Naruto Birdcage

Hurting herself—could that really be called ruthless?

Tsunade had never considered this question.

There were too few things left in the world that could move her.

As she pinned Hokage Tsunade down on the bed, watching her struggle with all her might, she remained completely indifferent.

After doing what she had to do, Hokage Tsunade finally went still, lying motionless on the bed.

Her expression was hidden from view.

Moonlight peeked through the window, bathing the bed in a pale glow.

Golden hair spilled across the sheets, rising and falling with each heavy breath.

Tsunade pulled her sleepwear back up for her, then left the room without a word.

"Master?"

A sudden voice shattered the silence of the night.

Shizune stood at the bedroom door, the lights still off.

The dim glow of the living room made it hard to see anything clearly.

Tsunade had just stepped out of Hokage Tsunade's room, but Shizune still recognized her.

"…You're still awake?"

Shizune was silent for a moment before answering, "I was just about to sleep."

The two stood in front of their respective doors, a distance between them.

Tsunade couldn't make out Shizune's expression.

"Go to bed early," she said.

As Tsunade returned to her room, Shizune stepped closer to Hokage Tsunade's bedroom door.

She hesitated for a long time but ultimately didn't reach out to knock.

She stood there for what felt like an eternity, yet still, she said nothing.

If she knocked on the door, what should she say? What should she ask?

Perhaps she didn't even truly understand what had happened.

 If that were the case, would her self-righteous concern only end up hurting Lady Tsunade instead…?

Concern required no cost, but dignity did.

The Next Morning

When Tsunade woke up, she found the living room unusually quiet.

It was already eight in the morning.

Normally, Shizune would have been up long ago, preparing breakfast and waking them up.

She walked to Shizune's room and knocked on the door. "Shizune, are you still asleep?"

A moment later, a response came from inside. "Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade replied, "It's me," making it clear that she was Shizune's master, not the Hokage Tsunade.

She pushed the door open and saw Shizune sitting on the bed, her hair messy as if she had just woken up.

"Lady Tsunade…"

Tsunade tilted her head slightly. "I'm your Master."

"Ah…"

Shizune seemed dazed.

She got up and walked to the window, pulling back the curtains to look outside.

"Lady Tsunade, where are we?"

"..."

Shizune patted her forehead with a troubled expression. "Did I drink too much? Why don't I remember anything at all?"

Tsunade observed Shizune's confused expression, then, after a brief silence, said, "Come with me."

"Hm?"

Shizune followed Tsunade out of the bedroom, puzzled.

Tsunade walked straight to the Hokage Tsunade's door and knocked.

"I'm coming in."

Inside the Hokage Tsunade's bedroom, Shizune saw another Tsunade lying on the bed and immediately widened her eyes in shock.

"Tsuna… you two…?"

The Hokage Tsunade looked over with a blank expression, glancing at Tsunade.

Shizune asked hesitantly, "Is this a Shadow Clone?"

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two Tsunades, filled with confusion.

Tsunade asked, "You're not the Shizune from this world, are you?"

Shizune quickly responded, "Huh? I… I am Shizune! Lady Tsunade, what do you mean by that?"

Hokage Tsunade froze for a moment before suddenly getting out of bed and striding over to Shizune.

She grabbed Shizune's shoulders with both hands, her emotions visibly stirred.

"Shizune, you…" She seemed agitated, but when she tried to speak, the words got caught in her throat.

"Lady Tsunade, you… seem younger," Shizune said, looking at the Hokage Tsunade before glancing at the Tsunade behind her.

"You… you're both Lady Tsunade?"

Hokage Tsunade quickly regained her composure.

After some thought, she looked at Shizune and asked, "What is my current status?"

"What… do you mean?"

"I'm asking you—am I the Hokage?"

Shizune tilted her head slightly and said, "Didn't you just step down? Kakashi is the Sixth Hokage now."

The Hokage Tsunade's expression instantly turned to joy.

She immediately pulled Shizune into a tight embrace.

"Lady Tsunade?"

"Shizune, it's really you—Shizune!"

Her embrace was tight, like that of a long-lost relative finally reunited.

Tsunade, standing off to the side, silently watched the scene unfold.

After releasing Shizune, the Hokage Tsunade said to her, "I know you must have a lot of questions. It's okay—I'll explain everything to you."

Seeing Tsunade's emotional state, Shizune nodded.

Earlier, when Tsunade first entered the room, Hokage Tsunade had appeared indifferent.

But now, she was overwhelmed with excitement.

It was understandable—after everything she had endured in this world, and most of it not being pleasant, suddenly reuniting with a loved one was nothing short of a miracle.

Hokage Tsunade pulled Shizune to sit on the bed and began explaining everything about the two worlds, as well as how she had arrived here from another world.

She spoke at length, holding Shizune's hand tightly the entire time.

Whenever she recounted something amusing, she couldn't help but laugh.

"I see… so that's how it is."

After listening to the Hokage Tsunade's explanation, Shizune responded with a somewhat uncertain understanding.

Hokage Tsunade then asked, "Shizune, before you came here, was there someone in particular you really wanted to see?"

Shizune was taken aback. "Huh?"

Hokage Tsunade went on to explain what Hyuga Makoto had once told her—that the reason they had come to this world was due to a strong desire to see someone who was no longer present in their original world.

This lingering attachment served as the catalyst for their soul's crossing, and only by fulfilling this longing could they return.

Shizune hesitated for a moment, looking uncertain, before stammering, "Ah… it was Rin!"

Hokage Tsunade was thoughtful. "Rin, huh?"

In her original world, Rin had indeed passed away.

Shizune and Rin had been classmates and friends when they were younger.

In this world, Shizune and Rin were also very close friends.

Even after so many years, it seemed Shizune still held deep feelings for Rin.

As the Hokage Tsunade reflected on this, she soon realized something. "If it's Rin… then it should be quite easy for you to meet her."

"…Is something wrong?"

Hokage Tsunade's gaze grew complicated. "That means… you'll be able to return very soon."

Shizune smiled. "Well, if I go back, I go back. Lady Tsunade, don't you want to go back?"

"..."

Hokage Tsunade was speechless.

She did want to go back now, but under Hyuga Makoto's manipulations, returning was no longer an option.

This was something she didn't want Shizune to know.

Shizune continued to ask, "Lady Tsunade, who is your lingering attachment?"

Hokage Tsunade remained silent for a moment before saying, "I've forgotten."

Who was her attachment…?

The reason she came to this world no longer mattered now.

Shizune said, "I think our arrival in this world is just a coincidence. There are so many people in the world with lingering attachments, yet not all of them end up here."

"If there really was an attachment, it wouldn't be just because of a single person. Maybe we were also longing for a world like this. Lady Tsunade, when you were telling me about everything here just now, I could feel that you were truly happy."

Hokage Tsunade wanted to deny it—that she wasn't happy here at all.

But when she thought about it carefully, she realized that all her unhappiness stemmed from Hyuga Makoto.

If it weren't for him, she would have been more than willing to live in this world.

Shizune continued, "What matters is that everything we experience here is real. If we came here just to meet one person and then left hastily, would that really be enough to justify our journey here? Would that be enough to give meaning to this world?"

"..."

Hokage Tsunade stood frozen, staring blankly at Shizune before turning her gaze to the other Tsunade.

"Shizune."

"I'm here, Lady Tsunade."

"I…"

Becoming the Fifth Hokage, leading the Allied Shinobi Forces to victory in the Fourth Great Ninja War, the unrivaled medical master of the ninja world, one of the legendary Sannin—Tsunade carried too many titles.

Whenever people spoke of female ninjas, they could never avoid mentioning her.

In the eyes of many, she was powerful, heroic, determined, and bold.

Throughout her life, she had feared nothing except loss.

Even when facing the overwhelmingly powerful Uchiha Madara, she still fought fearlessly, prepared to give her life.

After coming to this world, she had not experienced loss again.

Instead, she might have even regained some of what she had once lost.

There were no life-or-death battles, yet she had suffered humiliations and helplessness she had never known before.

Even she herself had come to hurt her.

And all she could do was struggle weakly, just like she had last night, pinned down on the bed.

Many in this world bore faces she knew well, yet none of them could offer her any help.

Worse, at Hyuga Makoto's command, they could even turn against her.

This feeling of powerlessness filled her with pain.

This world now felt unfamiliar and cold.

She desperately wanted to go back.

Hokage Tsunade spoke, "Shizune, can you stay here with me?"

"Lady Tsunade…"

Hokage Tsunade averted her gaze. "Shizune, stay here. Compared to our original world… this one is quite interesting. In this world, Rin isn't dead. Asuma isn't dead either."

She wanted someone to stay by her side, and there was no one better than Shizune—her Shizune.

Her disciple, her child, the one she had always relied on the most.

Maybe then, she wouldn't feel so lonely and helpless.

But the cost… was taking over the body of this world's Shizune.

Perhaps she shouldn't do this… If it came to it, she could beg Hyuga Makoto to provide Shizune with a new body as well.

Faced with Hokage Tsunade's plea, Shizune seemed hesitant to refuse.

"Shizune, step outside for now," Tsunade suddenly interjected.

Shizune glanced at the other Tsunade, who had remained silent this whole time, then wordlessly left the room.

The bedroom fell into silence.

Hokage Tsunade sat on the bed, head lowered, while the other Tsunade stood across from her.

Tsunade finally spoke. "Now, do you still wonder why I became like this?"

"..."

Hokage Tsunade lowered her eyes without answering.

Last night's events had dealt her a heavy blow and made her think a lot.

But perhaps, compared to what this world's Tsunade had experienced, it was still nothing.

Tsunade spoke again. "I didn't care when you took over my body before, but you can't do the same to Shizune."

"Even though they're both Shizune, they are two independent individuals. The Shizune of this world is only twenty years old. A few years ago, she was exactly the same as the Shizune you knew. Can you really bear to do this?"

Hokage Tsunade stiffened at those words. Could she bear it?

No. Of course not.

This world's Shizune, even after learning the truth, still treated her as her Lady Tsunade. And yet, now she was about to take away her freedom… Had she completely lost her mind?

Tsunade continued, "And if Hyuga Makoto finds out about Shizune, do you know what will happen?"

Hokage Tsunade's pupils shrank sharply, and she froze.

"What we've suffered is our own burden to bear. If you truly can't endure it, you can always choose death. The curse on you prevents you from taking your own life, but you can always ask someone else to do it for you."

"But if you plan on hurting Shizune, I will never forgive you."

"..."

Silence.

After a long silence, Hokage Tsunade let out a soft chuckle. "Do I need you to teach me? Do you really think I would hurt Shizune?"

Tsunade replied calmly, "If you were me, of course, you wouldn't. But who knows if everything that's happened these past days has already made you lose yourself?"

Hokage Tsunade's expression gradually became composed.

She stood up from the bed and slowly walked out of the room.

"Lady Tsunade?" In the living room, Shizune saw her coming out and couldn't help but call out.

Hokage Tsunade looked at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"You asked me earlier if I came here because I wanted to see someone, right?"

Shizune nodded.

"There was no one in particular. In our world, after stepping down as Hokage, life became boring, so I just wanted to find something interesting to do."

"Maybe the heavens knew about that thought and decided to toss me here."

Shizune murmured, "Lady Tsunade, you…"

Hokage Tsunade chuckled. "This world is quite interesting, and I've decided to live here for the long run. Shizune, when you go back, don't feel too lonely."

"..."

She waved a hand. "Alright, this world is already at peace, so there's nothing to worry about. Who knows? Maybe if you miss me enough, you'll come back again someday."

Shizune stood there, pressing her lips together in silence.

"When you go back, find yourself a boyfriend. Honestly, if you already had that thought in your heart, why didn't you just say it? Kakashi's a decent guy. If you find him pleasing to the eye, go for it."

Shizune's face flushed slightly. "Lady Tsunade, please don't meddle in my personal matters."

Hokage Tsunade, however, just laughed. "If I don't meddle, then who will? …Forget it, just go back. Rin… let her take you to see him."

She waved nonchalantly, pointing to the other Tsunade at her side.

At this moment, she seemed to have returned to being the Tsunade-hime of the past.

"..."

Shizune hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Lady Tsunade, please take care of yourself here."

Hokage Tsunade simply smiled and waved her hand.

Tsunade led Shizune out of the house, heading toward Rin's place so that Shizune could meet the long-deceased friend from her original world.

After walking in silence for a long time through the streets, Tsunade suddenly spoke. "Why did you do it?"

Shizune's body trembled slightly.

She bit her lip and said softly, "You noticed a long time ago… didn't you, Master?"

There was no response.

Shizune continued, "Then… Lady Tsunade, she must have also…"

Tsunade said, "With acting skills like yours, if she were still her old self, she would have noticed too."

Shizune whispered, "I just wantedLady Tsunade to have a better life… Maybe seeing the Shizune from her world would make her happy."

"Mm." Tsunade responded, her steps never slowing as she continued forward.

They didn't head to Rin's house, nor did they seem to have a clear destination.

"You did well, Shizune."

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