Chapter 20: Old Ghosts of the Waterfall
The air on the outskirts of Takigakure was clean and sharp, filled with the scent of pine and damp earth. Here, nestled in a secluded clearing, was the simple, traditional home of Retsu Unohana. It was a place of quiet contemplation and healing, a stark contrast to the turbulent world beyond its borders.
Inside, Unohana sat opposite a young, vibrant kunoichi with mint-green hair and bright orange eyes. Fū, the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails, was listening intently as the elder spoke, her two Jonin bodyguards standing stoically by the door. The relationship between the legendary medic and the cheerful Jinchuriki was one of deep, grandmotherly affection. Unohana saw in Fū a boundless spirit, and Fū saw in the elder a pillar of wisdom and strength.
"Your control over the insect's chakra is progressing, Fū," Unohana said, her voice a calm, gentle melody. "But remember, true power is not about suppressing the beast, but harmonizing with it. Find its rhythm, and you will find your own."
Fū beamed, her energy infectious. "I will, Unohana-sama! I'll get so good that Chōmei and I will be able to fly all the way to Iwa to make more friends!"
Unohana chuckled softly, a rare and genuine sound. "I have no doubt."
Suddenly, the tranquil atmosphere shattered.
Two figures appeared in the clearing outside with a silent, jarring suddenness. There was no puff of smoke, no flicker of a jutsu. They were simply... there.
Unohana's smile did not falter, but her eyes, for a fraction of a second, hardened. She recognized one of them instantly.
"Fū, my dear," she said, her voice remaining perfectly calm. "It seems we have visitors."
The Jonin guards immediately drew their kunai, moving to flank their charge. Fū's cheerful expression vanished, replaced by the focused gaze of a trained shinobi.
Unohana rose gracefully and slid open the door, stepping out onto the veranda. The two Akatsuki members stood in the center of her meticulously raked zen garden, their presence a profane stain on its serenity.
One was a man with slicked-back, silver hair, carrying a massive, triple-bladed scythe. A strange, triangular amulet hung from his neck, and his eyes burned with a fanatical, bloodthirsty light. The other... the other was a ghost.
"Kakuzu," Unohana greeted him, her voice carrying a note of detached nostalgia, as if remarking on a change in the weather. "It has been a long, long time."
Kakuzu's masked face tilted, his mismatched eyes focusing on her. A low, gravelly chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Retsu," he rasped, the name sounding ancient and foreign. "You haven't aged a day. That potent Uzumaki life force of yours is as remarkable as ever."
"I could say the same of you," she replied smoothly. "Though your methods of preservation are... less elegant. I remember the mission that led to your disgrace. The village leaders sent you to eliminate the First Hokage, a fool's errand from the start. They should have known you would fail."
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "Those bastards," he growled, the memory still fresh with a cold fury. "They wanted a pawn to throw at a god. They should have sent" you, Retsu. Your blade might have actually left a scratch on Hashirama."
The silver-haired man beside him grew impatient, shifting his weight and brandishing his scythe. "Enough with the touching reunion!" Hidan snarled, his voice a grating, arrogant whine. "We're here for the Jinchuriki, old-timer! And after I sacrifice her to the great Lord Jashin, I'll take my time sending the rest of you to him as well! It'll be a grand festival of pain and agony!"
Fū's guards tensed, their knuckles white on their kunai. Their eyes darted towards the forest, the instinct to grab their charge and flee screaming in their minds.
"Hidan, be silent," Kakuzu commanded, not taking his eyes off Unohana. He knew what she was. Before her retirement, Retsu Uzumaki was whispered about in the same breath as the Sannin. A monster of the battlefield disguised as a healer. "Do not underestimate this woman. She is not like the other fodder we have faced. To defeat her, we would need to go all out from the very beginning."
He knew nothing of her soul, of the Gotei 13, of Kenpachi. He only knew the legend of the Kunoichi from his own time.
"She is not afraid of pain," Kakuzu continued, a warning in his tone. "She will willingly take a fatal blow if it means landing one of her own."
Hidan's fanatical grin widened at this. "Oh? She welcomes pain, does she? She's a fellow believer! This is going to be fun!"
Unohana saw the guards' intent to flee. She turned her head slightly, her voice calm but carrying an authority that was absolute. "Fū. You and your guards will remain inside the house. Do not move from this spot."
One of the guards protested, his voice strained. "But Unohana-sama, we must get the Jinchuriki to safety—"
"And run into a potential ambush?" Unohana cut him off, her tone gentle yet utterly chilling. "Do not be foolish. For all we know, there are more of them lurking in the trees, waiting for you to scatter. Here, under my watch, is the safest place you can be." Her gaze swept over the two Akatsuki members. "I will not be able to protect you if you are a mile away, bleeding out from a trap you were too panicked to see."
Her words were a simple statement of fact, but the underlying meaning was clear: Run, and you die. Stay, and I will handle this.
The guards froze, a cold understanding dawning on them. The true danger wasn't running from these two monsters. The true danger was leaving the presence of the far greater one who stood before them.
Unohana turned her full attention back to the Akatsuki duo, a serene, almost pleasant smile gracing her lips. It was a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"Now then," she said, her voice as smooth as silk. "You have trespassed on my property, threatened my guest, and frankly, ruined the tranquility of my afternoon."
She took a single, graceful step forward off the veranda and onto the soft grass of her garden.
"For that," her smile widened, a hint of the ancient Kenpachi bleeding through, "you will have to pay."