Mizuki: The Bad Woman Who Toyed with My Feelings

In the restroom, Soseki stood quietly before the mirror.

"Although the resonance therapy from before had some effect, it still failed to breach the final barrier. This time, I'll switch to catharsis therapy. Still, venting anger won't be easy."

Soseki gently kneaded his brow and lowered his eyelids. "Relatively speaking, anger may be the hardest emotion to fake. It might work on children, but there's a risk of being exposed in front of someone like Tsunade... So I can only hypnotize myself for now!"

Splash—

Cool water struck his face. Soseki raised his head, looked at himself in the mirror, and smiled faintly. "Then, from now on, I'm the good Class Leader who is thinking entirely for Mizuki's sake!" He walked out of the restroom. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Shizune shook her head gently. "I'm fine."

Leaning on his crutches, Mizuki's lips moved slightly. In the end, he still managed to say with difficulty, "Th-thank you!"

"I can't keep gambling. If I gamble again, even Shizune's tuition will be gone... But what if I win it back? I've lost so many times already. It should be my turn to win at least once!"

The conversation, as though someone had split into two personalities, echoed endlessly through the room. Bang!

The door was suddenly shoved open, and Shizune stormed up to the dazed Tsunade.

"Lord Tsunade, didn't you promise not to gamble anymore?"

Tsunade clearly had not expected Shizune to appear at noon. She gave an awkward chuckle. "Haha, I haven't gone yet, have I?"

Shizune puffed out her cheeks, planted her hands on her hips, and "scolded" her. "If I hadn't come back today, you definitely would have gone to the casino again."

Just as Tsunade was feeling embarrassed, she suddenly noticed the two still standing at the door and hurriedly changed the subject. "Shizune, did you invite your classmates over for lunch today?"

Only then did Shizune remember that Soseki-kun was still there. She hurriedly lowered her hands from her waist, bowed her overheated and utterly blank head, and stood there stiffly.

Seeing Shizune freeze up, Tsunade said helplessly, "Come in first."

"Lord Tsunade, sorry to disturb your rest."

Tsunade shook her head lightly, her gaze settling on Mizuki, who was leaning on crutches. "You came here for him?"

Soseki could clearly feel Mizuki's breathing quicken. Without hesitating, he said, "This is what happened. Mizuki was severely injured by some third-year bullies yesterday. Today, the hospital told us that he might not be able to become a ninja anymore."

Tsunade frowned deeply. Though Shizune had mentioned it yesterday, she had never expected it to be this serious. "Has the Leaf Village Academy really become this chaotic?"

However, she also knew this was not the time to assign blame. She stepped forward and pressed her Chakra-infused right hand against Mizuki's shoulder.

One second, two seconds... It felt as though an entire century had passed. In an atmosphere so tense that even the air seemed frozen, Tsunade finally spoke slowly. "It is indeed very serious."

Mizuki's body trembled as he asked, "Th-then, do I still have a chance?"

"It isn't impossible to recover." Mizuki's face first lit up with wild joy, but then Tsunade continued, "However, the surgery carries great risks. From the perspective of a Medical Ninja, I advise you to give up on becoming a ninja."

Mizuki froze, then suddenly raised his head. "Even if there's only a ten percent chance of being cured, I absolutely won't give up!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at him in surprise. "He's just an ordinary little brat, yet he has such conviction!"

At that moment, Soseki asked at just the right time, "Lord Tsunade, what are the chances of the operation succeeding?"

Tsunade pondered for a moment. "If I perform the surgery, the success rate should be eighty percent..."

"That's wonderful, Lord Tsunade, please—"

"But I won't do it."

The ecstatic expression on Mizuki's face froze. He opened his mouth but said nothing. He did not dare challenge the authority of someone as important as Tsunade. He could only lower his head dejectedly, his eyes filled with despair and resentment.

To Tsunade, she had merely spoken the truth. Having developed hemophobia, she simply could not perform surgery.

But Mizuki did not know that. In his eyes, this terrible woman was simply toying with his "feelings."

Why are you treating me like this? Why is everyone so ugly?

But just then, Soseki suddenly shouted, "Lord Tsunade, please wait! Mizuki really wants to become a ninja. Please give him a chance!"

Mizuki's body stiffened. Soseki's words were like a beam of light shining into his heart. Even he himself had not dared to resist such "authority," yet Soseki was arguing with someone so important for his sake!

I never thought the person I hated most would be the one who treated me best! Perhaps I simply hate myself—hate that I also came from darkness, yet can never be as radiant as him!

Tsunade fell silent for a moment. "Come with me."

With that, she led Soseki into the guest room.

"It's not that I don't want to help him. I truly can't. After the last Shinobi World War, I developed hemophobia." Tsunade gave a self-mocking smile. "Isn't it ridiculous? A Medical Ninja like me is actually afraid of blood."

Tsunade did not receive Soseki's mockery or consolation. Instead, she heard him begin speaking about something else.

"When I was young, I heard a wandering samurai from another village tell a story."

"He said that far in the west, there was a country called the Land of Sound. It had many great musicians, and the greatest among them was called Beethoven."

Tsunade muttered to herself, "Beethoven? What a strange name."

"But at the very height of his life, he began to lose his hearing."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And then?"

"He did not submit to fate. Even in such circumstances, he still composed countless musical masterpieces and ultimately became the greatest musician in the Land of Sound. He said that he would seize fate by the throat!"

"Seize... fate by the throat!" Tsunade looked deeply shaken. After a moment of silence, she seemed almost afraid to meet Soseki's hopeful gaze. "Are you telling me this story to encourage me? It's useless. I'm not as brave as that Beethoven from the story..."

Before Tsunade could finish, Soseki shouted emotionally, "I know it's difficult, but if you decide you can't do something without even trying, then that kind of person is truly pathetic!"

Yet Tsunade remained silent.

Even she herself was not sure whether she feared blood itself, or the memories that blood brought back.

Outside the door, Mizuki vaguely heard the fierce shouting from within the room. As if struck by lightning, tears began pouring uncontrollably from his eyes. "The Class Leader... he's actually arguing with someone so important for me!"

Is this... the warmth of light?