The Fateful Uchiha

“Why are you still sitting there? Let’s go.” Tsunade said.

Jun took a deep breath.

“There is one more thing, Lady Tsunade. A personal favor…”

The Sannin looked at him with a curious gaze.

“Let’s hear it.”

Jun took out a kunai from his storage seal and handed it to Tsunade. There was fresh blood on the blade. Tsunade looked at him with a puzzled look.

“I’ve had this kunai for a few years.” He said.

“The blood is fresh.” She pointed out.

“That’s because I’ve kept it in my storage seal all this time.”

“Oh, so you know your way with Fuinjutsu… not bad.”

Tsunade gave him back the kunai.

“I don’t know what you want me to do with this.”

“I would like you to analyze the blood.” The Uchiha clan leader said.

She raised one of her eyebrows.

“The owner of the blood is sick. I don’t know the illness, but the symptoms are coughing, intense pain in the chest… maybe in the lungs, possibly shortness of breath. Right now, the symptoms are mild. With your skills, I’m hoping you can find a way to cure it before it’s too late.”

“I’m assuming it’s not your blood.”

Jun shook his head.

“Then whose?”

Jun hesitated. It was Itachi’s blood. Jun had kept the kunai from their confrontation the night of the massacre. He knew Tsunade would come back to Konoha eventually. He had preserved the kunai with the blood for this day. Itachi… Jun knew Sasuke’s brother would get severely sick.

The Uchiha clan leader felt guilty. He didn’t do anything to save Shisui. He didn’t stop Itachi from going through with the massacre. He thought about Shisui’s request… The latter had asked him to take care of Itachi. So far Jun felt like he had failed Shisui. Moreover, Itachi wasn’t really the enemy. He eliminated the Uchihas thinking he was protecting Konoha and his brother Sasuke. 

Tsunade gently put her fist on the table. Even with such a gentle movement, Jun felt the table shaking. He reported his attention to the Sannin.

“Whose blood, Uchiha?” She asked again.

Jun wasn’t sure if he should tell her. He didn’t know how she would react. On the other hand, he didn’t want to lie to her. He felt like Tsunade had opened up to him and trusted him somewhat through their conversation. He didn’t want her to feel like she wasn’t worth his trust. Ultimately, the young man took a gamble.

“It’s Itachi Uchiha’s blood?”

“What? The one who almost decimated his clan?”

Jun sighed.

“He’s a rogue ninja, isn’t he? Why would you want to help him?”

“I know what Itachi did, but Danzo was the mastermind behind the whole thing. The Sandaime and others decided to cover it up.”

“Danzo… Good thing he’s dead. I never liked him. But it doesn’t change the fact Itachi is Konoha’s enemy.”

“It’s a Uchiha matter. Itachi will be dealt with by a Uchiha. If he threatened the village, I would stop him myself. I just don’t want him to perish because of an illness.”

“And how do you know he’s sick?” Tsunade asked.

“I could tell when we last fought.” Jun lied.

“I think you should just let things be. It may not be a bad thing to let him die of this illness you think he has.” She said.

“Please, Lady Tsunade. You said you wanted to see how I change things. I can handle Itachi. I will never let him harm the village. I promise you that.” He said meeting the Sannin’s gaze.

Jun could say that with confidence because he knew Itachi would never harm the village. Tsunade turned around and sat back down in front of Jun. 

“Do one more bet with me, Jun.” She said.

“What are you talking about?”

She put her right arm on the table.

“We’re going to arm wrestle.”

“What? That’s not fair; everyone knows of your legendary strength. That’s cheating.”

“Quit making excuses! Aren’t you the Uchiha clan leader?”

Jun remained silent. He knew when it came to pure raw strength, the Sannin had him outclassed. Beating her in arm wrestling was impossible with his strength. Tsunade also knew it. She probably didn’t intend to help him. But Jun still had to do it. He couldn’t… no he wouldn’t back down. He knew she was testing him in a way. Jun put his arm on the table.

“Alright; I’ll take you on.”

Tsunade smiled.

“Shizune!” She called.

The women came closer.

“Yes, Lady Tsunade.”

“We’re going to arm wrestle. You will be the referee.” The Sannin said.

“Alright,” Shizune replied and stood by the table. “Elbows on the table.” She ordered.

Tsunade and Jun put their right elbow on the table.

“Join hands.”

They both obeyed, and Shizune put her hand over theirs. She looked at each one of them, making sure they were ready.

“Go!” She launched.

Jun released his chakra the moment Shizune removed her hand. As he expected, Tsunade also let out her energy countering Jun’s. For a few seconds, their arms remained in the same position. No one was able to take the upper hand. The Uchiha infused more chakra to bring his opponent’s arm down. He felt like he was trying to move a mountain. No matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn’t move. He saw Tsunade smile and felt uneasy.

Jun’s arm began tilting toward the table. The deadlock finally broke. He mustered all his strength to stop her momentum. But Tsunade’s might couldn’t be halted. Jun clenched his teeth and pushed his arm up. His arm stopped moving for an instant before resuming its fall. The Sannin had turned it up a notch. She totally overpowered him. Jun cursed inside. He didn’t want to be beaten so easily.

He lifted his left hand and waved a series of hand seals. He felt the mark at the back of his neck expand. Within seconds, black lines ran through his neck and covered his body. Only his face was left intact. He had released the seal on his Eternal Chakra Gate. All the chakra he had accumulated in the seal surged out, increasing his strength. With his newfound boost, Jun finally stopped Tsunade's momentum and fought back. The Sannin was the one being pushed back now.

Jun saw the surprise on her face. She looked at the marks on his neck.

“You are full of surprise, Jun Uchiha. You have a chakra seal; I’m impressed.”

Jun smiled. Their arms were back at their initial position, but the Uchiha felt he could push her back some more.

Tsunade pointed at the purple lozenge-shaped mark on her forehead.

“You’re not the only one with extra chakra reserve, Uchiha.” She said with a smile. “Byakugou, The Strenght Of A Hundred Seal.”

The mark on her forehead expanded across her face.

“Even if you’ve been accumulating chakra in your mother’s womb, your reserves are still nowhere near mine.”

Jun knew she was right. Though she looked young, she was old enough to be his mother. Who knew how many years she’d been accumulating chakra into her seal? He suddenly felt her grip tightened and grimaced in pain. She could crush his hand if she wanted to. Jun knew it was over. He didn’t even realize his arm was already halfway to the table. He had lost. He had lost the strength battle. He knew Tsunade had monstrous strength, but experiencing it was another story. She wasn’t even at full power. 

“Now lose, Jun, and give up that silly request of yours,” Tsunade said as she pressed down the young man’s arm a little more.

Jun thought about Itachi. He had tried… He tried to help him… To get his illness cured. But he failed, again… as always. Jun felt his frustration growing. He failed once more. Itachi wouldn’t be cured. Itachi… What would Itachi do? The thought crossed Jun’s mind. What would Itachi do if he were in his position right now? Yes, of course! He knew what Itachi would do in this situation.

“Lady Tsunade,” Jun called as his arm was only a few centimeters from touching the table.

The Sannin lifted her head. Her gaze met Jun’s. It was exactly what the latter was aiming for.

Sharingan!

Jun activated his Dojutsu and saw the surprise on Tsunade’s face. But it was too late. She had already let her guard down. The next moment, his hand was holding hers against the table. 

“Impossible… How?!” Shizune commented, looking at Tsunade.

Tsunade pointed at Jun’s eyes with her left index.

“The Sharingan! Ah, I get it. He used a Genjutsu!” Shizune concluded seeing the red pupils.

“I underestimated you, Jun. This is the second bet I lost to you.” Tsunade said.

“But Lady Tsunade, he used a Genjutsu! This was supposed to be an arm wrestling match.” Shizune said.

“We said nothing about not using Genjutsu. It’s his victory.” The Sannin said.

Jun sighed in relief and removed his hand from hers. He also deactivated his Eternal Chakra Gate. Everything happened in an instant. The moment she saw his Sharingan, Tsunade was already taking measures against a Genjutsu. She was just a tad too late. The Genjutsu still affected her even if it only lasted for an instant. During that brief moment, Jun had rendered her immobile and defenseless. Even a child could have pushed her hand down. However, Jun was impressed by how fast she managed to extirpate herself from the illusion. Fortunately for him, she wasn’t fast enough. 

“So… about my little request?” Jun asked.

Tsunade also deactivated her seal. The lines on her face receded, and the mark on her forehead appeared again.

“I lost the bet. I will see what I can do from the blood.”

“Thank you, Lady Tsunade,” Jun said with a big smile. 

He felt as if some of the weight on his shoulders had disappeared. He took out the bloody kunai again and handed it to Tsunade. The latter shook her head.

“It’s best to keep the blood fresh, so hold on to it for now. I’ll take it when we arrive in Konoha.”

Jun nodded.

“You’re different from the Uchihas I met in the past,” Tsunade said.

Jun raised an eyebrow.

“Uchihas are usually cocky and full of themselves. They radiate Sharingan. Never in my life before was I surprised to see a Uchiha activate his Dojutsu. But you are different. I knew you were Uchiha and a clan leader, but somehow my guard wasn’t up against the Sharingan. I should have expected you to have the Sharingan. I shouldn’t have been surprised by you using it. But somehow, you not having the Sharingan felt normal. It should have been the opposite.” The Sannin said to Jun.

Jun understood what she was trying to say. Many Uchihas used the Sharingan as their main weapon in battle. Some like Itachi even walked around with it activated all the time. Jun, on the other hand, never depended too much on his Dojutsu. For a while, he had kept it as a secret weapon. Even now, only his family knew he possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan. So he could understand why Tsunade felt the way she did. In a way, his way of doing things helped him win this bet. If the Sannin was wary of his Sharingan, she would have been on guard against it, and Jun may have found it difficult to cast a Genjutsu on her with the Dojutsu.

“I got lucky,” Jun said with a smile.

“Don’t be too modest.” Tsunade retorted. “Now, let me see your hand.”

Jun extended his arm. The Sannin gently took his hand, and the young man grimaced. It hurt a bit. She activated her mystic palm and a green chakra appeared around her hand. Jun felt a pleasant warm feeling during the few seconds it took for Tsunade to finish healing his limb. She let go of him. The latter squeezed his hand, making a fist, and realized he no longer hurt. 

“Thank you.” He said.

“Let’s go.” The Sannin ordered.

Jun nodded, and the three people exited the bar.