After returning triumphantly from the Rain Country, Konoha seemed to settle into a calm routine.
Every night, Kawakaze and Tsunade engaged in deep discussions on the critical topic of "the Hatake family's manpower shortage."
Tsunade bore a great deal of stress for this. The two of them worked from sunrise to sunset, their days tightly structured.
Thanks to careful guidance, Tsunade made significant progress in her research—primarily because Kawakaze was forbidden from entering the lab.
Cells from Hashirama had stabilized, so Tsunade took the opportunity to extract Kawakaze's blood and begin cell fusion experiments.
Kawakaze was ecstatic, as if he could already feel the power of Wood Release calling to him—but the results did not come so quickly.
From Tsunade's expressions whenever she mentioned her progress, it was clear that things were not going well.
In the short term, Kawakaze would likely be unable to gain the power of Wood Release.
He had already set his sights on Orochimaru. The combined strength of this mad scientist and Tsunade was far more than the sum of their parts.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had already arrived at Ryuchi Cave to undergo the Fairy Technique trials.
The three Nagato brothers were making rapid progress, now capable of learning simple ninjutsu.
Kawakaze encouraged Konan to practice origami and even found several scrolls for Nagato's reference.
Konan truly lived up to her reputation as an "angel" of the Akatsuki. She could now create paper shuriken and paper clones.
Her talent was so extraordinary that Kawakaze felt almost embarrassed. Minato even wondered if something was wrong with his mind, considering he still hadn't fully grasped the ninjutsu the teacher had taught him.
Only Seisho was a simple-minded fellow, cheering on Konan's prowess without any other feelings.
Yahiko quickly mastered Water Release techniques and even learned swordsmanship from Minato.
Nagato possessed exceptional talent. He could now use simple ninjutsu from all five elemental types and was even interested in medical ninjutsu.
Tsunade grew fond of this shy little boy and occasionally took him to the hospital—perhaps considering training him as an assistant.
However, Tsunade didn't plan to train Nagato fully herself, as he was Kawakaze's disciple.
That morning, before dinner, Tsunade hurried back to the Hatake residence.
Kawakaze and Shōmō were playing with Kakashi and Yūhi Shinku, while Natsuki and Shinku's mother chatted.
Yūhi Shinku, accustomed to being a teacher, taught the three children of Nagato some theoretical knowledge and basic ninjutsu.
"Tsunade, why are you back so early?"
Kawakaze was surprised. She usually returned from the hospital after dinner and avoided distractions.
"The Sand Village is ready for action," she replied.
"Intelligence reported traces of Sand ninjas in the Rain Country."
"The teacher sent me there. He has already reached an agreement with the feudal lords."
"We will soon move to invade the Wind Country."
Tsunade had barely sat down before sharing the news: a war among the great powers was about to erupt.
"Although I was mentally prepared, when the time comes, I'll still feel exhausted," she admitted.
Kawakaze stood and returned Yūhi Shinku to her mother, while Shōmō continued holding Kakashi. This was his biological son, and without the red-haired baby, he couldn't have held him properly.
"Are you leading the team this time?" Shōmō asked, looking at Tsunade. Kakashi wriggled in his arms, clearly upset at not being the center of attention.
Though young, his behavior mirrored his uncle's.
"Yes. There should be a tactical meeting in a few days," Tsunade said, nodding. The Wind Country had Chiyo, a Third Kazekage rivaling Hanzō, and even a jinchūriki.
This battle would be far more challenging than the one against the Rain Country. Preparations were necessary.
Kawakaze rolled his eyes, uncertain even to himself what he was thinking, and said nothing.
"War again?"
At this moment, Nishiki Shinhiko slowly joined the conversation.
"Yes. I don't know how many will die this time. I'll prepare some antidotes at the hospital first—the Sand Village's puppet poisons are difficult to counter."
Tsunade bid farewell and left—her first time serving as sole commander. Though the pressure was great, she was fortunate to have Kawakaze's support.
"Let's talk about something fun tonight," Kawakaze said.
Tsunade immediately began daydreaming, recalling the intense events of the previous night, and blushed. She rolled her eyes at Kawakaze, hurriedly leaving.
"My dear son, Daddy can't stay with you any longer," Shōmō said, bending down to kiss Kakashi's cheek.
"Ugh~" Kakashi scratched Shōmō's face, finding it amusing.
"Brother, you need to bring all the warriors home this time," Shōmō said.
"No bloodshed, and the warriors won't grow. They'll be useless in the future."
Kawakaze no longer worried about the Hatake family's elite forces, but mid- and low-tier capabilities were lacking. He couldn't take on everything himself. Otherwise, what was the point of training these warriors?
"I understand. How many return depends on them," Shōmō sighed. On the battlefield, swordsmen are blind—he couldn't focus on caring for these warriors.
"This is the era of turbulence. Thinking too much won't help, Shōmō," Yūhi Shinku tried to persuade them. She could see that beneath Shōmō's cold exterior, he had a warm heart.
That evening, Tsunade returned home exhausted. She now practically lived at the Hatake residence.
Her granddaughter had grown up, and Mito Uzumaki was optimistic about Kawakaze, indifferent to Tsunade's presence. Tsunade might even live to see her great-grandchild—she had no regrets.
Shirai, however, was uninteresting. Even with Kushina at home, he remained indifferent.
Midori could only sigh. Comparison was the thief of joy—Kawakaze's top disciple had the upper hand.
After training, Tsunade rested against Kawakaze's chest, still flushed. Kawakaze's hands roamed under the blanket, and Tsunade was long accustomed to it. She didn't understand why he enjoyed this so much.
"Do you remember the interesting thing I mentioned this morning?" he asked.
"Isn't that over?" Tsunade replied, puzzled. Wasn't she interesting enough?
"Ah, your assumption is wrong," Kawakaze said, realizing he had been misunderstood.
"I thought of a method to enhance your strength. It's simple and effective."
"I'm intrigued. Tell me more."
Tsunade was curious but, unable to practice Fairy Magic herself, felt somewhat powerless in this regard. She could only store chakra in her Yin Seal each day.
"Do you remember the Martial Arts Village?"
"The one whose ninjas tried to assassinate my grandfather?" Tsunade recalled vaguely. The assassins had been injured by her grandfather's puppet clones and fled in panic.
"Yes."
"Do you have any interest in Nanao?" Kawakaze asked slowly, surprising Tsunade.
She realized he meant that he wanted her to become the host of the Seven-Tails. She had never considered that she might not capture it, but with Kawakaze's divine chakra and her knowledge of sealing techniques, capturing the Seven-Tails was only a matter of time.
"It makes sense that Tsunade knows sealing… I just hope no one criticizes me."
"Other ninja villages certainly wouldn't want Konoha to gain another tailed beast. If you succeed, who would dare ask Konoha for help?"
"What about Iwagakure? Don't they have two already?"
Tailed beasts were like nuclear weapons on the battlefield, but also like ticking time bombs. Kawakaze didn't believe that just one tailed beast would provoke a joint assault on Konoha.
Are you sure?
Tsunade considered it and agreed that it was a solid plan. As long as the capture remained secret and given the wartime conditions, the risk was indeed minimal.
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