"I'm glad we could reach an agreement," Orochimaru said, taking two steps forward and lifting his lifeless hands so Tsunade could begin. Kabuto stood beside him, poised and alert.
A brilliant green medical chakra flared in Tsunade's palms as she slowly reached toward Orochimaru's blackened skin. But as she looked at his wounds, she felt an energy more terrifying than death itself. A cold shiver ran through her. Is this a seal? She thought of Orochimaru's assault on Konoha and the Third Hokage's ultimate sacrifice. Then, the realization hit her like a physical blow. Edo Tensei... The thought that she was about to commit an atrocity by disturbing the souls of her loved ones fueled a sudden, violent rage.
The soothing green glow in her hands twisted into a jagged, aggressive chakra. Just before her strike connected, Kabuto intercepted her, his chakra scalpels cutting through her technique.
Orochimaru's face darkened with malice. "So, that is your choice, Tsunade? You leave me no option but to take you by force and make you heal me!"
Tsunade glared at him, her voice trembling with fury. "You bastard... who do you think I am? Today, I'm putting an end to your twisted existence!"
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Kabuto, take her."
Kabuto sharpened his chakra scalpels and stepped forward. Orochimaru retreated slightly. "My, my, Tsunade-sama. Why complicate things? Orochimaru-sama offered to bring your family back. Why would you refuse such a gift?"
"Shut up, brat! You dare attack me?" Tsunade roared. "Today, I'll show you the true power of a Sannin!"
"Hehehe... Oh, you certainly have my attention now," Kabuto mocked. He raised his hand and bit his finger, letting blood splatter across the pavement.
The sight of the crimson liquid drained the color from Tsunade's face. Her courage vanished instantly; her breath hitched, and she collapsed to her knees, paralyzed by her hemophobia. Kabuto and Orochimaru's chilling laughter echoed through the narrow alleyway.
Seeing Tsunade incapacitated, Shizune took a deep breath and stepped in front of her. "Neither of you will lay a finger on Tsunade-sama!" She drew a kunai, ready to charge, but a hand suddenly touched her shoulder. She jumped, turning to find Naruto standing there.
"Naruto! What are you doing here? Take Tsunade-sama and run!" Shizune cried.
Naruto gave his signature toothy grin. "Shizune-nee-chan, I'm the one protecting you guys today. After all, I'm Naruto Uzumaki—the man who's gonna be Hokage!" He pushed past her. "Go look after Grandma Tsunade. Leave this to me!"
Kabuto's eyes glinted behind his glasses. "Yo, Naruto. It's been a while since the Chunin Exams. Did you miss your senior? Why are you here?"
Orochimaru watched Naruto with a hungry curiosity. "What is the Nine-Tails brat doing here?"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto roared, summoning several clones to swarm Kabuto. Kabuto moved with clinical precision, popping the clones one by one with flickers of his chakra scalpels. "Hmm, you've grown a bit, but you're still at the level of an idiot."
Shizune watched Naruto's small, determined back, tears pricking her eyes. Tsunade watched from the ground, gritting her teeth in self-loathing, her tears hitting the dirt. Move... please move!
"Grandma, don't worry," Naruto yelled over his shoulder. "I'm gonna protect you today. I never go back on my word—that's my ninja way!"
Kabuto shifted into an aggressive stance, his scalpels slicing through Naruto's orange jumpsuit and leaving shallow cuts. They clashed for ten minutes, and though Naruto was battered and bleeding, he refused to stay down.
"Brat, just stay down! It's impossible for you to win!" Kabuto shouted, preparing a final, lethal strike.
But hearing Tsunade's despair cry, Naruto forced himself up, a bloody smile on his face. "Don't worry, Granny... I will not lose."
In a blur of raw willpower, Naruto summoned a final clone. Just as Kabuto lunged, Naruto slammed a perfectly formed, swirling sphere of chakra into Kabuto's chest.
"RASENGAN!"
The impact sent Kabuto flying back, crashing into the stone wall with a look of pure shock. Naruto turned his head toward Tsunade, his breathing heavy. "See? I won the bet... hehe."
Naruto coughed up a spray of blood and collapsed.
Enraged that his plans were ruined by a "brat," Orochimaru lunged, his neck elongating as he spat the Kusanagi sword from his mouth, aiming it straight at the unconscious Naruto.
The sight of the blade triggered something in Tsunade. The paralysis snapped. In a blur of speed, she appeared in front of Naruto, grabbing him and flickering several meters away just as the blade pierced the ground where he had been lying.
From the rooftop, Jiraiya watched with a stoic nod. Everything has proceeded according to the plot.
With a silent Body Flicker, Jiraiya appeared right next to Tsunade, She was on her knees, tears streaming down her face as her hands glowed with medical ninjutsu, desperately stabilizing Naruto.
"Tsunade. My apologies for the delay," Jiraiya said, his voice as steady and cold as he look at Kabuto.
Tsunade looked up, wiping her eyes with a blood-stained sleeve. "I'm sorry, Jiraiya... because of my weakness, Naruto almost died!"
Jiraiya glanced down at the boy. "Rest easy. This child has more vitality than the two of us combined. He will recover." He then turned his gaze toward Orochimaru, who stood a few meters away, his face darkening at the sight of the reinforced duo. Dealing with Tsunade was difficult enough; now Jiraiya was here too.
"indeed,Jiraiya," Orochimaru hissed, flicking his tongue. "It's been a while. Looking at how much your tastes have changed... I have to wonder, since when did you care so much for aesthetics?"
Jiraiya locked eyes with his former teammate, his expression like granite. "People change, Orochimaru. Just as you have. Now, leave. I'm not in the mood to fight you today."
" And who are you to command me?" Orochimaru's hand moved toward his mouth, ready to draw blood to summon Manda.
"Orochimaru, do not provoke me," Jiraiya's voice dropped an octave, radiating a lethal authority. "Do not force me to summon the Great Sages of Myoboku and activate Sage Mode. Leave. Now."
Kaito knew that a battle here followed the original plot, but as a CEO, he preferred to avoid unnecessary overhead and resource depletion. He was offering a merger exit rather than a hostile takeover.
Orochimaru gnashed his teeth, his face contorted in a mask of fury. But calculating his low odds of success, he signaled to Kabuto, who was already beginning to heal. A giant snake surged from the earth, swallowing them both.
"Do not think this is over, Tsunade! You will heal me, one way or another!" Orochimaru cast one final, lingering look at the man who used to be his best friend before vanishing into the ground.
Tsunade opened her mouth to ask why he let Orochimaru escape, but seeing Jiraiya's absolute lack of hesitation, she stayed quiet. Jiraiya looked at Tsunade's hands, which were still covered in Naruto's blood. Sensing Jiraya gaze, she looked down and realized the truth.
"Indeed... I've been cured of my hemophobia," she whispered, looking back at the blonde boy in her arms. Shizune, watching from the sidelines, was in disbelief. "Tsunade-sama... she's finally back."
Naruto's eyes fluttered open. Seeing he was in Tsunade's arms, he groaned, "Tsunade-baachan? Where's Orochimaru? Are you okay? Don't worry... I'll protect you..."
He tried to sit up, but Tsunade gently pushed him back down, a soft smile breaking through her exhaustion. "Baka. Everything is fine now. Orochimaru is gone." Her expression then turned serious, carrying the weight of a future leader. "In the future, don't do such reckless things."
Tsunade reached for the First Hokage's necklace, her fingers lingering on the crystal before she unfastened it. With a soft, deliberate motion, she draped it around Naruto's neck.Naruto looked down at the heirloom, his usual boisterous energy replaced by quiet curiosity. "Tsunade-baachan?"Tsunade smiled, her expression warmer than it had been in years. "Consider this a gift," she said, her voice steady and full of newfound purpose. "From the Fifth Hokage to the boy who's going to be the next one."Nearby, Jiraiya and Shizune watched in silence, their smiles reflecting a shared sense of relief. Jiraiya gave a small nod. "Alright, Hokage-sama. We set out for Konoha at dawn."