Ryo didn't respond to Tsunade's subtle teasing.
Instead, he changed the subject. "By the way, Tsunade. Nawaki… he's going to the front too?" The image of Nawaki's death from the original story flashed through his mind.
"Yes." Tsunade's voice sank, heavy with exhaustion. "It's his choice, and his destiny."
Her tone carried helplessness, but also an undeniable sense of duty. "As the grandson of the First and Second Hokage, he must inherit the Will of Fire and protect Konoha. Orochimaru will take him."
The last sentence sounded more like self-comfort, clinging to the reliability of her teammate.
Ryo let out a scoff, dripping with sarcasm. "So the battlefield's rotted to the point where fresh genin have to go die? That's the Will of Fire?"
He locked eyes with Tsunade, her face hardening instantly, and pressed further. "I read the records in the Konoha library. What was the First Hokage's greatest ideal when founding Konoha? Wasn't it to build a peaceful era where kids didn't have to go to war?"
He leaned forward slightly, each word sharp and deliberate. "So now Konoha's Will of Fire is to throw kids onto the battlefield like kindling?"
The silence that followed stretched long.
Only the rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of surviving birds filled the air.
The struggle in Tsunade's expression was plain to see.
She was Konoha's princess, the battlefield's Medical Saint—but right now, she was just a sister terrified for her brother's life.
"…Maybe you're right." At last, Tsunade's voice came, utterly drained.
What kind of Will of Fire? It was all empty nonsense. She only had one brother.
Had the Senju clan not bled enough for Konoha?
Nawaki was an average genin. On the vast battlefield, he was a drop in the ocean, without any real weight.
The thought of his foolish, impulsive, hot-headed face twisted her chest painfully.
Going to war meant a one-in-ten chance of survival. No, more like none at all.
Even her formidable uncle, Tobirama, had fallen in battle.
But what worried her most was Nawaki's own mindset.
That kid worshipped the Will of Fire to the point of obsession.
If she tried to stop him, he'd sneak off anyway.
And if he did that, he wouldn't even know how he died.
Nawaki, what am I supposed to do with you?
"Hoo…" Tsunade let out a long breath, like expelling her frustration.
Finally, she looked at Ryo, her voice carrying an uncharacteristic plea. "That kid… he doesn't understand danger. He won't listen to me. His head is stuffed with 'Great-Grandpa's will' and 'protecting the village.' If I stop him, he'll just sneak to the front lines. That's no different from throwing himself into a fire pit."
Ryo listened quietly, nodding expressionlessly.
He didn't particularly care about Nawaki. But he was Tsunade's younger brother, and for the past two years, they had shared meals from the same pot—though, more accurately, freeloading off him and Kushina.
More importantly, he didn't want Kushina brokenhearted. And he didn't feel like watching Tsunade fall apart over her brother's corpse.
"Got it." Ryo's tone was flat, casual, like discussing dinner. "Not hard. Set it up in the next couple days. I'll run some practical training with him."
Tsunade blinked. "?"
"I'll 'accidentally' break his leg."
He met her eyes calmly. "And every time he starts recovering, I'll 'accidentally' break it again. He'll stay in bed until either good news comes back from the front or he grows up enough to face reality."
The words were calm, but the content made Tsunade shiver.
It was a method both brutal and brilliant. Simple, effective, and easy to pass off as a training mishap.
"…That's my brother," Tsunade finally said, voice trembling, "my blood brother!"
"I know." Ryo's eyelids didn't even twitch. His tone was steady, almost bored. "So what do you want? Cry over what's left of him on a battlefield? Or deal with him whining in a hospital bed while he heals? At least then he'll still be alive, able to marry, have kids, and let you spoil some nephews."
For once, he spoke at length. His reasoning was straightforward, he just didn't want Kushina grieving, and it balanced out Tsunade's years of sparring and today's gift.
Otherwise, why would he bother?
Tsunade was left speechless.
Ryo's words were cold, but the logic stabbed straight through her excuses.
The images clashed in her mind, holding Nawaki's corpse versus holding his hand as he grimaced in pain, alive.
Death forever, or temporary pain with future hope. Was there even a choice?
Her face shifted through emotions before she finally let out a sigh, raking her fingers through her golden hair. "Alright, alright, I get it. So damn annoying."
She strode ahead, waving her hand like she was shooing him. "But go easy! And remember, it's an accident!"
Her voice carried reluctant acquiescence, even as her mind raced on how to handle her brother and how to explain Nawaki's "serious injury" to Orochimaru.
Ryo didn't answer. He pulled the sword from the ground, slung it over his shoulder, and tucked the newly acquired Kusanagi blade at his waist.
Without a word, he followed Tsunade out of the Death Forest, a place that now looked like it had been ravaged by nature itself.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇◇◇
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