Tsunade arched a brow, motioning for him to go on.
"A little girl of the Uzumaki clan. The only survivor," Ryo's voice sank, his eyes hardening. "Her name is Kaori. She's from Kushina's people, same bloodline. I have to bring her to Konoha. If Kushina finds out, she'll be over the moon. It's just…" He paused and looked at Tsunade.
"You know how the village's hidebound rules are. A newcomer, especially an Uzumaki child, won't escape interrogations and gossip. I need you, as Konoha's Princess, to stand with her publicly and vouch for her. That will shut a few high-ranking mouths." He laid out his core request plainly, without hiding the reason he had gone on a killing spree.
As for Kitsuchi, that big gift bag, Ryo already had a plan. Dumping the mess on a certain insidious old man was perfect. Danzō was, after all, a professional scapegoat.
Seeing the unshakable resolve in Ryo's eyes, especially at the mention of Kushina's kin, Tsunade's gaze flickered.
She lifted her teacup, took a sip, and muttered in a tone that seemed unchanged yet slightly off, "Hmph, no wonder the Grass ended up like that… turns out…"
She left the sentence hanging. Even she didn't notice the faint, almost imperceptible sour note at the end. Was it because he had risked himself so much for another woman's kin?
"Of course." Tsunade instantly swept away that wisp of awkwardness and slapped the table hard enough to rattle the papers.
When it came to the Uzumaki, the Senju's ally for generations, duty surged to the fore. She spoke without hesitation. "Uzumaki business is Tsunade's business. Leave the little girl to me. We'll see who dares breathe a word." Her declaration brimmed with protective ferocity, the responsibility carved into her bones.
"That's enough. Thanks." Relief finally tugged a smile at Ryo's lips. With Tsunade backing her, the biggest barrier to Kaori finding footing in Konoha was as good as cleared.
The next instant, his afterimage thinned and vanished. The air only trembled with the faintest ripple of space.
"Hey. Wait. You brat." Tsunade froze, eyes widening at the spot where Ryo had disappeared, realization dawning a beat late. "Hold on, how did he get in here?!" A key question, one she had overlooked, surged to the front of her mind.
She had been fuming at Danzō, then distracted by Ryo's injuries, never stopping to consider how he had appeared in the medical office without a sound.
"The Flying Thunder God." The answer was obvious.
"Don't tell me…" Tsunade's face shifted through several shades. As a top-tier medical ninja, her sensitivity to the body and chakra was second to none.
She stopped what she was doing and ran her chakra through herself from crown to toes, an internal sweep for any foreign imprint of a space-time technique.
The feeling was awful. Having a spatial coordinate left on you without your knowledge, for someone of her level, was like having your front door flung wide open.
Her expression turned complicated. Shock, a flash of irritation, and something deeper she couldn't name. Where was the mark? When had he set it? That audacious little—
Before she could put the pieces together, space at the center of the room rippled again, like a stone dropped into a lake.
"Ah." Ryo appeared once more. This time, he wasn't alone. He had brought four attachments.
"Big sis!" A young, energetic voice rang out first. Nawaki spotted Tsunade behind the desk and shouted like thunder.
But Tsunade, still reeling from the discovery of the FTG mark and still probing for its exact location, wasn't wearing a pleasant face. Startled by her gloomy look, Nawaki hunched his neck. His voice shrank to nothing as he clamped his mouth shut.
At Ryo's side stood a frail little girl dressed in Mikoto's clothes. Her light red hair was dull, like withered grass. Her small face was smudged with dirt, but her large, clear eyes brimmed with unease. Uzumaki Kaori.
Instinctively, she edged behind Ryo, clutching the bloody hem of his clothes like a castaway clinging to the only piece of driftwood.
The instant Tsunade's gaze left Nawaki and fell on Kaori, all the anger, gloom, and complicated feelings melted like frost beneath the sun.
Her eyes grew infinitely gentle, full of kinship and the empathy of one clan's ally for another's orphan.
She circled the desk, crouched down to meet Kaori at eye level, and let a bright, warm smile blossom across her face.
"You must be Kaori?" Her voice softened until it was barely a ripple, as if a louder word might startle a trembling bird. "I'm Tsunade. From now on, I'm your big sister. Here, no one will bully you again." She extended her hand, but didn't touch, keeping a distance that felt safe. "Come on, call me big sis."
Kaori lifted her head, glanced nervously at this powerful, warm woman, then looked to Ryo, eyes clear and trusting, asking silently.
Ryo gave her a steady, encouraging look and nodded. "Go on, Kaori. It's alright. This is your Sister Tsunade. She'll protect you."
With his reassurance, the taut lines of Kaori's face loosened a little. Staring at the beautiful, strong, golden-haired sister before her, she mustered all her courage, opened her mouth, and called out in a thin, hopeful voice, "…Big sis."
"Mm." Tsunade answered at once, her smile dazzling as sunshine. Her natural social grace surged forth. She took Kaori's small, almost skin-and-bones hand without a trace of distaste.
"What cold hands. Hungry, aren't you? I'll take you for grilled meat in a bit, eat till you're full. And this hair…" As she spoke, she pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the dirt from Kaori's face, movements as delicate as if handling a priceless treasure.
"We'll take good care of you. Soon your hair will be prettier than mine." In a few soft lines, the skittish little girl, though still shy, had eased noticeably. Her tiny hand quietly closed around Tsunade's warm fingers in return.
Nawaki and Mikoto watched the tender scene with quiet curiosity.
Only then, having soothed the little one, did Tsunade seem to remember something. Her eyes cut sharply to the last item Ryo had brought back, the one he had casually dumped on the floor, trussed tight and unconscious.
The man was tall, but now bruised blue and purple. His earth-yellow outfit was a mess, at least a dozen wounds still seeping with the coppery scent of blood and dust.
"What's this one's story?" Tsunade straightened, nudging the lump with the tip of her sandal, brows knitting again. The features looked familiar, but beaten so badly she couldn't place him at a glance.
Nawaki, whose earlier interruption had been shut down, finally seized the chance to perform.
"Sis, sis, I know." He puffed out his chest, face alight with excitement and irrepressible pride, pointing at the man on the ground. "This guy's a big fish. You'll freak when you hear, he's—"
"Shut it, idiot." Tsunade shot her brother a glare. His rashness left her speechless. She knew exactly where Nawaki's ceiling was. No big fish of this caliber would be bagged by a Genin like him.
Her gaze snapped to Ryo like lightning. "You little menace, who is he? Where'd you get him? Don't you dare play dumb, another prisoner you picked up while stirring trouble outside?"
Ryo shrugged, unmoved by Nawaki's bluster. "Mm. A bargaining chip with some value. Inconvenient to kill, so I brought him in. Time to let Danzō carry a pot."
He didn't hide his intention. "He's an Iwa jōnin, Kitsuchi. To be precise, he's the son of the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki." He dropped the bomb flatly, then added, "He needs to stay alive, and in presentable condition. Patch him up with your medical ninjutsu so he doesn't die. A living Ōnoki's son is worth something."
Tsunade's impatient expression froze.
Iwa-nin.
Ōnoki's son.
This fish weighed far more than she had expected, practically dynamite fishing. She had to reassess just how big a splash this not-my-student of hers had made outside.
"The Tsuchikage's son?" Even with all she had weathered, her pupils pinched tight. She understood instantly why Ryo didn't want to kill him, and why he would use him as leverage.
Kill him, and it's a blood feud with a whole village.
But alive, the value skyrockets, not just intel, but a strategic bargaining chip. Her look toward Ryo turned complicated. This kid had guts the size of the sky, and he never missed a chance to profit, even tossing the blame neatly onto Danzō on the way.
She drew a deep breath. Their relationship had always been more like peers. Now, seeing his calculation and daring, trust rose easily to the surface. Tsunade met Ryo's eyes and said crisply, "Got it. Handle it your way." She believed in his judgment and ability, and knew how to coordinate the aftermath. That was Ryo, always pulling off the unexpected that still made perfect sense.
She didn't press further. Turning to the unconscious Kitsuchi, she squatted with practiced ease. Gentle green chakra blossomed over her hands and flowed into his most serious wounds. For the legendary medic of the Sannin, stabilizing this level of trauma was trivial. Soon, she withdrew her chakra. Kitsuchi remained battered and out cold, but his life was no longer in danger. He wouldn't die from his injuries anytime soon.
"Done. He'll live," Tsunade said, flicking her hands.
"Thanks." Ryo nodded, hoisted the still-unconscious Kitsuchi like a sack, and slung him over his shoulder.
"I'll go report the mission to a certain champion of hardline foreign policy," he said with a crooked smile, clearly meaning Danzō.
Before the words had fully settled, Ryo and his gift bag vanished with a ripple.
Silence fell over the office.
Nawaki opened his mouth as if to speak, then scratched his head at the empty space where Ryo had been. Mikoto stood quietly to the side, her gaze soft on Kaori. Tsunade, meanwhile, had already laced her fingers through Kaori's, a broad, protective grin back on her face.
"Come on, Kaori. First a bath and clean clothes, then Sister's taking you out for a big meal of grilled meat."
(To be continued.)