"Where did this little brat come from?" Tsunade was taken aback, her healing ninjutsu fading away in the wind. The emotions and sadness she had been holding inside vanished in an instant.
Naruto jumped out from the center of the explosion, striking a ridiculous pose that would leave anyone confused.
"Just as I expected, Naruto! You easily did what others couldn't."
"Great teamwork, Kurama!"
"Great teamwork, Naruto!" Kurama laughed wickedly.
Now even Orochimaru would be feeling the effects for a while.
Whether they could kill him wasn't important; Kurama didn't think they could actually kill Orochimaru, but he was very interested in how they could annoy him. Just imagining Orochimaru's reaction made Kurama excited.
Naruto felt the same way, standing at the edge of the smoke with his ridiculous pose. The flying rocks and bricks didn't touch him at all. Although using Kurama's chakra made him feel terrible, it was all worth it the moment he hit Orochimaru.
The cloak of the Nine-Tails gradually faded, and the smoke slowly cleared, revealing a massive pit where Orochimaru lay, unconscious.
"Yes!" Naruto punched the air in celebration.
He turned to the dazed Tsunade with an excited look, hands on his hips like he was showing off.
"What do you think, Tsunade? This is the ultimate secret technique of Konohagakure ninjutsu I learned from Kurama! It won't just defeat you; it will also make you sick!"
Tsunade: "…"
Her feelings were very complicated, like a tangled mess of earphones.
All she could think was… Nawaki, I'm sorry. This kid doesn't resemble you at all; at least he's a lot more shameless than you were.
"Stop talking. Can't you see Tsunade is stunned?" Kurama said with a chuckle, but then suddenly froze and shouted, "Wait! What do you mean you learned it from me! Naruto, you better explain!"
Naruto casually picked his nose.
"Didn't you tell me after fighting Raikage a few days ago that if you can't beat the enemy, then annoy them? That's the ultimate secret of Konohagakure ninjutsu."
With that, Naruto smiled happily.
"I've already learned two ultimate techniques of Konohagakure!"
Right, one taijutsu technique and one ninjutsu technique.
Well, let's just say this is a warning for Naruto's future enemies.
Amen.
At this moment, Orochimaru's broken body suddenly lifted its head, snake-like eyes fixed on Tsunade.
"Why… why did you betray me! Tsunade!"
Tsunade wanted to say something dramatic, like how she couldn't forget her connection with Nawaki, but she also couldn't forget their dream. She felt like a fool, but she was sure neither of them would want to see her continue being one.
Honestly, this scene should have been very touching, but Tsunade felt a sense of disconnection, like a layer of something uncomfortable wrapped around her.
She sighed, the long speech she had prepared stuck in her throat, and she could only respond irritably.
"Don't ask me; I never planned to heal you. I just wanted to sneak attack you when you weren't paying attention."
Orochimaru: "…"
You just admitted that? At least give me a reason!
Orochimaru's face turned pale with anger; it was already white, but now it was even whiter. He dragged his broken body up, a mixture of unknown fluids and blood pooling on the ground, looking incredibly pitiful.
"I never expected this, Tsunade. I always thought I was the smartest among the three of us, but at this moment, I have to admit, Tsunade, you're at least smarter than me when it comes to acting."
"You're talking nonsense." Tsunade picked up Naruto's catchphrase, puffing out her chest proudly. "I never lie."
Kurama: "…"
Naruto quietly leaned closer to Kurama.
"Kurama, is what Tsunade said true?"
Kurama thought for a moment. He remembered how Tsunade had used the Yin Seal to change her appearance and escape from debt collectors countless times. She had told Shizune many times that she was done gambling, and she had encouraged Sakura to keep up with those two.
It seemed she hadn't really lied about much else.
Thinking of this, Kurama replied, "Don't trust women, especially beautiful ones. The prettier they are, the more they can lie."
Naruto's eyes widened, then he nodded seriously. "I understand."
Orochimaru stared intensely at Tsunade, a cold smile appearing on his broken face. "Is that so? What about your fear of blood?"
Tsunade froze, completely stunned.
Yeah, what about my fear of blood?
Damn, I just got shocked by Naruto and completely forgot.
Now, seeing Orochimaru covered in blood, Tsunade's body started to tremble uncontrollably.
Orochimaru noticed this and his smile darkened even more. "Are you still going to act, Tsunade? You've done that enough before. I actually believed you had a fear of blood. Now that I think about it, I'm just as much a fool in your eyes as Jiraiya."
"No," Orochimaru said, lifting his head. His blood-red eyes reflected Tsunade's figure. "In your heart, everyone is a fool."
In that moment, Tsunade, trapped in her fear of blood, couldn't answer. She could only hold her body tightly, struggling not to fall.
"Tsunade is the best medical ninja; how could she have a fear of blood?" At that moment, Naruto's voice rang out beside her.
Hearing that determined voice, Tsunade instinctively turned to look.
Naruto's face was full of smiles, confident and firm. "The stronger the ninja, the more they understand the pain of separation. But they won't run away because separation leads to meeting more people in the future. I might not know what Uncle Dan was like, but he believed in you, Tsunade. He believed in the medical ninja system. Even if he's gone forever now, his trust in you and in the medical ninja system saved and connected him with more people."
"Someone like you, who doesn't even understand what trust is, could never grasp Uncle Dan's thoughts."
Tsunade was stunned, really stunned this time.
But Naruto didn't stop. He continued, looking at Orochimaru. "And then there's Nawaki. Although I don't know him, if Tsunade says I resemble him, then I believe he dreamed of becoming Hokage, too."
"To protect everyone, even if it means dying."
"To remember everyone, even if people forget you."
"Never give up, because that's our ninja way!"
Naruto took a deep breath. "Retreat only leads to aging, and being timid invites death… Only those who stand firm in the face of death know that dying with conviction is harder than living in fear."
"I believe in Tsunade. She's the kind of person who wouldn't continue living in fear, even if it means dying."
Determination filled Naruto's eyes.
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