Chapter 166: The Hero's Welcome and the Unbelievable Cure
The great main gates of Konohagakure loomed before them.
Tsunade's steps had grown heavier, slower. This was it. The place she had sworn she would never return to. Jiraiya walked beside her, looking profoundly awkward, while Shizune wrung her hands, Tonton the piglet cradled in her arms, sensing his mistress's distress.
Uchiha Akira, now wearing the formal white and red Hokage robes, walked a single pace ahead, his silence more commanding than any order.
The guards at the gate, two Chūnin, spotted the group. Their eyes widened, first in recognition of Jiraiya, then in confusion at the blonde woman, and finally in absolute reverence as their gaze fell on Akira.
"Lord Fifth!" they bowed deeply, scrambling to attention. "Welcome back!"
One of the guards, a man in his late thirties, looked closer at Tsunade. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Is... is that...? It can't be..."
He had been a child when she left, but he recognized the face from the statues. "Lady... Tsunade?"
That single, questioned name was all it took.
A civilian merchant pushing a cart just inside the gate overheard. His head snapped around. "What? Did he say Tsunade?"
He dropped his cart, its contents scattering. "It is! Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, has returned to the village!"
His shout echoed down the main street.
In an instant, the entire village erupted.
It started as a ripple—a few heads turning, doors opening. Then, it became a wave. Within thirty seconds, the street was flooded.
Villagers and ninja alike poured in from all directions. Shopkeepers abandoned their stalls, shinobi appeared on rooftops, and children were lifted onto their parents' shoulders.
The village gate, normally a wide, bustling thoroughfare, became utterly impenetrable, surrounded by a sea of hopeful, shocked, and ecstatic faces.
"It's really Lady Tsunade! I'm not dreaming, am I?!" a woman cried, tears in her eyes.
"The Sannin are reunited! Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade are both back!"
"This is great! This is fantastic! With Lady Tsunade here, Konoha's medical standards can improve again! Our hospital will be the greatest in the world!"
"Lady Tsunade! Welcome home!"
"Welcome home!"
"Welcome home!"
The fervent, roaring cheers came in wave after relentless wave, a tsunami of sound and emotion.
Tsunade was completely overwhelmed. She flinched, instinctively taking a step back, her hands clenched. This was a nightmare. This was the last thing she wanted. She wasn't a hero; she was a failure who had run away.
She felt trapped, her breathing growing shallow.
Just as the panic began to set in, Uchiha Akira, who had not moved, turned his head slightly. He leaned in, his voice a cold, sharp whisper that cut through the roar, audible only to her.
"Lift your head."
Tsunade froze.
"Puff out your chest," he commanded quietly. "They are not looking at the woman who fled. They are looking at 'Lady Tsunade,' the hero and the First Hokage's granddaughter."
His purple Rinnegan flickered in her peripheral vision. "You are now a symbol of this village's renewed strength. Do not disappoint them."
His words were like a slap. He was right. This wasn't about her. It was about them.
Tsunade's body trembled, not with fear, but with a sudden surge of pride and anger. She was a Senju. She was Tsunade. She would not be seen cowering.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing down the panic, the grief, and the bitterness. She forcefully suppressed all the negative emotions in her heart, locking them away.
Slowly, Tsunade raised her head. She straightened her back, her entire demeanor shifting in an instant. The defeated gambler vanished, and the legendary Sannin took her place.
She offered a small, stiff wave to the cheering, weeping villagers around her.
"I'm back, everyone," she said, her voice rough but firm.
Boom!
The crowd exploded. The cheer was even more enthusiastic, deafening.
"Lady Tsunade!"
"She spoke!"
"Lady Tsunade!"
"Move! Let me through!"
A small blur of motion pushed frantically through the dense crowd. A little girl with shockingly pink hair and a bright red top burst through the front line, her green eyes wide and sparkling.
She stopped just short of the group, breathing heavily, and looked up at Tsunade with pure, unfiltered adoration.
It was Sakura Haruno.
"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura shouted, her voice trembling with excitement. "My name is Sakura Haruno! I'm... I'm your biggest admirer! My dream is to become a great medical ninja, just like you!"
Stars literally sparkled in Sakura's eyes as she gazed at the woman who was her idol.
Tsunade looked at the girl. She saw the determination, the bright eyes, the... large forehead. For a fleeting, painful moment, she saw a resemblance to herself, all those years ago, full of hope and dreams.
Her heart, which she had thought was stone, stirred slightly.
The stiff, practiced smile on her face became a fraction more genuine, a bit softer.
"Is that so?" Tsunade said, her voice losing its edge. "Then you must work very hard."
"Yes! I will!" Sakura nodded heavily, her small face flushing bright red with excitement and joy.
Naruto, who had been watching the chaos with wide, curious eyes, also came closer. He bounced on his feet, looking Tsunade up and down.
"So, you're the 'Granny Tsunade' that Perverted Sage is always talking about?" he asked, his voice characteristically loud. "Wow, you don't look that old. But you're definitely a granny!"
"Granny...?"
"...Granny?"
A vein instantly bulged on Tsunade's forehead, her brief moment of softness vanishing like smoke.
The crowd noise faded. Her vision narrowed. All her pent-up frustration and humiliation from Akira, from the bet, from the run... it all focused on this one, rude, blonde brat.
She instinctively raised her right hand, chakra already gathering in her knuckles, ready to punch his rude head straight into the ground.
But as soon as she raised her hand halfway, she felt it.
A cold, heavy gaze from beside her. It wasn't a threat. It was a simple, cold fact.
It was Uchiha Akira. Watching her.
Tsunade's hand instantly froze in mid-air.
This... this brat... she realized with dawning horror. He's Akira's disciple. The one he was training.
Damn it!
Tsunade could only, with extreme, agonizing reluctance, lower her hand. Her knuckles were white from clenching her fist.
She couldn't punish the brat, so she turned her fury on the next best target. She whipped her head around and glared fiercely at Jiraiya, who had an "I knew this would happen" expression and was trying to whistle nonchalantly.
"You!" she seethed. "You bastard! You taught him this!"
Jiraiya innocently rubbed his nose, pointedly looking away. "Ah... what? Taught him what? He's just being honest, Tsunade. Kids, you know..."
"You're dead," she mouthed.
Akira looked at the lively, chaotic scene in front of him and stepped forward. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried over the entire crowd.
"Alright. The welcoming ceremony ends here."
"Everyone, please disperse. Lady Tsunade is weary from her travels and has official business to attend to."
The noisy, ecstatic crowd instantly quieted down. The change was jarring.
The villagers looked at the young Fifth Hokage with eyes full of reverence and absolute, unquestioning obedience.
"Yes, Lord Fifth!"
"As you command, Lord Hokage!"
The crowd receded like a tide, parting to create a wide, clear path to the Hokage Tower.
Soon, at the village entrance, only Akira, Tsunade, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Naruto remained.
Akira turned his head, his purple eyes locking onto Tsunade. "Let's go."
"There are some things we need to discuss properly."
With that, he ignored everyone else and began walking, his long white robes sweeping the ground. He walked straight towards the Hokage Building.
Tsunade gritted her teeth, her jaw tight. Silently, fuming, she followed him.
Jiraiya and Shizune also hurried to follow, Jiraiya giving Naruto a quick pat on the head. "Go find your teammates, Naruto. This is business for the grown-ups."
Hokage Office
The vast, circular office was silent. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic, breathtaking view of Konoha, bustling with life.
Akira walked past the desk, not stopping. He stood before the window, looking out at his village.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune stood awkwardly in the center of the room. The silence stretched, thick with tension.
Finally, Akira spoke, his back still to them. "First, welcome home, Tsunade."
Tsunade snorted coldly, crossing her arms. She turned her head away and said nothing, staring at the wall.
"I know you have many grievances," Akira continued, his voice calm and dispassionate. "Many grievances against Konoha."
"Because of the deaths of your brother, Nawaki... and your lover, Dan."
[Inorin's Note: Nawaki was Tsunade's younger brother, and Dan Katō was her fiancé. Both died brutal deaths during the Second Shinobi World War, which was the primary cause of Tsunade's trauma and her departure from Konoha.]
Tsunade flinched, her name-calling causing a physical jolt.
"You were filled with disappointment. You saw their dreams, and their lives, wasted by this village and its wars."
"I can understand all of that."
He turned around slowly. He did not sit. He walked to the desk, but leaned against it, placing him in a position of casual, absolute authority.
"What I want to say is, what's past is past."
Akira looked at Tsunade, his gaze analytical. "People cannot live in the past forever."
"Those people you cherished... they protected this village with their lives. They believed in it."
"And you... you chose to escape. You ran from their memories. You ran from your duty."
"Do you think they would want to see you like this, if they knew in the afterlife? The world's greatest medic, reduced to a wandering, drunken gambler?"
"Shut up!" Tsunade's emotions, so carefully bottled, instantly spiraled out of control.
"SHUT UP! What right do you have?! What right do you have to mention their names?!"
Tsunade's eyes instantly turned red, the grief and rage of decades surging to the surface.
Akira's expression did not change. He was completely unfazed by her outburst, as if he had expected it. Predicted it.
"I know," he continued, his voice dropping, becoming softer, more clinical, "that because of their deaths, you developed severe hemophobia."
[Inorin's Note: Hemophobia is the irrational fear of blood. In Tsunade's case, it's a severe form of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) that causes her to freeze and tremble, rendering her incapable of performing medical ninjutsu.]
Tsunade's rage evaporated, replaced by cold, numbing shock.
"As soon as you see blood... even a small amount... you tremble all over. Your hands lock up. You cannot perform medical ninjutsu. You become... useless."
"He... how... how did he know...?" Tsunade whispered, her voice trembling.
"Only... only a few people know about this..." Her eyes, wide with betrayal, subconsciously darted to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya quickly, and honestly, waved his hands. "Tsunade, I swear, I didn't say anything! I would never!"
Akira watched her shocked expression and continued, his words merciless. "A medical ninja... the greatest medical ninja... who is even afraid of blood."
He shook his head, as if disappointed. "You are indeed useless, in your current state."
"Your choice to leave the village and exile yourself... perhaps it showed some self-awareness. You knew you were broken."
"You...!" Tsunade trembled with pure, unadulterated anger at his merciless, brutal words.
"However..." Akira's tone shifted. The cold, analytical judge was gone.
"From today onwards, this will no longer be a problem."
Saying that, Uchiha Akira reached into a pocket within his formal robes. He took out a small, crystal-clear bottle.
It contained perhaps two ounces of a pale, glowing green liquid.
Uchiha Akira gently placed the bottle on the Hokage's desk and pushed it, sliding it across the polished wood. It stopped directly in front of Tsunade.
"What... What is this?" Tsunade looked at the bottle warily, as if it were a snake. "Poison?"
"Medicine," Akira said indifferently.
"It is a medicine that will cure your hemophobia."
"What?!"
The word was exclaimed by three people at the exact same time: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune.
"Impossible!" Tsunade roared, rejecting it without a second thought. She almost laughed, the sound hysterical.
"Absolutely impossible! Hemophobia is a psychological illness! It is a trauma of the mind! There is no medicine in this world that can cure it at all!"
She herself was the world's top medical ninja. She knew the limits of the human body and mind better than anyone.
Over the years, in secret, she had tried everything. Self-hypnosis. Behavioral therapy. Desensitization.
But every time, the moment she saw red, she was back there... holding Dan's mutilated body, her hands covered in his blood, unable to stop the bleeding...
It always ended in failure.
That fear, that horror, was already deeply imprinted in her soul. It was impossible to eradicate.
And now, this man... this arrogant, cold-hearted Uchiha... took out a small bottle and said he could cure it? Like it was a common cold?
"What kind of international joke is this!" Tsunade's face was a mask of sarcasm and renewed fury.
"Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?! How could I possibly believe such utter, insulting nonsense?!"
He's mocking me, she thought, her hands shaking again. This is just some new, twisted way to humiliate me!
Shizune also looked doubtful, though she was more polite. "Lord Fifth... with all due respect... Lady Tsunade's illness... it's... it's mental. Can it really be cured with medicine?"
Only Jiraiya was silent. He stared at the small, glowing bottle, a deep, thoughtful, and troubled expression on his face. He had seen Akira do things that should have been impossible.
He was the only one in the room who wasn't entirely sure it was a joke.
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