Jie Uchiha already knew Iwagakure was coming.
The crumpled mission briefing on his desk had been prepared by Shikaku Nara well in advance. But compared to Kumogakure, the Hidden Stone just couldn't spark his interest.
The reason was simple. Kumogakure at least had the Fourth Raikage, the fastest man in the ninja world, plus two perfect Jinchuriki.
What did Iwagakure have?
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki? The guy was older than Hiruzen Sarutobi and constantly threw his back out. Or maybe their flawed Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi?
Just a bunch of small fry and nobodies. And they wanted to extort Konoha?
If he wasn't so swamped with Konoha's internal affairs, Jie wouldn't have even entertained this farce. He could have just strolled over to Iwagakure, dropped a Tailed Beast Bomb, or unleashed a single swing from his Susanoo to solve the problem permanently.
Still, Jie actually welcomed their visit.
Konoha's rapid development was bleeding money and resources. Relying solely on the Fire Daimyo's handouts and the meager income from ninja missions was barely enough for Jie to scrape by.
If Iwagakure wanted to follow Kumogakure's example—picking a fight and then handing over war reparations on a silver platter—Jie had absolutely no objections. Even if they were just here to scrounge for benefits, who said Konoha couldn't bleed them dry instead?
Since the legendary Sannin were conveniently gathered, Jie planned to send the three of them as a "diplomatic delegation" to Iwagakure.
The diplomacy part didn't really matter. He just hoped Iwagakure knew what was good for them and obediently handed over the cash. Otherwise, Kumogakure's fate would become their future.
Tsunade finished studying the mission briefing and looked up at Jie, her expression dead serious.
"I'm afraid I can't go on this mission," she said. "Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, I've suffered from severe hemophobia."
She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's nearly impossible for me to step back onto a battlefield now. If this secret gets out, I'll become a glaring weakness for Iwagakure to exploit."
Since everyone currently in the Hokage's office was a trusted ally, Tsunade felt no need to hide it. She laid the truth out plainly.
Jie nodded in understanding. Tsunade's fear of blood was indeed a massive hurdle.
He remembered the original timeline.
After the Konoha Crush, Orochimaru sought out Tsunade to heal his arms.
She should've had the upper hand against Kabuto Yakushi—but the moment blood was drawn, her trauma crippled her.
The fight nearly slipped out of her grasp.
If not for Naruto Uzumaki, things might have ended very differently… including who became the Fifth Hokage.
Curing hemophobia was incredibly difficult, yet deceptively simple. Since the fear was purely psychological, all she needed was a new anchor for her hope. Once she found something worth protecting, her phobia would naturally vanish.
While finding such an emotional anchor in reality was tough, the world of Genjutsu offered boundless possibilities.
Jie could use Kotoamatsukami to permanently alter her will and erase the fear entirely. However, the cooldown was far too long, and its power too immense.
He didn't want to risk any unforeseen accidents. Besides, his visual prowess wasn't the only jutsu in Konoha capable of pulling this off.
Before long, Itachi Uchiha was summoned to the Hokage's office.
"Brother Jie, did you need me for something?" Itachi asked, looking puzzled.
"Itachi, I need a favor." Jie pulled him aside and quietly laid out the details of his plan.
After getting Itachi's nod of confirmation, Jie led him back to the center of the room.
"I've found a cure for your hemophobia. Do not resist," Jie said calmly to Tsunade.
Meeting Tsunade's suspicious gaze, Jie gave Itachi a firm nod.
"Forgive me, Lady Tsunade," Itachi said, an apologetic look crossing his face.
If he followed Jie's instructions, Tsunade was about to relive the most agonizing memories of her life. Even though it was for her own good, Itachi still felt a pang of guilt.
He took a deep breath. His eyes flared scarlet as his Sharingan activated. The three tomoe spun wildly, bleeding together to form a sharp, shuriken-like pattern.
"Tsukuyomi!"
With that soft shout, a trail of bloody tears leaked from the corner of Itachi's eye. The intense pain caused the young Uchiha to grimace and squeeze his eyes shut.
Jie cursed internally and rushed forward to check on him.
How could he have forgotten? Itachi wasn't like him; Itachi didn't possess a Sage's Body. Using Mangekyo Sharingan techniques without the physical fortitude of a Sage's Body caused tremendous backlash to the user. Overuse inevitably led to total blindness.
Not to mention, Itachi had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan far earlier than in the original timeline. His young, underdeveloped body meant he had to pay an even steeper price for using its visual prowess.
'No good. I need to break through to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan as soon as possible', Jie thought, his mind racing. 'I also need to find a way for both Itachi and Sasuke to unlock it.'
'If all else fails, I'll have Orochimaru accelerate his research on Hashirama Senju's cells. Sure, they might end up with Hashirama's face grafted onto their bodies... but being ugly is still better than going blind.'
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant as he stopped beside Itachi. After carefully inspecting the boy's eyes, Jie finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there was no permanent damage. The bloody tears were likely just a reaction to using a Mangekyo technique for the very first time. It put a sudden, massive strain on his optical nerves, but it was entirely recoverable and wouldn't affect his vision long-term.
Still, this was a stark wake-up call. Jie made a mental note to strictly forbid Itachi from using his Mangekyo techniques recklessly.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were far more concerned with Tsunade.
After meeting Itachi's gaze, she had gone completely rigid. She stood there like a statue, totally unresponsive to the outside world.
Suddenly, a single tear slid down her cheek.
Seeing it filled Jiraiya's heart with overwhelming worry.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, remained as composed as ever. He scrutinized Itachi and Tsunade with keen interest. If he wasn't mistaken, the young Uchiha had used a Sharingan-exclusive Genjutsu to force Tsunade into her own memories.
But what kind of Genjutsu could prevent one of the legendary Sannin from even putting up a fight, trapping her so absolutely?
'The Sharingan truly is a miraculous power', Orochimaru thought, subconsciously licking his lips.
After what felt like an eternity, Tsunade finally snapped out of the Genjutsu space. She looked at Jie and Itachi, her expression deeply complex.
"Thank you."
Even without testing it, Tsunade knew in her bones that her hemophobia was gone.
That simple "thank you" wasn't just for curing her crippling fear—it was for everything she had just experienced within that illusionary world.
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