Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san

Tsunade gazed at the city before her. Despite the night having fallen, the lights remained bright, in multiple colors, as if it were a city that never sleeps.

Had it not been for her mission, she would have strolled through the streets, indulged in delicious food, and then relaxed in a hot bath before drifting into a peaceful sleep.

She was supposed to arrive earlier due to her speed, but the pace of her client delayed her, and they arrived later than expected.

"It's late now, you can all take a rest," she said.

Tsunade, who had been hired, was a 26-year-old woman with long braids and slightly downturned eyebrows, giving her a gentle appearance.

Waving her hand, Tsunade added, "There's no need for that. Isn't someone at home waiting for treatment? Human life is important, and I can't slack off. I'll begin the treatment immediately."

As one of the patient's family members, there was no greater comfort than hearing those words. Tears of gratitude welled up in his eyes. "You are truly kind."

The cost of medicine for treating family members was extremely high, and the family could not afford it.

So, a group of patients gathered, pooled some money, and hired a medical ninja to see if they could find a solution.

"Oh, don't cry," Tsunade said with a reassuring smile. "I'm a ninja, and my job is to help my clients solve their problems. Let's go, and I'll do my best to treat your family member."

Tsunade's team accompanied the client to his home, where they found the patient—thin and frail—lying on the bed.

Tsunade approached to examine the patient, her face turning serious.

"Can they be treated?" the client asked anxiously.

Tsunade replied, "Do you still have the special medicine? If you do, the chances of success will be higher."

The client quickly searched and brought out a bottle containing the special medicine, handing it to Tsunade carefully. "Only two pills are left."

Tsunade held the bottle and smiled calmly, "One pill is enough."

Once Tsunade analyzed the medicine's components and understood how it affected the illness, she could quickly find the right solution.

The client prayed, "Please, please help us..."

The team leader reassured him, "Don't worry. Tsunade is the jewel of Konoha Village, and with her medical skills, she will surely be able to treat this illness."

Tsunade was not a permanent member of his team, but had joined them temporarily.

The client hesitantly said, "I hope so."

"Alright, let's not disturb Tsunade. We should leave now."

"Alright."

...

In another office, the doors were pushed open violently as a young man named Yakumaru stormed in, confronting a middle-aged man.

The man, in his fifties or sixties, was thin and relaxed, his hands being massaged by two women.

His name was Chizo, Yakumaru's father.

"Father, there's a problem," Yakumaru said anxiously.

Chizo, enjoying the massage, responded calmly, "What is it?"

At his age, there wasn't much that could cause him concern.

Yakumaru angrily said, "That group of patients hired a medical ninja to uncover the poison we used, and now they're analyzing our medicine too. Soon, they might be able to decode it."

In this world, many people die from diseases.

The higher the demand, the greater the profit. That's why many pharmaceutical companies compete fiercely for dominance. To stand out in this brutal competition, some ruthless methods were required.

Simply put, pharmaceutical companies profited from the suffering of patients.

To increase profits, more "potential clients" had to be developed.

If there weren't enough patients? They could simply create them. And it was even better if they were forced to rely on the company's products.

This was how Yakumaru's company had expanded.

Instead of developing medicines that cured diseases, the company focused on producing drugs that only alleviated symptoms without solving the underlying problem. This forced patients to continually purchase more, ensuring a steady flow of profit.

When Chizo heard that this perfect profit-making scheme might be exposed, his expression changed, anger flashing in his eyes as his calm demeanor vanished.

He shoved the two women aside, and they fell to the floor but quickly stood up and quietly left the room.

"Did you act recklessly?" Chizo asked his son.

"No, I only gathered their information and left the decision to you," Yakumaru replied.

"Which village are they from?" Chizo inquired.

"They're from Konoha, the Village of Fire. There are four ninjas, and one of them is likely a Jonin."

"Konoha ninjas? That's troublesome," Chizo muttered.

"Should we try to bribe them?" Yakumaru suggested.

Chizo dismissed the idea. "No, if we fail, we'll alert them. Konoha ninjas are known for their firm resolve, and bribery may not work on them."

"So, what do we do? Just stand by and watch as these patients recover, losing our chance to exploit them?" Yakumaru asked anxiously.

"Don't be afraid," Chizo said firmly.

Chizo paced the room, then suddenly stopped as an idea came to him.

"Father, do you have a plan?" Yakumaru asked excitedly.

An evil gleam appeared in Chizo's eyes, his intentions clear.

"Father, are you suggesting...?" Yakumaru asked in shock.

"Yes," Chizo confirmed with a resolute tone.

The way Chizo had built his pharmaceutical empire was based on unparalleled ruthlessness, and he wouldn't hesitate to use immoral tactics to achieve his goals.

"But these are Konoha ninjas..." Yakumaru hesitated.

"Right now, the medical ninja is focused on treating the patients, not yet aware of our scheme. But once they realize our conspiracy within the pharmaceutical company, we'll be finished. Instead of waiting for failure, it's better to take the initiative and eliminate the threat."

"But Konoha ninjas are incredibly strong, and dealing with them isn't easy."

"To deal with Konoha ninjas, who belong to one of the Five Great Nations, we'll need to hire ninjas from one of the Five Great Villages as well. Those patients managed to pay a medical ninja to treat them, so there's no reason we can't hire our own. It's just a matter of money, and we have plenty of it. As long as we can eliminate these ninjas, I'll pay whatever it takes."

After weighing the pros and cons, Yakumaru replied, "I understand. The closest major nation is the Land of Lightning. I'll send someone to contact the Cloud Village ninjas to take care of the Konoha ninjas."

Chizo shook his head, "Don't go to the Cloud Village."

"Why not?"

"First, Cloud Village signed a peace treaty with Konoha. Even though that alliance seems to be on the verge of ending, the two nations haven't fully severed ties yet.

Second, after the coup by the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers, Cloud Village lost many elite ninjas and hasn't fully recovered."

Realizing this, Yakumaru said, "It's no wonder you're my father, always thinking things through."

Chizo smiled and said, "We'll request help from the Mist Village in the Land of Water. That village is famous for its ninja graduation system, and their ninja products have a global reputation for always being top-tier."

Yakumaru nodded. "I'll follow your instructions."

After their discussion, Yakumaru immediately began arranging to contact the Mist Village ninjas.

...

"This is very strange..."

Tsunade stared at the pill in her hand, feeling something strange she couldn't quite put her finger on.

The medicine could easily be modified to fully cure the patients. She couldn't understand why the pharmaceutical company hadn't solved such a simple technical issue.

Could it be that they were deliberately avoiding curing the patients...?

A Jonin from her team approached and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Startled, Tsunade replied, "You're back quickly from gathering supplies, Jonin Tsuchizu."

"There wasn't much to buy, so I returned early," Tsuchizu explained. Then he added, "You look tired. Would you like to rest?"

Tsunade immediately agreed.

She had successfully treated the illness, and now all that remained was mass production of the medicine to resolve the crisis.

Eager for some rest, she hadn't slept in two days due to her focus on treating the illness, and even her great strength had been affected somewhat.

But as Tsunade was preparing to go to sleep, her ninja instincts kicked in, putting her on full alert.

She quickly decided to leave with her teammates to avoid putting civilians in danger, and soon, several dark figures followed them.

They chose an open, empty space to prepare for battle.

Gradually, the faces of their enemies became visible—ninjas wearing headbands with the emblem of four-pointed waves, marking them as Mist Village ninjas from the Land of Water.

Tsunade shouted angrily, "You're Mist Village ninjas. Why are you attacking us?"

The Mist ninjas remained silent, bound by their contract not to reveal information about their client. Swiftly, they began performing ninjutsu.

Suddenly, a thick fog spread across the area, completely obscuring vision.

This technique was all too familiar to Tsunade, as another ninja had used it before.

She cursed under her breath. Most of her skills relied on direct physical attacks, which were not ideal for dealing with the fog.

Fortunately, one of the Jonin in her team was working to dismantle the technique.

But wait, this hand sign...

Tsunade's eyes widened the moment she realized that her teammate was acting unusually, but it was too late. She found herself trapped inside a sphere of water.

"Water Prison Technique!"

This technique formed a circular water cage that imprisoned enemies inside. As long as the user kept their hand inside the prison, they could hold the enemy without issue.

With a puff of smoke, the jonin next to Tsunade transformed, revealing another unfamiliar figure wearing the same headband as the Mist ninja.

Her teammates shouted, "Tsunade!"

They rushed to rescue her, knowing that the water prison was strong but had a critical weakness—the user couldn't move as long as their hand was inside the prison.

So, attacking this weakness was the way to free Tsunade.

But the other Mist ninjas were ready, prepared to stop her comrades from reaching her.

Tsunade was frustrated, having fallen into this trap, unable to help her team in the battle.

She realized she should have been suspicious of the jonin from the moment he returned quickly from buying supplies.

The enemies had taken advantage of this moment, disguising themselves as the jonin to get close to her.

But even so, deceiving Tsunade through transformation was no easy feat.

It seemed the enemies exploited her focus on healing the sick to fool her, giving them the chance to approach.

The events unfolded rapidly, and Tsunade became a victim of this trap.

This is the world of ninjas, where you must always be ready for surprises.

People always feel regret after the events have passed.

In this moment, Tsunade wished she had been more cautious, like someone she knew.

(End of Chapter)

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