This is almost too easy, Shinnō thought, as he was shown into the Fifth Hokage's ward. He observed the legendary woman's frail form, barely kept alive by respirators. His fingers twitched. It would be only too easy to snap her like a twig, but that would be too easy a death for the beloved leader of the Hidden Leaf, who had destroyed his home so many years ago.
It would be all too simple to snap her neck in her sleep, Shinnō thought.
Yet, he knew he would be struck down within moments if he attempted anything overt. Better to wait and see, he told himself. Once he had cured the Hokage's condition, the Hidden Leaf would surely be overwhelmed with gratitude, allowing him to worm his way deeper into the villagers' trust and to gain the kind of access to the village's facilities that would let him map its defences.
It was a small regret, he thought, that he must revive the enemy's mightiest fighter before the assault even began... but whether Senju Tsunade stood against him at the height of her powers or lay cold and broken in a body bag mattered little in the end.
The Zero-Tails that powered the Land of Sky's ultimate weapon gorged itself on the dark stirrings of the human heart, and once he revealed that the saviour who had cured the Hokage was none other than the leader of the Land of Sky's shattered remnants, come at last to claim revenge… the Ancor Vantian— the proud flying fortress— would be charged to bursting and rain down retribution upon the Hidden Leaf.
"What do you think, Shinnō-sensei?" asked the hospital director, nervously mopping his brow. "Can the Fifth Hokage be saved?"
Shinnō looked at the hopeful faces staring back at him. His gullible disciple, the hospital director, two masked ANBU operatives, the three kids who'd sought him out, a small army of medics…
"Her condition is admittedly severe, but I remain optimistic," said Shinnō, with clinical detachment. "Young Sakura-kun here has already done admirable work removing the toxins from the patient's tissues, leaving only the task of restoring her damaged cells— without, of course, shocking her system and inviting total organ failure. A delicate procedure," he went on, in the same kind of tone Sakura might use when chatting about the weather with a neighbour, "which I shall be handling alone."
Sakura's eyes turned scarlet, three tomoe spinning into being in her irises before locking into orbit around each of her deep black pupils. She examined Shinnō-sensei's burly outline. Observing the subtle shifts of his body under his thick clothes, her Dōsatsugan's insight revealed that the good doctor was actually much more muscular than he let on.
"I can't tell what it is, but I just know there's something wrong with that guy," Naruto grumbled, his voice low enough that only Sasuke could hear. "I don't like him at all, you know…"
Naruto had already noticed Amaru's infatuation with Shinnō, her master. While he didn't personally have anything against two blokes being together, he couldn't help finding the age gap between them a little too large. And now, with his beloved Sakura seemingly transfixed by the old man, he was inventing all sorts of reasons to despise him!
"Hmph," Sasuke grunted, his arms folded in front of him. "You might be onto something."
In reality, Sakura was not using her Sharingan for lustful purposes, but to scan Shinnō's body, attempting to discover where he was hiding the secret scroll Tenten had mentioned. She really wasn't interested in otters or bears, to be honest— leaving women aside, her type in men was anything Sasuke-adjacent: twinks and femboys…
…like Haku.
"All right, everyone clear out!" shouted the hospital director. "Let's give Shinnō-sensei some space to operate!"
The doctors streamed out one by one, disappointed that they would not be able to witness the doctor's divine medical arts firsthand, followed by the ninja. The hospital director closed the door behind him, leaving Tsunade alone with Shinnō, and the two ANBU operatives took up positions outside the room, barring anyone from entering.
"Granny Tsunade…" Naruto said forlornly, glancing mournfully at the door.
"Let's leave the professionals to their jobs, 'kay?" said Sakura gently, patting him on the shoulder as they walked down the stairs to the exit. "How about some ramen to cheer us up, huh?"
For once, Naruto didn't feel very hungry. He'd heard from the others that Team 10's Jōnin-sensei had died protecting the Hokage.
"I'm not really hungry right now," he said moodily.
The date of Asuma's funeral hadn't been announced yet, as the Sarutobi clan was still waiting to see if Tsunade would pull through; if she did, they could put on his gravestone that Asuma had died a hero. It would be the highlight of his career!
Plip.
Sakura had forgotten to turn off her Sharingan; in slow motion, she saw a droplet of blood drip from Naruto's bandaged right hand and splash against the linoleum floor. Noticing Sakura's gaze, Naruto swiftly hid his right arm behind his back.
"Actually, I'm starting to feel a little hungry!" Naruto said with forced enthusiasm. "I forgot I left some Ichiraku takeaway in the fridge from before our mission, so I should probably get started on it before it walks off on its own, haha!"
Sakura frowned. While it was possible to order ramen for takeaway— as long as the noodles were packed separately from the broth to prevent them turning into a mushy mess— she had never known Naruto to fail finishing a bowl of ramen. Just as he turned to leave, she darted forwards and grabbed his wrist, wrenching it behind his back.
"Ouch!" Naruto yelped. "What gives, Sakura-chan!?"
Although he sometimes missed the physical reprimands Sakura used to dish out back when they were still students at the academy, he had grown accustomed to her laughing off things that would previously have earned him a smack. This timeline's Naruto was no longer so starved for attention that he would ask for seconds when struck, so he was genuinely surprised when Sakura twisted his arm.
"When exactly were you planning on telling someone about this, Naruto?" said Sakura icily.
She pulled at the bandage wrapped around his hand, and it came undone, revealing a bloody mess of yellow pus oozing from raw, inflamed skin.
Naruto looked away, guilt written across his face. He knew Sakura had warned him not to use the Rasenshuriken carelessly, but he had gone ahead anyway. Accustomed to his wounds healing quickly on their own, he hadn't told anyone, and obviously, the injury had festered…