"I'm exhausted, let me rest for a while…" Tōshirō slumped on the ground, not just because of the overuse of chakra but also from mental fatigue.
If it weren't for Tsunade acting like a portable power bank, Tōshirō felt that he might not have made it out alive.
Setting that aside, there were many factors to consider: environmental conditions, ability counters, and the enemy's lack of information about him.
If any of these factors were missing, Tōshirō wouldn't have been able to defeat this Mist Village Jonin.
At the same time, Tōshirō became keenly aware of his shortcomings; it seemed that diligent training was still necessary.
Not knowing if reinforcements for the enemy might arrive, Tōshirō didn't dare linger for long. After a brief rest, he stood up and walked over to Tsunade: "I'll carry you."
"I can walk on my own."
The defiant Tsunade hadn't taken more than a few steps before her body collapsed.
"Why… why… I was just able to stand… Wait, hold on, I can do this."
Despite her efforts, Tsunade's body remained weak and devoid of strength. She felt deeply frustrated, not used to seeing herself in such a vulnerable state.
More importantly, she didn't know why she didn't want Tōshirō to see her like this.
Tōshirō shook his head, unable to watch any longer. He stepped forward, turned around, squatted down, and without waiting for objections, slipped his arms under her knees and lifted her up, positioning her legs in an 'M' shape.
"Hey, wait, I can walk by myself." Tsunade pouted, still insisting stubbornly.
If Tōshirō weren't facing away from her, he would have noticed that her cheeks had turned an unusual shade of red, even spreading to her ears.
"Now isn't the time to act tough. If the enemy has reinforcements here and we're slow, we'll be doomed."
Tōshirō tightened his grip on her legs to prevent her from falling.
Despite the snow falling from the sky, Tsunade felt inexplicably warm. She shook her head slightly, causing the snowflakes in her hair to fall.
"I… I understand."
Tōshirō, carrying Tsunade, looked ahead, planning to find a cave to rest. But before leaving, he needed to do some final clean-up.
After confirming the possible location of a cave, Tōshirō ran with Tsunade in tow.
With the threat gone, Tsunade's curiosity surfaced, and she used the spare time to ask Tōshirō why he had come to rescue her.
Running as he answered, Tōshirō explained everything that had happened.
"But I don't see your pet in your backpack," Tsunade remarked.
Tōshirō paused, suddenly realizing that the pet on his back was missing, replaced by the "Tsunade" accessory. It must have been lost during the battle. He was heartbroken and let out a wail.
Tsunade chuckled, her eyes sparkling, her refined features glowing with an alluring charm: "You really are a miser."
Tōshirō grumbled, "Ungrateful… I did it all for you."
Tsunade's smile grew: "I'll make it up to you."
Hearing that, Tōshirō's face lit up, and he stopped sulking. "That's more like it."
Tsunade asked, "Tōshirō, tell me, why did you go out of your way to save me? From what I know of you, your safety should come first. You're aware of the strength of a Jonin from one of the Five Great Nations, aren't you?"
"I don't have many friends, and if something happened to you, I'd be devastated."
Tsunade was stunned. "Is that the only reason?"
Tōshirō shot back, "What else would it be?"
"I see…"
Tsunade rested her cheek against Tōshirō's broadening back, and her arms around his neck tightened slightly.
Girls develop much earlier than boys. In the past, Tsunade even teased Tōshirō about being short. When did he start to grow so tall that he was almost surpassing her?
Tsunade didn't know why, but it felt like "something" was stirring from deep within her, turning into a warm, tingling sensation. A faint smile adorned her soft, pink lips.
"If it were Jiraiya or Orochimaru instead, would you have come too?" Tsunade suddenly asked.
"Of course, those two hold the same place in my heart as you do."
"Hmph."
"What's with the 'hmph'?"
Tōshirō, the perennial bachelor, failed to understand the intricate nature of a woman's heart, as unfathomable as the deep sea.
Now that he wasn't preoccupied with escaping, Tōshirō noticed that Tsunade's body was surprisingly soft. Although she was slender, almost as thin as a grasshopper, he had assumed she would be bony.
"Speaking of which, Tsunade, you're just as I thought—not much of a sensation there."
Tsunade: ???
Tōshirō teased, "It feels like my chest is pressed against my back, but I don't feel anything at all. Well, I can't say there's no sensation at all—in a way, being hard is a kind of presence too, haha..."
Tsunade snapped out of her daze, realizing what he meant, her face darkening like a lump of coal.
Just as Tōshirō was about to say more, he suddenly felt a tightness in his throat as Tsunade grabbed it fiercely.
"Go die. Twice."
Enraged to her very core, Tsunade's body surged with an astonishing burst of energy as she wished she could strangle this insolent man with her own two hands.
Amid their tussle, neither noticed the eyes watching them from the shadows.
Uchiha in the shadows smiled faintly. It seemed there was finally some substantial progress.
Tōshirō brought Tsunade into a cave, leaving behind a shadow clone to guard her while he prepared to go out for a bit.
"Wait here, I'll be right back."
After he left, Tsunade, tilting her head in confusion, soon saw several Tōshirō clones return, carrying a few people. If her eyes weren't deceiving her, they were Mist Village ninja.
Tsunade was taken aback: "Why did you bring them back?"
"To destroy the evidence."
"Destroy the evidence?"
"Yes."
As he spoke, Aokiji chopped down a nearby tree and dragged it into the cave, intending to use it as fuel to burn the bodies down to mere bones.
The wood was damp, but with his Fire Release, it would ignite just the same, serving as kindling.
With this, Tōshirō was confident that no one would be able to extract information about him from the bodies.
"Is it really necessary to go this far?"
Tsunade, raised with Konoha's ideals of mercy, felt uneasy with Tōshirō's extreme measures.
Tsunade's worldview wasn't something easily changed. Tōshirō shrugged and explained, "I don't want to do this either, and I know it seems extreme to you, but I have no choice. If Mist Village finds these bodies and examines their memories before death, my abilities will be exposed. That would be trouble."
"I understand. Let's do it your way."
Tsunade nodded in acknowledgment. She realized that this was Tōshirō's usual method, and considering he had just saved her, she didn't want to argue further and risk offending him.
Tōshirō dug a large pit, laid a layer of wood at the bottom, tossed the bodies in, and covered them with more wood. Once everything was prepared, he used his Fire Release to ignite the kindling.
Watching the intense flames, Tōshirō nodded in satisfaction before leaving the area with Tsunade, heading toward the Land of Commerce. He had no intention of spending the night there.
Tsunade sighed and recounted everything in detail—from her mission from Konoha to the Land of Commerce to the sudden attack by Kirigakure ninjas.
As Tōshirō listened, his brows furrowed more and more, and with a bit of thought, it was easy for him to connect these two events.
(End of Chapter)
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