Tsunade: Tired, let's destroy it (Seeking collection, seeking recommendation)

The blood from the corner of Yusuke's mouth dripped onto Tsunade along with the rain.

Tsunade fought through the exhaustion caused by the poison, reaching out to press her hand against Yusuke's chest to activate the Mystical Palm Technique.

It was fortunate that Tsunade was a medical ninja; otherwise, Yusuke would likely have lost half his life and been laid out cold on the spot.

"Do you think the ninjas from the Land of Rain will pursue us?"

Tsunade initiated the conversation, clearly aware of Yusuke's current state and fearing that if he fell asleep due to the jolting of the journey, he might not wake up.

Although phrased as a question, her tone was certain; as an elite jonin, she had already made her own deductions.

"Yes, they definitely will. If I were Hanzo the Salamander, I wouldn't let a piece of meat delivered to my doorstep slip away."

"That guy didn't even use his signature summoning jutsu, and I only managed to gain a slight upper hand because he didn't know my capabilities."

"In reality, if it had dragged on a little longer, he would have worn me to death."

Yusuke answered with difficulty. His body was currently undergoing a cycle of tearing and healing—a sensation that was both agonizing and strangely soothing, like being caught between fire and ice.

Tsunade snuggled closer into Yusuke's embrace, a display of vulnerability rarely seen from her.

She did not ask how Yusuke knew such specific intelligence about Hanzo the Salamander; she only needed to ensure that this person would pose no threat to Konoha.

"I won't tell the village elders about you possessing a divine artifact, but you need to be careful yourself."

After a moment of silence, Tsunade's voice came again.

"Right, thank you."

"Why did you become a medical ninja?"

Yusuke asked, looking for a topic to keep them awake.

"Because... I never want to watch the people I love leave me ever again."

In the dead of night, amidst the wind and rain, the two chatted sporadically, moving from embarrassing childhood stories to their future dreams.

Their flagging spirits seemed to adjust, improving slightly.

The night passed quietly. Looking at the raindrops in the sky, Tsunade asked in a hoarse voice, "This doesn't seem to be the direction back to Konoha, does it?"

Judging by the distance and Yusuke's speed, they should have already left the Land of Rain, but the heavy downpour overhead clearly indicated they were still within its borders.

"Correct, it's not toward Konoha."

"As long as they know our final destination is Konoha, they will know to intercept us on the route leading there."

"The heavy rain can mask our tracks and scent, but once we leave the Land of Rain, we lose that protection."

Yusuke replied with effort. His eyes were bloodshot, and the prolonged running had pushed his body to the brink of collapse.

What he needed now was to find a relatively safe place to quickly recuperate.

Tsunade did not continue to question him, but she secretly admired Yusuke's seasoned experience and quick reaction time.

Fortunately, a few minutes later, a cave appeared before them.

The two mustered their remaining strength, using their last reserves of chakra to kill a black bear inside the cave.

After hastily covering the entrance, they could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

When Yusuke slowly regained consciousness, he was met with a snow-white ceiling.

"Where is this?"

He quietly circulated his chakra, finding no obstruction.

It seems my chakra wasn't sealed by anyone, Yusuke thought.

His last memory was of being at a dead end and hunted; the next moment, he was in a relatively safe environment.

Even with his brain's superior processing power, this transition felt sluggish.

He activated his sensory ninjutsu to scan the surroundings while quietly turning his head to inspect the room.

The interior decor was simple and clean, appearing to be a hospital room.

His heart settled once he spotted a figure.

The person was wearing a white T-shirt and a tight red miniskirt, with black fishnet armor underneath.

She was slumped over the bedside table, fast asleep, her tight clothing accentuating her hot figure.

She didn't know what she was dreaming about, but she occasionally smacked her lips.

A scroll was tucked under her cheek, a small patch already soaked through with drool.

Yusuke sighed helplessly. He didn't know whether to be moved by her staying to watch over him or to laugh at her clumsy, adorable appearance.

Just then, he noticed a small head outside, peeking sneakily at the situation in the room.

Yusuke stretched out his stiff hand and beckoned to the person.

The little guy realized he had been spotted, gave an awkward smile, and snuck inside.

He looked to be about ten years old, with short dark brown hair, a Konoha headband on his forehead, and a look of innocent cheer on his face.

"Is this the Konoha hospital?" Yusuke asked, and the boy nodded.

"Do you know Lady Tsunade?" Yusuke continued.

"Your observation skills aren't bad, no wonder you can go on missions with my sister."

"My name is Nawaki."

The boy adjusted his Konoha headband and laughed heartily.

Uh, is this guy really the grandson of Hashirama Senju, that poor unlucky kid who got blown up by explosive tags during the Second Shinobi World War?

He's quite the famous name, the first person to be killed by explosive tags, sitting at the same table as Nagato, who had his legs crippled by them.

Yusuke suddenly looked at him with a bit of pity, leaving Nawaki feeling completely bewildered by the gaze.

Yusuke patted him gently on the shoulder and said earnestly.

"Nawaki, you must remember, whenever you go into the forest for missions in the future, be sure to check carefully and don't miss any explosive tag traps."

Nawaki: Huh? What is this guy talking about?

The volume of their conversation seemed to be a bit too loud, as Tsunade let out a yawn and woke up.

She sat up, looking a bit dazed, and smacked her lips.

She squinted her eyes to survey her surroundings, and after a few seconds, her dazed brain successfully rebooted.

"Hey, you're finally awake."

"Hm? Nawaki? Why are you here?"

Tsunade's voice rang out with pleasant surprise.

Nawaki, naturally, wasn't about to honestly admit he had come to watch the drama, wanting to see the man his sister had risked her life and chakra to carry back.

"Oh, Grandma told me to come get you for dinner."

Nawaki made up a random excuse.

Tsunade looked at the sky outside and asked suspiciously, "But isn't it just the afternoon?"

"Ahaha, is it? Maybe I remembered wrong." Nawaki scratched his head awkwardly.

"Do you have time, Nawaki? If you can, could you help me go buy something to eat?"

Unable to watch the awkward conversation between the siblings any longer, Yusuke interrupted.

"Sure, sure." As soon as he said that, Nawaki looked as if he had been granted a pardon and bolted out the door.

"That brat, always so reckless, I should make sure he spends less time with Jiraiya in the future," Tsunade muttered.

A few seconds later, Nawaki poked his head back in from the doorway, scratching his head in embarrassment: "Brother-in-law, all my money is with my sister; she said she'd keep it safe for me."

"So... hehehe." He looked a bit sheepish.

Yusuke immediately wore the expression of a man staring at his phone on the subway: "Nawaki, you really need to be more careful; you can actually believe the words of the legendary Sucker."

At that moment, he made up his mind that he would never let Tsunade manage his money in the future.

He swept his gaze toward Tsunade, his eyes filled with a touch of disdain, as if to say: "You even swindle a child's money."

By now, Tsunade's face had turned bright red, right down to the tips of her ears.

Her toes were curling frantically inside her shoes, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.

It was unclear if it was because of that brat Nawaki calling him brother-in-law, or because she had been exposed in front of everyone.

What was even more embarrassing was that she only had a few coins in her pocket; as for the rest of her money, who knew which casino it had been lost to long ago.

Tsunade: I'm tired, just destroy everything.