The Carousel of Memories

Purple smoke spread through Tea House City. The civilians who inhaled it collapsed one after another, their faces pale and their bodies weak. All they could manage were low, pitiful groans.

Tsunade leaned against the wall at the mouth of the alley. Her face was already ashen, and grew paler by the moment as panic crept into her eyes.

She had never imagined Kidoyun would dare poison an entire city.

There were so many innocent civilians in this city!

Was he really planning to kill them all? Wasn't he afraid the daimyo of the Land of Fang would come after him for it?

"Search GOOGLE for TWKAN"

"Cough!"

As the purple smoke in the air triggered the poison in her body once more, Tsunade dropped to her knees, bracing herself against the wall and gritting her teeth.

Ibuse's poison was truly vicious. With the Medical Ninjutsu she had only just begun to develop, there was no way she could counter it.

She would have to capture an Ibuse and study the unique poison of the summoning beast. Even then, it would take a long time to develop a specific antidote.

In her current predicament, with people hunting her down, there was no chance.

She glanced around, ducked several jōnin leaping across the rooftops above her, and slipped into a nearby home while no one was looking.

She searched the house for a moment, then found a towel in the washroom and soaked it with water.

Then she tied the wet towel tightly over her face.

A damp towel could offer some protection against the poison gas. It wasn't much, but she had to make do with what she had.

Tsunade cautiously poked her head out and looked around again. Only after confirming no one was nearby did she leave the house. She looked at the helpless, suffering civilians in the streets, alleyways, and doorways. Her heart ached for them, but she let nothing show on her face.

A doctor's heart was supposed to be compassionate.

As an expert who had developed Medical Ninjutsu, she naturally wanted to save those who were about to die from the poison.

But she couldn't.

She didn't even know how to cure it.

She could use the Mystical Palm Technique to slow the poison's effects, but what would that accomplish?

Those ninja were hunting her down. She couldn't even guarantee her own safety.

And if she helped these civilians, what about herself?

Right now, she was barely holding off Ibuse's deadly poison with her Medical Ninjutsu.

I have to get out...

Her only chance was to escape Tea House City and meet up with Sakuya and the others, who were lying in wait at the Sugar Refinery outside the city.

If Uchiha Sakuya and Orochimaru were here, the three of them could easily handle these jōnin from a small country.

She shouldn't have come out.

Tsunade regretted it. She should have kept herself from sneaking out to play cards.

Now she was being hunted by people from Amegakure.

"That way!"

She glanced around, picked a side street at random, and darted into it.

She didn't know how long she ran. All she knew was that the poison in her body was growing worse by the second.

The towel had stopped helping long ago. Worse, her frantic movements had made it slip off. She didn't notice, stepped on it, and stumbled. Under normal circumstances, she could have caught herself, but her body had already lost the strength to adjust. She hit the ground hard.

It hurts!

The pain left her unable to move. She could no longer care about the poison in the air; she could only gasp for breath.

Am I... going to die?

Just like this... die in Tea House City.

I'm... not ready...

To die just like this...

I haven't helped Nawaki claim his family name... I've only developed half of Medical Ninjutsu... I haven't become Hokage...

So many things are still unfinished.

If I die now... I...

Grandpa... Grandma... Nawaki...

Tsunade stared blankly at the sky.

In answer to her call, the clouds gradually took the shapes of Hashirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki, and her younger brother.

As they faded away, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya appeared.

At last, Uchiha Sakuya's face appeared before her.

People said your life flashed before your eyes before you died. Maybe this was what they meant.

That was what Tsunade thought.

But wasn't the last person to appear supposed to be the most important one?

Why was that annoying brat from the Uchiha Clan here?

"Hey, can you still stand?"

The face of Uchiha Sakuya in front of her suddenly spoke, startling Tsunade.

How could a vision of her life speak?

She snapped back to her senses and realized that Uchiha Sakuya had somehow appeared in front of her.

"How... how are you... here?"

Tsunade's eyes suddenly reddened, and she choked out the words.

They had never gotten along. He had always treated her badly.

He was someone she couldn't stand... so why, at the moment of life and death, was Uchiha Sakuya the one who had come to save her?

"Has the poison gone to your head? You can't even think straight... Tch."

Sakuya looked at Tsunade's ashen face. The poison had already entered her system. If they waited much longer, it would reach her vital organs, and then there'd be no saving her.

"Well, never mind."

He removed the gas mask from his own face and put it on Tsunade.

The purified air filled her lungs. Tsunade shuddered, then finally managed to breathe again.

"You... you..."

Tsunade gulped down the fresh air, slowly coming to her senses. With Sakuya's help, she got to her feet and stared at him. There was so much she wanted to say, but not a word came out.

"Can you walk?"

Perhaps he saw how awkward and upset she was. Instead of asking what had happened, Sakuya went straight to the point.

"...I don't have the strength."

Tsunade lowered her head, her eyes red.

"Get on."

Sakuya nodded and turned his back to her.

"I'll carry you. We'll get out of here."

"Carry me?"

Tsunade stared at him, stunned.

"How else are you going to get out? You idiot! Can you even walk?"

Sakuya rolled his eyes, reached out, and pulled Tsunade onto his back.

She was already weak from the poison. As soon as Sakuya pulled her toward him, she slumped limply onto his back.

Her cheeks flushed. The boy several years younger than her was so warm and strong.

He made her feel safe.

"Hold on tight!"

Sakuya turned his head to look at Tsunade. "Don't let go!"

"Okay!"

Tsunade nodded.

"If you're scared, close your eyes and count to a hundred."

Sakuya looked at her. "By the time you're done, we'll be out."

"Who... who's scared? Do you even know who I am?"

Tsunade turned her face away, embarrassed as she looked at Sakuya's profile.

The Uchiha she usually found so irritating now seemed so dependable, so handsome.

"As expected of Princess Tsunade."

Sakuya smiled, then tightened his grip around her. "All right, we're off!"

"Okay!"

Tsunade wrapped both arms around Sakuya's neck and buried her face in the crook of his.

"I'm counting on you, little Uchiha... Uchiha Sakuya."

For the first time, she said his full name.