Treating Hemophobia (1)

After three days of rest, Uchiha Yato, Jiraiya, and Tsunade arrived at a quiet inn.

As the attending physician, Uchiha Yato spoke directly.

"How is it? Three days of rest should have helped you recover, right?"

Tsunade had not gambled or drunk during those three days.

That left Tsunade somewhat depressed, but both requirements had been preparations Uchiha Yato said were necessary for the treatment.

As a medical ninja, Tsunade naturally knew that a doctor's instructions had to be followed, so she did not make a fuss.

Looking somewhat irritated, she said, "If this doesn't work, just you wait."

Jiraiya, standing beside them, was also curious about what method Uchiha Yato would use to treat Tsunade.

Uchiha Yato said, "Let me explain my treatment plan first."

Tsunade said nothing and merely nodded quietly.

She was actually very curious about what method Uchiha Yato could use to treat her.

Uchiha Yato said, "Lady Tsunade, I call your current condition psychological trauma."

"Some ninjas experience dry heaving, vomiting, and other symptoms of discomfort after killing someone for the first time. Lady Tsunade's condition is similar to theirs."

"You witnessed the deaths of loved ones, and as a medical ninja, you felt guilty for being unable to save them."

Hearing this, Tsunade accepted it inwardly, and she felt sad as well.

Uchiha Yato was completely right. Tsunade's current state was nothing more than self-avoidance and self-numbing.

Trying to ease the atmosphere, Jiraiya said, "After today's treatment, let's go have a drink together, Tsunade."

Uchiha Yato continued, "So, I believe the best treatment is to make you face your former fears and reclaim what you lost."

Before Tsunade could understand what Uchiha Yato meant, she saw his eyes turn blood-red. Then she lost consciousness.

To help Tsunade deal with her psychological trauma, Uchiha Yato decided that the simplest method was to first guide her through genjutsu.

In truth, Uchiha Yato had an even simpler method, but it could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

He could simply use genjutsu to keep Tsunade from seeing blood. You could call that a treatment method, but it was merely one method of treatment.

Helping Tsunade recover was also meant to make the Uchiha Clan's future development easier.

Back at Tsunade's side.

At this moment, Tsunade had already awakened from the illusion, and she was standing in Konoha Village.

Everything looked exactly as she remembered it, with no changes whatsoever.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

"Big sister, where did you run off to?"

"Grandma called you to eat. You don't have a mission today, right? You promised to spend my birthday with me."

Hearing that voice, Tsunade turned around and saw the most familiar face in her memories.

At the sight of the boy's face, Tsunade froze.

That was right. This was her younger brother, Senju Nawaki.

Nawaki continued, "Big sister, what are you spacing out for?"

"Today is my birthday. Where's my birthday present?"

Whether it was real or not, Tsunade still felt warmth in her heart at that moment.

But after searching all over herself, she could only find the necklace she considered cursed.

This necklace had been given to her by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who was also her grandfather.

But she had given the necklace to the two people most important to her, and both of them had left her. So now, she did not know whether she should give it away again.

Seeing his sister take out the necklace their grandfather had given her, Nawaki was overjoyed.

"Thank you for the gift, big sister. I really like it! One day, I'll become Hokage too."

Hearing the boy's childish dream, Tsunade did not want to think about anything else. Even if this was a dream, so what?

Hadn't she always wished for this over all these years? To live in a dream and refuse to face reality. It would be best if such a dream never ended.

At that moment, the boy's radiant smile gradually melted Tsunade's heart.

Within the illusion Uchiha Yato had created, Tsunade happily spent Nawaki's birthday with him.

Watching through the projector outside, Jiraiya voiced his confusion.

"What's the point of doing this?"

"Are you just letting her sleep a little longer in this gentle dream? If she really could, she probably wouldn't want to wake up."

Of course, Uchiha Yato understood what Jiraiya meant.

After all, they had been comrades and companions for many years. It was perfectly normal for him to know Tsunade's personality and heart well.

Uchiha Yato said, "Why do you have so much nonsense to say?"

"If you could make up for the familial love and romantic love missing from her heart—"

"Would I need to go through all this trouble with these fancy tricks?"

As soon as Uchiha Yato turned the subject toward him, Jiraiya instantly shut up and continued watching.

Uchiha Yato was absolutely right. Tsunade could never accept Jiraiya because she feared passing this misfortune on and getting the few close friends and family she had left killed.

"Ding~"

"Congratulations, Host. Tsunade's emotions have changed."

"Obtained 50 Emotion Coins."

The Emotion Coins gained in the illusion were fewer than those gained in reality.

After letting her enjoy sweetness, Uchiha Yato kindly decided to let her taste pain again. This was also the crucial step toward her redemption.

Face fear. Conquer fear.

Finally, after saying goodnight to Nawaki, Tsunade fell into a deep sleep within the illusion.

As her consciousness gradually returned and she slowly opened her eyes, the first thing that entered her sight was the thick smoke filling the sky.

The choking smell assaulted her nose, making her unable to stop herself from coughing. As her vision gradually cleared, a desolate and ruined battlefield appeared before her.

Looking down at herself, Tsunade found that she was wearing a heavy combat uniform.

Its dark color seemed to have endured the baptism of countless battles, and it was stained with mottled blood and dust.

The combat uniform's material was rough and durable. It could provide a certain degree of protection, but it also gave off a heavy, oppressive feeling.

Uchiha Yato had deliberately arranged for a passerby's conversation to take place beside Tsunade.

It was meant to let her know that she was in Konoha during that wartime period.

At the same time, telling her the time was meant to let her know that Nawaki had not yet died.

Speaking of Nawaki's death, it had indirectly caused two of the Three Ninja to go down the wrong path.

One was naturally Tsunade. Nawaki's death, followed by Kato Dan's death, had caused Tsunade to develop hemophobia and lose faith in the higher-ups.

The other was Orochimaru. Witnessing the fragility of life had given rise to his desire for immortality, eventually turning him into a mad and somewhat perverse scientist.

Watching Tsunade obtain that information, Uchiha Yato immediately adjusted the illusion and made Nawaki appear before her.

At this moment, Nawaki had just been struck by an explosive tag, and two or three ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village were nearby.

The sight immediately left Tsunade frozen.

That was right, because Tsunade saw blood.

So much blood made it impossible for Tsunade to maintain normal, calm thoughts.

Uchiha Yato heightened Tsunade's senses.

This made Tsunade even more sensitive to blood, while also making her hearing more sensitive.

It left her deeply conflicted and struggling. She was already immersed in the illusion and had forgotten that she was inside one.

The tense rhythm around her and Nawaki's unyielding voice by her ears both tugged at her nerves, making her struggle and suffer terribly.

Tears, sweat, and convulsions even appeared on her body in reality.

Watching from outside, Jiraiya felt his heart ache terribly, but he knew even better that if they gave up now, the subsequent treatment might lose its effectiveness.

Uchiha Yato had no mood to pay attention to the Emotion Coins coming from the system either, because this was the most critical moment in Tsunade's heart.

She had to release everything when it reached its peak. Only then could her spirit be elevated and liberated.

Within the illusion.

Just then, a pair of large hands suddenly appeared beside Tsunade and pulled her away from the battlefield.

At the same time, Nawaki was also saved by the owner of those hands, though his injuries were severe.

After taking a moment to recover, along with the familiarity of the newcomer's voice, Tsunade's consciousness cleared.

Among the people Uchiha Yato had designed for the illusion, this person was naturally Jiraiya.

Seeing this scene, Jiraiya looked as bashful as an unmarried young woman.

Uchiha Yato said with a smile, "If you don't want this favor, I can replace you with Orochimaru. What do you think?"

Those words made Jiraiya instantly back down.

"I think this design is very good. Keep it up, Yato. I believe in you."

Uchiha Yato was also fulfilling one of his own dreams.

Jiraiya had many regrets, and one of them was his relationship with Tsunade.

In a voice only he could hear, Uchiha Yato said, "Since I've come to this world, I might as well fulfill one of my own dreams."

"You really got lucky, Jiraiya."