Anya left the Land of the Blacksmiths and climbed onto the Eagle Puppet, making her way back to Konoha. As she soared forward with the wind, a rare sense of longing stirred in her heart.
She had started out driven by desire, never expecting to actually fall in love.
Anya sighed, then felt another wave of anxiety. Back then, she'd agreed to too many things without thinking clearly. She wondered if she really had to carry out everything she'd promised. Fortunately, since the war wasn't over yet, she could put it off for now.
The journey was smooth and uneventful. Anya successfully returned to Konoha's main gate. Just as she folded away her puppet, she spotted a familiar figure approaching from a distance.
As they got closer, he flashed a grin: "Anya, long time no see! Just got back too?"
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama," Anya replied with a smile. Inside, she understood—Konoha must have taken a serious hit from the recent defeat, which was why the Third Hokage had urgently recalled Jiraiya.
After exchanging a few greetings, Jiraiya's expression turned serious. "I only heard that Konoha lost the war. I don't know the details. Tell me everything."
"Alright."
As they walked, Anya recounted every detail of what had happened on the battlefield.
After listening, Jiraiya sighed, "Ah, Tsunade was too impulsive. If you hadn't been recovering at the rear at that time, perhaps you could have persuaded her."
Anya looked puzzled. To be honest, if he had known at the time that Mist's reinforcements were led by two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, he might have made the same decision as Tsunade. The only difference would've been this: instead of ordering a retreat like her, Anya would've fought to the bitter end—even if it meant losing every last ninja in Konoha, wiping out Iwagakure would've been worth it.
Of course, facing Jiraiya, she couldn't possibly say that aloud. Instead, she just smiled and gave a vague response.
After entering Konoha, the two parted ways—Jiraiya went straight to the Hokage's office while Anya headed toward the ninja hospital where Tsunade was stationed.
Silently slipping inside, Anya found that Tsunade wasn't in the medical ward. Instead, Shizune was treating a severely injured Medical Ninja there. Over the years, Shizune had grown a lot, and under Tsunade's guidance, her skills in Medical Ninjutsu had improved rapidly.
But this particular patient was gravely wounded. Even though Shizune was already very skilled, the injured ninja's life was slipping away—just one breath from death.
Watching Shizune refuse to give up and keep pouring chakra into the treatment, Anya stepped forward—not to help, but to interrupt.
Suddenly stopped, Shizune was shocked. Looking up, she gasped in surprise: "Uncle, you..."
Just after she spoke, the patient finally passed away.
Shizune felt extremely sad. Despite all her efforts, she still failed to save him. Unable to hold back her emotions, she turned to Anya with confusion in her eyes and asked, "Uncle, why did you interrupt my treatment? You also know Medical Ninjutsu—maybe together we could've saved him."
Anya ruffled Shizune's hair and said, "If you really wanna be a top-notch medical ninja, then listen up."
Anya pointed at the dead ninja and continued, "We're doctors, not deities. Our job is to heal the wounded and save lives, not bring the dead back. So, you've got to learn how to see beyond life and death. If you can't get that straight, your future as a medic will be a painful one."
Shizune nodded thoughtfully and replied, "I understand."
"Where's Tsunade?"
"After the teacher came back, she went to visit the Hokage, and after that she's been busy nonstop at the hospital. Every day there are so many injured needing treatment. Right now, she should be resting in her room."
"I see. Then let's not disturb her. Take a Military Rations Pill to restore your chakra. Let's move on to the next patient."
Shizune's eyes lit up and she eagerly replied, "Got it!"
As a medical assistant, Shizune was pretty impressive. While helping Anya with treatments, aside from two severely injured ninjas who ended up passing away, all the other patients improved greatly—at the very least, their lives were saved, though they would need long-term recovery.
Watching Anya's healing techniques, Shizune was amazed. In her opinion, only Anya's medical ninjutsu could rival that of her own mentor.
After treating many patients in a row, Anya started to feel a bit tired. He casually sat down nearby, and considerately, Shizune brought him a glass of water.
"Thank you."
Just after taking a couple of sips, a voice filled with quiet resentment sounded by his ear: "So you're back, yet didn't come find me first."
Anya turned his head and saw Tsunade standing by the door unexpectedly. At that moment, her eyes overflowed with mixed emotions—joy, grievance, longing. Although they had only been apart for a short time, to Tsunade, it felt like years. Each day, she threw herself into treating patients to distract herself from the emptiness inside. Now seeing Anya, the emotions she had held back for so long surged forth.
Meeting Tsunade's intense gaze, Anya couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy, then quickly replied with a soothing smile, "I heard from Shizune you've been treating patients nonstop and just rested, so I didn't want to bother you."
"I see," Tsunade seemed satisfied with the explanation. They stood there looking at each other, and the atmosphere became unusually intimate.
Even though Shizune wasn't the quickest to catch on, she could still sense what was going on between them. Suddenly, she felt as bright and out-of-place as a thousand-watt bulb. She was certain now—there was definitely something going on between them. Seriously, someone save me here! Can I just disappear for a while?
Luckily, Anya noticed Shizune's discomfort in time and casually ordered, "Shizune, sort through the patients we've finished treating—they'll need another round of special therapy tomorrow."
That sentence felt like a lifesaver thrown right in time. Shizune jumped up instantly and said, "Okay, I'll do it right away!"
She bolted out of the room in record time, conveniently closing the door behind her.
Now alone in the room, Tsunade stepped forward and simply stood there, silently watching Anya, saying nothing.
Anya reached out and pulled her into his arms, their eyes locking. Yet the difference was evident—Anya's gaze was deep and shining, while Tsunade's eyes glistened as if filled with tears.
There was no need for words now. Anya found her lips and gently kissed her.
*Huu...*
He savored her fragrance delicately as the soft kiss overflowed with tenderness. The world around them fell silent, as if time had frozen still.
After an eternity, their lips finally broke apart.
Anya slowly leaned toward her ear and whispered, "I need you."
A warmth spread across Tsunade's face. Just as she was about to speak, her lips were captured again by two warm ones. She was completely at his mercy, unable to summon even a flicker of strength, left only to surrender to his embrace…
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>