allendalepharm Chapter 115 Tsunade's Purpose and Gamble!
Chapter 115 Tsunade's Purpose and Gamble!
Chapter 115 Tsunade's Purpose and Gamble!
Ruins of Uzushiogakure (Vortex Village), Land of Whirlpools.
After several days of travel, Kakashi finally arrived at the ninja village that had been destroyed decades ago.
The former prosperity has long been swallowed up by time, leaving only broken walls and ruins standing silently among the weeds and trees.
He stood before a collapsed site, the sunlight sweeping over the faintly discernible battle scars.
The charred stone walls, the fractured foundations, and the furrows plowed by ninja techniques are mostly covered by moss and vines.
Yet several deep marks still stubbornly remain there, as if reminding visitors of the horrific destruction that once took place here.
This time, he wasn't wearing his undercover uniform; the mission was classified as a secret operation, to be carried out alone, and with an even higher level of secrecy.
Kakashi appeared dressed as an ordinary Konoha ninja, with a headband worn at an angle covering his left eye.
The right eye, left outside, scanned the ruins, searching for signs of recent human activity.
His figure moved swiftly through the forest, and before long, he found a clue in a sheltered mountain hollow on the outskirts of Uzushi Village.
Several patches of trampled weeds, a piece of moved gravel, and the embers of charcoal fire.
The marks weren't fresh, but they were at least left in the last few weeks.
"I hope it's a trace of Lady Tsunade," Kakashi murmured to himself, then formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground.
Black patterns spread outwards like a spider web, signaling the activation of a spirit medium.
Smoke suddenly rose, enveloping an area of several meters in a white haze.
As the smoke cleared, eight ninja dogs of varying sizes and shapes were lined up neatly, maintaining a vigilant posture.
Leading the group was Parker, a talking pug, who was currently lounging lazily on the back of a fierce-looking black dog.
It looked around and, finding no signs of fighting, asked, "Kakashi, what's wrong? It's not a fight, is it?"
"Help me identify the recent scent left here." Kakashi crouched down and pointed to the mark. "Is it Tsunade and Shizune's?"
"If so, which direction did they leave in?"
Parker jumped off the black dog's back, walked to the mark, and sniffed it carefully.
Its nostrils twitched slightly as it circled the trail a few times, then raised its head to sniff the lingering scent in the air.
The other seven ninja dogs also scattered, searching for scent clues in the vicinity.
A moment later, Pak looked up, his tone uncertain: "It is indeed the scent of two women. As for whether it is Lady Tsunade—I have never met her, so I cannot confirm."
"However, the smell is very faint now. If they hadn't stayed here for quite a long time, I wouldn't have been able to smell it at all."
Kakashi's heart sank, his brow furrowing slightly. He quickly pressed, "Then which direction? Which way did they leave from?"
Parker raised his front leg and pointed southwest: "The scent is intermittent, but the general direction is over there—the Land of Rivers."
At this time, the other ninja dogs also returned one after another and reported to Parker. Their sense of smell was consistent, further confirming that direction.
Kakashi stood up, looked in the direction of the Land of Rivers, and fell into deep thought.
The Land of Rivers — Why would you head that way?
He remembered that Lady Tsunade was kidnapped by that person. Although she has been released now, the Third Hokage said that they were cursed and could not reveal that experience.
Could it be that Lady Tsunade is investigating something in her own way?
After all, the place where that person first appeared was the land of rivers.
Kakashi looked away, shook his head. There was no point in thinking about it anymore; the most urgent thing was to find Lady Tsunade as soon as possible.
"Okay, I understand," he said to Parker. "You guys go back first, I'll summon you later."
Parker nodded, jumped back onto the black dog's back, and the other ninja dogs gathered around.
As a cloud of smoke rose, the eight ninja dogs were sent back to their original location using a summoning jutsu.
As the smoke cleared, silence returned to the ruins.
Kakashi took one last look at the ruins of Uzushiogakure, then turned and strode towards the Land of Rivers.
The wind blew across the ruins, carrying a few withered leaves that swirled and fell behind him.
I hope Lady Tsunade and the others aren't too far away.
Meanwhile, Tsunade and Shizune were staying in a border city near the Land of Rivers.
Since being released, they have been traveling slowly from the Land of Fire towards Uzushiogakure, at a leisurely pace, almost like they are on a trip.
Tsunade knew in her heart that Uzumaki Village was now nothing but ruins.
The chances of finding clues were slim, but she still clung to a sliver of hope and lingered near Uzushiogakure for quite some time.
As for the harvest?
Of course, it's none!
"Lady Tsunade~"
A silent voice, tinged with resentment, drifted over.
She had just returned from shopping, carrying bags of groceries and daily necessities.
When she returned, she found that Tsunade, who had been waiting for her, had disappeared at some point, and she knew what she had gone to do.
After searching the casinos without finding him, she headed straight for the tavern.
At the second tavern, as soon as I entered, I saw Tsunade huddled in a corner, with several empty cups in front of her, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glazed over.
I've only been gone for a short while, and Lady Tsunade has already sneaked off to the tavern and gotten this drunk.
This is such a headache!
Looks like we can't set off today again.
The reason their journey was so slow was largely due to Tsunade's self-abandonment.
Gambling, drinking, beating up thugs —
Basically, whenever I arrive in a new city, these three things are almost always part of the routine.
It's as if as long as you get drunk, lose at gambling, and beat those clueless thugs to the ground, you can temporarily forget the things you don't want to face.
"Shizune!" Tsunade raised her hand, swaying as she held up her wine glass, grinning at her, the smell of alcohol wafting over her. "Here, you drink too—"
Shizune looked at her helplessly, reached out and pressed down on her hand that was holding the glass, took the glass of wine that had been drunk for who knows how many rounds, and placed it aside.
Then, with great effort, he pulled Tsunade up from the chair, put her arm on his shoulder, and half-supported her, half-carried her.
Tsunade had just stood up and taken two steps when she stumbled and swayed like a straw in the wind, almost causing Shizune to fall down with her.
Fortunately, Shizune was already used to this kind of situation and was able to quickly mobilize her chakra to stabilize her body and barely maintain her balance.
She gritted her teeth and half-carried, half-supported Tsunade out of the tavern, paid the bill, and headed towards the inn.
Along the way, Tsunade kept muttering something, her voice indistinct and hard to understand.
Back in the hotel room, Shizune was already panting heavily as she placed Tsunade on the tatami bed.
Without taking a break, she began to help Tsunade take off her outer clothes and wipe her body with a towel.
Her movements were practiced and natural, as if she had done it countless times before; in fact, she had indeed done it countless times.
Tsunade kept her eyes half-closed, letting herself be manipulated, occasionally uttering a muffled murmur.
After removing her outer clothes, Jingyin changed her into clean pajamas and pulled the blanket up to her chest.
Tsunade's breathing gradually calmed down, and her flushed cheeks softened under the light, losing the aloofness she had when she was awake.
Shizune sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Tsunade who had fallen into a deep sleep, and sighed softly.
"Lady Tsunade————"
She called out softly, but there was no response. The sky outside the window had darkened, and the streetlights were turning on one by one, casting a dim yellow hue over the small border town.
Shizune stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the road stretching towards the land of rivers in the distance.
They've been stuck here for several days already, and tomorrow—hopefully they can set off smoothly tomorrow.
She glanced back at Tsunade, who was fast asleep, her eyes filled with a mixture of heartache, helplessness, and other indescribable emotions.
Because they were forcibly separated, she didn't know what had happened to Lady Tsunade.
They were unable to confide in each other and could only silently bear the memories of that time.
To be honest, the other party didn't do anything too outrageous to her; they just kept modifying the patterns and routes of the Yin Seal inside her body.
Perhaps the other party did something excessive, but she has no memory of it. It is likely that she did something the other party did not want her to know while she was being controlled.
Lady Tsunade must have done the same, and probably even more so.
This made Shizune sigh softly, feeling sorry for Tsunade and herself, unsure of what the future held.
But it doesn't matter, being with Lady Tsunade is good enough for her, and she's used to it.
But, is Lady Tsunade actually looking for him right now?
She wasn't sure, but she had a vague feeling that this was the case.
He shook his head slightly, turned off the lights, and the room fell into darkness, with only a faint light coming in from the window, drawing a small, blurry bright spot on the floor.
Shizune lay down on her bed, closed her eyes, and listened to Tsunade's even breathing as she gradually drifted off to sleep.
We still have a long journey ahead tomorrow.
After Shizune fell asleep, Tsunade slowly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Shizune could guess what she wanted to do, and she was also aware that Shizune had vaguely guessed what she wanted to do.
She was indeed looking for the guy who had kidnapped her, because she discovered that the Yin Seal within her body seemed to be undergoing some subtle changes.
As her chakra circulated, faint patterns appeared on her body, and the Yin Seal, which should have had black patterns, was now entirely red.
Her body seemed to be gradually changing in terms of vitality, becoming stronger, and there were some other changes as well.
Gently touching her lower abdomen, she felt the chakra faintly gathering there, seemingly trying to form new patterns.
Tsunade wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn't tell Shizune, or even mention it.
She didn't know how far the other party's underhanded tactics would go.
However, she was inwardly agitated and did not want to drag Konoha down or affect the relationship between Konoha and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Therefore, she wanted to find the other person before these patterns fully formed.
Since they released her but left her with a hidden weapon, it means she still has value.
Now that Konoha's seal has isolated her, she wants to give it one last try, even if it means risking her life.
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