting the book and clumping into the chair across from me.

“Yes, that’s been obvious enough to anyone who took part in your little tour the other day. Most of the richer nobles have come to Konoha before, and it doesn’t have half the rooms that your hospital does.”

I allowed myself a pleased smile while she rolled her eyes at me.

“So, Konoha is going to have to play catch-up no? So why not make it easier for yourself and accept a trade?”

Her lips thinned, and I quickly added, “Think about it?”

She raised an eyebrow. “It’s not—”

“Stop being locked into one mindset and think about it!” I said, holding up my hands in a ‘stop’ gesture. “We could run it via the nobles, make it so they were the guarantors. The Daimyo of both nations could be convinced. Your Daimyo wants to not languish behind while our Daimyo gets to brag for a few more years at least.”

“And when the war starts?” she pointed out tiredly.

“Why can’t we use this to delay or stop the war? Give us common ground?” I suggested.

For a long moment, there was no response as she lowered her head and considered what I said. I watched her, fingers mentally crossed as I hoped for a response.

“It… is possible,” she remarked carefully. 

“You don’t think it is possible?” I asked, feeling my hope dim slightly.

“Guess I’ve just been hurt a lot, and I know the writing on the wall. There are a lot of people who want this war to happen Matsu. You might be young but you were raised in Kiri,” she said, the implied, you should understand, rang loud and clear.

Nodding my head, I hummed. “Yes, but this is just the same issue of being locked into one line of thinking. We can make the world better and drown the voices for war with a call for progress.”

“Sadly, there are multiple issues with that. Uzushio’s destruction in the last war, along with the Konoha’s need to come to sign a ceasefire directly after it, has been a bitter pill for much of the old guard. That has poisoned much of the younger generation, and there are many eager to ‘right a wrong’ as they see it.”

“I can’t change the past, just point towards a brighter future. If our leaders are so swayed by the mob, then they aren’t true leaders,” I stated firmly, earning me a raised eyebrow.

“Often leaders are only raised up with the support of the ‘mob’ as you put it.”

I mentally winced. Once again, I’d used an out-of-place word, and she’d picked up on it.

“And as a leader, it is sometimes our duties to lead our people away from danger or in this case, sprinting towards a cliff that will see only more death.” I reached out to her with an open hand. “I’m trying, can you?” I asked.

Tsunade worked her jaw. “What of Kumo, Iwa, and Suna?” she stated, her fingers ticking them off. “And let’s not forget the smaller nations.”

“I can’t control them, but I can influence them. If Kiri and Konoha were appearing to become closer, others might be a lot more hesitant to fight. Suna, for example, isn’t going to rock the boat. They were too bloodied from the last war.”

Tsunade nodded at that. “They were at that,” she remarked easily. 

She sighed, leaning back in her chair and looking towards the tank of water. “It’s not going to be easy,” she commented, causing my heart to surge with hope and I realised I had a shot at this working.

She held up a hand. “If it were to work out, there is going to need to be a bit of back and forth. We’re going to be very interested in these books you’ve put together but quantifying an even trade is going to be difficult.”

“Yes, it is, but it will get us talking rather than sending ANBU after each other,” I replied.

“Hmmm, just so,” she replied, casually side-stepping the issue of Konoha attempting to assassinate me a few years ago, before I’d gotten everything built up within Kiri properly.

Tsunade rubbed her forehead. “Urgh, there’s going to be so much work coming my way because of this. I just know it.”

“Good deeds are often the most punished,” I replied with a more upbeat tone.

“I believe the saying is the reward for good work is more work,” she grumbled. 

“Hmmm, just so,” I hummed, pleased. 

“You realise you’ll have to deal with Gengetsu, correct?” 

“Oh, I can handle that,” I replied glibly, causing her to give me another searching look before nodding. “You get to deal with Hiruzen, however,” I pointed out. 

“Hmmm, easier than your job,” she muttered.

I hummed and considered her for a moment, only to blink in surprise.

We were in my office.

Outside of everyone’s oversight. There might be some hyuga around that could pierce the outer walls, but the inner walls of the hospital all had certain seals on them that were said to block a byakugan’s sight.

We’d tested it with Kori Yuki’s stolen eye, and it had worked, which had led to many more buildings gaining the seals across Kiri. Something I had no doubt was also further being sold on to the other major Villages.

But right now, what mattered was that I was alone with her and could give her something more than just vagaries to work on. And if there was one thing that I could do to make the world a better place… well, now was my chance to throw some shit Danzo’s way.

“I’ve always had a question about the way Madara died in the story of Konoha’s great duel,” I remarked suddenly.

Tsunade frowned. “My grandfather defeated him in a battle at the Valley of the End using his Mokuton.”

“And the body? What happened to it?” I asked.

“It was likely cremated,” she replied, still eying me carefully.

“Hmmm, I just find that rather odd, I suppose. What about Hashirama? How did he… pass? Lots of people mention Tobirama’s fight with Kumo’s strike force but there’s never any mention of your first Hokage.”

“He passed in his sleep a few years after the battle at the end. He had to retreat from the public eye, however, and hand over the mantle of Hokage to Tobirama years before his death.”

“Oh, so surrounded by loved ones?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied tersely. 

“Hmmm, good for him, I hope his body was well secured,” I remarked casually.

“What are you implying?” she growled.

I looked her right in the eyes. “Just that I imagine many would be interested in studying such a body. The Mokuton as an ability was obviously unique to Hashirama and therefore is seen as much of the reason he was known as the God of shinobi.”

“If you’re implying that you want access to—”

“I wouldn’t dig up your grandfather’s grave, Tsunade. Better to let him rest. What I’m saying is that others might not have the same reservations. Perhaps it might be best that he be moved or… handled in an appropriate manner before it can ever be an issue.”

And if, in the act of moving said body, she discovered someone had already tampered with the body, well… I’m sure Danzo having a bad day would be nothing but good for the world at large.

Tsunade continued to glower at me before nodding firmly. “I will keep that in mind,” she grit out.

I held up my hands in surrender. “I am merely pointing out a possibility of what others might do. He sounded like quite the man.”

“He was,” she replied quietly.

I nodded slowly and reached over to take back the biology book that she’d been leafing through. She let me without issue, only to raise an eyebrow when I deposited another book in its place.

“Counselling skills for dummies?” she read aloud before giving me a flat look. 

I shrugged, pointing to several other books in the ‘series’ that I’d written that were of a similar vein. “I know my audience,” I commented.

Tsunade’s annoyed look broke as she snorted, and a much more welcoming smile appeared on her face.

“Hmmm, you’re rather pretty when you smile, you know?” I offered only to get a roll of the eyes from her.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that line before.”

“Ah, sorry, I had to try, though. Don’t think I’d forgive myself if I didn’t, you know?”

“Urgh! Now you sound like that idiot team mate of mine.”

“High praise that,” I chuckled.

“If that’s how you want to take it,” she snarked, only to shake her head. “Somehow I feel like you and Jiraiya might actually get on.” Then she gave me a look. “Or be the worst of enemies. Men can be weird about things like that.”

“Wow,  now I’m worried seeing as we didn’t hit it off so well last time,” I replied jokingly, although considering that I sort of poisoned his student… well, hopefully our next time meeting wouldn’t be during the war.

As though sensing my thoughts, Tsunade nodded and gave me a tight smile. “Thank you again for the talk. You’ve given me a lot to think over,” she said. “And I will convey your offer to Sensei,” he stated. “I’ll collect my brats and get out of Kiri while I can.” She finished before giving the water tank another passing glance.

“Hmmm, shame, it’s been nice talking with you,” I offered back before nodding in farewell. I was somewhat curious about the genin but decided not to ask.

She mirrored the gesture and then sauntered out with a wave over her shoulder. I watched her go thoughtfully. 

That…

Shoto slipped through the door. “So?”

“This time I took a shot and got rejected, but other than that… it went well,” I remarked, leaning back and feeling vaguely hopeful for the future.

Huh, it’d been a while since I’d felt this optimistic. 

Shoto grinned at me. “Good, cause Gengetsu wants to talk to you.”

And just like that, my good mood was gone. “Of course he does,” I muttered, rising to see what he wanted.

Despite the shift in focus, my mood stayed rather upbeat. It was nice to have a little more hope, and who knows, maybe even someone else working towards a better tomorrow.

______________________

Tsunade strode into her Sensei’s office. “Sensei,” she offered a nod while her genin team knelt and bowed their heads. “We weren’t able to progress to the finals,” she reported succinctly.

Behind the Hokage’s desk the elders were arranged like odious statues, glowering at her. Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and of course, Danzo Shimura. All of them had expressions like granite, as if they were attempting to outdo the Hokage mountain in stoneiness. 

Danzo was glaring harder than any of the others but Tsunade had always attributed that to him trying to make up for his lost eye.

“Tsunade,” Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted her with a smile as his eyes gleamed with joy. “You look… better,” he settled on.

She sniffed. “Better’s subjective,” she shot back.

He tilted his head but didn’t press. 

Danzo shifted, making it so that he had to tap his cane on the ground and draw attention to himself. “Your other mission, what are your findings?”

“We shouldn’t speak about this in front of the Genin, we need to seal the room Danzo,” chided Koharu, her head swivelling around and causing the beads in her hairpin to clack slightly.

“You may go,” Danzo commanded.

The Genin shifted and looked first to Tsunade and then to Hiruzen.

Danzo’s eyebrow shot into his hairline and Tsunade allowed herself a small victorious smile. That’s right you old fossil, all your training amounted to barely three days of work on her end to shift their loyalties.

That and a few ‘counselling’ sessions with them in private, but that wouldn’t bear mentioning. 

“Did you want to say anything to my team Sensei?” Tsunade prompted.

Hiruzen stared at her in surprise, a softer smile on his expression as his eyes danced across the group of genin. “Hmmm, well while you didn’t achieve the finals for your Chunin exam, I must congratulate you on nevertheless performing beyond my expectations of you. You have surprised me,” he said, speaking both to the team and Tsunade herself.

Rolling her eyes Tsunade jerked a thumb to the door, “alright brats get out of here. Get your kits moved to the Senju compound. I’ll handle anyone that makes a fuss, otherwise you’re off duty until tomorrow morning.

“Lady Tsunade!” They barked as one before rising, bowing to the Hokage and then departing.

Before the door had even shut Tsunade found herself the sole focus of the remaining shinobi. 

“Your report?” demanded Danzo tersely. 

Instead of answering, Tsunade strolled towards the window to look out over the Village. There wasn’t any fog, and the weather was rather nice. Warm and refreshing after the constant chill and damp conditions of Kiri.

“I don’t think I can claim to be the world’s best medic anymore,” she announced a moment before she knew Koharu was about to reprimand her.

The old woman choked in surprise.

“Surely you jest?” Homura gasped while Koharu stumbled and set her back against the wall.

Tsunade turned and smiled. “No. I watched Matsu Uzumaki heal people that had been beheaded… several times over in fact.” which still boggled her mind to consider. “I was given an open tour of his hospital, and it is a marvel.” She began raising fingers. “It has more staff, more funding, a larger building, and also better fundamentals than Konoha.”

“An illusion!” Koharu gasped, clutching at straws. “It must have been an illusion! You were tricked, as were the other nations.”

Crossing her arms, Tsunade leaned back and smiled viciously. “He didn’t need to rely on such tricks. Kirigakure knows what they have, and worse, so does the rest of the world now. The Daimyo will no doubt be wanting to talk with you very soon Sensei.”

“What do you recommend?” Hiruzen asked seriously. Where before he’d looked like a doting father, pleased to see his daughter returned to him, now he had a serious expression that could only belong to that of the Hokage.

“I’ll start with what I know will be most palatable to you all,” she replied. 

“The Hospital and medical program in Konoha needs to be increased tenfold—” the advisors all reared back as though she’d just dropped an explosive seal on the ground.

“— I’d have that announcement deployed straight away. That way, you can honestly say to the Daimyo that you’re taking steps, because he will be asking about it.”

“Secondly, drop all aggressive actions against Kiri.” 

“That would be showing weakness!” growled Danzo.

“Better that than engaging in a slugging match that they’ll be winning. They’re able to outlast us now I have no doubt. The longer you engage in shadow wars, the more you’ll be draining our men for nothing.”

“So you suggest we act swiftly,” Danzo murmured.

“No. That is the last thing I’d do!” Tsunade snapped. “Kirigakure has been marshalling its strength for years now, and the results have started to bear fruit. We must indeed ally ourselves with Kiri or face our toughest fight yet, which will see us drained.”

“You overestimate them! Kirigakure has long been a factionalised Village. If we—”

“The old Kiri was! They are closing ranks and becoming a true village now! They have the infrastructure to be proud of their place in the Village! You wanted my assessment?” she snapped. “Well, here it is! They are at least the second strongest shinobi village in the Elemental Nations today.” 

That had the advisors sharing a worried look.

Hiruzen searched her carefully. “At least?” he repeated, eyes locked on hers. “That… is a most concerning assessment. All that from merely observing their medical progress?”

“If they’ve applied even a tenth of the workings of their hospital to other organisations, the Kirigakure of old is gone, and something new is lurking in wait. We do not want Kirigakure as our enemy going forward.”

There, that would make them stand up and pay attention.

There would still be words spoken in backrooms, and she had no doubt Danzo would rage against any restrictions placed on him, but Tsunade knew this was the right step to take. 

Hopefully, it would be enough.

She really wanted to believe it would work out this time.

How strange that it was a foreign nin that she was cheering for this time around. 

________________________

Ah…. the timing of talking about grief with someone who’s lost a loved one… this hit a bit close to home.

A week ago was the anniversary of my first child’s passing due to being born with a genetic abnormality in his lung, so I was very aware of what you might hear in those circumstances. 

If you’re grieving or know of someone in that situation, sometimes listening is the best thing you can do, and sometimes simply sitting down and staying put is all you can do. It’s not a nice feeling knowing that’s all you can do, but sometimes it’s enough.

Try to avoid saying things like “Well, at least you…” cause that’s never a good way to start a conversation with someone grieving a loved one. 

Right… with that off my chest, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!