Tōshirō gently felt Tsunade's body—her temperature was normal—but his heart was burning with anxiety."What the hell is going on?"
"Let me take a look."
Orochimaru stepped forward, his face unusually grave.
Tōshirō carefully laid the unconscious Tsunade down on the ground.Orochimaru knelt beside her, examining her closely, feeling her pulse, inspecting her breathing, and channeling chakra to assess her life force.
After a long silence, he closed his eyes and shook his head slowly—like a surgeon about to tell a family their loved one couldn't be saved.
Tōshirō bit his hand in frustration. "How bad is it?"
Orochimaru's tone was heavy. "To put it simply—there wasn't enough life force transferred."
"Not enough life force?"
"The principle behind the Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique is to transfer the user's life force into the dead through a forbidden art," Orochimaru explained. "But Tsunade's case is different. She's been dead for too long. The body you revived through Edo Tensei isn't her real physical body."
Tōshirō didn't have the patience for analysis. "Just tell me what to do. What can I do to make her wake up again?"
Orochimaru replied, "Use the Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique once more."
"What?"
"I told you—the transfer wasn't enough. So you need to transfer more life force."
Tōshirō drew in a deep breath, then suddenly roared, releasing all his fury."Damn it—!"
He smashed his fist into the ground, cracking the earth open with explosive force.
Running both hands through his hair, Tōshirō gritted his teeth.
Damn it.
Where was he supposed to find someone else capable of performing the Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique?
Rōran's daughter, Ryūzetsu, had the potential—but she was far too young. It would take at least seven or eight years before she could master a technique of that caliber.
He was furious.
He had finally brought Tsunade back, and yet… this happened.
Orochimaru remained silent, watching Tōshirō's rage.
Anyone could see how frustrated he was.A heart that had risen to heaven had plummeted straight to hell.
He was about to say something when Tōshirō suddenly froze, lifting his head slowly, his face shadowed."No… there's still one way."
Orochimaru blinked in surprise.
"As long as I can transfer more life force into her, right?"
"Yes… but are you thinking of using the Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique again? That girl Ryūzetsu is still a child. It would take years for her to learn it."
Tōshirō shook his head. "No. I'm not talking about that technique."
Orochimaru frowned. "Wait—are you saying there's another ninjutsu that can bring someone back to life?"
Tōshirō's voice deepened. "Rebirth Through Life."
Orochimaru's eyes widened.
That technique—Rebirth Through Life—the forbidden art of Chiyo from the Hidden Sand Village.
"Rebirth Through Life?"
Even the name itself revealed its nature. Like the Dragon Life Reincarnation, it was a forbidden art that exchanged life for life.
Orochimaru was stunned.
The thing that astonished him most about Tōshirō wasn't his overwhelming strength—it was his omniscient knowledge, the eerie sense that he knew everything there was to know in the world.
"Let's return to Konoha first," Tōshirō said.
He removed his cloak and wrapped it carefully around Tsunade's body, then lifted her gently into his arms. In one swift leap, he landed on the massive palm of his spectral blue giant—his Soul Flame.
Chiyo, unlike Rōran, wasn't the type of woman who could be cowed by threats.And neither she nor the Sand Village were as easily manipulated as Kusagakure had been.
While Tōshirō had the power to take down the Hidden Sand by himself if he wanted to, he wasn't interested in provoking unnecessary wars.
He needed to return to the Leaf first—to keep Tsunade safe, and to find some allies.
Konoha Village, nightfall.
In the Uchiha compound, one household glowed with warmth.
Fugaku's family had just finished dinner. Mikoto was washing the dishes, Fugaku was reading the evening paper, and little Itachi was playing with his younger brother Sasuke.
A harmonious, peaceful night.
Then—knock knock.
Hearing the sound, Mikoto looked up slightly. Who could it be at this hour?
She set down the dishes and started toward the door, but Itachi spoke up. "Mom, let me get it."
Mikoto smiled gently. "Alright, thank you."
"Wait for me here, Sasuke," Itachi said, patting his brother's head before walking to the entrance.
He opened the door—and froze. "Uncle Tōshirō… Orochimaru…"
Then his eyes dropped lower—to the figure wrapped in Tōshirō's cloak.A woman, with golden hair spilling over her shoulders, her eyes closed, her face calm and serene, as if sleeping.
A woman…?
Tōshirō entered without hesitation. "I need your help."
"My help?" Itachi asked, confused.
He was perceptive enough to know this woman must be the reason Tōshirō came. But if she was ill, shouldn't they have gone to the hospital? He wasn't trained in medical ninjutsu.
"Itachi, who is it?"
Mikoto appeared behind him—and froze.
She had been about to greet their guests politely, but when she saw the woman in Tōshirō's arms, her eyes went wide, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.
Itachi frowned, glancing between them. Mom… knows her?
"Dear, come here quickly!" Mikoto called.
Moments later, Fugaku joined them. "What's going on—?"
Then he, too, stopped in his tracks when he saw the woman. His expression mirrored Mikoto's—utter astonishment.
"Father, Mother… do you two know her?"
Mikoto's voice trembled. "Tsunade… Tsunade-sister!"
Itachi's eyes widened.
What!?Tsunade? Uncle Tōshirō's lover? But… wasn't she dead?
Fugaku looked between them, bewildered. "Tōshirō, what in the world—?"
Tōshirō sighed. "It's a long story. I'll explain later. For now, I need your help. You two are among the few people I trust most. Please… look after her for me."
Fugaku nodded solemnly. "Understood."
Tōshirō gently handed Tsunade into Mikoto's arms. "I'm counting on you."
"Leave it to me," Mikoto said softly, cradling Tsunade with care.
Then Tōshirō turned to Itachi. "Itachi, come with me. We have an S-rank mission."
In the original timeline, Itachi had used Tsukuyomi to free Kabuto from the Edo Tensei.Now, Tōshirō planned to use a similar method—to trap Chiyo within Tsukuyomi and make her cast Rebirth Through Life on Tsunade.
And if that failed—he would use Shisui's eye and Kotoamatsukami to forcibly alter Chiyo's will.
"Right now?"
"Right now," Tōshirō said firmly.
Itachi turned to his parents. "Father, Mother—I'll be back."
"Go," Fugaku said.
He trusted Tōshirō implicitly. If he was taking Itachi, it had to be for something vital—most likely connected to Tsunade's revival.
Night.
A thin crescent moon hung over the desert sky.
Crossing the endless dunes, the three of them—Tōshirō, Orochimaru, and Itachi—finally reached the territory of the Hidden Sand Village. Even at night, the desert air was sweltering.
They stopped. Going any farther would bring them within the range of the Sand's surveillance barrier.
As a village equal in standing to Konoha, the Sand naturally had such defenses. Charging in recklessly would only alert them.
Tōshirō activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. Instantly, the hidden barrier formations appeared clearly before his eyes.
The trio circled around until they found a weak point.
Orochimaru, dressed in a cloak patterned with red clouds, pulled out a pair of human-skin masks he had prepared. He handed one to Tōshirō.
Then he placed the other over his own face—and transformed.In moments, he had taken the form of Konan: light blue hair tied in a bun with a blue paper flower, orange eyeshadow, and a lip piercing beneath his mouth.
Tōshirō glanced at him, expression unreadable, then put on his own mask—becoming the shark-faced Hoshigaki Kisame.
Given his affinity for Water Release, it was a fitting disguise.
Itachi's was simpler—a spiral-patterned mask reminiscent of the Uchiha clan's curse mark style.
After killing the Daimyō of the Land of Fire and declaring himself king, Tōshirō knew that the other nations' rulers would see him as a threat. They would band together against him.
No doubt, the Akatsuki would exploit that tension—and Tōshirō intended to turn that fact to his advantage.
He wasn't afraid of confrontation, but he had no intention of wasting time on unnecessary fights.
Besides, once Tsunade woke up, she would inevitably struggle to accept what he had done.She might even run away from the village.
He couldn't allow that. He was already prepared to follow her for as long as it took—for her to forgive him, to accept everything.
Their disguises complete, the three infiltrated the Sand's patrol blind spot and slipped quietly into the village.
Finding Chiyo in such a large settlement overnight would not be easy.
If they'd brought someone from the Hyūga clan, the Byakugan would've made the search faster.
Still, Tōshirō had other ways. All he needed was a guide.
They tailed a lone Sand ninja back to his house and subdued him without a sound—it was child's play for the three of them.
Inside, Tōshirō clamped his hand around the man's throat, silencing him while Itachi used the Sharingan to extract information from his mind.
Once they'd learned what they needed, Tōshirō gave a light squeeze. The man's neck snapped cleanly.
By the time the Sand found his body the next day, they would discover something curious—hidden memories intentionally left behind by Tōshirō, a message for the Sand Village.
Through the intel they'd gathered, they couldn't pinpoint Chiyo's exact location yet—but they now had a lead.
Following that trail, after several hours of quiet searching, they finally discovered her residence.
(End of Chapter)
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