The two sides bristled with tension as accusations and tempers flared. Danzo Shimura's departure from the earlier meeting had left an underlying current of unrest, and now it seemed to ripple outward through the village. In the midst of it all, Shinki found himself unwittingly caught in the storm.
In the Konoha Hospital lounge, Shinki had been sipping juice, a rare moment of peace as he perused a book on puppet-making. As a medical ninja with so-called "degenerating" blood abilities, he figured some mechanical support could bolster his safety. But peace was fleeting.
"Bang!!"
The door slammed against the wall, and Shinki's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. The book in his hands trembled as he looked up, meeting the fiery eyes of an enraged Tsunade.
"Where are you going?" she demanded as Shinki instinctively moved to leave the room.
"I was, um, just going to check on a couple of patients," he stammered. The last place he wanted to be was trapped with Tsunade when she was like this.
"Stay put!" Tsunade's gaze pinned him down as she stormed closer, eyes narrowing with a strange intensity. Before he could react, she leaned in, examining him closely.
"Whoa, whoa! Tsunade-sama, please! I'm still a kid!" Shinki raised his hands defensively, his voice rising with mock panic.
"Shut up, brat! I'm not Jiraiya," Tsunade snapped, dark lines forming on her brow as she resisted the urge to knock some sense into him. "I just want to see your eyes."
"Oh," Shinki breathed, relief washing over him. "Sure."
Tsunade leaned in, staring intently at his pale, evolving eyes. Their azure hue and deep, mysterious glint were unlike anything associated with the typical Byakugan degeneration. It was… captivating.
*Are these eyes degenerating or evolving?* she wondered, her mind whirring with questions.
Tsunade leaned back, tossing a file on the table and slumping down into a chair. "Are the effects of your condition still bothering you?"
"Sometimes there's a sting, but nothing like when I was first injured," Shinki said, half-truthfully. His vision wasn't affected, though he didn't dare mention the powers that were stirring beneath the surface.
"Really?" She studied him, searching for any flicker of dishonesty.
"Is there something on my face?" Shinki asked innocently. He knew she was probing, but he wasn't going to break under her scrutiny. He had run through countless scenarios like this in his head; there was always a response ready.
"No," Tsunade sighed, her fierce energy suddenly wilting. "It's just… the old man and the others, they make decisions without understanding a thing. It's infuriating."
Jingyi set down his book and looked at the file she pushed towards him. The contents made him raise an eyebrow.
*Reform of the medical department?*
"Isn't this a huge leap?" he murmured, flipping through the pages detailing a sweeping change from personal mentorship to mass education.
Tsunade slammed her hand on the table. "Exactly! But no, they insist this 'assembly-line' training will fix everything. 'Progress,' they call it. If they wanted progress, they should've asked those who actually work here."
"Sounds like it'll make life hard for you, Tsunade-sama," Shinki said sympathetically, glancing at her worn expression.
"It will," she admitted. "But I'll manage. I always do." She looked at him suspiciously. "But what's with you reading about puppets? Don't tell me you plan on being a puppet user now?"
"As a weak medical ninja with 'degenerating' bloodline abilities, isn't it reasonable to consider backup plans?" Shinki said with a smile.
"Reasonable? My foot!" Tsunade barked, though a reluctant smirk tugged at her lips.
"Anyway, let's go. It's almost time to clock out."
Before Shinki could process her words, she grabbed him and nudged him towards the exit.
"Wait, what's going on—"
"Move it!" Tsunade's impatience left him no room for argument.
They hadn't even made it out of the hospital when the commotion hit them like a wave. Uchiha police officers were carrying injured villagers into the lobby, their faces grim. One of the patients, battered and bruised, pointed accusingly.
"You Uchiha bastards! You attacked us! I'm going to the Hokage to file a complaint!" he shouted.
Tsunade rushed forward, examining the injuries. "Multiple fractures, severe muscle damage… What's going on here? Did you go too far?"
Uchiha Fugaku, still a young clan leader, stood at the forefront, visibly tense. His fists were clenched, and while his face remained neutral, the frustration in his eyes was clear. "Tsunade-sama, it's not what it looks like," he said through gritted teeth.
Before he could explain further, one of his subordinates, hot-tempered and defensive, stepped forward. "What did you say about us?!" he shouted at the patient, ready to snap.
"Stand down!" Fugaku ordered, casting a warning glare at his subordinate.
Tsunade's eyes flared. "Enough! Take your personal disputes outside. This is a hospital."
Shinki watched from the sidelines, taking in the volatile scene. The tensions were palpable. The village's political threads were pulling tighter, and it seemed every day was a step closer to snapping.
>>>>>
Gimme Power Stones or give me death, or something like that
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