"No! Don't touch me!"
"Blood… so much blood…"
Tsunade stared at the crimson staining her body, trembling violently, on the verge of collapse.
But Dan and Nawaki remained beside her, their voices firm yet filled with urgency.
"Tsunade! Why are you afraid of just a little blood?"
"I'm your lover! Are you really going to abandon me over something like this?" Dan shouted angrily.
Nawaki quickly followed, his voice pressing into her mind.
"That's right, Sister! I'm Nawaki! Are you going to reject your own little brother just because of blood?"
Their words struck deep.
Slowly, Tsunade lifted her gaze to meet theirs.
"Dan… Nawaki… I…"
"Blood…"
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed helplessly.
Nawaki was dead.
Dan was dead.
She had held Dan in her arms as he bled out, helpless to save him. From that moment on, Tsunade had broken. The fear of blood had consumed her, turning her world grey.
But now, Dan and Nawaki stood before her once more.
Seeing her trembling, they wrapped their arms around her.
"Tsunade, don't be afraid. Blood isn't something to fear—it's something you need to control," Dan said softly.
"As a medical-nin, blood is just another tool in your hands."
"Come," he urged. "Use your Medical Ninjutsu to stop my bleeding."
Gently, he guided her hands toward his wounds.
But Tsunade recoiled in panic.
"No… I can't… I can't stop it… No matter what I do, the blood won't stop…"
As she backed away, Dan forced himself forward, grabbing her hands and pressing them against his bleeding wounds. His voice turned sharp.
"Don't back down! If you're still the Tsunade I know, use your Medical Ninjutsu and stop the bleeding!"
"Otherwise, I'll disappear forever. You'll no longer be my lover!"
No longer his lover…
Tsunade froze.
"Sister, you must stop Dan's bleeding! Or I will no longer recognize you as my sister!" Nawaki's voice carried the same determination.
No longer his sister…
No…
Dan… Nawaki… Don't abandon me…
Panic surged through her, and then—
A soft green glow flickered to life in her hands.
She placed them on Dan's body.
The Mystical Palm Technique had begun.
"Dan… I will heal you. Don't leave me… Don't give up on me…"
"Wo, wo, wo…"
Even as one of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade was still just a woman in the face of her lover and family.
As she poured chakra into the Mystical Palm Technique, the wounds on Dan's body slowly began to close—yet the blood continued to flow.
Observing from a distance, Kazuyama furrowed his brows. Something wasn't right. Even under Genjutsu, Tsunade's condition seemed unusually unstable.
"Tagitsuhime, be careful. I feel like she's about to break."
"Don't push her too far."
Tagitsuhime shot him a confident look.
"Relax, I'm being careful. At most, she'll be dazed for a while. My Genjutsu isn't something that can be escaped so easily."
"If she doesn't do what I want, her chakra will keep draining. Once it reaches a certain point, I'll break the illusion."
This was the method used by the Snake Princesses to test those who trained in Ryūchi Cave.
Tagitsuhime's fangs were laced with poison, drawing victims deeper into hallucinations. If they failed to break free, she would devour them.
Kazuyama gave a slow nod and refocused on Tsunade.
At the same time, he spoke inwardly to Chōmei.
"Chōmei, keep an eye on this for me. If anything feels off, let me know immediately."
"That's Tsunade. I can't afford for anything to happen to her, or I'll be in trouble."
Chōmei chuckled.
"You're the one who wanted revenge, aren't you?"
"Feeling bad now that she's the one suffering?"
Kazuyama shot back with a sharp glare.
"I want revenge, not her life. These Snake Princesses don't know when to stop, so I'd rather be cautious."
And he was absolutely right.
Tsunade was reaching her breaking point.
Dan's face had grown pale, while Nawaki's trembling hands betrayed his desperate hope.
No matter how much chakra she poured into the Mystical Palm Technique, the wound refused to fully close. Blood continued to gush out.
"Stop! Stop!"
"Don't let it keep flowing out!"
Tsunade screamed, her voice bordering on hysteria.
This scene… it was too familiar.
This was how Dan had died in front of her.
Reliving that moment again sent Tsunade spiraling into panic and terror.
"Don't panic, Tsunade! As a medical-nin, you can't afford to lose control on the battlefield!"
"Always stay calm! Only then can you bring your Medical Ninjutsu to its full potential!"
"Look carefully—this isn't a terrifying wound. It's just an ordinary injury!"
"Focus your chakra! Direct your ninjutsu properly onto the wound!"
Dan's voice was firm, despite the pale color of his face.
His words struck deep, shaking Tsunade to her core.
But as he instructed, she slowly adjusted the flow of her chakra, focusing more delicately on the wound.
"Yes, that's right, Tsunade. No matter how severe the injury, it can always be healed."
"Even if Nawaki and I are gone, there will always be people who need you."
"Helping others through Medical Ninjutsu—that is your purpose!"
"If you abandon your ninja way, neither Nawaki nor I will ever forgive you!"
"Now, use your power to stop my bleeding!"
Her ninja way…
Yes, her ninja way…
Fighting to the end as a medical-nin…
But… But…
She hadn't been able to protect Dan before. How could she now—
"The bleeding has stopped!"
"Tsunade! You didn't fail! No matter how bad the injury, your hands can heal it!"
"You are the strongest medical-nin!"
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Just as Dan had said, the wound had healed.
The blood that had been endlessly flowing… had stopped.
Dan's once-pale face was slowly regaining color.
"It stopped… It really stopped…"
"Why?! Why didn't it stop back then?!"
"Why did I have to lose you all?!"
Tears streamed down her face like a river.
Despite being covered in blood, she clung tightly to Dan, sobbing.
Exhausted, Tsunade slowly drifted into sleep in his embrace.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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