The Titan Curse: A Shinobi’s Reign

Chapter 21 – A Fragile Truce

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken challenges and years of bitterness. The firelight flickered against Kurozan's face, casting deep shadows over his sharp features. His eyes, once cold and unreadable, now studied Tsunade with something bordering on curiosity.

She had come here alone. No backup. No tricks.

That meant something.

But he wasn't ready to trust her.

Not yet.

"You ask what I want?" Kurozan finally said, his voice carrying the weight of years spent in the darkness. "I want Konoha to burn. I want every last one of them to suffer as I have suffered."

Tsunade held his gaze. She didn't flinch.

"I won't tell you to stop," she said calmly. "Because I know the pain you carry is real. And after what I've learned… I don't blame you for wanting vengeance."

Kurozan narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you here, Tsunade?"

She took a slow step forward.

"Because you're not just some monster driven by rage." Her voice was steady, certain. "You think you're beyond reason, but if that were true, you would've killed me the moment I entered this camp."

His jaw clenched. She was right.

But that didn't mean he would lower his guard.

Tsunade exhaled. "You were shaped by Konoha's sins. But you don't have to be controlled by them."

Kurozan let out a sharp chuckle. "You think I'll just walk away? Forget everything?"

"No." Tsunade shook her head. "But if you're going to burn Konoha to the ground, then you better know what comes after."

That made him pause.

Tsunade crossed her arms. "Let's say you succeed. Konoha falls. The shinobi world is left in chaos. And then what? Do you rule over the ashes? Do you become the very thing that created you?"

Kurozan's fists tightened.

That question had haunted him more than once.

The wind howled around them, and for a moment, neither spoke.

Then, Kurozan exhaled slowly. "You came here expecting to change my mind."

"No." Tsunade met his gaze with unwavering confidence. "I came here because I needed to know if you had one to begin with."

Kurozan smirked slightly. "Clever."

Silence fell again.

Then—he turned away.

"Stay if you want," he said over his shoulder. "But don't expect me to make this easy for you."

Tsunade watched him walk away, something unreadable flickering in her expression.

She hadn't come here expecting peace.

But maybe—just maybe—she had taken the first step toward something far more dangerous.

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