The next morning.
Tsunade opened her eyes. She looked around and found no one; the rope was lying on the ground. She did not panic, as she could hear noises from outside.
She winced in pain, looking down at her abdomen wrapped in bandages. Standing up, she calmly examined herself. Her reserves were halfway full, and her body had recovered from the effects of the poison.
They were ready to move toward Konoha.
As she walked outside, the first thing she saw was sunlight—a rare sight in the Land of Rain. Orochimaru was leaning against a tree, watching Jiraiya, who was currently talking with the kids.
She walked over to Orochimaru. "Why didn't you wake me up? We could have moved earlier in the morning."
"Because you needed the rest. I would rather let you recover your chakra," Orochimaru said calmly, his eyes never leaving Jiraiya. "Besides, I already sent news of what happened to our forces via my snake summon."
She nodded and turned toward Jiraiya.
Sensing someone approaching, Jiraiya turned. Upon seeing Tsunade, his face lit up. "Oh, Tsunade, you woke up—oof!"
Before he could complete his sentence, he was rudely interrupted by a punch to the gut. He folded instantly from the impact.
"What were you thinking back there, fighting like a lunatic?" she demanded, cracking her knuckles. She had made sure not to hit him with full force.
"I-I am sorry," he wheezed, holding his stomach before offering an explanation. "I recently learned Sage Mode. I wasn't very experienced with it."
"That was Sage Mode?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She had seen her grandfather's Sage transformation, and he had never turned half-animal.
"...Incomplete Sage Mode," Jiraiya admitted softly.
"Hm. That explains it then. But if you try that shit again, I'll kill you myself."
"If you two have had enough, we should move as soon as possible. We are still in enemy territory," Orochimaru interrupted from the side.
"Yeah, we should. But first—" She turned toward the children, taking a better look at them. They were emaciated. "What should we do with them? Should I remove the boulder from the opening and leave them inside?"
"There's no need. I already removed it to investigate the other side," Orochimaru revealed. "There's an underground water tunnel system connected throughout this mountain range. That explains their sudden ambushes from behind."
"Good. Let's move then." She threw two scrolls toward the kids. "Take these. They will last you at least a month or two. There's something special inside the second one—if you are capable of learning it."
The orange-haired boy caught them, looking between her and the other two. Respect flickered in his eyes; he had already learned from the white-haired man that these three had fought Hanzō, the strongest shinobi in the Land of Rain.
His parents had died and his village had been burned at the start of the conflict. He had come to Amegakure alone. Food and shelter could be stolen again, but what he truly needed was strength.
"You guys go ahead. I'll escort these kids back to safety," Jiraiya said suddenly, a sheepish smile on his face.
Tsunade and Orochimaru stopped, turning back to glare at him.
"What did you just say?" Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. She hadn't saved his life just for him to throw it away.
"You heard me... I want to train them until they can look after themselves. And I need some time for myself. I am tired of this continuous war and bloodshed," he said, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Besides, this is the end. Hanzō started the war, and now he has backed down."
"These are negotiations, not an immediate peace treaty. Things could still spiral out of control if negotiations fail," Tsunade reasoned.
Jiraiya's expression turned serious. "The Old Man won't let that happen."
"Jiraiya, are you disobeying your squad leader?" Orochimaru asked smoothly. Though Orochimaru had been appointed leader for the mission, the ambush by Hanzō had derailed their original objectives.
Jiraiya's stance did not waver.
"So be it. I will report this to the Hokage. Let's go, Tsunade. We've wasted enough time," Orochimaru said, flickering away.
"Wha—Fine!" Tsunade turned and followed, leaving Jiraiya behind.
****
"Why do you think he decided to stay?" Tsunade asked as they moved toward the camp.
"Guilt. Pity. Exhaustion—or a combination of all three. Or, as he said, he simply needed time away from this. I don't know," Orochimaru answered.
In this war, Konoha had suffered the most from one thing: information leaks. It had become so severe that the Hokage himself was forced to intervene. Yet even with multiple failsafes in place, their plans continued to leak, resulting in heavy casualties.
A few days prior, they had received intel regarding a small town a few kilometers inside the Land of Rain, which was suspected to house an enemy base.
The plan was simple. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were supposed to investigate and confirm the base's location. They found it, but they didn't anticipate a full-blown assault, which escalated into a chaotic battle in the center of town.
In the end, they won; however, it came at the cost of the entire town, which was razed to the ground with only a handful of survivors.
It was not the first time civilians had died in this conflict, but it was their first time participating in destruction on such a scale. The incident served as a stark reminder to Orochimaru of the mortality of men—that life could be snuffed out simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were deeply affected after that mission, and Jiraiya remained visibly haunted by it.
***
As the sun climbed and eventually began to dip toward the horizon, Tsunade and Orochimaru reached the main camp.
Instantly, both noticed the tense atmosphere hanging over the area and the distinct lack of shinobi on guard. Without wasting another moment, they headed straight for the command tent.
The moment they walked inside, they were greeted by an older shinobi reading a scroll. Relief washed over his face the instant he saw them.
He was the commander of this front in Orochimaru's absence—a veteran from the Nara clan whose age and tactical experience had earned him the position.
"Thank the Kami. I was worried," the Nara said, setting the scroll down. "If I hadn't received the message from your snake summon, Orochimaru-sama, I would have sent search parties."
"Why? What happened here?" Orochimaru asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Yesterday, combined Suna and Iwa forces launched a coordinated assault on our Land of Grass camp," the Nara explained swiftly. "A shinobi named Dan Katō detected the enemy with his technique and relayed the warning in time. His squad took heavy casualties—Dan barely survived thanks to a healing tag—but his intel saved the camp. They requested immediate reinforcements, so I dispatched most of our active squads, keeping only a handful of crew here."
Orochimaru quickly connected the dots. "It was a coordinated ambush. They knew we were launching a covert attack. If their assault on Grass had succeeded while we were pinned down, that entire front would have fallen."
He turned to Tsunade, who had reached the same conclusion.
"Quickly, Tsunade. We need to reinforce them before—"
Before Orochimaru could take two steps toward the exit, a messenger ninja burst into the tent. The newcomer froze in surprise upon seeing Orochimaru and Tsunade, then quickly straightened and bowed.
"Report," Orochimaru commanded.
"S-sir! The Land of Grass camp successfully repelled the strike force. The front has held!"
****
A few days later.
Uzushiogakure.
In the morning, Kushina walked to the dining table with a small grin.
"Good morning, Dad."
She greeted Kenji, who was already sitting at the head of the table with breakfast served.
"Morning, Princess. Sleep well?" Kenji asked, setting down a bowl of rice, some miso soup, and a portion of grilled fish in front of her.
"Uh-huh. Saki-sensei trained me until late into the night. It was exhausting," she whined slightly.
She was still learning to use her dōjutsu to enhance her visual perception so she could wield the Chidori safely and effectively. She had made considerable progress, and her eyes were adapting to the strain.
Now instead of unraveling the world and overloading her brain with raw visual information, they were adjusting to her needs. Slowly but surely, she could feel the change—as if they were finally responding to her will.
Reflecting on her progress, she sat in the empty chair beside her father.
"Hm. Training is good, but learning is just as vital. Don't neglect your studies," Kenji reminded her.
He saw her face instantly scrunch up and couldn't help but smile. For all her natural talent, his daughter hated traditional studying; she learned far better by doing and experiencing things rather than reading about them. Not that she was bad at academics when she actually applied herself.
"By the way, Dad, have you heard what they're calling Tsunade-nee now? One of the Legendary Sannin."
"I have. The war is dying down, so Konoha needs to project strength—to show the world that even if they've been weakened, they haven't been defeated," Kenji explained before offering his own analysis. "Still, it's commendable that those three fought Hanzō and forced him to back off. Even so, I suspect Konoha spun the narrative heavily in their favor."
Kushina raised her head from her bowl. "You think they lied?"
Kenji chuckled. "No, not outright. But they almost certainly withheld details. In all likelihood, they were on the verge of losing before Hanzō withdrew. Frankly, I'm surprised Amegakure managed to sustain the fight for this long given their limited resources."
"Ugh. Politics," Kushina groaned around a mouthful of rice.
"Nobody likes it, but it is necessary. As the future clan head, you cannot afford to be ignorant of it," Kenji said with an amused smile.
They finished their breakfast over light conversation, steering clear of war and politics for the remainder of the meal.
Once they finished and Kushina moved to clear her plate, Kenji spoke up again.
"Kushina."
"Hmm?"
"You understand that as the future head, you have enjoyed considerable privilege and resources?"
"Yes?" Kushina asked, narrowing her eyes slightly, unsure where the conversation was heading.
"And with that status come distinct obligations. One of them being your marriage," Kenji said, finally broaching the subject.
Kushina's posture stiffened, and she sat back down properly.
"Yes," she replied quietly. She had always known this conversation would come eventually, but she hadn't expected it so soon.
Unbidden, an image of Haruto flashed through her mind.
"I have already decided on your fiancé," Kenji dropped the bomb.
Kushina's expression froze. An oppressive, silent pressure began radiating from her frame.
"Oh my. I wasn't aware," she said, her voice dropping into a polite, sweet cadence. She rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, her dark violet eyes boring directly into his. "Father, would you mind telling me who this fiancé of mine might be?"
"Ahem. Why? Do you want to meet him? You already know him," Kenji said with a light cough, feeling the same chilling aura from his daughter that Medori had displayed in his office days prior.
Kushina rapidly sorted through a mental roster of "important" suitors she had crossed paths with—from daimyō scions to wealthy merchant heirs visiting Uzushio. Every single one was unacceptable.
"Of course I would like to meet him and discuss this arrangement thoroughly," she said, her smile widening without reaching her eyes. There was no universe in which she would marry some arrogant noble. She would simply have to 'persuade' him to break the contract himself. "Now, stop stalling and tell me the name."
Kenji sighed. "...It's Haruto."
Just like that, the suffocating aura vanished like smoke. Kushina froze, and a fiery red blush crept rapidly from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.
"Whaaa Whhhaa—What?!"
Kenji fought to suppress a laugh at her utter fluster. Seeing her caught off guard like this was a rare treat these days.
He leaned forward, deciding to push a little further. "What? Not satisfied? We can cancel the arrangement if you object."
"WHAT?! NO!" Kushina stood abruptly, her palms slamming against the table, her face entirely beet-red. Catching herself, she cleared her throat and hastily sat back down. "Ahem. What I meant to say was... as the heiress of this clan, I have duties to uphold. I will gladly make this sacrifice."
"Ah. Of course. I completely believe you," Kenji replied deadpan, eyeing her flushed face.
"B-By the way, Dad, when will I leave for Konoha?" she asked, desperate to change the subject.
"You have another week or two. Until the political climate settles over there," Kenji answered. 'And until Medori gives her final answer regarding Haru,' he added silently. Medori had asked for time to consider, and he had granted it, though she had yet to deliver her decision.
"So... I'll be gone for a few years," Kushina muttered, her tone dipping into dejection.
"Kushina, you won't be imprisoned there. You can return to Uzushio whenever the situation permits," Kenji said gently. "And who knows? You might not be going alone."
"Hm?"
"Never mind. Nothing is confirmed yet," Kenji said, waving it off. "So, are you truly content with the engagement? If you have genuine doubts, we can put a stop to it."
"I'm fine with it! Jeez, Dad, stop embarrassing me!" Kushina hid her burning cheeks behind her hands.
Kenji let out a soft chuckle, but his expression gradually leveled out. "Kushina."
"Hm?" She lowered her hands, looking at him curiously.
"Do you love the boy?" he asked, his tone entirely serious.
Kushina stilled.
"Love? I... I don't know."
Kenji raised an eyebrow.
"I don't really understand what love is supposed to feel like. But what I feel; It's warm, and a little overwhelming. I just want him to be safe and happy. Being near him gives me this sense of calm—like nothing can go wrong as long as we're together," she explained softly before meeting Kenji's gaze with unwavering resolve. "I don't know if that's love, Dad. But I know for a fact that I would lay down my life for him."
Kenji stared at her, the words dying in his throat. Looking into her glowing violet, almost amethyst eyes, he saw no hesitation whatsoever.
In the end, he could only let out a long sigh.
"Well, at least you'll be the main wife."
"...What?" Kushina paused.
Kenji blinked innocently. "Hm? Did you not know? Tenka already claimed the position of second wife the moment she heard about your engagement to Haruto."
"What did you just say?" Kushina, who had begun gathering her chopsticks, froze. With a sharp snap, the wooden utensils broke in half under her grip. "Tenka knew before I did?"
"...Yes?"
The puzzle pieces finally clicked into place. 'All those strange comments. The smirks. Calling us sisters... It was all because of this.'
She set the broken halves onto the table and stood up with terrifying elegance.
"Dad, I just remembered something urgent I need to handle. See you tonight," she said, offering a sweet, empty smile.
"R-Right. Of course."
Just as she reached the dining room door, Kenji called out to her.
"Kushina."
"Yes?" She paused at the threshold.
"The preparations are complete to lift the seal on your eyes whenever you are ready."
Kushina exhaled slowly, setting aside her immediate desire to hunt down Tenka.
"Let's do it now. No point in delaying."
"Follow me, then." Kenji stood from the table.
****Po