Katsuyu

By the time Baiye and Hizashi Hyuga returned to Kikyo Castle, it was already dark. They first stopped by the Temporary Interrogation Room where the prisoners were being held and handed the Crystal Device they had found in the cave over to the Intelligence Division.

The Chunin in charge of receiving it visibly changed expression when he took the device. He said similar fragments had been found among supplies seized from the Sand Ninja, but this was the first one they had seen in such complete condition. Hizashi gave him a brief account, then went with Baiye to Headquarters to report the day's reconnaissance to Tsunade.

Tsunade sat behind her desk, a map of the terrain around Kikyo Castle spread out before her. They had not seen her for several days, and her complexion was much better than before; at least the redness in her eyes had faded somewhat. After listening to their report, she nodded, then paused with her gaze on the bandages around Hizashi's right arm.

"Are you hurt?"

"Just a flesh wound. It's already been treated."

Tsunade tapped the map lightly with a finger, right on the ridge west of Kikyo Castle. "The Sand Ninja's biggest problem right now is their supply line. They crossed the border and pushed deep into the Land of Fire on their own, so their logistics are under far more strain than ours. If they can't take Kikyo Castle soon, they'll have to retreat. That means Chiyo will launch an all-out attack as soon as possible, hoping to win everything in a single battle."

Hizashi stepped forward, his pale eyes sweeping over the densely marked map. "Those Crystal Devices are suspicious. I hope the Intelligence Division can figure out what they do soon... Judging by the number we've seized so far, they've already placed quite a few of them around the area."

"For now, continue the reconnaissance." Tsunade straightened, her gaze resting on Baiye's face for a moment. "Baiye, stay here. Hizashi, go get some rest."

Hizashi nodded slightly, turned, and walked out of the office.

He was already used to this.

Tsunade took a palm-sized white scroll from a drawer and pushed it across the desk to Baiye. A delicate slug design was stamped on its seal, and the chakra lines shimmered faintly blue in the lamplight.

"What is this?"

"A Summoning Contract scroll for Katsuyu. Just sign your name and press a bloody handprint on it." Tsunade spoke casually. "You already have your own way of fighting, but your approach to Medical Ninjutsu is the closest to mine. If you can summon Katsuyu, using her together with your special chakra will give you much more room to improve your Medical Ninjutsu."

Baiye picked up the scroll and weighed it in his hand. It was light, but he knew how much it meant.

It seems some Irresponsible White-Haired Sage with white hair also said he'd let me make a contract with Mount Myōboku... Looks like I can't wait for him.

Without hesitation, he bit his thumb and pressed the blood onto the contract field. His signature was simple, and the blood seeped into the lines of the scroll and quickly dried. The moment the contract was formed, he felt a connection quietly take shape deep within his soul.

It was not as inseparable as his connection to his Zanpakuto, but it was gentler.

"Give it a try."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, arms folded, a smile on her lips as she waited for a show.

Baiye knew that the size of the summoned Katsuyu depended on the amount of chakra used. With his current reserves, he could probably only summon a slug the size of a human head.

She wants a show? How could I let that happen?

His Zanpakuto grew slightly warm as a small portion of Baiye's reiatsu flowed into it. A stream of pure chakra then poured out and entered his meridians.

Baiye formed the seals for the Summoning Technique and slapped a palm against the floor. The markings spread outward, and a cloud of white smoke burst forth.

When the smoke cleared, a slug larger than Baiye himself appeared, making the temporary command room feel rather cramped.

"Oh? You're not Lady Tsunade? Who might you be, my lord?"

"Hello, my name is Gekkō Byakuya. I'm your new contract holder."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Gekkō."

"Just call me Baiye."

"Very well, Lord Baiye."

Tsunade watched the scene, the smile on her face long since replaced by surprise. But she did not interrupt their first conversation.

Only after Katsuyu returned in a cloud of white smoke did Tsunade roll her eyes at Baiye in exasperation.

"I didn't expect you to have a childish side... Is that some kind of method for storing chakra?"

Baiye guessed that Tsunade had taken his energy conversion for a Ninjutsu similar to her own Yin Seal.

"Something like that."

"All right, then. I really don't know how you train. You just keep pulling out one trump card after another... Oh, right."

She took two more documents from the drawer and pushed them across the desk. "These are for you. One is Konoha's latest battle report, and the other is a letter for you. The messenger only arrived this afternoon."

Baiye went back and picked up the documents on the desk. The battle report was in the standard mission scroll format, and its seal had been opened. Tsunade had evidently already read it.

The letter was in an ordinary envelope, signed by Hayate, but an extremely fine secret mark had been drawn over the seal—the encryption mark he and Hatake Sakumo had agreed on the night at the Dōjō.

He took both items and met Tsunade's gaze.

"I'll head back now."

"Go on. Get some rest."

Back in his room at the Eastern City Residence, Baiye placed his Tachi by the bed and sat down in a chair beside the window.

He opened the letter first.

The letter was written in code. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary letter from home—Hayate reported on his training progress, their mother reminded him to eat on time, and the neighbor's cat had gone missing again. But after Baiye decoded it line by line according to their agreed rules, the real message emerged: after word of Baiye's recent performance reached Konoha, Danzo seemed to have taken an interest in Hayate, but the Third had stepped in just in time to stop him. At least for now, there was no serious trouble. Aside from that, all was well.

Baiye folded the letter again and tucked it back into the envelope.

On the night at the Dōjō, Baiye had gone to the Hatake Clan for more than just helping Kakashi resolve the burden on his heart. He had also treated Hatake Sakumo's soul injury, restoring his ability to extract chakra.

Sakumo had no intention of returning to the ranks of the ninja for the time being, however. This time, he had merely agreed to Baiye's request to protect the Gekkō Family in secret.

Baiye then opened the battle report. Its contents were even briefer than the letter, but every item was enough to keep Konoha High Command awake all night.

After arriving at the Northern Battlefield, Minato had immediately demonstrated an astounding level of dominance. In nearly every encounter, he had turned the battle around almost single-handedly. The mobility of the Flying Thunder God, combined with the Rasengan's lethal strikes, had inflicted heavy losses on Kumogakure's vanguard in just a few days. Kumogakure had already begun pulling back its lines on its own initiative and no longer dared engage small Konoha units lightly.

Kirigakure had made its move as well. According to Anbu intelligence, several Kirigakure squads had appeared along the border. They were not large forces, but with Konoha's current manpower stretched thin, they were difficult to deal with.

Under these circumstances, someone had proposed sending the Uchiha Clan to deal with Kirigakure, sparking heated debate as well as dissatisfaction among many members of the clan.

The Fire Style in which the Uchiha Clan excelled was countered by Kirigakure's Water Release. Whoever had made the proposal clearly had ill intentions.

Surprisingly, however, the Uchiha clan head had expressed a desire to join the fight at this point.

The situation was changing far too rapidly, and Konoha High Command was still locked in fierce debate. No decision had been reached.

Baiye set the battle report aside.

The war had officially entered its white-hot phase, and familiar figures would appear one after another, making their names in a single stroke through the war.

And his first step would begin with the coming decisive battle against the Sand Ninja.