Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 135 Give it to me, Kusanagi Sword (4000+ words)

"Long time no see, Tsunade."

Before them stood a effeminate man with golden vertical pupils, a twisted smile playing on his upturned lips, reminiscent of a snake.

Even after he finished speaking, the air became a little chilly.

After the initial shock, the larger Tsunade coldly turned her away: "At this point, you can't possibly come to me for a chat, can you? Orochimaru."

Orochimaru calmly said, "Actually, I have a small request for you."

A small request.

Tsunade, even in her prime, would only listen to such words and stare intently at the source.

Although the other person was well disguised, she still noticed some clues: sweat beaded on their forehead, their heart was pounding, their face was pale as if they had a high fever, and they looked very tired. Most importantly, their hands...

The larger Tsunade focused her gaze on Orochimaru's bandaged hands.

Noticing the change in her gaze, Orochimaru's expression remained unchanged, secretly admiring her; no wonder she noticed his change at a glance.

At this moment, the young man wearing round glasses beside them said what his superiors couldn't: "Lady Tsunade, I presume there's something about Lord Orochimaru..."

"You should find someone else; I'm no longer practicing medicine..."

The larger version of Tsunade interrupted, directly refusing.

However, since the other party went out of their way to approach us and greeted us in such a high-profile manner, they clearly wouldn't back down so easily with just a few words.

"That won't do. You should know how serious this injury is. Apart from one of the legendary Sannin, who is renowned for his medical skills, no one can heal this wound."

The bespectacled man's tough attitude even carried a hint of coercion.

Orochimaru's hands trembled slightly as he spoke.

The larger Tsunade disregarded this subtle threat. Seeing Orochimaru's hands trembling involuntarily, she discerned clearly: "The injuries on your hands aren't ordinary injuries..."

Before the other party could respond, she had already begun to speculate that the injuries Orochimaru had inflicted on his hands were some kind of special cursed seal...

She was so focused on Orochimaru that she forgot about the person standing next to her.

Aokiji looked incredulous.

What's going on?

If he wasn't mistaken, the effeminate man in front of him was none other than Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin who was on par with Tsunade.

As for the other man, who wore glasses and had an honest-looking face, it's not hard to guess that he should be Yakushi Kabuto.

I'm so dizzy...

He unexpectedly stumbled upon Orochimaru, whose hands were sealed, and sought Tsunade's help during this time.

Now that he has openly revealed the identity of the larger Tsunade and knows that the person in front of him is the future Orochimaru, shouldn't he make a move to solidify his persona?

"...You don't need to look so upset. Everything with form will eventually decay..."

Orochimaru's long-winded speech hit a nerve with the larger version of Tsunade.

The larger version of Tsunade lowered her head slightly, remaining silent.

Aokiji glanced sideways; the expression of the larger Tsunade was obscured by her hair, so it was impossible to see clearly, but she probably didn't look too good.

"Hmph...those two really died a tragic death."

Orochimaru's smile was sinister as he continued to provoke her. He didn't get a response from the larger Tsunade, but instead, the boy beside him couldn't sit still any longer: "Orochimaru, how did you become like this?!"

Aokiji lashed out, reinforcing his character.

Normally, Aokiji wouldn't dare to cause trouble, but now Orochimaru's full strength is basically sealed, and he's also running a high fever, looking pale and sickly. It's questionable whether he has even a tenth of his strength left.

Orochimaru: ? ? ?

The larger Tsunade suddenly remembered that there was an Aokiji from the past standing next to her, and turned her gaze to Orochimaru, wanting to see how he would react.

"Lord Orochimaru, do you know this child?"

The pharmacist glanced sideways and asked, looking puzzled.

Orochimaru stared at Aokiji with disbelief. Judging from the tone of his voice, this kid seemed to know him, and not just in a normal way.

Do you know me?

He couldn't help but ask this question.

Aokiji didn't respond, but sighed to Tsunade beside him, "I really didn't expect you to be Tsunade. No wonder you have such superb medical skills. That idiot Tsunade even treated you like a daughter. Thinking about it now, it's really funny."

The larger version of Tsunade sighed helplessly, "I never expected you to find out about me in this way."

Orochimaru was completely bewildered by their conversation. He could understand each word individually, but when put together, he couldn't understand a single one.

Moreover, it seems there's another Tsunade involved in their conversation. What's going on?

Orochimaru pressed for details: "Who exactly are you?"

Who I am is not important. What matters is you.

Aokiji opened his eyes, which were now completely red, and the three tomoe shaped around his pupils twisted.

He quickly formed hand seals and immediately unleashed a Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song.

This is it!

Upon suddenly seeing those eyes, even Orochimaru was momentarily stunned, but fortunately he reacted quickly enough to dodge.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Orochimaru shouted his question, only to be met with several people rising up and rushing forward, bullying the disabled.

These shadow clones couldn't do anything to Orochimaru for long, but this was enough time for Aokiji's main body to rush towards Kabuto Yakushi.

Kabuto gathered blue chakra in his hands and slashed horizontally with a hand chop.

Aokiji responded with the same attack method.

With a bang, the two men's hands clashed.

Kabuto grinned. His attack just now was no ordinary attack; it was a chakra scalpel, a technique that could easily sever a person's tendons.

Just as he was eagerly anticipating seeing the other party's performance, something unexpected happened. The other party was completely unharmed after being hit by the chakra scalpel. Instead, the other party retaliated by spinning around and turning into a claw to grab the wrist.

Yakushi Kabuto's pupils contracted as he tried to break free, but it was too late.

Aokiji formed a hand seal with one hand, gathering chakra and wrapping it with ice particles, before slapping his chest with his palm.

The cold energy invaded his body, causing a sharp, tearing pain within Yakushi Kabuto's body, as if cold thorns were growing in his blood.

Even though it wasn't cold, Kabuto Yakushi felt colder than ever before. The biting cold made his body tremble uncontrollably, as if he were frozen.

What's worse is that the chill is intensifying, with a thin layer of frost covering my face, hands, feet, and even spreading to my face.

Most ninjas are fragile, and if they are caught off guard and hit by such a single-target skill, they will basically lose their fighting ability.

Given Kabuto's strength, it wouldn't be easy for Aokiji to defeat him head-on. However, Kabuto doesn't understand himself, while Aokiji understands him very well, and he also possesses the Sharingan.

Kabuto Yakushi's tricks were all exposed in front of him. He had seen through the chakra scalpel long ago, so he simply played along, using his ice armor to resist the opponent's chakra scalpel, and then grabbing the opponent's wrist to control his body. At the same time, he formed a hand seal and struck out with an Ice Soul Palm.

It was precisely because of all of the above that Aokiji was able to so easily defeat Kabuto Yakushi, a Jonin-level ninja. If the opponent were on guard next time, he wouldn't be able to kill him on their first meeting.

As for whether Kabuto will just die, that's none of my business.

What the future holds is none of my business; it won't affect me anyway.

Tsunade was learning skills with the larger Tsunade, and he didn't want Orochimaru to come and cause trouble.

When that happens, things will become increasingly uncertain.

In the original story, after meeting Tsunade, Orochimaru gave her time to consider. On one hand, he genuinely wanted to give her time to think, and on the other hand, Orochimaru was truly weak at that time and needed this time to allow his body to recover to its best condition.

Knowing this reason, Aokiji made his move at this time, catching Orochimaru off guard.

But even a dead camel is bigger than a horse. Even though Orochimaru's hands were crippled and he had a high fever, it wouldn't be too difficult for Aokiji to deal with him.

Soon, Orochimaru annihilated all of his shadow clones, even giving him time to break free of Yakushi's encirclement.

Kabuto Yakushi is very useful to Orochimaru, so he can't just stand by and watch Kabuto be killed by Aokiji.

Facing the long tongue that was launched at him, Aokiji turned and dodged, pushing off the ground and leaping into the air. He spun around and landed safely, drawing his sword as he did so. With a flash of light, he severed the tongue in one swift stroke.

Orochimaru retracted the remaining part of his long tongue. His tongue was extraordinary; even if it was cut off, it would grow back like a gecko's tail.

However, a tongue can't just grow any length; it requires a lot of chakra.

With his extensive knowledge, he immediately recognized that the weapon in Aokiji's hand was one of the few Kusanagi swords he had been searching for.

Out of fear, Orochimaru no longer stuck out his tongue this time, but instead spat out a long sword. The blade emitted a cold, eerie light under the sunlight. This sword was of the same type as the weapon in Aokiji's hand.

Kusanagi Sword: Sky Sword

Orochimaru charged toward Aokiji, turning his head to swing his longsword.

Aokiji wielded Enma, parrying the attack with his sword. The weapons clashed, sparks flying.

After several exchanges, Aokiji gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. Orochimaru pressed his advantage, and the Kusanagi sword in his mouth suddenly grew larger, aiming straight for the head.

However, at this moment, Aokiji did something unexpected. He suddenly threw the Kusanagi sword in his hand into the air, and while quickly forming hand seals, he leaned back sharply to avoid the thrust.

Before Orochimaru could put the Kusanagi sword back in his mouth, Orochimaru gathered chakra in his hands and, using the Sharingan's perception, clapped his hands together with a snap, trapping the Kusanagi sword between them.

A massive amount of ice-attribute chakra flowed through his palm, continuously freezing the Kusanagi sword. With a series of cracking sounds, the sword's blade froze section by section, eventually freezing the hilt of the Kusanagi sword in a short while.

Seeing that the ice was about to freeze his face, Orochimaru quickly discarded his sword.

Without Orochimaru's chakra supply, the Kusanagi Sword: Sky Blade gradually returned to its original length.

Here you go.

Aokiji turned the sword upside down and gripped the hilt.

Immediately afterwards, Aokiji picked up Enma from the ground, put it back in its sheath, and then deliberately waved his beloved sword in front of Orochimaru, saying jokingly, "Thank you for the gift, Mr. Orochimaru."

If Orochimaru had been holding the sword with his bare hands at that moment, Aokiji really wouldn't have dared to disarm him with his bare hands.

Orochimaru's face was as black as a lump of coal.

Ice Release.

Sharingan.

Kusanagi sword.

One-handed hand seal.

Each of these things alone is remarkable, but when all of them come together in one person, it becomes somewhat terrifying.

Aokiji's behavior reminded him of someone.

A genius that even he himself felt inferior to.

No, in some ways, it might have shocked him even more than Itachi Uchiha back then.

After all, Itachi Uchiha only possessed the bloodline limit of the Sharingan.

Aokiji, on the other hand, possesses an extremely rare dual bloodline limit.

Although Aokiji's Ice Release was merely an added bonus in Orochimaru's eyes, who would complain about having too few bloodline limits?

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with greed as he extended his long tongue and licked his lips like a snake.

What a beautiful sight it would be if his body were possessed!

It was obvious what he was thinking at that moment, and Aokiji felt a chill run down his spine.

My gaze shifted, and I noticed that Kabuto Yakushi's frozen state had somehow been lifted, and his lips were turning purple from the cold, so he didn't seem to be feeling well.

Aokiji sighed softly and glanced to the side.

A larger version of Tsunade was trembling...

There was still a drop of blood in front of her.

My hemophobia is acting up...

Aokiji: ...

To prevent Tsunade, a powerful fighter, from interfering with the battle and affecting the outcome, Orochimaru preemptively applied a debuff to her.

Orochimaru asked with interest, "What's your name?"

"Uchiha Aokiji".

Aokiji was being honest; he figured he'd cut all ties with them once he got back, so he didn't have any reservations.

"I never expected that the Uchiha clan would still have someone like you alive. That's quite surprising."

It seemed unlikely that Orochimaru would get Tsunade's help today, so he calmed down and asked, "Have we met before?"

Aokiji sighed, "I suppose so..."

Orochimaru became even more interested: "When?"

"This is a rather complicated issue to explain..."

Orochimaru's vertical pupils narrowed slightly. "Things are getting more and more interesting."

Orochimaru wanted to obtain Aokiji's body more than to learn about his past.

Therefore, he must heal his hands.

He glanced at Tsunade on the ground, mentioned the payment for the treatment, and the agreed time and place, before leaving.

Next time he visits, he won't be playing house like he was today; he'll be fully prepared.

"Have they left?"

Aokiji originally wanted to try to capture Orochimaru in this state and get some useful information out of him, such as research on Hashirama cells.

Looking back now, it was all a bit of wishful thinking.

Well, he can't come away with nothing, can he?

With the Sky Blade given to him by Orochimaru, he now has three Kusanagi swords.

I just don't know if he'll be able to take this Kusanagi sword back with him.

When he transmigrated, he carried with him an empty scroll.

If he seals the Kusanagi sword inside, could he exploit a bug?

In short, he should take Tsunade and run away as soon as possible. If Orochimaru brings the Sound Five next time, he won't be able to fight them all and will be killed.

Aokiji approached Tsunade, who was slumped on the ground, shivering: "Can you still stand up? Rangiku, no, Tsunade..."

"You really are showing me your useless side."

The larger Tsunade scratched her green coat, looking like a pitiful child, with a bitter smile and self-mockery on her face.

Aokiji asked knowingly, "It seems the future will be very different."

The larger version of Tsunade lowered her head; after her identity was revealed, she was somewhat at a loss as to how to face the situation.

Seeing that it was not a good idea for her to just sit slumped on the ground, Aokiji decided to help her up and take her to a teahouse to rest and discuss things further.

The larger Tsunade held the teacup with both hands, took a small sip, and her hemophobia symptoms improved considerably.

"Do you need me to tell you about the relevant history?"

After being provoked by Orochimaru, she no longer cared what the world was like.

Aokiji touched his chin with his fingers, feigning hesitation, then shook his head in refusal.

Tsunade asked in surprise, "Don't you want to know?"

Aokiji nodded in response.

He knows history better than even a larger version of Tsunade.

Whether the larger version of Tsunade speaks or not doesn't seem to have any positive effect on her.

P.S.: I'm experiencing a bit of writer's block. It's not that I don't know how to write the later parts of the story, but rather that I'm having trouble deciding how to handle this section. Let me think about it...

(End of this chapter)