When I found Tsunade, she was giving Uchiha Hayashi a harsh scolding.
In her tone, medicine was not something to be taken casually, and ninja techniques were certainly not something to be practiced without official oversight.
…Though I always felt something was off in that sentence.
Wait a second, I thought. I wasn't the one practicing recklessly, so why was I being scolded?
Uchiha Hayashi really wanted to retort, but after glancing at Nawaki's miserable state, he kept silent.
If two of the three youngsters were pushing themselves to the limit, why would Nawaki be the exception? Unlike Minato and Mikoto, Nawaki's immense stamina and nearly endless chakra meant he could learn more techniques and push further.
That was why he had sought out Tsunade early in the morning.
Train me hard! If I, Senju Nawaki, even frown, then I am not a man!
But only three days later, he regretted his own bravado: maybe being a boy wasn't such a bad thing after all.
…But obviously, Tsunade had no interest in indulging him. As the future pillar of the Senju clan, did he think he could coast along and survive?
More importantly, Tsunade was planning to finish all pending matters after the war and take a much‑needed break, perhaps even travel with no fixed destination. Improving her younger brother's strength quickly was part of that plan.
Not wanting to train was fine. Tsunade claimed she had a hundred ways to make Nawaki obedient, and she had casually slipped medicine into his meals.
According to her, it would not kill him.
And even if something happened, Tsunade was completely confident she could heal him. A medical sage could do whatever she wanted.
My foolish brother,
If you want freedom,
Then feel resentment, feel anger,
Live a difficult, dishonored existence,
Train, train, train, always training, just to become stronger,
Then one day, when you have enough strength,
You can continue to act recklessly.
Uchiha Hayashi had already learned Tsunade's brand of ruthlessness, so for his own safety, he ignored Nawaki's pleading expression and allowed him to drown in the sea of "despair."
"Teacher Tsunade, you should train Nawaki like this. I fully support you spiritually," Hayashi said with a serious face.
It would have been cruel to kick someone when they were down, but he still felt obligated to spit twice symbolically to express his political stance.
"By the way," Hayashi continued, "how long will it take for Mikoto's hand to heal?"
Tsunade glanced at him, then sneered.
"Even if it heals, what good is that? If she continues to train like this, there will be issues sooner or later. Instead of that, she might as well give up being a ninja."
"Nani!" Nawaki's voice cracked out automatically at Tsunade's words.
"Quiet," Tsunade snapped without looking at him.
In truth, Tsunade was not attacking Mikoto personally, otherwise she would not have sent her away earlier for medical treatment. Her criticism was directed at Uchiha Hayashi's conduct. As a team captain, teaching dangerous jutsu so irresponsibly reflected terribly on him.
Tsunade also wasn't particularly fond of Mikoto. Compared to Mikoto, she had always preferred Kushina.
Hayashi regretted it for a moment. Maybe he should have taken Mikoto to Orochimaru instead.
Though Snake Uncle lacked a medical degree, he had years of clinical experience and especially in modifying the human body. There was no condition complicated enough that he couldn't handle.
More importantly, compared to Kushina, Orochimaru liked Mikoto more — after all, she was one of his disciples.
In short, two of the legendary Sannin were already in serious disagreement on this matter.
"All right, get back," Tsunade snorted coldly and waved dismissively, as though swatting a bothersome insect.
"We're still on the march, so there are no conditions for delicate procedures right now. Treat her after returning to the village, and be careful not to cause secondary damage!"
"Yes, I understand." Uchiha Hayashi turned and walked away without looking back.
Honestly, merely listening to Nawaki's wailing was intense enough. If he stayed longer, Tsunade might just force more medicine into him.
That night passed quietly, and the army resumed its march toward the Land of Fire.
For several days in a row, there were no problems.
Orochimaru led the front of the formation. As one of the most powerful combatants present, he was responsible for anticipating sudden danger. Sakumo stayed at the very end, guarding the rear.
Uchiha Hayashi's position was in the middle to rear as well, so if any situation arose he could sprint quickly where needed.
Most importantly, the Third Kazekage and Iwakura were guarded by Jiraiya and Tsunade, respectively. If Sand ninja attempted a stealth attack, neither hostage could be lost.
That precaution proved necessary. Two days later, the Sand ninja who had been missing for so long launched an ambush along their path.
From the Sand Village perspective, this war was already lost. But what did that matter? They had lost before. If they allowed the other side to capture their Kazekage without a fight, then it would truly be the greatest joke across all ninja nations.
Since they could not win in open combat, they resorted to surprise attacks. And if stealth failed, then they were willing to sacrifice everything — even their own lives.
These Sand ninja clearly did not intend to return alive. As expendable "tools" used by desperation, even the most basic humanity had been stripped from them.
In such a situation, the most logical move would be to stab the Kazekage in his sealed cage with a kunai and end everything. Otherwise, he was like a flame endlessly drawing insects to a fire.
But that was impossible. Not just because capturing the Kazekage had taken enormous effort, but even the ransom alone would allow Konoha to amass incredible wealth.
Thankfully, there were not many Sand ninja, and under Konoha's defense they caused no serious damage in the end.
"Is there anything wrong?" Sakumo asked after the skirmish, waving dust off his armor as he approached.
"Probably not," Uchiha Hayashi said, still studying the seal that protected the cage. "I see no sign of the sealing weakening."
Thanks to scrolls created by Mito over the past two years, Hayashi's sealing technique was just about adequate. However, this indirectly showed how little natural talent he had in that area.
Even with the system's stat points and extra effort, he was only barely equal to Minato's proficiency — and that said a lot about the gap between them.
"To be safe, should we call Teacher Orochimaru to take a look?" Hayashi asked.
"All right. Wait here for a moment," Sakumo replied, heading to fetch him.
Although Sakumo was a powerful shinobi, his understanding of sealing was only basic. For something involving complex theory, having an expert was more reliable.
After a short time, Orochimaru arrived alone. Sakumo did not return with him.
Without excessive words, Orochimaru walked up to the Third Kazekage's sealed cage. The Kazekage lay motionless, playing dead, but Orochimaru knew he was awake and merely feigning unconsciousness.
The Kazekage, despite his formidable will, had no intention of speaking with Orochimaru, whose beliefs had been profoundly shaped by the Will of Fire.
After inspecting the sealing formulas on the iron cage and checking the suppression seals on the Kazekage's body, Orochimaru did not make any modifications. With a grin, he left the area with Uchiha Hayashi.
As Konoha's most valuable prisoner of war in history, the Third Kazekage was treated with extraordinary care.
Not only was the cage sealed with formulas personally drawn by Orochimaru, but in addition to conventional cuffs and shackles, special curse seals were applied to suppress his chakra and restrict his movement.
Tsunade had also force‑fed him a lot of her homemade "candies."
Thus, during this time, the Kazekage had been compelled into a state of forced sleep.
The reason he woke up just now was simply due to the repeated explosions from the Sand ninja's assault being too loud and too close.
"Teacher, how is the seal?" Hayashi asked while walking, unable to hide his concern.
"The Third Kazekage truly is the strongest," Orochimaru said calmly, "he can still find ways to adapt under these conditions."
"…Then?"
"Everything is under control."
"Okay."
Since Orochimaru said so, Uchiha Hayashi did not ask further. Orochimaru would share what was necessary without being questioned.
"By the way," Orochimaru suddenly asked, golden snake‑like pupils blinking as he looked around, "where is Jiraiya? I do not see him."
It was clearly Jiraiya's duty to guard the Third Kazekage, yet there was no sign of him.
"During the battle just now," Uchiha Hayashi said with slight embarrassment, "Jiraiya-sama suddenly used the Rasengan, and went to see Teacher Tsunade."
"…" Orochimaru stood frozen, as though his thoughts had frozen in an ice cavern. For him, paradise was not ahead, but surely hell was behind.