One-Shots

When Fire Lilies Bloom ~ Tsunade Senju

Fire Lilies— when you look at them and indulge in their fiery beauty... what do you see? What do you feel?

Do you see how it burns so fiercely? How magnificently bright and full of fire it can be? Do you see its captivating beauty? Are its blossoming petals glowing under the sun like tongues of fire?

They say these flowers mean hatred and revenge.

There was a time when I didn't know what hatred was. Back then, I was nothing but a princess. I was just another feather in my grandfather's cap– the granddaughter who was the apple of his eye.

There was also a time when I came to know loss– true, cruel loss. The kind that eats your soul, little by little. The kind that tears hope apart leaving you with nothing except loathe.

That was the time I met hate.

The funny thing about hate is that it breeds hate, and where hate flows and amalgamates...That is where the lust for revenge is born.

•••

"Princess Tsunade!"

Numerous people called out to me at once. My eyes darted across the barracks, not knowing what to do first. Doctors and medics were running everywhere, chasing to accommodate the wounded and the critical.

One medic shouted that they needed me to perform poison extraction, and another needed me to remove an impaling spear.

"Princess!" One of my assistants called. He was haggard and panting as he grabbed my wrist. "I need you over here."

A dying shinobi covered in gashing lacerations laid helpless on the stretcher behind him. There was nothing more we could do for him, I was certain just at a glance.

"No," I responded firmly— trying to pull myself together. "I need you. Implement the triage system for me. We, specialists, need to attend to those who are critical yet can live. The walking wounded can be attended by the medics. Get one person to set aside the dead and those in impending doom— there's nothing more we can do for them. We need to save those who can be saved first."

It pained me so much to say those words. Everyone here in this army was fighting to live— they were fighting to survive this earthly hell. Everyone needed a chance to be saved, but I needed to be frank and grounded in reality.

We lacked medical ninjas. The warriors outnumbered the healers. Hence, we needed to conserve our energies to save those with the highest potential to continue on living and fighting.

My attendant was disappointed— that shinobi was probably his friend, but he nodded and proceeded to do his task quickly. I watched him pull three medics aside to relay the information.

It was just one night after the Amegakure battle, the battle where we encountered Hanzo of the Salamander. Jiraiya had gone to take care and train three Ame orphans, while Orochimaru was called back to Konoha. I, however, was pulled to the frontline of the war against Sunagakure where countless shinobi fell prey to puppets and poison.

I looked around the horror that surrounded me. Wounded people flooded into the barracks and the number of the dead rivaled the number of the living.

I felt anger stir up inside me. When will this ever end?

These people are children of the Leaf— the legacy of my clan. These are my people; they are my family.

A teenage boy about the age of nine caught my eye. The nurse attending him was panicking— she didn't know what to do. The boy's eyes rolled back as his spine arched; his body was shaking tremors.