Chapter 81: Hemophobia, So Tsunade Really…
"Wuu…"
Half an hour later, the person lying on the bed in Konoha's medical ward had been replaced by Yamato.
Yamato lay there with a bruised and swollen face, hooked up to an IV drip.
Kakashi sat nearby, peeling an apple. After finishing, he ate it himself.
It turned out that Yamato wasn't the only one who had come to visit Kakashi. While Yamato had been busy trying to stuff a wooden rod into Kakashi's mouth, Kakashi's other close comrade, Might Guy, had arrived as well.
Upon seeing a ninja wearing an ANBU mask "choking Kakashi," Guy immediately assumed that an enemy had infiltrated the village. Without hesitation, he unleashed a Konoha Whirlwind, kicking Yamato squarely in the neck.
Then he mounted him and followed up with a barrage of punches and kicks.
"So why did you think attacking me with Wood Release was a good idea?"
Kakashi took a bite of his apple.
"…I originally planned to ask the Third Hokage, but he's been busy the whole time. I had no choice but to think of something myself."
Yamato stared at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.
He had clearly meant well, so how had things ended up like this?
"The Third Hokage being busy is perfectly normal, isn't it? He had to see off the other villages first, and now he's still discussing candidates for the next Hokage…
By the way, what exactly were you planning to ask the Third Hokage?"
Kakashi was halfway through explaining when he suddenly realized Yamato still hadn't clarified why he'd attacked him in the first place.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. It's like this…"
Yamato began recounting how he had met Shiromo, and how Shiromo had told him about the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the possible solution.
"That guy explained it very logically, and Jiraiya-sama was there too and didn't refute it. It should be true. I just don't know how to help you…"
"Kakashi-senpai, you're smart. What do you think we should do?"
Yamato looked at Kakashi with eyes full of "sincere" expectation.
After listening, cold sweat continuously beaded on Kakashi's forehead.
He was extremely grateful that Yamato had originally come from Root and lacked certain related knowledge.
Otherwise, what had been stuffed into his mouth earlier probably wouldn't have been wood.
"Kakashi-senpai? Kakashi-senpai? Have you thought of something yet?"
Seeing Kakashi space out for quite a while, Yamato called out to him twice.
"Yamato."
Kakashi solemnly placed a hand on Yamato's shoulder: "The village should be quite stable for a while. I won't be using the Mangekyō again, so you don't need to worry about this."
"You must bury this information deep in your heart. Unless absolutely necessary, don't casually use Wood Release again."
"You know about the Uchiha clan's rogue ninja, Uchiha Itachi, he's still out there. If word gets out that your body has this kind of special effect, who knows what might happen…"
As Kakashi spoke, his tone gradually shifted into that of someone telling a horror story.
Yamato shivered and hurriedly nodded in agreement.
—
Elsewhere, Shiromo's group did not take off immediately after leaving Konoha.
After following the normal route for a while, they encountered ninja from the Otogakure Village.
They were led to meet Orochimaru.
At this moment, however, Orochimaru already had two people with him.
They were none other than Tsunade, who had previously been disguising herself as a child in the village, and her assistant, Shizune.
Apparently, while Tsunade was withdrawing from Konoha, she had been noticed by Orochimaru, who was also leaving. The two had already been catching up for some time.
Tsunade glanced at Shiromo, recalling his earlier evaluation of her, and felt an urge to find an opportunity to beat him up in private while no one was watching.
"Orochimaru, you refuse to go back yourself, yet you keep persuading me to return. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Tsunade continued the conversation she had been having with him.
"Hiruzen-sensei is selecting candidates for the Fifth Hokage. You and Jiraiya are both options. Compared to Jiraiya, I think you're more suitable."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice spoke slowly.
"Hmph. Am I suitable? In what way? I'm not some idiot who runs around shouting that they want to be Hokage all day."
Tsunade crossed her arms and snorted.
"If someone as foolish as Jiraiya becomes Hokage, I'm afraid Konoha's winds will stagnate again sooner or later. When that happens, I'll have no choice but to bring new companions and carry out another Konoha Crush."
Orochimaru's gaze shifted toward Shiromo and the others, and then he revealed a sinister grin at Tsunade.
"You!"
Just as Tsunade was about to explode, Shizune grabbed her.
"Tsunade-sama, don't be impulsive. Don't forget your…"
Shizune whispered a reminder, stopping short of saying it outright.
She was afraid of leaking sensitive information to outsiders.
However…
"I almost forgot about that too."
Shiromo chuckled.
"What is it?"
Seeing that Shiromo seemed to know something, Karin's curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Hemophobia."
Shiromo softly uttered this word.
"So it's really just like you said, she's an old lady who's already gone through menopause?"
Karin's eyes lit up. Her train of thought took an unexpected turn as she raised a finger.
"Otherwise, wouldn't she have to deal with that… every month?"
Crack.
The ground beneath Tsunade's feet suddenly split.
She slowly twisted her neck, fixing them with a murderous gaze.
"Aaaah! I didn't say it, he did!"
Terrified, Karin hurriedly shoved Shiromo in front of herself as a shield.
"Menopause? You've misunderstood. Tsunade-sama's Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique rejuvenate her from the inside out. All of her organs remain young, it's not just a superficial appearance… mmph!"
Shizune only realized halfway through her explanation that these people were not allies and quickly covered her mouth.
"So that's how it is?"
Karin and Hanabi, the two young girls, didn't feel much about it.
After all, they were still young, one could even say children.
"Tsunade, Orochimaru is right. At present, only you can allow Konoha to continue developing."
"I know what you want to ask, what benefit does Konoha's development bring to us?"
"How about this: if you agree, you can stay and listen in on my discussions with Orochimaru. You'll gain information that would normally require risking your life to obtain."
"…Fine."
Hearing the first half of Shiromo's words, Tsunade had still been preparing to refuse.
In fact, knowing that Shiromo's group also wanted her to become Hokage only strengthened her resolve to decline, she felt like they were plotting something.
But after hearing the second half, Tsunade hesitated.
This information truly was critical.
At heart, Tsunade still cared deeply about Konoha, her hometown.
"It seems Shiromo-kun understands that I want to confirm many things before agreeing to rejoin the organization."
Orochimaru was quite satisfied by Shiromo's words and sat down directly on the ground.
"Then let's start with the first question. Even though I've basically confirmed it already, I still need to ask."
Orochimaru took out the photo of Mitsuki that Shiromo had previously given him.
"This is my future child. You, or someone within the organization, experienced a temporal leap, didn't you?"
"Huh?!"
Tsunade had just sat down when she heard such explosive information and froze on the spot.
Her expression was almost identical to Jiraiya's back then.
Orochimaru… had a child?
And from the looks of it, Orochimaru currently had a woman's body.
Th-this… it was completely unimaginable!
She suddenly understood why, when Jiraiya had seen "little Tsunade," he had asked whether she was the father or the mother.
"That's right."
Shiromo nodded slightly: "You used biotechnology to create this child, continuously optimizing and modifying his genes so that he would be born with the potential to enter perfect Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode."
"So it really is like that."
Orochimaru revealed a rare expression of relief.
He didn't particularly care about his reputation in this regard, but being thought of by Jiraiya, Tsunade, and almost everyone else as someone who had turned into a woman and engaged in group activities with multiple people was simply too bizarre.
"You didn't deny it or correct me. That means the person in question really is you, Shiromo-kun?"
Orochimaru raised his head again and asked.
"Yes. Is there anything else you want to confirm?"
"There's nothing else I need to confirm. I'm simply beginning to doubt the authenticity of the matter itself."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"…Hm?"
Tsunade had just been thinking that talk of a "future ninja world" was far too outrageous. She was even wondering if Orochimaru and Shiromo were putting on an act to deceive her.
And now Orochimaru himself was voicing doubts?
"Oh? Where's the problem?"
Shiromo asked with a smile.
(End of this chapter)