"These things are beyond our control. All we can do is protect the people who matter to us."
Kawakaze wanted to say something reassuring, but in the face of war, individual strength seemed insignificant.
At least for now, he didn't have the power to change the course of a war on his own.
"So… will you continue negotiating now that you're back?"
Tsunade asked again. If war broke out, she wouldn't be able to avoid the battlefield either—that was her duty as a ninja.
"This is the final negotiation. The ultimatum has already been issued."
"Half a month."
"If Hanzō of the Salamander still refuses to let us pass, then the Land of Rain will be where everything begins."
Orochimaru's words meant the war was imminent.
Kawakaze recalled that during the Second Great Ninja War, the first one to take action was none other than Hanzō.
That was bold—a small nation defying two great villages and even defeating the Iron Kingdom.
The demi-god level shinobi of this world were terrifying.
"You need to prepare early. From what I know, Hanzō isn't the type to sit around and wait to be attacked."
"We must prevent him from taking the initiative."
Kawakaze kindly reminded them—after all, it would be Konoha ninjas who would die once the war started.
"It shouldn't be like that. Hanzō isn't arrogant enough to think he can take on both Konoha and Sunagakure with just the Land of Rain."
Although Orochimaru doubted it, he still took the warning seriously. He was not only a powerful shinobi but also an excellent commander.
Caution never hurt.
Tsunade also didn't believe Hanzō would be that bold, but she still agreed with Kawakaze's warning.
"I'll be careful."
Orochimaru responded with a solemn expression.
"I heard you opened a hospital. I wasn't in the village on opening day, so I never came to congratulate you."
After finishing the heavy topic, Orochimaru shifted the conversation.
"Haha, it's all thanks to Kawakaze-kun's funding."
Tsunade smiled warmly. Without his financial support, she wouldn't have been able to build a hospital at all.
"Don't lose that hospital."
Orochimaru actually had a sense of humor—he knew all about Tsunade's bad habits.
"If you can't talk properly, then shut your mouth."
Tsunade's expression darkened instantly. She had been speaking harmlessly, and yet it reminded her of the money she'd lost—three million gone. She swore she would win it back one day.
Orochimaru's lips curled up slightly—showing no sign of anger.
"If the hospital collapses, you can use her to pay off the debt."
Kawakaze teased Tsunade, earning himself a dramatic eye roll from her.
He exchanged a smile with Orochimaru and sipped his tea.
The atmosphere gradually became lively as Nawaki and Minato occasionally joined the conversation.
By noon, Orochimaru invited everyone for lunch and even ordered food in.Although it didn't match the Hatake household's cooking, it was still quite lavish.
As an elite jonin, Orochimaru was certainly wealthy.
After dinner, Kawakaze invited Orochimaru to visit his home sometime, then took his leave.
After spending time with him today, Kawakaze liked the man even more—charming and compelling in a quiet way.
If Orochimaru could avoid falling into darkness, being his friend would be a blessing.
Minato and Nawaki did not leave with Kawakaze and Tsunade; they stayed behind to receive further instruction.
～～～～～ Divider ～～～～～
In the following days, Kawakaze personally helped Might Duy secure a spot in the Chūnin Exams.
With a combination of greetings, money clearing the way, and Duy's own strength, his promotion was guaranteed.
As a chūnin, Duy's power was sufficient—but judged by jonin standards, his mission completion rate and overall ability were still lacking.
When Duy passed the exam and received his flak jacket, he burst into tears of joy.
He felt that his youth hadn't been wasted and decided to visit the Hatake home to thank Kawakaze personally, despite only meeting him once.
Minato, who was receiving guidance at Orochimaru's house, didn't forget the assignment from his teacher.
The concept of the Rasengan even piqued Orochimaru's interest, leading the two "snakes"—the big snake and the little genius—to begin a thrilling research project.
Meanwhile, Nawaki seemed like a background character.
One day, Kawakaze was leisurely drinking tea inside the dojo, enjoying the rare peace.
Unfortunately, Tsunade was busy at the hospital again. The Uchiha students had poor talent, so there had been no medical-ninjutsu training for days.
Kawakaze harbored resentment—he frequently couldn't spend time alone with Tsunade.
Fortunately, Minato and Nawaki were at Orochimaru's house, or they'd become his punching bags.
And then Kawakaze would absolutely say, "It's all for your own good."
His thoughts drifted. The looming war didn't affect him much—he was an optimist by nature.
At that moment, Sakumo arrived with their ghost mastiff.
Shumo was still training hard daily, determined to one day surpass that "little bastard" Kawakaze.
"Sister-in-law."
Kawakaze poured tea for Naxue.
The devil's claw—his hand—reached toward the ghost mastiff, intending to "kill" it to relieve stress.
But the ghost mastiff had learned. The moment Kawakaze lifted his hand from the teapot, the dog bolted.
From a distance, it glared with contempt—"You think I'm easy to bully, you useless brat?"
Kawakaze couldn't take that. The moment he stood up, the mastiff yelped and fled like it had seen a ghost.
"Why are you even competing with the dog?"
Naxue watched Kawakaze sulk and found it funny.
"Just wait till I catch that damn mutt."
Kawakaze sat down, took a sip of tea, still brooding.
"You really… sigh, ugh—"
Before Naxue could finish, she suddenly gagged.
"Sister-in-law, are you feeling sick?"
Kawakaze couldn't get up to help her, so he asked anxiously.
"No… I just suddenly started vomiting today out of nowhere."
"I don't know if I ate something bad."
Naxue gagged a little longer before recovering.
She was about to drink her tea when Kawakaze suddenly snatched the cup away.
"What is it?"
Naxue looked around, thinking someone had poisoned her cup.
"Tea isn't good for you."
Kawakaze believed she might be pregnant.
Next year would be Konoha's 37th anniversary—the year Kakashi was born.
The timing lined up perfectly.
"It's possible…"
Naxue's voice softened, and her cheeks turned slightly red. Lately, Shumo had been working very hard.
"Brother! Sister-in-law might be pregnant!"
"Take her to our hospital!"
Kawakaze shouted toward Shumo in the distance.
Just as he finished speaking, he noticed Shumo walking over with a short dagger in hand.
He seemed like a good guy—but Kawakaze genuinely couldn't tell if he intended to stab him.
He had even forgotten to put away the dagger.
"Really? Take her there, I'll come right away."
Only then did Shumo remember to sheathe his knife. He already knew Kawakaze had a Flying Thunder God seal on him.
He himself had been training the technique for a long time and had made some progress, but his chakra reserves were far too small for carrying someone through long-distance teleportation.
He couldn't understand why his little brother had such absurd chakra. Were they even full siblings?
"Alright, I'll take her there first."
Kawakaze wasn't pretending. He remembered something far more important—something he needed to prevent from happening.
He wrapped an arm around Naxue's shoulder.
In the next moment, they appeared under the big tree near the hospital entrance.
Patients and relatives nearby were stunned.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there