Konohagakure.
A funeral was being held in the village.
The Third Raikage of Kumogakure had personally come to Konoha to return the body of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. He expressed his regret that the coup initiated by Kinkaku and Ginkaku of his village had inadvertently led to the death of Konoha's leader.
His humble attitude…
Earned the goodwill of many.
Especially from Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had already been designated as the Third Hokage. During his travels, he had met the Third Raikage in the Land of Lightning. They might not have been close friends, but they knew each other would not remain unknown figures in the world.
"Aside from the Second Hokage's remains…"
The Third Raikage continued after handing over Tobirama's body, "We also found the remains of a Sunagakure ninja beside him. Some of our search teams witnessed a soul ascending to the heavens…"
"Thank you. That was Lord Shigen's soul."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to force a smile but ultimately gave up. "We've also abandoned the idea of using Lord Shigen any further…"
In this Kumogakure coup, Konoha's losses were arguably greater than Kumogakure's. Not only had they lost the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who had protected them, but they had also lost the great healer, Emiya Shigen, who had watched over Konoha's ninja.
It was clear.
Before his death, Tobirama must have lifted Edo Tensei, allowing Shigen's soul to ascend in peace.
"That is for the best."
The Third Raikage finally seemed satisfied.
Even the shinobi of Kumogakure had resented Konoha's exploitation of Emiya Shigen.
If Konoha had truly freed Shigen's soul and if Tobirama's sacrifice had helped resolve Kumogakure's coup, then this alliance could be accepted. Sarutobi Hiruzen, as Konoha's representative, held a formal alliance ceremony with the Third Raikage in Konoha.
News spread across the world.
The First Shinobi World War…
Had finally ended, thanks to Emiya Shigen's intervention.
Konoha Hospital.
Young Tsunade stood in the hospital corridor, dazed.
Every day after school, she would instinctively return to the hospital.
But the man who had taught her medical ninjutsu, who would reward her with sweet sugarcane juice or glucose, who carefully looked after her every day—was no longer there.
"Has Lord Shigen still not come back?"
Tsunade ran to the nurse's desk, standing on her tiptoes to ask the nurse on duty.
"Not yet…"
The medical ninja at the desk didn't dare meet her eyes, nor did they have the heart to tell her that Emiya Shigen would never return.
Luckily…
Tsunade wouldn't stay long.
The little girl soon left, kicking pebbles in frustration as she walked home.
Uzumaki Mito had long since heard about Emiya Shigen's soul ascending, but she didn't know how to break the news to her granddaughter. All she could do was focus on training her.
Perhaps…
Children forget quickly.
But Tsunade was too smart.
She quickly sensed that something was wrong and went to the person she trusted most—Hatake Sakumo. From him, she learned the truth.
"Lord Shigen will never come back."
Hatake Sakumo hung his head in sorrow, yet under Tsunade's pressure, he had no choice but to speak the truth.
"You're lying!"
Tsunade punched Sakumo, sending him flying, then turned and ran toward the village gates!
"Tsunade!"
Despite his injuries, Hatake Sakumo quickly gave chase, afraid that something might happen to her!
Fortunately…
She was stopped before she could leave.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was patrolling the village, intercepted the crying girl and patiently explained why souls ascend to the heavens. Only then did he take her back to Uzumaki Mito's home.
"Lady Mito."
"For now, it's best to have someone keep an eye on her."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the little girl sobbing in Mito's arms, feeling a deep sense of sorrow himself.
After all, during his ten years of traveling, he had spent more time with Emiya Shigen than Tsunade had. He had grown from a boy to a man under Shigen's guidance.
Hiruzen sighed.
Perhaps when Tsunade grew older, she would come to accept the truth. The pain she felt now would fade in time.
After all…
Emiya Shigen's presence in their lives had been brief in the grand scheme of things.
Even though he had shone as brightly as a meteor, he, too, had vanished into dust.
Perhaps…
All those who pass away meet the same fate.
People only remember them when something triggers a memory.
However…
Shigen had left too many traces behind.
As Tsunade grew up, she graduated from the academy, formed a three-man team with her teammates, and became Sarutobi Hiruzen's student, officially stepping onto the path of a shinobi.
And then, her past came back to haunt her.
"Tsunade…"
"You have a talent for medical ninjutsu."
"Here are some medical scrolls I collected while traveling the world."
Sarutobi Hiruzen handed Tsunade a stack of scrolls, even giving her access to a hidden room filled with medical case studies that he and Danzo had once retrieved for Konoha.
"Whoa, that's way too much!"
A white-haired boy, Jiraiya, exclaimed in disbelief at the sheer number of scrolls. "If I had to study all that, I'd be old and gray before I finished!"
Then, after a moment, he smirked. "Good thing I don't wanna be a medic-nin!"
"Idiot!"
"Your hair is already white!"
Teenage Tsunade angrily punched Jiraiya across the room. She then looked down at the familiar handwriting on the scrolls and couldn't help but smile.
"This actually looks kinda interesting…"
Another long-haired boy, Orochimaru, leaned over.
"When I was a kid, it didn't seem interesting at all…"
"He never had time to play with me after surgery—he was always writing medical case notes."
"Every night when I fell asleep in the hospital, I'd wake up and see him still writing."
"And when I woke up in the morning, he was still writing…"
"He always said those cases could be easily treated, so why did he insist on writing everything down?"
Tsunade grumbled as she unrolled a scroll and saw the dense notes and diagrams.
"…"
Orochimaru glanced at the contents and commented seriously, "Even with my limited medical knowledge, I can tell how to treat this disease just from this scroll."
He looked at Tsunade and said sincerely, "The person who wrote this was truly a great medical ninja."
"Of course."
Tsunade puffed up with pride.
"Let me see!"
Jiraiya lunged forward to grab a scroll.
But he was instantly sent flying by another punch.
"Your brain would be wasted on this!"
Hiruzen chuckled at their antics.
"Jiraiya, I have something for you too."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Travel journals from my journey across the world."
Hiruzen handed Jiraiya a notebook.
"A great man wrote this. It contains his personal thoughts and experiences. I think you'd find it interesting."
"Hmm? Hm? HMM?"
Jiraiya flipped through the pages and saw a beautifully drawn sunrise, marked with a location and notes on local customs—like a travel guide.
"Let me see!"
Tsunade immediately leaned over.
"This handwriting! This is his!"
She pouted, annoyed.
"He never told me about this! Why did he only give me medical notes?"
Hiruzen chuckled.
"When we traveled the world, you weren't even born yet, Tsunade. These were gifts Lord Shigen left for me."
"And besides…"
"Some places are best discovered on your own."
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Powerstones?
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