บท 71: Tsunade's Rage
A/N: If you want another Double Release, lets get to 500 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Goal: 500 Powerstones.
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Disgust was drawn on Tsunade's face, but only one thought came to mind. "What sort of rotten methods did he use to become 'immortal,' as he claims?" she thought, pressing her lips together. "He reminds me of him. There's never an ethical method of attaining immortality. It always comes at the cost of the lives of others… the lives of innocents."
With effort, she forced herself to tear her gaze away from the stitches and meet Goro's eyes. "I am currently talking with the Takikage of the Hidden Waterfall about political affairs, so I shouldn't get caught up on such details," she reminded herself. "But I don't know if I can trust him after seeing that…"
Goro seemed to sense her hesitation. "The Akatsuki member I killed," he began, his voice steady. "He was from the Hidden Waterfall. He just so happened to have this secret jutsu with him, gatekeeping it for himself. When he died, I extracted the hearts he had used and placed them within myself. I didn't kill innocents. That being said, I do understand it's a gruesome act and may deter you from working with me, but this comes with wanting to be immortal. Sometimes your actions won't be ethical."
Goro's words were calm and calculated, but his thoughts ran deeper. 'They don't need to know the truth.'
Shizune covered her mouth, looking as if she were on the verge of retching. Tsunade, however, kept her face impassive, though a flicker of distaste still crossed her eyes.
"I'm glad you cleared that up," Tsunade replied, her voice measured, "but someone who could do such a thing is someone our village would have to be wary of."
"You're nitpicking," Goro said, his tone casual, but there was a sharp edge to his words.
"No, I'm not," Tsunade countered firmly. "The fact of the matter is that you demonstrate tendencies that do not lead me to believe you're suitable to work with. Anyone that would do anything, regardless of how unethical it is, just to gain power is a wretched person."
Goro remained silent for a moment.
Goro looked at her, his expression unreadable. Finally, he spoke, his voice low but scheming. "You call me wretched, but I came to you first, to make a deal with this village, because I care about it. I'm sure one of the other Five Great Nations would appreciate having our village on their side, for something as simple as a declaration of recognition of my position as Takikage. Especially the Hidden Cloud…"
"Is that a threat?" Tsunade's voice snapped like a whip, anger flaring in her eyes.
"I'm simply stating a fact," Goro replied evenly, meeting her gaze without flinching. "The Hidden Cloud has its problems with the Hidden Leaf. How useful would we be to them? We are right next to the Land of Fire and can provide them with information about the Leaf. Not only that, I'm also a Leaf Shinobi with a lot of knowledge about your village…"
Tsunade's patience shattered. She shot to her feet, her fist crashing down on the desk with a resounding crack. The wooden surface splintered under the force, collapsing in the middle as pieces of debris scattered across the floor.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune called out, her voice edged with worry.
The Anbu immediately pulled out their blades, the sound of steel ringing in the room. But Tsunade raised her hand, a silent command that halted them mid-step. She turned her glare back to Goro, her anger simmering and ready to explode.
"We already offered your village an alliance, despite your treacherous actions! Now you want to exploit us more?" Tsunade's voice shook with barely contained fury.
Goro sighed, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "I'm not exploiting you. It's a request. I've done so much for the village, the least you could do is recognize me as Takikage. I even came to you first, so for you to call me treacherous is insulting. I have to look out for my village too, you know."
Tsunade stood up straight again, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She looked at Goro with loathing. "Leave. Anbu, escort him out."
Goro's gaze hardened slightly as he shifted Sasuke's weight on his shoulder. 'I thought she'd be reasonable.'
"Don't regret this day," he warned, his tone quiet but dangerous.
"Take Sasuke off your shoulder and return the scroll," Tsunade commanded.
Goro glanced down at Sasuke, unconscious. 'He's already unlocked the Mangekyou. He has a ton of potential… I want him to be a part of my village. He'll help bolster our military might.'
Shaking his head, Goro looked back at Tsunade. "I'm sorry, he's too valuable. I also doubt he'd stay here after finding out the village's dark secret. It's best that he stays with me rather than with you."
The Anbu tensed, preparing to move, but before they could react, Goro's form flickered and vanished.
He reappeared on the roof of the building, where his massive water phoenix stood waiting. With a single leap, Goro landed on its back, a slightly disappointed expression on his face, as he gave a command.
"Take us back home," Goro instructed.
The water phoenix screeched in acknowledgment, its wings unfurling as it began to lift off. It flapped its wings, taking off into the air.
Goro looked down, spotting the Anbu rushing out onto the roof below. Tsunade and Shizune emerged shortly after, their eyes locking onto him. 'Damn it, we aren't high enough yet. Just a little more and we'll be out of reach.'
Tsunade wasted no time. She slammed her hand onto the rooftop, a seal spreading out from beneath her palm. With a puff of smoke, the massive form of Katsuyu, the slug summon, materialized.
'Katsuyu… She's going to use her as a way to jump up here…'
He quickly ran through his options, thinking of ways to hold Tsunade back without engaging her directly and causing a conflict between their nations. 'My Ice Dome should be able to hold off any attack she throws…'
Tsunade wasted no time. She leapt onto Katsuyu's back and, with a powerful kick, propelled herself high into the air. Using Katsuyu as a platform, she launched herself straight towards Goro and the water phoenix.
Goro weaved a single hand sign, his chakra flaring as a partial Ice Dome formed below them, blocking off Tsunade's path. Tsunade's chakra-infused fist slammed into the icy barrier, creating cracks that spiderwebbed across the dome before it shattered completely, but the force of her blow was dissipated. Her momentum halted, and she began to plummet back down towards Katsuyu.
'Good... Now isn't the time to engage her in combat. It'll just lead to a ton of issues.'
"Goro!" Tsunade yelled, her voice filled with frustration and desperation.
"Those kids worked so hard," Tsunade thought, her heart aching. "I can't just let Sasuke leave like this!"
Her forehead began to glow, black lines spreading across her skin like roots, extending down her neck and over her arms.
'Hundred Healings Jutsu? This is getting serious… I have no choice, I've got to face her…'
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Reminder: If you want another Double Release, lets get to 500 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Goal: 500 Powerstones.
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