Katsuyu's eye stalks trembled a little, not just the one that Tsunade was talking to, but on all the slugs in the forest. Some created a rustling sound, while others that were larger started a large but gentle breeze.
But Tsunade knew that it wasn't in fear.
Throughout her entire life with Katsuyu, she'd never seen her afraid, or even expressing any deeper emotion at all.
So when Katsuyu's eye stalks trembled, Tsunade looked forward to what she was going to hear since she knew that Katsuyu was excited.
Katsuyu's voice pitched up a little as one of her slug bodies spoke again.
"It would be a little presumptuous of me to make such a grand decision right now. But I would like to ask you to keep the boy close to you. He is unique. In many ways that I have never seen before."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed at this.
"Keep him close?" Tsunade repeated and frowned.
"Of course Tsunade-sama. You don't need to follow my advice and you are free to do what you wish." Katsuyu said, her patient tone returning, as if she was speaking to a child.
Tsunade stood there in the mucus-filled forest for a few minutes, thinking about all the possible ways she could keep Tachibana with her, but each method posed unique challenges and benefits to herself.
Like-
'I won't be able to gamble as often if he's around…'
'Because we won't be able to escape fast enough since he probably doesn't have good chakra control and by extension good speed in using the body flicker jutsu.'
'Although…now that I think about won't his divinations help me in divining the outcomes of my bets?'
'...but it'll be too obvious…and word about it will likely spend quick and no one will want to play with me anymore.'
'And I doubt he'll agree to it…'
'Especially since he's a royal and the Daimyo is having him do things in the village...'
Tsunade frowned by the time she got to the last point and then finally shook her head.
'No. The boy is too troublesome to bring along. He'll probably have people trying to assassinate him and women trying to seduce him…and now that Danzo and Hiruzen are on the run, I doubt they won't do anything to take revenge on the one kid that put them in their position.'
"Sorry, Katsuyu-sama. I don't think I can take him along." Tsunade shook her head.
Although Katsuyu managed to appear a little downcast at having been rejected with her little slug body, she still spoke in the same respectful tone she was used to using.
"That is alright Tsunade-sama. I will send you back now unless you have something else you want to do here, like training in Sage mode perhaps?"
Tsunaded's brows furrowed and the veins on her forehead popped out.
"You're still on about that? I can't do it! That stupid thing to still my mind! What do you mean I can't think about gambling!? I'm not doing that stupid thing! Ever! Send me back now! Right n-"
Before Tsunade could say another word she was back in her room in a *puff* of smoke.
Tsunade sent a glance in the direction of Tachibana's position in the house before collapsing into her bed.
'Well, he's sleeping now.'
'But the next time he is summoned by whatever god it is, I'll make sure to examine him closely. If I can't help Katsuyu by keeping him close, I can at least give her some of my observations.'
The night progressed quickly before Tsunade was forced awake when Tonton was repeatedly stabbing her soft cheeks with his hard paw.
*Oink* *Oink*
"Tsk. Why are you trying to wake me up so early Shizune?" Tsunade asked without opening her eyes as she rolled in the other direction, trying to get Shizune to leave her alone.
"Tsunade-sama, someone's here."
"That brat? What does he want? I'M SLEEPING YOU IDIOT!!! COME BACK LATER!!! JUST BECAUSE I LET YOU LIVE HERE DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN ASK ME FOR AN AUTOGRAPH."
"..." Shizune became silent for a few seconds before a soft deep *cough* was heard from outside the room.
"...It's Shikaku-sama. He wants to talk to you about something important and urgent."
Tsunade stayed silent for a few seconds, a little embarrassed.
'Why didn't she start with that!? Why didn't I just sense who was outside!?'
Tsunade pushed herself off the bed and glared at Shizune who just slumped down into Tsunade's bed with a deadpan expression since she had clearly just woken up herself-
-before going off to the door where she stood for a few seconds fixing her appearance using the mirror on it after which she stepped out of the room and into the corridor where Shikaku was waiting for her.
"Why are you here…and why are you here right now?" Tsunade asked with a frown when she saw Shikaku, and her frown only deepened when her eyes adjusted to the early morning light that lit up the corridor and unmasked his face from darkness.
Shikaku didn't look well.
It looked like someone had stabbed him in the guts multiple times before cruelly twisting around the knife a few times for good measure.
Shikaku immediately shook his head as he started to speak, "The situation is not looking good Tsunade-sama. Both Kumogakure and Iwagakure have started building forces and temporary forts at our borders with other nations in between."
Tsunade's frown only deepened and her eyes narrowed as she gave Shikaku a good look after turning serious herself.
Shikaku's eye bags were puffed as if he hadn't slept a wink for a long time, and his hair she knew all the Nara took great care of was messy with strands sticking out of the pineapple-style ponytail they usually wore.
'This…'
Tsunade quickly sensed around themselves and along with noticing that Tachibana was awake and doing something while sitting on the floor, noticed that there were no ANBU around the house.
Shikaku had come here in secret.
'The situation is bad.'
"How many?"
Shikaku's expression turned grim as he spoke, "Three thousand on the North East and Two thousand on the Nort West from Kumo and Iwa respectively."
Tsunade's eyes widened and she almost raised her voice and punched the wall beside her in anger but she controlled herself to only tap it.
Tsunade took a deep breath in to calm herself before releasing it to relax as she spoke softly, making sure that Tachibana wouldn't overhear her.
"Any news from the other countries? I heard about Amegakure adopting a mostly neutral stance against all the Great Five because of the Akatsuki from Jiraya, I doubt they are going to let Onoki enter their land so easily without retaliation."
Shikaku *sighed* a little and nodded.
"We haven't been able to contact them in any way. But they do appear to be taking measures to prepare a fight against Onoki. So the threat from the North West is a little low and might only be an act to pressure us.-"
"-But it hasn't been ruled out yet that Ame isn't working with them instead since we don't know the goals of the Akatsuki very well and because the Akatsuki have been reported to have worked for Iwa before."
Tsunade nodded and then waited for Shikaku to tell her about Kumo.
"Kumo however is much tricker. They've already joined hands with Yugakure, the land of Hot water, and Otogakure can also not be trusted since they only interacted with the ROOT…much else need not be said about them."
Tsunade felt a slight hatred bubble up in her as she was reminded of the root but she quickly suppressed it in favour of imagining a solution for the problem she had been presented with.
'I can't fight…not for a long term…but I could pose for a few to put pressure on them all to retreat.'
"Do you have any strong Jonin on standby? Ones that can intimidate the enemy?" Tsunade asked.
Shikaku closed his eyes and thought for a bit before nodding.
"This isn't the most optimal, but given how thin the village's forces are stretched because of the fiasco that has happened, there is one free."
"Who?"
"Yamato. He is currently on duty to keep the Jinchuriki and the last Uchiha contained within the village and thwart any attempts at anyone trying to cause them harm."
Shikaku *gulped* for a second before his eyes sharpened as he explained further.
"...and because he is a Wood Release user, it should have a decent shock effect-" Tsunade frowned immediately upon hearing this but before she could say anything, Shikaku continued.
"-Especially if we use the Jinchuriki so openly. It will give them the feeling that Konoha is holding another trump card and that the situation is not as unstable as it seems from the outside."
Tsunade didn't like what she was hearing, but left with no choice for now, she nodded.
"Gather them and tell them to meet me at the village entrance in fifteen minutes. Send along a Yamanaka so that we can stay in touch through their jutsu, you know standard wartime stuff, you've been through it once, we can do it again."