Konohagakure Camp
For the first time, the Land of Frost, which had been continuously snowing, welcomed a clear, sunny day, and the weather turned warm.
"This is great!"
Kurenai Yuhi spun around twice in front of Yukawa, feeling utterly relaxed.
"Yes, it is."
Rin Nohara nodded in agreement, a smile appearing on her face.
"I hope those annoying ninja from Kumogakure calm down for a few days!"
Kurenai clenched her fist and waved it in frustration.
After a month-long battle with Kumogakure, she had grown sick of them.
"Hanekawa, are you making poison pills?"
Rin looked over at Hanekawa.
He was sitting cross-legged, tinkering with some small instruments.
"Yeah," Hanekawa replied casually. "I gave the last batch to Kakashi and the others."
"The Kumogakure ninja must hate you to the core now," Kurenai said with a laugh. "This past month, they've had to summon nearly all their medical-nin to deal with you."
"It's not that exaggerated."
Hanekawa shook his head.
His current role somewhat resembled Chiyo and Tsunade during the Second Shinobi World War, except he wasn't curing poisons—he was administering them.
"I wonder when we can return to Konoha," Kurenai sighed.
Although she had completed numerous missions before, this was her first one lasting over a month, with no end in sight.
"Soon," Hanekawa said, reaching out to pat her head, but she dodged.
Kumogakure was waiting for news from Sunagakure. Once a result was in, the situation would inevitably change, for better or worse.
Compared to Kurenai, Hanekawa wasn't in a rush to return. He had realized that high-intensity missions like this one were excellent for improving his proficiency in jutsu.
Over the past month, he had mainly used Water Release techniques in battle.
Initially, he estimated it would take two months to obtain the B-rank title "Water Release Special Jonin," but now the timeframe had been halved.
In two days, he should be able to fill the progress bar.
"Your hands are covered in poison!" Kurenai said, pulling away. "What if it makes my hair fall out?"
"That's not how it works," Hanekawa replied with a smile. "If you don't believe me, let Rin try it first."
"What are you talking about?" Kurenai shot him a glare. "Why should Rin be the one to test it?"
"I… I don't mind," Rin said softly.
"Eh?"
Kurenai stared at her in surprise.
Hanekawa was momentarily stunned as well.
But since it had come to this, he decided to go through with it.
"See?" Hanekawa said as he gently patted Rin's head. "It's perfectly fine."
"..."
Kurenai hesitated, feeling like something was off but unable to pinpoint it.
"What are you all doing?"
A sudden voice approached from a distance.
Rin instinctively turned her head and saw Obito Uchiha standing there, his face dark with anger.
He had clearly witnessed the head-patting scene.
"We're back!"
Might Guy cheerfully greeted them, oblivious to the tension.
Kakashi Hatake remained silent, his expression complicated, but he didn't intervene since it wasn't his concern.
"We were discussing poison," Hanekawa said calmly, glancing at Rin.
"Rin, is that true?"
Obito gritted his teeth and asked.
"Y-Yes," Rin replied, embarrassed.
Obito clenched his fists tightly.
Your face is red! How is this about poison?
"It really was about poison," Kurenai explained the situation.
Obito finally let out a breath of relief.
"Obito, how are my parents doing?" Rin asked, trying to change the subject.
"They're doing well," Obito said, his voice rising in excitement. "They told me to take good care of you!"
"Thank you."
Rin smiled gently.
"No need!"
Obito scratched his head, looking flustered. "There's no need for thanks between us!"
"Kakashi, did you deliver that letter to my father?" Kurenai turned to Kakashi.
"Yes."
Kakashi handed her a letter. "This is Uncle Shinku's reply."
Their team had briefly returned to Konoha with Minato Namikaze to restock supplies, thanks to the convenience of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Thank you!"
Kurenai took the letter and began reading.
Hanekawa and the others sat down, and he began to ask, "Anything major happening?"
"Nothing much," Might Guy shook his head and replied.
"There is," Kakashi Hatake followed up.
"Huh?"
Might Guy looked puzzled. "What is it?"
"It's graduation season at the Konoha Ninja Academy," Kakashi answered.
"Oh!" Might Guy suddenly realized. "Lord Orochimaru has taken on a student!"
"Orochimaru, the one who's as famous as Lady Tsunade?"
Kurenai Yuhi looked curious. "Who's the lucky person to become his student?"
"Her name is Mi..." Might Guy paused mid-sentence, struggling to recall the name.
"Mitarashi Anko," Kakashi supplied.
"Yes, that's it!" Might Guy said excitedly.
"I think I remember her," Kurenai said, tilting her head as if trying to jog her memory.
"Anything else?" Rin Nohara asked gently.
"No, Lord Orochimaru only took one student," Obito Uchiha answered quickly.
"Does that mean they won't be able to form a ninja squad?" Rin asked, surprised.
"The students of the Legendary Sannin are different from regular ninja squads," Kurenai explained, giving an example. "When forming a team, they can still find teammates, like how Hanekawa ended up with us."
"That's true," Rin said thoughtfully. "It looks like another genius has appeared."
"There aren't that many geniuses," Obito snorted. "Maybe it's just luck."
Whenever geniuses were mentioned, Obito couldn't help but think of Hanekawa, which only made him more annoyed.
Hanekawa glanced at him.
This time, Obito wasn't entirely wrong. Mitarashi Anko wasn't exactly a genius. Her potential was capped at Special Jonin. Hanekawa suspected Orochimaru had chosen her at random.
That said, Anko did get better treatment compared to others. She didn't end up as an experiment, and Orochimaru did invest effort in her training.
"Hanekawa, come to the meeting," a voice called out after the group had chatted for a few minutes.
"You guys keep talking; I'll head over first," Hanekawa said, standing up and packing away his poisons and tools before heading to the main tent.
"Hanekawa," the Jonin inside greeted him one after another as he entered.
This was a stark contrast to a month ago when he was largely ignored.
The reason was simple: Hanekawa had earned their respect through his undeniable skill.
In battles, casualties were inevitable—especially when fighting a village as formidable as Kumogakure. But since Tsunade and Hanekawa had arrived, the casualty rate had dropped dramatically.
Tsunade's reputation as the best medical ninja in the shinobi world was already well-established.
Hanekawa, on the other hand, was a surprise. Despite his young age, his proficiency in medical ninjutsu was astounding, rivaling Tsunade's. This revelation shattered many preconceived notions among the Jonin.
Now, Hanekawa was someone they actively sought to build rapport with, knowing he was destined to become another Tsunade—a shinobi with limitless potential.
Hanekawa responded politely to each greeting.
To become Hokage, one needed fame, and building relationships like this served a dual purpose: it elevated both his and Tsunade's reputation.
"Now that everyone's here, let's start," Tsunade said from the front of the tent.
The room fell silent as all eyes turned to her.
"Minato," Tsunade said, looking at Namikaze Minato, "you take the lead."
"Understood," Minato nodded and began. "I've brought the latest intelligence from Sunagakure."
Hanekawa's interest was piqued.
Finally, some news? He was particularly curious about Sunagakure because this outcome was something he had orchestrated—it didn't exist in the original storyline.
"Two days ago, the Third Raikage and five elite Jonin from Kumogakure appeared in Sunagakure," Minato began, his tone grave. "They killed Fugi and gravely injured Rasa."
The room erupted in shock.
"Chiyo intervened with the One-Tails Jinchuriki to repel the Third Raikage," Minato concluded, dropping another bombshell.
"What?"
Such explosive news caused an uproar among the gathered shinobi.
Hanekawa's lips twitched.
The Third Raikage truly lived up to his reputation for recklessness.
Even with his formidable strength, Sunagakure's forces weren't pushovers—they could overwhelm him with sheer numbers if needed.
It reminded Hanekawa of how, in the original story, Iwagakure used 10,000 ninjas to exhaust the Third Raikage to death.
However, the circumstances here were different.
This time, the Third Raikage didn't need to cover a retreat for his comrades, which gave him more freedom to act.
"What's the condition of the Third Raikage?"
Tsunade smiled faintly and said, "With Chiyo, the Jinchuriki, and so many Sunagakure shinobi, it's unlikely he escaped unscathed."
"I heard he was injured, but we don't know the details," Namikaze Minato said after a brief pause. "After leaving Sunagakure, he disappeared."
"Just the six of them?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "With such an opportunity, didn't Kumogakure send in a backup force?"
From her perspective, the Third Raikage's objective wasn't merely to kill Fugi and severely wound Rasa—it was to create chaos in Sunagakure, setting the stage for a sneak attack.
"Of course they did," Minato replied with a smile. "But the thousand-strong Kumogakure force they prepared was ambushed by Konoha in the Land of Rain and completely annihilated."
Tsunade's expression instinctively showed surprise, and the others audibly gasped, their excitement and astonishment unrestrained.
Even Hanekawa hadn't expected Konoha to come out as the biggest winner.
"How did the old man detect the movement of Kumogakure's forces?" Tsunade asked the key question.
"This ties back to you, Lady Tsunade," Minato responded. "Do you remember the Akatsuki organization?"
"Was it the Akatsuki who discovered the Kumogakure force?" Tsunade picked up on his implication.
"Yes," Minato said, sighing slightly. "Your foresight is truly remarkable, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade paused for a moment, instinctively glancing at Hanekawa.
This kid's accidental actions had given Konoha a decisive victory.
Hanekawa was both amused and exasperated.
The chain of events had unfolded far beyond his expectations, but upon reflection, it made sense.
For Kumogakure to attack Sunagakure, there were four possible routes: through the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, or the Land of Water—all of which were dangerous and would easily alert Iwagakure, Konoha, or Kirigakure.
That left only the fourth option: crossing through smaller countries, ultimately passing through the Land of Rain to reach the Land of Wind.
Normally, Kumogakure's forces would have been cautious enough to remain undetected. But Nagato, with his Rinnegan and Rain Tiger at Will Technique, which allows him to sense through rainfall, was a different story.
Had the Akatsuki not allied with Konoha, Nagato might have ignored the movement. However, they had recently accepted supplies from Konoha, which changed everything.
"What's Sunagakure's response?" Tsunade raised her hand, silencing the others' chatter, and asked.
"Sunagakure is now being held together by Chiyo," Minato explained. "This morning, they declared war on Kumogakure, accusing them of being involved in the Third Kazekage's disappearance."
He paused before adding, "But for now, there's been no significant movement."
"Not bad," Tsunade commented. "Chiyo is using hatred to temporarily unite Sunagakure and resolve their internal conflicts."
As for whether Kumogakure was actually involved in the Third Kazekage's disappearance, it didn't matter—what mattered was stoking the flames of enmity.
"What's the old man's plan?" Tsunade asked.
"A war between Sunagakure and Kumogakure is inevitable. All we need to do is wait," Minato relayed.
"Kumogakure suffered a major loss at Konoha's hands. They might even fight on two fronts," Tsunade said gravely. "Starting today, increase patrols and keep a close watch on Kumogakure's movements."
If Kumogakure intended to wage war against Konoha, they would have to pass through the Land of Frost, where the group was stationed.
"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.
"Dismissed," Tsunade said with a wave of her hand.
---
Three days later, Hanekawa, having just rested for a day, was assigned a new mission.
"This morning, we received intelligence that five outposts on the frontlines were simultaneously attacked by Kumogakure forces," Tsunade said gravely. "Our mission is to support the northernmost outpost."
"Is this the start of a full-scale war?" Hanekawa frowned.
Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara looked worried.
Compared to minor skirmishes over the past month, a full-scale war would mean far greater carnage and chaos.
"It's unclear," Tsunade replied, shaking her head. "Minato has already infiltrated the Land of Lightning to investigate whether Kumogakure is mobilizing reinforcements."
Launching a war with just five or six hundred ninjas would be far from sufficient.
"Let's move," Tsunade said as she turned to leave. "We don't have time to waste."
Hanekawa and the others quickly followed her.
---
Half an hour later, they arrived at the scene.
"They're still fighting!" Hanekawa said after scanning the battlefield. "There are twelve Kumogakure ninjas."
"Stay safe," Tsunade said before leaping into the fray.
"Enemy attack!" the leading Kumogakure Jonin quickly noticed her approach.
But Tsunade was too fast. By the time he shouted, she was already in their midst.
Superhuman Strength!
Chakra surged as Tsunade unleashed a devastating blow.
The ground shattered, trees collapsed, debris flew, and the air was filled with the sound of screams.
__
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