Ever since he awakened his Wood Release, Ginji's daily life had become increasingly monotonous.
He was either training or on his way to train.
The only bright spot was that little Aoi Tsukigami came to keep him company every single day.
Orochimaru didn't object to this arrangement either.
Time flew by quickly when he was occupied. Before they knew it, a month had passed.
Ginji had gradually grown accustomed to this training lifestyle.
His growth rate was astonishingly fast. Sakumo noticed that Ginji's physical constitution was far superior to Kakashi's.
If Sakumo didn't call for breaks, Ginji didn't seem to understand the meaning of fatigue.
Faced with this situation, Sakumo could only marvel at the strength of Kawaki and Tsunade's genes.
Watching his younger brother steadily improve, Kakashi himself worked even harder.
If his younger brother surpassed him, he'd have nowhere to hide his face as the older brother.
With Big Bro worrying about everything, Kawaki happily embraced the life of a lazybones.
Being a hands-off leader actually suited him quite well.
Moreover, Sakumo was far more reliable than him—Kawaki fully understood this.
Now he could even spend more quality time with Tsunade without the burden weighing him down.
It was absolutely delightful!
Knock knock knock—
"Come in."
Tsunade sat at her desk, not bothering to lift her head.
"Hokage-sama."
Hayato Yamanaka pushed open the door and walked in.
"What now?"
Tsunade raised her head, brushing aside her bangs.
Seeing this guy looking so serious made her feel annoyed.
Only God knew what trouble this guy was bringing now.
"Don't misunderstand, it's not bad news."
Hayato gave a pleasant smile, fully aware of how Tsunade was feeling.
"Then just spit it out already."
Tsunade frowned slightly, clearly unconvinced.
"Come on, show some courtesy. Hayato's doing his best here."
"Come, sit down."
Kawaki played the peacekeeper, rising from the sofa to pour Hayato a cup of tea.
"Thank you."
Hayato sat beside Kawaki, sipped his tea, and then began speaking.
"Recently, things have begun shifting in the Land of Rain.
A group of unidentified wandering ninja have already consolidated control over more than half the country.
It won't be long before the Land of Rain finds peace again.
I'm thinking whether we at Konoha should take any action."
Truthfully, it wasn't really bad news—it was something happening in another country.
After hearing this, Tsunade relaxed somewhat.
"What kind of actions do you mean?"
Shouta quickly got straight to the point.
"This is how I see it."
Hayato smiled charmingly, raising one eyebrow playfully toward Shouta.
Still, good friends knew how to back each other up.
"One option is to offer assistance—help them unify the Land of Rain quickly and form a solid underground alliance.
The second is suppression—eliminate them directly.
Instead of letting an unknown force take over the Land of Rain, it might be better to keep things chaotic."
As Hayato went on, his eyes turned icy and sharp.
As for what effects this would bring upon the Land of Rain, that was beyond his concern.
Whatever served Konoha's interests was acceptable.
"Have we made contact yet?"
Tsunade knew Hayato wouldn't come unprepared.
"We've made contact. They're somewhat hesitant about cooperating.
But there's still hope—their deputy appears far more approachable."
Hayato had already sent his men to secretly establish contact. Now that some progress had been achieved, he came to ask Tsunade to make the final decision.
"Shouta, what do you think?"
Tsunade shifted her gaze toward Shouta beside her.
She knew she was somewhat outmatched when it came to overall strategizing.
"Let me think."
Shouta pinched both temples with one hand while his mind raced at full speed.
He weighed the pros and cons carefully before finally speaking.
"The Land of Rain holds a special geographical position."
"We're not the only ones who've reached out to them."
"Even if we form an alliance, there's no guarantee they'll remain reliable afterward."
"I recommend eliminating them entirely."
Shouta would prefer leaving the Land of Rain in chaos than risk Konoha being betrayed by an unreliable ally.
"Actually, I agree too."
Hayato and Shouta's opinions coincided perfectly.
This wasn't truly about getting Tsunade's approval—it was more about securing her military backing.
After listening, Tsunade didn't speak immediately but turned her gaze toward Kawaki.
Tsunade regarded him as her most trusted advisor.
"Ahem—"
Kawaki cleared his throat, drawing all three people's attention onto him.
"You don't need to involve yourselves in this matter."
"I'll handle it myself."
The moment those words left his mouth, the other three's eyes widened in surprise.
We came here for your input—why are you taking full responsibility now?
"Lord Kawaki, this isn't a joke."
"I think you should explain your plans first."
Hayato addressed him formally now—he clearly felt uneasy. This wasn't just a minor issue—lives could be at stake.
"I have three disciples brought back from the Land of Rain—you two know about them, right?"
Kawaki knew keeping things vague wouldn't work, so he dropped a hint.
"Your meaning is?"
Everyone was smart; words didn't need to be spelled out completely.
Both Hayato and Shouta suddenly brightened—they saw where this was going.
"Mm."
"Rest assured—they're strong enough now."
Kawaki had full confidence in Nagato and others, which was actually part of his original plan.
Even someone like the aging Madara wouldn't pose a threat to Nagato, much less Zetsu, that scheming double agent.
During the Land of Water mission years ago, it had been his mistake—and even that Mizukage puppet had long since perished.
Kawaki had no concerns sending Nagato back to the Land of Rain.
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Moreover, nowadays, the trio consisting of Nagato was far stronger than their original plot versions.
Any Naruto fan knows just how terrifying a healthy, young Nagato can be.
"Then I won't interfere anymore."
"Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it."
Hayato grinned widely, once again transforming from serious into his usual self.
"I fully support you!"
Tsunade waved her hand decisively, settling the matter entirely.
She probably got the general idea—but not everything was clear.
Either way, offering support was the safest bet. Even if things went wrong, she'd share the consequences with Kawaki.
"Your foresight is truly remarkable!"
Shouta reflected further—over the years, Nagato and his group had rarely appeared in public within the village.
He had probably been waiting for this day. He couldn't even imagine how many years Kawaki had been playing this chess game.
Back then, during the chaotic battle in the Land of Rain, Kawaki was merely an 'unremarkable' Jonin.
How could he have planned that far ahead?
How could he have been so confident about gaining enough influence in Konoha?
The thought sent chills down Shouta's spine.
Indeed, Lord Kawaki's intelligence far surpassed his own.
Always joking around and seeming like an idiot, but in reality, he was terrifyingly deep in his schemes.
Kawaki had no idea what grand drama Shouta had imagined in his head.
He only knew that if he hadn't known the story inside out, he probably wouldn't be much better off than that 'idiot.'
Not only would marrying Tsunade and having kids be impossible—he'd probably already have grass several meters high growing over his grave.
"Oh come on, I don't deserve such praise."
Kawaki kept waving his hands, unable to hide the smugness on his face, causing Tsunade to roll her eyes repeatedly.
Could you *be* any more obvious?
...
The four continued chatting for a bit longer, the atmosphere warm and pleasant, with everyone wearing smiles.
Since taking office, Tsunade had faced no restrictions at all—this made things far smoother than during Hiruzen Sarutobi's reign as Hokage.
After some bragging, Kawaki and Hayato left together.
He needed to go find someone in the Anbu!
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