Unlike the atmosphere when they'd encountered each other in the corridor several days ago—that harmony that would make any outsider's spine run cold—
This time, when Hii Kōri and Orochimaru met, the atmosphere between them was like that of strangers with an irreconcilable, deep-seated hatred.
They were both mature ninjas; they had a firm grasp on professional ethics in this regard.
Of course, it might also have been because Hii Kōri had entered the meeting hall dragging a humanoid figure tightly bound with bandages—even its eyes and mouth firmly covered.
At that time, aside from Orochimaru, no one from Konoha's side realized that the young man with red-and-white hair before them was the "Crimson of Agony" who had already secured the first page of their "Book of Hatred." They simply assumed the humanoid figure was some new type of Suna puppet.
And by the time he undid the collar around the figure's neck, removed her eye patch and mouth gag, and unwrapped those bandages, the atmosphere grew even more solemn.
Even though Tsunade had been drugged by him beforehand and couldn't feel much pain, the red marks left on her neck by the collar were still shocking to others.
After all, she was the Princess of the Senju. This level of injury was enough for Konoha ninjas to leap up and accuse Hii Kōri of mistreating prisoners.
Of course, Hii Kōri couldn't care less about such accusations—he almost felt like laughing.
Since when did ninja warfare have rules about treating prisoners well? Well said; they were nothing more than using Tsunade's identity to stir up trouble, taking the opportunity to see if they could reduce the "ransom" payment.
And Orochimaru, at that moment, also looked like he could barely suppress a laugh. But as an old teammate, he took the initiative to step forward, accepted the still-unconscious Tsunade, and began treating the bruises on her neck.
Seeing this, Hii Kōri ignored the reactions of Konoha's ninjas and withdrew cleanly and decisively.
Are you kidding? He had plenty of things to do; he didn't have time to bicker with these vermin.
When Tsunade awoke from her brief unconsciousness, her memory remained stuck at the moment Hii Kōri had pinned her against the wall, forcing her to swallow some kind of medicine.
She abruptly sat up from the bed, her eyes sweeping the entire room with extreme ferocity—until she saw the thin figure with long black hair seated at the desk. Only then did she breathe, her heart still pounding with residual terror.
"Awake?"
Orochimaru heard the movement behind him and turned to look at his old teammate, who looked as if she'd had a nightmare.
No—for her, from the moment this war began, she had already stepped into a nightmare from which she couldn't awaken.
Thinking Thus, Orochimaru shifted his gaze back to the notes before him and casually dismissed: "Still have strength? Don't tell me you need me to feed you water—if it were that idiot Jiraiya, he'd probably be happy to oblige."
Compared to meaningless concern, this kind of atmosphere would probably make Tsunade feel better.
That was his judgment.
"Get lost!"
Sure enough, what responded was a fatigued but still familiar rebuke.
Tsunade reached for the water glass on the nightstand and gulped down the warm water, then tilted her head back to look at the ceiling—so different from that pitch-black color—and slowly closed her eyes.
Different... Even with eyes closed, the darkness before her was utterly unlike that blackness which swallowed everything, obscured everything, obliterated everything.
Not that basement. Not Hii Kōri's Shadow World.
This was just an ordinary room.
Somehow, Tsunade suddenly felt her eyes growing moist, yet she couldn't cry no matter how she tried.
So she just slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel every trace of "Hii Kōri's scent" that had stained her inside and out.
For a moment, the entire room held only the sound of Orochimaru's intermittent writing.
Slowly, feeling a hint of dampness slip through the gap in her loosened robes and brush against her chest, Tsunade instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, clutching the robe tightly together. Then, furrowing her brow, she asked Orochimaru: "You didn't see anything, did you?"
She certainly knew her old teammate's temperament, but some things couldn't be left to chance.
As she spoke, she hugged her arms even tighter.
Beneath that thin short coat lay concealed the peony patterns Hii Kōri had forcibly tattooed onto her shoulders and back.
Flowers regarded as symbols of nobility, branded onto her body in such a humiliating manner—this was yet another form of degradation for Tsunade.
Yes, once Tsunade regained her ability to use chakra, these tattoos—merely pigments that pierce the flesh—could be easily dissolved.
But precisely because of that, she felt all the more keenly the humiliation Hii Kōri had inflicted upon her—subduing her easily without using chakra, then straddling her back and forcibly tattooing her.
Just thinking about it made those patterns ache dully.
"Hm? You mean the part where Hii Kōri packaged you up tightly and dragged you like cargo from the other courtyard to the reception hall?"
But Orochimaru, who had merely returned Tsunade to her room and kept watch over her, knew nothing of this. Though his mind and ideals were beginning to trend radical, he wouldn't go so far as to do anything inappropriate to his sleeping old teammate—nor to the elder sister of his deceased student.
"?"
Hearing Orochimaru's response, it was Tsunade's turn to be puzzled.
No wonder her back and waist felt a dull heaviness. Initially, she'd thought it was muscle strain from the hand-to-hand fight with Hii Kōri—so this was what had happened?!
Truly... truly despicable!
In her heart, vaguely sensing a flicker of satisfaction that Hii Kōri no longer regards her merely as a prop, but as someone who could be "humiliated," Tsunade once again extinguished that twisted thought—one she hadn't even consciously recognized—and gnashed her teeth, pounding the table.
"...What do you plan to do from now on?"
Thinking that there would probably be no peaceful time to write notes in this room going forward, Orochimaru put away his paper and pen and turned to face Tsunade.
"Kill that bastard, of course—the one who did so many detestable things to Dan, to me!!!"
"!!!"
As she answered, suddenly, without warning, Tsunade saw Hii Kōri appear in the room, arms leaning on the windowsill as he gazed outward.
Her breath caught. Then she grabbed the water glass from the nightstand and hurled it at the back of that red-and-white haired head. "Why are you here?!"
Hearing Tsunade's hatred-filled roar, Hii Kōri turned around leisurely, then—like a reflection on water's surface—shattered with a "pop" when struck by her thrown glass.
His fragmented form slowly melted away, leaving only the scattered glass shards on the floor.
"You've fallen under the Crimson of Agony's genjutsu."
A flash of understanding gleamed in Orochimaru's eyes.
"Genjutsu...?"
"Yes. You know this, right? On the day the Crimson of Agony attacked Katō-kun, most of the squads infiltrated the front lines had ninjas going mad. According to them, they saw the figure of the Crimson of Agony—probably just like you did now."
"...You can't dispel this genjutsu?"
"As humiliating as it is to say, I can't for now. After all, he's a genius too."
Orochimaru walked to the bedside and looked down at Tsunade from on high, responding calmly: "But based on my judgment, the activation conditions for this technique might be related to factors like emotions, cognition, and such."
"So... adjust your mindset a bit."
"You're telling me to give up my hatred of him?!"
"I didn't say that. But this state of yours isn't great for the child's education either."
Orochimaru, noncommittal, headed toward the door—clearly intending to give Tsunade some personal space.
Having once regarded Nawaki as a little brother too, Orochimaru could somewhat understand Tsunade's current feelings. But to hurt the living who also care about you for the sake of the dead—that would undoubtedly be the most tragic thing.
"But this state of yours isn't great for the child's education either."
"...Child?"
"Katō-kun's younger sister left behind a daughter, didn't she? After his death, that child has no one to care for her."
Already through the doorway, Orochimaru glanced back one last time at Tsunade.
"Given Katō-kun's achievements, the child could receive proper care. But compared to an orphanage, being with family is surely better."
The door slowly closed, blocking Tsunade's forlorn figure behind it.
Then, perhaps, someone would hear that stifled, grief-stricken weeping.
***
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