Seventeen: The Carousel

Purple mist permeated Tea House City. As the civilians inhaled the smoke, they collapsed to the ground one by one, their faces pale and their bodies limp, capable only of emitting low, pitiful groans.

Tsunade leaned against the wall at the alley entrance. Her complexion, already livid, grew paler by the second, and a look of panic etched itself onto her face.

She never imagined that Kidoyun would actually dare to release poison to wipe out an entire city.

One had to realize that there were so many innocent civilians in this city!

Was he planning to slaughter them all? Was he not afraid that the Daimyo of the Land of Fang would come to settle accounts with him later?

"Cough!"

Feeling the toxins within her body flare up again in response to the purple mist in the air, Tsunade knelt powerlessly on the ground, clutching the wall and gritting her teeth.

The poison of the Salamander was truly ferocious; with the medical ninjutsu she had only just pioneered, there was simply no way to resolve it.

Unless she could capture a Salamander and study the unique toxins of this summon, but even then, it would require a vast amount of time to develop a specific antidote.

In the current situation, being hunted as she was, there was simply no opportunity for that.

She scanned her surroundings, dodging several jonin leaping across the rooftops above. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was watching, she flipped into a residential house.

She searched the house for a moment, eventually grabbing a towel from the washroom and soaking it with water.

She then tied the wet towel tightly over her face.

A damp towel could resist the toxic smoke to a certain extent; while it was better than nothing, in the current predicament, it was all she had to work with.

Tsunade poked her head out silently, observing once more. Confirming the coast was clear, she stepped out of the house. Looking at the helpless and agonizing civilians on the streets, in the alleys, and in front of their homes, her heart ached, yet she kept her expression blank.

It is said that a healer has a benevolent heart.

As an expert who had developed medical ninjutsu, she naturally wanted to save these people who were on the verge of death from the poison.

But she could not save them.

She did not even possess the ability to neutralize this specific toxin.

Although she could use the Mystical Palm Technique to temporarily slow the erosion of the poison, what would be the point?

Those ninjas were surrounding and hunting her; she could barely guarantee her own survival.

Besides, if she used her energy to alleviate the poison for these civilians, what about herself?

As it stood, she was only barely resisting the Salamander's deadly poison by relying on her own medical ninjutsu.

"I have to get out of here..."

The only path to survival now was to escape Tea House City and rendezvous with Uchiha Sakuya and the others, who were lying in wait at the Sugar Refinery outside the city.

If Uchiha Sakuya and Orochimaru were here, the combined strength of the three of them could easily handle these jonin from a small nation.

She should never have come out.

Tsunade felt a secret pang of regret, regretting that she hadn't been able to restrain herself and had snuck out to gamble.

Now, she was being hunted by the people of Amegakure.

"Go this way!"

She glanced around, picked a random side path, and ducked into it.

She did not know how long she had been running, but Tsunade only felt the toxins in her body intensifying madly.

The towel she wore had long since lost its effectiveness; in fact, because of her violent movements, it had fallen off. She didn't notice it, stepped on the towel, and tripped. Under normal circumstances, it would have been fine, but in her current state, her body had long since lost the ability to adjust its posture, and she could only collapse heavily to the ground.

It hurts!

Feeling her body, paralyzed by excruciating pain, she could no longer care about the toxic mist in the air, only gasping for breath in large, ragged gulps.

Am... am I going to die?

Just like this... dying right here in Tea House City.

I feel a bit... unwilling...

To die just like this...

I haven't even helped Nawaki earn his surname yet... my medical ninjutsu is only half-developed... I haven't become the Hokage yet...

So many things remain unfinished.

If I die like this... I...

Grandfather... Grandmother... Nawaki...

Tsunade stared blankly at the sky.

Responding to her call, the clouds in the sky gradually took the shapes of Hashirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki, and her younger brother.

After they dissipated, the figures of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya appeared.

Finally, the face of Uchiha Sakuya appeared before her.

They say you see a lantern slide of your life before you die; I suppose this is it, she thought.

But shouldn't the most important person be the one to appear at the very end?

Why on earth would that annoying brat from the Uchiha clan be standing here?

"Hey, can you still stand?"

The face of Uchiha Sakuya suddenly spoke, giving Tsunade a start.

How could a deathbed flashback talk!?

She snapped back to reality, only to realize that Uchiha Sakuya had appeared in front of her at some point.

"You... how are you... here?"

Tsunade's eyes suddenly turned red, her voice choking with emotion.

Even though they didn't get along, even though his attitude toward her was always terrible.

Even though he was such an annoying guy... why was it Uchiha Sakuya who came to save her at this life-or-death moment?

"Has the poison muddled your brain already... tch."

Sakuya looked at Tsunade's pale, greenish complexion, a sign that the toxin had already entered her system; if he delayed any longer, it would seep into her internal organs, and it would be troublesome if she became beyond the reach of medicine.

"Well, whatever."

He took off his own gas mask and placed it on Tsunade.

Inhaling the purified air, Tsunade shuddered, finally managing to catch her breath.

"You... you..."

Temporarily clear-headed, Tsunade took deep gulps of fresh air. With Sakuya's help, she stood up, staring at Uchiha Sakuya. She had so much she wanted to say, but for now, not a single word could escape her lips.

"Can you still walk?"

Perhaps sensing Tsunade's embarrassment and distress, Sakuya didn't ask how this had happened, but asked directly instead.

"...I have no strength left."

Tsunade lowered her head, her eyes red.

"Get on."

Sakuya nodded and turned his back to her.

"I'll carry you, let's get out of here."

"Carry me?"

Tsunade was stunned.

"Otherwise, are you going to walk out on your own? Idiot! Can you even take a step?"

Sakuya rolled his eyes at her and reached out, pulling Tsunade onto his back.

Tsunade was currently suffering from the potent poison and was completely limp; as Sakuya pulled her, she collapsed softly against his back.

Her cheeks flushed red as she felt how warm and sturdy this boy, who was several years younger than her, truly was.

He felt so incredibly safe.

"Hold on tight!"

Sakuya turned his head to look at Tsunade: "Don't you dare let go!"

"Mm!"

Tsunade nodded.

"If you're scared, just close your eyes and count to one hundred in your head."

Sakuya looked at her and said: "By the time you finish counting, we'll be out."

"Who... who's scared! Who do you think I am!"

Looking at Sakuya's profile, Tsunade shyly turned her face away.

She felt that the Uchiha she usually found so detestable now looked so reliable and so handsome.

"As expected of Princess Tsunade."

Sakuya smiled, then tightened his grip to secure her body: "Alright, we're heading out!"

"Mm!"

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

"I leave it to you, you little Uchiha... Uchiha Sakuya."

For the first time, she called him by his full name.