It was evening, the house was shrouded in darkness, not a single light flickering. Tatsumi approached his bedroom door, his senses on high alert. Someone's here. He stopped abruptly, his hand instinctively reaching for the kunai pouch at his waist. The black metal gleamed in the dim light filtering through the window.
It's got to be Tsunade, he thought grimly. Tomorrow was the last day of this bizarre training week. Was she planning one final prank? He quickly dismissed the possibility of Nawaki. He'd overheard Jiraiya and Nawaki discussing some… sensitive research involving a certain young lady. Tsunade, transformed into a patch of innocent-looking grass, had apparently overheard the entire conversation. Nawaki had since been conveniently "training" with Jiraiya, wisely avoiding Tsunade's wrath.
Tatsumi swiftly performed a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke erupted, and a perfect duplicate of Tatsumi materialized beside him. This B-rank Ninjutsu, one of the few techniques he'd actually learned from Tsunade, created a tangible clone, with chakra evenly distributed between the original and the copy. It was far superior to the illusionary clones of the standard Clone Jutsu. For Tatsumi, with his refined Chakra Control, mastering this technique had been relatively easy.
He and his clone exchanged a look, a silent plan passing between them. The clone reached for the doorknob, ostentatiously rattling it as if trying to open the door. Simultaneously, Tatsumi quietly slid open his window, slipped through the opening, and landed silently on the ground outside.
Inside, Tsunade, seemingly oblivious, remained motionless on the bed. She didn't react to the clone's noisy entrance.
Still playing possum? Tatsumi thought, a smirk playing on his lips. Trying to lure me into a trap? Not this time. He pulled a handful of miniature explosive tags from his pouch. He'd "borrowed" them from Nawaki.
Nawaki, it seemed, was something of a pyrotechnic enthusiast. These tags were smaller and less powerful than standard issue, more like firecrackers than actual explosives. Tsunade had used one on him earlier in the week, triggering a moment of sheer terror and… well, let's just say an involuntary release of bodily fluids. A memory I'd rather forget, Tatsumi thought, his cheeks burning slightly.
Tit for tat, Tsunade, he thought. Let's see how you like these. He tossed the miniature explosives through the open window. They landed on the bed with a soft thud.
The figure on the bed stirred, feigning a startled awakening. "Huh… Explosive tag?!" a small, panicked voice squeaked. "Help! Help!"
The tone, the movements, the sheer panic—it was all so over the top. Tatsumi was convinced. Tsunade's acting skills were Oscar-worthy. She'd even altered her voice to sound like a frightened child. She could be a movie star, he thought. If she wasn't a ninja, she could win all the awards. He'd eat his kunai if she didn't.
Boom! The miniature explosive tags went off with a series of muffled pops and a shower of harmless sparks.
Tsunade, however, remained motionless. Something felt off. With her skills, she should have easily evaded the "attack." Her acting is just too bad to be true, Tatsumi thought. Or…
"Sensei?" he called out cautiously.
No response.
Tatsumi flicked on the light. The figure on the bed was not Tsunade. It was a small girl, no more than five or six years old, with shoulder-length red hair and wearing a pair of cute pink pyjamas. Her eyes, however, were dull, almost vacant.
Tatsumi immediately recognized her. Uzumaki Kushina.
Oh, crap, he thought. This is bad. Really bad. Kushina was a valuable asset to Konoha. And he'd just… well, he wasn't entirely sure what he'd done, but it couldn't be good.
"Should I just defect?" a mischievous voice whispered in his mind.
"Don't be ridiculous! Your friends are here," a more reasonable voice countered.
"Don't be naive! You just messed with Konoha's prized possession. They won't let this slide," the first voice argued.
"And where would you go? Kushina's under Anbu protection. They'll find you," the second voice pointed out.
"Anywhere is better than here! The Land of Wind, the Land of Earth… it doesn't matter! Run! It's your only chance!" the first voice insisted.
"That… actually makes sense," the second voice conceded.
Hey! You're supposed to be the voice of reason! Tatsumi thought, exasperated.
He made a snap decision. He had to get out of here. Now.
"I'll… I'll destroy you!"
Kushina, seemingly roused from her stupor, glared at him, her red hair bristling, a terrifying aura radiating from her small frame. "I'll break all your bones! One by one!" she declared, her voice filled with chilling intensity.
Yikes! Tatsumi thought, his earlier bravado evaporating. He instinctively shielded his head.
Kushina reached under her pillow and pulled out… a handful of kunai.
Seriously? Kunai under the pillow? That's not exactly safe, Tatsumi thought, momentarily distracted.
He was about to make a hasty retreat when he noticed Kushina trembling.
"I… I hate ninjas," she stammered, her voice suddenly breaking. "Konoha… or any other village… I just want to go home…"
Her voice trailed off, becoming choked with emotion. Tatsumi, confused, saw a tear roll down her cheek.
What the…?
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, more tears streaming down her face.
Tatsumi felt a pang of guilt. He'd meant to prank Tsunade, not… this. He scrambled for an apology. "I… I didn't mean to…"
He didn't know what to say. Kushina, her small shoulders shaking, covered her eyes with her hands, trying to stifle her sobs. The kunai slipped from her grasp and clattered onto the bed. An air of sadness hung heavy in the room. Tatsumi, at a loss, simply stood there, watching the small, weeping figure before him.