CHAPTER 34
SASUKE UCHIHA
THUMP.THUMP. THUMP.
His knuckles hurt as Sasuke continued to punch the training equipment in front of him. His attacks got faster and stronger as his frustration rose. Sasuke's control over his chakra slipped due to his anger.
BOOM.
And the wooden equipment broke down with his next punch. Yet Sasuke did not stop he continued to punch the next log. His chakra burned as he destroyed equipment after equipment. Minutes turned into hours and the Sun had set. Yet Sasuke had not left the training ground. Weariness had begun to creep in. His muscles ached as he tried to bring his arm up to punch once more. His hands had long become a bloody mess. Yet he did not stop. He could not stop.
Six years of hard work, dedication, and back-breaking training. Six years of hate, questions, doubts, and fear. Yet it had all resulted in nothing. NOTHING. He had been right there. Right in front of him.
"AHHHHH!" Sasuke punched the training wood in front of him once more. It cracked in two from the sheer force of his attack. Yet it did not matter. He had stood there and Sasuke had tried. His best attack had failed to reach him. Failed to even register. Itachi had faced a Sanin with the confidence to beat her.
A part of Sasuke wished that Lady Tsunade had not held him back. Maybe then in that split moment, he could have reached Itachi. Maybe then he could finally be at peace. He could finally be unafraid. He could finally be free.
Sasuke did not stop as he simply moved to another tree this time. His arms were painful and bloody. Yet he could not stop. He stepped in front of the tree. Gritting through the pain, he raised his right arm once more. The bandages were drenched with blood. Even trying to push chakra into his arms hurt, yet he pushed through the pain.
But the punch never connected. Caught by something softer as he felt someone else appear beside him. He pulled his hand back from Kakashi's grip.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke snarled angrily. He did not want to look at Kakashi at the moment. The man had been busy with his own tasks after the Betrayal, forgetting about Sasuke completely.
"Well, there are two reasons. Firstly, I can not really leave my student alone when he is training. After all, he is my responsibility," Sasuke just shook his head angrily at the blatant excuse from his sorry sensei.
"I don't need you to look after me. You can get back to what you were doing earlier. I will be fine on my own!" Sasuke said angrily. If his words affected, Kakashi Sasuke could not evaluate. Yet the man continued.
"Secondly, someone wanted to see you," Kakashi added in a serious tone.
"Who would want to meet me at this time!" Sasuke dismissed the man's excuses and was about to walk off when a very familiar voice stopped him in his path.
"ME," the voice was the same as earlier today. It was the voice of the same person that had fought against his brother and his rogue nin comrade. Sasuke stopped and turned to see Tsunade Senju leaning on a tree.
"I would have come earlier but there was just too much to do," she added as she began to walk towards him. Sasuke stopped yet he did not speak. He did not know what to say. She stood before him and before he could react, she took her bloody hands in her hands.
And her hands began to give a green hue. And Sasuke felt the pain lessen as he saw his injuries begin to heal at a visible rate.
"Perhaps I should have come earlier. You have truly made a mess of yourself," she said as she continued to heal his hands. After a minute or so, the pain had been reduced to a very minute thrum. By this time Kakashi had vanished from the training ground. Lady Tsunade was staring at him. Sasuke did not evade her eyes and stared straight into those brown orbs. Eventually, he broke the silence.
"What do you want Lady Tsuna…" but before he could finish, she spoke up.
"You are afraid," her words made Sasuke stop instantaneously. His body tensed as she continued to speak.
"You are afraid that you will never be enough. Never be enough to face your fears. To face your brother," and Sasuke did not know how to react to her words. For they were true. He just turned and was about to walk away.
"You will be. You will be ready to face it all. And everything else the world will throw at you," her words made Sasuke stop in his tracks once more. She continued.
"You will be ready because you are like me."
And the words made Sasuke's eyes widen, and he turned around to see the legendary Sanin staring at the Sun. Her posture lacked all the confidence Sasuke had seen her display earlier. The wind made her hair cover her face.
"The last vestiges of legends that once shook this world. Carrying legacies larger than the world itself. The target of hollow envy of those blind to our burdens," her words matching Sasuke's thoughts and struggles. She was now looking straight at him, as she continued.
"Yet I will tell you one thing. Despite our small fears, we are fearless in the face of the greatest enemy. We are fearless in face of death itself. So, we succeed. Slowly. Eventually. We succeed. Because in the end, the greatest enemy to conquer death. Fear of death!"
And she continued.
"But we do not fear death. No, we know it will come. What we fear is a meaningless death. For the burdens we carry do not allow us the luxury of feary."
Sasuke stared at the prospective fifth Hokage as she stood in front of him. Tsunade Senju, the slug Sanin, granddaughter of the God of Shinobi.
The last true Senju standing opposite to one of the last true Uchiha.
"So how about you listen to my proposition?"
0000
SHINSO KEN
Darkness. Emptiness. It was as if it had been my permanent companion for a couple of lifetimes. I could not even feel my body. Only the remnants from the warmth of a particular red-haired girl motivated me to not just give up. So I clung to my consciousness. Even in the ever-enveloping abyss, I did not let go.
I struggled. I did not budge. I did not give up. Yet it had been getting tougher to hold on with each passing day. My hold on my consciousness weakened with each second. So, I prayed. I prayed to be let out and in that mix of prayer and struggle, I felt the abyss shift. And I felt a light appear, growing stronger with each second as it pushed the abyss back. And soon enough it had enveloped me completely.
I could feel my senses expanding as information from my various body parts began to register once more. My body ached. And I tried to open my eyes. I could hear some sounds in the background yet I was still unable to make them out.
Red. Just like the most vibrant roses was the first thought in my mind as my vision began to clear.
"He is waking up. He is finally waking up." The voice was quite familiar to me.
I blinked my eyes a couple of times as I tried to push myself up. Yet found little strength in my arms. Yet I found two arms supporting my back. And I turned my head slightly and my eyes caught the crying face of Karin helping me stand up. While tears were running down her cheeks, there was a glowing smile on her face.
I pushed myself up and found my body responding better with each try and sat up. But before Karin could pull away. I raised my hand to her cheek.
"Tears don't suit you at all," my voice was hoarse and speaking made my throat hurt. But Karin's tears increased in volume. She held my hand. The warmth that had kept me going through my darkness, was within my hands once more.
"AKHM!" suddenly there was a sound of a cough and I finally looked at the face of the third occupant in the room. And my eyes widened as I recognized the face. That blonde hair, with a diamond on her forehead. Clad in a green jacket over a grey blouse. It was Tsunade Senju, the legendary slug sanin standing in my room.
Karin got away from me, yet did not remove her hand from my grip. She bowed to her.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," she said with a shaky voice. Lady Tsunade just waved it away.
"Don't sweat it, kid. It was nothing much." She said to Karin somewhat sheepishly. She then stared straight at me.
"You are lucky to have someone like her in your corner kid. If it wasn't for her you would be dead by now," she said in a very serious tone.
"So, be grateful to her for saving your life." And I could see Karin getting embarrassed by her words. I nodded at Lady Tsunade.
"Otherwise, you should rest for two days after that; I want you to report to the Hokage's office," and with that, she walked out of the room. Karin closed the door and brought me some water. I drank a sip or two and could feel my throat ease up slightly.
"Thank you," I said as I placed the glass on the table. My hands still wobbling slightly.
"You seemed quite familiar with her," I asked with a smile, and I could see a red flush rising up Karin's face.
"We just happened to meet; it was nothing special." She said dismissively.
"I don't believe you, but you can keep your secrets." I finished with a teasing smile. And after a moment or so, I asked once more.
"So, what happened?" I asked the most important question. Karin looked at me and, after a short pause, replied.
"A lot. A lot happened while you were unconscious Shinso kun," she said in a grim tone.
"Give me the highlights. Help me catch up," I asked her, and Karin nodded her head at that.
"After you stopped the Ichibi, they were able to stop it. And then, Konoha was able to repel the invading forces. The Third Hokage sacrificed his life to kill Orochimaru. And then a war broke out between Konoha and Iwagakure," her words made my eyes go wide. A full-fledged war with another elemental nation.
"A war with Iwa!" I asked, a little flabbergasted. And Karin nodded her head at that. It seems Things were much direr than my imagination.
0000
Sasuke does not defect, but what will he do if he finds out the truth about the massacre?
Defecting with Orochimaru does not make sense when Orochimaru fails in his task and doesn't have the seal to influence him.
Shinso is awake, finally, and we are about to enter the era of Tsunade Senju. What changes will the Slug Princess bring to a village that is her grandfather's legacy?
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