"Wuwuwu~"
Tsunade lay on her bed, covered with Katsuyu, who was even bigger than her, like a blanket covering her.
There were many medical devices in her room. At this moment, Tatsuma was at the workbench, preparing ointments. However, fear still lingered on Tatsuma's face.
Tatsuma knew that Uzumaki Mito was very strong, but to what extent, Tatsuma didn't know. After all, it had not been shown in the original work. However, not long ago, he witnessed it.
Five Adamantine Chains, four of which restrained Tsunade's limbs, while the remaining chain transformed into the whip in the hands of the old woman.
When it landed on Tsunade, it directly caused her flesh to tear apart. Uzumaki Mito did not hold back just because she was her granddaughter. With each whip, blood spurted out.
The blood splattered by the whipping was blocked by the surrounding barriers, never contaminating the tables and chairs in the hall.
Tsunade even utilized Enhanced Strength, but couldn't budge the Adamantine Chains even a bit. Moreover, Tatsuma clearly sensed that there was no hint of the Nine-Tails' aura in the Chakra used by Uzumaki Mito.
In other words, Uzumaki Mito was completely relying on her own strength to beat Tsunade. Even though Tsunade was drunk, injured, and depleted of Chakra due to the Yin Seal, it was still a heart-wrenching sight.
Moreover, throughout this process, Uzumaki Mito appeared extraordinarily calm, and there was no hint of the Nine-Tails within her, causing any havoc.
Of course, it's also possible that the Nine-Tails thought about it and attempted to intervene, but without success.
After the beating, Tsunade was completely sober, and the injuries on her body... Tatsuma felt that they were more severe than those she incurred when she single-handedly raided the Sand Ninjas camp.
Tatsuma also knew the reason why Uzumaki Mito had him refine Chakra - it was to summon a Katsuyu large enough to save Tsunade's life.
Midway through, Tatsuma even thought about finding Nawaki and Kushina to come and plead together, but unfortunately, he was also trapped within the barrier and couldn't get out. Tsunade's cries of agony couldn't penetrate the barrier either.
It was only when Tsunade was nearly at death's door that she finally apologized, and it was then that Uzumaki Mito stopped. Tatsuma suspected that if Tsunade hadn't apologized, Uzumaki Mito might have continued the beating.
After stopping the beating, Uzumaki Mito told Tsunade to apologize to Sarutobi Hiruzen tomorrow and then left. Tatsuma had no choice but to stop the bleeding and treat her injuries, while also cleaning up the blood that had spread across the floor due to the disappearance of the barrier.
Fortunately, Tatsuma had slept during the day yesterday, otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to endure such exhaustion late at night.
In Tsunade's room, Tatsuma finally finished preparing the ointment. He placed it on the table and said, "Sensei, this is a topical ointment. Remember to apply it, otherwise, it might leave scars."
"Tsk~"
Tsunade sniffled, holding back the tears that kept flowing, and said, "Hmph! Your skill in pharmacy is still something I taught you!"
"Alright, then I'll head back?" Tatsuma didn't argue. He could tell that Tsunade was definitely feeling uneasy at the moment. First, her proposal was rejected, and then she was beaten by her only remaining family member, all in front of him, her disciple.
Therefore, at this moment, it was best to give Tsunade enough space to digest her sorrow and anger alone. Any unnecessary words or comfort might reignite her sorrow and anger.
"Did I do something wrong?" Seeing Tatsuma about to leave, Tsunade suddenly asked. Tatsuma stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked, "Are you referring to the proposal or your attitude towards Third?"
"The former."
"Indeed, just because something isn't necessarily worng doesn't mean it can be realized. Wrongdoings and foolish acts tend to be more popular."
"What about the latter?"
"Wrong, without a doubt."
"Why? He could have agreed to my proposal!"
Tsunade suddenly became agitated. If it weren't for her injuries and being pinned down by Katsuyu, she might have confronted Tatsuma.
Tatsuma sighed. He had wanted to leave early to avoid such a scene, but now there was no choice. He pulled a chair from the workbench, sat down, and said:
"Grandma Mito helped me ask Third for the Flying Thunder God Jutsu today, and Third agreed, you know."
"Damn it! Why does he agree to your requests with Grandma, but opposes me?!"
"Because what I ask for is something he has. Giving it up won't cost him anything. But what you want is something he doesn't have. To achieve it, you have to sacrifice a lot, even risk everything."
Seeing Tsunade, still angry but with a hint of curiosity, Tatsuma patiently explained, "Sensei, if I said I wanted to heal more patients, to learn Medical Jutsu from you, would you teach me?"
"Of course, I'm not him! I'm different from him!"
Seeing Tsunade getting worked up, Tatsuma shook his head and said, "Then, if I said I wanted to become stronger, even wanted to master Wood Release to help the village, would you be willing to transplant cells from Senju Hashirama-sama into me?"
"You're crazy?! Believe me, I'll kill you!"
At her words, Tatsuma shrugged, saying everything and yet nothing.
Tsunade also caught on, thought for a moment, and then played the rogue, saying, "That's a completely different matter! Are you trying to desecrate the dead, or my grandfather? I just want some money and to emphasize the training of medical ninja in the village."
"Sometimes money is more important than human life, let alone comparing it to corpses."
"You!"
Seeing Tsunade about to lose control again, Tatsuma quickly intervened, urging her to calm down. Then he asked, "Will establishing a system for training medical ninja make the village better?"
"Yes!"
"For that, should the village contribute money and effort?"
"Yes!"
"Then, if I transplant cells from Senju Hashirama-sama and gain stronger power, will it better protect the village?"
"This is different!"
"Can it?"
"It... can."
Tatsuma shrugged again and asked, "Then why are you unwilling?"
"I..."
Seeing Tsunade speechless, Tatsuma finally said, "That's what I mean. Not all right things can be realized."
"But what you're suggesting isn't right!"
"Is better protecting the village not right?"
"I'm talking about desecrating my grandfather's corpse!"
Tsunade was extremely agitated, and with the continuous treatment from Katsuyu, she gained some strength. She was about to break free when Tatsuma hastily waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I wasn't really going to make you do that, right?"
Seeing Tsunade finally stop struggling, Tatsuma breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Establishing a system for training medical ninja is the same. Is it right to invest a large amount of money and divert a large number of ninjas during such tense times of war?"
"But this can prevent more ninjas from being injured in the future."
"But what about in the short term? What about the people sacrificed because of the lack of funds and personnel? Should they just die? Wait! Don't get agitated!"
Seeing Tsunade about to struggle again, Tatsuma quickly said, "I know what you're trying to say."
"I don't even know what I want to say!"
Tsunade suddenly burst out, feeling uncomfortable talking to Tatsuma because she always ended up unable to argue with him. In the past, she would have used her fists to solve it, but today she found it hard to raise her fists.
Hearing Tsunade interrupting him, Tatsuma almost laughed, but he shook his head, regained his seriousness, and said, "Let me help you express it. What you're thinking is to have lofty ambitions even at the cost of sacrifice, daring to change the world. But for Konoha, what is needed is to heal the immediate wounds, to cut out the heartache. If we can't ensure smoothness in the present, what can we use to secure the future? Every ninja, every penny, must serve to achieve victory in the war right now. Ninjas of my age are also on the front lines. Although they don't have to step onto the battlefield, it means the village needs them."
Tsunade's eyes dimmed as she said, "But if the village doesn't agree with my proposal now, then when Senju's death no longer burdens them in the future, wouldn't there be even less hope?"
"The village will agree. If you don't believe me, you can ask Third tomorrow. Ask him if he's willing to support you when the village achieves victory, has money, and personnel become available."
Tatsuma's tone was calm but carried convincing power. Tsunade struggled to move her head slightly, nodding. Then she asked, "But after the war ends, won't the Daimyo's funding be greatly reduced? Will he support us without money?"
"Don't underestimate Third's ability to generate revenue. As long as we win this war, the village will have a steady stream of new contracts coming in. We can take on more missions then and bring more money to the village."
Tsunade nodded again with determination and said, "Alright! But... the money from missions is still too little. Let's go to the casino tomorrow! We'll win all the money from the casino, and I'll pay for it myself!"
Tatsuma's mouth twitched, changing the subject. "By the way, sensei, I heard you mention Dan Kato. He seems to be a jonin from the village. I haven't heard you mention knowing him before?"
"Oh, he's someone who supported me at the meeting. You didn't see it, but he was the only one who supported me at the meeting. Even that bastard Jiraiya, who had promised me beforehand, dared only to say something like 'Tsunade makes sense' nonsense."
"So, saying that you make sense is nonsense?"
"You scoundrel!"
"Cough, cough~"
Seeing Tsunade completely forget about her sadness and gambling, Tatsuma smiled. He asked again, "What kind of person is Jonin Dan Kato?"
Unlike some people in his previous life, Tatsuma didn't have any reservations or dislike toward Dan Kato. And to be honest, Dan Kato was definitely a good catch. After all, even after death, he still loved and protected. Such love...
Tsunade rolled her eyes and said, "He's a sissy, worse at drinking than that jerk Jiraiya. He hesitates to even take a sip of alcohol, too afraid to refuse, acting like a doormat, just like Minato."
"Um..."
Tatsuma suddenly felt something was off. Shouldn't there be some shyness after harboring secret feelings? Why did his sensei seem so... disdainful?
Also, what did poor Minato do to deserve your wrath?! And, by the way, you managed to degrade three men in one sentence. Truly impressive, sensei!
But, this kind of evaluation... it seems somewhat familiar. Where have I heard it before?
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