Amulet and Poison

Hokage Tower, conference room.

When Kitahara Kaede pushed the door open and entered, three jonin were already seated.

The head of the Intelligence Division stood behind Hiruzen, his face ashen.

After Kitahara Kaede took a seat on the right, Tsunade followed him in and pulled out the chair next to him.

Hiruzen skipped the pleasantries.

"There's been an incident on the Sunagakure front."

A scroll lay spread out on the table, with a photograph tucked inside.

It was a picture of the field hospital at the front lines.

A chunin lay on a bed, his right arm covered from wrist to shoulder in black-purple veins that snaked along his meridians toward his torso, as if something living were burrowing beneath his skin.

"Chiyo has switched to a new poison for her puppet weapons."

Hiruzen's finger tapped the edge of the photo. "It spreads continuously and has an extremely short incubation period. As long as the skin is scratched, the toxin follows the meridians. The frontline medical team has already exhausted every antidote in our inventory."

He paused.

"None of them worked."

No one in the conference room spoke.

The head of the Intelligence Division stepped forward and spread out a supplementary report.

"Over the past seven days, the number of casualties from poisoning at the front has quadrupled. And it's still growing."

Kitahara Kaede glanced at the numbers on the report.

He knew this event.

The poison developed by Chiyo during the Second Shinobi World War had dealt a heavy blow to the Konoha front. It was only when Tsunade personally went to the battlefield and deciphered the formula one by one that the crisis was resolved. It was precisely because of this incident that Tsunade's title as the "Medical Saint" spread throughout the shinobi world.

And what he had to do was ensure Tsunade returned alive.

Hiruzen's gaze fell on Tsunade.

"Tsunade."

"I'll go."

She didn't wait for Sarutobi Hiruzen to finish; she took the words right out of his mouth.

The jonin present exchanged glances.

Tsunade reached out, took the photo, held it up to her eyes for two seconds, and set it down.

"I need a living toxin sample and the complete medical records of the poisoned shinobi prepared for me in advance."

She listed them off one by one, her voice low, yet no one felt she was negotiating. "If Chiyo used the Weathered Scorpion Poison native to Sunagakure as a base, then standard detoxification methods won't work. I have to verify the exact formula myself."

Hiruzen nodded and turned his gaze.

"Kaede, you go too."

Kitahara Kaede gave a nod.

He had intended to follow her anyway.

Hiruzen's direct order saved him the trouble of finding an excuse.

"Once you reach the front, you are not bound by the standard chain of command." Hiruzen pushed a bronze medallion across the table. "Temporary command authority. You have freedom of action."

Kitahara Kaede took the medallion and tucked it into his coat.

"Depart tomorrow."

Hiruzen stood up and swept his gaze over the two of them.

At this moment, he didn't look like the Hokage; he looked more like a teacher watching his students head out on a long journey.

"Protect the people on the front lines."

He paused.

"And protect yourselves."

The meeting adjourned.

The man from the Intelligence Division handed a stack of documents to Tsunade, who tucked them under her arm. She and Kitahara Kaede left the conference room one after the other.

The corridor was long, their footsteps echoing off the walls.

When they reached the stairwell, Tsunade stopped.

"What time tomorrow?"

"Before dawn, at the South Gate."

"Mm."

She stepped down one stair.

Then she pulled back.

She stood with her back to him for a few seconds.

There was no one else in the hallway, only the faint light of a streetlamp filtering in from outside.

"Come by my place later. I have something for you."

She didn't wait for his reply before heading down the stairs.

Kitahara Kaede looked in the direction she had vanished.

She had something for him? What could it be?

At Tsunade's home.

When the door opened, Tsunade had already changed into casual clothes, her hair loose.

"Come in."

The teapot in the living room was still warm. Nawaki's door was closed; he must have already gone to sleep.

Tsunade sat down across the table.

She clutched a small object in her hand for a moment, then set it on the table and pushed it toward him.

An omamori.

It was blue fabric, small enough to be pinched between a thumb and forefinger.

The stitching was crooked, and the knot at the opening was uneven.

Kitahara Kaede picked it up.

He flipped it over; the stitches were irregular.

One spot had clearly been ripped out and resewn, the thread end not tucked away well, leaving a frayed edge.

He didn't speak.

Tsunade kept her eyes fixed on his face.

He looked at the omamori over and over, his expression neutral—he neither smiled nor said it was good.

The longer he looked without saying a word, the more she felt he must think it was ugly.

As soon as that thought surfaced, her hand reached out.

"It's nothing special," she said, her tone a beat too fast. "If you think it's ugly, then—"

Kitahara Kaede leaned to the side.

Tsunade lunged at empty air.

Her body tipped forward with the momentum, one hand bracing against the table beside his knee, her entire person nearly falling into his space.

When she looked up, he was right there.

So close that she could see the curve of his eyelashes.

Tsunade's movements froze.

Kitahara Kaede didn't retreat or dodge; he looked down at her.

"I like it very much."

Tsunade stood stunned, her hand still braced on the table, her posture incredibly awkward.

His eyes were filled with sincerity.

Tsunade opened her mouth.

Seven or eight sentences raced through her mind—"Then keep it safe," "If you lose it, I'll beat you," "Don't make it out to be such a big deal"—

Not a single one came out.

She looked away first.

"...Then keep it."

Her voice was muffled.

Kitahara Kaede straightened up and tucked the omamori into the innermost pocket of his ninja tool pouch.

Tsunade returned to her seat and took a sip of tea.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him stow the omamori—not just tossing it in, but tucking it deep inside, just as he had done the last time she gave him something.

The corners of her mouth curled up, and she quickly pressed them back down.

They sat in silence for a while.

The tea was finished, and the night had grown deep.

Kitahara Kaede stood up.

"We have to travel tomorrow. Get some sleep."

Tsunade saw him to the door.

She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"Kaede."

"Yes?"

"You said—"

She looked at him, her tone much calmer than before.

"After the war ends, give me an answer."

Kitahara Kaede turned back.

Tsunade's hair was loose, a sliver of the silver chain at her neck visible, the blue pendant resting against her collarbone.

"Don't make me wait too long."

Kitahara Kaede looked at her for a few seconds.

He smiled.

"Okay."

He turned and walked into the night.

Tsunade stood at the door, unmoving.

His silhouette turned the corner of the alley and disappeared.

She lowered her head, her hand gripping the pendant on the silver chain at her chest.

She stood there for a long time before closing the door.

Before dawn.

Outside the South Gate.

Kitahara Kaede arrived early, leaning against a gate pillar to check his ninja tools.

His finger paused when it touched the omamori in the inner pocket.

Footsteps approached from the distance.

Tsunade walked over with her medical kit on her back, followed by Nawaki.

He was wearing his pajamas, his hair a bird's nest, his eyes not even fully open.

As they reached him, Nawaki rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Master."

"Why did you come out?"

"My sister dragged me out of bed—"

Tsunade kicked him in the shin.

Nawaki flinched and mumbled a correction.

"I volunteered."

He yawned again and shook his head, finally seeming a bit more awake.

He looked at Kitahara Kaede, then at Tsunade.

"Master, I'm leaving my sister in your hands."

Tsunade raised her hand to hit him.

Nawaki hopped back, dodging her.

"I'm serious—"

He stood three steps away, rubbing the back of his head.

"Both of you, make sure you come back in one piece."

Tsunade's hand stopped in mid-air.

She lowered it.

"Nonsense."

Nawaki chuckled, gave Kitahara Kaede a thumbs-up, and turned to walk back.

After a few steps, he looked back.

"Master! I want to eat saury when you get back!"

Kitahara Kaede raised a hand and waved at him.