"These are things beyond our control. We can only do our best to protect the people important to us."
Kawakaze wanted to offer some words of comfort, but in the face of war, the power of the individual was insignificant. At present, he didn't have the ability to change the course of the war on his own.
"So, are you going to continue with these negotiations when you return?" Tsunade asked. If war broke out, she too would be unable to avoid going to the battlefield; it was her duty as a ninja.
"This is the last negotiation. An ultimatum has already been issued."
"Half a month."
"If Hanzō of the Salamander still refuses to let us pass, we'll have to attack the Land of Rain first."
Orochimaru's words left no room for doubt—war was imminent.
Kawakaze remembered that in the Second Great Ninja War, it was Hanzō of the Salamander who had started the conflict. It was truly bold for a small country to take on two great nations, even managing to involve the Land of Fire in the process.
The ninja world was terrifying.
"You'd better plan ahead. As far as I know, Hanzō isn't one to sit back and wait for the end to come."
"We have to prevent him from making the first move." Kawakaze sounded the alarm. After all, it would be Konoha's ninja who would pay the price in blood.
"I don't think so. Hanzō isn't arrogant enough to face Konoha and Sunagakure alone," Orochimaru said, though he took Kawakaze's warning to heart. Not only was Orochimaru a powerful ninja, but he was also an excellent commander.
"It's always best to be cautious," Tsunade agreed. While she didn't think Hanzō would take such a bold step, she felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I will be careful," Orochimaru replied solemnly.
"I heard you opened a hospital. I wasn't in the village when it opened, so I haven't congratulated you yet."
After discussing such heavy topics, Orochimaru shifted to a lighter subject.
"Haha, thanks to Kawakaze's support," Tsunade said with a happy smile. If it weren't for his financial backing, she wouldn't have been able to build the hospital.
"You'd better not lose the hospital," Orochimaru joked, fully aware of Tsunade's gambling habits.
"Shut up if you don't know what to say," Tsunade snapped, her expression instantly darkening. His remark had clearly struck a nerve.
Kawakaze chuckled. "If she loses the hospital, she can just use herself to pay off the debt."
Tsunade shot him a sharp glare, while Orochimaru smirked in amusement. The two men exchanged a smile and sipped their tea at the same time.
The tense atmosphere gradually lightened, and even Nawaki and Minato chimed in with occasional comments.
At noon, Orochimaru invited everyone to stay for lunch, ordering takeout. While it wasn't as lavish as the meals prepared by the Hatake Clan, it was still a sumptuous spread. As a Jōnin, Orochimaru lived quite comfortably.
After the meal, Kawakaze extended an invitation to Orochimaru to visit his home sometime. Spending the day with him, Kawakaze found himself liking Orochimaru's strong and confident personality.
If he doesn't turn evil, Kawakaze thought to himself, he'd make a good friend.
Minato and Nawaki stayed behind at Orochimaru's house for further guidance, while Kawakaze and Tsunade left together.
...
Over the next few days, Kawakaze went out of his way to secure Might Duy a chance to take the Chūnin exam. With his assistance—and a little financial support—Might Duy's strength made his promotion a sure thing.
As a Chūnin, Duy's abilities were sufficient, but if he aimed for the Jōnin exam, his overall capabilities clearly wouldn't measure up. Still, when Duy passed the Chūnin exam and received his ninja vest, he was overwhelmed with joy, unable to hold back his tears. His youthful persistence hadn't been in vain. Determined to express his gratitude, Duy decided to visit the Hatake Clan in person to thank Kawakaze, someone he had only met once but greatly admired.
Meanwhile, Minato continued to receive guidance at Orochimaru's house. He didn't forget the task assigned by his sensei, and his idea for the Rasengan even piqued Orochimaru's interest. Together, the two dove into an exciting research and development project.
In contrast, Nawaki felt like an outsider.
That day, Kawakaze was sipping tea leisurely in the dojo, enjoying a rare moment of peace. Tsunade, unfortunately, was tied up with work at the hospital. The Uchiha students she was teaching lacked aptitude, still failing to grasp the basics of medical ninjutsu even after days of training.
Kawakaze couldn't help but feel resentful about losing alone time with her. Thankfully, Minato and Nawaki were at Orochimaru's house; otherwise, they would've likely become the targets of his frustration—all under the pretense of helping them improve, of course.
Naturally optimistic, Kawakaze let his thoughts drift, unaffected by the looming shadow of war.
At that moment, Nayuki arrived with Onimaru. Sakumo was still training hard, hoping to make rapid progress and one day put Kawakaze in his place.
"Sister-in-law," Kawakaze greeted, pouring Nayuki a cup of tea.
He reached out to pet Onimaru, hoping to ease his mood. But the ninken, having learned its lesson from previous encounters, bolted as soon as Kawakaze's hand moved away from the teapot. It kept its distance, glaring at Kawakaze with an expression that practically screamed disdain.
Kawakaze, offended, stood up. Before he could take a step, Onimaru let out a startled yelp, as though it had seen a ghost, and vanished without a trace.
"What are you competing with Onimaru for?" Nayuki asked, laughing as she watched Kawakaze, whose unwilling expression made him look utterly defeated.
"This damn dog. Just wait until I catch it," Kawakaze muttered, taking a sip of tea, still stewing over the matter.
"You're so petty… ugh, ugh."
Before Nayuki could finish her sentence, she suddenly started to dry heave.
"Sister-in-law, are you feeling unwell?" Kawakaze asked, unsure of how to comfort her.
"No, I just feel like dry heaving for no reason today," Nayuki replied, catching her breath. "I don't know if I ate something bad."
She seemed to recover and reached for her tea, but Kawakaze quickly snatched it away.
"What's wrong?" Nayuki asked, startled, her eyes darting around as though she suspected the tea had been tampered with.
"The tea doesn't taste good," Kawakaze said casually, though his real concern was something else. "I'll ask Big Brother to take you to the hospital. You might be pregnant."
Kawakaze knew that drinking tea wasn't good for pregnant women, which was why he had taken it away. He had every reason to believe Nayuki might be pregnant. Next year would be the 37th year of Konoha—the year Kakashi was born. The timing seemed to match.
"That's possible," Nayuki murmured, her voice soft as her face turned slightly red. Recently, Sakumo had indeed been... working harder in the fields.
"Big Brother! Big Sister-in-law might be pregnant!" Kawakaze called out loudly in Sakumo's direction.
Just as he finished speaking, Sakumo appeared at his side with a short knife in hand.
For a moment, Kawakaze panicked. Good thing, I'd have thought he was here to kill me. He just forgot to put the blade away.
"Are you serious? Take her there—I'll follow behind you."
Sakumo, realizing the situation, put the knife away. He already knew about Kawakaze's Flying Thunder God Technique mark at the hospital.
Although Sakumo had been practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique for a while, his chakra levels weren't sufficient for long-distance teleportation with passengers. I really don't know how my younger brother has so much chakra. Is this something parents can just hand out?
"Okay, I'll take Sister-in-law there first," Kawakaze said without hesitation. He also thought of something more important he needed to prevent.
He placed his arm around Nayuki's shoulders, and in the next moment, they appeared under the large tree in front of the hospital, startling nearby patients and their families.