Emiya Shirou had never liked this era.
Tsunade learned some things after she grew up. Her grandmother, Mito, had once mentioned that Shirou detested this era—the constant wars, the endless scheming, the deception.
He detested everything about being a ninja.
Everything, except for her. When she was a child, he had been fond of her. Her dream of becoming a medical ninja had made her the sole inheritor of his will.
Unfortunately, she thought, looking back on her life, she hadn't just become a medical ninja. For Konoha's sake, she'd become one of the very ninjas he detested. An executioner in the war. Anyone who joins a war gets stained with blood.
Even the power he gave her... she used it for battle.
It was kill or be killed.
No. Not necessarily, she corrected herself.
Because he would always save people. No matter how much he claimed to dislike the world, he would still strive to save those who were suffering.
Just like how he tirelessly treated the wounded in the war, just like how he'd stepped forward to use his fame to quell the First Great Ninja War. Hanzo of the Salamander had been right. If he were still here, the world wouldn't have become so terrible.
"Let's go," Tsunade said, walking towards her teammates. She wiped her hands on her clothes, trying in vain to get rid of the mud and blood. "Let's go back and report to the village."
"Tsunade, use this," Orochimaru said, taking off his cloak and handing it to her. He didn't understand her sudden fastidiousness, but he could tell the war was getting to her.
"Ha, what would I do with your cloak?" she waved it away, then gave up trying to clean her hands with a self-deprecating laugh. "Forget it. It's not like they'll ever be clean anyway."
"Heh..." Jiraiya, his arm still slung over Orochimaru's shoulder, chuckled, his mood lightened by their victory. "Just find a clean stream. A good wash and you'll be fine."
"Is that so?" Tsunade couldn't manage a smile. She looked up at the gloomy sky of the Land of Rain, at the raindrops falling from the dark clouds, and said with a sudden, bone-deep weariness, "In this era... is there any clean place left?"
Orochimaru and Jiraiya both fell silent. The truth was, there weren't any clean places. Only darkness and mud.
-----
Later, while resting near the battlefield, they encountered three orphans carrying bread: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. Their goal was simple.
They wanted to learn ninjutsu from Jiraiya, whose chivalrous reputation had spread throughout the ninja world. Their first choice of teacher, unfortunately, didn't have time for them.
"You can still buy bread?" Orochimaru eyed the dried loaf in his hand, then looked warily at the large loaves in the orphans' backpacks. "To have bread in a time of war... you don't look like ordinary orphans."
"Ah, no," Yahiko quickly explained. "We got this from Lord Kakuzu yesterday. He's been distributing food."
"Kakuzu?"
"Yes," Yahiko continued, as Nagato and Konan were too shy to speak. "Since the war started here, everyone's been having a hard time. Lord Kakuzu came and has been giving grain to the refugees. He even takes children who've lost their parents to orphanages in other countries."
They had almost gone to an orphanage, too.
When Kakuzu was asking them about a woman named Fuso, he'd mentioned that Nagato still had relatives alive and told them to wait. But Nagato refused, because his friend Yahiko had this grand idea of wanting to achieve world peace.
Kakuzu, surprisingly, had approved of the Uzumaki clan's stubbornness. Whatever was entrusted to them, they would see it through. But he wasn't a teacher. And he was busy.
Constantly needing to earn money, he had no time to train three little brats. Besides, he didn't think becoming a ninja was a good thing.
"If you become ninjas, you will die," he had warned them. But they didn't listen. They chose the next best thing.
-----
"That's how it is," Yahiko finished, looking at Jiraiya. "We originally wanted to learn from Lord Kakuzu, but he didn't have time. We don't want to go to an orphanage, either. We want to become ninjas who can bring peace to the world."
Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
What is this? I'm the backup choice for three little brats? Do they think I have time to take care of them?
"That man Kakuzu is right," Orochimaru's eyes were cold, his temperament honed to a razor's edge by the war. "Three little brats like you could die on the battlefield at any time. Become ninjas, and you're destined to die in conflict. You might as well let him send you to an orphanage and live as ordinary people."
"Hmm?" Tsunade looked at the long-haired boy beside Nagato.
"Those eyes," Jiraiya suddenly noticed them. A pair of legendary eyes.
The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.
The Rinnegan.
At that moment, he remembered the Great Toad Sage's prophecy. He was destined to find and guide a Child of Prophecy who would change the world. Now, it seemed he had found him.
"I'll stay behind to take care of them," Jiraiya announced, determined. This was his destiny. "Anyway, there shouldn't be any more trouble. Hanzo has surrendered. This war should be ending soon."
"But," Tsunade frowned, "this is a bit rash."
"Perhaps letting them leave with Kakuzu is the best choice," Orochimaru said, disagreeing but respecting his teammate's choice. "Because our war is far from over."
-----
He was right. The war with the Land of Rain ended, and Konoha immediately went to war with the Sand Village. Hatake Sakumo made a name for himself, killing two of the Sand's puppet masters.
This invited the wrath of their elder, Chiyo, who personally led the puppet master army against them. Konoha was forced to dispatch more troops, including recently graduated students. Among them was Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki.
After their grandmother, Mito, had the Nine-Tails extracted and passed away, Nawaki was the only family Tsunade had left.
"This is a treasure from Great-Grandpa," she said, giving him the pendant Hashirama had left her. "Why can't you be like your sister and become a medical ninja?"
"I want to protect Konoha! To be a hero!" he declared, waving a small fist. "A medical ninja can't be a hero!"
"Who said so!" she snapped, punching him on the head.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch," he retreated, rubbing the spot.
Orochimaru stood by, smiling. A medical ninja might have a hard time protecting Konoha, but protecting the world? That wasn't impossible.
Unfortunately, the one who had done just that was now a taboo subject in the village.
"Then I'll leave him to you, Orochimaru," Tsunade said, entrusting her brother to her friend.
But she had underestimated the cruelty of war. With Jiraiya in the Land of Rain, Tsunade and Orochimaru had to lead separate troops. Konoha won, but at a heavy price.
Nawaki died in battle.
"I'm sorry, Tsunade," Orochimaru said, holding the pendant. He had failed her.
She ignored him, walking blankly towards Nawaki's body and lifting the white cloth. She stayed in the morgue for a long time before coming out and taking the pendant from him, not blaming him. The war was finally ending.
-----
Tsunade returned to Konoha and lay in a secret medical room, holding the pendant, gazing at the profile in the crystal coffin within.
She wasn't afraid of the corpse. She had been lying there for days, rubbing the pendant, her thoughts a jumble.
Death is not the end of life.
She'd experienced the death of a loved one more than once. She had to be strong.
Just as she was trying to convince herself to give up on a certain dangerous idea, Orochimaru found her. "Orochimaru, did something happen?" she asked listlessly.
He shook his head, his gaze drawn to the coffin. "This is..."
"That person's crystal coffin," she said, bored. "It's said to be for medical ninjas to study. I was just thinking about learning a certain forbidden jutsu to revive Nawaki, but... desecrating the dead is better left alone."
She had seen Shirou after he'd been reanimated. "Like a living dead person," she tossed the pendant onto the coffin, as if finally letting go. "Nawaki probably wouldn't like to live like that. Besides, reviving one person requires sacrificing another. If I became that kind of unscrupulous ninja, he would surely be disappointed in me. After all, I am a medical ninja."
She didn't notice the glint of curiosity in Orochimaru's eyes—not for the coffin, but for the half-corpse inside.
A ninja from the ancient era. His teacher, Hiruzen, his advisor, Danzo, and his friend, Tsunade, all had their strength greatly enhanced by the power bestowed by that person.
"Speaking of which," Tsunade said, tidying her hair, "is Jiraiya coming back soon?"
"He should be. The war with the Stone Village is about to begin."
"Whatever," she was numb to it now. "Just wait and carry out their orders."
-----
The Second Great Ninja War finally ended. The Sannin assembled, and Konoha was victorious. But the ninja world was scarred.
Jiraiya, though he thought he'd found the Child of Prophecy, decided he needed to continue his journey.
"I plan to go on a journey too," Tsunade said, standing before the memorial stone. "But I will treat the sick while traveling." She would walk the path Shirou had walked.
"I will stay in the village to continue learning," Orochimaru's desire for knowledge and power had only grown stronger. "To master all the jutsu in the world."
"Alright then," Tsunade thought it was for the best. "The things in that medical secret room, I'll leave them for you to take care of. When the village lifts the ban on his affairs, you can send it to the medical department. It was originally just meant as study material."
She'd seen the coffin, so there was no need to hide it anymore. "Remember to wipe it clean for me," she ordered.
"Alright," Orochimaru smiled and nodded.
"What are you two talking about?" Jiraiya asked, clueless.
"A very precious treasure," Orochimaru said softly. "You wouldn't be interested."
"Whatever. Guess this might be goodbye for a while," Jiraiya said, carefree, and left on his own.
Tsunade, remembering Shirou's teachings, found the niece of a fallen comrade and took the child with her on the road.
Of the Sannin, only Orochimaru remained.
As he carefully wiped the crystal coffin, a long, narrow glint flashed in his eyes. He had seen a treasure.
"I was originally looking for a chance to get it," he muttered to himself, his hand resting on the coffin. "I didn't expect Tsunade to just entrust it to me like this."
"Tsunade, that forbidden jutsu you gave up on, the one that could revive Nawaki... I've already decided to try and learn it. Not to desecrate Nawaki's soul, but to gain even greater power from this man."
"The cursed seals on you, Teacher, and Danzo... that's a power worth having. For the sake of power, there's nothing wrong with being unscrupulous. I am just learning from the ninja I admire most..."
"The Second Hokage, who once brought a little shame to Konoha... that's all."