Despite only following orders to chase down targets, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't continue to provoke Yagura.
As much as they didn't want to admit it, Yagura was genuinely stronger than them.
If they pushed Yagura too far and he decided to deal with them first, it wouldn't be fun anymore.
As much as they loved to provoke, their lives were still important.
Even so, Jūzō Biwa remained stubborn.
"You won't live to see that day. Once I encounter Takuya Yagami, I'll personally chop off his head with my Executioner's Blade, and show you, Yagura, that so-called geniuses are nothing but a joke."
"I hope you can deliver on that."
Yagura looked at Jūzō Biwa like he was an idiot.
Even in Konoha, there was plenty of internal conflict.
In Mist Village, where killing your own comrades was easier than slaughtering pigs, internal strife was even more intense. It was perfectly normal for people to be dissatisfied with Yagura.
If everyone obeyed Yagura without question, that would be the real surprise.
Yagura was fully aware that many didn't respect him, but he didn't care.
Because he held the power.
As long as these people didn't cross a line, he would simply ignore them.
The door to the Hokage's office swung open as Tsunade walked in, yawning.
"Old man, what's so urgent? The logistics department is going crazy. If it's not important, don't bother me."
Usually idle, but during wartime, constantly busy—that was the nature of the logistics department.
During war, every piece of supplies needed Tsunade's personal oversight.
Not to mention, Takuya had instructed her to keep a close watch on things, leaving no room for Danzo to seize any advantage. This only made Tsunade's workload heavier.
"You're doing a great job. However, Orochimaru sent a message requesting that Takuya's squad accompany the third batch of reinforcements to the front lines. He needs Takuya's squad as the spearhead to break through Mist Village's chain of defense and force them into a direct confrontation."
The Third Hokage handed Tsunade the scroll from Orochimaru.
Tsunade opened it, skimming the contents while making a sarcastic remark:
"Is Orochimaru not worried about someone stealing his glory this time?"
Cough cough!!
The Third Hokage cleared his throat, pretending not to hear that.
After his compromise with Tsunade, the Third Hokage stopped interfering with anything related to Takuya. He also stopped any attempts to target Takuya.
In fact, whenever Takuya was involved in something, he directly approached Tsunade rather than contacting Takuya himself.
As for Orochimaru's ambitions, the Third Hokage knew but chose not to address them.
It wasn't strange that Orochimaru wanted to compete for the Hokage position.
After all, Orochimaru was his disciple. Was there anything wrong with him wanting to compete for Hokage?
This was expected.
The Third Hokage also favored Orochimaru's potential.
At least, until Tsunade made a move, Orochimaru had a strong chance.
Though, truth be told, the Third Hokage had no intention of retiring anytime soon.
"I understand. I'll go talk to them. That's all. I'm so busy and exhausted," Tsunade said, waving dismissively as she took the scroll and left the Hokage's office.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly," the Third Hokage muttered, glancing in the direction of the coastline.
This war had come too suddenly, and Konoha had no choice but to fight Mist Village head-on.
If Mist Village wanted a fight, Konoha would oblige!
Surrender? Konoha wouldn't bow to anyone.
When Tsunade opened the door, the aroma of food immediately greeted her, jolting her out of her drowsiness and reviving her spirit.
"This is from Orochimaru. He needs Takuya's squad to accompany the third batch of reinforcements to the front lines to assist in the battle."
Takuya watched as Tsunade grabbed his chopsticks and started eating without hesitation, as if she hadn't eaten in days.
Her ravenous display shocked Kushina, Minato, and Nawaki.
Feeling a little concerned, Nawaki gently offered his sister a piece of meat and cautiously asked:
"Sis, how long has it been since you ate?"
"Get lost."
Tsunade glared at him, her cheeks puffed out with food, scaring Nawaki into retreating to sit beside Minato.
He didn't dare get close to Tsunade again.
Tsunade didn't care and mumbled while eating:
"These past few days have been hell. I barely had any food since last night, and I haven't slept either. I finally got some time to rest, but as soon as I fell asleep, I was woken up and had to go to the Hokage's office."
"I need a good meal, then some sleep before I get back to work, or I'll collapse."
You're usually the most relaxed, but during war, you're the busiest!
Being the head of the logistics department is really not an easy job.
"The third batch of reinforcements will include quite a few Uchiha members, right?"
Takuya remembered Tsunade mentioning that apart from the vanguard, the second and third batches of reinforcements included a significant number of clan members.
Especially the third batch, which had a large number of Uchiha members.
"Danzo said there are many Uchiha ninja, and their strength is well-known, so it made sense to deploy more of them."
Tsunade explained in between bites.
"..."
I knew Danzo was up to no good.
Sure, the Uchiha clan had many ninja, and their individual strength was impressive.
But the problem was, the Uchiha specialized in Fire Release!
Sending them to fight Mist Village ninja on the coastline, or even on the open sea?
That's ridiculous!
Fire Release would be almost useless in that situation.
Danzo really is something. Coming up with such an excuse, and the Third Hokage even approved it.
At this point, many Uchiha members were probably cursing.
The Uchiha clan had already contributed one group of ninja, and now they were being asked to send a second group. If this wasn't targeting the Uchiha, then what was?
And they were being sent to fight Mist Village.
Anyone with half a brain could figure out what happens when a bunch of Fire Release users go up against Water Release specialists.
Water beats Fire—it's not just a saying.
Even though many Uchiha had Lightning Release as their second chakra nature...
"Danzo is really up to no good."
"He's never been a good person. He's always trying to monitor me and keep me under the control of the Root division."
Kushina chimed in, listing her grievances against Danzo.
If she had to pick the one person she hated most in Konoha, it would undoubtedly be Danzo.
Even Minato and Nawaki disliked Danzo's presence.
Yet somehow, Danzo managed to maintain his position in Konoha's leadership circle.
Hearing Kushina's complaints, Takuya grinned and teased her:
"The next time he tries something, just have Kurama fire a Tailed Beast Bomb at the Root headquarters. I bet after a few hits, he'll stop messing with you."
"That's actually a pretty good idea."
Kushina looked intrigued.
"Where is the Root headquarters, anyway?"
"Kurama will find it. Trust in him."
If anyone could find the Root headquarters, it would be Kurama, with his incredible sensory abilities.
Are you out of your mind? Encouraging Kushina to do something like that!
Minato and Nawaki were speechless, though the idea was strangely tempting.
If the Root headquarters were blown up, it would be quite the spectacle.
Danzo would probably be furious!
Who knows, maybe a single Tailed Beast Bomb could wipe out Danzo entirely.
"Enough already! It's one thing to joke about doing that outside the village, but you can't just throw a Tailed Beast Bomb inside the village!"
Tsunade had a headache.
Was Takuya really encouraging Kushina to do something like that, right in front of her?
And worse, Kushina seemed to be seriously considering it!!!
Tsunade was genuinely worried that one day, if Kushina had a bad day, she might actually unleash a Tailed Beast Bomb on the Root headquarters.
That would be quite the disaster.
And it wasn't like Kushina was someone you could easily control.
If she got angry enough to let Kurama take over her body, the results would be... well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty.
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Next Bonus: 2900 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon,com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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