The Central Border Camp of the Land of Wind
As far as the eye could see, rows upon rows of identical sand-built houses stretched across the landscape. When it came to construction, Sunagakure could also be considered experts.
In a secluded house on the outskirts of the camp, the elite members of Sunagakure, led by Chiyo, were gathered together.
"According to our intelligence," someone reported, "Konoha's ninja have already taken up positions in the Land of Rain."
"The commander of this force is Tsunade. She is a disciple of the Third Hokage and Konoha's most outstanding medical ninja."
"So don't embarrass yourselves by bringing out ordinary poisons."
"Do you understand?"
Chiyo's expression was stern as her gaze swept across everyone in the room.
"Yes, Lady Chiyo," they replied in unison.
"Sister, Hatake Kawamine is here as well," Ebizō added.
"Although Hanzo the Salamander died while being surrounded by four people, Hatake Kawamine was the main force."
"We must treat this matter with caution."
Ebizō had no choice but to take seriously an opponent capable of killing Hanzo the Salamander.
Since the death of "Salamander" Hanzo, Kawamine's name had appeared on the dangerous-persons lists of various nations.
In Konoha, he was no longer known merely as "the Hatake clan's genius."
"And there's also Kawamine's brother—the one in the green jumpsuit—and that powerhouse, Dai," Chiyo's son added, supplementing the information on Konoha.
From Sakumo's perspective, if someone like that were killed, it wouldn't even feel unfair—he had a name and a reputation.
That was Hatake Sakumo. And what did it mean to be the elder brother of Hatake Kawamine?
Who exactly are you looking down on?
"Fortunately," Chiyo's daughter-in-law said softly, "the information from Konoha indicates that Orochimaru and Jiraiya are not participating in this battle."
"That's good news."
She was a gentle woman, her voice calm and mild.
"Stay alert," Chiyo said decisively. "Tonight, I will personally lead an attack on Konoha's camp."
Her son and daughter-in-law nodded in agreement. They had no way to defy her orders.
"We'll first test their strength, then formulate a plan."
"Our objective this time is to prevent Konoha from invading the Land of Rain."
"They are not allowed to step into the Land of Wind."
"Understood?"
Chiyo suddenly raised her voice. Even now, at the peak of her strength, her authority was unmistakable.
"Yes, Lady Chiyo."
"Everyone, return to your defensive positions. I will notify you before we move out."
Chiyo waved her hand, dismissing everyone except her family.
"Sister, isn't this a bit too aggressive?" Ebizō asked.
Only Ebizō dared to question her. They were close in age and had grown up together—no further explanation was needed.
"Sigh… Konoha is still stronger than we are," Chiyo said quietly.
"If we don't boost morale from the very beginning, things will only become more difficult later."
Only then did she reveal her true thoughts. Unless absolutely necessary, she did not want to take risks.
"Konoha has too many geniuses. We're far behind when it comes to the younger generation."
As Sunagakure's intelligence expert, Ebizō was very familiar with the talent pools of other nations.
Yet no great power possessed as many geniuses as Konoha.
Talented young people were countless—many of them fully capable of reaching elite levels.
"When Sasori grows up, he won't be inferior to anyone," Chiyo said, her eyes softening when she spoke of her beloved grandson.
Though still very young, Sasori had already shown astonishing talent in puppetry. Given time, he would surely reach Kage-level strength.
"That's all thanks to Mother's guidance," Sasori's mother said with a smile, her eyes filled with uncontrollable pride and longing for her son.
"Haha, Sasori really is my favorite," someone laughed.
As the family talked about "Sasori," they all smiled, briefly dispelling some of the gloom of war.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the meeting in Konoha's camp was still ongoing.
"First, we must ensure the safety of our supplies and transport routes," Tsunade said.
"We can't let what happened last time happen again."
Having learned from the previous incident when Orochimaru delayed the battle plan, Tsunade placed great importance on logistics this time.
Not only was Yūhi Kurenai assigned to guard the route, but elite jōnin were also sent to assist her.
Even if more human bombs appeared, Kurenai's genjutsu would be enough to control the situation and minimize losses.
"Don't worry," Sakumo said. "I've already had Mister Dai clear the routes. I guarantee there won't be any problems."
He understood just how critical supply-line security was. Dai was already leading patrols.
"That's good," Tsunade said, finally relaxing a little.
She turned her gaze to Kawamine. The battle plan had not yet been finalized.
"Brother, I want you to lead a team in a night raid on the central defensive camp of Sunagakure," she said.
"First, to test their strength. Second, to show them ours."
"If they make any mistakes, we'll immediately launch attacks from three fronts."
Kawamine preferred swift, decisive battles. The longer a war dragged on, the more detrimental it would be to Konoha's development.
From now on, this place would become Tsunade's capital.
"That's perfect," Sakumo said.
He excelled at assassination and sudden assaults—this mission suited him well.
He agreed without hesitation. As for the risks, he was already thinking about competing with Chiyo once again.
"Thank you, big brother. Choose whoever you want," Tsunade said, giving him considerable freedom instead of acting like a strict commander.
After all, not every ninja was suited for night combat.
"In any case, this is my job," Sakumo replied.
"I'll go gather the personnel."
He smiled faintly, then stood up and left.
Tsunade proceeded to arrange the camp's security and defenses. Soon, only she and Kawamine remained in the tent.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
Kawamine stood up and walked over to her.
"I'm fine—just a little nervous," Tsunade admitted.
"I don't know how many people I'll be able to bring back alive after the fighting."
"Now I finally understand how Orochimaru feels every time he goes to war."
"He's really been through a lot."
She was beginning to understand Orochimaru. In the past, she had seen him on the battlefield as gloomy and cold.
Now she realized that it was the pressure of war and human life that had shaped him—he hadn't been born that way.
This time, she didn't need to lead anyone to Ryūchi Cave for training.
She had never seen Orochimaru smile so brightly as she had then.
"Let's go back and have a drink together," Kawamine said.
He gently touched Tsunade's head, and she leaned against him.
"Where are Naoki and Minato?" Tsunade suddenly asked, realizing she had been so busy that she had neglected them.
"They're following Mister Dai to inspect the supply routes," Kawamine replied.
"There won't be any danger."
He knew exactly where the two youngsters were.
"That's good," Tsunade said.
"Is there anything else I've overlooked?"
She wasn't sure if there was still something she hadn't done and hoped Kawamine could fill in any gaps.
"No," he said softly. "You've done very well."
"Future Hokage-sama."
Kawamine smiled and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"This teacher of yours won't give up his position so easily."
Tsunade wanted to reach that position too, but she knew it wouldn't be easy.
"I'll give him a real chance," she said.
"For now, we just need to win this war."
Kawamine already had a preliminary plan in mind, though the details would depend on how the war unfolded.
"Alright, then. I'll go study Suna's poisons," Tsunade said.
She left Kawamine's embrace. Along the way, she had already killed several Sunagakure ninja and been exposed to a great deal of poison.
Even if her preparations weren't comprehensive, she believed that being prepared was never wrong.
Perhaps Sunagakure ninja commonly used certain poisons—understanding them could reduce Konoha's losses.
"I'll go with you," Kawamine said.
He was clearly overestimating himself. Someone who couldn't even enter a laboratory—what qualifications did he have to accompany Tsunade in poison research?
"Thanks, but no," Tsunade replied.
She stood up, rolled her eyes at him, and left on her own.
Kawamine could only scratch his head awkwardly.
Was he really that unpleasant?
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