Rain drizzled down beneath the cloudy sky.
Senju Nawaki still died.
Jiraiya saw the dazed look on Tsunade's face.
"Tsunade..."
He placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder.
Seeing Tsunade like this, Jiraiya had no idea what to do.
"..."
Nothing was sadder than a heart that had died.
After learning of it, Tsunade discovered that she was surprisingly calm.
It seemed she had already accepted the fact.
Yes... my little brother is dead.
Hyuga Sho emphasized it, brainwashed her with it, and drove it deeper into her mind.
He repeated the words describing Senju Nawaki's death over and over.
He engraved them into Tsunade's brain.
It was like repeatedly emphasizing that everyone is born to die.
Once an ingrained belief had formed in a person's mind, witnessing someone close to them die would no longer seem quite so impossible to accept.
Of course.
She would still be sad.
But she would compromise with reality and with herself.
Tsunade... had compromised with herself.
She acknowledged the fact that Senju Nawaki had died.
After Orochimaru and Jiraiya left,
Hyuga Sho grabbed Tsunade by the arm and came up behind her.
Without warning, he struck with Eight Trigrams Palms, attacking Tsunade.
"Ugh~!"
Tsunade's body shuddered violently in an instant.
"The next one..."
Hyuga Sho moved close to Tsunade's ear and gazed with her at the table covered by a white cloth.
"Will be Dan Katō..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Amid the drizzle,
Hyuga Sho and Tsunade's sparring began once more.
The scene changed.
Tsunade changed her hairstyle and clothes, taking on the mature and spirited appearance she would have later.
At the meeting, she proposed that every team establish a medical squad.
The result was the same as in the previous four cycles.
Because of the harsh realities, Hiruzen Sarutobi found it difficult