Lucky Necklace

"Are you all right, kid?" Tsunade appeared in front of Uchiha Chiba, covered in blood, with bits of Iron Sand clinging to her fist.

Uchiha Chiba nodded. His body had been crushed beneath the Iron Sand, leaving him drenched in blood, and several of his bones were broken. At that moment, the Natural Energy of the Katsuyu Sage inside him was gradually healing his body.

Just then,

the Third Kazekage looked coldly at Tsunade.

"You came alone? You think so little of me?" With that, the Third Kazekage casually waved a hand, and countless Iron Sand particles surged together behind him.

The Iron Sand Wings blotted out the sky. He had finally begun to take this seriously. The Third Kazekage formed Hand Seals. "Ninja Art: Iron Sand Prison!"

In an instant,

a massive Iron Sand cage descended from the sky!

BOOM!!!!!

It trapped both Tsunade and the recovering Uchiha Chiba inside. Chiba panted heavily, then slowly spoke. "This Iron Sand can absorb chakra..."

Tsunade closed her eyes. Her lover was dead, her student had nearly died, and she had even lost an eye. (Chiba's own eye was still intact; they just hadn't switched back yet.) A blaze of fury surged within her.

"Just Iron Sand! Don't show off in front of me!" Chakra coated Tsunade's fist. The next moment, her fair fist slammed into the Iron Sand cage.

BOOM!!!!!!

The Iron Sand cage burst apart like fireworks.

"How could this be? This is the hardest Iron Sand there is. How could it be smashed so easily? Wait... this woman is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju..." the Third Kazekage muttered to himself, watching Tsunade draw closer.

Then,

Iron Sand coated his body.

In a blind spot beyond Tsunade's view, the Third Kazekage formed a Hand Seal with one hand.

"Iron Sand Spear!"

A black Iron Sand Spear emerged from the Third Kazekage's palm. He only had to wait for Tsunade to get close, then he could finish her off!

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

"Toad Oil Bullet!"

Just as Tsunade reached the Third Kazekage, attacks came from both sides!

BOOM!!!!!

The Hidden Shadow Snake Hands collided with the Toad Oil Bullet, triggering a massive explosion. Tsunade's attack missed as well.

"Sorry, dealing with those Sunagakure Ninja took a little time." Orochimaru landed beside Tsunade.

Jiraiya looked around. Apart from Uchiha Chiba, who was barely clinging to life, there was only the pierced corpse in the corner—Dan Katō.

"My condolences..." Jiraiya sighed.

"We need to hurry and drive him back. If Sunagakure's army returns, forcing him to retreat will be nearly impossible! White Fang and the others won't be able to reinforce us then." Orochimaru vanished in an instant. The next moment, he appeared beside the Third Kazekage and thrust down with a Kunai. With only one arm left, the Third Kazekage knew better than to meet him head-on, and leaped away.

The Sannin squad had assembled!

"Super Iron Sand World Method!"

This time, it was different from the Iron Sand World Method before. Countless sharp Iron Sand Spears covered the sky, packed as densely as the quills on a hedgehog. Then the three Sannin formed Hand Seals in unison.

"Triple Rashomon!"

"Fire Style: Toad Oil Barrage!"

"Lightning Release: Thunder Cloud!"

WHUM!!!!!!!

The Iron Sand Spears fell like raindrops. The terrifying attack shattered the first Rashomon gate in an instant! Jiraiya's Toad Oil Bullets continued flying into the air as Iron Sand Spears rained down from every direction. The Third Kazekage, missing an arm, looked into the distance as if observing something. Whatever the reason, he was struggling to keep up.

The storm of attacks finally ended.

The land had been blasted into a vast crater. After all, the Third Kazekage's chakra wasn't endless. He looked at Uchiha Chiba on the ground and slowly said, "I'll remember you, kid."

WHUM!!!!

The Iron Sand Wings beat.

The Third Kazekage left.

There,

Tsunade came to Uchiha Chiba and knelt beside him, laying him across her lap. The chakra glowing in her hands was gentle and warm.

After a long while,

"Mr. Dan..." Uchiha Chiba knew what happened to Dan Katō in the original story. Dan had died in front of Tsunade, his internal organs destroyed. With blood all over her hands, Tsunade had been powerless to save him and could only watch her lover slowly die. Afterward, she developed Hemophobia. When the Second Shinobi World War ended, the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, temporarily put the medical ninja system on hold. That led Tsunade to gradually lose respect for the Hokage and eventually leave the village.

"Don't talk. There's still Iron Sand in your chest cavity. It could easily tear your lungs, and then we'd be in trouble." Tsunade's delicate hand moved lightly. A green glow of chakra coated her fingers, turning them into Chakra Scalpels as she cut open Chiba's chest.

Then,

a wave of pain surged through him.

"Bear with it." Tsunade glanced at Chiba on her lap and offered a brief word of comfort before continuing to remove the Iron Sand from his body.

Nearby, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were busy too. They gathered sturdy branches and used cloth from the cave where the Sunagakure Ninja had been staying to screen Tsunade off, setting up a simple operating room. As for the Jonin in the cave, they had vanished without a trace some time ago.

Then,

Orochimaru and Jiraiya went over to Dan Katō's body.

"Such a shame." Orochimaru shook his head. Dan Katō's talent hadn't matched that of the others present, but his unique abilities had helped the Konoha forces in Amegakure a great deal. Perhaps he felt sympathy for the loss of a friend, or perhaps he regretted how easily life could be snuffed out. Either way, Orochimaru sighed.

"Let's carry him over there. We can't leave him lying here forever." Jiraiya reached out and pulled the Iron Sand Spear that had pierced Dan Katō's body free.

After a long while,

Dan Katō's body lay quietly in a nearby pit.

Inside the makeshift operating room,

Tsunade frowned. The kid seemed to have been struck by Iron Sand more than once. Some of it had cut into the surface of his organs, but fortunately, the wounds weren't deep.

As Tsunade pulled out the last tiny Iron Sand Spike, there was no longer any danger left in Uchiha Chiba's body. Then, ignoring the blood on her hands, she used Medical Ninjutsu to close the wound in his chest.

She walked out of the makeshift operating room.

The first thing she saw

was Dan Katō's battered corpse.

"Dan..." Tears streamed uncontrollably from Tsunade's eyes. She went to Dan Katō's side, wanting to touch him.

The next moment,

THUD!!!!

The blood inside his body, already on the verge of congealing, burst through the holes in his body!

Tsunade's hands trembled. She could hardly believe that she had just finished an operation. Tears spilled from her eyes as she cried out hoarsely, but she couldn't stop the shadow of death that had already fallen over Dan. The moment she truly saw Dan Katō's lifeless body, it felt as though her heart had died with him. An endless sorrow took root deep within her.