What Xin couldn't have guessed was that Sakumo had literally run into the Third Mizukage—in the restroom of the Mist Village's administrative building. That must've been a sight to see.
"That's what I think too," Tsunade replied. "So we're ignoring Mist for now. We'll wait until Sakumo gets back to clarify everything."
If the Mist Village was using the threat of war, it meant Sakumo managed to escape. He was probably just heavily injured, and his return to Konoha was delayed while he recuperated. But once he was back, everything would become clear.
Until then, the best course of action was to ignore the Mist Village and let them rant and rave all they wanted.
Worst-case scenario, if war did break out, they'd just fight it out. Honestly, it seemed more and more likely that the Third Mizukage was under some kind of control.
The original Mizukage wouldn't have acted so recklessly. But under someone else's control? Declaring war on Konoha? Xin wouldn't have been surprised if Mist declared war on all four other great villages simultaneously.
"By the way, did Nawaki do anything foolish today?" Xin asked, changing the subject.
"No, of course not. He's your younger brother, after all," Tsunade replied, a faint smile on her face. "He was just sighing a lot."
After dinner, Tsunade quickly made her exit, fearing that if she stayed, Xin would make her wash dishes. She stayed far, far away from any kind of household chores.
She'd rather treat patients at the hospital than wash dishes or mop the floor. Worst of all, she was terrible at them-leaving dishes dirty and the floor still dusty...
Sakumo Hatake took an unexpected route, escaping into the Land of Lightning and losing the Mist's pursuit. After tending to his injuries and resting for two days, he returned to Konoha. Back in the Mist Village, Yagura's expression was sour-he had just been chewed out by the Third Mizukage.
The Mist had deployed a lot of shinobi, but they still couldn't catch even one Sakumo Hatake.
If Sakumo had simply overpowered their forces, that would've been easier to accept. But the fact that he managed to shake them off and disappear? That was worse than if Yagura had been beaten outright.
When he returned to the village, Yagura was greeted with an angry tirade from the Third Mizukage.
Fortunately, the elder, Gengetsu, wasn't as harsh. He even helped analyze the route Sakumo might have taken to escape.
After some consideration, Gengetsu sighed, "Konoha truly is a cradle of geniuses. Sakumo Hatake lives up to his reputation."