"This is outrageous!"
Morimoto Makoto, leader of the Grass Village, shot to his feet in fury after hearing the young ninja repeat Kitazawa's words.
Grass might not be on the same level as Konoha, but it was still a village with its own dignity.
For Kitazawa—a no-name ninja—to speak so brazenly could only mean he was acting on the orders of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
It was an insult—a blatant show of disrespect to the Grass Village.
"Leader, we can't just roll over on this!" the young ninja said loudly.
"Of course not!" Morimoto Makoto replied without hesitation. Anyone could fear Konoha if they wanted, but he was the leader of Grass; if he acted spineless, he wouldn't be leader for long.
He tore open the letter and began to read. But after only a quick glance, his expression shifted.
"How are you people even watching over them? You couldn't even keep track of two unarmed women?"
Finishing the letter, Morimoto looked over at a middle-aged man nearby, glaring with open displeasure.
"Konoha's after the mother and daughter, Karin and her mother?"
One of the Grass higher-ups, a man wearing an ox-faced mask known as Chougyuu, spoke in a deep voice.
"How would they even know those two exist?"
Another masked higher-up, this one wearing a horse-faced mask and called Goma, frowned in puzzlement.
In the original timeline, these two, along with Mui from Hozuki Castle, had opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss together.
"Impossible!" the middle-aged man said sharply, shaking his head. "I've had eyes on them the whole time. They've never left their room!"
"Leave that aside for now," Chougyuu said, turning back to Morimoto. "The Konoha ninja are at the gates—what's your plan?"
"We can't hand them over," Morimoto said after a moment's thought.
Grass was desperately short on medical-nin, and the mother-daughter pair were invaluable—one bite and they could heal wounds. Far too useful to give away.
"Hide them," he ordered with a cold snort. "As long as there's no solid proof, Konoha wouldn't dare start a war."
In his eyes, Konoha was either cautious or weak. The whole shinobi world knew how they'd handed over Hyuga Hizashi to Cloud to avoid war—Hizashi, the twin brother of the Hyuga clan head himself.
"Exactly," Chougyuu agreed with a nod. "And besides, Konoha's the one acting rude here."
Grass had survived by playing both sides. The Five Great Villages were always on guard against each other. If Konoha made a move, the other four wouldn't just watch quietly.
Grass had connections with all of them, and with the right price—and the right excuse—someone would inevitably take interest.
Cloud was a prime candidate; the Fourth Raikage was notoriously hot-tempered and never shied away from meddling when it came to his interests.
"Come with me," Morimoto said, clenching his fists. "Let's see if this Konoha shinobi really has the guts to back his words."
Led by Morimoto, a large group marched toward the village gates.
"You're dead, kid," the middle-aged man sneered at Kitazawa, now emboldened with his leader's arrival.
"So you're the one mouthing off?" Morimoto fixed his cold gaze on Kitazawa.
"And you are?" Kitazawa asked. He had a guess, but he'd never met Morimoto before, so he didn't want to assume.
"I am Morimoto Makoto, leader of the Grass Village," came the blunt reply. "If you don't apologize right now, you won't leave this village alive."
"So you're saying Grass has no intention of handing over the Uzumaki clanswoman?" Kitazawa asked calmly.
"The Uzumaki are gone. How could Grass possibly have one of them?" Morimoto shot back without missing a beat.
"In that case, things get simple," Kitazawa said with a faint smile, hands clasped behind his back.
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!
The temperature spiked, the air distorted, and waves of heat rolled outward as three massive fire dragons roared into existence.
"You dare attack?!" Morimoto's face twisted in shock and rage.
"…?"
Shizune's eyes widened—she hadn't expected Kitazawa to move so decisively. Tsunade was nearby, and he hadn't even waited for her orders.
Chougyuu and Goma reacted instantly.
Water Style: Water Formation Wall!
Both formed seals, raising two towering walls of water in front of them.
The fire dragons slammed into the barriers, exploding into waves of scalding steam.
"Take them down!" Morimoto barked. Kitazawa had attacked at the gates; if they didn't kill him, the villagers and shinobi would see it as a sign of weakness.
Hidden Weapon: Needle Volley!
Shizune rolled up her sleeve, revealing the strapped weapon on her arm, and sent five senbon needles flying in a straight line.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!
Morimoto spotted her movement and quickly raised a wall of stone in her path.
But a moment later, the wall shattered—revealing Tsunade's pale arm, followed by the woman herself radiating raw power.
"You… you're—" Morimoto froze, her face vaguely familiar.
A scream tore through the air. Without the wall to block them, Shizune's poisoned senbon hit their marks, dropping three Grass shinobi instantly.
A good medical-nin was often just as skilled at poisoning as they were at curing.
"Nice work, Kitazawa," Tsunade said with a grin. In a way, he'd taken the heat for her—but she wasn't about to let him take any real blame.
She waved her hand, and six Anbu operatives appeared, squaring off against the Grass forces.
Without hesitation, Tsunade used Body Flicker to appear right in front of Morimoto.
"What—?" He hadn't expected her to be that fast. Flustered, he reflexively formed seals.
Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spears!
Spikes of stone erupted from the ground, hurtling toward Tsunade.
Super Strength!
She clenched her fist, smashing the spears into rubble and carrying through to land a blow directly on Morimoto.
Boom!
He flew backward, spraying blood through the air.
"Help the leader!" the Grass ninja shouted in panic.
Tsunade didn't press her advantage; instead, she jumped back from the fight and shut her eyes. She hadn't even seen the blood, but the smell alone made her uneasy—her body trembled slightly.
"Die!" a Grass ninja roared, swinging his sword at her.
Before it could land, a spinning shuriken wrapped in Wind Style chakra cut into him, slicing clothes and flesh before a sudden gust picked him up and flung him away—along with the scent of blood.
"Took care of it," Kitazawa's voice came from behind her.
Tsunade let out a quiet breath, feeling steadier.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Kitazawa exhaled a blast of wind, the roar spreading out like crashing waves and bowling over two Grass shinobi—only for an Earth Flow Wall to rise and block the gust.
No stylized dog-head like Kakashi's—just standard work.
Kitazawa darted forward, chakra swirling in his palm.
Rasengan!
He drove it straight through the wall and into the caster, sending the man flying with an explosion of chakra.
"Damn it!"
More Grass ninja surged forward, unleashing a storm of jutsu and weapons.
Leaf Body Flicker!
Kitazawa reappeared in front of Tsunade.
"Need me to step in?" she asked after a two-second pause.
"No need," Kitazawa said, shaking his head. "I'm fine for now—once Kakashi and Itachi get back, it'll be over."
He formed seals as he spoke.
Temple of Nirvana!
White feathers drifted down from the sky. Even in battle, many looked up instinctively—only to be overcome by sudden drowsiness.
"It's genjutsu!" Chougyuu shouted.
Some snapped out of it—but others didn't.
Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!
Three roaring fire dragons streaked toward them, detonating in a wave of heat and flame. Screams filled the air.
"What a terrifying fire technique…" came a familiar voice.
Kitazawa turned to see Uchiha Itachi, with Kakashi in the distance escorting Karin and her mother. The two Uzumaki were still in shock, as though in a dream.
"Kitazawa-sensei, your Fire Style surpasses most of the Uchiha," Itachi admitted. No wonder Sasuke's had improved so quickly—it wasn't just talent, but the teacher.
"With our goal met, it's time to end this," Tsunade said with her eyes shut. "Tell everyone to stand down."
They weren't here to wipe out Grass—just to get the mother and daughter.
"I'll lock them down," Itachi said, flickering into the enemy's midst.
Sharingan: Genjutsu!
A wave of invisible force stopped more than a dozen in their tracks.
"Anyone who wants to live, drop your weapons!" Kitazawa raised a hand, three fire dragons erupting skyward for emphasis.
"Stand down!" Chougyuu and Goma stepped forward—Morimoto was still unconscious, so they had to take charge.
"If Grass has no Uzumaki, then who are they?" Tsunade asked coolly, pointing to the mother and daughter.
Silence. The lie was obvious now, and in fighting Konoha they'd gained nothing.
"This ends here," Tsunade said with a cold snort. "If Grass has a problem, come to Konoha."
She turned and strode away, tossing her green haori behind her. The stench of blood was too strong—any longer and she risked triggering her hemophobia.
Only Kitazawa and Shizune knew that weakness; to everyone else, she was still Tsunade—confident and unstoppable.
"Let's go," Kitazawa said, following her lead.
The Anbu backed out cautiously, but the Grass shinobi were too shaken to act.
"…Should've just handed them over," Goma muttered, looking at the wounded.
"Wouldn't have mattered," Chougyuu replied grimly. "Konoha never intended to walk away quietly."
"So what now?"
"When the leader wakes, we tell the other Four Great Villages. If they don't respond, we drop it," Chougyuu said with a long breath.
"Grass is too weak," Goma said darkly. "We must use the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Chougyuu's voice was iron. "We'll go to Mui in a few days—whatever the cost."
Only after leaving Grass territory did Konoha's group slow down.
"They didn't follow," Itachi reported, landing in front of them—he'd stayed back to cover the retreat.
Tsunade nodded, then turned to the two women.
"Please… don't hurt Karin," the young kunoichi said, stepping protectively in front of the girl. "I'll do anything."
"We're Konoha shinobi," Tsunade said, noting the bite marks covering her body. Uzumaki stamina should've healed them quickly, but this many meant her chakra had been drained so badly she couldn't recover.
"Ko…noha?" the woman repeated in disbelief. She remembered them as allies—but after so long in Grass, trusting anyone was hard.
"I'm Tsunade," she said, holding out her hand as soft green chakra glowed to life.
The woman's eyes widened—she'd heard the name even here.
Warmth spread through her body, and at last, her tears fell.
"You're badly depleted. Once we get to Konoha, I'll help you recover fully," Tsunade promised, gently wiping her tears. "No one will hurt you again."
"Th…thank you, Tsunade-sama," the woman choked out. Hell had finally ended.
"What's your name?" Tsunade asked softly.
"Uzumaki Rina," she said, pulling the girl forward. "This is my daughter, Karin."
"Tsunade-sama," Karin said in a small, clear voice.
"Anything you need to settle in Grass?" Tsunade asked—though she knew the answer.
"No," Rina said firmly. "I only hope we never have to come back."
"You won't," Tsunade said. "Let's go—back to Konoha."
Their pace slowed with the extra two, and it was Friday morning by the time they arrived.
[Mission: Escort Karin and her mother safely to Konoha.]
[Reward: Fire Sealing Method.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
The system prompt flashed before Kitazawa's eyes. The timing was perfect—just as they stepped through the gates.
Tsunade paused. "Come with me to see the old man. You too, Kitazawa."
"Understood," he said with a nod. He'd done the most to find and recover the two—whatever the Hiruzen and Tsunade had planned, he knew a reward was coming.
~~~
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