You Lied, Didn't You?

"Makita- senpai, you seem very tired!"

"Of course. Do you think everyone's as stupid as you, having the leisure to wander around the bathhouse at a time like this?" Tsunade glared at Jiraiya without any politeness. "The lives of thousands are at stake; we can't afford to relax for a moment."

Tsunade rubbed the fine lines at the corners of her eyes and sighed inwardly. The pressure she felt was not much lighter than Makita's. The glory of the Senju gave her an extremely strong sense of responsibility, not to mention that her most beloved younger brother was also on Black Tail Mountain. Her distressed mood had even made her skin look worse.

"Tsunade, you... you lied about being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, didn't you?" Jiraiya's last few words were spoken very softly, and no one except Orochimaru and Tsunade beside him could hear them.

"Jiraiya, what do you want to say?" Tsunade didn't get angry, but just stared at Jiraiya with cold eyes.

"The red-haired girl's younger brother... if I remember correctly, his name is Uzumaki Katsuki Mizuki, right? I heard he went missing during a mission. The little girl is probably like a volcano about to erupt now..."

"Just say what you want to say, there's no need to beat around the bush, Jiraiya." Teuchi Jiraiya's narration.

After a slight embarrassment, Jiraiya scratched his messy, bird's-nest-like hair, his nonchalant expression vanishing, replaced by a stern look. "Let that little girl go to the battlefield! It's too pitiful to keep her confined to the rear at a time like this, isn't it?"

"That's impossible. I don't need to elaborate on the importance of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the village. If Jinchuriki whose mental state is unstable is sent to the battlefield and something goes wrong, who can take responsibility?" Tsunade's aura was aggressive, and although her voice was soft, it was firm and contained an extremely resolute will.

"Precisely because the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is so important to the village, they must never be kept like poultry. To put it bluntly, Jinchuriki are weapons created for war. Without being tempered on the battlefield, they will never be of any use!" Jiraiya stood firm, meeting Tsunade's gaze.

The Chunin patrolling nearby sensed a chilling killing intent from afar and wisely chose to detour.

"Jiraiya, why are you so determined to defend Kushina?" Tsunade shifted abruptly, focusing on Jiraiya. "Tell me your reason? I've always Teuchi Kushina's affairs personally, so you shouldn't have had any opportunity to interact with Kushina... Is it your apprentice? That blond brat?"

"Hey! This has nothing to do with Minato, this is just my opinion." Jiraiya.

"Hmph! There's no room for negotiation on this. Kushina's current condition isn't suitable..."

"Tsunade, Jiraiya has a point this time. Jinchuriki are born from war; they are weapons created to achieve victory. Since they are weapons, they should be used for war." Orochimaru wore a faint, indifferent smile. "Also... an unstable mental state isn't necessarily a bad thing, right, Tsunade?"

An unstable mental state may actually unleash the power of the Nine-Tails. Even if the Jinchuriki cannot effectively control that power, it may not be useless if arranged properly!

Orochimaru!!!

Tsunade glared angrily.

"Are you planning to send that child alone into the ranks of the Sand and Stone Ninja?"

"Why not? Isn't that how Jinchuriki are used?"

Orochimaru's smile was indifferent.

"Hey, Orochimaru, what nonsense are you spouting? Tsunade, don't be so hasty. We can talk about this, but let's not forget the opinions of those involved. After all, that girl isn't an ordinary Jinchuriki." Jiraiya smoothed things over. "Tsunade, just how much control has that girl actually mastered over the Nine-Tails' power?"

Kushina was no ordinary Jinchuriki. As a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, she possessed a long and rich heritage. No one dared to say that Kushina had no other strengths besides the power of Jinchuriki.

"... I asked about it not long ago, and it seems he can barely control four tails!" Tsunade with a grim face.

"Four tails... that's enough to be considered a fighting force," Orochimaru stated bluntly.

"Tsunade, if it's alright, let's go see the girl together!"

As dawn broke, the military camp, silent all night, remained imposing, only now it seemed a little more lively, with more people moving around.

"Damn Stone Ninja, a bunch of dirt-eating scum! I'm going to crush these bastards!"

The fist slammed into the rock with a thud, and several visible cracks appeared on the large gray Taiseki.

"Otoha, there's no use getting angry. Save your energy, there might be another mission later." Kushina sat on a rock next to her, carefully trimming her nails with Kunai. Her pretty face was cold and expressionless, and her slightly raised eyebrows exuded a menacing aura.

Otoha's eyes twitched, and he instinctively shrank back, his gaze towards Kushina filled with caution.

Three days ago, Otome sent back news of Katsuki's disappearance. On the battlefield, nine out of ten missing persons are basically declared dead. The one who survives is usually crippled. The reason for not reporting them as killed in action is simply to maintain morale and avoid a high casualty rate that might frighten people.

Surprisingly, Kushina remained calm after hearing Otome's words. She showed no sadness or tears, and continued training quietly as if nothing had happened. But once on the battlefield, Otoha witnessed firsthand what true madness was!

"Kushina, you should rest more. You've been exhausted these past two days," Minato gently advised.

"I see."

Kushina responded softly and continued to focus on trimming her nails. Due to her Tailed Beast Transformation, the growth rate of her fingernails had recently changed, forcing her to trim them more frequently.

Minato gave a silent, bitter smile, then his expression suddenly changed. He jumped down from the Taiseki and stood respectfully by the roadside.

"Jiraiya- sensei, Lord Orochimaru, Lady Tsunade."

After greeting each of them and bowing meticulously, Minato secretly pondered the intentions of his teacher and his teammates. Shouldn't these important figures be extremely busy at this time? If only Jiraiya had come Jiraiya, it would be understandable that he was looking for him, but the fact that the three of them were acting together... it seems that things are not simple.

"Jiraiya, your apprentice seems much smarter than you."

Orochimaru glanced at Minato standing to the side, completely ignoring Otoha, whose clothing had a strong Uchiha style. As a member of the Senju clan, influenced by the Second Hokage's policies, he didn't have much affection for the Uchiha.

"No need for your nagging, Minato is my most beloved disciple." Jiraiya's smile was exceptionally smug; hearing Orochimaru praise Minato made him even happier than if Orochimaru had praised him himself.