Two Old Foxes

Before Tsunade-sama had even taken a seat, Nayuki had already poured her tea.

"Thank you."

Tsunade-sama thanked her as she sat down and took a sip.

"Big brother, aren't you going to pour me a cup too?"

Kawafune-kun sat down after them and turned to strike up a conversation with Sakumo.

Sakumo drank his own tea and shot him a glance.

The disdain in his eyes was unmistakable. You were practically having a blast already, and you expected me to pour you tea?

Perhaps blood brothers truly did share some telepathy. Kawafune-kun gave an awkward laugh and poured himself a cup.

"Let's go to the construction site together this afternoon."

Kawafune-kun spoke after finishing his tea.

Sakumo clearly did not feel like dealing with him right now. He merely nodded, not even offering an "Mm."

"Alright." Tsunade-sama was the one backing this venture.

"Should we bring Ghost Mastiff?"

Unsure of what they might encounter, Nayuki spoke up to ask.

"Of course. Its nose is sharp."

As he spoke, Kawafune-kun dragged the massive Ghost Mastiff out from behind Nayuki.

"Woof, woof..."

It was probably crying, "Save the dog."

Nayuki turned her face away in embarrassment, pretending nothing had happened.

The light in Ghost Mastiff's eyes visibly dimmed, and it stopped barking.

In the end, their bond had faded.

Kawafune-kun did not care about any of that. He placed Ghost Mastiff's front paws on his lap.

Then he gave it a frantic, vigorous rubdown.

Tsunade-sama stared in astonishment from the side. If Kawafune-kun treated her like that, he might actually rub her to death.

"Want to join in? Don't let Ghost Mastiff's fierce appearance fool you. It feels really nice to pet."

Kawafune-kun invited her, but Tsunade-sama waved her hand in refusal. She had yet to recover from the terrifying thought she had just had.

Like a body that had lost its soul, Ghost Mastiff lay across Kawafune-kun's lap without the slightest reaction.

After rubbing it for a while, Kawafune-kun lost interest and tossed Ghost Mastiff aside.

He truly withdrew his hand without a shred of affection.

Ghost Mastiff no longer wanted to wait for its owner to feed it. It glanced at Nayuki, then walked away alone, its canine silhouette desolate.

Nayuki ultimately could not rest easy. She excused herself and went to comfort Ghost Mastiff.

The remaining three sat in silence for a long while, and the atmosphere gradually became awkward.

At mealtime, Nayuki returned with Ghost Mastiff and called the three of them to eat.

Ghost Mastiff had already been comforted by then. Nayuki truly lived up to her Inuzuka Clan upbringing.

When they arrived at the dining room, no one drank, since they had important business that afternoon.

After the meal, Tsunade-sama left once more for the Construction Company.

Kawafune-kun changed into Jonin attire, Sakumo strapped his short blade to his back, and Nayuki readied Ghost Mastiff. They were fully prepared and waited for Tsunade-sama to return.

When Tsunade-sama arrived at the Construction Company, the ten-man construction team had already assembled.

The dark-skinned man from that morning stood at the front. He was a Chunin proficient in Earth Style.

"Tsunade-sama is here. Let's depart."

With a wave of his hand, he prepared to head for the construction site under Tsunade-sama's lead.

To his surprise, Tsunade-sama took out the land approval document and handed it to him.

"Go to this address yourselves."

"I still have matters to attend to. You can decide whether to survey the site or begin construction."

"And don't even think about trying to toy with me."

To prevent them from refusing to go just because she was not accompanying them, Tsunade-sama added a final warning. Her voice was low, and her eyes flashed like lightning.

"Rest assured, my lady. This lowly one doesn't have that kind of nerve."

The dark-skinned man trembled as he returned the document to Tsunade-sama. There was no land in Konoha that he did not know.

"You may go."

Only after watching the construction team leave did Tsunade-sama turn back toward the Hatake Clan.

Back at the Hatake Clan's main hall, they found that the three of them were already prepared.

They headed out together toward the area near the construction site.

Upon arriving, they found the construction crew surveying the edge of the land, taking out paper and pens to draw and write.

They looked quite professional.

The four people and one dog hid in two nearby trees.

They concealed their presence and Chakra fluctuations; unless a highly skilled sensory ninja came by, they would be difficult to detect.

"I wonder whether Danzo will make a move."

Tsunade spoke up to ask.

"No idea. It's time to see who has more patience."

"That's why I told you to hire them for a few more days."

Kawafune did not know either. They could only wait.

Task fanatic that Sakumo was, he now felt utterly at ease. He greatly enjoyed this feeling.

Nayuki was also fully alert. Even Ghost Mastiff wore a serious look, its nose twitching from time to time.

Time returned to when the construction crew arrived at the site.

The moment the team entered the construction site's boundaries, they were discovered by Uchiha ninjas stationed in concealed locations.

Someone immediately returned to the clan grounds to report the news.

Uchiha clan grounds, council hall.

The Uchiha Clan Head sat cross-legged in the center, his expression calm and indifferent, neither joyful nor sorrowful.

Fugaku sat kneeling at his right, and there was no one else in the hall.

He had spared no effort in keeping this nephew by his side and guiding him.

The ninja who had returned to report was kneeling on one knee directly before them.

"Clan Head, a construction crew has entered the hospital site and is currently conducting survey work."

"Are there any Senju Clan members accompanying them?"

The Clan Head immediately asked about the crucial intelligence.

"The leader is a ninja. I sensed Chakra fluctuations from him, but he appears to be merely a construction worker who knows Earth Style."

The Uchiha ninja truthfully reported the intelligence he had gathered from the construction crew.

"In that case, continue observing them. Do not expose yourselves yet."

"And do not act rashly. Go deliver the news to Root."

The Clan Head waved for the ninja to withdraw, and the poor fellow had to run another errand.

"What should we do next?"

Fugaku was briefly stunned by his Uncle's question. Seeing that he meant to test him, he knew this was also part of his training.

He propped his head up with his right hand, pondered for a moment, and then carefully said, "We should wait until Danzo makes a move first, or until members of the Senju Clan appear, before discussing it further."

"The Uchiha Clan must not be the first to intervene."

"Let Root be the first to stick its neck out and test the waters."

After speaking, Fugaku glanced at his Uncle's expression.

A faint, imperceptible smile crossed the Clan Head's lips.

"Not bad, but it still isn't thorough enough."

"Danzo wants to wait for an opportunity to act. Why not give him that opportunity?"

The old fox was still the more cunning one. Partners were nothing more than tools to be used.

"You mean..."

Surprise flashed across Fugaku's face. His heart was still not ruthless enough.

"Wait quietly for news, then make further plans."

After saying that, the Clan Head rose and left, leaving Fugaku behind to ponder in place.

After delivering the news to Root's contact point, the Uchiha ninja returned to the construction site to continue keeping watch.

It had to be said that the Uchiha were still quite united at this point.

The younger generation had not yet been corrupted by the Third Hokage, nor had anyone been indoctrinated with the Will of Fire.

Unfortunately, their current strength was far inferior to the era that would later produce genius after genius.

Even Uchiha Fugaku was only a Three Tomoe Jonin.

Danzo did not arrange any action after receiving word from the Uchiha.

Sitting in the seat of honor with a grim expression, he gave orders to the Root ninja kneeling on one knee before him.

"Keep an eye on the Uchiha's movements. As for the Senju Clan's hospital, he'll only be more anxious than I am."

"Report any abnormalities immediately."

"Yes, Lord Danzo."

The two Root ninjas swiftly departed after receiving their orders.

Danzo truly deserved to be called the leader in the darkness; he saw through people's hearts with perfect clarity.

The Uchiha watched the construction site, while he watched the Uchiha.

The forces involved in building the hospital had now formed a three-way standoff.