Nightfall - Tanzaku Town
Under the bright moonlight, Tsunade and Shizune packed their bags, planning to leave Tanabata under the Tanzaku Town.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the attic beside them exploded, and by the moonlight, a huge figure could be seen beneath the smoke and dust.
It was a large brown snake, two stories high, with two people standing on its head.
Tsunade and her companion jumped to the side, staring at the giant snake. "Who goes there!"
"Hehehe, long time no see, Princess Tsunade."
Under the moonlight, Orochimaru's skin appeared even paler, exuding an eerie aura. From his vantage point above, his snake-like eyes seemed to have spotted prey.
Tsunade: "Orochi... Orochimaru!"
Shizune hugged Tonton tightly. "It's Lord Orochimaru!"
"Bang!" The giant snake disappeared, and Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi jumped in front of Tsunade.
The four faced off for a full ten minutes, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense. Tsunade unconsciously clenched her fists. " Orochimaru, it's been a long time."
Kabuto Yakushi: "I never expected that Princess Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, would be so young."
Orochimaru: "Heh, don't be fooled by her. She's over fifty now, just like me."
Kabuto Yakushi: "Using Ninjutsu to maintain youth, that's quite a skillful technique."
Tsuna and the other two said, " Orochimaru, you've made such a commotion, you can't just be catching up with me, can you?"
Orochimaru glanced at the ruins behind him. "It was all just for a dramatic entrance."
Tsunade suddenly noticed Orochimaru's right side, which was wrapped in bandages, and his pained expression. "You're injured?"
Orochimaru: "As expected of the strongest medical-nin, you could tell I was injured at a glance. Well then, I'll just say it directly: heal my wounds, and you can name your price."
Shizune: " Lady Tsunade! Orochimaru is evil and cunning, don't listen to him!"
Tsunade waved her right hand. "You can leave. I'm not involved in this anymore."
Kabuto Yakushi: "That won't do. Orochimaru's injuries are incurable; the problem is very serious. I estimate that only you, one of the legendary Sannin, have a solution..."
Tsunade: " Orochimaru, this isn't an ordinary injury. What exactly did you do?"
Orochimaru, in excruciating pain, chuckled, "Heh heh, I was defeated by a powerful brat and the Third Hokage during my invasion of Konoha."
Tsunade was shocked. "Invading Konoha? You actually went this far!"
Orochimaru: "Hehehe, don't be so surprised. Cause and effect are inevitable. When Teacher Sarutobi expelled me from Konoha, he should have known this day would come. My goal is revenge against Konoha, and what about you..."
Tsunade seemed to know what Orochimaru was about to say, "Don't say anything!"
Orochimaru persisted. "Heh, the two people you loved most were killed by you. Dan and Nawaki, how will you take your revenge?"
Kabuto Yakushi: " Lord Orochimaru, you certainly don't hold back when you speak."
Orochimaru: "Their deaths were truly tragic!"
"You bastard!"
Shizune stood in front of Tsunade, rolled up her sleeves, revealing a row of hidden weapon darts underneath. She pulled the red rope tied to the activation mechanism, and a large number of needles coated with deadly poison shot out rapidly.
Orochimaru maintained his wicked grin, neither dodging nor avoiding, but Kabuto Yakushi moved, also blocking Orochimaru's path. Blue Chakra flashed in his hands as he grasped all the poison needles.
Shizune: "Such a fast reaction speed, this guy is not simple."
Kabuto Yakushi also felt that Shizune was quite extraordinary.
Tsunade: "This guy with glasses is really something."
Orochimaru: "This Shizune is quite something."
Tonton: "Huff huff huff."
The Lord God: "Fine, fine, you're all something else."
Tsunade patted Shizune on the shoulder. " Shizune, it's okay, don't be nervous."
Orochimaru: "Have you figured it out?"
Tsunade's serious expression vanished at this moment. " Orochimaru, we did work together for a while back then, although it wasn't very pleasant, but you should know that."
"Boom!"
Tsunade shattered the stone wall behind her with a single punch, and even the ground beneath her feet cracked.
Kabuto Yakushi: "What terrifying power!"
Tsunade: "You shouldn't joke like that with me! Otherwise, I would have killed you!"
Orochimaru seemed somewhat wary of the enraged Tsunade: " Tsunade, you haven't changed. However, I'm not here to fight."
Seeing Tsunade Orochimaru had no intention of leaving, Tsunade grew even angrier. "I'll give you five seconds to get out of my sight."
Kabuto Yakushi: " Lady Tsunade! We're not here to fight. If you heal Lord Orochimaru's injuries, we can..."
Orochimaru: "Let me explain. If you agree to heal my injuries, I can use my newly developed forbidden technique to revive your lover and brother."
Tsunade: "Wh... what!"
Shizune: " Lady Tsunade! Don't believe him!"
Orochimaru: "Since you haven't made a move yet, does that mean you've agreed to my request?"
Tsunade fell silent. Her long-standing gambling addiction stemmed from a desire to forget the pain of losing her lover and younger brother, and she was now lost in thought.
Seeing Tsunade Orochimaru, "Don't you want to see them, Tsunade? I can easily do that now."
Tsunade thought for a long time, "Now that I've healed your injuries, what do you want to do?"
Orochimaru: "This failure to destroy Konoha is a disgrace to my life. I hate lies, so I'll be frank: once my injuries heal, I will seize a perfect body, gather all forces, and utterly destroy Konoha!"
Shizune: "How arrogant!"
He was about to use Ninjutsu to attack Orochimaru, but Tsunade back.
Tsunade: " Shizune! That's enough!"
Shizune: " Lady Tsunade! You! Your brother and uncle certainly wouldn't want this! And have you forgotten your own dream?! Although you are now..."
Tsunade: "I've said enough!"
Orochimaru: "Heh heh heh, Tsunade so clever. What do others matter when it comes to love?"
Kabuto Yakushi knew Tsunade was hesitating, so he stopped pressuring her. " Lady Tsunade, you don't need to give us an answer now. We'll meet here again in a week. Also, the resurrection Ninjutsu requires two living people as sacrifices, so please prepare them accordingly."
Shizune: " Lady Tsunade! Let's take advantage of Orochimaru's weakness and kill them all! If we join forces, they'll be..."
Orochimaru untied the bandage on his chest, revealing his bloodied and mangled right side. " Tsunade, do you still feel fear when you see blood?"
As expected, Tsunade's body began to tremble uncontrollably upon seeing the blood, and her previous imposing aura completely vanished. Like a frightened little girl, she took a few steps back.
Shizune, a highly skilled medical-nin, was also taken aback upon seeing Orochimaru's wound. "This... what kind of wound is this? The skin and muscles seem to have melted away, and the internal organs are directly exposed to the air—have they been decomposed?!"
Kabuto Yakushi noticed something amiss. "She's afraid of blood?"
Shizune blocked Tsunade's view. " Lord Orochimaru! What you're doing is despicable!"
Orochimaru: "Heh heh heh, Tsunade, even if I'm still very weak right now, can you even fight in this state?"
Kabuto Yakushi: "A medical-nin who faints at the sight of blood, what exactly happened to him?"
Orochimaru said no more, "Kabuto, let's go. Tsunade, I'll be here waiting for you in a week."
After saying that, the two disappeared in a blur.
Shizune had assumed Orochimaru would launch a preemptive strike and was prepared for a fight to the death. The sudden departure of the two actually relieved her. She turned to Tsunade, who was still gripped by fear, and asked, " Lady Tsunade?"
"Looks like we're a step too late!"
At this moment, Jiraiya and Naruto arrived late...