Naruto :I will survive

Night.

When Kano came to, the first thing he saw was a blazing fire, next to which two people were sitting. His stomach was growling from hunger, his body was aching from weakness, all his muscles were aching.

And... it seems the rain has stopped?

This was good news. He couldn't stand the feeling of wet clothes clinging to his body anymore. Although, in reality, the rain hadn't stopped at all, they had simply left the Rain Country and reached the border of the Fire Country.

"Give me something to eat" - he turned his head to the man who tied him with snakes and asked for food without any hesitation. Since he was still alive, it meant they didn't want him to die, so he dared to ask for food.

Orochimaru noticed Kano open his eyes, and now, hearing his request, he smiled weakly and threw some crackers in front of him.

Kano looked at the crackers that had fallen in front of him, stretched out his hand with difficulty, took one and brought it to his mouth without biting. His mouth and throat were dry. In order to swallow the cracker, he needed at least a little saliva to soften it.

Tsunade looked at Orochimaru. She knew that in Kano's condition, even producing a little saliva was a problem, so swallowing a cracker would be very difficult.

She paused, then stood up and walked over to the boy. Under his slightly wary gaze, she crouched down and brought the edge of a large leaf filled with water to his lips.

Kano's eyes flickered. He realized what was required of him and opened his mouth. Cool water, like life-giving nectar, slid in, instantly moistening his parched throat.

Casting a grateful glance at Tsunade, Kano swallowed the softened biscuit and closed his eyes in bliss.

One cracker and a little water. It was like a precious source of life.

"Thank you." If it weren't for the water Tsunade gave him, it would have taken him a long time to swallow the cracker.

Tsunade nodded slightly in response and put the leaf down. There was a little water left in it, but enough for Kano to eat the remaining crackers.

Overcoming the pain, Kano sat down more comfortably, lowered the two remaining crackers into the water on the sheet and, after waiting until they softened a little, silently ate them.

Krr! - in the silence of the night only the quiet crackling of burning logs in the fire could be heard.

They were in a forest full of dangers, but for strong shinobi like Orochimaru and Tsunade, it was not a big threat. In a foreign country, they would have to be more careful, but in the Land of Fire, it was enough to take standard precautions.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Kano, having satisfied his hunger a little.

"To Konoha," Orochimaru answered.

"Konoha?" Kano frowned and asked calmly, "Is that the place where slave traders bring their goods?"

"Slave traders?" Tsunade glanced at Kano, anger flashing in her eyes, but she said nothing. Instead, she was struck by how calmly he compared himself to merchandise.

Although, what can you do, it's war time... there have been worse things.

"Konoha is our village," Orochimaru replied coldly, refuting Kano's assumption.

Kano continued to frown and asked, "Then why are you taking me there? I don't think a half-dead child is of any value to you."

Hearing this, Orochimaru looked at him, and a slight smile appeared on his pale face, "Indeed, if you were useless, then you would have become a pile of rotting meat long ago."

Those cold words made Kano shudder. Then he heard Orochimaru continue, "So find a way to prove your worth, otherwise you won't have a reason to live anymore. Remember, without me, you'll be a corpse in a few days."

Kano sneered, realizing that if he hadn't met that little yellow dog, he might not have survived. However, thinking so optimistically, he didn't know what situation he was in before.

There are few safe places in times of war... and even fewer for defenseless civilians.

Orochimaru was right, but Kano couldn't understand it because he knew nothing about this world.

Tsunade, listening to their conversation, rubbed her forehead. Looking at the emaciated Kano, she estimated that he was no more than six years old, but his maturity was astonishing. Could this really be just a child from an ordinary family?

And... such an emaciated, obviously malnourished body had incredible resilience. An ordinary child would not have survived the two-day journey, but Kano was still holding on.

Thinking about this, she glanced at Orochimaru, who was looking at the fire. Was it because he had foreseen this that he had refused to treat Kano's wounds?

"Sis, what's your name?" Kano asked, wanting to make contact since he didn't know anything about the two and Tsunade seemed friendlier.

Tsunade snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him and said, "Before asking someone else's name, you should first tell them yours - it's basic politeness."

"..." Kano was speechless, thinking to himself that they had tied him up without saying a word, and now they were talking about politeness: "My name is Kano Azusa, you can just call me Kano."

"Kano?" Tsunade slightly raised her eyelids and asked curiously, "Did you choose him yourself?"

"Yes." Tsunade asked casually, not expecting to be correct.

This child...

Tsunade sighed and said, "Tsunade Senju, that is my name."

Kano blinked, then looked at Orochimaru. And following his gaze, Tsunade added, "His name is Orochimaru."

Kano nodded understandingly and then obediently fell silent.

"Are you in pain anymore?" Orochimaru suddenly asked.

"Eh? It barely hurts anymore."

Only after his words, Kano suddenly realized that the pain that had previously permeated his entire body had significantly decreased, so much so that he could talk normally with Tsunade.

"Hehe..." Orochimaru looked at him, and strange lights flashed in his eyes. At that time, he had not yet thought about learning the transformation technique, he was simply extremely interested in the peculiarities of Kano's body.

From the first time he met Kano, he noticed that there was a powerful life force hidden within that fragile body, and although that force was only manifested in the tiny heart, it was extraordinary.

To be honest, despite this peculiarity, Orochimaru still planned to eliminate him. However, Kano's latest actions gave him a chance to survive.

"Show me." Tsunade was also very surprised after hearing Kano's words and, without saying a word, she opened his clothes and put her hand on his chest. At that moment, her palm emitted a gentle green glow.

"Cell activity..."

Feeling the sudden activity of the cells in that exhausted body, Tsunade was dumbfounded.

Perhaps... She underestimated Kano's body's peculiarities from the very beginning...