After eating and drinking, Kawakaze and Tsunade returned to their room.
Sakumo and Duy walked together on their way back to their own rooms.
"Sigh..."
Sakumo suddenly let out a long sigh for no apparent reason, prompting Duy to ask:
"What are you sighing about, Big Brother Sakumo?"
Duy looked at Sakumo, puzzled. He hadn't heard of anything troubling that would warrant such sadness.
"I didn't realize Kawakaze's strength had reached such a level," Sakumo admitted. "No matter how weak the Seven-Tails might be, it is still a Tailed Beast."
Sakumo's mind drifted to mories of their childhood. After their parents' death, it had just been the two of them. He had been so young back then, and while it might have been an exaggeration to say he'd raised Kawakaze single-handedly, he had certainly made a great effort.
As they grew older, it was often Kawakaze who ca up with the ideas, while Sakumo carried them out.
Now, however, his younger brother had surpassed him, especially in terms of strength.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Duy asked, unable to understand the feeling of being gradually outshined by one's younger sibling.
Sakumo could only sigh again, the weight of his complex emotions pressing down on him. Family—who truly understands? He shook his head slightly, letting the matter rest.
The next day, at the break of dawn, the large Konoha group assembled. Led by Tsunade and her team, they crossed into the territory of the Land of Rain.
Since the death of Hanzō of the Salamander, the Land of Rain had been left utterly defenseless.
On the road, Agakure ninja who spotted the Konoha group kept their distance, avoiding any confrontation. They even witnessed skirmishes between Agakure ninjas as signs of an ongoing civil war beca evident.
The suffering of the Land of Rain was plain to see. Those with wealth or power had long since fled to other countries, leaving behind only the impoverished, struggling to survive in dreadful conditions.
"Sensei, is there still any hope for the Land of Rain?" Minato asked softly, his kind-hearted nature surfacing. His gaze lingered on orphans peeking at them cautiously from a distance, reminding him of his own past.
"Don't worry—I've made arrangents," Kawakaze replied with a fox-like smile.
He already had a plan in mind. It would be better for the Land of Rain to fall under his control than anyone else's, but the timing wasn't right just yet.
"What are you up to again?"
Tsunade cast a suspicious glance at Kawakaze, the man whose flashes of inspiration often led to unpredictable sches.
"Haha, it's a good thing anyway. So, you should just focus on becoming Hokage first," Kawakaze said casually.
Having pulled away from the main group with no one else around, he didn't feel the need to be cautious with his words.
"Playing mysterious," Tsunade muttered, noticing that Kawakaze had no intention of elaborating. Too lazy to press him further, she let it slide. Sooner or later, he would spill the details, and she had plenty of ways to make him talk if necessary.
After a few more days of enduring the wind and rain, they finally arrived at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.
On the way, the Konoha ninja had already clashed with Suna ninja patrols. However, no valuable information had been gained; the ones they encountered were just lackeys sent out to scout and gather intelligence.
Now, at the border of the Land of Rain, the Konoha group halted their advance. Venturing into the Land of Wind without proper intelligence would be risky, as the terrain and opposition were still unknown.
"Hayato, contact your people. I need information on the movents of Sunagakure," Tsunade ordered, sitting upright in her tent.
Her tone was firm and commanding, embodying the maturity and authority she had grown into as a leader.
Kawakaze watched her closely, and before he realized it, a small smile crept onto his face.
"The ssage has been sent, Lady Tsunade. Please wait a little longer," Hayato Yamanaka replied promptly. His efficiency and ability to deliver ahead of schedule made him soone who would be highly valued in any leadership setting.
"Okay, thank you," Tsunade said with a smile. The task had been handled to her satisfaction.
"Kawakaze, what do you think?" she asked, turning toward him.
Tsunade was a leader who valued the opinions of those around her and wasn't afraid to seek input.
"Amagakure is no match for Sunagakure when it cos to individual skill. They have many capable shinobi, and their overall number of ninja isn't far off from Konohagakure's," Kawakaze replied thoughtfully.
"It's almost impossible to fight with a single strategy. We should wait and review the intelligence before finalizing our plans."
Kawakaze's assessnt was straightforward. Neither Sunagakure nor Amagakure had yet sent their most elite forces into battle. Sunagakure was only trying to keep their image by deploying Chiyo, one of their top experts, to fight Hanzō. They had also likely considered the threat that Ibuse, Hanzō's salamander, posed to their forces.
"Sakumo, what do you think?"
Tsunade noticed Sakumo deep in thought and turned her attention to him, her expression inquisitive.
"I once carried out a mission in the Land of Wind and faced Chiyo," Sakumo said after a pause. "She's a difficult woman to deal with."
His brow furrowed as he recalled the experience. Back then, he had been no match for Chiyo, and her interference had nearly caused him to fail the mission.
"Her Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets was created by Monzaemon Chikamatsu, and the ten of them could take a city."
Kawakaze's most vivid impression of the original story was this remark made by Sasori about Chiyo, which indirectly highlighted just how powerful the woman was.
"When the ti cos..."
Duy was about to say sothing passionately when he was interrupted by Hayato, who scratched his head helplessly.
There were always stumbling blocks on the path of youth.
"Lady Tsunade, the people are here."
A masked Konoha ninja entered the tent, bowed to Tsunade and the others, and began his report.
"Suna has received word of our surprise attack. They have set up multiple defense lines along the border. Chiyo is leading the team, but the rest of the experts are unknown."
"According to sources within Sunagakure, the Kazekage and the Jinchūriki have not moved yet. However, we lost contact with them a day ago, so they have probably been discovered."
The intelligence ninja's voice was cold and emotionless as he delivered the report, even while speaking of their companions who might already be dead.
He then pulled a map from his chest, marking the positions of Suna's defensive lines.
Hayato took the map, glanced at it, and handed it over to Tsunade.
Suna had established its defense lines along the main roads connecting the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind. This allowed them to attack the Land of Wind while simultaneously defending from behind. Chiyo, a master tactician, excelled at troop deploynt.
"Okay, I understand," Tsunade said after examining the map.
The Konoha ninja bowed and left. Their role in war was, in so ways, more crucial than that of front-line soldiers.
"At the sa ti we got the news, Chiyo likely received information about us too," Sakumo said seriously. "There are always undercover agents in every village who can't be captured."
When Sakumo was focused on analyzing, his intelligence shone through—so long as no one provoked him.
"With the trump card revealed, only by fighting will we know the outco."
Kawakaze took the map and studied it. Breaking through the defense lines would be pivotal in determining the outco of this war.
"Right now you're still holding your trump card, but once you use it..."
"I'm sure Shukaku will be here soon, and it's hard to say what the Third Hokage will do," Sakumo added, following Kawakaze's train of thought as he looked toward Tsunade.
If Tsunade deployed her trump card—the Tailed Beast—Shukaku's arrival would be inevitable, no matter how great the imdiate results.
"Then we must make the most of this opportunity," Tsunade declared.
She was leading the team alone this ti, an excellent opportunity to solidify her authority. If she could defeat the Land of Wind and achieve significant military rit, it would bring her one step closer to becoming Hokage.
As for the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, Tsunade had far stronger ties to him than the Third Hokage did.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Daimyō's approval wasn't even a consideration for her.
She was called Princess Tsunade, but not rely because Hashirama Senju was her grandfather.
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