Tsunade was kicked into the wall and the entire room quaked. The sake bottle flew from her hand and landed nearby.
Shizune had rushed towards Tsunade's side and glared at Ryuzaki only for Tsunade to instantly pull her hand.
"Lady Tsunade?"
"What are you jumping about for? Do I look hurt?" Tsunade reprimanded Shizune calmly as she sat up, as if her previous tipsy state was an illusion, "We always greet each other like this. Now go practice your Chakra control. You wouldn't want to do badly in the academy, right?"
Shizune quickly shook her head and bolted inside. How silly she was to think Lady Tsunade was physically hurt. She could break walls with a single punch! Shizune had seen it personally.
She wondered if all Lady Tsunade's friends were weirdos like the white-haired man from a few months ago.
As Shizune bolted inside, Ryuzaki's face twisted into amusement. He walked towards the calm Tsunade and towered over her 5'4 frame. He raised his pale hand and with his slender fingers stroked Tsunade's soft face. The distance between them was barely an inch, their breaths colliding mid-air. His hand slowly lowered to the side of her stomach where he had kicked her. A green glow erupted from his palm.
It was the Mystical Palm Jutsu, an A-ranked Medical Jutsu.
"Try acting clever in front of me next time and you won't like the result."
Tsunade lowered her head. She didn't dare glare at him but her clenched fists told her emotional turbulence.
When had the headstrong Tsunade ever been treated like this?
The shock from seeing him master her Super Strength and Mystical Palm Jutsu. The disgust from his hand that freely moved around her body. The fear for Shizune who was innocently practising next door.
All these emotional states forced Tsunade into a quagmire. Her eyes reddened as she swallowed the disgust, went numb to the shock and forced the fear away. She lifted her head and stared intently at Ryuzaki.
"Who are you?" She couldn't help but ask again.
She had initially assumed he had acted against her because of hatred towards Konoha for the betrayal but inconsistencies began popping up in her mind. Was he truly an Uzumaki? Besides her own preconceived notions, she couldn't sense a hint of hatred in his actions.
If there was anything she could sense it was… contempt.
Contempt for everything around him.
"I'm not an Uzumaki…" he paused, "But as I said, you need not know what you shouldn't know. A slave should know its place." Ryuzaki smiled as he removed his hand from her waist and cupped her fair and soft cheek. His thumb traced against her plump, moist lips. Tsunade shuddered. Her heart began pounding against her chest.
No… it can't be. I…
As Ryuzaki began to lean in Tsunade's expression turned blank. It was as if she were trying to escape from reality. Because she knew…
She knew she couldn't resist if that were his intention.
But much to her surprise he hadn't leaned in to kiss her. His face went past hers and he inhaled the scent around her neck.
"How lovely…" his quiet whisper jolted Tsunade back to reality, "Clean this room up, I'm going to make some dinner. We'll be busy from tomorrow."
Tsunade quickly pushed him away, panting with anxiety. He had the thoughts! His eyes were devouring her like prey but for some reason, he had restrained himself.
Though overjoyed, Tsunade was puzzled. What had made him stop?
Her eyes involuntarily swept towards the locked room and Shizune's face popped up in her mind.
Could it be…?
Was the warmth and gentleness he'd shown Shizune not an act?
Tsunade's mind churned with thoughts as she mechanically began cleaning the dirty room, her eyes occasionally drifting towards the mysterious man in the kitchen.
…
"Wow! This smells so good! I thought we'd go out to eat again!" Shizune chirped as she looked at the odd dishes in front of her with curiosity.
"When's the last time you had home-cooked food?" Ryuzaki couldn't help but ask though he regretted it the moment he saw her gloomy expression.
"I don't remember. I've been travelling with Lady Tsunade since I was three years old."
Tsunade lowered her head.
"Well, that's fine. I'll be staying with you from now on. I'll cook for you whenever you want." Ryuzaki smiled warmly while patting her head.
"Really mister!?" Shizune was very surprised today. Not only was Lady Tsunade not drinking but she was usually quiet and the room was so clean! "Can I know your name?"
"Ryuzaki. I don't have a surname."
"Really!? Why?"
"I don't know, I'd have to ask my parents for that."
"Oh… can I call you Ryuzak-nii-san?"
"Of course."
Ryuzaki pushed forward two bowls of food as Shizune grabbed them with delight and began eating.
"Will you be coming back to Konoha with us, Ryuzaki-nii-san?"
"Well of course, I've been longing to see the mighty Konoha myself. I've heard it's the strongest Ninja Village."
"Yes! It's also thanks to Tsunade-sama. Her Medical Ninjutsu saves a lot of lives!" Shizune beamed proudly and Ryuzaki chuckled.
"Does Shizune want to become a Medical Ninja too?"
"Yeah!" Shizune nodded excitedly, "Lady Tsunade said I have good talent. I can definitely help her save people."
"How kind," Ryuzaki praised, stroking her head.
Shizune didn't say it but the sudden warmth from Ryuzaki had made her heart flutter with joy. While she didn't mind Lady Tsunade and treated her like family, being with her was exhausting considering she was always drinking or gambling, hardly acting like a proper adult unless she was teaching her.
Tsunade looked at the happy Shizune and felt her heart wrench. This man clearly had no good intentions. If he continued treating her so lovingly and later betrayed her she wouldn't be able to handle it. Ryuzaki's arrival was like filling the void Dan Kato's death had left behind for Shizune.
If only… if only her own void…
With a sigh of frustration, she began eating her own food. She knew better than to act rebelliously now. Since they'd be returning to Konoha for Shizune's enrollment into the Ninja Academy she could only hope to find a path to escape in Konoha.
…
The morning brought the melodious chirping of birds.
Pure golden sunlight streamed into the room with illuminating the residents inside. Tsunade's eyelids fluttered open with a slight headache. After dinner, she had been drinking again.
Shizune had slept in her own room while Ryuzaki forced himself inside her own room and kicked her out. Tsunade snorted coldly, it wasn't like she was dying to sleep in the same room as him.
"Shizune! Shizune wake up! We're returning to Konoha today!"
"Yes~ Lady Tsunade!" Shizune yawned before getting dressed, "Where's Ryuzaki-nii?"
Her familiar address made Tsunade's lips twitch.
"I… I'll go wake him up." Tsunade shook her head and walked towards her own room with slight apprehension.
She didn't know why she felt afraid all of a sudden.
She entered the room and noticed Ryuzaki, half-naked, standing by the window. Turns out he wasn't as frail as he seemed beneath the robe he usually wore. Tsunade was about to call out to him when she noticed the melancholic expression on his face.
Is he sad?
To Tsunade who had accepted her fate any new information about Ryuzaki was interesting and necessary.
As if sensing her presence, the melancholic expression shifted into indifference. As he turned towards her Tsunade's face twisted into surprise, "You… you've mastered the Yin-Seal?"
The black diamond adorning his forehead answered her own question.
"Is it surprising?"
"We're leaving for Konoha. Get ready."
With no further intention of prolonging the conversation, Tsunade turned around, attempting to leave.
"You!"
Tsunade froze in place, facing the door. The seal inside her heart had activated without a hint. Her movement froze as did her Chakra control.
Tsunade gritted her teeth, the only action she could attempt. Footsteps echoed behind her and a moment later Tsunade could sense Ryuzaki standing just behind her. She cursed her weakness as she felt Ryuzaki place his hands on her waist.
His chin rested on her shoulder, his nasal breath gently tickling her as he turned to face her, "Has the prospect of returning to Konoha ignited hope in your heart?"
Tsunade's heart began racing, pounding against her chest furiously. Her face remained wooden due to the seal. "You shouldn't cling to such desires, one mistake and…"
He gestured towards the door, as if pointing to something behind it. The hatred in Tsunade's heart raged like a storm. Was everything yesterday just an act? Tsunade didn't dare gamble.
Ryuzaki flipped her around, slamming her against the wall. He brought his face close to hers, curiously assessing the myriad emotions swirling inside her eyes. His face went past hers once again, warmth trickling against her ears.
"You're such a tragic figure…" the devil whispered, "You've always lost in gambling but your Grandfather died as soon as you won against him. Perhaps that was your first win and your first regret. Later your last remaining elder was forced to end their life early on, just to pass the Jinchuriki position to another. Now, all that was left was your brother. Your lovely little brother was your whole world. But he too passed away tragically, blown to bits by a single explosion tag. You tried your best to move on, climbed back from despair entrusting your hopes to another man, someone who had broken through your cold heart yet only a year later…"
He paused, noticing the tears streaming down the figure whose face was frozen like wood. He undid the seal but Tsunade remained still like a statue. Memories she had been trying to forget had been brutally reopened. The wounds of her heart pierced again and again.
"Why… why me?" Tsunade's lips quivered as she stared at Ryuzaki with a blank expression, "Why is it that everyone I've cared about has left me?" Ryuzaki could sense her emotions, emotions that he had forcibly drawn out.
She wanted to vent, needed to vent.
"My childhood was carefree! I had the love of my parents and the doting affection of my grandparents. When I was four, my grandfather passed away. That was the first time I ever cried!" Her hands shot towards his chest, clenching the skin in her hands, leaving bloody gashes across his chest, "In the years that followed, my father, mother, and grandmother all died. I grew numb to loss. But I had a younger brother, and I poured all my love into him. A few years ago, he died too, leaving me all alone in this world!"
"Just a year ago, my lover died as well," she slurred, her hands trembling, "Tell me... am I a curse? Everyone I've ever cared about has died… and now I've become a slave to some guy with malicious intentions! Tell me! Tell me why me!!!"
Speaking those words, the grief that Tsunade had suppressed for so long finally erupted uncontrollably. She gripped Ryuzaki's arms tightly and buried her face in his chest. In an instant, her sorrow transformed into tears that streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed like a child.
The fate of becoming a slave had been the last straw, causing her to finally break down.
"W-Why… why can't it be me who dies?"
Ryuzaki remained silent listening to her whisper.
Tsunade wept continuously, as if to release all the pent-up resentment and sorrow of the past 28 years.
Tsunade—a woman who had spent her entire life enduring the pain of losing those she loved. As a child, she lost her parents and grandfather. As she grew older, she lost her grandmother, younger brother, and lover.
Later still, she lost Jiraiya, who had loved her all his life.
Her life had been defined by loss.
And right now, this young woman had transformed into someone who was numbing herself with gambling and alcohol.
A doctor who feared blood.
What could be more tragic than this?
"Sigh…"
A heavy sigh escaped Ryuzaki's lips.
He forcefully gripped her hands and tore them away from his chest. The wounds on his chest, being simple scratches, healed instantly.
He clamped both of Tsunade's hands above her head and using his other hand forced her chin up, gazing directly into her despair-stricken eyes filled with hatred towards him and herself.
"Humans often lament the past. Some move forward and some break down. The difference between the two lay in a single fate. A fate that carries hope. Even if I've enslaved you today it doesn't stop me from giving you hope for tomorrow…" Ryuzaki leaned forward, his grip on her chin becoming tighter, "I can revive Nawaki."
The words hit her like a thunderclap. Tsunade trembled in disbelief as her eyes turned blank. Yet Ryuzaki could see the faint light flickering in the darkness.
"Don't fuck with me!" Tsunade snarled, her heart threatening to leap out of her chest.
"I can revive Nawaki. A true resurrection, nothing like the sham Impure World Reincarnation of Tobirama Senju, your granduncle," he repeated and this time Tsunade stopped struggling.
"Please…" Tsunade whispered, "Please don't give me… false hope…"
"As long as you submit to me I will revive Nawaki." He repeated.