The resolute shout echoed violently through the stone chamber, making the very air tremble.
Anlan, however, let out a soft laugh.
"Oh? Is that so?"
The laughter was light, and a faint smile curved his lips. Yet there was not a trace of warmth in his black eyes. They resembled a frozen abyss, chilling everyone present.
A tightness crept into their hearts.
He no longer looked at Tsunade. Instead, he strolled over to Shizune, who was kneeling on the ground.
The girl's face had drained of color. Her frail body trembled uncontrollably, like the last withered leaf shaking in a cold wind.
She didn't even dare raise her head.
All she could see were the spotless shoes stopping before her.
Anlan bent down, his shadow completely enveloping the girl.
He reached out and casually pinched the back of Shizune's collar with his long fingers, lifting her like a helpless kitten.
"You—let her go!"
Realizing what the Uchiha intended to do, Tsunade's pupils shrank as she roared.
She struggled forward violently.
The heavy chains clanged loudly as she fought against them, the metal biting deep into her wrists and ankles, instantly leaving dark red marks.
Yet her bound body couldn't move even an inch.
She could only watch helplessly—
Anlan carried the trembling Shizune and turned, walking step by step toward the corpse lying in the chamber.
The dead body twisted madly, its mouth hanging open as foul saliva dripped down, producing guttural sounds.
"Hrr… hrr…"
He stopped in front of it.
Sensing fresh flesh approaching, the hideous undead struggled even more violently, its rotting mouth stretching to the limit.
Its murky eyeballs locked onto Shizune at close range.
Its teeth snapped open and shut with a horrifying grinding sound.
Anlan lifted Shizune slightly so that her pale, terrified face nearly touched the creature's foul mouth.
Shizune could clearly see the veins writhing beneath its gray-white skin.
The nauseating stench flooded her nose.
Fear strangled her voice, trapping any scream in her throat.
Only broken whimpers and silent tears escaped.
She wanted to call for help—
But she knew doing so would only make things harder for Tsunade.
So… is this how I die?
Waaah… if I'd known… I wouldn't have given that sakura mochi to Lady Tsunade earlier…
"Tsunade-senpai."
Anlan turned his head slightly.
His gaze passed over Shizune, who had closed her eyes in despair, and landed on Tsunade's bloodshot face.
His voice was frighteningly calm.
"You just said that even if you died, you wouldn't conduct research for me."
"So now, regarding the 'life' of your lovely disciple…"
"Perhaps we can renegotiate?"
"…Put Shizune down first!"
Tsunade's voice came out hoarse, like someone pushed to the edge of a cliff.
Her proud head lowered slightly, revealing exhaustion and frustration she could no longer hide.
Anlan silently watched her for a moment.
Then he kicked the corpse into the corner and released his grip on Shizune's collar.
Shizune, still shaking with tear-streaked cheeks, had her legs give out beneath her.
She nearly collapsed, but Anlan casually steadied her by the shoulder.
"Very well."
As if the earlier scene had never happened, Anlan continued smiling.
"Minako."
Uzumaki Minako, who had been standing silently awaiting orders, immediately stepped forward.
"Take her to the next room to rest. Prepare some calming food and hot water."
As Anlan gave the order, his gaze remained fixed on Tsunade.
"Take good care of her."
"Until Tsunade-senpai and I reach a satisfactory 'consensus,' this little girl's safety and treatment will depend directly on your cooperation."
Minako bowed slightly.
"Yes, Lord Anlan."
Half-supporting the barely walking Shizune, she led her toward the door.
Having narrowly escaped death, Shizune couldn't help turning back.
Through tear-blurred eyes, she looked at Tsunade, her lips trembling.
Tsunade met her disciple's gaze.
Suppressing all her anger and unwillingness, she gave a small nod.
Live first.
The door creaked shut, cutting off Shizune's figure and taking away part of the suffocating tension in the room.
Silence returned to the underground chamber.
Only the intermittent growls of the corpse in the corner echoed like a distorted heartbeat.
Tsunade slowly lifted her lowered head.
Her brown eyes, streaked with red veins, stared straight at the Uchiha before her.
"…Uchiha Anlan. You know I suffer from hemophobia. I'm nothing more than a useless person who trembles the moment I see blood."
"If you want me to perform human experiments, all you'll get in the end is disappointment."
Anlan shook his head gently.
"Tsunade-senpai, hemophobia is merely a shadow from the past that you refuse to face."
He opened his eyes.
The black pupils had turned crimson.
Three tomoe rotated slowly like a vortex leading to the abyss.
He stepped forward.
Tsunade instinctively turned her head away, but Anlan advanced regardless.
"Tsunade-senpai, it seems that if I want you to understand your situation, I'll have to resort to some… unpleasant methods."
He stepped on the chain lying across the ground.
With a faint metallic sound, the ceiling chain binding Tsunade's wrists slowly extended while the chains around her ankles retracted.
Tsunade let out a muffled groan.
Her body swayed as the chains adjusted her position.
When she was suspended at the proper height, the movement stopped.
Anlan stepped closer.
The distance between them shrank until they could almost feel each other's breath.
He reached out.
His cool fingertips grasped Tsunade's chin.
Her skin was smooth like polished jade.
Warm.
Elastic.
Forced to lift her gaze, Tsunade saw the crimson Sharingan reflected in her eyes.
Deeper and more eerie than blood itself.
"Your loved ones bleeding out in your arms. The trusted lover whose body was shattered. The last blood relative growing cold before your eyes…"
Anlan's voice lowered into a whisper.
Each word pierced the deepest wounds of Tsunade's heart.
"This unforgettable pain… this love and loss capable of twisting the soul."
"Tsunade-senpai, if you had been born an Uchiha, you probably would already possess a pair of Mangekyō reflecting all your suffering."
He watched the violent pain rising in her eyes.
Then his tone softened.
"If it hurts so much, why cling to it?"
His fingers slid from her chin to gently cup her cheek.
"I can help you, Tsunade-senpai."
"Forget."
"Give all that blood, all that loss, all those nightmares… to these eyes of mine."
"There will be no Nawaki's cold body. No Dan's shattered corpse. No war. No partings."
"You could obtain peace."
"And perhaps… even see them again."
The crimson tomoe rotated slowly.
Inviting the wounded soul before him to sink into a painless illusion.
This was a mental manipulation technique Anlan had learned from another world.
A method that gradually influenced a target's mind through the Sharingan.
He called it—
Sharingan: Kyōka Suigetsu.
It functioned similarly to a weakened form of Kotoamatsukami, requiring long-term influence rather than instant control.
Usually, Anlan practiced it on ninja cats.
Occasionally on prisoners.
But Tsunade—
A Kage-level shinobi—
Was his first true test subject.
Next comes the slow erosion…
Gradually adjusting Tsunade's perception…
Just as his ocular power brushed against her consciousness—
Tsunade suddenly reacted.
Her pupils contracted sharply.
Her mind snapped back to clarity.
She jerked her head backward, breaking Anlan's grip.
Several strands of sweat-soaked blonde hair stuck to her pale skin.
In an instant, she realized what had nearly happened.
"Ha…"
A short, hoarse laugh escaped her throat.
She raised her head.
Despite the chains binding her body, the presence of a true powerhouse returned like a blade polished clean.
"Uchiha Anlan…"
Her voice carried calm ridicule.
"Is this all you've got?"
"Using the Sharingan to weave some cheap dream… like stuffing candy into a crying child's mouth?"
She stared directly into his crimson eyes.
"Forget the pain?"
"Then answer me this."
"If I drowned in the 'peace' you offer—what about the people who truly died?"
"Their suffering. Their sacrifices."
"Would they just become meaningless stories erased at your convenience?"
Her voice grew sharper.
"My pain. My loss."
"They're right here."
"They're carved into my bones. Burned into my soul."
"They're not bargaining chips for power."
"They're part of what makes me Tsunade."
Her chest rose and fell as she struggled against the chains.
"They're the reason I'm still alive instead of becoming a walking corpse."
Her gaze burned fiercely.
"Escaping with genjutsu?"
"That's a coward's choice."
"And I—even if I'm useless, even if I'm a coward who fears blood…"
"I choose to live with it."
"To live with it awake."
"Not hide inside some crimson illusion."
The chamber fell silent.
Tsunade glanced briefly toward the howling corpse in the corner.
Then back at Anlan.
Her voice softened slightly.
"I'll deal with my hemophobia myself."
"I'll find a way to overcome it."
"Give me time."
"The experiments you want to conduct…"
"I can help."
"But I want proper status."
"I'm not your slave."
"Nor some toy you can manipulate."
"Cooperation requires respect."
"And proper terms."
Anlan stared at her silently.
His expression gradually darkened.
Then he suddenly grabbed the collar of Tsunade's haori and pulled her forward.
The chains rattled loudly.
"You think you're in any position to talk about status… or conditions?"
"I called you 'senpai,' and you started believing it?"
"You've gotten far too comfortable."
Tsunade clenched her teeth.
Humiliation burned across her face.
"…Uchiha Anlan."
"We're from the same village."
"Let's talk properly."
Her voice softened slightly.
But Anlan's grip did not loosen.
"You rejected Plan A."
"So now…"
"We try Plan B."
The chains clattered loudly in the chamber.
The underground prison fell silent once more.
Only the echo of metal and distant growls remained.
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