Lover and Little Brother

A few days ago, inside Konoha's prison.

A disgraced man with one arm missing sat in the corner of his cell.

He was none other than Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and the only turncoat in this war.

His village had lost most of its strength, Gaara had been persuaded to switch sides by Feng Yao, and he himself had been captured by Konoha. He had considered ending it all, but his subordinates had talked him out of it.

An elderly figure slowly approached the cell. Seeing Rasa's wretched state inside, he sighed.

"Lord Kazekage, our two countries were allies. Why suddenly tear up the treaty?"

Rasa looked at the Third before him and sneered.

"An alliance between countries is nothing more than a piece of paper. Konoha is far stronger than Sunagakure, and Danzo was a wolf with wild ambitions. If I hadn't struck first, Konoha might have already wiped us out."

The Third fell silent. He knew Danzo had indeed considered invading Sunagakure at first. Once the seeds of suspicion took root, they were hard to uproot.

"Lord Kazekage, Danzo is gone. Konoha will have new leadership. I hope our two countries can put aside their differences and become allies again."

At this, Rasa understood his intentions. Honestly, from where he stood, he had no choice.

After this war, Sunagakure had become the weakest of the five villages. If they didn't find an ally or stop the war, they would eventually be destroyed.

Rasa lifted his head and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Third, you're the victors of this war, so of course it's up to you. What choice does a defeated man like me have?"

"You're wrong." The Third abruptly contradicted Rasa. "There are no victors in war, only losers."

The Third's words carried a double meaning. Rasa said nothing and silently lowered his head.

After leaving the prison, the Third ran into Naruto, who was bickering with Jiraiya by the roadside.

After the war ended, Jiraiya had personally rescued Naruto and Sasuke. They were his student's children, after all, and Naruto was also the village's Jinchūriki. Jiraiya had every reason to look after them.

Jiraiya held Naruto aloft with one hand as the boy struggled furiously.

"You lecherous hermit! Let me go! I want to find Grandpa Third!"

Seeing the Third approaching, Naruto hurriedly called for help.

"Grandpa Third, help me! This lecherous hermit's such a pain! He even says he's the Acting Hokage. What a joke! He's the worst adult ever!"

Then he kicked Jiraiya.

"Ow! You little brat! Do I really look that unlike a Hokage?" Jiraiya said, glaring and bristling.

"Hahaha, all right, Naruto. Jiraiya really was the Acting Hokage for a while, so stop fooling around."

Seeing Naruto so full of energy, the Third laughed too, as if his bad mood had been swept away.

"Um, Grandpa Third, there's something else I want to ask you." Naruto's eyes suddenly dimmed. "It's about Feng Yao. Is it really true... that he killed the Fifth Hokage and took part in this attack on Konoha?"

Naruto felt like he had never truly understood his childhood friend. They had met several times, and he hadn't even recognized him.

The Third was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Naruto clenched both fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms. It seemed he finally understood what Feng Yao had meant back then.

"If that's true, I'll definitely catch him! I'll give him a good thrashing and bring him back to the village so he can apologize to everyone he's hurt!"

Watching Naruto growl, Jiraiya sighed. The gap between them was simply too great now. With Naruto's current strength, he couldn't possibly do that.

"Well, Naruto, if that's how you feel, how about training with me? Your friend runs away whenever he sees me, you know."

"Really?" Naruto seemed to have been filled with energy all over again. He wrapped his arms around Jiraiya's waist. "Then you have to teach me your strongest jutsu, lecherous hermit!"

"Ow! How many times do I have to tell you I'm not a lecherous hermit? Anyway, pack your things and come with me. We need to find someone, too."

"Find someone? Who?"

"The Sixth Hokage."

The scene returned to the present, on Asakusa Street.

Tsunade covered her mouth in disbelief as tears streamed through her fingers.

The people inside the coffins were her lover, Dan Katō, and her little brother, Nawaki.

Even Shizune couldn't stop trembling.

"Is that you, Uncle...?"

Dan Katō was not only Tsunade's lover, but also Shizune's uncle. Feng Yao and Orochimaru had searched the battlefields of the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars countless times before finding their bones. In the end, they had successfully summoned them both.

Feng Yao hadn't restrained their personalities. Seeing Tsunade, the two wore gentle smiles on their dirt-covered faces.

Dan Katō looked at Tsunade and spoke tenderly.

"Tsunade, it's been so long. I was wondering why these people had summoned me."

Nawaki was just as surprised to see his sister. He looked around.

"Sis... Sister, wasn't I dead? And Sensei's here, too."

Tsunade had dreamed countless times of seeing them again. Even just talking with them would have been enough. She rushed over, embraced them both, and burst into tears.

Shizune was worried. "Lady Tsunade's feelings for them are so strong. If she really agrees... No, I have to stop them."

Having made up her mind, Shizune decided to strike first.

"High-Speed Mouth Needle."

Shizune moved around Tsunade in a single step and spat out a volley of poison needles. Judging by their foul stench, anyone struck would likely die on the spot.

This kind of weapon needed no Hand Seals and moved very fast. She wanted to catch Feng Yao, Orochimaru, and the others off guard and kill them.

Feng Yao saw Shizune's move and shoved Orochimaru and Kabuto aside. He activated Intangibility, sending his body into another dimension. The needles passed straight through him and left several black spots on the stone wall behind.

"She missed?" Shizune realized at once. "Ninja Art: Poison Mist!" Her cheeks puffed out as she prepared to release the poison mist.

She had used this move on Kabuto in the original story, spraying a large amount of poisonous gas from her mouth. Inhaling even a little would kill instantly. The difference between a doctor and a poison user was only a single thought away.

But Orochimaru struck first, using the Body Flicker Technique to appear right in front of Shizune.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Orochimaru's right arm turned into a black serpent, which coiled around Shizune's body and clamped over her mouth and nose.

After tossing Shizune aside, Orochimaru spoke in a soft, sinister voice.

"Interrupting someone else's reunion is a bad habit. Tsunade, have you made up your mind? I'm sure you've felt our sincerity by now. Join us!"