Tsunade's cheeks burned with a heat that felt like a physical fire, her teeth grinding together as she glared at Orochimaru. She remained silent, yet her amber eyes were a turbulent mix of deep-seated doubt, stinging shame, and rising anger that wordlessly demanded a full explanation for his words.
"The Third Hokage dispatched Kushina to Minato's side with a very specific, pragmatic purpose: to forge a bond between them," Orochimaru explained, his tone light and almost playful. "The plan is to utilize Minato's Wood Release to keep the Nine-Tailed Fox suppressed through that emotional connection."
Orochimaru let a small, knowing smile tug at his lips. "In the public eye, those two are seen as perfect childhood sweethearts, and Minato certainly doesn't seem repelled by the arrangement. So, I must ask, what is your plan for the future?"
"Do you truly intend to engage in a petty fight with Kushina over him? Think of how the village would perceive you. Even if Minato were brave enough to shield you from the inevitable waves of criticism, how would Kushina look at you? More importantly, how would Nawaki look at you, his own elder sister?"
"That is absolute nonsense! Who... who ever said that I harbored those kinds of illicit thoughts about Minato?"
A visible twitch moved across Tsunade's eye; a sudden surge of guilt washed over her, making her heart race, yet her legendary stubbornness forced her to maintain her defensive stance.
Orochimaru let out a soft chuckle, not finding it worth his time to argue against her obvious denial. He simply pushed forward with his narrative: "If Minato only had Kushina by his side, the future would play out exactly as I have described. I doubt you could find a way to deny that reality, could you?"
Tsunade fell into a heavy silence, firmly convinced that Orochimaru was hiding a deeper, more sinister ulterior motive behind his logic.
They had been teammates and companions for over a decade; in the entire world, few people understood the inner workings of their minds better than they understood each other.
"That girl Mikoto is arguably the most exceptional talent among the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan. Whether you consider her physical appearance, her refined personality, or her combat strength, she is impeccably excellent in every category."
Orochimaru's voice dropped to a low, seductive register, sounding like a devil whispering temptations into a mortal's ear. "With her positioned as a competitor against Kushina, I suspect even Minato-kun will find it quite difficult to make a singular choice. Tell me, based on your own understanding of Minato-kun's true personality, how do you predict he will react?"
Tsunade's beautiful eyes widened in a flash of shock as she stared at Orochimaru with pure disbelief. "You actually want him to have his feet in two different boats at once?"
"Actually, I am aiming for three."
Orochimaru laughed softly, the sound echoing coldly in the room. "Beyond the mere relationships between Soul and flesh, I am deeply invested in researching the secrets of Bloodline Limits. Minato-kun was the one who solved the complex mystery regarding the Laws of Inheritance for me, and I am simply curious to see what kind of biological fruit will be produced when different Bloodlines are woven together with Wood Release."
"There is a persistent rumor that both the Uchiha and the Senju are descendants of the Sage of the Six Paths. That is precisely why I selected that child Mikoto—because the control groups for the Senju and Uzumaki lineages were already conveniently chosen for me by you and the Old Man."
"To be perfectly fair, even if it were just you and Kushina, I suspect Minato-kun might eventually arrive at the same conclusion. However, knowing your temperament, you would likely abandon Konoha to escape the reality of the situation before that day ever arrived, wouldn't you?"
"But with the precedent set by these two girls, even if the news of a relationship between you and Minato eventually surfaces, the public will only conclude that Minato is far too fickle. They won't point the finger at you, the teacher, for taking the initiative to seduce him. Mikoto's presence should serve to greatly reduce the weight of guilt in your heart, should it not?"
"Come now... cooperate with me, Tsunade!"
Orochimaru opened his arms wide in a grand gesture, his tone gaining a rare spark of genuine heat as he offered his invitation: "I can give you my word that aside from Mikoto, I will not lift a finger to send any other females to Minato's side."
"..."
Tsunade found herself suddenly robbed of speech, her mind spiraling into a jumbled mess of conflicting thoughts and emotions.
Inside her chest, her heart was thumping with a violent, rhythmic intensity.
Her logical reasoning screamed at her that this was nothing more than Orochimaru's twisted, manipulative brand of logic.
Yet, her raw emotions whispered that this might be the only viable path for her to be with Minato openly without destroying her reputation.
Still, the mere thought of having to share his affection with other women felt like a sharp, uncomfortable lump lodged in her throat.
It wasn't as if the Ninja World was devoid of men who took multiple wives, but such practices were usually reserved for the high nobility; it was a rare sight among common shinobi or civilians.
While Tsunade had seen such arrangements throughout her life, her position as the granddaughter of the First Hokage and a direct Disciple of the Third Hokage made her incredibly proud. If she weren't so selective and prideful, she wouldn't still be single despite the endless line of suitors trailing after her.
The crux of the entire problem was whether she was truly willing to cast aside her legendary pride for the sake of her feelings for Minato.
Accepting this could be viewed as a pathetic act of self-debasement. In the past, if anyone had even dared to suggest such a scandalous arrangement, she would have used her monstrous strength to kick them to death on the spot.
But now that the moment had arrived to choose between her dignity and her heart, Tsunade found herself hesitating.
"Are you still hesitating, Tsunade?"
Noticing her prolonged silence and sensing the waves of doubt radiating from her, the corner of Orochimaru's mouth curled into a smirk as he resumed his sophistry: "It appears there is still a significant gap in how much you two truly value each other..."
Tsunade's brow furrowed slightly at the implication. "Exactly what do you mean by that?"
"Why don't you try to guess for whose sake Minato-kun originally proposed the theoretical concept of Soul Reincarnation?"
Orochimaru seized the opportunity to provide Minato with a strategic assist.
He called it an assist, but the truth was more cynical; Orochimaru could see that Minato had very little personal interest in Soul Reincarnation. In fact, Minato seemed to look down on the concept entirely; the development of the technique was intended for those in his orbit.
Among everyone in Minato's life, the person who stood to benefit most from such a technique was undoubtedly Tsunade. Therefore, Orochimaru felt no guilt in framing the situation in that specific way to sway her.
"You mean... he did all of that specifically for..."
Tsunade paused mid-sentence, a deep, unmistakable flush spreading across her face.
Within a few seconds, she managed to forcibly adjust her emotions and let out a feigned, steady cough to regain her composure: "Ahem... if I choose not to agree to this, what exactly do you plan to do next?"
"Detailed information about Minato's charms and talents will spread like a wildfire throughout Konoha," Orochimaru replied with a dry chuckle. "You will get a front-row seat to see just how proactive the young girls of this village can be when they are faced with a boy of Minato's unprecedented talent."
It was a blatant, psychological offensive.
"Hmph, you are absolutely despicable!"
Tsunade crossed her arms tightly over her chest and snorted with cold disdain. "You must be the primary influence who corrupted Minato's character!"
"I prefer to think that we are simply kindred spirits."
Orochimaru spread his hands in a gesture of feigned innocence. "It is about time you provided me with your final answer, is it not?"
"Tch..."
Tsunade curled her lip and turned her head away from him, her expression a chaotic blend of deep shame and sharp annoyance. "How exactly do you want to cooperate?"
"In addition to accepting Mikoto's role in this, I require your full support in the realm of medical technology, specifically regarding Soul Reincarnation and Bloodline inheritance."
As Orochimaru spoke, he began to lay out his cold, calculated conditions: "All related research permissions will be completely open for your review. I believe this is also exactly what Minato-kun would want to see happen."
"Furthermore, I will give you my full support in your pursuit of personal happiness. Although the situation is admittedly a bit perverted, we are, regardless of our flaws, friends who grew up together."
"You really didn't need to add that last part!"
Tsunade's facial expression shifted rapidly between light and dark as she processed the deal.
After struggling internally for what felt like an eternity, her heart finally, and quite shamefully, wavered toward his proposal.
"...Just this once. Let there be absolutely no next time for a scheme like this!"
"Of course~"
Hearing the implicit threat in Tsunade's warning, Orochimaru offered his answer without a moment of hesitation.
He had only sought out Mikoto to fill this role.
And he truly only intended to seek out this one specific girl to balance the scales.
However, if other girls decided to throw themselves at Minato of their own volition, he wouldn't be able to stop the momentum... Watching Tsunade's resentful, retreating figure, Orochimaru clicked his tongue and shook his head in amusement.
He had honestly not expected that the once fiercely confident and proud Princess Tsunade would be so easily blinded by her own emotions, to the point of breaking her own moral bottom line.
As the old saying goes, love truly does make one blind to the truth.
When Tsunade finally stepped out of the dark Root Base, her gait was slightly unsteady, as if the weight of the decision was pressing down on her shoulders.
The dim lights of the corridor stretched her shadow into a long, distorted shape, and Orochimaru's manipulative words remained like thorny vines wrapped tightly around her heart.
$[$How would people look at you? Even if Minato stood up to shield you from the criticism, how would Kushina look at you? How would Nawaki look at you, his elder sister?$]$
$[$Mikoto's existence will greatly reduce the guilt in your heart.$]$
$[$Why don't you guess for whom Minato researched Soul Reincarnation?$]$
Tsunade's fingertips began to unconsciously grip the hem of her green coat. She could almost visualize the reactions of the villagers: the shock, the disdain, the disgust, the ridicule, and even the pity. The legendary Princess Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, actually competing with her own student's childhood sweetheart just to be with him?
The very thought of such a scenario made her want to die of embarrassment.
Fortunately, Orochimaru had presented her with an alternative path.
It was a path that fundamentally betrayed her long-held principles, yet it appeared to be the only way she could keep Minato in her life without being utterly crushed by the weight of public morality.
The bright, smiling face of a certain Little Blondie flashed vividly through her mind, and Tsunade's wavering heart began to gradually settle into a calm, if resigned, state.
"...Truly cunning."
She spat the words out in a low, bitter whisper, genuinely unsure if she was directed the curse at Orochimaru or at her own fragile heart.
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