The Difficult Choice

"Shizune, in terms of medical theory, you have truly lost to Takizawa Dan."

Because of her high standing and extensive experience, Tsunade reacted quickly and spoke to Shizune.

Even she felt a surge of admiration after hearing Takizawa Dan's analysis.

Setting aside his medical aptitude, this disciple's transcendent insight alone far surpassed that of an ordinary person; she would find it impossible to believe if he did not achieve greatness in the future.

"Shizune, you have lost. Admit it."

Tsunade looked toward Shizune at her side and spoke in a very calm tone.

"What... I... I lost?"

Shizune looked at Takizawa Dan, then back at Tsunade, wearing an expression of disbelief.

How could this be possible?

She was, after all, Tsunade's direct disciple, and she had been active throughout the ninja world for over a decade. Although everyone acknowledged Tsunade as the world's number one medical ninja, Tsunade was so elusive that she was rarely seen.

Because of this, it was actually Shizune who had received more praise from all corners!

Yet now, Tsunade was demanding that Shizune voluntarily admit defeat; this was undoubtedly an act that deeply tortured her self-esteem!

Instantly, Shizune's complexion turned very unsightly.

"Um... Lady Tsunade, Sister Shizune's skills are also very formidable, and I only understand a few superficial things... Otherwise, why not just call it a draw?"

Takizawa Dan was not a malicious person. Seeing Shizune's aggrieved expression, his heart softened, and he pleaded with Tsunade.

Tsunade furrowed her brows, intending to say something.

"I don't need your pity! Stop saying things like that to deliberately provoke me!"

However, Shizune revealed an incredibly stubborn expression.

"Shizune, you..."

"Lady Tsunade, if you are talking about the ability to make decisive judgments, then perhaps I am indeed inferior to Takizawa Dan. After all, I have been soft-hearted since I was a child; it is impossible for me to abandon a comrade," Shizune said, tears in her eyes.

The reprimand that had been on the tip of Tsunade's tongue instantly dissolved into nothing, replaced by a long sigh.

How could she not know the grievances Shizune had suffered over the years?

When Shizune was young, her parents died due to the chaos of war. Most unacceptably, her parents had only suffered minor injuries; they could have been saved if they had been carried back for treatment.

But the captain at the time was a selfish madman. To ensure that the wounded would not drag down his squad, he had secretly, when no one was looking, executed Shizune's parents on the spot!

Of course, the final result was that the captain was severely punished, stripped of his ninja status, and had been imprisoned ever since.

However, for Shizune, she had lost the only and most precious people in this world. Such delayed justice was completely meaningless to her as a young child!

It was precisely because of this childhood trauma that in her later career as a ninja, despite her high talent and aptitude for combat, she always refused to fight others and was unwilling to engage in any violent behavior.

Because every time she wanted to act, she would think of the scene where her parents were cruelly murdered, which would cause her limbs to go weak and powerless!

This situation was actually similar to the hemophobia Tsunade had faced previously; both were psychological disorders.

Psychological disorders are sometimes easy to treat, as a shift in conviction can allow a patient to return to normalcy in an instant.

But if the person is never able to take that step, it is entirely possible for them to be plagued by this illness for their entire life!

Therefore, Tsunade deeply understood Shizune's mindset.

Back then, it was precisely because Tsunade understood this nature of Shizune's—and felt pained that she had such extraordinary talent yet could not become a ninja—that she simply took her on as a disciple. By having Shizune become a jonin through medical ninjutsu, it was a way of saving the country through a roundabout path...

Of course, those were things that happened later.

"Takizawa Dan, look..."

Tsunade couldn't help but cast a questioning gaze toward Takizawa Dan.

Before this test, Tsunade might have still leaned toward treating Takizawa Dan as a child, thinking he didn't understand many things.

But ever since he displayed that world-shaking talent, Takizawa Dan's status in Tsunade's heart had completely changed!

Tsunade felt deeply for Shizune, given the bond of raising her from childhood, but Takizawa Dan was also someone who had clearly earned the victory in this competition.

Thus, caught in a dilemma, Tsunade simply handed the initiative over to Takizawa Dan.

As long as Takizawa Dan wanted to be the winner, Tsunade would declare him the victor; there would absolutely be no issues!

Takizawa Dan, however, shook his head and looked at Shizune.

"Sister Shizune, you just wanted to say that my decision-making ability is stronger than yours, and that because you suffered misfortune from birth, your personality developed these issues. In other words, this isn't your fault, but the fault of this world, is that it?"

Takizawa Dan's voice was very low, yet it possessed a unique charm, reaching the ears of Tsunade and Shizune with absolute clarity.

"..."

Shizune lowered her head. She now fully understood what Takizawa Dan meant.

Her defense just now seemed to have no issues at first glance, but refined by Takizawa Dan, wasn't that the internal logic of it?

A poor girl suffered misfortune in childhood, so she sought psychological comfort in every way possible, never able to overcome that hurdle in her heart.

So, in the end, the girl viewed this fault as the world's mistake, began to wallow in self-pity, could never walk out of it, and locked her heart away tightly...

"If we are talking about an unhappy family, I think you are much luckier than I am," Takizawa Dan said, shaking his head. "Like you, my parents also unfortunately died during a mission. But I endured the humiliation of being considered trash every single day because I was born physically weak and unable to condense chakra. To the entire village, I was a useless person."

"Isn't it ridiculous? You are just forcibly locking away your own talent, forcing yourself to be useless. As for me, I had no way to become strong at all; my very essence was that I could not grasp my own destiny."

"You are merely shackled by the past right now. Do you intend to remain a teenager forever, crying and needing adults to protect you?"