Chapter 86   - Ch86. Ringo 4

Tsunade was again alone at home because Rei, Konan, and Mei were on a mission. The pace of their missions was picking up lately and they rarely spent time in Kirigakure. It didn't matter that much as Tsunade could only pop herself into Rei's dimension if she missed them. She spent these alone times helping out in the hospital and today was no different.

She was healing a civilian kid when one medic-nin called out to her. "Tsuna-san!" She turned around and looked at him. Seeing that, the man started speaking. "We just received a patient and she stated you as one of the people that could be informed of her state so I am calling you," He said and then turned towards the kid she was healing, "are you free right now?"

Tsunade was baffled. She knew literally nobody in Kirigakure so she had no idea who it could have been. She nevertheless turned to the boy whose scr.a.p.ed knee she cured and smiled at him. "There, that should do it." She stood up and patted his head before turning to follow the medic-nin.

They arrived near one hospital room and could hear a crash from inside which made them enter in a hurry. As Tsunade entered she could see Ringo sitting on the bed and a frightened nurse in the corner. Between them was broken glass and a few pills strewn on the ground. "I am fine!" Ringo said menacingly, making the nurse flinch but Tsunade could clearly see she was not fine. Her entire body was shivering and she was gritting her teeth, most likely in pain. Not to say about her unnatural paleness... the girl was a mess.

Tsunade sighed in exasperation and marched closer to Ringo, she shoved her shoulders, making the unruly redhead flop into the bed and before Ringo could again sit down, Tsunade put her hand on her forehead, measuring her temperature while using her chakra to soothe the pain Ringo was in and diagnosing her state.

Ringo at first wanted to scream at whoever pushed her but then she spotted the old blond woman who lived with Rei and calmed down. Reluctantly, she let the woman inspect her while letting her displeasure known with her huge pout.

Tsunade was not happy with what she found. She glared a bit at Ringo and asked. "How long?"

"How long what..." Ringo petulantly averted her gaze only to have her head grasped by Tsunade's vice-grip and forcefully turned to look at her. Tsunade had an extremely stern gaze and it was spooking Ringo quite a lot, to be honest. In the end, she decided to answer truthfully. "Eight months." Ringo quietly said and ashamedly lowered her head.

"Is that why you didn't show up for an entire year?" Tsunade asked and Ringo nodded.

"At first, I was ashamed after what Konan told me..." She trailed off and her eyes landed on the doctor and the nurse still present in the room. They quickly ran away however when Ringo showered them with her potent killing intent. Now that the room was empty, she decided to continue. "But she was right." Ringo sniffed and bit her lower lip. "Rei really can't trust me."

Tsunade was giving the girl a blank look as she heard her reason. For her, this was incredibly stupid. She surmised this was the age difference between them at play but to not show her face for a year for such a stupid reason... she could only sigh.

"But three months passed and I started feeling off." Ringo continued, looking at the ceiling. "I..." That was when Tsunade decided to interrupt the girl. She had a very good idea of the state of the girl.

"You idiot should have come to Rei straight away. Half of your body is dead already. You are alive only because of the strength and density of your chakra." She said, making Ringo laugh a bit.

"You are right. I was too stubborn." Ringo closed her eyes. "Would you please tell him I love him?" She asked Tsunade, hoping the woman would say 'yes'. Ringo was sure she would not step out of the hospital anymore. Nor did she expect to survive the end of the week. That's why she told the medic-nin to call for somebody she knew. She wanted to... "On the desk are keys to my home. Please... return Rei his swords. Tell him I am very grateful for them." Ringo said with a fond look and Tsunade could clearly see the affection the girl had for Rei. She wanted nothing more than to say 'okay' and let the dumb girl die but she couldn't. Not when she saw Ringo was genuine in her feelings for Rei. Moreover, the girl was on the edge. Konan was not the only woman in the house who could manipulate others...

Tsunade again put her hand on Ringo's forehead, making the girl give her a confused look. "Wha..."

"I will cure you," Tsunade said, making Ringo's eyes go wide but before she could speak, Tsunade continued, "I want you to think long and hard about your life. About your purpose. About what makes you happy. About what you should do." Tsunade said sternly and could see Ringo scrunch her face but nod in agreement. "Know that I don't expect you to forsake Kiri after this." She said and Ringo looked at her bewildered. "I just want you to have a second chance at making this decision. Do you love Rei enough to forsake your loyalty to Kiri for him? Or will you, in the end, choose Kirigakure... that's up to you."

When she heard that, Ringo was opening and closing her mouth in speechlessness. The woman was basically telling her she had to have the resolve to become a traitor if she wanted to be with Rei. But Ringo always knew this was the case. Deep down, she always suspected...

Tsunade didn't care. She was to leave Kiri in a few days anyway so making her departure sooner wouldn't matter. Moreover, her hunch that was responsible for her surviving most of her shinobi career was telling her to believe in Ringo. She decided to... gamble. "If you still decide to serve Kirigakure after this, you will completely forsake any chance you could have had with Rei." Tsunade said curtly and pushed her Mystic Palm Technique chakra mixed with natural energy into Ringo's body, revitalizing her cells to cure her. Ringo couldn't even let out a sound from the intense feeling of comfort she was in as her body was again brought back to life.

What Tsunade forgot to consider, was that Ringo was one of the very few people in the world with incredible senses even for a ninja. As Tsunade started healing her with nature energy, Ringo could clearly sense this special type of not-chakra and remembered its feel. Suddenly, the world opened to Ringo's senses, and all around her, she could feel nature energy which made her astonished and a whole lot afraid. She was also very curious about who was the woman who healed her. Ringo always thought she was a civilian but this...

Tsunade however didn't notice the flicker of light in Ringo's eyes as this information was filled into her brain for later. Right now, she had more important matters to consider. Tsunade felt the girl's body was fully healed and pulled her hand away from Ringo. "Well... you are better than newer." She said and turned around to leave. As she was near the door, she briefly glanced at the bewildered redhead who stared at her. " Do not disappoint me."