Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

The border of the Land of Fire.

A wooden board, disguised as a tree root, was kicked aside. Kitahara Kaede slipped inside, cradling Rin in his arms while carrying an unconscious Kakashi over his shoulder.

Rin's chest was drenched in blood, her clothes completely soaked through.

Tsunade was already waiting inside. She was staring intently at the wooden walls, her brow furrowed in a deep frown. Something about this place felt wrong; it felt like Wood Release.

As movement echoed from the entrance, Tsunade turned to ask a question, but her expression shifted instantly.

"Kaede!"

She rushed toward him, her gaze sweeping past Kakashi and landing on the wound in Rin's chest. In that moment, the questions she had intended to ask were swallowed back.

"What on earth happened?!"

Kitahara Kaede didn't stop. He carefully leaned Kakashi against the wall before laying Rin flat on a wooden table.

"Now isn't the time for explanations," he said, looking up at Tsunade, his voice rapid. "Lady Tsunade, look at Rin first. She can still be saved."

Medical chakra flared in Tsunade's palms as she pressed them directly against Rin's chest. The moment her chakra surged inward, her expression grew even grimmer.

"Her heart has been pierced." She looked up at Kitahara Kaede. "Who did this?"

"I did."

Tsunade froze.

Kitahara Kaede immediately followed up: "Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails inside Rin, hoping she would go berserk once she was rescued and returned to Konoha. Rin discovered it herself and asked me to do it."

Tsunade remained silent, her eyes locked on him.

"I used Chidori to avoid the vital organs and seal her heart's pulse, simulating death. Once Kirigakure believed their plan had failed, they retreated."

Tsunade's frown deepened as she continued her examination. Silence fell over the room for a while. Finally, the tension in Tsunade's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"She can be saved."

Kitahara Kaede exhaled a long breath. "As expected, we can only rely on Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade glared at him. "Cut the flattery. Once she's alive, I'm coming for you."

With that, she bit her thumb and slammed her palm onto the floor. A cloud of white smoke erupted, and Katsuyu appeared beside the table, quickly splitting into several smaller clones that attached themselves to Rin's body.

Standing to the side, Kitahara Kaede stared at Rin's abdomen, a thought occurring to him. If the Three-Tails didn't manifest in the wild, Madara would eventually notice something was wrong. When that happened, the fact that Rin was still alive would be impossible to hide. All his efforts would be for nothing.

He looked toward Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade, still maintaining the medical ninjutsu, replied shortly, "Speak."

"Is it possible to extract the Three-Tails from Rin?"

Tsunade's hands nearly wavered. She looked up at him, incredulous. "Are you insane? If a Tailed Beast is forcibly extracted, the Jinchuriki will certainly die."

"I know." Kitahara Kaede glanced at Rin. "But if we don't deal with the Three-Tails, Kirigakure will spread the word that Konoha possesses two Tailed Beasts. The entire shinobi world will turn against us, and the village cannot afford such a war right now."

Tsunade fell silent.

Katsuyu's voice chimed in at that moment. "Lady Tsunade, it might be worth trying."

Tsunade turned.

"This girl's fusion with the Three-Tails was extremely brief; her soul and chakra have not yet synchronized," Katsuyu explained. "Furthermore, since she is currently in a state of simulated death, her biological functions have nearly stopped, suppressing the Three-Tails' resistance to the lowest possible level."

Tsunade looked at Rin's abdomen but didn't respond immediately.

Katsuyu continued, "If we are to do this, now is the best time. Once she is healed, the fusion will deepen, and the opportunity will be gone."

Kitahara Kaede quickly added, "When I was at Sister Kushina's house, I saw the Uzumaki clan's sealing scrolls. There were similar methods described there. I'll handle the sealing jutsu; you just need to keep Rin's vital signs stable."

Tsunade stared at him for several seconds before finally gritting her teeth.

"Fine. I'll be the lead surgeon." Her hands returned to Rin's abdomen. "I'll keep a strict eye on her vitals. The moment anything goes wrong, we stop immediately."

Kitahara Kaede nodded and began weaving hand signs. "Understood."

***

On the battlefield, hidden within the shadows of the canopy, Terumi Mei stood looking down.

Kirigakure ANBU lay dead across the field, but she didn't care. Instead, she was recalling every one of Kitahara Kaede's movements. His Lightning Style and his combat habits were identical to those in her dreams.

Terumi Mei slowly clenched her fist.

So, this person actually existed. The battle at Mount Kikyo really happened. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen did too.

If those were true, then the events that followed might not have been dreams either.

She looked toward the direction where Kitahara Kaede had disappeared, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her lips.

"It really is you."

"This time, don't even think about making any decisions for me."

With that, she turned and vanished, her figure melting into the darkness as the leaves rustled.

***

Inside the underground space, Katsuyu retreated from Rin's body and merged back into one.

Tsunade stared at Rin for a long time before speaking. "It worked. The Three-Tails has been extracted."

Even she found the statement hard to believe.

The tension that had kept Kitahara Kaede's nerves taut finally eased. He looked at Rin. Her eyes were still closed, and while her complexion was better than before, there were no signs of her waking up.

"Why isn't she awake yet?"

Tsunade rubbed her wrist. "Although she was only a Jinchuriki for a short time, the separation still damaged her soul. Combined with the simulated death, her body is severely depleted. She needs to sleep for a while."

"How long?" Kitahara Kaede asked.

"Hard to say." Tsunade looked at Rin, her tone softening. "Maybe a few days, maybe a few months. Whether she wakes up or not depends on her own will."

Kitahara Kaede nodded. As long as she survived, that was enough.

Tsunade walked over to Kakashi and knelt to examine him. After a moment, she pulled her hand away.

"Kakashi is fine. The change in the Sharingan was too sudden, and the mental shock was too great. His body simply shut down. He'll wake up after some rest."

Tsunade stood up and looked around at the wooden walls. The question she had suppressed earlier returned to the forefront of her mind.

"Now," Tsunade turned, crossing her arms as she faced him. "You owe me an explanation."

Kitahara Kaede remained silent.

Tsunade reached out and tapped the wall beside her. "This basement... why does it look so much like it was created by Wood Release?" She locked eyes with him. "And why did you tell me to wait here in advance? Did you know Rin was going to get hurt?"

Kitahara Kaede looked into her eyes. He had expected her to ask this. However, he had to reveal his Wood Release because he needed to guard against White Zetsu. Since the Wood Release was generated by his own chakra, he could turn the surroundings into a sensory network; the moment a White Zetsu penetrated it, he would know.

After a two-second silence, Kitahara Kaede spoke. "Because it is Wood Release."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Kitahara Kaede shrugged. "I've always known Wood Release; I just never used it in front of others."

Tsunade stared at him, speechless for a moment.

"You know what Wood Release represents," he said calmly. "Once exposed, it brings unnecessary trouble. That's why I had to hide it—keep it as my final trump card."

Tsunade's expression shifted several times.

"But now, I've told you about this trump card."

Tsunade paused, momentarily unable to follow his train of thought.

'This brat... he's clearly answering a question, so why does it sound like he's flirting?'

Tsunade turned her face away, the tips of her ears flushing slightly. "As for calling you here in advance... it's because we were facing Kirigakure elites. I didn't want you worrying about me back in the village."

Kitahara Kaede looked at her.

"With you here, you'll know immediately if I'm okay. And if something actually goes wrong, I'll have you by my side."

Tsunade's lips quirked. The doubts filling her mind vanished at his words. She looked away, her voice significantly softer.

"As if I'll be worried about you."

Kitahara Kaede didn't call her out. After a few seconds, Tsunade gave a small huff.

"Still, at least you know your place."

Crossing her arms, she returned to her usual commanding tone. "Since you've been open about your Wood Release, come to my house once we're back in the village."

Kaede blinked in surprise.

Tsunade added, "I have some Wood Release secret technique scrolls left by my grandfather. I can let you have a look."

A surge of joy hit Kaede. "In that case, thank you, Lady Tsunade."

Seeing his earnest expression, Tsunade suppressed a smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I've helped you quite a bit this time—how do you plan to pay me back?"

Kaede replied tactfully, "I'll make it up to you slowly once we're back."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. There was something off about the way he phrased that. Just as she was about to snap at him, Kaede turned his gaze toward Rin.

"One more thing."

Tsunade followed his line of sight.

"Rin cannot return to Konoha publicly," Kaede said. "At least, not yet."

Tsunade's expression grew solemn. "So, to the rest of the world, she's dead?"

"Yes," Kaede nodded. "We have to keep this a secret for now. I'm asking you to use Reverse Summoning to bring her back covertly and hide her somewhere completely safe."

Tsunade frowned. "You're not even telling Minato?"

Kaede paused. "Not for now."

Tsunade watched him for a moment but didn't press further; he clearly had a plan of his own. She leaned down and scooped Rin up in her arms.

"In that case, you'd better get back to the village soon, too."

Kaede nodded. "I will."

A cloud of white smoke erupted, and Tsunade and Rin vanished from the underground chamber.

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