In the suffocating, absolute darkness, Tsunade instinctively clutched the ball of light. It was her final anchor, a reflex born from years of desperately grasping at hope.
However, the darkness around her began to intensify, expanding with a palpable, terrifying pressure. It felt like an infinite, ravenous abyss, swallowing every sense. Worse, the faint glow of the sacred light in her palm began to diminish, shrinking steadily as the surrounding void grew exponentially.
In this extreme sensory deprivation, Tsunade finally understood the profound value of the simplest light.
"No! Don't you dare—!" Tsunade shrieked, but no sound registered in her ears. She couldn't feel her body, couldn't hear her heart beat—all human input was systematically consumed by the darkness.
The gradually fading ball of light was her last, vanishing hope.
Then, to her utter terror, the light disintegrated completely. A darkness more absolute than anything she had ever experienced consumed her.
But instinct, honed by decades of survival, took over. Even though her senses told her the light was gone, she maintained her conscious will, locking her palm shut. She had been there before: present at Nawaki's death, present at Dan's death. No matter how fiercely she fought, the last flicker of hope—like the light in her hand—had been mercilessly snatched away.
It failed again...
Tsunade's spiritual resistance began to crumble.
In the physical world, she was a pitiful sight. Curled on the grass, her hair matted with cold sweat, her face ashen. Her eyelids were clamped shut, and the Holy Light Seed in her hand was barely perceptible, its glow almost extinguished.
"What manner of test is this?" Sasuke muttered, unnerved by the sight.
"It is the trial of the inner self," Shen Mo answered calmly, his eyes fixed on the Sannin. The test was simple: if she surrendered to the despair and opened her hand, the Holy Light would deem her unworthy. Continuing the fruitless deadlock would yield the same result.
"What happens if she fails?" Sasuke pressed, the question edged with a personal anxiety about destiny.
"No harm will come to her," Shen Mo replied, turning to the Genin. "But the price to change her fate will increase significantly. Not everyone can afford to pay it."
Sasuke clenched his fists. The cost of ambition, the cost of change—this concept, tied to his own revenge quest, infuriated and motivated him. He anxiously watched Tsunade, silently rooting for her success.
Inside the void, Tsunade had reached her breaking point. The absolute darkness, combined with the soul-deep fatigue and the terror of her hemophobia, was agonizing. Whispers began to infiltrate her awareness: Give up. It's over. You failed. You can protect the resurrected Nawaki well enough with your medical skill and potions.
"I refuse to give up!" Tsunade roared into the void of her own consciousness.
Her resolve was no longer tied solely to Nawaki. It was a vicious rejection of her own weakness. Even if the light had vanished, she refused to be the person who succumbed to the shadows. She wanted to be the person who could resist.
Her will shifted. It no longer mattered if the light was there or not; she would hold onto the idea of the light—the defiant self that rejected the darkness.
A faint new light began to bloom in her inner awareness, born not of the Paladin Seed, but of her own soul. It grew, an illusory spark at first, until it began to reflect outward into the absolute darkness surrounding her.
Suddenly, her palm, which had been numb, began to feel a scorching heat.
Tsunade realized the truth: the sacred light had never entirely vanished. It had merely been so tightly compressed by the absolute darkness—and her desperate, clutched grip—that she couldn't perceive it. But it had remained, awaiting the light of her own belief.
The Holy Light Seed now began to merge with the nascent light from her spirit, the two becoming indistinguishable, growing hotter and brighter.
With an overwhelming surge, the combined light exploded, annihilating the darkness and filling the void with brilliant, life-affirming radiance. Before Tsunade, a figure materialized: a warm, sacred entity, seemingly made of light itself, with six vast wings unfurling behind it.
"The Holy Light is never held in your hands," the entity spoke, its voice gentle yet resonating with divine authority. It extended its palm towards Tsunade's forehead. "The light in your heart will never be extinguished. The Holy Light will always be with you."
As the words settled, the entity merged with her, and all the light in the world flowed into Tsunade.
When Tsunade finally opened her eyes, she was back in the forest clearing. The first person she saw was Shen Mo, whose smile was radiant.
"Congratulations, Tsunade. You passed the trial."
Shen Mo's joy was genuine, stemming not only from securing a lucrative, long-term client but also from the confirmation of her core character. Despite the despair, she would always choose to fight her way back to hope.
Tsunade immediately pressed her hand to her chest. She could feel it: the warm, faint presence of the Sacred Light within her heart. It was weak, nascent, but undeniably hers. She had the absolute conviction that she could nurture it into strength.
"Thank you," Tsunade whispered, her beautiful eyes filled with a sincere, profound gratitude that she couldn't suppress. It was only the second time she had willingly expressed such deep thanks in decades.
"Why are you thanking me?" Shen Mo asked, shrugging with practiced indifference. "I am merely a merchant."
Tsunade chose to ignore the denial. She felt a deep connection to this strange figure who had forced her to face her own weakness.
However, her irritation quickly returned. "Why didn't you clearly explain the nature of the test, you fraud?!" she demanded, her teeth gritted. "You said not to let go, yet the light vanished! I almost released my grip to check if I had simply dropped it!"
"Dropped it...?" Shen Mo shook his head, momentarily speechless. "My warnings were sufficient. There was nothing more to say."
"Hmph." Tsunade crossed her arms. "Well, I'm a Paladin now."
"Indeed." Shen Mo deployed his signature business smile, the moment of spiritual intensity over. "So, how about we start with a set of Tier Three Paladin Series Jars? The drop rate for the Resurrection ability within that series is exceptionally high."
Tsunade was a qualified client now, with a new, focused goal. The resurrection prize, by agreement, belonged to Kakashi.
Shen Mo smiled. Kakashi, are you prepared for an interesting life?