Chapter 431 – Welcome back Tsunade 02

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the Gamer. Please support the official release.

As the three shinobi moved to the hidden path that led to the deeper floors of the tower, Hiruzen formed a subtle handseal with one hand and formed a mental connection with his predecessor.

—- Elsewhere—- Mountainside—

A masked Anbu ninja moved swiftly and silently through the forest. The target in front of him stumbled backward, blood already staining his clothes and his eyes were wide with terror.

Aoi Rokushō, a former ninja of the Hidden Leaf.

"P-please—! I was… wrong. Spare me!" Aoi gasped, hands shaking as he tried to form a seal. But it was futile. His chakra reserves had already been depleted in the battle a few minutes ago.

The masked Tobirama felt no mercy as he stood over the former Leaf ninja with his famous sword returned to his hand. The Sword of the Thunder God was lit with powerful yellow lightning energy now that it was back in the hands of its creator.

"You stole it, betrayed the village," Tobirama said coldly, voice barely above a whisper. "And you thought you could run forever?"

Aoi Rokushō coughed weakly and his eyes wide with disbelief. "H-How…?" he rasped. "That sword… is supposed to be mine now… I was… supposed to be-"

But at that moment, his chest wounds tore open deeper and a large amount of blood spurt from his body. Feeling his last bit of strength vanishing, Aoi Rokushō's body hit the ground with a dull thud. "Invin…cible…"

Blood began to spread quickly across the stone floor beneath him as his eyes lost their life.

Tobirama ceased his killing intent and composed himself. He looked at the sword in his hand and nodded to himself in satisfaction. 'Another loose end tied up.'

Just then he felt the Third Hokage's voice in his mind. 'I just received news from the medics. Tsunade is waking up. Please join us in the treatment room if you can.'

Tobirama's eyes narrowed. 'Yes. I'll be there shortly.'

The disguised Second Hokage replied with a short answer and looked at the corpse below him. He made a couple of hand seals and the next moment, dark blue flames completely covered the dead body. In seconds, the flames reduced it to a small pile of ash.

Seeing his work done, Tobirama vanished from the forest.

—-

The medical lab beneath the Hokage Tower was lit in soft, steady light. Monitors hummed softly. Chakra seals glowed faintly on the walls. On the central bed lay Tsunade, her blonde hair spread out over the pillow, her face looked relaxed and peaceful.

Daichi and Shizune stood on either side of her bed and constantly checked her vitals.

Suddenly Tsunade's fingers twitched.

Daichi's eyes slightly narrowed as his senses alerted him of the change. "Her chakra flow is rising," He said quietly.

Shizune swallowed as she looked at her teacher. "Lady Tsunade…"

At that moment the door opened and several footsteps came towards them. Hiruzen and Jiraiya stepped closer while Genma stayed near the entrance. "How is she?" Hiruzen asked immediately.

"Her chakra is normal and brain activity spiked a few minutes ago." Shizune replied with a small smile.

"Her neural patterns shifted from a deep coma to natural sleep around 5 hours ago. And now… Well, she's walking up a little earlier than I expected." Daichi didn't look away from the monitors.

Suddenly a familiar masked Anbu appeared in the room and his eyes were instantly fixed on the blonde sleeping Sannin. Hiruzen and Jiraiya gave the disguised Tobirama a nod of acknowledgement before focusing their attention back on the sleeping patient.

Just then Tsunade's fingers twitched again. Jiraiya and Hiruzen froze.

Another twitch came seconds later. Moments after that her eyelids slowly fluttered.

Hiruzen and Jiraiya leaned forward slightly, face tense and holding their breaths.

Daichi saw eye movements behind the closed eye lids. 'This is it.'

Her eyelashes trembled again. This time, slowly, her eyes opened—unfocused at first, then gradually sharpening. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, as if unsure of what she was seeing. "W-wha…"

Shizune leaned in, voice shaky. "L- Lady Tsunade, can you hear me?"

Tsunade's gaze drifted sideways. Her eyes landed on Shizune's face and her pupils dilated in recognition.

For a heartbeat, there was nothing. Then her lips moved. "Shi… Shizune…?"

Shizune's composure shattered. "Yes!" she cried, voice cracking. "You're awake… Oh my god you're awake…" Shizune didn't even try to hold it in. Tears broke free immediately. She lunged forward and hugged Tsunade, pressing her face into her shoulder.

Tsunade blinked, confused for a second, then her hand lifted slowly and rested against Shizune's back. "I'm glad you're alright Shizune."

Hearing that, Shizune smiled with tears in her eyes. "I should be saying that to you my lady."

'She's finally awake. Thank god.' Seeing his teacher awake and healthy, Daichi felt something in his chest loosen—a knot he hadn't realized he'd been carrying since the day he learned Tsunade had been taken by Orochimaru.

Nearby, there was a big smile on Jiraiya's face and Hiruzen's eyes slightly glistened but he held himself still, composed.

Tsunade moved her eyes from the crying Shizune to Daichi standing on the other side of her bed. The blonde looked at her apprentice and smiled. "You look taller than I remember."

Daichi smirked. "Well… It's been a year. And I am a growing boy after all."

The blonde Sannin deadpanned. "And still as smug as I remember too." Then she gave him a soft smile as her eyes shifted to Shizune for a moment. "Thank you."

Daichi immediately understood what she was referring to. She was thanking him for saving Shizune's life. "Don't mention it." 'Even with your life on the line you were still more worried about her. Well, then again, you wouldn't be you otherwise.'

Suddenly Tsunade's face shifted to one of alarm and anger. "Wait. Where's Orochimaru? What happened?"

Shizune pulled back and gave a gentle pat on her teacher's back. "It's alright my lady. He's gone."

"You don't need to worry about him. Just get your rest."

Tsunade recognized the familiar sound and looked at the speaker in surprise. "Jiraiya?"

The Toad sage came closer and gave her a big smile. "Welcome back to the land of the living, princess. That was quite the nap you took."

"Yes. You gave us quite a scare there Tsunade."

The blonde Sannin shifted her eyes from her former teammate to the Hokage. "Sensei." She looked around and immediately understood that she was back in the village.

She sighed and looked at her teacher. "You know, this isn't how I pictured my return to this village would go."

Hiruzen sighed and nodded. "I doubt any of us expected anything like this to happen. But regardless, you're back, safe… Welcome home Tsunade."

The Sannin looked at everyone and finally smiled again.

"How do you feel?" Shizune asked her teacher as she examined her.

Tsunade was silent for a few seconds before she gave her reply. "I feel really good. But I'm annoyed too."

Jiraiya snorted but there was a big smile on his face. "Yeah, that sounds like you."

Hiruzen stepped a little closer, hands folded behind his back. "Seeing you awake… I can finally breathe a little easier."

Tsunade studied him for a moment, then sighed. "You look a lot older than I remember, sensei."

He chuckled quietly. "You have no idea."

Her eyes moved again, finally settling on Daichi. She looked at him longer this time, properly seeing him. 'So this is how things turned out…' "You," she said. "You're the reason I'm still here, aren't you?"

Daichi didn't deny it. "I helped," he replied simply. "A lot of people did."

Tsunade huffed. "Modest. That's new." But a smile formed on her face. "You've grown."

Daichi smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

For a few seconds, the room was quiet. Then Tsunade's hand lifted, fingers curling around one of the cables attached to her arm.

Shizune noticed immediately. "W-wait, My lady—!"

With a sharp tug, Tsunade pulled the wire free.

"Ah, w-we still need to monitor you for a while, Lady Tsunade," Shizune said quickly in alarm. "Your body went through a huge strain and even if the tests look good, sudden movement might—"

Tsunade had already started sitting up.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya barked. "Hey—hey, take it easy! You've been out cold for days. At least stay in bed for today."

"I'm fine," she replied automatically.

"Lady Tsunade—!" Shizune squeaked.

Hiruzen and Daichi sighed at her antics and stayed silent. They knew protest was just a waste of breath.

Tsunade pulled the wires attached to her one after another and the monitors beeped in protest.

As soon as she was free, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. The moment her feet touched the floor, she froze. Her fists clenched slowly at her sides.

'…This feels different.'

Jiraiya watched her face shift from the casual irritation into something else. Her hands curled slowly into fists, fingers flexing, knuckles whitening for a moment.

"…Huh," she said under her breath.

Jiraiya and Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "What is it, Tsunade? Is something wrong?"

Tsunade didn't answer immediately. She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath and let her focus sink inward. 'Chakra network… no tearing or mutation. No stagnation and the flow is… much stronger.'

She followed the familiar pathways inside her body, sensing the coils she'd mapped a thousand times before—only now, everything felt different. 'My chakra feels... It's much much stronger and my reserves are… much higher… But everything feels normal. I can't detect any anomalies… This feeling. It's like I'm at my best… No. More than that.'

The instant she focused, her chakra surged forth like a tidal wave filling the room. Jiraiya, Hiruzen and everyone else felt the vast chakra rolling off the Sannin and they were shocked.

Tobirama who was quietly standing in the back felt the power radiating from his grand niece. 'Looks like her chakra and vitality has had a significant boost. Her chakra reserves are almost at my level now. And it will only grow with time... She may not reach elder brother's monstrous level but she will be considerably stronger than maybe anyone alive.'

Tsunade opened her eyes. She flexed her fingers and then clenched her fists again. She took a careful step forward and then another. She walked out of the small isolation chamber and observed the room. She rolled her shoulders once, testing her range of motion, then finally turned back to face the room.

"Tsunade," Jiraiya said, frowning. "You should lie back down. At least for a day. You just woke up from a coma."

She glanced over at him. "Since when did you turn into such a nag?" she asked.

Seeing that she was not going to take the advice, Jiraiya groaned tiredly. 'Why do I even bother.' "And you medics have the gall to complain when we leave early." He mumbled crossing his arms.

But Jiraiya looked at her and knew she wouldn't do anything that would be detrimental to her health in her current situation. 'Since Daichi and Shizune said her body had healed, I guess there's no point in keeping her here.'

Hiruzen at this time glanced at Tobirama who was standing in the corner of the room. 'Looks like he's waiting for a more appropriate time to reveal himself.'

At this moment several notifications appeared in front of Daichi and took his attention.

[Quest 'Awaken the Slug Sannin' Complete]

.

[Status: Perfect Completion.]

[Completion Type: Bonus Condition Achieved.]

[Result: Stable Metamorphosis Achieved. Zero Sequelae.]

.

[Rewards]

[Exp. 376000]

[Exp. 56400]

['Health Manipulation Skill' Level increased to Level 50.]

[Title 'Mighty Healer' Evolved to 'Supreme Healer'. Title effects are improved appropriately.]

[25 Stat Points]

[5 Special Stat Points]

[Skill Upgrade: 'Mana Spirit Link']

[New skill: Advanced Chakra-Genetic Integration.]

[New skill: Dual Will Harmonization] x 3.

[Reputation massively increases with Shizune, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Genma and Hiruzen]

[Reputation increases with the medics of the Leaf village.]

[Reputation increases with Tobirama Senju and other Leaf shinobi.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Daichi looked at the rewards and was stunned. These were some of the biggest rewards he had from a quest till now. 'Holy shit. That's a shit ton of experience points. And 30 stat points along with skill level up, upgrade and even some new skills. That's a very generous reward.'

But then Daichi thought about the conditions needed for him to complete this particular task. 'Well, it makes sense. The conditions and failure part of this quest were pretty harsh. So it makes sense the rewards would be equally generous..'

Daichi looked over to Tsunade who was still in the middle of examining her vitals and chakra. 'Not now. I'll check the details of the rewards once I get home.'

On the other side of the room, Tsunade placed her palms on her chest and they started glowing green. She quickly assessed the state of her body and nodded to herself. "I feel good. Really good. No injuries or hidden wounds. I'm better than… Ever really."

Her expression shifted and she became slightly serious. She looked at Jiraiya and Shizune. Then at Hiruzen and Daichi.

"…So start talking. What happened?" Tsunade said.

The room tensed slightly and the people glanced at each other.

"I want to know what happened," she repeated. "While I was out. To me. To Orochimaru. Everything."

Her eyes lingered on Hiruzen last. "And I want the truth."

The Third Hokage sighed. 'I expected to wait a couple of days before telling her but I suppose there's no need to delay this.'

Hiruzen finally agreed. "Fine. I'll tell you everything. Get changed and meet us at the office. You too Shizune, Daichi." He turned to the Special Jonin standing near the door. "You're dismissed for the day Genma."

The Jonin nodded his head and soon left the room.

Hiruzen turned to look at the white haired man beside him. "Let's give them their space, Jiraiya."

"Right."

As they moved to leave the room, Daichi came near the disguised Tobirama. The masked Hokage was about to leave but stopped seeing the boy approach him.

"Do you need something?" Tobirama asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes. Now that the crisis has passed, I have a request."

Seeing the unusually serious tone in the boy's voice, Tobirama was intrigued. "What is it?"

Daichi was silent for a few moments before he composed his thoughts and looked at the kage in his eyes. "I request a one-on-one combat with you."

Tobirama held the same posture and expression but Hiruzen and Jiraiya who were nearby within ear shot heard the request and almost choked on their spit.

Daichi continued. "I get the feeling that you're not planning to stay like this forever. So after you've spoken with her, I want to fight you. Before you disappear."

Tobirama looked at the boy's face and knew he wasn't asking for some sparring match or a casual fight. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

Daichi's instant answer satisfied the Hokage. He nodded his head and agreed. "Very well. You'll get your wish." With that he turned around and left the room with the Third Hokage and the Toad Sage.

"Thank you." Daichi whispered as he looked at the empty space. 'Now I'll be able to experience it. The fighting power of someone who lived through the warring era. Someone who fought Madara Uchiha and fought alongside the First Hokage.'

"Who was that?" Came Tsunade's voice from behind.

"You'll know soon enough." He turned and looked at his teacher with a big smile. "Glad to have you home sensei."

"Its good to be back." Tsunade spoke with relief in her voice.

Author's note:

If you enjoy my story then please take a moment to review and rate. A thumbs up always helps.

And if you are interested in reading ahead, then check out my

site. I’ve uploaded up to 30 additional chapters there…

https://www..com/MonkWithAPen