Yūhi Shinku looked at his daughter, completely speechless.
Kurenai was curled at the window again, whispering Shiki's name like a lovesick ghost.
Shinku rubbed his forehead.
If that golden-haired brat makes my daughter cry, I swear I'll hunt him down myself…
Kurenai truly believed Shiki would return safely.
But believing it and not worrying about it… those were two very different things.
Back at Shiki's House
"Alright, all done. You can get up."
Tsunade finished the massage and shifted back, her palms warm with chakra.
Shiki moved his shoulders a little, and the fatigue from training melted away instantly.
"…Damn. That really helped."
"Obviously!" Tsunade huffed proudly. "I am a world-class medical ninja, you know."
Then, as if remembering she needed to maintain her pride, she crossed her arms quickly.
"Don't misunderstand! I'm only doing this because you'll help me become Hokage. Think of it as… a small reward."
Shiki smirked.
"Oh? If this is the reward when you haven't become Hokage yet, then when you do—wouldn't that mean I get rewarded for a lifetime?"
Tsunade's face stiffened.
"…We'll see about that. Depends on your performance."
She didn't say the words directly, but Shiki wasn't stupid—he heard her loud and clear.
The Next Morning — Konoha Gate
Two thousand shinobi stood assembled—most of them civilians, the disposable backbone of wartime.
The clans filled out the elite squads.
The air was tense; everyone knew a real war was beginning again.
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya practically grabbed her arm, eyes watery. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
His posture screamed anxiety—like a giant worried child.
"…Don't disgust me."
Tsunade brushed him off with an exhausted expression.
"Waaaah! Tsunade is so mean to me…"
Orochimaru, standing beside him, sighed.
"Tsunade… be careful."
He said very little, but the concern was real.
Tsunade's heart tightened for a moment.
Her brother Nawaki's death… connected to Orochimaru… had left scars she still couldn't fully face.
"…I'll be careful," she replied softly.
Orochimaru caught the distance in her eyes and gave a faint, bitter smile.
He had no idea how to mend that wound.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi came personally—part Hokage duty, part guilt.
"Tsunade, make sure you return safely."
"I always do."
Tsunade shot him the same distant glance she gave Orochimaru—polite but cold.
Then she raised her hand sharply.
"All units—move out!"
Two thousand shinobi vanished in a storm of dust, following Tsunade toward the battlefield.
Sarutobi watched her back disappear into the horizon, his eyes narrowing.
That tone she used… She knows.
Not everything, but enough.
Enough to talk to him with cold civility rather than trust.
But she shouldn't know the truth about the Senju's decline, Sarutobi reassured himself.
The evidence has been erased. Completely.
He inhaled slowly, face unreadable.
Don't blame me, Tsunade. Everything I did… was for Konoha.
He believed every word of it.
Even if it was a lie.
--
By the time Shiki and the others arrived at the front lines, three days had already passed.
"Tsunade-sama!"
The moment the exhausted Konoha shinobi saw Senju Tsunade leading the reinforcement force, their expressions loosened with visible relief.
If reinforcements hadn't come… they truly wouldn't have lasted much longer.
Tsunade nodded, expression instantly shifting back into the fierce battlefield commander she was known for.
"How are the casualties?" she demanded.
A jonin in charge stepped forward, face heavy with fatigue.
"Tsunade-sama… the battles along the entire Sand front have left us with severe losses. We started with nearly two thousand shinobi… now only four to five hundred are still able to fight."
The room stiffened.
Even the Ino–Shika–Cho trio behind Tsunade frowned deeply.
Losing more than half their forces—this wasn't a skirmish, it was a massacre.
"How did the losses get this bad?" Choza muttered.
The jonin swallowed hard.
"Because the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and the One-Tail's jinchūriki have all joined the war."
Silence.
Even Tsunade's brows tightened.
The Sand Village… had gone insane.
So many top-tier shinobi appearing at once—it wasn't a war, it was a suicide charge.
"No wonder you managed to hold out this long," Tsunade exhaled.
"You all did well. Leave it to us from here."
Relief washed across the tired faces of the front-line forces as Tsunade's reinforcements began taking over.
Front-Line Tactical Meeting Room
Tsunade, Shiki, and the Ino–Shika–Cho trio gathered with several elite jonin.
"Shikaku," Tsunade said bluntly. "We need a plan."
Tactics weren't her specialty—medicine and smashing things were.
So naturally, she turned to Nara Shikaku.
Shikaku didn't complain. He simply studied the large battlefield map set on the table.
"The Sand's assaults these past weeks… they're practically suicidal," Shikaku said with a slight frown.
"Their casualties are immense too. But they keep pushing forward, no matter how many bodies they lose."
It was as if the Sand had decided that even dying, they must take a chunk of Konoha with them.
"Those idiots from Sunagakure—did they forget how to think?!"
Tsunade slammed her fist on the table, cracking the wood.
"If they want to die, fine. We'll kill them all!"
Shikaku sighed.
Meanwhile, Shiki remained silent, one hand resting on his sword's hilt as his eyes scanned the map.
Then he spoke—
"This war won't last long."
"Huh?"
Even Shikaku paused.
He had heard of the "Golden Lion," but this was the first time he truly analyzed him directly.
Dozens of eyes turned toward Shiki.
Shiki showed no fear or hesitation.
After glancing briefly at Tsunade, he continued:
"The Second Ninja World War has been dragging on for years. Sunagakure's resources are already at their limit. Among the Five Great Villages, the Sand is the poorest—by far."
One of the jonin frowned.
"But if they're so poor, why are they still fighting this desperately?"
After all, Shiki was extremely strong—but he was still young.
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