"Hn-hn… hn-hn-hn… hn-hn-hn—HA—HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Uchiha Yorin dropped both blades, clutched his forehead, tipped his head back, and let out a gleeful, feverish, triumphant cackle.
The laugh could not have sounded more like a villain. This time he didn't even need a JoJo pose—anyone who heard it knew exactly how unhinged he was.
Didn't matter—victory is victory. The victor shouldn't be scolded. Besides, there was another reason for that manic laugh: it hurt like hell.
Draining every last drop of chakra and then taking heavy self-damage felt like dating a million yandere landmines—getting wrung dry and then "party-mode" for three days straight.
That kind of exquisite misery—if he didn't cover it with laughter, he'd be bawling like a gremlin with its toe stepped on.
"Yorin…"
"Yorin-kun…"
"Nagato—aaah—!"
The first two were Tsunade and Orochimaru calling to him; the last was Jiraiya crying over his student.
After Nagato's double Shinra Tensei whiffed, all the Pains lost power—completely shut down.
With no opponent left, the Sannin sprinted for Yorin and Nagato's battlefield—and saw this:
A cackling Uchiha, and a collapsed Uzumaki Nagato.
"Yorin-kun's strength… stronger than I expected. Is it that the young advance faster?" Orochimaru couldn't help thinking. He'd never fought Nagato, but Yorin had told him what Nagato could do.
Every jutsu of the Six Paths—Nagato had them, maybe stronger. That alone earned Orochimaru's respect.
And yet—this Nagato had been beaten cleanly, head-on, no suspense—by Yorin.
"Perhaps I should adjust my attitude toward him," Orochimaru thought.
He's pragmatic: wear the pants that fit. He and Yorin have no fundamental conflict; Yorin isn't his target for Living Corpse Reincarnation. So—let things be.
As for Tsunade—her trigger ticked again. Yorin's 25× Thunder–Fire Sword Dance had left Nagato bleeding a lot.
Just as her hemophobia was about to hit, someone went limp against her chest.
Soft and warm—Yorin, naturally.
Strut when it's time to strut; fold when it's time to fold. Teammates were here—no need for the ah-ha-ha anymore.
He let his body go slack and collapsed into Tsunade-nee's arms.
And wow—this felt great. Like falling into a fluffy, cozy heaven; for a second he forgot the pain.
"Yorin-kun?"
A woman of the world like Tsunade isn't fussy about decorum; Yorin really did look one breath from the end. She didn't react like some tsundere idiot princess and punch him across the street. She held him, then began to heal.
With Mystic Palm at full tilt, Yorin's HP spiked. More importantly, cradling a handsome, gentle, adorable—younger—pretty boy, even hemophobic Tsunade flipped a switch—almost like a Mangekyō trigger:
"Don't worry—I won't let you die. I'm healing you now." Her body trembled, but her hands worked steadily.
Of course Yorin noticed. He'd thought winning Tsunade's heart—achieving "Konoha Macron"—would take much longer; but with this opportunity, it looked like the progress bar could jump forward.
If not now, when?
"Tsunade-nee… you're beautiful."
He'd already caught his breath, but he feigned going GG—eyes half-lidded, a tragic-hero smile, hand trembling up to brush her cheek—
"Don't talk. Save your strength." Tsunade was fully in it now; voice shaking, she clasped his hand and pressed it to her face.
Orochimaru's eyes sharpened—he could tell Yorin's physicals were solid; he was already halfway recovered. With Tsunade's timely healing, if they'd tossed him aside, he'd have recovered on his own soon enough.
Orochimaru: "Ahem, ah—"
Uchiha Yorin: "Cough cough cough cough—" He seized the coughing fit to meet Orochimaru's eyes—deal—and Orochimaru promptly looked away, pretending to admire the scenery.
Then Yorin, post-cough, told her, excited and weak: "No, I have to say it—Tsunade-nee, the truth is, for a long, long time, I've admired you!"
Tsunade: "Don't…"
Yorin (smiling): "Your dashing spirit—my heart leapt."
Tsunade (teary): "I said don't…"
Yorin (voice dropping): "I kept it to myself—but if I don't say it now, I may never get the chance."
Tsunade (trembling): "Yorin-kun…"
Yorin (last spark of life): "I like you. Will you go out with me…?"
Tsunade (caught in the moment, shy and sad): "Mm…"
Yorin: "That's… wonderful…"
He let his head loll, eyes close, and went out—and Tsunade's heart shattered. Like losing a brother, a lover, a father—she fell onto his chest, sobbing.
Orochimaru: "…"
"Er, Tsunade."
Even though Minato and Yorin had a deal, he couldn't quite let this pass.
"Is there a chance—just a chance—Yorin-kun only fainted?"
Tsunade: "Huh?"
She blinked—then turned a very dangerous look on him, heat rising. But Orochimaru knew this lady; he pivoted immediately: "Look over there—he's the one really dying."
"Ah—Nagato! You can't—!"
Jiraiya was clutching Nagato's blood-fountaining almost-corpse, wailing.
Yorin had avoided the vitals; Jiraiya kept shoving slugs onto him—but without Tsunade, Nagato would likely die.
Tsunade: "Tch."
~~~
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