Acting as if he were invincible under heaven, Ronglin said overbearingly, "But every single time, it was the Hidden Mist Village that came out the worst. You should know that every time they tried to surround me, they paid a staggering price. That just shows how capable I am, hehehe!"
His goofy boasting, punctuated by a strange laugh, finally made Diqin laugh, bringing an end to her tears.
"Fine, you're the most capable. Happy now?" Diqin rolled her eyes cutely, but though her beautiful eyes were still red, they were filled with nothing but adoration as she looked at Ronglin.
Mission accomplished. OK!!
As Diqin settled down and stopped crying, Ronglin breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. However, he was secretly gnashing his teeth. There was no way the news from the front lines could be so detailed; the only possibility was that Shisui had sold him out.
Just you wait, kid. I'm not letting you off the hook.
"What's going on? It's a clear day, is the weather about to change?"
While feeding his precious crows at home, Shisui suddenly felt a cold breeze hit the back of his neck. He looked up at the sky in confusion. The sun was massive and it should have been quite hothe was even sweatingso why did he suddenly feel such a chill?
Could the weather really be turning?
Shisui's unintentional meddling had forced Ronglin to spend quite a while comforting Diqin before she finally calmed down. Ronglin realized that this girl cared about him even more than she cared about her own father.
The ancients were righta married daughter is like splashed water. No, that's not right; she's a daughter given away!!!
Ronglin returned to the village a step ahead of the rest, while Tsunade and the others remained on the battlefield for another ten days before leading their troops back home.
After the campaign, Konoha emerged victorious, but the losses were heavy. Over half the expeditionary force had been killed or wounded. Even though it was a victory, it could only be considered a pyrrhic one.
However, these matters were no longer Ronglin's concern. He immediately applied to resign from the ANBU and became an ordinary ninja.
Faced with this, the Third Hokage had no choice but to sigh.
"This is the full report from the battlefield."
Inside the Hokage's Office, Tsunade handed everything over to the Third Hokage. Looking at the figures on the report showing over half their strength lost, the Third Hokage felt his heart bleeding.
"This period has exhausted me to death."
Tsunade stretched her aching body, her exhaustion so great that she accidentally let a rough "this lady" slip out. Only after the words left her mouth did she realize it was inappropriate, and she subconsciously stole a glance at the Third.
Regardless of anything else, the Third Hokage was her elder and deserved respect. Fortunately, the Third Hokage didn't seem to notice, allowing Tsunade to breathe a sigh of relief while secretly reminding herself to be more careful next time.
It was all that little brat Uchiha Ronglin's fault. If it weren't for him, how could she have ended up like this?
For some reason, Tsunade instinctively shifted the blame onto Ronglin's head. If Ronglin were here, he would surely ask her with a bitter smile, "What does you constantly calling yourself 'this lady' have to do with me? I didn't teach you that tone; it's your own habit, alright?"
"Old man, are you satisfied now? I definitely need to rest for a while, and the Medical Department needs some reforms."
After being exhausted for over two months, the physical fatigue was one thing, but the mental drain was what made Tsunade feel like she couldn't go on without a break.
Ronglin was resting, and the Third Hokage had nodded in agreement. But for Tsunade to rest was not going to be that easy, because she had another identity: the Head of the Medical Department. Furthermore, the war between Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village was still ongoing. Because of the Hidden Sand's Puppet Brigade, many Konoha ninja had been poisoned.
As a result, the death toll was rising. White Fang and Jiraiya had requested more than once to have Tsunade transferred to the front. However, since Tsunade had become the Supreme Commander of the war against the Hidden Mist, the two of them had been forced to suppress that idea. Now that the war with the Mist was over, they immediately sent intel requesting Tsunade be moved to the front to oversee logistics.
"I'm afraid that won't work," the Third Hokage said with a regretful shake of his head.
"Why?"
Tsunade's voice jumped an octave. She couldn't understand why, after being worked to the bone like this, she wasn't allowed to rest!
The Hidden Mist had already been defeated. What else did she need to do?!
Was he planning to use her like an old workhorse?
Seeing Tsunade growing agitated, the Third Hokage said in a heavy voice, "Tsunade, I know you're tired. But this is a critical period. Neither you, nor I, nor anyone in Konoha can relax. The war with the Hidden Sand has put immense pressure on White Fang and Jiraiya. They hope you can be deployed to the front. Although we have corresponding antidotes, some of their newer poisons are causing us heavy losses."
"Therefore, I hope you can head to the Land of Rivers as soon as possible to oversee logistics. This can significantly reduce our casualties."
"In other words, I need to drop everything and rush to the Land of Rivers to be a doctor?"
The muscles on Tsunade's face froze, then twitched.
She couldn't believe she was destined for such a life of hard labor. During the great war with the Hidden Mist, she had been so worried she couldn't eat or sleep. Now, the war had finally ended, only for her to be immediately deployed to another battlefield?
Did they have to torment her this much?
"I hope you will go."
The Third Hokage looked at her solemnly. Under his stern yet slightly pleading gaze, Tsunade's heart softened.
"Fine, I'll go. Just don't look at me like that; it makes me feel terrible."
"Then start your preparations early. The front lines need you."
Nodding, the Third Hokage returned to reading the report.
"What about Uchiha Ronglin?"
Since she had already agreed, there was no point in regretting it. Tsunade resigned herself to her fate, but then she thought of Ronglin, who had returned to the village long ago, and asked a question.
"Him?"
The Third Hokage paused for a moment, then smiled bitterly. "He said he wants to rest for a while and has no intention of going to the front. He's leaving everything for the Shimura, the Hyuga, and the Uchiha to solve."
"I knew it. What did I tell you back then?" Tsunade was speechless.
"Alright, don't look at me like that. Let's get one thing straight, old manI'm going all out here, but I can't guarantee whether he'll agree or not."
Seeing the Third Hokage staring at her, Tsunade knew the old fellow wanted her to act as a mediator again.
"Just do your best."
The Third Hokage didn't hold much confidence in this. Judging by Ronglin's attitude, he knew the boy was unlikely to set foot on the front lines again.
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