The room erupted with laughter.
"Pfft! Hahaha..." Tsunade doubled over, unable to contain her laughter.
Kushina joined in, giggling uncontrollably.
Seeing them laugh, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but chuckle as well.
"You... you guys are so mean! This is bullying," Nawaki wailed, tears streaming down his face.
He hated the test papers more than anything, but he didn't dare to throw them away. He knew that Tsunade would make him complete every last one of them.
Thinking about the pile of work ahead made Nawaki wish the ground would swallow him whole.
"Ahem!" Shinki cleared his throat, finally getting a grip on his laughter as Nawaki's sobs grew louder. He took out a brand-new ninja tool bag and handed it to him. "Alright, enough crying. Your real gift is the same as Minato's. The test papers were just a joke."
Shinki was not heartless; he just wanted to play a harmless prank. He knew the sight of the test papers would hit Nawaki hard, and it did—it made him burst into tears.
But that was enough teasing for now.
Seeing the ninja tool bag, Nawaki's tears vanished instantly. He tossed the test papers aside, grabbed the bag, and hugged it tightly, his face still streaked with tears and snot. He shot a triumphant look at Minato.
*I got one too!*
*Are you serious?* Shinki thought, bemused. *You're showing off your gift to someone younger?*
With an affectionate but exasperated pat on Nawaki's head, Shinki pulled out the last box and tossed it to Tsunade. "I thought about getting you something special, but I figured you'd appreciate this more."
"What could that be?" Tsunade asked, still catching her breath from laughing so hard. She hadn't expected to receive a gift at all and opened the box with genuine curiosity.
She didn't have to worry about test papers; Princess Tsunade had no need for such things.
Her eyes widened the moment she saw the contents. "You...!"
Shinki had initially planned to buy Tsunade a thoughtful gift, but considering that she was always strapped for cash, he decided that money itself would be the best gift. The box contained neatly arranged bills.
Tsunade's eyes lit up brighter than Nawaki's had. If the kids hadn't been around, she might have jumped up and kissed Shinki.
*He really gets me,* she thought. *Exactly what I needed.*
"Alright, everyone has their gifts. Let's eat," Shinki said, clapping his hands.
The group gathered around the table, ready to dig in.
"Wait," Nawaki piped up suddenly. "Sister, you're the oldest one here. Shouldn't you give us gifts too? Why are you the one getting gifts?"
*Crack!*
Tsunade's expression darkened, and the chopsticks in her hand snapped into splinters.
*Kid, you really had to bring that up?*
"Gulp…" Nawaki swallowed nervously, realizing too late that he'd said the wrong thing.
*You just had to push it, didn't you?* Shinki thought with a sigh. *Your sister is broke, and now you want gifts from her?*
Tsunade lunged at Nawaki. "Ah! Sister, I'm sorry! Stop hitting me—it hurts!"
While the rest of the ninja world was celebrating the New Year with lights and joy, the Land of Rain was an exception. For its people, the arrival of Konoha, Sand Village, and Rock Village ninjas had brought nothing but hardship.
Initially, the invading ninjas had shown restraint, but as time passed, some grew more audacious.
"Sir, according to our latest reports, rogue ninjas have been looting villages in the west," an aide informed Hanzo.
"This is the sixth incident this month."
*Bang!*
Hanzo the Salamander slammed his fist on the table, his face twisted in fury.
The presence of the three major villages had thrown the Land of Rain into chaos. Now, rogue ninjas had turned on the local population, looting them of what little they had.
Most of these incidents involved ninjas from Sand Village, followed by Rock Village. Konoha's forces had been more disciplined, but that did little to quell Hanzo's anger.
"Everyone, leave. I'll handle this myself!" he barked.
Hanzo's rage simmered as he paced his office. He'd tried to appease the Third Kazekage and seek cooperation, only to be treated like an errand boy. The Sand Village ninjas were now plundering Rain Country, taking food and supplies before any major battles had even begun.
*Do they think Hanzo of the Salamander won't fight back?*
After dismissing his subordinates, Hanzo clenched his fists and resolved to retaliate. If the major villages refused to respect the Land of Rain, he would make them regret it.
Even though the conflict between Konoha, Sand Village, and Rock Village hadn't erupted into full-scale war, tensions were high, and skirmishes were frequent.
*If war is inevitable, I'll ensure everyone pays for it.*
With that, Hanzo gathered a team of his most capable fighters and quietly left Rain Village under the cover of night.
That night, patrol units from both Konoha and Sand Village disappeared without a trace. The sudden loss of personnel set off alarms in both camps, prompting them to investigate. Inevitably, scouts from the two villages crossed paths, and the ensuing confrontation escalated tensions even further.
With the initial conflict sparked, Hanzo shifted his focus to Sand Village. Without any high-ranking jonin leading their patrols, the Sand Village teams were easy prey for Hanzo's skilled hunters.
Over time, the casualty count in Sand Village rose sharply. The leaders in Rain Country sensed that something was amiss and sent word back to their respective villages as quickly as possible.
Konoha, too, faced its share of difficulties as Sand Village ninjas began retaliating aggressively, leading to the disappearance of several Konoha teams.
In response, Konoha's leadership sent urgent reports back to the village.
Tsunade groaned as she rolled out of bed, reluctantly leaving its warmth. She yawned the entire way to the Hokage's office, shivering in the early morning chill.
The meeting room was the same as before, but the seating arrangement had changed. Akimichi Tofu, the Hokage's assistant, now sat beside Tsunade instead of the Third Hokage. Representatives from various clans, led by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, were also present.
The head of the senior jonin group had shifted from Nara Shikashin to Sarutobi Matsuda. The stoic leader was known for his expressionless face; it was rare to see any emotion from him.
When everyone had settled, the Third Hokage nodded, signaling Sarutobi Matsuda to distribute the reports.
"Everyone, the situation in the Land of Rain has changed. Sand Village has been aggressively encroaching on our territory, and several patrol and mission teams have been lost."
The room grew tense as everyone scanned the intelligence reports, quickly grasping the gravity of the situation.
"Aha... So Sand Village couldn't hold back any longer," someone muttered.
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 140 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
Gimme power stonesssss