Chapter 167: Revelations

Anko stared at me in shock, before chuckling as she looked towards Kurenai, who was frowning slightly.

"You and Cameia got to have sex with the Senju Princess? AND she wants to have sex with us as well~? Of course I'd want to try! I mean, it's only fair since you got to sleep with her once..."

Kurenai's frown deepened, before she sighed as she glared at Anko, who asked "Hey, how'd they feel? Her breasts, I mean. They're HUGE~! Cameia, did you use them?"

I raised a brow as I heard Anko's enthusiasm, but I could certainly understand it.

"Yes."

Cameia just nodded, before looking towards me as she added "They were soft, but... I prefer Kokoro's."

I blushed slightly, which made Anko grin as she reached over and groped me, saying "I do love these, but I mean..! Those are so~ big... I wonder what it's like..? Nai, don't glare at me like that~! I know you're thinking it too!"

Our attention shifted towards Kurenai, who sighed as she leaned back, her toned body on full display.

"I... Yeah, but still..! That doesn't change the fact that Koko technically cheated on us!"

I flinched at that, which made Anko roll her eyes as she said "You can't talk. Koko was mine when you first fucked her. Besides, Cameia 'cheated' as well, and she gave her approval for the threesome. Stop being a stickler Nai, she told us about it. That's fine in my books..."

Kurenai frowned, before she yelped as Anko pushed her down, grinning at her.

"Stop thinking and put those lips to better use, Nai~!"

We expressed our passions intimately that night, enjoying ourselves immensely - all while Akari, Riku, and Tomoe slept soundly inside their cribs.

That next morning, we made our way out into the kitchen to see Tsunade sitting at the table chatting quietly with Makoto, her soft smile and gentle brown eyes making her look so beautiful as she sat there, only for her to give us a lecherous grin as she asked "Enjoy yourselves last night~? Shizune had to cover her ears to get any sleep~!"

Anko just grinned back at her, nodding as she sat down at the table as well, replying "I did enjoy myself~! Quite a bit too~! If it's troubling to you, we can all shift our attention to just Kokoro and remain 'quiet'~? There's enough of us and enough of her to make that happen..."

Tsunade smirked at me, and I glared at Anko as I kicked her shin hard, making the younger woman flinch slightly.

I caught Tsunade staring wistfully at Riku and Tomoe in my arms, the two girls nuzzling into my chest as they remained asleep - despite Akari having tried her hardest to wake them up to play.

To say I was curious would be an understatement, but I believed I knew what was causing the woman to react like that - especially since I had likely looked like that before I had Riku.

She wanted to have children of her own, but...

A pang of sadness struck my heart, though a seedling of an idea sprouted as well when I remembered who she was.

Cuddling my daughters closer, I smiled softly as Anko gingerly took Riku from me, looking down at her before sighing contentedly as she remained asleep.

Akari was a bit angry that no one was playing with her, but thankfully Karin shuffled into the kitchen shortly after, her red hair messy and her eyes barely open - but when she heard Akari babbling in her direction, the young girl smiled and reached over, taking Akari from Kurenai and dancing with her in her arms, amusing the baby.

As all of this was happening, the scent of vanilla and milk filled the kitchen, Makoto making some batter for pancakes and cooking them on the large stove, creating a giant pile of fluffy golden goodness on the counter, making all of us quiet down in anticipation.

However, as she was slicing some of the fruit into more palatable sizes, Makoto gasped slightly as the knife nicked her pointer finger, drawing blood.

Instantly raising her hands and turning, the red haired woman winced as she pinched the wound and stymied the flow of blood, only to jump as Tsunade leapt to her feet and turned away, her face as pale as a ghost.

Frowning, I gently handed Tomoe to Kurenai and followed the golden haired woman down the hall, where she eventually stopped and leaned against the wall.

Her breathing was uneven, and I gently laid my hand on her shoulder, making her flinch as she turned her scared brown eyes towards me.

Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath and clasped her hand, muttering "Deep breaths. In... Out. In... Out."

She followed my example, the woman slowly getting herself under control again, the panic and anxiety inside her eyes dissipating.

I recognized that reaction too well, having dealt with it myself and with others during the war; a fear of something that happened that haunts you to this day, a fear so deeply rooted in your mind that it robs you of even the most basic facilities.

It would seem that - ironically - the greatest healer ever known was now afraid if blood, the very sight of just a few drops of it enough to make her hyperventilate.

"I... I'm fine now... I'm fine..."

Running my thumb over her hand, I gave it a reassuring squeeze before letting her go, staring at her quietly.

"You... said you were a healer. Were you a healer during the Third War?"

I nodded, making Tsunade give me a wry smile.

"So you know... Understand. I... You told me of Danzo, of how he confessed to his crimes. Confessed to killing Dan? That... Seeing him die in front of me, being helpless to heal him, watching as his blood pooled through my fingers..."

Her brown eyes grew wet as she slumped against the wall, hugging herself tightly as she bit her lip, her voice trembling.

"I had seen so many fine Shinobi die. I had failed to save some during my tenure as healer during that war. Men and women died because my healing wasn't enough, but... I could continue on. I could try harder to heal the next, to make sure no one else died. It... After seeing so many people die under my care, I... couldn't bring myself to care, to truly feel remorse for their passing. It was out of my hands, and that time spent mourning was time wasted as another man or woman begged for healing.

That... changed, when I watched him - my love, my heart - dying in front of me. He had lost too much blood for me to save him. I can do so much with my Chakra, with my knowledge, but on a battlefield? I can't replace blood! No matter how much I wanted too..!"

She clenched her fingers into her arms, before stopping as she felt her nails almost pierce her flesh.

"It... it wasn't even the worst injuries I had seen... the worst injuries I had dealt with. Objectively speaking, his passing was peaceful and easy compared to the others. But that didn't matter..."

Tsunade gulped, tears spilling down her cheeks as she stared at the floor, her fingers trailing up towards her neck as she clasped her necklace.

"H-He's dead. He died in front of me, his blood... His blood, on my hands..! Greatest healer in history, and I couldn't save him!"

Her cheeks grew stained with tears, and I pulled her into an embrace, stroking her back as we stood silently in the hall.

I had no words for her right now, nothing that I could think to say that wouldn't be either hurtful or useless to hear.

Things that would only worsen her condition or be brushed aside.

So I held her, calming her down before guiding her back to the kitchen, where she apologized to everyone for her 'outburst', making Shizune stare at her in worry.

Kurenai had healed the small cut on Makoto's finger, and the Uzumaki bowed to Tsunade, apologizing in turn for making her go through something like that.

The Senju Princess just waved her hands, trying to move past it by diverting everyone's attention towards the pancakes, signaling for us to begin eating.