Tsunade instinctively pulled the blanket over herself, planning to sleep a little longer. But as soon as she smelled the aroma of food, she jumped up as if she had been injected with a burst of energy.
She grabbed the lunchbox, opened it, and started eating right away, muttering as she chewed, "As expected of my good little sister, knowing that I'm starving and bringing me food."
"Mmm~ this is so good, Kushina, your cooking skills have really improved."
"This was for Takuya..." Kushina started to speak but hesitated, watching Tsunade devour the food. In the end, she didn't have the heart to snatch the lunchbox back because Tsunade's voracious eating had startled her.
If it had been anyone else, Kushina would have grabbed the lunchbox immediately. After all, it was the food she prepared for Takuya, and no one else was allowed to eat it.
Fine, go ahead and eat.
Is she back from fighting a war or fleeing from a disaster?
To Kushina, Tsunade's appearance was that of a refugee. Disheveled and unkempt, seeing food made her as excited as a starving ghost, as if she wanted to swallow the lunchbox whole.
Her eating habits were truly terrifying.
Did Takuya not cook last night?
"Huh, Kushina's here too?" Takuya said as he entered, holding breakfast he had bought from the street. Seeing the door open, he walked in without hesitation.
He was surprised to see a distressed Kushina constantly urging Tsunade to eat slowly and an incredibly ravenous Tsunade.
"Where did you run off to last night? I couldn't find you anywhere," Tsunade grumbled between bites, glaring at him.
I was starving, you know?
"I went to Minato's place to avoid being woken up in the middle of the night to cook for you. I'm not your babysitter," Takuya retorted.
Coddle you? In your dreams. If you want to eat in the middle of the night, make it yourself. If you can't, then you deserve to go hungry.
Takuya's blunt response caused Tsunade to choke. "Cough, cough!"
"Slow down, please," Kushina, both angry and concerned, gently patted Tsunade's back to help her catch her breath.
After finishing all the food Kushina had brought, Tsunade finally felt alive again. Tossing the empty lunchbox aside, she returned to her usual boisterous self.
It seemed she was even looking for a toothpick to clean her teeth.
...
I can't bear to watch.
Takuya silently turned away, focusing on his own breakfast, pretending he hadn't seen anything.
"Kid, you seem to have a big problem with me," Tsunade grumbled, noticing Takuya's disdainful look and how he turned his back on her.
Unfazed, Takuya glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Didn't you have surgery scheduled today? Or has it been canceled? What if you lose a lot of money?"
"Uh..." Tsunade suddenly remembered that she did have surgery planned, and the patient had booked it in advance, offering a generous sum. That's why she had agreed to do it in the first place—to earn some extra gambling money.
She almost overslept.
"I'll deal with you tonight," she said hastily.
Not caring about her disheveled appearance, Tsunade dashed out barefoot, yelling as she ran, "Save some food for me for dinner; I'll be back late!"
Who does that?
Kushina covered her eyes in frustration and shouted, "Tsunade-sensei, your clothes, your clothes!!"
"Huh?" Tsunade, in the middle of putting on her shoes, looked down and blushed furiously.
She quickly adjusted her clothing, then teased Kushina, "What's there to be embarrassed about? There are no strangers here. Even if Takuya saw, it's not a big deal."
...
I didn't even look, okay? Besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before. What's there to see?
"Later!" Tsunade called as she hurriedly put on her shoes, tied her hair up quickly, threw on a coat, and rushed out. As for washing up... it seemed there wasn't time.
Hope the patient who paid big bucks for Tsunade's surgery won't mind her untidy appearance.
Takuya silently offered three seconds of pity for the patient who had forked out a large sum to have Tsunade perform surgery.
Luckily, this was the world of Naruto. In the real world, a doctor as disheveled as Tsunade might not even be allowed into the operating room.
Sometimes, hopes and dreams are wonderful, but reality can be harsh.
After Tsunade finished the surgery, got paid, and was about to head to the casino, the Anbu were already waiting at the hospital entrance.
"Tsunade-sama, the Hokage requests your presence in the office."
Although the title of the "Legendary Three Ninjas" had yet to be bestowed upon them—an honor that carried both great respect and deep insult—Tsunade's status as the Princess of Konoha meant the Anbu treated her with far more deference than they did Jiraiya or Orochimaru.
"Seeing you guys, I knew it couldn't be good. I'll head there right away," Tsunade grumbled, annoyed.
So frustrating!!
She had wanted to go to the casino, but the old man had anticipated this, so he had people waiting for her at the hospital, ready to escort her to the office the moment she finished her surgery.
With her casino plans ruined, Tsunade's mood darkened as she stomped her way to the Hokage's office.
She kicked the door open, but the Third Hokage remained unperturbed, not even flinching at the damage to his door.
Koharu Utatane, who had always clashed with Tsunade, twitched at the corner of her mouth but held her tongue. Seeing Tsunade swagger in, Koharu refrained from scolding her, simply turning her head away as if nothing had happened.
"Old man, what do you want?" Tsunade asked with evident irritation as she slumped into an empty chair.
Whoosh~
Exhaling a puff of smoke, the Third Hokage set his pipe on the table and spoke, "Danzo sent word from the front lines. He wants to negotiate with Hanzo in hopes that Konoha and the Hidden Rain Village can reach a truce and end the war."
"And why are you telling me this?" Tsunade's irritation only grew after hearing the Third Hokage's words.
"Konoha has become bogged down in the Rain Country. If Hanzo wanted peace, he wouldn't be fighting us to the bitter end. Don't forget, the Hidden Rain Village has also declared war on the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Sand Village. I don't see Hanzo backing down to negotiate peace."
Negotiate peace?
Are you joking? Hanzo is at the peak of his power, and the Hidden Rain Village's military strength is unprecedented.
Their willingness to declare war on Konoha, the Hidden Stone Village, and the Hidden Sand Village speaks volumes.
Whoever causes trouble in the Rain Country, I'll fight them, be it Konoha, the Hidden Sand Village, or even the Hidden Stone Village.
In such circumstances, peace talks are impossible.
Unless the Hidden Rain Village is driven to the brink of collapse, forcing Hanzo to surrender, only then could peace negotiations be considered.
And Hanzo would never bow to Konoha.
Danzo may have a plan, but Tsunade sneered, crossing her arms and scoffing, "Peace talks are a pipe dream. Even if Hanzo agrees, who will yield first? Konoha or the Hidden Rain Village?"
Peace talks are possible—if Konoha admits defeat, then the Hidden Rain Village will talk.
If Konoha doesn't yield but still wants to end the war, how can that happen?
The Hidden Sand Village has declared war on Konoha, so a large force led by Chiyo has entered the Rain Country to join the conflict, aiming to keep Konoha bogged down there.
Hanzo isn't a fool; he wouldn't agree to Konoha's demands.
"But the situation within the Land of Fire is grim, with many enemies still infiltrating," Koharu Utatane said, her face lined with worry.
"According to reports, the Third Kazekage has set up camp in the Land of Rivers, with the main force of the Hidden Sand Village stationed there. Their ninjas can enter our territory at any time."
"The Third Kazekage hasn't entered the Land of Fire?" Tsunade felt something was off.
The leader of the Hidden Sand Village, as its strongest ninja, should be leading the charge during their surprise attack on the Land of Fire.
If he entered the battlefield, very few in Konoha could stop him. Yet, despite the ongoing clashes between Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village, the Third Kazekage remained conspicuously inactive.
It felt as if something was being kept hidden, like there was a larger conspiracy at play.