Inside the operating room, Shizune was drenched in sweat.
As a ninja, her strength was, at best, that of a Special Jōnin. But having followed Tsunade for years, she was far from weak—and she knew very well what was happening outside.
In Shizune's estimation, even if Jiraiya and Kakashi couldn't defeat Uchiha Rokuro, they should at least be able to hold him off for a while. And she would use that precious window to complete Tsunade's surgery, then immediately evacuate with her.
As long as Tsunade successfully fused with Hashirama's cells, her strength would skyrocket. When that time came, they could settle accounts properly.
Yet only a few minutes later, Rokuro calmly pushed open the operating room doors.
What truly drove Shizune into despair was the sight of Jiraiya and Kakashi flanking him—like hired bodyguards.
"You—?! Damn Uchiha genjutsu!"
Shizune exploded in rage, her hand nearly slipping and cutting the wrong place, which would have ruined the surgery.
"Easy, Sister Shizune," Rokuro said lightly. "Lady Tsunade's life is in your hands right now. Don't let your blade slip."
Under Shizune's horrified gaze, Rokuro dragged over a chair, sat down, and waved at her casually.
"Go on. I won't interfere. You have my word."
Shizune didn't dare stop her hands, but she also couldn't lower her guard. Even so, she knew perfectly well that she was no match for him.
"What did you do to Lord Jiraiya and Kakashi? Genjutsu?"
"You could say that," Rokuro replied calmly. "A genjutsu that will never be dispelled. At the very least, you don't have the ability to break it. So focus on your surgery—and don't trouble yourself with matters beyond your limits."
Shizune was left speechless.
Just moments ago, she'd truly been considering dispelling the genjutsu on Jiraiya and Kakashi. With their help, things might turn around.
Now, it was clear she'd been naïve.
Time ticked by second after second. After the initial panic and anxiety faded, Shizune gradually calmed down—or perhaps she simply gave up struggling. Either way, she could not allow Tsunade to die on the operating table. As for what would happen to her afterward, thinking about it was pointless.
The surgery lasted a full ten hours, completed entirely by Shizune alone.
Rokuro, an insider in genetic modification himself, had once wielded a scalpel and dissected thousands of lab mice. Surgery was hardly foreign to him.
In his eyes, Shizune's skill was exceptional.
Whether it was the precision of her incisions or her ability to respond to complications, she was outstanding. In the real world, she'd be a top-tier surgical master—calling her a national-level medical authority wouldn't be exaggeration.
And yet, in the world of shinobi, she was merely a supporting character. Early on, Tsunade's apprentice and attendant. Later, even that role was replaced by Haruno Sakura.
Thinking of Sakura—the widely disliked female lead—Rokuro felt a flicker of interest.
"Sister Shizune," he asked casually, "do you know a ninja trainee named Haruno Sakura?"
Shizune was finishing up the procedure. She turned her head, puzzled as to why an enemy who even Tsunade had to face with everything she had would suddenly bring up a mere apprentice.
"I know her. She once tried to become Lady Tsunade's disciple. After being rejected, she's been studying while working as an intern at Konoha Hospital."
"An intern?" Rokuro chuckled. "I see. Looks like she already feels the pressure. When Lady Tsunade wakes up, mention this to her—Haruno Sakura is a genuine prodigy in medical ninjutsu. She's fully capable of inheriting Tsunade's legacy."
Shizune frowned slightly, unable to understand Rokuro's intentions.
"Aren't you here to deal with Lady Tsunade?"
"You misunderstand," Rokuro said with a faint smile. "I never intended to deal with her—let alone kill her. If I truly wanted her dead, she would've died three years ago. She wouldn't still be alive today."
As he spoke, Rokuro stepped toward the operating table.
Shizune's body stiffened. She instinctively tried to activate the poisoned needles hidden in her arm—but Rokuro merely glanced at her.
Her entire body froze.
"Kotoamatsukami may have no cooldown," Rokuro said calmly, "but its ocular chakra consumption is massive. I hadn't planned on using it on you. But your skills are impressive—you're a rare talent. In that case, welcome to the Uchiha family."
His eyes transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Surging ocular power poured into his sunglasses. One by one, tiny inscriptions lit up on the pitch-black lenses, until they were completely engulfed in emerald light.
Kotoamatsukami activated.
Shizune's memories exploded into countless video files, flooding Rokuro's consciousness.
All he needed to do was select the relevant ones—delete, alter, and replace them with memories favorable to himself.
Anyone who's ever edited video knows how enormous such a workload is. A two-hour movie can take months just for special effects. A fully CG animated film might take years.
And that's still just a movie.
Compared to a person's lifetime of memories, it was nothing.
Fortunately, Kotoamatsukami was utterly broken. Modifying memories required nothing more than a thought—otherwise, it would've been impossible to rewrite someone's will in mere seconds.
In short, seconds later, Shizune—just like Jiraiya and Kakashi—became Rokuro's most devout follower.
At this point, even if he told her to slice Tsunade into sweet-and-sour pork with a scalpel, she wouldn't hesitate.
"What a monstrous dōjutsu," Rokuro muttered. "No wonder Kishimoto had to use plot-kill tactics—never letting Shisui's Mangekyō reunite. People say Obito's dual Kamui is the strongest Mangekyō under the Six Paths… but if we're only talking about enemies beneath that level, Kotoamatsukami is the most broken ability of all."
Shizune dropped to one knee and pledged her loyalty.
Rokuro helped her up and asked about Tsunade's condition.
"The surgery is complete," Shizune replied. "I deliberately delayed the final steps to give Lady Tsunade more time to recover."
"How long until she wakes? And how long until Hashirama's cells fully fuse?"
Shizune glanced at the medical instruments.
"Based on current data, the cells are highly compatible. Rejection shouldn't occur. She should fully recover in three to five days. As for the fusion rate—that's harder to judge."
As a fellow professional, Rokuro agreed. He then took out the Map of Mountains and Rivers.
"In that case, she can recuperate here."
A powerful suction followed.
Shizune didn't resist as she was absorbed into the map—followed by Tsunade and every piece of medical equipment in the room.
"Work complete," Rokuro said with satisfaction. "First use of Kotoamatsukami. The ocular chakra cost was heavy, but the ninja tool performed flawlessly. Now let's see how much of her grandfather's power this reborn Tsunade has inherited."
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Tsunade awoke.
Her first sight was an unfamiliar room. The ceiling was crude—barely worthy of being called one. Just wooden beams and thatch, sunlight filtering through the gaps.
Turning her head, she spotted familiar medical instruments.
She relaxed slightly.
The door creaked open. Shizune entered, carrying a basin of water.
"Lady Tsunade! You're awake? That's wonderful. You must be hungry—I'll get you something to eat."
"Wait," Tsunade said. "Where are we? Why am I here?"
Shizune sighed, set the basin aside, soaked a towel, and handed it to her.
After wiping her face, Tsunade looked out the window—and froze.
They were in the middle of a wasteland. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but wilderness. No signs of civilization at all, aside from this dilapidated hut.
"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said softly, "during your surgery, Uchiha Rokuro broke in. Lord Jiraiya and Kakashi risked their lives to hold him off. I used the opportunity to escape Konoha with you. It's been three days since that battle."
"What? Rokuro finally made his move?" Tsunade's expression darkened. "He really knows how to pick his timing."
She leapt from the bed, clenched her fist—and vast chakra erupted from her body, instantly reaching a level beyond Kage.
"With my current chakra… if I summon at full power, I should be able to manifest at least half of Lady Katsuyu."
"Shizune," Tsunade said firmly, "we're going back. I refuse to believe the other clans of Konoha will willingly submit to the Uchiha. As long as I defeat Rokuro, Konoha will belong to everyone again—not just the Uchiha."
"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said anxiously, "even if you're going back, you should eat first.
"You haven't eaten for three days and three nights!"
"Alright," Tsunade said curtly. "Hurry."
Shizune dashed out and quickly returned with a large amount of food and pre-prepared braised beef. Though everything was cold, it was packed with calories.
Tsunade devoured it ravenously, wiping out what would have been enough for ten people in no time.
After downing an entire kilogram of fruit juice, she finally felt full. The chakra within her surged even more powerfully now—so abundant that she felt capable of defeating anyone!
"That's enough. We're leaving. Now."
She changed her clothes and stepped outside, but after only a few paces, she suddenly stopped.
"Shizune… what is going on?!"
Tsunade turned back sharply. Shizune could only respond with an apologetic smile.
"Shizune," a calm voice called out, "how is Tsunade's condition?"
Not far away, Uchiha Rokuro stood there, observing Tsunade carefully as he spoke.
"Lord Rokuro," Shizune replied respectfully, "Lady Tsunade's postoperative recovery is flawless. The Hashirama Cells have achieved a 90% fusion rate, with no signs of rejection."
Rokuro nodded slightly, clearly satisfied.
By now, Tsunade fully understood what had happened. She grabbed Shizune by the collar and yanked her close. From this distance, she could tell—this was truly Shizune, not someone disguised with a Transformation Jutsu.
More importantly, Shizune's chakra flow was perfectly normal. There were no signs of genjutsu interference.
"Uchiha Rokuro," Tsunade demanded coldly, "what did you do to Shizune?"
"Nothing much," Rokuro replied lightly. "I simply helped her understand that compared to Konoha's old, rotting ship, siding with the Uchiha is the correct path forward. As for you—soon enough, you'll feel the same. Then the two of you can go back to being loving sisters."
"Damn you!"
Tsunade hurled Shizune aside and instantly unleashed her super-Kage-level power, her fist smashing toward Rokuro.
BOOM!
Rokuro leapt aside as Tsunade's punch slammed into the ground, blasting open a crater fifty meters wide. Rock and sand erupted skyward, forming a small mushroom cloud in midair.
"Incredible strength," Rokuro muttered. "At least three times stronger than your previous monstrous force."
A violent gust surged forward.
In the blink of an eye, Tsunade appeared behind him, her hand chopping straight toward his neck.
Black Susanoo armor enveloped Rokuro, blocking the strike.
CRACK!
The skeletal Susanoo shattered after barely half a second. Rokuro kicked off the ground and used Body Flicker to retreat, quickly forming hand seals to counterattack—
but Tsunade was already there again.
She drove a kick straight into his abdomen.
"So fast!"
BOOM!
At the critical moment, Rokuro abandoned his hand seals. Multicolored chakra wrapped around his body as he entered Pseudo–Truth-Seeking Orb Mode, yet he was still sent flying by the kick.
With a thunderous crash, Rokuro smashed through the house Tsunade had been resting in. Medical equipment inside instantly turned into scrap metal.
A flash of rainbow light—
Rokuro emerged unscathed from the dust, the pseudo Truth-Seeking Orb reshaping itself into a tachi that slashed down toward Tsunade's head.
She didn't dodge.
Instead, she punched straight into it.
Rokuro was sent flying once more—his pseudo Truth-Seeking tachi shattered on impact.
He twisted midair, regained his balance, and landed smoothly. Tsunade hadn't come away unscathed either; a deep, bone-revealing gash had been carved across the back of her right hand, blood pouring freely.
But within a single breath, the bleeding stopped.
Rokuro's Sharingan clearly saw it—the wound was healing at a visible speed.
Fast.
Ridiculously fast.
On par with Wolverine.
"So this is the First Hokage Senju Hashirama's regenerative ability," Rokuro said. "No hand seals. Any wound heals automatically. In a battle between equals, this kind of power can decide victory. But Tsunade—if all you have is regeneration and brute strength, that won't be enough to defeat me."
Dense black chakra surged from Rokuro's body.
Moments later, a Perfect Susanoo, towering over a hundred meters tall, erupted from the ground—its massive form eclipsing even the tailed beasts. In the original timeline, this sight had terrified Tsunade and the Five Kage into near paralysis.
Yet now, standing alone before this god of destruction, Tsunade remained perfectly calm.
"I may not be as strong as my grandfather," she said firmly, "but you are no Uchiha Madara. Back then, my grandfather defeated Madara. Today, I'll defeat you."
"Oh?" Rokuro laughed loudly. "Your grandfather had Wood Release. What do you have? Don't tell me you plan to smash my Perfect Susanoo with your fists."
To his surprise—
She actually raised them.
An overwhelming amount of chakra erupted from Tsunade's body, gathering into her fists.
More and more chakra condensed, until her hands shone like two blazing suns.
"You're right," she roared.
"I am going to smash your Susanoo with my fists!"
She didn't move an inch
She simply threw a punch into empty air.
The sight looked ridiculous.
But Rokuro's expression changed instantly.
With every punch Tsunade threw, a colossal fist—three to four meters in diameter—tore through the air.
Individually, they were insignificant compared to Perfect Susanoo.
But there were many of them.
And more importantly—
This technique looked terrifyingly familiar.
"…Don't tell me," Rokuro breathed, eyes widening.
"Is this—Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack?!"
END OF CHAPTER
(Some chapters in patreon are double chapters)
5 IN 1 - BE A MEMBER, GET 5 ONGOING STORIES!!
Forbidden Java Jutsu - MrBehringer's Secret
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer