"Is this... really okay?"
Shizune asked with concern. Although the young woman hadn't been with Tsunade the whole ti, she had been waiting outside, so when everyone went to Orochimaru's house, she went along too.
Now, Shizune was clearly worried. Uchiha Kei's treatnt plan was, in short: "The best way to overco fear is to confront it head-on."
"So, let's play *Return Ho* again! Don't worry, this ti I made a special version just for Tsunade-senpai. As long as she reaches the end, she'll be able to overco her hemophobia!"
That was Uchiha Kei's claim—and his treatnt plan.
As soon as he said it, Tsunade involuntarily recalled scenes from the ga. Her body began to tremble instinctively, her fair face turning pale, eyes filled with dread.
Seeing this extre reaction, Orochimaru's brow twitched. He realized Tsunade's hemophobia had a deeper hold than he thought.
This was also why Shizune voiced her concern.
But Uchiha Kei simply spread his hands: "That's just how it is. Tsunade-senpai's hemophobia is psychological. At its root, it's because she couldn't save the person most important to her—so her heart has a void in it."
"That void haunts Tsunade-senpai like a nightmare she can't shake, constantly tearing at her already shattered heart."
"Only by filling that ever-growing void—only by confronting the guilt and regret born from it—can the illness be cured."
Uchiha Kei explained slowly, like so kind of spiritual guru, but the people present were eating it up. They nodded thoughtfully, as if facing an expert.
Tsunade herself trembled several tis at his words. Even her chest seed to ripple with her shudders, her expression shifting constantly.
Because Uchiha Kei's words hit her right in the heart—piercing the softest, most painful part of the greatest dical ninja in the shinobi world.
Her gaze grew complex. When she looked at Uchiha Kei, her expression changed.
She was starting to believe Orochimaru. Uchiha Kei truly was sharp.
No one else had ever pinpointed her issues this precisely. Not only had he identified them, but he summarized them clearly, as though he could see through her completely.
And the strange part was—they hadn't even interacted much before tonight. Most of what Kei knew must've co from others.
Yet, despite all the "debuffs," he'd still figured out the root of the problem—and offered a solution.
That level of insight and intellect blew the others out of the water. No wonder Orochimaru had felt humbled.
Tsunade's heart grew more conflicted.
If Uchiha Kei knew what she was thinking, he'd definitely complain inwardly:
"No, you're overestimating . This isn't wisdom—Tsunade's been analyzed to death by countless online clowns. In classic fanfics, she's always the number one female lead. And she's one of the most drawn characters in, let's say, certain *unofficial* illustrated works. Naruto's the top perforr, sure, but you're second, Tsunade-sama."
anwhile, Tsunade crossed her arms under her chest and said in a deep voice, "I understand. If this is the treatnt, I'm willing to try."
"Tsunade-sama, are you really sure? Isn't this too risky?" Shizune looked panicked, her face full of worry.
As a dical ninja, even she had to admit Uchiha Kei's reasoning made sense—but the proposed thod was full of uncertainty. It could help—or make things worse.
Tsunade shook her head and said firmly, "When faced with a problem that no one else can solve, special thods co with risk. Shizune, you've been with for years. You should understand—treating tough cases always cos with danger."
Shizune opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing. She stepped aside silently.
And thus, the hemophobia treatnt plan was approved.
The Uchiha guarded outside Orochimaru's ho, while Orochimaru and Shizune stayed inside. Only Uchiha Kei and Tsunade were in a private room.
Tsunade lay on the bed. Uchiha Kei sat beside it—just like the first ti he used the genjutsu ga with Minato Namikaze.
Then, under the double-tomoe glow of Kei's Sharingan, Tsunade entered a version of *Return Ho* made just for her.
A surge of fear rushed up from her heart, but Tsunade resisted the urge to break free from the genjutsu—she had to try.
And once she was inside the genjutsu ga, resisting was pointless. Not even a Mangekyō Sharingan could break it.
When Tsunade ca to, she found herself inside the illusion. But instead of the dark environnt she'd expected, she was in a clean, old wooden house—the final scene from *Return Ho*.
And she wasn't playing the role of the younger brother desperately trying to return ho. She was a girl.
"This is... the house at the end of *Return Ho*? So I'm not the soul trying to get ho—I'm... the sister?"
Tsunade murmured, puzzled, but received no reply. Uchiha Kei was observing from a higher dinsional zone—but said nothing.
Still, her guess was spot-on. In this special version of *Return Ho*, she played not the brother—but the sister.
The original story followed the soul of a twelve-year-old genin who died in the ninja war, trying to find his way ho. The adult form at the start was due to the protective charm his sister gave him.
As he moved forward, the charm's power weakened, and he grew younger. By the end, with the last of his will fading, the charm fell to their doorstep, and his sister saw it—and only it.
That was the basic plot. The ga had hidden details, but they all served to highlight the tragedy and cruelty of the ninja war.
Every player ca away with a unique emotional experience.
Now, Tsunade played the sister—her goal: to find her brother.
Also as a soul.
She would walk his path—backwards.
Once she understood the gaplay, Tsunade hesitated, then stepped out the door.
Daylight turned to darkness. The world beca pitch black. Ghostly flas lit the path.
Tsunade's hemophobia nearly flared instantly—she knew what horrors might await.
But then, a distant, ethereal voice called out—
"Onee-chan..."
Tsunade's heart trembled. She looked up sharply.
"...Nawaki!"
Yes, that voice—it sounded so much like Nawaki.
Though her younger brother had been dead for years, that voice had never left her mory. If anything, ti had only polished it.
Hearing it now—Tsunade truly believed it was him.
But she also knew it couldn't be. Nawaki was gone. That voice belonged to the ga—it was the protagonist calling out, not her real brother.
At least, that's what she told herself.
Even if it was a hallucination, it gave her strength. Her fear eased, and she began walking forward.
Unbeknownst to her, from a god's-eye perspective, Nawaki was watching with concern from above.
His gaze lingered on his sister, now playing a new role. But he also smiled, then turned to Uchiha Kei.
"Kei-senpai, it's really working! I called out to Nee-chan, and she actually started moving again!"
Uchiha Kei smiled.
Yes—what Tsunade thought was a hallucination had been real. Nawaki truly had called to her, all part of Kei's plan.
"But... actually, you don't need to call senpai. Technically, you're older than . You joined the war when I had just entered the Academy."
Uchiha Kei noted their age difference.
Nawaki waved him off. "No, no. I may have been born earlier, but I died at twelve. That was my entire life. You've lived far longer than . Calling you senpai is only natural."
He wasn't wrong. Subjectively, Uchiha Kei *was* the elder.
Still, if Kei were PUA-ing Obito, he'd say: "Isn't this making things too formal?"
He smiled. "Then just call Kei-nii. 'Senpai' feels too stiff. Personally, it sounds weird. Honestly, you're the real senpai in my eyes."
Nawaki gave a wide Naruto-style grin. "Okay, Kei-nii!"
Their bond strengthened. They both turned their eyes back to Tsunade.
She soon ca upon scenes soaked in blood and strewn with corpses. Her hemophobia spiked. In this unfiltered genjutsu ga, she couldn't skip class—she had to face her greatest fear.
It tore at her will. But she thought of her brother. She wanted to overco her phobia. So she pressed on, trembling violently, but advancing.
Her pace, however, was terribly slow.
Seeing this, Uchiha Kei quickly instructed Nawaki to call out to his sister again. A distant, echoing "Nee-chan..." pierced the fear.
The power of family is strong—especially among shinobi who use chakra. Emotions can create miracles.
Even knowing it was a trick, she couldn't stop her heart from reacting. It felt real.
So she grit her teeth, steeled herself, and charged ahead—ignoring horror, ignoring the evil spirits, just pushing forward.
The map hadn't changed. She just had to walk the sa path in reverse. That made navigation easier.
But even family-driven courage has limits.
The more blood and mangled bodies she saw—the mountains of corpses on the battlefield—the worse her hemophobia got. She even began to hallucinate.
Visions of Nawaki's death. Dan dying in a pool of blood, unreachable even with all her strength.
Nightmares she'd buried ca flooding back, shaking her to the core. Her steps faltered. Her mind teetered on collapse.
Nawaki kept calling—but it no longer helped.
Which made sense. Use the sa move too many tis, and it stops working.
Nawaki grew anxious. But Uchiha Kei waved him off. No need to panic. This scenario had been foreseen.
Ti to deploy a new strategy:
"Get up, Tsunade! What's with that look? What are those tears? Your brother's still waiting for you to save him—and here you are, crying and cowering! Are you trying to rescue him with tears?!"
"Stand up, Tsunade! Right now—get up! Go save your brother Nawaki! Look forward—he's right there, right in front of you, waiting for his useless big sister to rescue him!"
The shout echoed—and Tsunade's eyes widened.
That voice—it was her father's.
Yes. Uchiha Kei had "possessed" her father.
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