Chapter 11: I Will Die
With Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna now part of their group, no one was happier than their respective older brothers. They no longer had to sneak away for their meetings; they could now spend time with their younger brothers openly. If the clan elders found out, they could even cover for one another.
The group sparred together often, researching and developing new ninjutsu. As time passed, they grew from boys into young men, their strength increasing with each passing day. At Stelle's suggestion, Senju Tobirama began to create a variety of jutsu. His mastery over Water Release was a given, but he also developed the Shadow Clone Technique, the Transformation Technique, the Substitution Technique, and more.
To prepare for her eventual confrontation with Black Zetsu, Stelle had already begun her research into Sealing Jutsu. Seeing that Tobirama hadn't yet started developing the Flying Thunder God Technique, she even dropped a few hints and shared some of the underlying theories with him.
Meanwhile, the endless wars between the clans raged on. They clashed over territory, over resources, and even fought to snatch missions from one another. Stelle knew that to truly ease these tensions, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had to take their places as clan heads.
The problem was Senju Butsuma. The current head of the Senju clan was in his prime, a man who embodied the ruthless spirit of the Warring States Period. Unless he fell in battle, he wasn't going anywhere.
Coincidentally, Butsuma came to test her strength again. Stelle used the opportunity to subtly probe him. "When do you think Hashirama might be ready to become the clan head?"
The clan leader, who likely spent his nights dreaming of invading the Uchiha's lands to kill his nemesis and monopolize the region, seemed taken aback by her question. He fell silent for a moment, his gaze sharp. "Hashirama? I don't see any such intention in him. The moment he has to handle clan affairs, all he wants to do is run away. Besides," he added, his voice flat, "I'm not dead yet."
Stelle was rendered speechless. It was a good thing her established persona was that of a gentle, refreshing presence; otherwise, Butsuma might have thought she was plotting a coup.
His habitually cold, sharp eyes swept over her, this outstanding clanswoman who had appeared from nowhere. Heaven knows what conclusion he drew, but his expression shifted into one of sudden realization.
"Your relationship with Hashirama is quite good. I often see you two together."
"It's quite good," Stelle nodded. She had a good relationship with everyone in the Senju Clan. To farm mood points, she couldn't afford to miss a single opportunity, no matter how small. Resources were scarce in this corner of the world.
"Alright, you may leave," Butsuma said, dismissing her. "We will discuss certain things after you come of age."
'What does he mean by that?'Stelle wondered as she walked away.'What does my coming of age have to do with his abdication?'
She shrugged it off. It wasn't important. What was important was farming mood points.
Sigh. As the four young men grew older, their minds became increasingly stable, making it harder and harder to provoke any significant emotional reactions. Fortunately, her clones were running wild all over the world, doing everything in their power to run into Black Zetsu and farm him for all he was worth. Her supply hadn't been cut off just yet.
Operating under the guise of being subordinates of a mysterious figure named Sōjin, her clones couldn't go three sentences without mentioning the "Chakra Ancestor." They stimulated Black Zetsu's nerves in every way imaginable while steadfastly refusing to actually communicate with him. They left the pitch-black creature to his own devices, with no one to talk to or consult, stewing in his own overthinking. The mood points she earned from his paranoia were just enough to keep her alive.
The result was that the entire ninja world now knew that the war-crazed maniac from years ago wasn't a lone wolf, but part of a mysterious organization. Their calling card was the use of black flames. They had men and women, old and young, and every last one of them was arrogant, actively looking for trouble, and, of course, died with astonishing frequency.
Black Zetsu had never seen people so skilled at seeking death.
Stelle continued this balancing act, keeping Black Zetsu on the hook while working diligently within the Senju Clan.
One day, she accepted a mission to suppress a group of bandits. Her persona was that of a peace-loving messenger who abhorred killing. Senju Hashirama, knowing her disposition, specifically arranged escort and protection missions for her whenever he handled clan affairs. Although Senju Butsuma had his objections, he still turned a blind eye to his son's small maneuvers.
As fate would have it, the moment she set out, Stelle ran into members of the Cult of Jashin kidnapping children. She charged into their hideout to save them, only to stumble upon a pool filled with the corpses of children.
The overpowering stench of blood mixed with the foul, chemical odor of decaying bodies made her want to vomit. The children—the oldest couldn't have been more than eight, the youngest still an infant—had various experimental marks carved into their bodies. It was a horrific sight.
For the first time, Stelle felt a white-hot fury. Facing the surrounding Jashinists, she clapped her hands together, skipping the hand seals entirely.
"Things like you," she seethed, "have no right to exist. Dying a hundred deaths would not be enough."
Countless dense branches erupted from the ground, forming a forest of sharp wooden spikes that impaled their bodies. She drew a kunai and began a merciless sweep of the cult's base, slaughtering every last one of the trash. From the leaders to the lowest grunt, she wiped them all out, leaving not a single soul alive.
When she returned to the clan compound to report the mission, her face was a grim mask, her killing intent still simmering. She immediately dispatched clones to hunt down and exterminate every last remnant of the Cult of Jashin.
Coincidentally, one of her clones ran into Senju Tobirama returning from a mission in a nearby town. The clone provoked him for a bit of mood value, then, after a drawn-out fight, was "killed" by him. Of course, Tobirama was left heavily injured in the process.
While Stelle was treating his wounds later, she couldn't help but ask, "You knew those black flames were difficult to deal with. Why did you insist on killing him?"
Tobirama's voice was cold. "Back then, I was no match for that masked man. I refuse to believe that even now, I am still weaker."
'Fine,'she thought.'A man's competitive spirit, I guess.'
Stelle was a bit absent-minded. Senju Tobirama had killed a clone and avenged the time he was chased all over the forest by the white-masked man in black robes, yet it had only yielded a measly eight hundred mood points. His mindset was becoming more stable by the day, and his daily contributions had started to dwindle to a hundred points at a time.
She couldn't see the other three as often. When she did, it was only for two or three hundred points. Izuna was better, usually good for a thousand, but since they met so infrequently, it didn't amount to much.
Life was truly becoming unbearable.
Back when he was a child, Tobirama would bristle at the slightest tease. Now, he was the very definition of steady and reserved. He spent his days with those fox-like eyes of his narrowed, and heaven only knew what he was thinking. Only when he saw Uchiha Izuna did his emotions fluctuate significantly. If it weren't for the mood points trickling in, she would suspect that even if the sky fell, his expression wouldn't change.
After bandaging his wound, she looked up to see him still squinting at her, his gaze calm. Because she had treated him, he at least gave her a thousand points.
Unable to resist, Stelle reached out and ruffled his white hair, just as she had when they were kids. "I'll teach you to be so calm and collected! Would it kill you to have some bigger emotional fluctuations?"
'I will die,'she screamed internally.'I really will!!!'
Senju Tobirama let her ruffle his hair twice before his hand shot up and caught her wrist.
"You seem quite irritable lately. Did something happen?"
Oops. Her bad mood from being unable to farm points had been noticed. As expected of Senju Tobirama, his insight was sharp.
Stelle shrugged. "I just have a feeling a major war is about to break out soon. It's giving me a bit of a headache."
This year, the clans had been fighting nonstop. Today the Senju fought the Hagoromo, tomorrow the Senju fought the Uchiha, the day after the Uchiha fought the Uzumaki, or the Hyuga. All this fighting felt like it was building towards another massive clash between alliances, just like the one that had occurred the year she first arrived. She calculated that by the end of the year, a confrontation between two major coalitions was almost certain.
For a gentle, peace-loving person, it made perfect sense to be in a bad mood when a major war was imminent.
Senju Tobirama seemed to believe her. His red eyes stared at her intently, his tone unusually serious. "Don't worry. Big Brother and I will find a way."
'Can your 'way' let me farm more mood points?'
Stelle pried his hand from her wrist, told him to get some rest, and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, she couldn't help but sigh again. Perhaps her expression was too dejected.
Tobirama suddenly stood up and blocked her path. Then, before she could react, he pulled her into his arms, pressing her head against his shoulder.
Stelle froze. "...What are you doing?"
His cool voice sounded from above her head. "I heard from Big Brother that you encountered a cult during your mission and saw some... unpleasant things. I've never comforted anyone before. Do you want me to spar with you, or do you want to lean on my shoulder?"
'Can I choose neither?''Why is Hashirama such a gossip?' It was just that the Cult of Jashin was so monstrously cruel that it had caused her to break character, switching from the "refreshing breeze" type to the "kills without blinking" type in a second.
Stelle pushed him away and muttered, "Leaning on a shoulder is just strange. A good thing I didn't try it back then; a single look of disgust from you would have made me embarrassed for a whole year. As for a spar, forget it. We've fought so many times, it's boring."
Then, she suddenly realized something. She pointed at Senju Tobirama, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"You... when did you get so much taller than me?"
A rare mix of emotions—a bit of fondness, a bit of helplessness—flickered in Senju Tobirama's eyes. When she acted this airheaded, she was even more formidable than his brother. But... this was also quite nice.
Returning to her courtyard, Stelle pondered her situation. This couldn't go on. She really needed to farm a huge wave of points. With savings in the bank, one didn't panic. The prize pool was full of incredible things, but since they weren't immediately useful in the Warring States Period, she had been putting them off. It was time to research them properly and plan a big harvest.
'Black Zetsu, my top donor,'she thought,'I can only rely on you now. Please pull through. Love you.'
---
Black Zetsu had been in a foul mood lately, all thanks to those subordinates of Sōjin who had appeared out of nowhere. These people were everywhere, popping up in the Land of Lightning one moment and the Land of Frost the next. Sometimes he would just happen to run into them, and they would chase him as if he were some rare curiosity.
They chased him around like a rabbit. Whenever he tried to communicate and brainwash them, they would just run, giving him no chance to speak at all.
What nonsense!
When Black Zetsu encountered them again, he would hear them shouting things like "The Chakra Ancestor will eventually break the seal and destroy the world!"
To be honest, Black Zetsu was a little panicked. He was genuinely afraid that someone knew about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and might leak information about his mother. If that happened, how could he possibly trick this generation's Indra reincarnate?
Therefore, Black Zetsu scoured the world for Sōjin's subordinates, desperate to figure out what was going on.
Just as he entered the Land of Wind, he actually encountered one. The members of this organization were easy to recognize: uniform black robes that covered them from head to toe. Some wore masks, some didn't, but the moment they attacked, they all used the same black flames.
This time, the organization member was a young man without a mask, looking only seventeen or eighteen. He seemed like the type that would be easy to trick.
Black Zetsu quietly followed the man, wanting to see what he was up to. The two traveled deep into the desert until they reached a barren expanse of nothing. Black Zetsu was wondering what the man was doing when he suddenly glanced back.
That look was sinister, a chilling mix of piety and madness.
The chakra all over his body began to riot. Black flames danced in the air as he slammed his hand onto the ground. The earth began to vibrate with a low rumble, and then, an altar-like structure emerged bit by bit from the sand. Four towering pillars were carved with eerie totems, and the central platform was covered in obscure runes.
Black Zetsu vaguely recalled a legend about this altar. It was said to have sealed some demon long ago—just a folktale, really. He wasn't sure what it was actually for.
'What does this person want to do by unearthing the altar?'
While Black Zetsu was still pondering, he saw the young man suddenly take out a dagger and, without a single shred of hesitation, plunge it fiercely into his own heart.
Black Zetsu stared. '...Is this Sōjin some trashy evil god? My mother at most turned people into White Zetsu; she wasn't so classless as to trick people into committing suicide.'
[Ding! Mood value from Black Zetsu +10,000]
The man fell backward onto the ground, his blood pooling on the altar. Black Zetsu heard him whisper, "For the Chakra Ancestor, I am willing to sacrifice my life."
In the next second, the complex and ancient runes on the altar, which even Black Zetsu couldn't comprehend, seemed to come alive and began to rotate. Then, the runes soared into the sky, as if charging into some mysterious dimension, causing the space above to ripple and fluctuate.
Black Zetsu's pitch-black face twitched.
'As her son, I am very much in agreement with you sacrificing your life for the Chakra Ancestor, but shouldn't you first figure out who the Chakra Ancestor actually is?'
He had seen many people die, but this was the first time he had seen someone kill themselves so stupidly for no reason. If it weren't for his desperate need to find out who was spreading these rumors, he wouldn't have bothered with this organization at all. They were all short-lived, brainless fools. Recruiting them would only result in temporary, perhaps even one-time-use, subordinates. A complete waste of breath.
---
As the battles between the major clans grew more intense, Stelle began to join the battlefield more often, performing various tasks like ambushes and encirclements. She was powerful, so Senju Butsuma naturally couldn't indulge Hashirama's desire to assign her to logistics. All the missions given to her were critical ones.
This day, while Stelle was leading several squads to intercept a large, retreating force of wounded from the Hagoromo Clan, a segment of memory suddenly flooded her mind. It was from one of her clones. To transmit the information as quickly as possible, it had directly dispelled itself.
The squad led by Senju Tobirama was surrounded at the bottom of a canyon twenty miles away. They were trapped by a large force from the Hagoromo Clan and their allies, the Hyuga Clan. Given the scale of the enemy, Tobirama was in grave danger.
The clone had happened to run into Black Zetsu at the time and couldn't intervene. It had simply shaken him off and dispelled the jutsu to send her the message. If Black Zetsu had seen the clone going to the rescue, her entire scheme would have fallen apart.
Upon receiving the news, Stelle panicked. There were only a handful of people she could reliably farm points from; if one of them died, how would she survive?
The members of her squad weren't as strong as her and would only slow her down. Stelle ordered them to clean up the aftermath and quickly return to regroup with the main force. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and dashed toward Tobirama's location.
'If I had known, I would have researched the Flying Thunder God Technique myself!' she fumed. She had been so busy researching ultimate moves for her various personas, thinking she could just hitch a ride on Tobirama's jutsu later. Now that she needed to save someone, she had to resort to running.
In the original story, Tobirama lived until the village was founded and fought in the Ninja Wars. But because of her appearance, Uchiha Madara's relationship with the Senju was quite good. Who knew what kind of butterfly effect that might have caused?
If Senju Tobirama really got beaten to death by a mob, what was she going to do?
---
At that moment, within the great canyon, the eight clansmen Senju Tobirama had brought with him were all dead. The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan paired with the Hagoromo Clan's swordsmanship, combined with the overwhelming disparity in numbers, was too much. Even though the men he brought were elites, they couldn't withstand such a dense barrage of attacks.
Tobirama found it very strange. The team he led was meant for reinforcement; it wasn't a supply unit or an important intelligence team. Why would they encounter such a complete ambush?
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
He unleashed a powerful Water Release ninjutsu, repelling the Hagoromo ninja who were closing in, but what followed was the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist. Although he retreated at his maximum speed, he was still struck in the shoulder. His chakra flow immediately became sluggish.
Normally, he wouldn't have been hit by such a simple attack, but there were too many enemies. He was covered in wounds and completely surrounded. He had tried to break through several times but failed.
"Strange, wasn't the one we were supposed to ambush Senju Stelle? Why is it only Senju Tobirama?" a Hagoromo clansman asked in confusion.
"After putting in all this effort, I'm really not happy that we didn't kill that hateful woman. My older brother was killed by her."
"She has good luck. She probably changed her mission before setting out. Oh well, Senju Tobirama is also very troublesome. Killing him won't be a waste."
On the front lines, Senju Stelle had used her Wood Release to kill many members of the Hagoromo Clan, her power no less than that of Senju Hashirama. These men were all seething with resentment.
Senju Tobirama crouched on the ground, panting heavily.
'Their target was Stelle?'
Fortunately, when the missions were being assigned, his father had felt this task was more suitable for him and had changed it at the last minute. Otherwise, the one being hunted now would have been her.
He feigned exhaustion, retreating step by step as the sword attacks rained down. Noticing a blind spot in their assault, his hands flew through seals once again.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
Following several screams, the ninja ambushing him from the front fell to the ground, heavily wounded. However, an attacker from his blind spot still managed to plunge a blade into his arm.
Tobirama threw a kunai and retreated at high speed. Sensing a jutsu attacking from behind, he quickly used the Substitution Technique to dodge. Normally, a simple clone could have confused their vision, but with the Hyuga present, that move was useless. Shadow Clones consumed too much chakra, so he couldn't use them casually.
He glanced in all directions. The Hyuga were providing support from the rear while the Hagoromo led the main assault.
'If I use the Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave, can I break through and escape?'
But the technique consumed a vast amount of chakra. If he failed to escape after using it, he would truly be trapped.
Relying on his strong sensory abilities and high speed, he continuously weaved between his enemies. Dodging another sneak attack from a Hyuga, his hands formed seals at lightning speed as he slammed them down. "Water Release: Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave!"
Water vapor condensed from the air, forming a massive lake in the shortest time possible. It kicked up towering waves that swept forward with a force capable of tearing everything apart. Those caught in it were instantly seized by a massive force, their bodies crushed as they were swept away, screaming incessantly.
The opportunity had arrived.
Senju Tobirama rushed through the opening in the encirclement. He pushed off with his feet, leaped up, and landed on a large tree. His target was the hillside nearby; if he could reach it and use the forest for cover, he had a chance of escape.
Suddenly, he felt a cold blade aura behind his back. It was too late to dodge. His severe injuries had finally affected his sensory perception.
Tobirama's expression changed. In his haste, he only had time to shift his body to the side.
In the next second, a sword plunged deep into his back. The blade sank in so far that he could see the tip protruding from his chest when he looked down.
Blood splattered. Tobirama's body swayed twice before he fell from the tree, closed his eyes, and stopped moving.
Seeing this, the attackers finally paused.
"Damn, this guy was hard to kill. He actually took down so many of our people."
A Hagoromo clansman kicked Tobirama's body. Seeing him unconscious, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Several Hyuga who were assisting from the side spoke up. "Since the matter is finished, remember the conditions we agreed upon."
"Of course. Although we didn't kill Senju Stelle to avenge our Young Lord, killing Senju Tobirama is a worthy prize."
The leader of the Hagoromo squad stood before Tobirama. Sensing he was still breathing, he raised his sword, preparing to deliver the finishing blow.
Just as the blade was about to pierce Tobirama's heart, Stelle finally arrived. Seeing the scene, she felt the blood freeze in her veins.
That was the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—one-fourth of her life support.
Without time to think, she blurred into an afterimage and lunged forward, her hand firmly grasping the blade aimed at his heart. The sharp edge cut deep into her wrist, blood flowing down the length of the sword. Her breathing was ragged, her face pale.
One look at Tobirama and her heart sank even further. He lay motionless, his breath as faint as a thread, as if it might stop at any moment.
Stelle's eyes turned crimson with rage as she glared at the surrounding ninja. With a surge of strength, the sword in her hand first let out a creak, followed by a sharp snap as it broke in half.
The Hagoromo clansmen were filled with horror and retreated at high speed.
"It's Senju Stelle! Retreat! Don't let her get close! She used up a lot of chakra rushing here; wear her down until she dies!"
If they were in perfect condition, ambushing her might have been feasible. But Tobirama had fought to the death and killed more than half of them. Facing Stelle now, they couldn't take her head-on. They had to proceed cautiously. After all, she was alone.
Stelle's expression was dark. Without even forming seals, she slammed her hands together.
Countless vines and branches surged frantically from the ground as she let out a roar.
"Wood Release: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!"
"Wood Release: Cutting Sprig Technique!"
The group retreated rapidly. Those who were too slow were tightly bound by branches, and a moment later, massive wooden spikes plunged into their bodies, killing them on the spot.
She chased after them at high speed and formed seals again. "Wood Release: Exploding Spear Technique!"
The leader of the Hagoromo, who was running the fastest, was pierced through the body by a wooden spear. With a flick of her foot, she hooked a fallen sword from the ground and charged into the crowd. Blades clashed with a metallic ring, and screams rang out continuously.
Stelle was truly enraged. She wanted to kill every single one of them, leaving no survivors, so she could treat Tobirama as quickly as possible. It was a suicidal fighting style. When the Hagoromo's swords came at her, if the angle was poor and would only result in a shallow cut, she didn't even bother to dodge, instead delivering a swift, killing strike to her opponent. The Hyuga's Gentle Fist would cause her chakra to stagnate and damage her tenketsu, but she refused to dodge as long as it didn't hit a vital point. This crazed style allowed her to kill everyone in the shortest amount of time.
After the battle ended, she was covered in blood. When she returned to Tobirama's side, Stelle was trembling with nerves.
Her hand touched his nose. Finding he still had a faint breath, she quickly began performing Medical Ninjutsu.
"Tobirama, you must not die. If you die, Hashirama will be so sad."
Seeing that he still showed no reaction, Stelle grew more anxious. She desperately poured her chakra into the healing jutsu, not daring to stop even as she felt her own reserves being drained dry. Fortunately, she possessed an Immortal Body and wouldn't die from chakra exhaustion.
"Tobirama, you absolutely cannot die. If you die... I'll die too..."
Black Zetsu had to be found by luck. Hashirama and Madara, as clan heirs, were too busy to be farmed every day. Izuna lived with the Uchiha and also couldn't be farmed daily. She was relying on Tobirama to sustain her life. On the surface, he was one-fourth of her life support, but in reality, he was her most reliable sacred tool.
The green light of her jutsu flickered, constantly disappearing and reappearing as her chakra waned. Just as Stelle was panicking, at a complete loss, Tobirama, who had been motionless, suddenly reacted.
He reached out a hand and interrupted her Medical Ninjutsu.
Although his voice was weak, he sounded surprisingly stable. "Stelle, I'm fine. I entered a state of suspended animation on purpose to deceive them."
Seeing him regain consciousness, his complexion improving, Stelle's heart finally settled.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness.
Her life was saved. She didn't have to be buried with him.
Stelle gave Tobirama's white hair a vigorous rub, feeling a mix of anger and the deep joy of having survived a disaster. Realizing she had smeared blood from her hands onto his pristine hair, she quickly used her sleeve to wipe it off.
"Senju Tobirama, this suspended animation of yours—it's one thing to deceive the enemy, but you even deceived me... You... I was almost scared to death..."
"Sorry," he said. "The injuries were too severe. I really couldn't move."
The healing ninjutsu had been very effective. Tobirama managed to shift his body and sit up. Both of them were in terrible condition and didn't dare stay put. Supporting each other, they found a hidden cave and only dared to sit down and rest once they confirmed there was no danger.
Stelle leaned against a rock, panting. She had pushed the Body Flicker Technique to its absolute limit to get here, drained her chakra for healing, and fought recklessly to kill all the enemies. If it were anyone else, they would likely be on the verge of death. Just desperately squeezing out chakra for the treatment would have killed most ninja. It was only because she was a cheater that she was mostly fine.
It seemed she couldn't just focus on the moves her alternate identities used; she couldn't use them herself. She needed to properly enhance her own abilities. In critical moments, it was truly inconvenient. She had trusted the original story too much, thinking nothing could happen to him, and as a result, such a major oversight occurred.
"That ninjutsu I asked you to research," she said, her voice still breathless, "the one that can travel through space-time—why haven't you finished it yet? If you had, you wouldn't have almost been killed."
"I'll research it immediately when I get back," Tobirama said as he returned from setting traps around their hiding spot. Thanks to her Medical Ninjutsu, his condition was actually better than hers. Both of them had overextended their chakra and couldn't use any more healing jutsu. Tobirama took out the medical supplies from both their ninja tool pouches to treat their wounds.
Seeing Stelle covered in injuries, her hands still dripping blood, Tobirama's pupils suddenly constricted. His throat tightened, leaving him unable to speak.
He lowered his head and silently began to stanch the bleeding from her wounds.
At that time, he had indeed been in a state of suspended animation, but he had heard everything that happened around him. To save him, she had fought them to the death with no regard for her own life. All these wounds were because of that. The most serious was the one on her palm. It must have been when she wanted to kill an enemy but didn't have time to dodge, so she had blocked a kunai with her bare hand.
He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what would be appropriate. His jaw was tight, his expression grave.
After a long while, he finally squeezed a sentence from his throat.
"Last time... it was like this. And this time it's like this again... Have you... really never thought that you might die, too?"
'I have,'she thought.'I was thinking about it the whole way here.'
Stelle saw that his expression was truly awful and reached out to rub his white hair again. As she raised her hand, she saw the newly bandaged palm was still seeping blood and silently withdrew it.
But Tobirama gently grasped her hand and placed it on top of his head.
'Tobirama has grown up to be so considerate,'she thought.'What a good younger brother.'
But the image of her rubbing his head with a blood-covered hand was too terrifying; it looked like something out of a horror movie. Stelle decisively pulled her hand back.
She narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Why think so much? Tobirama, you just think too much, which is why you have such a stiff face every day. At least for now, we are both alive, aren't we? And living well—that's what's most important."
This was the second time he had heard her say those words.
Yes, they were both still alive. This was a happy ending.
But he never wanted to see this process again.
"Next time..."
Next time what? Don't do this kind of thing again? Don't be so reckless, your own life is important?
Tobirama knew that if he said those words, she would surely do what she always did—smile gently, agree sincerely, and promise to remember.
But the moment they encountered danger again, she would do the exact same thing.
So he wouldn't say it. He would just work hard to improve his own strength. He would become even more powerful.
Powerful enough that she would never need to save him.
Powerful enough to protect her.
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