*Chapter 52: Uchiha Yosuke! Enough! Enough!*
*Land of Grass.*
A fierce battle between Konoha and Iwagakure unfolds across this land.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade shouts in alarm as she sees Jiraiya, pale and bleeding from a wound in his abdomen, giving a strained smile. "Hah... I'm fine."
Nearby, Orochimaru drops a fallen enemy's body, breathing heavily. All three of them—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—are exhausted, with Tsunade nearly out of chakra.
"Quick, we need to move! Iwagakure reinforcements are right behind us," Orochimaru says coldly. Tsunade helps the badly injured Jiraiya to his feet when suddenly, a puff of smoke signals the arrival of a small Katsuyu slug.
"Tsunade-sama," it says, perching on her shoulder and handing over a scroll.
"What's going on!?" Tsunade frowns as she opens the scroll. The Katsuyu explains, "Yosuke-sama has set up explosive tag traps around the rocky hills eighty kilometers ahead. This map shows their placement…"
Hearing this, both Tsunade and Orochimaru are stunned. Help had arrived? But it was only one person! Was he here to die?
"Let's move!" Orochimaru doesn't hesitate. Even if it's a trap, they have no choice with the Iwagakure forces closing in.
"Damn kid's lost his mind!" Tsunade mutters, hauling Jiraiya forward.
*Boom!*
"How many explosive tags did he set up here?!" Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya run through a rugged, rocky area, hearing the sounds of explosions as the traps go off behind them, disrupting the Iwagakure forces.
"Damn Konoha ninja! Who carries so many explosive tags!?" yells an Iwagakure ninja, clutching his wounded arm. He orders the others, "Use Earth Style jutsu! Carve a path and conserve no chakra. Sensory ninja, track those Konoha ninja—they must not escape!"
In this rocky terrain, the Iwagakure forces excel, bombarding the traps with Earth Style techniques that trigger more explosions but gradually clear the way forward.
"Tsunade-sama, there's a cave up ahead," Katsuyu says, guiding the three Konoha ninja into the shelter of a cave hidden in the rocky hillside.
Inside, the cave has a network of dark passages winding into the mountain. "Captain Tsunade!" calls a familiar voice from the shadows.
Tsunade turns to see Yosuke, who brings a furious scowl to her face. "You brat! Are all Uchiha insane!?"
As Tsunade fumes, Orochimaru warily glances around, confirming no one else is there. He turns to Yosuke and, with his usual smirk, remarks in his raspy voice, "Yosuke-kun, you're full of surprises."
Yosuke remains calm. "Captain Tsunade, Orochimaru-sama, please rest and recover your chakra. I'll tend to Jiraiya-sama."
Though Yosuke himself looks battered from his journey, he starts healing Jiraiya's wound with a focused look. In the dim cave, Jiraiya leans weakly against a rock, already slipping into unconsciousness from blood loss and exhaustion. His combat capacity is depleted.
"These ration pills will help," Yosuke says, offering them to Orochimaru and Tsunade. The two of them had run out of supplies during their escape, so they quickly accept and swallow the pills, feeling some strength return.
"Brat, where's the rest of the reinforcements? Are you seriously here alone!?" Tsunade asks with a frustrated glare. Orochimaru laughs mockingly, saying, "It seems Yosuke-kun came by himself."
While bonds among shinobi are strong, risking one's life alone for comrades is uncommon, especially for someone barely acquainted.
Orochimaru's gaze turns to Tsunade as he says in a dry, ironic tone, "It seems Jiraiya and I owe our survival to your popularity, Tsunade."
Tsunade ignores Orochimaru's remark and glares at Yosuke. "You know this is suicide, don't you? I, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya—we could have fought our way out. You coming here only adds to the burden!"
Yosuke, keeping his calm smile, replies, "Captain Tsunade, that may be the task for others, but my mission, assigned to me, was to transform into Captain Tsunade using the Transformation Technique to bolster morale. I'm here to report that task is now complete, and the front-line ninja have safely retreated to the Fire Country's border."
"Mission complete." These light words echo through the cave, and Yosuke looks up at Tsunade with a gentle smile, as if to say, *I did my job and came here to let you know*.
For a moment, Tsunade is stunned. Orochimaru, holding a kunai, chuckles and says, "So, it seems we've just gained another burden."
"How many explosive tags have you hidden here?" Orochimaru mutters, noting tags scattered in the dark recesses of the cave, even on structural supports.
Yosuke, still healing Jiraiya, nods and answers, "I arrived an hour ahead and set numerous traps to collapse the cave if necessary."
"Uchiha Yosuke! Enough! Enough!" Tsunade snaps, her face contorted with anger.
Images flash through her mind—this young, resolute Uchiha had been assigned to her team straight out of graduation. She remembered his intense gaze, claiming he wanted to master medical ninjutsu to save everyone. At first, she dismissed his idealism, but he never gave up.
Each time, drenched in sweat, he would return to her, proudly showing his progress, using the moment to quietly ask medical questions.
But then, after the tragedy with Nawaki, this kid's cheerful face turned darker, burdened with sorrow and determination.
Tsunade's anger boils over, "Kid, you're an Uchiha! Do you realize coming here was a death sentence? I, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya still had a chance to escape alone. You're only getting in the way!"
*(End of Chapter)*