'Damn, that hurts. Seems like I went a little too hard...'
Seiryū, who had just cut himself and severed the major artery in his neck, grimaced inwardly.
He had definitely gone a bit too far. Blood continued to spray from his neck, and the massive blood loss caused Seiryū's body to sway. Eventually, he couldn't stay upright and collapsed to the ground with a splat.
Blood flowed rapidly from the wound on his neck, quickly staining a large area of the ground red.
The pungent scent of blood completely overpowered the faint fragrance in the room.
The scene was far too gruesome.
"Shi... Shizune..."
Looking at Seiryū lying in a pool of blood, Tsunade's pupils widened. Her face lost its usual calm and composure, becoming frantic.
Fear and panic were clearly visible in her eyes.
Scenes from the past flashed rapidly through her mind—those people dying, her own blood-stained hands... causing Tsunade's sanity to nearly collapse in that moment.
Even her voice was incredibly faint, barely traveling any distance.
"Cough, cough..."
Seiryū heard Tsunade's voice. On his blood-soaked face, he showed a wide grin, but large mouthfuls of blood kept pouring from his throat.
"It's, it's no use. Right now, no one... can... save me, except... you. If you don't want me to die... then overcome... your Hemophobia..."
Seiryū spoke haltingly, his voice extremely weak.
He wasn't faking it. Even with his special constitution, such massive blood loss had clearly taken its toll.
Weakness was only natural.
Seiryū estimated that if he didn't receive treatment within one minute, he would die from excessive blood loss.
Of course, he wouldn't actually die.
He could treat himself and would do so at the very last second.
He wasn't going to throw his life away. At worst, he'd be weakened for a few days from the blood loss.
Surely, no one thought he'd really risk his life for the sake of curing Tsunade's Hemophobia, right?
Don't be ridiculous. He wasn't stupid.
It wasn't worth dying just to help Tsunade overcome her trauma. At most, his actions would seem extreme to others.
But to Seiryū, it was completely normal. Entirely justified.
If he wasn't harsh on himself, how could he force Tsunade to face and overcome her Hemophobia?
He believed in the bond Tsunade had with him.
After two years of interaction, their relationship could be described as both mentor and friend.
Could that bond be weaker than her connection with Naruto in the original story, someone she had only met a few times?
Tsunade would definitely be able to overcome her Hemophobia and heal him.
And if she couldn't...
Then he would remember this debt for a lifetime!!
"Wh-why... you, you crazy... bastard... lunatic... are you... sick..."
Tsunade gritted her teeth, her voice trembling in disbelief. Her body continued to shake, yet she forced herself to inch closer to Seiryū lying on the floor.
This kid was completely insane!
Under emotional pressure, he would take drastic actions—but to this extent?
This wasn't a Genjutsu. This wasn't a Distraction Technique.
It was real. He had actually sliced open the major artery in his own neck!
To cure her Hemophobia, Seiryū was using his own life as a chip, betting on whether she could overcome it.
What an extreme method.
Hadn't Seiryū considered what would happen if she couldn't?
He would die!
Seiryū would die!
Moreover, as a powerful Medical-nin, Tsunade could clearly tell that Seiryū had been incredibly ruthless to himself.
With his carotid artery severed, such intense hemorrhaging meant that without timely treatment, he would die in just over a minute.
Even though he was from the Uzumaki Clan and had greater vitality than most, it would only buy him a few dozen seconds more at best...
Lunatic.
He was an absolute lunatic.
She had always known Seiryū was "sick," but she didn't think it was this bad.
She had to treat him quickly, faster—she couldn't let him die here!!
Bang!
Tsunade tumbled off the bed. Everything in her sight was crimson. Her hands, her body, completely soaked—coated in the blood spraying from Seiryū's neck.
"Damn it, damn it..."
The overwhelming smell of blood and the sight of the rapidly growing pool caused her body to tremble more violently.
All the strength in her body felt like it had drained away.
Right now, she was weaker and more helpless than an ordinary person—not the legendary Sannin, Tsunade-hime, known across the entire shinobi world.
Still, Tsunade tried to suppress the fear in her heart. She fought against the horrifying memories flashing through her mind.
She had to pull herself together. She had to save Seiryū.
There wasn't much time left.
Seiryū's breathing was becoming more and more shallow...
It took Tsunade over ten seconds to cover just a few meters of distance. Looking at Seiryū's pale face and the grin still plastered across it, she gritted her teeth and cursed, "You... brat... you're really... insane. Just... wait..."
"This time's consultation fee... it won't be anything less than several million Ryo!!"
Her voice was becoming stronger, more stable.
Tsunade was beginning to overcome her Hemophobia, little by little.
Suppressing the fear, she focused all her attention. She extended her trembling right hand, gathering chakra into her palm and altering its nature.
A pale green chakra enveloped her hand.
"Mystical Palm Technique..."
She pressed her hand onto the wound on Seiryū's neck. The warm, slippery feeling of blood made her instinctively want to withdraw, but she forced herself to keep going.
She couldn't use much strength, and the pale green chakra was growing weaker.
This level of chakra control wasn't enough. It was far from enough.
Seiryū's breathing was becoming increasingly shallow...
"Yin Seal: Release!"
Tsunade immediately noticed Seiryū's condition deteriorating. Gritting her teeth once more, she activated her Yin Seal.
A flower-shaped, ink-black mark appeared on her smooth forehead, and a surge of chakra rushed through her body from the seal.
Under Tsunade's control, that chakra was funneled into her right hand, increasing the effectiveness of the Mystical Palm Technique.
Then, taking a deep breath, Tsunade lowered her head, her red lips pressing against Seiryū's.
She had no choice. She could feel his life slipping away. His breathing was shallow to the point of vanishing.
She had delayed too long and missed the best moment for treatment.
To keep Seiryū alive, she could only deliver air—perform artificial respiration.
When had she ever been reduced to this state?
Actually having to give a patient air with her own mouth?
Unthinkable in the past.
It was her first time.
Though Seiryū's injuries were severe, if not for her Hemophobia, healing him would have been simple and wouldn't have required such drastic measures.
Now, she couldn't even perform Mystical Palm Technique properly, and she needed more time...
Seiryū, who was now being "forcefully kissed" by Tsunade, immediately widened his eyes. "..."
Wait a minute.
Just treat me. Why are you kissing me?
"Hoo, hoo..."
Once, twice, three times, four times... Seiryū, weakened from blood loss, was completely powerless to resist Tsunade's actions.
He lost his second, third, and fourth kisses one after another.
Seiryū was on the verge of tears. "..."
It was over. He was no longer pure.
His first kiss, second kiss, third kiss, fourth kiss... all stolen by Tsunade!
In trying to cure Tsunade's Hemophobia, he had ended up sacrificing himself too!
(To be continued.)
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