Tsunade no longer hesitated. Her hands gathered Chakra, covering the edges of the coffin before she applied force.
"Crack—Bang!"
The coffin lid was jarred open by her precise strength. It didn't shatter completely but slid off at an angle, revealing the darkness within, eroded by time.
A stifling air, a mix of soil, rotting wood, and more complex scents, wafted out.
Tsunade's body stiffened for a moment, but she forced herself to look down into the coffin.
Moonlight peeked through a gap in the clouds, casting a sliver of faint light that illuminated a corner of the interior.
A skeleton wearing an old-style Konoha flak jacket lay there quietly. Time had taken the flesh, leaving only hollow eye sockets and a frame still held in a certain pose. Beside it lay a rusty Kunai and some faded relics whose original forms were no longer recognizable.
Despite being mentally prepared, and despite the scene before her being worlds apart from the lively, cheerful younger brother in her memory, Tsunade still felt a surge of intense dizziness and a suffocating pain as she saw the remains that represented Nawaki's final resting place. It felt as if her heart had been violently seized.
Her face turned pale instantly, her lips trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes reddened as tears threatened to spill over.
But she bit her lower lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth. She hadn't come here to mourn; she was here to take him back.
She took a deep breath and began to carefully transfer the remains.
After securing Nawaki's remains and carefully sealing the bag, Tsunade held the bag—which felt light yet weighed as much as a mountain—and knelt on the spot for a few seconds before slowly standing up.
She didn't look back at the empty grave or the crooked coffin, turning instead toward the gravestone of Kato Dan nearby.
This time, her movements were much faster and she was much more silent.
The same process: brushing away the dust, digging in silence, opening the coffin, and gathering the remains.
Tsunade's breath hitched, but she didn't pause. She only became more careful and gentle as she placed Dan's remains into another identical bag.
The entire process lasted about twenty minutes.
By the time she held both storage bags tightly in her arms, Tsunade seemed to have exhausted all her strength, her forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
"Alright... let's..." She turned to look at Hinata.
But she found that the person beside her wasn't Hinata at all, but Orochimaru, who had appeared at some unknown point.
"You... how did you?"
Before Tsunade could question him or think further, she suddenly sensed two people walking out from not far away.
At that moment, the moonlight finally broke free from the clouds, casting a cold light that illuminated this remote corner of the cemetery and the opposing parties.
Hiruzen Sarutobi held the Enma: Adamantine Nyoi staff. His aged face lacked its usual gentleness, showing only deep exhaustion, heartache, and an unquestionable authority.
Jiraiya stood by his side, his white hair fluttering slightly in the night wind. The usual grin was gone from his face, replaced by gravity, anxiety, and a hint of unbelievable anger as he stared intently at Tsunade.
"Tsunade..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was low and heavy, echoing in the silent cemetery. "You really... did this."
His gaze swept over the two excavated graves with their lids open, then fell on the bags in Tsunade's arms, and finally landed on "Orochimaru." A sharp, knife-like light flashed in his eyes, but it was mostly filled with a profound sorrow.
"Orochimaru, not only have you fallen yourself, but you also want to drag Tsunade into this abyss of eternal damnation?!"
"Orochimaru" just stood quietly behind Tsunade's side, a faint, loathsome curve on his lips, offering no reply.
Tsunade instinctively hugged the bags tighter, meeting the Third Hokage's gaze.
"Old Man, Jiraiya... this is my choice. I wasn't dragged into the abyss by anyone. I walked in myself. For Nawaki, for Dan, I am willing to do this."
"Foolish!" Jiraiya couldn't help but growl, taking a step forward, his face full of grief and indignation.
"Tsunade! Wake up! Look at what you're doing! Digging up the graves of your own brother and lover! This is sacrilege! What kind of spell did Orochimaru cast on you? Resurrection? How could something so ethereal and impossible..."
"It's not ethereal!" Tsunade interrupted him sharply, her eyes bloodshot, her voice suddenly rising.
"Jiraiya! What do you know?! You don't understand the taste of losing your closest loved ones at all. You only know how to say pretty words, telling me to look forward and inherit their will! But they're dead! They're never coming back! All that's left are cold gravestones and endless nightmares! Now, there's finally a sliver of possibility, even if it's just a possibility, how can you expect me to give up?"
"They've been lying here, cold, for so many years! Now, I have a chance to take them back, a chance to let them stand in the sun again! Tell me, why should I give up?!"
Seeing Tsunade's outburst, Jiraiya felt both anger and heartache.
"But Orochimaru..."
"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a deep voice, interrupting the increasingly heated confrontation. He slowly stepped forward.
"Tsunade," his voice softened slightly, carrying the weight and earnestness of an elder.
"I understand your pain. I have also tasted the bitterness of losing loved ones. But because I have tasted it, I know even better that wallowing in the past and trying to use forbidden means to bring back the deceased will only lead to greater pain and disaster. Nawaki and Dan sacrificed themselves for Konoha, for the beliefs in their hearts. They are heroes and should rest in the Pure Land, not be disturbed by us in this manner, or even potentially become materials for some ambitious and mad experiments!"
He glanced at Orochimaru; his meaning couldn't be clearer.
"Look at what you're doing now, look at the companion by your side. Do you really believe he would be so kind as to help you resurrect your loved ones? He is only using you, exploiting your pain and weakness to achieve his own ulterior motives! You are a child I watched grow up, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of the Sannin of Konoha. You should not walk this stray path!"
Tsunade let out a few dry laughs.
"Heh, a stray path? To me, as long as I can bring them back, what path isn't a path? I am Senju Tsunade, a Ninja of Konoha, but before that, I am first Nawaki's sister and Dan's lover. I've escaped and numbed myself for too long. This time, I don't want to run anymore. Even if Hell lies ahead, I will charge through it!"
She took a step back, moving closer to "Orochimaru."
"I won't go back with you. Either you kill me here and now, destroying the hope in my arms along with me, or you let us leave."
The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point, and the air seemed to solidify. Powerful Chakra began to slowly rise from Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya, locking onto Tsunade and Orochimaru.
A battle between master and disciples, between comrades, seemed imminent.
At this critical juncture, the Chakra rising from Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stalled. He looked deeply at Tsunade, and finally, it turned into a long, weary sigh.
"Forget it..." His Aura slowly retracted, and his figure seemed to become even more hunched. "Go, Tsunade."
"Old Man?!" Jiraiya looked at the Third Hokage in disbelief.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, stopping Jiraiya's words. He looked at Tsunade, his gaze complex and inscrutable.
"You're right, this is your choice. As a teacher, I cannot approve, nor do I have the strength to change your resolve. But Tsunade, remember, Konoha will always be your home. No matter where you go or what you become, there will always be a place for you here. If... if one day you get tired, or find that the path doesn't work, you can come back anytime. I... will always be here."
His words held no anger or accusation, only deep helplessness and hope.
Tsunade's hands tightened around the bags, but she said nothing.
"And," Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept over Orochimaru again, carrying a warning, "Orochimaru, behave yourself. If you dare to harm Tsunade or use her to do anything that harms Konoha, even if I have to risk these old bones, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
Orochimaru smiled and gave a slight nod as a response.
"Tsunade..." Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, then at the weary Third Hokage.
Tsunade glanced at her aged teacher, then she abruptly turned around, her back to them, and whispered to Orochimaru.
"...Let's go."
Orochimaru and Tsunade left, their figures gradually disappearing into the forest.
In the cemetery, only the excavated graves, the crooked coffin lids, a despondent Jiraiya, and a silent Old Man remained.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the place where Tsunade had disappeared for a long time. Finally, he just let out a long sigh, turned, and walked away with slightly unsteady steps.
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