[One week later, it was the day to meet Orochimaru and also the day of the bet with Naruto.]
[Tsunade had already decided to deal with Orochimaru alone, so before the meeting, she secretly drugged Jiraiya and went to meet Orochimaru by herself.]
[Orochimaru originally thought he could easily subdue Tsunade with Nawaki and Dan, but he underestimated her Will of Fire.]
[After all, she was the granddaughter of Hashirama and the apprentice of the Third Hokage!]
[Tsunade pretended to treat Orochimaru, but in reality, she was preparing to kill him up close.]
[However, her killing intent was noticed by Kabuto, who interrupted Tsunade's jutsu.]
[But Orochimaru had a trump card: he knew Tsunade's weakness was hemophobia.]
"Tch~ You really believe I have hemophobia?"
In the Third Hokage's time-space, Tsunade looked at Orochimaru with a strange expression.
"Based on the intelligence I gathered, you really do have hemophobia."
"That's right. After Nawaki and Dan died, I did have hemophobia, but that was many years ago. It's long gone by now."
"So you've been pretending to still have it?"
"If I didn't pretend it wasn't cured, the old man would have sent someone to call me back to the village long ago."
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
At that time, she was utterly disappointed in Konoha. She didn't want to return, not even for a second.
If the Third Hokage knew her condition had improved, he would have kept sending people to bring her back.
It was too much of a hassle, so it was easier to pretend she hadn't recovered. This way, not only could she avoid Konoha's summons, but she could also deceive those who wished her harm.
And look, Orochimaru on the screen had taken the bait!
[Orochimaru and Kabuto purposely led Tsunade to a vast area, while also exhausting some of her stamina.]
[Kabuto, without any medical ethics, took a pill to recover his energy.]
[But to Tsunade, Kabuto was just a little kid. Using her monstrous strength, she suppressed him head-on, making him unable to lift his head.]
[At this point, Kabuto realized that in a direct confrontation, he could never beat Tsunade. If he wanted to win, he would have to rely on strategy.]
[Taking advantage of Tsunade's delayed recovery after an attack, Kabuto took the opportunity to strike. He severed her muscle and followed up with a strike that injured her intercostal muscles, causing Tsunade to feel her breathing become labored.]
[At this moment, she realized that she had underestimated him, but from now on, she wouldn't make that mistake again.]
[Just as Kabuto was arrogantly mocking Tsunade, Tsunade struck him down with incredible speed.]
[Orochimaru wiped his sweat: This guy Kabuto, daring to show his face while fighting Tsunade? I wouldn't even dream of it.]
[What seemed like a simple strike from Tsunade was actually far from ordinary; she had disrupted Kabuto's nerves, causing him to try and control his hands, but his legs moved instead.]
[However, Kabuto's reaction speed shocked Tsunade. In just a few seconds, he had already gained control over his disordered state.]
"Oh? This kid's actually pretty capable."
Tsunade crossed her arms and gave Kabuto's abilities her full acknowledgment.
"Of course, Kabuto has always been my most capable assistant."
"It's just a pity, his front-line combat skills aren't great, and he can only rely on tricks."
Tsunade figured out immediately that the next move would probably involve Kabuto using her hemophobia to attack her through the screen.
If that was the case, she'd definitely be ready to give him a big surprise.
"Kabuto might not have been great at direct combat in the past, but now…"
At this point, Orochimaru looked at Tsunade with seriousness and continued: "After learning the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave, he has perfectly compensated for his previous shortcomings. Even against you, if you're not careful, you could end up in serious trouble."
"You really have a lot of trust in him, huh? Letting him go to Ryūchi Cave to learn Senjutsu. Aren't you worried he might betray you?"
Tsunade had only returned a few months ago and had only seen Kabuto two or three times, never watched any videos from before, so she didn't know much about him.
But she knew Orochimaru well.
In her eyes, Orochimaru would never do something out of the kindness of his heart. He wouldn't sincerely send Kabuto to learn Senjutsu.
Maybe, there was some scheme behind this.
"You don't understand Kabuto's past. As long as I have Yakushi Nono in my hands, I won't worry about him betraying me. Also, now that he has learned Senjutsu, he'll be even more useful for my research on cursed seals."
"Yakushi Nonō? That name sounds familiar."
Upon hearing the name, Tsunade frowned.
"She was the head of the Konoha Orphanage back then. If she hadn't adopted Kabuto, he would've probably died long ago."
"Just the head of an orphanage?"
"Well, not exactly. Besides being the orphanage director, she was also an intelligence operative under Danzo's command."
"Enough, you don't need to say anymore."
After hearing that Yakushi Nonō was working for Danzo, Tsunade could already imagine what happened to her.
"So Danzo really deserves to die. You agree, right, old man?"
"Not my problem. You can talk about him all you want, but don't drag me into it."
"See? Even the old man doesn't want to be involved with him. Danzo truly failed as a person."
[Having regained control of his body, Kabuto rushed towards Tsunade again, ready to make her taste the blood. But then a puff of smoke appeared, and Jiraiya, along with Shizune and Naruto, arrived just in time.]
[Tsunade seized the opportunity to heal herself and then counterattacked Kabuto.]
[Cornered and with no way out, Kabuto stabbed his own hand with a kunai, and blood splattered all over Tsunade.]
[Seeing the blood, Tsunade trembled all over and instantly lost her fighting ability.]
[At this moment, the battle was split into two fronts.]
[Orochimaru fought against Jiraiya, while Yakushi Kabuto fought against Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto.]
[Though Shizune was a true disciple of Tsunade, the difference in their abilities was too great. She was quickly overpowered in just a few moves.]
[At this point, the only one who could protect Tsunade was Naruto.]
[Naruto unexpectedly used the Rasengan and sent Kabuto flying.]
[However, Kabuto also severed the meridians around Naruto's heart.]
[Seeing Naruto successfully master the Rasengan, Tsunade remembered the bet she made with him.]
[Tsunade: "Our agreement isn't fulfilled yet, you can't die."]
[The deaths of her brother and lover awakened Tsunade's instinct to save lives. At that moment, she stopped pretending and, covered in blood, began to heal Naruto.]
[But Naruto was already on the brink of death, and even the Nine-Tails had started to fall asleep.]
[Tsunade's kiss was like a curse, but her tears could redeem him.]
[Naruto's small hand weakly touched Tsunade's necklace and said: "Bet... I won."]
[In that moment, Tsunade once again saw the shadows of her brother and lover in Naruto.]
[She placed the agreed-upon necklace around Naruto's neck and acknowledged his will of fire.]
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