Chapter 9 — Tsunade: I'm Tired—Let It All End.
Blood from the corner of Ryusuke's mouth dripped down with the rain, falling onto Tsunade.
Suppressing the exhaustion from the poison, Tsunade pressed her hand against Ryusuke's chest and activated the Mystical Palm Technique.
Fortunately, Tsunade was a medical ninja. Otherwise, Ryusuke would probably have lost half his life right there and been laid out on the spot.
"Do you think the Hidden Rain ninja will chase after us?"
Tsunade took the initiative to start a conversation. Clearly, she understood Ryusuke's condition and was afraid that with the jolting along the way, he might simply pass out.
Though it was phrased as a question, her tone carried certainty. As an elite jōnin, she had already drawn her own conclusions.
"Yeah. They definitely will. If I were Hanzō, I wouldn't let prey that's already in my mouth escape."
"He didn't even use his summoning technique. And without knowing my intel, I only barely gained the upper hand."
"But if it dragged on a little longer, he would've stalled me to death."
Ryusuke answered with difficulty. His body was going through a cycle of tearing and repairing—painful, yet strangely exhilarating. Ice and fire intertwined.
Tsunade shifted closer into Ryusuke's arms. Such vulnerability was rare for her.
She didn't ask how he knew so much about Hanzō of the Salamander's abilities. All she needed to ensure was that this man posed no threat to Konoha.
"I won't tell the higher-ups in the village about your divine artifact. But you should be careful yourself."
After a moment of silence, Tsunade spoke again.
"Alright. Thank you."
"Why did you become a medical ninja?" Ryusuke searched for something to talk about.
"Because… I never want to watch the people I love leave me again."
...
In the storm-lashed night, the two chatted intermittently—from embarrassing childhood stories to their dreams for the future.
Their wilted spirits seemed to recover, just a little.
The night passed quietly.
Looking at the rain still falling from the sky, Tsunade asked hoarsely, "This doesn't seem to be the direction back to Konoha?"
Judging by the distance and Ryusuke's speed, they should have already left the Land of Rain. But the relentless downpour overhead made it obvious they were still within its borders.
"Right. We're not heading to Konoha."
"If they know our final destination is Konoha, they'll wait along the routes leading there to intercept us."
"The rain can cover our tracks and scent. Once we leave the Land of Rain, we'll lose that protection instead."
Ryusuke replied weakly. His eyes were bloodshot. After running nonstop for so long, his body was on the brink of collapse.
What he needed now was a relatively safe place to rest and recover quickly.
Tsunade didn't press further, but she secretly admired Ryusuke's seasoned judgment and swift adaptability.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, a cave appeared before them.
Summoning their remaining chakra, the two killed a black bear inside.
After hastily concealing the cave entrance, they could no longer hold on and collapsed unconscious.
---
When Ryusuke slowly woke up, a snow-white ceiling greeted him.
"Where is this?"
He quietly circulated his chakra and found no obstruction.
"Looks like no one sealed my chakra," he thought.
One moment he had been at the end of his rope, hunted down; the next, he was in what seemed to be a relatively safe environment.
Even his highly efficient brain needed a moment to process the abrupt shift.
While activating a sensory technique to probe his surroundings, he subtly turned his head to examine the room.
The interior décor was clean and predominantly white. It seemed to be a hospital room.
Then Ryusuke saw a familiar figure, and his heart settled.
She wore a white T-shirt and a tight red skirt, with black fishnet armor underneath.
She was sprawled over the bedside cabinet, fast asleep. The fitted clothing outlined her fiery figure.
Whatever she was dreaming about made her smack her lips occasionally.
Beneath her cheek lay a scroll, already dampened in one corner by drool.
Ryusuke let out a helpless sigh. He wasn't sure whether to feel touched by her staying by his bedside or amused by her silly, endearing appearance.
Just then, he noticed a small head peeking in from outside, furtively observing the room.
Ryusuke raised his somewhat stiff hand and beckoned.
Caught, the little guy gave an awkward grin and tiptoed inside.
He looked about ten years old, with short dark-brown hair and a Konoha forehead protector. A bright, innocent smile hung on his face.
"This is Konoha Hospital?" Ryusuke asked. The boy nodded.
"You know Tsunade-sama?" Ryusuke continued.
"You're pretty observant. No wonder you can go on missions with my sister."
"My name's Nawaki."
The boy adjusted his Konoha headband and grinned cheerfully.
So this was Senju Hashirama's grandson—the unlucky kid who got blown up by explosive tags during the Second Shinobi War?
He was probably the first named character to die from explosive tags… sharing a table with Nagato, who had his legs crippled by them.
Ryusuke suddenly looked at him with sympathy, leaving Nawaki utterly confused.
Gently patting his shoulder, Ryusuke spoke earnestly.
"Nawaki, remember this well. When you go on missions into forests in the future, always check carefully. Don't overlook explosive tag traps."
Nawaki: Huh? What is this guy talking about?
Their conversation must have grown a little loud. Tsunade yawned and stirred awake.
She sat up groggily and smacked her lips.
Squinting around the room, her rebooting brain finally came back online a few seconds later.
"Oh, you're finally awake."
"Huh? Nawaki? What are you doing here?"
Tsunade's voice carried surprise.
Of course, Nawaki wasn't going to admit he'd come to gossip in person—to see the man his sister had insisted on carrying back even at the cost of exhausting herself.
"Oh, Grandma asked me to call you home for dinner."
He made up an excuse on the spot.
Tsunade glanced at the sky outside. "But isn't it only afternoon?"
"Ahaha, is it? Maybe I remembered wrong." Nawaki scratched his head awkwardly.
"Nawaki, do you have time? If you could, could you help buy something to eat?" Ryusuke cut in, unable to watch the siblings' awkward exchange any longer.
"Sure, sure!" Nawaki dashed out as if granted amnesty.
"That brat, always so reckless. I should let him spend less time with Jiraiya," Tsunade muttered.
A few seconds later, Nawaki poked his head back in, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Brother-in-law, all my money's with my sister. She said she'd keep it safe for me."
"So… hehe."
Ryusuke immediately wore the expression of someone on a subway staring at their phone in disbelief.
"Nawaki, use your head. You actually believed the words of the legendary Big Fat Sheep?"
In that instant, he made a firm decision—he would never let Tsunade manage his money in the future.
He shot her a look of mild disdain, as if to say, You even scam a kid's money?
Tsunade's face turned bright red—down to the tips of her ears.
Her toes curled inside her shoes, wishing the ground would swallow her whole.
Was it because of Nawaki calling Ryusuke "brother-in-law"? Or because Nawaki had exposed her in public?
More embarrassingly, she only had a few coins in her pocket. As for the rest of her money, who knew which casino it had disappeared into.
Tsunade: I'm tired. Just let it all end.