Tsunade moved swiftly, arriving at the front lines without much delay.
On a dark stone plateau, several of the Great Nations' shinobi forces had set up camps. Each village maintained high alert, watching their enemies with tense hostility. Yet none were willing to make the first move—everyone was waiting for the right opportunity.
As Tsunade entered the Konoha encampment, the guards all bowed respectfully. She returned the gestures and made her way into the main command tent.
A tall young man with long white hair and distinctive red lines at the corners of his eyes approached her, a look of relief lighting up his face.
"Tsunade, you're back already? Is Nawaki alright?"
"He's out of danger now. With a few days of rest, he'll make a full recovery," she replied. But then, as if recalling something unpleasant, Tsunade's eyes suddenly turned sharp as she glared daggers at Jiraiya. A cold smirk curled her lips as she raised a clenched fist.
"You pervert! What the hell have you been teaching Nawaki?! Let me be clear—when we get back, you're not allowed anywhere near him!"
"Huh?!" Jiraiya was completely dumbfounded. What did he do to provoke her this time?
Naturally, Tsunade had no intention of explaining. She brushed past him, but just as she took a couple of steps forward, a certain suspicion from earlier resurfaced in her mind. She stopped in her tracks.
Her slender fingers gripped the golden scabbard of Avalon a little tighter, and she hesitantly parted her lips.
"Jiraiya… have you ever heard of—"
Lord God?
But before she could utter the name, Tsunade's expression changed. The moment she attempted to speak it aloud, an invisible force clamped down on her words. Not only did no sound escape, even her lips snapped shut involuntarily.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind:
[It is forbidden to reveal information about the Lord God to non-Reincarnators.
First offense: warning.
Subsequent violations will incur punishment.]
Damn it! So she wasn't allowed to say anything about the Lord God!
Tsunade's expression darkened. She had suspected she might not be the only Reincarnator, so she'd wanted to test Jiraiya and see if he knew anything. But she was forcefully stopped before she could confirm it.
Still, this told her one thing for sure: Jiraiya was not a Reincarnator.
And—perhaps—she really wasn't the only one.
"Huh? Heard of what?"
Jiraiya looked at her with puzzled eyes. He didn't understand why she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked so grim.
Snapping back to reality, Tsunade quickly adjusted her expression and offered a light smile. "It's nothing. I'm going inside."
With that, she walked into the inner chamber, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Jiraiya.
He scratched his chin in thought. "What's gotten into her today? So weird… What was she trying to say?"
The longer he thought about it, the wider his eyes opened—until he reached a shocking conclusion.
"Wait, wait—don't tell me… Is she about to go to battle against the so-called 'Demi-God of the Ninja World' and suddenly lost confidence? And now, at this critical moment, she's planning to confess to me—the man she's always secretly loved—but got too embarrassed and backed out last second? That must be it! She could only manage a sorrowful little smile and walk away…"
Yes, that has to be it!
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. Even all the times Tsunade hit him… clearly it was just her way of expressing repressed emotions. She was just trying to get his attention!
"Tch. She should've just told me she liked me—of course I'd say yes!"
Grinning like a fool, Jiraiya was just about to turn around when—
WHAM!
A monstrous force struck him from behind, launching him through the air like a ragdoll. He bounced across the ground several times, leaving crater-sized pits in his wake, before finally skidding to a stop more than ten meters away.
Tsunade's furious voice rang out behind him:
"Shut up and die, you delusional pervert!"
Nearby Konoha shinobi watched the scene with expressions of pure horror.
Here we go again.
Jiraiya-sama always had a knack for provoking Tsunade-sama in the worst ways… Hopefully this time he wasn't too badly injured?
Watching everything through the interface, Nawaki couldn't help but clap with satisfaction.
"Serves you right for fantasizing about my dear big sister. Do you have a death wish?"
Still, when he recalled Tsunade trying to probe Jiraiya for information about the Lord God, Nawaki broke into a cold sweat… followed by immense pride.
Even though Tsunade was clever, he was one step ahead.
By preemptively purchasing the Confidentiality Feature, he had already ensured the Lord God's secret was safe.
By now, in Tsunade's mind, the Lord God must have taken on the shape of some colossal, unknowable entity that dwelled in darkness—a shadowy force beyond comprehension.
"Man, spying like this is kind of exhilarating."
Nawaki grinned as he watched the situation unfold.
Still, despite all the amusement, he did not add Jiraiya to the Reincarnator list.
Even though Jiraiya seemed goofy and perverted on the outside, he was, at heart, a man of unwavering loyalty to the village. He followed his own code of honor and principles.
If Nawaki made him a Reincarnator, he likely wouldn't hunt or kill for points, nor hand over Konoha's secret jutsu to the Lord God. In short: the cost-benefit ratio was terrible.
On the other hand, his teammate Orochimaru…
Now that was an ideal candidate for a Reincarnator.
Orochimaru had no limits when it came to his goals. He could kill his teacher, betray the village—all in pursuit of immortality and knowledge. A total madman. A genius researcher. And crucially—
Unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru was excellent at hiding his true intentions. Just like a venomous snake.
Dangerous? Yes. But if properly enticed with enough rewards, he might prove even more reliable.
---
Inside the strategy tent, Orochimaru was studying a battlefield map. His long black hair hung like a curtain, his skin pale, and his eyes—those golden, serpentine slits—narrowed slightly when Tsunade entered.
"You launched Jiraiya into the sky again?" he asked, voice low and hoarse.
"The battle could start at any time. If he gets injured now, it'll lower our overall odds of success."
"Hmph." Tsunade snorted and took her seat.
"Relax. I held back. He'll be sore for a while, but nothing serious. Now, what's the latest on the other villages?"
Despite Orochimaru's eerie demeanor, Tsunade found him far more reliable than Jiraiya in critical situations.
Orochimaru nodded, clearly trusting her control. "Amegakure still hasn't moved. Looks like they're hoping to wait us out—let the other sides clash first, then swoop in and pick off the survivors."
"That's just what they want us to think," Tsunade countered, tapping her fingers on the table thoughtfully.
"The truth is, Amegakure is under the most pressure. They've diverted nearly all their forces here. The rest of the Land of Rain is in chaos—bandits and rogue ninja running wild. If they don't act soon, their country could collapse before this war even begins."
Orochimaru nodded. "As for Iwagakure—they've withdrawn. Rumor is that Kumogakure took advantage of the unrest in the Land of Earth to invade the border. Their forces had to pull back and defend."
"That's good news. Iwagakure doesn't have many skilled medical-nin, especially not in poison treatment. Under Hanzo and Chiyo's toxic attacks, they've suffered heavy losses. Retreating was probably their smartest option."
Hearing this, the Jonin gathered in the command tent all nodded in agreement, some even smiling.
Indeed, if it hadn't been for Tsunade's intervention—developing antidotes for the deadly poisons unleashed by Hanzo the Salamander and Chiyo of the Sand—Konoha might have suffered the same fate as Iwagakure.
And been forced into a humiliating retreat.