Tsunade: Yandere Moment

In a small inn room, dimly lit by the flickering light of a lantern placed on a bedside table, Tsunade sat on a wooden chair, her back hunched, elbows resting on her knees. Her hands trembled slightly as she stared at the bed in front of her. There, lying on it, was Shikai, her nephew, his pale and serene face, as if he were simply sleeping. But he had been unconscious for a month. A whole month since she had pulled him out of that hell. A month since she had seen his broken body, suspended in that pool of blood. A month of watching over him, hoping he would open his eyes.

Jiraiya, sitting beside her, looked at her with concern. He knew that Tsunade was carrying an immense weight on her shoulders, a burden of guilt that she refused to share. She had barely slept since they had brought Shikai here, spending each night by his side, watching every movement, every sign of awakening.

"You should rest, Tsunade," Jiraiya said softly, breaking the heavy silence. "Shikai is doing better now."

Tsunade didn't respond immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on her nephew's face, desperately searching for a sign, a movement, any proof that he would come back to her. Her lips trembled slightly before she whispered, almost to herself:

"Ah, Jiraiya... It's my fault he's like this. He must have suffered so much."

Her voice was broken, filled with a pain she couldn't hide. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. She kept seeing that scene in the cave over and over again—Shikai's body suspended, the tubes, the blood... She couldn't forgive herself.

Jiraiya placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew words wouldn't be enough to ease her pain, but he had to try. "You need to sleep, Tsunade. You can't keep going like this. Besides, as I suspected... It was Orochimaru who was targeting him. So, there was nothing you could have done."

These words seemed to finally reach Tsunade. She slowly raised her head, her tired eyes meeting Jiraiya's. Hearing him confirm it, hearing that she couldn't have prevented it and that it was someone else's fault, lightened the weight on her heart slightly. She nodded, her shoulders relaxing a little.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice barely audible. She averted her eyes, trying to hide the tears that threatened to fall. But before she could say anything else, a movement caught her attention.

Shikai was moving. Slowly, weakly, his fingers trembled, and his head turned slightly on the pillow. Tsunade sat up abruptly, her heart pounding. She leaned towards him, her trembling hands gently resting on his arm.

"Shikai...?" she called, her voice full of hope.

Shikai's eyelids fluttered, and after a moment that seemed to last an eternity, his eyes opened. They were still hazy, but they focused on her, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Ts-Tsunade..." he murmured, his voice weak but recognizable.

Tsunade felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She leaned closer, taking his face between her hands, her smile trembling with emotion. "Shikai... You're awake... You're here..."

Shikai blinked, trying to understand where he was, but he seemed comforted by his aunt's presence. "Tsunade... I knew you would come..."

These words broke down Tsunade's last barriers. She burst into tears, her forehead resting gently against Shikai's. "I'm here, Shikai. I'm here. And I'll never leave you alone again."

Jiraiya, who had observed the scene in silence, stood up discreetly. He knew this moment belonged to Tsunade and Shikai, and he didn't want to intrude. But before leaving, he approached Tsunade and placed a light hand on her shoulder.

"I'll leave you two alone," he said with a gentle smile. "But think about what I proposed."

Tsunade raised her head, her eyes still red with tears, and nodded slightly. She knew what he was talking about. Jiraiya had offered to take Shikai for a while, to give her time to get her life back on track and recover her physical and mental health. In a way, Jiraiya wanted to train Shikai, suspecting he was the child of the prophecy.

But for now, all that mattered to Tsunade was Shikai.

"Thank you, Jiraiya," she murmured, her voice full of gratitude.

Jiraiya nodded and left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Tsunade turned back to Shikai, her heart overflowing with a mix of unhealthy love and relief. She took his hand in hers, holding it gently.

"I'm here, Shikai," she whispered. "And I'll never leave you again."

...

After a long moment, Shikai, taking advantage of the situation, twisted the knife in the wound. He explained that at first, it was ninjas who had accepted missions from one of Tsunade's creditors. He had agreed to go and pay off the individual, but when he let his guard down, Orochimaru appeared. He had been waiting for a long time for her to be absent so he could attack, and Shikai ended up as a test subject for his research.

Tsunade, who had been relieved at first, was now filled with guilt.

She spoke, her voice softer than usual.

"Shikai, do you know why I drink and gamble so much? It's not just because I'm irresponsible, as you think."

Shikai looked at her, intrigued. "Then why?"