Lovers, the Decaying Konoha

Early morning, Uchiha Courtyard No. 2, bedroom.

Although he had barely rested last night, Hanma was still full of energy and kept to his early-rising routine.

Just as he was about to get up and make breakfast, a crystal-clear little foot with red nail polish hooked around his waist.

"Don't rush. Stay in bed with me a little longer."

Tsunade, curled up like a kitten, spoke in a soft, syrupy voice—a charming contrast to her usual demeanor.

Hanma smiled knowingly and wrapped an arm around Tsunade's waist. The two quietly enjoyed the beautiful morning together.

When Hanma returned home yesterday, he noticed the living room lights were on as soon as he reached the door.

He had assumed Minato was studying there with Kushina, but when he opened the door, he found Tsunade sitting there, drinking out of boredom.

While he had been away, Tsunade had quietly moved herself in.

Worth mentioning was that Nawaki was still obediently staying at the Senju Ancestral Residence, under Tsunade's strict orders to study properly at home.

In a sense, the plot had been reversed.

Tsunade had not lost Nawaki; instead, Nawaki had "lost" his sister ahead of time.

Hanma and Tsunade had not seen each other for nearly a month. Neither had slept much last night, spending the entire night sharing how much they had missed each other.

"This trip to the Land of Rain was dangerous, wasn't it?"

Tsunade wrapped her arms around Hanma's waist, gently stroking his firm chest as she asked softly.

Hanma smiled faintly. Blood Qi spread from him and formed a large hand, which took an Explosive Tag from the bookshelf.

Tsunade shot him an annoyed glance. Why make such a grand display just to fetch something?

"This Explosive Tag was confiscated from an Amegakure Ninja spy in the village. I haven't handed it over to the Hokage Building yet."

"However, after fighting Hanzo this time, I gained some understanding of his poison. This should be an Explosive Tag mixed with Ibuse's potent venom."

The large hand formed from Blood Qi carefully pinched the Explosive Tag, waved it in front of Tsunade, then returned it to its place.

"I'll give it to you later. You can study how to counter Ibuse's venom."

"After all, if Hanzo invades, the village's plan is for Hiruzen's team to confront him."

Tsunade nodded. For a medical ninja like her, obtaining a sample beforehand made breaking down the poison relatively easy.

The truly difficult part was creating an exceptionally effective antidote that could be used on the battlefield.

After all, being cured three days later was completely different from being cured on the spot and recovering one's combat strength.

Tsunade carefully examined Hanma's body and found not a single wound. Puzzled, she asked, "Just how strong is Hanzo? Did you fight him head-on?"

Hanma looked at Tsunade and considered his words. Hanzo was the kind of ninja he completely countered, but that did not mean Hanzo was weak.

On the contrary, for most people in the Shinobi World, Hanzo could achieve a "kill on sight" effect.

Hanma met Tsunade's gaze and said seriously, "You probably know roughly what I can do. Without exaggeration, in terms of strength and speed, I'm among the few in the entire Shinobi World you can count on one hand."

"My experiences are meaningless as a reference for others."

Tsunade nodded lightly, then seemed to think of something. The tips of her ears turned red.

Hanma found her reaction amusing, but did not tease her. He continued, "When Hanzo's Body Flicker Technique burst forth, it could rival my speed before I activated Blood Lightning Armor. That alone would be crushing for many people."

"His swordsmanship is also extremely refined, with tricky angles and speed that surpasses even a Samurai's iaijutsu slash."

"And his strongest killing method is Ibuse. Combined with his Water Release, it can cover the entire battlefield."

"If our ninja fought him under those conditions, anyone below Jonin would have no combat ability at all."

Tsunade's expression gradually turned serious as well. A ninja like that was absolutely a nightmare on a large-scale battlefield.

Hanma patted her cheek and said teasingly, "Now do you understand how strong I am?"

Tsunade blushed, grabbed a pillow, and swung it at Hanma. The two began a childish pillow fight.

Hokage Building.

The Konoha F4 had all gathered, listening to Hanma's report on his battle with Hanzo.

Nara Shikaku, the Nara Clan head, sat to one side, constantly writing and drawing in his notes.

"That was the course of the battle. That is all."

Hanma slowly recounted his fight with Hanzo. This valuable intelligence needed to be relayed to these people promptly.

Third pondered in silence, frowning as he examined the analysis of Hanzo's combat strength that Nara Shikaku had just completed.

Utatane Koharu narrowed her eyes, finding a particularly cutting angle.

"So, your clash with Hanzo was entirely avoidable, yet you exposed your strength."

"If you had retreated then, we could have maintained the situation where Konoha, the Sunagakure Ninja, and the Amegakure Ninja were about to fall into a three-way melee."

"What we need to consider now is whether we will face a pincer attack from the Amegakure Ninja and the Sunagakure Ninja."

It had to be said that Utatane Koharu's train of thought was quite sound. She had carefully analyzed the changes in the battle situation and displayed a certain grasp of the bigger picture.

Yet she had still forcibly picked out a flaw in the matter and begun nitpicking.

Hanma looked speechlessly at Third, his eyes clearly saying, Don't let an old woman like this come out and make a fool of herself.

Mitokado Homura joined in as well. "The mission we assigned never required you to fight Hanzo. With your abilities, you could have avoided that battle entirely."

Danzo snorted in displeasure. Though the Uchiha were also targets of his suppression, he had never thought much of these two classmates of his.

Hanma looked at the two so-called Konoha Advisors and said indifferently, "Then you can demote me back to Chunin. I can also relinquish command authority over this war."

He stood and said flippantly, "Lord Hokage, my condition is very poor after fighting Hanzo. I request to withdraw from active combat duty and recuperate at home."

Third, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke. He slammed the table forcefully and declared with authority, "Enough, Homura, Koharu! Stop wasting time on these meaningless matters! Hanma voluntarily stayed behind to cover the Anbu. That is precisely an embodiment of the Will of Fire!"

"Uchiha Hanma's intelligence is extremely crucial. I propose a reward of five million ryo and one merit citation!"

Hanma smiled unconcernedly, gestured his thanks to Third, then directly pushed open the door and walked out.

Third picked up his pipe again and began puffing away, studying Hanzo's intelligence once more.

Utatane Koharu said unhappily, "Hiruzen, the Uchiha Clan has produced someone like him. We need to test his loyalty to the village. You should cooperate with us!"

Danzo could no longer sit still. He flicked his sleeve and left, as he still had many matters concerning this operation that he wanted to discuss privately with Hanma.

Third watched Danzo's departing figure and sighed. "Focus on the coming war. Do not stir up trouble."

Just like that, the arrival of war spared Hanma the impact of a White Fang incident.

By their logic, Hanma should have abandoned the Anbu, concealed his strength, and obeyed the Hokage's orders in every respect.

But perhaps not necessarily.

They could accuse him of disobeying his mission and disregarding the greater good. They could also accuse him of abandoning the Anbu, lacking awareness of his comrades, and being indifferent to the village.

In this Konoha, which already carried a faint stench of decay, one needed strength and will to avoid the hidden blades at one's back.

Hanma turned and looked at the Hokage Building, then smiled.

How much longer could Konoha maintain its current state?