After punching Kakuzu several dozen meters away, Tsunade slowly stood upright, adjusted her glasses, and appeared utterly refreshed.
Judging from her ability to punch a bloodied Kakuzu without batting an eye, she seemed to have temporarily overcome her hemophobia.
However, when she heard Natsuhiko's sarcastic remark, her expression stiffened slightly. Turning her head, she snapped irritably:
"You've got the nerve to talk! You left me with just a pair of glasses and no explanation at all!"
"Do you know how much effort it took me to figure out how to use this thing?"
"—I nearly finished the beginner tutorial before realizing there was a 'Youth Mode' option in the settings!"
Natsuhiko was left speechless.
He had been wondering why Tsunade took so long to emerge. Now he knew—she'd been playing games inside!
And to his exasperation, this was indeed his fault.
After all, he had overestimated the capacity of these ninja-world natives to understand new technology.
Scratching his head, he offered an embarrassed explanation:
"So that's how it went. Well, nothing can be done now."
"Actually, these glasses were still in development. It was just a sudden thought that their features might help you, Lady Tsunade, so I temporarily decided to have Shizune pass them on to you…"
Natsuhiko sounded sincere, but he had long since considered using the glasses to alleviate Tsunade's hemophobia.
Initially, he had planned to use them as a last resort to force Tsunade back to the village. If not for Kakuzu's unexpected intervention, he wouldn't have taken them out so readily.
The glasses' effectiveness was relatively simple: they were akin to AR (Augmented Reality) glasses from his previous life.
Unlike VR (Virtual Reality), AR combines virtual elements with real-world scenes to create an enhanced reality.
In layman's terms, virtual images are superimposed on the real world, creating a visually immersive experience.
Natsuhiko believed these glasses could help Tsunade because they included a game still under development—Onmyoji GO.
In this game, players assume the role of novice onmyoji, capturing virtual yokai in the real world while embarking on adventures to become great onmyoji.
Essentially, it was a reskinned combination of onmyoji and yokai elements with the Pokémon GO mechanics from his previous life.
Given the perfect synergy between AR technology and this type of game, it was no surprise that Natsuhiko chose it as the flagship for the AR glasses.
The game was designed to be accessible to all age groups, featuring both cute and terrifying yokai like catgirls, fox spirits, ghosts, and the Eight-Foot Woman.
To protect the mental health of younger players, Natsuhiko specifically added a "Youth Mode" to filter explicit or disturbing content.
When activated, this mode altered many in-game and real-world visuals viewed through the glasses. For instance, bloodstains might appear as green liquid, blinding light, or even mosaic patterns.
For Tsunade's hemophobia, this mode worked as a visual "buffer." Her psychological condition was triggered by the sight of blood, so as long as she didn't see it, she wouldn't react.
While Natsuhiko doubted he could cure Tsunade's decades-long condition outright, this workaround seemed to yield promising results.
At least for now, the once dauntless Tsunade had returned, even if the effect relied on the glasses.
Just as Natsuhiko reflected on this, he saw Tsunade glance aside, grumbling at thin air:
"Professor Oak, pipe down for a bit. I know I need to fight the gym leader next, but let me finish this battle first!"
Then, crouching and smiling at another imagined figure, she said gently:
"And you, little one, step aside for now. I wouldn't want you caught in the crossfire… Oh, right, you don't have a physical form. Hehe…"
Natsuhiko, as the designer, understood that Tsunade was talking to the NPCs and her in-game shikigami. Still, watching her have a one-sided conversation with thin air left him speechless.
Though her hemophobia was suppressed, it seemed she had developed a new symptom—delusions!
He hoped Lady Mito wouldn't hold him accountable for this scene…
Still, there wasn't much time to dwell on these thoughts. The fight wasn't over yet.
"Alright!"
Tsunade stood up again and glanced at her bloodied fist. In her view, the blood looked like… milk ice cream, which gave her an absurd urge to lick it clean.
While odd, this was the "harmonization" method Tsunade had painstakingly chosen. Other visual filters still reminded her of real blood, failing to suppress her condition entirely.
But the ludicrous milk-ice-cream filter created such a stark contrast that it severed the association with blood, making it the most effective choice.
She knew this wasn't a permanent fix. Sooner or later, the novelty would wear off, and she might associate ice cream with blood, worsening her condition.
Even so, Tsunade willingly accepted this temporary relief, for now, she could protect what she cherished without trembling helplessly.
At that moment, an epiphany struck her.
She had wandered for years, partly to numb herself through gambling and partly to shield loved ones like Lady Mito from her supposed cursed luck.
But witnessing Natsuhiko's peril earlier made her realize that bonds between people couldn't be severed by distance.
Instead of running away, it was better to face misfortune head-on and grow stronger to rewrite fate through effort.
This resolve brought a rare smile to her face. Though unsure if it was the "right" choice, Tsunade felt invigorated, as though the games she'd been playing had awakened her inner passion.
Much like a protagonist in those games, no matter how many defeats they endured, they would rise again to challenge destiny, fueled by a mere coin dropped into the slot.
And the coin she had received was this pair of glasses from Natsuhiko.
Looking at him, she noticed his pallor, likely from chakra depletion, and her expression softened.
Tsunade stepped forward, offering only a confident back to Natsuhiko.
"You've done enough, Natsuhiko. Let me finish this fight."
Natsuhiko blinked, hearing her elegant phrasing for what was essentially kill-stealing.
(End of Chapter)