"Tsunade-sensei, you and Rin go back to the village to call for reinforcements, I have to go back to find Kazuki!"
Asuma stopped abruptly.
Immersed in an internal struggle, his mind was filled with memories of his time with Kazuki, precious memories that kept coming back…
A rebellious teenager, living alone in an environment that his family and peers do not understand. No one can understand his thoughts. Even the girl he likes just thinks that he is pretending to be deep and can't get along with him...
Until Kazuki appeared.
Everything in Asuma's life was validated.
They spent hours chatting about the future of Konoha, dreaming of a day when the true Will of Fire would flourish in the village. They taught each other the secrets of their clans, as if they were blood brothers…
"I can fight now. Although the enemy is very strong, Kazuki has taught me some powerful fire release techniques, which should be useful!"
Asuma's eyes gradually became firm. "Kazuki always told me to think hard."
"I have thought a lot along the way, and I have figured it out!"
"I won't be a burden to Kazuki! If the enemy attacks me, I'll be Kazuki's chance to defeat him!"
Asuma could not imagine how he would face Shisui when he returned to the village if Kazuki really had an accident, and how he would face his own heart in the dead of night...
That feeling of guilt, worse than death, would consume him completely.
Asuma, who had already developed the will to die, felt more and more relaxed in his heart.
"Kazuki, although I am always one step behind you, I will follow your footsteps closely and will not fall behind!" Asuma roared fiercely, as if to cheer himself up, and turned around and ran wildly.
Tsunade looked at Asuma with a mix of emotions. Every time he mentioned Kazuki, she felt a slight tremor in her heart.
As an experienced kunoichi, she knew that returning to the battlefield at this moment was the most foolish thing they could do…
Neither Asuma nor Rin had enough power, and she was limited by her phobia of blood. How could they help Kazuki?
She remembered the days she had spent with Kazuki…
Although there were not many of them, they had brought her an inner peace she had not experienced for a long time.
Tsunade closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and murmured to herself: "If Kazuki died like this, I would have become a joke in my life..."
She was also thinking at this moment, if Kazuki had an accident, how would she face her heart?
Every time she remembered the important people she had lost, she felt hatred towards the cruel fate that didn't even give her a chance to save them. All she saw were the cold bodies of her loved ones.
No matter how strong the medical ninjutsu was, it couldn't save the dead.
But this time, it seemed that fate had given him a small window of opportunity.
Kazuki is not dead yet!
Despite the blood that flooded her mind, Tsunade knew of Kazuki's talent. A prodigy even superior to Orochimaru.
However, even the most gifted young man needs time to exchange his talent and turn it into strength.
Deep down, Tsunade didn't believe that Kazuki could defeat Kakuzu. She didn't believe that he would survive.
She could only think that she was going to lose someone important again, an apprentice who would die to cover her retreat.
"Don't joke!"
Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, as if roaring at fate: "Do you really think I'm afraid of death? What I hate is this helpless life that doesn't give me a single chance to protect those I love!"
At this moment, Tsunade's mind appeared the gentle smile of Kazuki when he handed her the hen soup.
That smile, warm as the sun, dispelled the blood mist in her mind.
The out-of-control chakra within her calmed down.
Tsunade formed a seal and slapped her hands heavily on the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
As the cloud of smoke cleared, a huge blue and white slug stood on the ground, looking gleefully at Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama, it's been a long time since I saw you…"
"There's no time for talk, Katsuyu, the situation is critical!"
Tsunade turned her head to look at Nohara Rin on the side, hesitated for a moment, and asked her: "Rin, the battle will be very dangerous, do you want to come?"
Nohara Rin nodded without hesitation.
"Okay, I know!"
Tsunade made the huge slug move forward. Although it was a soft-bodied creature, with the support of chakra and its large size, its speed was surprising.
"Asuma brat, come up!"
Shortly after, Tsunade caught up to Asuma. The three of them stood on the slug's head, heading to support Kazuki.
"Asuma, I accept your battle plan."
Tsunade's eyes shone with determination and resolve. "Now that I've summoned Katsuyu, as long as you and Rin aren't eliminated in one hit by Kakuzu, I'll be able to save you."
"If Kakuzu attacks them, neither I nor Kazuki will attempt to rescue them. Instead, we will take the opportunity to kill him."
"In other words, he will attack you as a weak spot, but you are actually bait!"
Asuma listened to this extreme plan but nodded calmly. "Tsunade-sensei, I've thought about it before. As long as I have a breath of life, Kazuki will find a way to save me."
Although Nohara Rin still looked a little scared, her expression became firm. "I know, Tsunade-sama!"
But as they approached the valley, a silent sense of terror began to creep into their hearts, just as they had regained their resolve.
The once green ground was now a charred field. The valley had collapsed in half, and the ground was covered in debris that still emanated steam…
But there was no trace of chakra in the air, only an eerie, deathly stillness.
Asuma's face turned pale instantly, and he murmured to himself: "No, Kazuki will not lose!"
The color red flooded Tsunade's mind again. It was as if she had arrived late again, about to see the body of another loved one…
Maybe there wouldn't even be a body. Kakuzu wouldn't leave Kazuki's body behind, so this farewell would be even without seeing him one last time.
Tsunade and the other two were full of fear.
And entering the valley, this fear deepened again.
Kazuki was not there.
Tsunade collapsed to the ground, her newfound bravery crumbling to pieces.
Asuma's eyes darkened, and he fell to his knees, clutching his chest in anguish, tears falling uncontrollably.
Rin could barely breathe, she felt like she was drowning. The first lesson she had learned as a shinobi was far beyond what her heart could bear…
[From the target Tsunade: You have obtained the Yin Seal: Release!]
[From the target Asuma: You have obtained the Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!]
[From the target Nohara Rin: You have obtained a slight enhancement to your medical talent!]
Senju Tobirama looked at Tsunade with some pain. "Little ghost, why don't you show up? What are you waiting for?"
Kazuki, who was lurking in the earth, shook his head and said slowly: "Tobirama, pain is one of the sources of a shinobi's strength. If you can't face this emotion directly, and even don't dare to face your own heart, you can't really be strong..."
Senju Tobirama frowned. Although what Kazuki said made sense, it was vaguely demonic.
Derived from the unique devilish nature of the Uchiha clan…
Senju Tobirama sighed. He already had the answer in his heart as to where this devilish nature came from.
In fact, Kazuki just said it casually for the reward.
But in the eyes of Senju Tobirama, Kazuki, who had just been possessed by Uchiha Izuna's chakra, had a different devilish tone and different behavior from usual, but it was particularly in line with the logic in his mind.
If it was the Kazuki of the past, he should have appeared long ago.
But there is no way. Kazuki's body contains more than just the chakra of Senju Tobirama...
Therefore, Senju Tobirama did not urge Kazuki to show up but changed the subject. "Kazuki, you shouldn't try to negotiate with ninjas like Kakuzu. Letting such enemies escape is dangerous. Human nature cannot stand such trials. I know you feel sorry for him, but he could get you into trouble. The best option is always to nip it in the bud."
Kazuki sighed, showing a rare expression of doubt. "Tobirama, I know what you mean, but I like his story very much, a story about the truth and falsehood of the world, which makes me not want to attack him..."
"I love reading about world history, but the more I read, the falser it seems to me. It's as if an invisible hand has condemned this world to a tragic fate, preventing anyone from escaping."
"On this land, talented shinobi always appear, but they always appear in pairs."
"Peace seems to be not allowed in this world. All shinobi will always split into two groups in the end, choose their own leaders, and fight until a result is reached, but there will never be a result."
"Tobirama, I seem to feel that the thousand-year-old shinobi world actually has no history, but just a repeated cycle. No one can escape this fate, whether it is you and me, or Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, they are all part of the cycle..."
Senju Tobirama gradually frowned, even forgot about the heartbroken Tsunade, and began to think about what Kazuki said...
This is a terrifying interpretation of history!
But the more I thought about it, the more I began to agree with him.
Take Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, who he was most familiar with, for example. If one of them had been born fifteen to twenty years later, the shinobi world might have really ushered in a period of peace that would last at least a hundred years...
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