After three days of rest, Uchiha Yato, Jiraiya, and Tsunade arrived at a quiet inn.
As the lead physician, Uchiha Yato spoke directly.
"So? Three days of rest should have you in better shape, right?"
Tsunade had refrained from gambling and drinking these past three days—two demands Uchiha Yato had insisted on as preparation for the treatment.
As a medical ninja, Tsunade knew better than to ignore a doctor's orders, so she hadn't acted out.
Still, she grumbled irritably, "If this doesn't work, you and I are going to have words later."
Jiraiya, standing nearby, was also curious about what method Uchiha Yato would use to treat Tsunade.
Uchiha Yato said, "Let me explain my treatment plan now."
Tsunade remained silent, only nodding quietly.
She was genuinely curious about how Uchiha Yato intended to cure her.
Uchiha Yato continued, "Lady Tsunade, this condition is what I call psychological trauma."
"Just as some ninjas experience nausea and discomfort after killing for the first time, your situation is similar."
"Witnessing the deaths of loved ones, coupled with the guilt of being a medical ninja unable to save them, has left its mark."Hearing this, Tsunade's heart was actually accepting, yet also sorrowful.
Uchiha Yato was absolutely right—Tsunade's current state was nothing but self-avoidance and numbing.
To lighten the mood, Jiraiya interjected, "After today's treatment, let's go grab a drink, Tsunade."
Uchiha Yato then continued, "That's why I believe the better treatment is for you to confront your past fears head-on and reclaim what was lost."
Before Tsunade could grasp his meaning, she saw Yato's eyes turn a deep crimson, and then her consciousness faded entirely.
Yato had decided that the simplest way to help Tsunade overcome her psychological trauma was to guide her through genjutsu first.
Truthfully, he had an even simpler method, but it would only address the symptoms, not the root cause.
He could just use genjutsu to make Tsunade unable to see blood. It could be called a treatment, but it would merely be a stopgap measure.
Helping Tsunade heal was also a way to make things easier for the Uchiha Clan's development.
Returning to Tsunade's side...
At this moment, Tsunade had awakened from the illusion, finding herself in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Everything was exactly as she remembered, unchanged in the slightest.
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind her.
"Sis, where have you been?"
"Grandma's calling you for dinner. You don't have any missions today, right? You promised to celebrate my birthday with me."
Hearing that voice, Tsunade turned and saw the most familiar face from her memories.
Staring at the boy's face, she froze for a moment.
Yes—this was her younger brother, Nawaki.
Nawaki continued, "Sis, why are you spacing out?"
"It's my birthday today! Where's my present?"
Whether this was real or not, warmth blossomed in Tsunade's heart at that moment.
But as she searched her pockets, the only thing she could find was that cursed necklace she had come to associate with misfortune.
This necklace had been given to her by her grandfather, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Yet, every time she had given it to someone dear to her, they had left her forever. Now, she hesitated—should she really give it away again?
Seeing his sister pull out the necklace their grandfather had given her, Nawaki beamed with joy.
"Thanks for the gift, Sis! I love it! Someday, I'll become Hokage too."
Hearing the boy's childish dream, Tsunade pushed aside all other thoughts. Even if this was just a dream—so what?
Hadn't she always wished for this? To live in a dream, to escape reality, to never wake up from this illusion.
And now, the boy's radiant smile slowly melted her heart.
In the genjutsu Uchiha Yato had crafted, Tsunade spent a blissful day celebrating Nawaki's birthday.
Outside, watching through the projection, Jiraiya voiced his confusion.
"What's the point of this?"
"Letting her sink deeper into a comforting illusion? If she could, she'd probably never wake up."
Yato, of course, understood Jiraiya's words.
After all, the two of them had been comrades for years—it was only natural they knew Tsunade's heart and personality well.Uchiha Yato said, "Why all this nonsense from you?"
"If you could fill the void of family love and romantic love in her heart,"
"Would I need to go through all this trouble with these flashy tricks?"
Hearing Uchiha Yato suddenly turn the spearpoint toward him, Jiraiya immediately shut his mouth and continued watching.
Uchiha Yato's words were absolutely correct—Tsunade would never accept Jiraiya because she feared passing on this misfortune, potentially harming the few remaining loved ones and friends she had left.
"Ding~"
"Congratulations, Host, for causing a shift in Tsunade's emotions."
"Reward: 50 Emotion Coins."
Not to mention, the Emotion Coins obtained within the illusion were significantly fewer than those gained in reality.
After indulging in the sweetness, Uchiha Yato kindly allowed her to taste pain once more—a crucial step toward her redemption.
Face fear. Conquer fear.
Finally, after bidding Nawaki goodnight, Tsunade fell into a deep slumber within the illusion.
As her consciousness gradually returned and her eyes slowly opened, the first thing that greeted her was the thick, billowing smoke filling the sky.
The acrid smell assaulted her nostrils, making her cough uncontrollably. Her vision gradually cleared, revealing a desolate and ruined battlefield stretching before her.
Looking down at herself, Tsunade realized she was clad in a heavy combat uniform.
Its dull color seemed weathered by countless battles, stained with splotches of blood and dirt.
The rough, durable material of the uniform provided some degree of protection but also weighed heavily on her, oppressive and stifling.
Uchiha Yato deliberately placed a passerby's conversation near Tsunade.
This was to let her know that they were currently in the Hidden Leaf during its wartime preparations.
It also served to inform her of the timeline—that Nawaki had not yet died at this point.
Speaking of Nawaki's death, it indirectly led two of the Sannin down dark paths.
One, of course, was Tsunade. It was because of Nawaki's death, followed by Dan Kato's, that she developed hemophobia and lost faith in the village's leadership.
The other was Orochimaru. Witnessing the fragility of life firsthand gave birth to his obsession with immortality, eventually turning him into a deranged and somewhat perverse scientist.
Observing Tsunade processing this information in the illusion, Uchiha Yato immediately adjusted the scenario, making Nawaki appear before her.
At this very moment, Nawaki had just been struck by an Exploding Tag, with two or three Kumogakure shinobi surrounding him.
This scene instantly plunged Tsunade into stunned silence.
Yes—because Tsunade saw blood.
An overwhelming amount of blood, making it impossible for her to maintain a calm and rational state of mind.
Uchiha Yato heightened Tsunade's senses.
Making her more sensitive to blood, as well as amplifying her hearing.
This left her struggling internally, torn and conflicted. She was already so deep in the illusion that she forgot she was still within it.
The tense atmosphere around her and the sound of Nawaki's defiance ringing in her ears frayed her nerves, leaving her in agony.
Her real body outside the illusion began to shed tears, sweat, and twitch uncontrollably.
Watching from the outside, Jiraiya felt his heart ache unbearably. But he understood even more clearly that giving up now might render the entire treatment ineffective.Uchiha Yato currently had no mood to pay attention to the emotional coins transmitted by the system, because this was the most crucial moment in Tsunade's heart.
Only by releasing at the peak could one achieve spiritual sublimation and liberation.
Inside the illusion.
At this moment, a pair of large hands suddenly appeared beside Tsunade, pulling her away from the battlefield.
Simultaneously, Nawaki was also rescued by the owner of these hands, though his injuries were quite severe.
A brief moment of respite, coupled with the familiarity of the newcomer's voice, helped Tsunade regain her clarity of mind.
Among the people Uchiha Yato had designed, this person was naturally Jiraiya.
Upon seeing this scene, Jiraiya appeared somewhat shy, like an unmarried maiden.
Uchiha Yato chuckled and said, "If you don't want this favor, then I'll transfer it to Orochimaru. How does that sound?"
These words instantly swayed Jiraiya's heart.
"I think your design is excellent. Keep it up, Yato. I believe in you."
For Uchiha Yato, this was also a way to fulfill one of his own dreams.
Jiraiya had many regrets in life, one of which was his relationship with Tsunade.
However, Jiraiya's peeping tom tendencies made Yato reluctant to fulfill this particular dream for him.
At the very least, Jiraiya should pay some price first~
Uchiha Yato muttered under his breath, "Since I've come to this world, I might as well have some fun~"