Just outside Tanzaku Town—
Tsunade stood facing Orochimaru, her expression filled with hesitation.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, wore a faint smile. "Well, Tsunade, have you made up your mind? As long as you heal my arms, I'll show you the two people you most want to see again."
"Tsunade, don't agree! Orochimaru, how dare you show your face here! Today, I'll avenge the old man!"
At that moment, Jiraiya appeared with Naruto. He first addressed Tsunade, then glared furiously at Orochimaru.
Seeing Jiraiya arrive, Orochimaru's face darkened. "Jiraiya… You've never changed. Still as naive as ever."
He ignored Jiraiya and turned his gaze back to Tsunade. "So, Tsunade, have you decided?"
After a moment of silence, Tsunade shook her head. "Orochimaru, give it up."
"Hahaha!"
Jiraiya burst into laughter. "That's right! Give it up, Orochimaru!"
"Hmph—"
Orochimaru snorted coldly, his gaze turning icy. "If that's how it is, then I'll have to do it myself."
If Tsunade wouldn't cooperate, then he'd kill her. After resurrecting her with Edo Tensei, she could still heal him under his control.
He glanced at Kabuto, then began walking swiftly toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Orochimaru, this time, I'll bring you back no matter what."
Orochimaru opened his mouth, and the Kusanagi Sword shot out toward Jiraiya.
Though his arms were currently numb and useless, he was still confident he could at least hold off Jiraiya.
As long as Kabuto took care of Tsunade, he could escape quickly afterward.
Kabuto understood the signal in Orochimaru's eyes and swiftly moved toward Tsunade.
Tsunade frowned. "Have the Sannin really fallen this far? Even a regular ninja dares attack me?"
She punched the ground, causing the earth to crack and nearly cave in.
Though her strength was overwhelming, it didn't faze Kabuto.
He kept advancing and, in the blink of an eye, appeared right in front of Tsunade.
Instead of launching an attack, Kabuto drew a kunai and sliced open his palm.
Blood dripped rapidly to the ground, one drop after another.
"B-Blood… blood…"
The sight of the blood made Tsunade collapse in fear, her entire body trembling.
Not far off, Shizune's eyes widened in shock. She rushed toward Tsunade immediately.
Naruto, meanwhile, stood there confused, unsure of what to do.
At that moment, Jiraiya—who was locked in battle with Orochimaru—shouted, "Naruto! Protect Tsunade!"
Seeing Tsunade in such a state, Jiraiya was clearly worried, but he couldn't break away while being pressured by Orochimaru.
"You'd better worry about yourself, Jiraiya."
Whoosh—
Orochimaru opened his mouth again, releasing a snake that lunged at Jiraiya with razor-sharp fangs.
Jiraiya immediately focused on blocking the attack, unable to spare any more attention.
…
Meanwhile, Kabuto stared at Tsunade with a strange look. "Who would've thought? Tsunade, Princess of Konoha, one of the Legendary Sannin, and the most skilled medical ninja—afraid of blood?"
"B-Blood…"
Tsunade, overwhelmed by memories and trauma, muttered the word repeatedly in terror.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune reached her just in time and, in a panic, threw a flurry of senbon needles at Kabuto.
Sensing the threat, Kabuto swiftly retreated and dodged.
"Lady Tsunade, are you okay?"
Shizune supported her gently, concern filling her voice.
But Tsunade didn't respond. She kept trembling, murmuring about blood.
"Don't worry! Lord Naruto is here to protect her!"
Just then, Naruto stepped forward righteously.
Shizune nearly laughed out loud but managed to hold it in. Where did this kid come from?
Kabuto watched from a distance, then raised his hands. Chakra began to condense around them.
"Chakra scalpel?" Shizune muttered, her eyes turning serious.
She glanced at Naruto. "You're Naruto, right? I'll leave Lady Tsunade to you."
Naruto nodded and pulled out a Pokéball, releasing Ivysaur. "Don't worry, I'll definitely complete the mission!"
Shizune was surprised to see Ivysaur but didn't dwell on it. She nodded and turned to face Kabuto.
Kabuto wasted no time. He lunged toward her, and the two clashed.
It didn't take long for Shizune to fall behind. With just one exchange, she was already at a disadvantage.
Not far from the battlefield, Ryo watched with great interest, holding two Pokémon in his arms.
"Orochimaru really is something else… His hands are useless, and he can still go toe-to-toe with Jiraiya."
He was genuinely impressed, almost in disbelief.
"But the plot has changed a little. Tsunade became weak from seeing blood instead of being outplayed by Kabuto."
"It must be because I told Jiraiya earlier, so they arrived before the original timeline."
He remembered that in the original plot, Kabuto had humiliated Tsunade with his chakra scalpel, disrupting her nerves and reversing her limb control.
That battle was a classic for Kabuto—he thoroughly dominated Tsunade.
But this time, it was different. Just the sight of blood had already weakened her.
"Ryo, shouldn't we help? Tsunade is Hoopa's friend."
In his arms, Hoopa looked worriedly at Tsunade and spoke up.
After two days of bonding at the casino, the two had definitely become friends.
Ryo shook his head. "No need. Don't worry, Hoopa—Tsunade will be fine. As long as Naruto is here, everything will be okay."
Hearing that, Hoopa didn't argue, but the concern didn't fade from his eyes.
…
Bang!
Back in the fight, Kabuto seized an opening and kicked Shizune hard.
Splurt—
Blood gushed from her mouth as she was sent flying.
"That makes things easier."
Kabuto didn't bother checking on her and turned his attention to Naruto and Tsunade, quickly closing the distance.
Naruto stepped in front of Tsunade and glared at Kabuto. "I won't let you pass!"
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