“Tsunade!”
A loud, rough voice echoed in the dark stone room.
Footsteps ran quickly across the hard floor.
Two men stepped into the dim light of the ancient temple.
One had wild, long white hair.
The other had pale skin and long black hair.
It was Jiraiya and Orochimaru, her old teammates.
They stopped dead in their tracks.
Their eyes were wide with pure confusion.
To them, Tsunade had just vanished a few minutes ago when she touched the seal.
But the woman standing in front of them right now looked very different.
She wasn’t wearing her usual green ninja jacket, mesh shirt, and combat sandals.
She was wearing a sleek, expensive modern coat and stylish shoes.
She looked more mature, carrying the confident air of a powerful company leader.
And worse—to Jiraiya’s absolute shock—there was a strange, handsome young man standing right beside her.
And they were holding hands.
“Tsunade…?”
Jiraiya asked, blinking his eyes hard.
“What happened to you? Where did you go? And what on earth are you wearing?”
Orochimaru narrowed his snake-like eyes.
He didn’t care about her clothes.
He looked straight at Dale.
“More importantly,”
Orochimaru said, his voice cold and smooth.
“Your chakra feels different. And who is this stranger? Why did he appear with you?”
Tsunade looked at her two oldest friends.
She smiled softly.
It felt so strange to see them exactly as they were.
They hadn’t aged a single day, while she had lived a whole other life.
She squeezed Dale’s hand tightly.
Dale squeezed back, standing tall and calm beside her.
“It is a very long story,”
Tsunade said, her voice steady and clear.
“To you, I was only gone for a few minutes. But to me, I have been gone for four long years.”
Jiraiya’s jaw dropped open.
“Four years?!”
“Yes,”
Tsunade nodded.
“The seal was a space-time trap. It sent me to another world. A world without chakra or hidden villages. And I did not survive there alone.”
She looked up at Dale with warm, loving eyes.
She completely ignored Jiraiya’s shocked face.
“This is Dale,”
She introduced him proudly.
“He took me in. He saved my life. He is my partner, and he gave up his entire world to come back here with me.”
Dale gave the two legendary ninjas a polite nod.
“Hello,”
Dale said in perfect Japanese, his voice calm and respectful.
“It is an honor to finally meet you both. Tsunade has told me a lot about you.”
Jiraiya pointed a shaking finger at their joined hands.
“P-partner?!”
Jiraiya yelled, his face turning red with jealousy and confusion.
“What do you mean, partner?! Why are you holding his hand?!”
Tsunade just laughed.
It was a happy, free laugh that echoed beautifully in the dark ruins.
“It means exactly what it looks like, you idiot,”
She said, leaning closer to Dale.
“Now, let’s get out of this dark cave. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
They walked out of the dark ruins and sat under the warm sun.
Tsunade told them everything.
She kept it simple.
She explained the strange world, the time difference, and how she lived there for four whole years.
She told them how Dale took her in when she had nothing.
Jiraiya looked at the dirt.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
He looked very hurt.
“Four years…”
Jiraiya sighed heavily.
“You really lived a whole life without us. I guess I really lost my chance, huh?”
He looked at Dale and gave a sad, forced smile.
“Treat her right,”
“If you make her cry, I will beat you up.”
“I will always treat her right,”
Dale promised with a firm nod.
Jiraiya closed his eyes and accepted it.
He wanted Tsunade to be happy.
Orochimaru did not look sad at all.
He licked his pale lips.
He stared at Dale with cold, yellow eyes.
He looked at Dale like a hungry wolf looking at a piece of delicious meat.
“Fascinating,”
Orochimaru whispered, his voice smooth and creepy.
“A man from a world with no ninja. Yet, your chakra is so dense. It smells like pure lightning. I would love to… study you.”
Dale felt a cold chill run down his back.
He really didn’t like Orochimaru’s stare.
It made his skin crawl.
But Dale stayed perfectly calm.
He let it go.
He didn’t need to be afraid.
After four years of hellish training, Dale knew his own power.
With his huge chakra pool and his deadly space-time “Blink,” Dale knew he was actually stronger than the pale snake man.
They began the long journey back to the Hidden Leaf Village.
As they jumped through the green trees, Tsunade held Dale’s hand.
She talked a lot.
She was excited to show him her home.
“You will love it, Dale,”
She said happily.
“There is a great place to eat noodles. And you have to see the big stone faces of the Hokage on the mountain. My grandfather is the first one.”
“I can’t wait to see it,”
Dale smiled.
“Is your house as big as our mansion?”
“Not even close, but we have more land and space.”
She laughed.
“But it is full of good memories. And now we will make new ones.”
A few days later, the huge green gates of Konoha finally appeared.
As they walked into the busy village, someone shouted her name.
“Tsunade!”
A handsome man with long, light blue hair ran toward them.
He looked very worried and out of breath.
“I heard the mission report! I heard there was an accident with a trap!”
He yelled as he ran closer.
It was Kato Dan.
He rushed up to her, reaching out his hands as if he wanted to hold her.
But he stopped dead in his tracks.
His eyes fell on Tsunade’s right hand.
Her fingers were locked tightly with a tall, handsome stranger.
Dan looked up at Dale.
Then he looked at Tsunade.
He saw the deep, loving way she looked at the young man beside her.
She had never looked at Dan like that.
“Tsunade…?”
Dan asked, his voice shaking badly.
“Who… who is this man?”
“Hello, Dan,”
Tsunade said calmly.
She did not let go of Dale’s hand.
“This is Dale. He is my partner.”
Dan’s face turned completely white.
He was completely shocked.
His heart shattered into tiny pieces right there on the village street.
Behind them, Jiraiya watched the whole thing happen.
A wide, funny smirk slowly grew on Jiraiya’s face.
He crossed his arms over his chest.
He actually felt very happy inside.
*Well,*
Jiraiya thought to himself, grinning as he watched Dan’s broken face.
*At least I am not the only one who got rejected today.
They left Dan standing in the street.
Tsunade didn’t want to waste any more time.
She led Dale straight to the most important building in the village.
It was the Hokage’s office.
Inside, an older man sat behind a large, cluttered wooden desk.
He wore a white and red robe and a matching hat.
He was smoking a small pipe.
This was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
He was also Tsunade’s old teacher.
“Tsunade,”
Hiruzen said, smiling warmly.
He let out a puff of white smoke.
“You returned safely. But I see you brought a guest.”
Tsunade stepped forward.
She kept her hand wrapped around Dale’s.
“Sensei, this is Dale,”
She said seriously.
“He is my partner. And he comes from another world.”
Hiruzen stopped smoking.
He slowly put his pipe down on the desk.
His sharp, wise eyes locked onto Dale.
Tsunade explained everything again.
She told him about the space-time trap, the world made of metal, the four years she spent there, and how
Dale gave it all up to follow her.
The Hokage listened in complete silence.
He didn’t interrupt her once.
When she finished, the room was very quiet.
“Another world,”
Hiruzen whispered.
“It sounds like a crazy dream. But I know you, Tsunade. You do not lie about things like this.”
He leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands.
The warm smile was gone.
He looked like a weary leader carrying a heavy burden.
“Tsunade, you know our current situation,”
Hiruzen said, his voice thick with worry.
“The borders are getting worse every day. The Second Ninja World War is going to start very soon. The whole village is preparing for the worst.”
Tsunade nodded.
Her face tightened.
This was exactly why she had to come back.
“I need every strong ninja I can find to protect our home,”
Hiruzen continued.
He looked deeply into Dale’s eyes.
“You said this young man trained with you for four years. Does he have chakra?”
“He has more than just chakra, Sensei,”
Tsunade said proudly.
“He is incredibly strong. He is at the level of an elite Jonin, maybe even higher.”
Hiruzen’s eyebrows went up in surprise.
He was deeply curious now.
A boy from a peaceful world, becoming that strong in just four years?
It was almost impossible to believe.
But if it was true, this young man could be a massive help in the coming war.
He needed all the powerful assets he could get.
Hiruzen slowly stood up from his chair.
“Dale,”
The Hokage said calmly.
“Tsunade trusts you completely. That means a lot to me. I welcome you to the Hidden Leaf.”
Dale bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you, Lord Hokage.”
“However,”
Hiruzen added, walking around his desk.
“As the leader of this village, I cannot just take her word for it. War is coming. I need to know exactly who is standing inside my walls.”
Dale understood.
He stood up straight and looked the Hokage in the eye.
“What do you want me to do?”
Dale asked, not showing a single drop of fear.
Hiruzen smiled a small, challenging smile.
“I want to test you,”
He said.
“A simple combat test. Show me the strength Tsunade is so proud of.”