Despair and Hope

Jeff managed to find an abandoned shack not far from where Tsunade had been begging. After what the fruit merchant had said about the Akatsuki coming into the town in **** to drag people away he imagined that this place probably belonged to one of their victims. He gently placed Tsunade on a somewhat rough looking mattress on the ground then stuck his head out the door to make sure he wasn’t followed. After he was confident that he was not, Jeff turned to check on Tsunade. She seemingly was just staring at the ceiling of the shack not really even acknowledging that someone had moved her from her previous location. Jeff moved to crouch next to her and after doing a quick once over her to see if anything the children threw at her had caused any serious damaged asked

“Are you ok Lady Tsunade are you feeling any pain anywhere ?”

Tsunade didn’t acknowledge his question at all but instead continued to stare at the ceiling.

Jeff asked again “Lady Tsunade, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me if you’re injured anywhere ?”

Tsunade without looking away from the ceiling replied “you should have let them have their fun. It’s what I deserve for my failure as their Hokage.”

Jeff replied “No one deserves to be treated like that regardless of what you have or have not done Lady Tsunade.”

Tsunade finally turned to look at him and said “Who are you ? In the time since the Akatsuki released me from captivity everyone that I’ve met that is originally from the Leaf have normally either treated me with disgust or anger and those that didn’t usually treated me with pity. Yet, when I look at your eyes you look at me with respect and sympathy.”

Jeff replied “ You deserve both Lady Tsunade, the fall of the Leaf was not your fault but the fault of those in the Akatsuki that participated in the attack and eliminated the people that you tried to protect.”

Tsunade looked on the verge of tears again. It was clear that no one had really spoken to her like she mattered in a long time.

“My name is Jeff and I’ve come to offer you a way out of this place and to undo some of what had been done to you. I can’t bring back those that you’ve lost but I can undo some of the physical **** you’ve suffered during your captivity.”

Tsunade looked at him and began to stare deeply into his eyes to see what he was about. “I’ve tried to leave before but my current state prevented me from getting very far and the Akatsuki just send White Zetsu to bring me back here. As for the seal on my neck that’s preventing me from using my chakra it can’t be removed as others have tried and came to the determination that it can only be removed by the caster and the Akatsuki will never remove it. I’ll never be what I was before the purge and I’ll never look like I did before it either.”

Jeff replied “I’m afraid you’re wrong on both accounts Lady Tsunade. While I don’t have the necessary materials with me currently to remove the seal, I can have it removed if you come with me. As for your youthful appearance, I do have a work around that is better then your old jutsu for dealing with that particular issue.”

Jeff pulled the syringe from his bag and presented it to Tsunade who proceeded to look it over. She didn’t know what to make of it and also not really what to make of him. He seemed to be trustworthy but blindly trusting strangers was a good way to get burned. But then again the worst thing that he could possibly be doing was poisoning her on the orders of one of the other kages which honestly didn’t bother her either.

Tsunade looked back at Jeff and said “Will it hurt ?”

Jeff replied “Yes it’s going to undo the effects of overusing your chakra which has caused your premature aging and truly restore your youthful look. You’ll look and feel much younger then you have in a long time but such changes do also come with what will probably be the worst physical pain you’ve ever experienced.”

Tsunade took the syringe from him and looking at it for at least a moment then stuck it in her neck. After its contents were emptied Jeff helped her to remove it then helped her to lie back down on the mattress. The seizing fits began almost immediately after that which meant the little nano bots had gone to work repairing her damaged cells. Jeff then took up watch over her to monitor their progress and to make sure nothing happened to her while she was in a helpless state.