Konoha Hospital.
"That was truly overdoing it…Isamu Sensei." In the private ward at the top floor of the hospital, on three beds lay Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, the former two heavily bandaged and the later not as much but completely silent.
The medic shinobi who treated the three and learned what happened gave Isamu a white eye who just gave a harmless smile in response, her shaking her head walking out of the ward and leaving Isamu for some alone time with the three.
Isamu with a calm look on his face walked to the window of the ward and gazed outside, overlooking the bustling village. Orochimaru still motionless with his head down but eyes of Tsunade and Jiraiya containing some dissatisfaction in them following Isamu.
"Do you think I went overboard and you three deserve an apology?" Asked Isamu with his gaze still fixed on the village outside the window.
"Isn't that obvious?" Muttered Jiraiya in a low voice as he couldn't understand why their jonin instructor, someone supposed to guide them would make them go through something so horrifying.
Tsunade seemed to have a similar opinion as from her birth to present she had never experienced what she had a few hours earlier. That moment when Orochimaru walked step by step towards her to take her life, it gave her chills even now, her hair standing up.
"I'm sorry Isamu-Sensei, I'm sorry for saying you had nothing to teach us." But when Orochimaru spoke finally, his words confusing both Tsunade and Jiraiya as among the three of them Orochimaru clearly suffered the most mentally due to Isamu's prank.
"What are you saying Orochimaru?" Asked Jiraiya with a hint of anger in his tone, unable to understand the logic behind his words though Isamu smiling with bright eyes.
Orochimaru ignored Jiraiya's question and with some difficulty got up from the bed and stood up, bowing in the direction of Isamu.
"Thank You Isamu-Sensei. Now I know what lies ahead in my life as a shinobi, you showed me how what I encountered today could really happen. Thanks for making me understand my weakness and how I need to get stronger."
Orochimaru's words were clear without a hint of dissatisfaction and only pure gratitude, in his yellow vertical pupil's determination and a clear path.
Orochimaru's words hit both Tsunade and Jiraiya like a bomb, their eyes widening and the anger and dissatisfaction for Isamu disappearing immediately.
The realization hit them deep, yes, what if what they encountered today had been real, what would they have done in that case? Isamu had taught them a lession which most shinobi learn after losing someone important.
"Thank You, Isamu Sensei." Both didn't hesitate for a second to bow their head and express their gratitude for him.
At their words Isamu finally turned around and fixed his eyes on the trio. "Never forget the despair you felt today and never forget how someone had put your lives above his own and had decided to die along."
"That thought would be enough for you to act as a team, now rest well and we'll start taking missions officially when you get better."
Swish!
Saying that Isamu flashed out of the window and disappeared, leaving the three alone in the ward.
Isamu's last words lingered in the heads of Tsunade and Jiraiya, the later finally showing a soft look as he gazed at Orochimaru, a bond between the three establishing.
---------------------------
Year 1480, Calm Belt.
At the shore,
Water Style! Water Dragon Jutsu!!
ROAR!!!
As Isamu completed the hand signs, the sea water before him began to bubble and shot towards the sky, condensing into a huge blue dragon, about twenty meters in height, tall and majestic. Isamu admired the dragon before him for a while, then making a hand seal as the dragon dissolving back into water and tumbling down.
It has been a month since Isamu became a jonin instructor and two months since he awakened the crossgate seal which changed his life trajectory completely. In the last month Isamu led Tsunade and co who had accepted him completely to do some D-Rank tasks, no real tasks for now.
In this month he also made time to visit Sumire in the academy, going out on three dates with her and now both open enough to hold hands, kiss and flirt with each other.
The girls in shinobi world seemed to be somewhat similar to girls from japan in earth and they had to formally ask each other out to start dating. Isamu who never beat around the bush planning to do it soon. Though there was one thing that bothered Isamu and he couldn't think of a perfect solution no matter how much he thought about it.
With them formally dating it would soon come to the point when they would live together as both were adults and needed each other. But any sane girl no matter how much she was in love would find it odd and suspicious if her boyfriend disappeared from time to time.
Isamu had a zero tolerance policy on revealing the secret of crossgate seal. It was not that he didn't trust her but such a shocking truth where someone like Sage of Six Paths still watched over from the shadows, he didn't want to risk anything.
For a while maybe he could refuse to live together by making excuses but eventually he had to face the reality. Relationships required mutual effort and he couldn't just ignore the needs of the other party due to his own selfishness.
Of course there was an option of not dating at all but Isamu knew it was too late for that. He wasn't so mad in love with Sumire or anything but he still liked her presence and always found himself relaxed around her, not weighed down by constant thoughts of getting stronger and facing the terrible future enemies.
"Sigh…I'm really a scumbag." Sighed Isamu as he tagged himself as a bad person. The best thing in current position to do was to stop immediately as he would only hurt Sumire more in the future than he will now but his own selfishness stopped him from doing so.
Of course Isamu knew this much that the reason he refused to share his secret with her was to protect her but perks come with consequences, he had to live with them silently.
Shaking his head Isamu got rid of these thoughts and focused back in the present, satisfied with his progress in water releases.