Chapter 185: Tsunade
The incident in Tanzaku Town from the original narrative served as the catalyst for Tsunade's return to the village and her acceptance of her responsibilities as a leader, bringing her past struggles and fears directly into conflict with her present situation and the hopes of the next generation, particularly represented by Naruto.
But because these events hadn't happened, Arthur knew something the others didn't—Tsunade still had hemophobia. It wasn't a problem while she was performing her medical duties, but too much of it would surely leave her paralyzed.
"I'll have to thank Alex again for bringing me back," she said to Shizune.
"Yeah, you said it," her assistant agreed.
Tsunade took a moment to truly consider whether this was a good idea. Her duties always came first as opposed to taking time off. And with Hiruzen's recent recovery also going public, things had become even more hectic in the village.
Shizune, sensing she was second-guessing herself, leaned closer and said, "Lady Tsunade, it's a well-deserved break. You haven't had a vacation in ages. You deserve this!"
"I know, but three days?" Tsunade argued. "That's such short notice."
Not many understood the monotonous cadence of responsibility for the Hokage.
"But Lady Tsunade!" Shizune urged, hardly ready to relent. "You need this! You haven't breathed fresh air outside the village in so long. Please consider it! We could use some fun."
Observing Shizune's earnest enthusiasm, Tsunade let out a long sigh. Maybe the time had come for her to relax for a moment, even if just for a single night.
Especially considering the fact that she chose not to attend the last big event—the tournament held in the Land of Waves. She had heard that both the Raikage and Mizukage had attended, thus causing her to miss out.