On the way back to the camp, Tsunade suddenly asked,
"Kotarou-kun, why do you care so much about that Uzumaki family? People like them aren't exactly rare, you know."
Kotarou suddenly smiled. "You didn't observe carefully just now, did you? That kid's eyes are the legendary Rinnegan (Eye of Reincarnation) of the Rikudou Sennin."
"Rinnegan? What's that supposed to be?"
Tsunade looked puzzled.
And to be fair, Madara's Rinnegan itself had been an unexpected byproduct of him biting off a piece of Hashirama's flesh.
Other than Madara and Black Zetsu, no one knew the real conditions for awakening the Rinnegan.
After the filial son's sealing, after the battle between Ashura and Indra, and through the long Warring States era, the Rinnegan had almost never appeared again.
So almost none of the great clans had any record of it.
Kotarou's explanation for this was simple.
"I once flipped through the Uchiha clan's ancient records and various myths and legends. That's where I saw the Rinnegan described."
Tsunade nodded and didn't find it hard to believe. Even so, she still asked,
"The Six Paths Sage's eyes, are they really that powerful?"
Kotarou's lips curled upward in a faint smile.
"That kid… once he grows up, with just a single thought he'll be able to destroy Konoha. And it would be a complete one-sided slaughter. Do you believe that?"
Tsunade's pupils contracted in an instant.
She stopped in her tracks and looked at Kotarou.
Kotarou's expression didn't change in the slightest.
Seeing that, Tsunade was certain Kotarou wasn't joking with her.
"Kotarou-kun, I think sending twenty people to escort that family back to Konoha is still too risky. I'm planning to assign fifty, no… one hundred Senju jōnin to escort them."
Tsunade spoke immediately.
Kotarou's mouth twitched.
"One hundred, and all of them jōnin. If we move that much force at once, we'll just draw everyone's attention. You know we're not the only Konoha forces inside the Land of Rain right now."
Tsunade thought it over. That was true. Then she asked again,
"Kotarou-kun, then how many people do you think is appropriate?"
Kotarou crossed two fingers.
Tsunade understood.
"Ten people?"
"That's right. Ten people. Small target. And ten jōnin are more than enough to crush a forty-man squad. As long as we don't make a move, who's going to know that the ones we sent out are all jōnin?"
Kotarou smiled as he said this.
Tsunade nodded. She trusted Kotarou's judgment very much.
Just like that, ten Senju jōnin were dispatched to fetch Nagato's family.
Before leaving, Nagato even leaned over and gave Kotarou a hug, then waved goodbye to him.
Kotarou gave a small smile and waved back in farewell.
Three days later, during a short rest period, a messenger suddenly arrived with a letter.
Tsunade opened it. It was written in Mito's handwriting.
"Little Tsuna, thank you for thinking of your grandma. The people have arrived. This child Nagato is very clever, and his talent is excellent. He's very likable."
"I heard from the clansmen that you all took almost no casualties this time. Well done. Normally, you should observe more, ask more, and listen more to the opinions of your commanding officer."
Reading to this point, Tsunade's face flushed red.
Looks like the people who'd returned had already told Grandma everything.
"Lastly, Little Tsuna, the battlefield is no playground. You must be careful in all things. Discuss matters more, especially with Kotarou. Grandma will be waiting for you all to come home safely. I'll cook something delicious for you."
The letter ended there.
Tsunade's face showed a warm, relieved smile.
Right at that moment Kotarou came in.
Seeing the smile on Tsunade's face, he couldn't help being slightly taken aback.
"Tsunade-sama, what's going on?"
He glanced at the letter in her hand and suddenly understood.
"A letter from home is worth more than gold. Is that a letter from Mito-sama?"
Thanks to these three days of rest, the local villagers had already come to trust the conduct of their army.
Under the village chief's lead, they had rented out an office house and a large enough open space for tents.
Because of that, Kotarou and Tsunade could sit here and discuss military affairs.
Seeing Kotarou walk over, Tsunade stood with a smile and handed the letter to him as he lounged there with one leg crossed over the other.
"Here, have a look. Grandma's praising you, telling me to listen to you more. And Nagato's family has safely arrived at Konoha and are staying at home now. You can relax."
Tsunade was in a good mood.
Though they'd only been fighting for three days, it felt like time was crawling by, her nerves stretched taut every day.
Now, this letter from home finally calmed her restless emotions.
Kotarou accepted the letter and read it carefully, a smile tugging at his lips, joy plain to see.
"Mito-sama is also praising you, Tsunade-sama, for your eye for talent. If you hadn't made up your mind, I wouldn't have had the chance to show what I can do."
Kotarou said with a smile.
"Grandma clearly told you to just call her 'Grandma'. Why are you still calling her Mito-sama?"
Tsunade snorted.
Kotarou stood up and gently pressed her back into her chair.
"Mito-sama is a senior, the most respected person in Konoha. Besides, this isn't home. It's better to address her as Mito-sama here."
Tsunade thought for a moment. It did make sense.
After all, this was the command post, and there were two guards standing outside the door.
It was just that… what had Kotarou done just now?
He had put both hands on her arms!
He had pressed her down onto the chair. How dare he!!!
But looking at Kotarou's unchanged expression, as if it had been an unconscious gesture, she decided to let it slide.
Forget it, she would forgive him this once.
Besides, Kotarou's palms were... surprisingly warm.
In that brief instant, a thousand thoughts flashed through Tsunade's mind.
Kotarou, of course, had no idea.
He walked over to Tsunade's desk and leaned forward.
He studied the map in front of him, thinking.
Yesterday, the scouts under Orochimaru-sama and Jiraiya-sama had come to the village and informed them that the joint forces would rendezvous today.
The rendezvous point was right here.
Thinking about it now, they should be arriving around this time.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the guards at the door pushed it open.
Seeing Tsunade and Kotarou seated inside, they bowed and reported.
"Kotarou-sama, Tsunade-sama, Orochimaru-sama's forces and Jiraiya-sama's forces are already waiting at the village entrance."
After speaking, the guard dropped to one knee, waiting for orders.
Tsunade got up at once, ready to head out, but Kotarou quickly stopped her.
"Tsunade-sama, right now our forces are in peak condition. With the rendezvous happening at this moment, they'll definitely choose a supreme commander."
"And the most likely outcome right now is that you will be chosen as that overall commander. If you go out personally to welcome them at this point, your momentum will be weakened by a notch."
"I know you value your bonds as fellow disciples, but you must also fight for the position of supreme commander this time. Whether it's for your own political capital or for the safety of the Senju troops, you have to hold your ground here."
Kotarou's words left Tsunade slightly open-mouthed.
She hadn't expected that even something as simple as going out to greet them could carry so much meaning.
"Then, Kotarou-kun, what should I do?"
Tsunade asked. She knew very well that Kotarou was saying all this for her sake.
Kotarou answered calmly, "You just need to sit right here."
As he spoke, Kotarou pointed to the main seat in the office, then continued,
"After that, I'll go welcome Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru-sama. You only need to wait here for them."
After thinking it over, Tsunade still shook her head.
"That won't do. The three of us are fellow disciples after all. For me not to go out to greet them really isn't right."
Kotarou opened his mouth as if to say more, but in the end, thinking of the bonds between the three Sannin, he shook his head and sighed.
Perhaps this was exactly what tied the three of them together.
Kotarou didn't try to persuade her further.
Instead, he followed behind Tsunade, heading toward the village entrance to welcome Orochimaru and Jiraiya…
(End of Chapter)
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