Orochimaru immediately sent ninjas using a special information-transmission method to summon the intelligence personnel who had arrived earlier.
"We just got here. We don't yet know whether Hanzō has sent Ame-nin to act as lookouts."
After resting for a while, the Konoha intelligence agents who arrived earlier came to give their report.
"What Yamanaka Hayato of the Konoha Intelligence Division saw…"
He was the head of Konoha's intelligence department and a jōnin of the Yamanaka Clan.
"No need to be so formal—just tell me what you learned."
Tsunade interrupted Yamanaka Hayato's greeting.
"Very well."
After observing everyone's expressions, Yamanaka Hayato began his report.
"The Ame-nin are already monitoring the border. There's no way to hide the arrival of such a large force."
"Recently, the number of Ame-nin has increased sharply, and several battles have already taken place."
"I learned from Rain ninja sources that the Salamander Hanzō knows Konoha's army will arrive soon."
"He's now sitting motionless inside his main base."
"I suggest we first eliminate the Rain Village spy network, then formulate further plans."
The Yamanaka Clan were indeed experts in intelligence gathering; they explained the intel and the strategy with clarity.
Upon hearing this, Kawakaze felt a mischievous idea forming in his mind.
"We can't stay gathered together like this."
"Immediately disperse our forces. Otherwise, if Hanzō launches an attack, it will be a disaster."
Although he believed he was not weaker than Hanzō, the salamander's poisonous mists were indeed terrifying when used against large armies.
If something went wrong, even Tsunade's antidote pills could only slow the progression of the poison, and Konoha couldn't afford such losses.
"Kawakaze is right."
Orochimaru had witnessed with his own eyes the tragic slaughter of Konoha ninjas under the Salamander's poison cloud, so he agreed without hesitation.
"Hanzō wouldn't dare set up an early ambush—he's afraid of the teacher."
[In the Naruto wars, once the leader loses control, the outcome is decided. Hanzō feared that the Third Hokage would intervene; without him present, the Rain Village ninjas were doomed.]
[The Third Raikage defeating ten thousand enemies alone in the Third Shinobi World War is enough to show how terrifying certain individuals' combat power can be.]
"But once the spies finish reporting, things will become unpredictable."
"Since we must split our forces, I suggest a jōnin lead the divisions, splitting them into many small squads."
"Advance toward Amegakure from all directions. Force Hanzō out—make him lose patience. Then we regroup and defeat him in one decisive strike."
Jiraiya, another intelligence expert of Konoha, had been silent this whole time. Now, after integrating all the information, he finally spoke his mind.
"If we encounter Hanzō, we retreat. Our main target is Rain ninjas."
Orochimaru's voice was gloomy; there was no way he would claim he could defeat Hanzō.
"I have no objections."
Seeing Orochimaru glance at him, Kawakaze voiced his support.
"Very well. Then it's decided."
Tsunade made the final decision. No one objected, and the group dispersed quickly.
The massive army soon spread out.
Dai's strength was acknowledged by everyone. As a chūnin, he had even independently led a squad before, but Orochimaru considerately assigned a sharp-minded chūnin to assist him.
"I'm not feeling well. I need Tsunade to take care of me."
Kawakaze shamelessly dragged the two kids along with Tsunade, using a very flimsy excuse.
No one bothered to expose him; everyone pretended not to hear it. Even Tsunade rolled her eyes at him.
Can't you find a more reasonable excuse?
Tsunade's squad became the strongest one, leading the largest number of shinobi toward the heart of the Rain Country.
Meanwhile, Rain Village spies had already relayed this information back to headquarters.
"Hanzō-sama, the Konoha shinobi have reached the border."
"There is no sign of the Third Hokage."
This was the information the spy knew Hanzō cared about most.
"Good. Come with me—we'll capture every last one of those Konoha people."
Since the Third Hokage was absent, Hanzō felt he didn't need to take the other two individuals, powerful as Orochimaru was, seriously.
Once the order was given, the Rain ninja started moving.
Hanzō took most of the forces, leaving only small squads to patrol.
But when they arrived at the border, they found no trace of Konoha shinobi.
However, deep in the forest they discovered many corpses of Ame-nin. No wonder no one had reported anything along the way.
Hanzō guessed Konoha's troops were hiding somewhere, so he hurried back with his army to defend the village—
To prevent Konoha from sneaking in and stealing their stronghold.
Hanzō's back-and-forth trip took several more days.
Along the way, any small groups of Ame-nin that Konoha encountered were wiped out.
Even when larger enemy forces appeared, the nearest Konoha squads would link up and annihilate them.
As they drew closer to the central region of the Rain Country, the number of Ame-nin they encountered increased as well.
Kawakaze and his team had just eliminated a thirty-man Rain ninja squad, but neither he nor Tsunade personally acted.
The Rain shinobi were defeated by Konoha forces alone; without top-tier fighters, their numerical disadvantage resulted in a one-sided slaughter.
The two little kids had adapted to their new lives. After enduring blood and battle, they'd matured significantly.
Their hands, too, were stained with the blood of Rain ninja.
"Look at the map. We're not far from Amegakure."
Sitting on a large boulder away from the troops, Kawakaze held a map in his hand; Tsunade sat beside him.
"About four or five days more."
Tsunade leaned in as well, making a rough estimate based on their current pace.
After several days of marching and fighting, even the most beautiful woman would appear tired—Tsunade was no exception.
"Don't worry. Everything is going smoothly for now."
Seeing her worn-out appearance, Kawakaze felt a pang of tenderness. He reached out, lifted her bangs, and wiped the dirt from her face.
Tsunade didn't avoid the gesture; her eyes softened.
Kawakaze leaned in closer and closer—
"Teacher, ma'am…"
Kushina and Obito's teammate—Rin? No—It was Obito (Rin isn't present). Actually the text says Kusuo ("凑")—walked over holding a roasted rabbit, breaking the intimate atmosphere.
"L-look, the rabbit is done…"
Realizing he'd walked in at the wrong time, his speech became scrambled, though he still held two roasted rabbits in his hands.
No wonder Shōbook volunteered for this—this was clearly his own idea.
"Ahem. Ahem."
"I was just hungry."
Kawakaze coughed deliberately, then called Obito/Kusuo back.
Tsunade recovered from the awkward moment.
"Thank you, Kotarō."
She reached out and patted his head.
"I'll go now."
Having delivered the food, the boy quickly retreated from the dangerous situation.
An image of Kushina suddenly flashed through his mind—he thought that perhaps one day he and she would become a warm couple like their teachers.
Kawakaze and Tsunade gnawed on roasted rabbit in silence for a while.
Only the faint sound of chewing remained.
After finishing his portion, Kawakaze finally spoke.
"According to the intel provided by this group of Ame-nin, Hanzō is leading his men toward the border to determine the outcome of the battle."
"I'm guessing he hasn't found any trace of us yet. If he returns to Amegakure now, he'll be under enormous pressure."
"That will be the final decisive battle. If danger arises, remember—stand behind me."
Kawakaze recalled that in the original story, Tsunade had been struck by Hanzō's Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation. If not for Jiraiya's glorious mane, she would have been badly injured.
"I understand."
Tsunade swallowed the meat in her mouth and responded softly, unable to refuse.
But she would never actually hide behind him.
Kawakaze was also underestimating Hanzō. With only taijutsu alone, how could a man be called a demigod?
plz support me if you can
patreon.com/fatimasoomro123
All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there