Signal of War

"These aren't things we can control. We can only do our best to protect the people important to us."

Kawafune had wanted to offer some comfort, but before a war, individual strength seemed insignificant.

At the very least, he currently did not have the power to change the course of a war on his own.

"Then are you still going through with the negotiations this time?"

Tsunade continued asking. If war came, she would not be able to avoid going to the battlefield. That was a ninja's duty.

"This is the final negotiation. An ultimatum has already been issued."

"Half a month."

"If Hanzō the Salamander is still unwilling to let us pass through, then we can only strike the Land of Rain first."

Orochimaru's words meant that war was about to begin.

Kawafune remembered that Hanzō the Salamander had made the first move in the Second Great Ninja War.

His courage was truly commendable. A small country had gone to war against two great powers and even beaten up the Land of Iron along the way.

The Half-God of the Shinobi World was terrifying indeed.

"Make preparations early. As far as I know, Hanzō the Salamander isn't someone who'll sit around and wait to die."

"We need to prevent him from striking first."

Kawafune was reminding them out of goodwill. After all, the ones who would die then would be Konoha's ninja.

"Probably not. Hanzō the Salamander can't be so arrogant as to face both Konoha and Sunagakure with the strength of one country, can he?"

Orochimaru did not quite believe it, but he still took the warning to heart. He was not only a powerful ninja, but also an excellent commander.

"It never hurts to be cautious."

Tsunade also did not think Hanzō the Salamander had such nerve, but she still echoed Kawafune.

"I'll be careful."

Orochimaru replied solemnly.

"I heard you opened a hospital. I wasn't in the village when it opened, so I haven't congratulated you yet."

Having finished discussing the heavy subject, Orochimaru shifted to other matters.

"Haha, it was all thanks to Kawafune-kun's support."

Tsunade laughed happily. Without her generous patron's support, where would she have gotten the money to build a hospital?

"Just don't gamble the hospital away."

Orochimaru could actually joke around. He knew Tsunade's bad habits all too well.

"If you don't know how to talk, then shut up."

Tsunade's face immediately darkened. He had really brought up the one thing she did not want mentioned.

She thought of the three million she had lost again. One day, she would have to win it back.

The corners of Orochimaru's lips lifted, with no sign of anger whatsoever.

"If she gambles away the hospital, she can use herself to pay off the debt."

Kawafune also teased Tsunade with a smile, earning himself a roll of her eyes.

He and Orochimaru exchanged smiles and took a sip of tea at the same time.

The atmosphere gradually livened up, and Nawaki and Minato could occasionally join the conversation.

At noon, Orochimaru kept everyone for a meal and ordered takeout.

Although it still fell a little short of the Hatake Clan's dining standards, it was quite lavish.

As a Jonin, Orochimaru was rather well-off himself.

After lunch, Kawafune invited Orochimaru to visit his home whenever he had time as he said goodbye.

After spending the day together, he found that he quite liked this person with such powerful charisma.

If Orochimaru could avoid going dark, it would be quite nice to have him as a friend.

Minato and Nawaki did not leave with Kawafune and Tsunade. They remained at Orochimaru's home to receive guidance.

Over the next few days, Kawafune specially secured an opportunity for Might Duy to take the Chunin Exam.

With Kawafune putting in a word, money clearing the way, and Might Duy having sufficient strength, this promotion was already guaranteed.

Might Duy was strong enough to be a Chunin, but if he were taking the Jonin assessment, his mission completion ratings and overall qualifications were clearly lacking.

When Might Duy passed the Chunin Exam and received his Ninja Vest, he still wept with joy.

His youth had not been wasted. He also decided to visit the Hatake Clan and personally thank Kawafune, whom he had only met once.

Minato was receiving guidance at Orochimaru's home and had not forgotten the task his teacher had assigned him.

The concept behind the Rasengan also caught Orochimaru's interest, and the elder and younger pair began intense, exciting research.

Nawaki, on the other hand, seemed like an outsider.

That day, Kawafune leisurely drank tea in the Training Hall, enjoying the tranquil moment.

Unfortunately, Tsunade had gone back to being busy at the hospital. The Uchiha people had such poor aptitude that they still had not learned Medical Ninjutsu after several days.

Kawafune was filled with resentment because he often could not be alone with Tsunade.

Luckily, Minato and Nawaki were at Orochimaru's home. Otherwise, they would inevitably have become Kawafune's punching bags.

When that happened, Kawafune would surely call it all for their own good.

His thoughts gradually drifted away. The shadow of war did not affect Kawafune; he had always been an optimist.

At that moment, Nayuki arrived with the Ghost Mastiff.

Sakumo was still training diligently, hoping that one day he would make a huge leap forward and finally deal with that little brat Kawafune.

"Sister-in-law."

Kawafune poured Nayuki a cup of tea.

Then his demonic claws reached for the Ghost Mastiff, preparing to give it a good rub to relieve his inner frustrations.

Who would have thought that the Ghost Mastiff had learned its lesson? The moment Kawafune set down the teapot, it alertly ran away.

It even looked back at Kawafune from afar, its gaze full of disdain. You really think I'm easy to bully, you little piece of trash?

How could Kawafune tolerate that? The instant he stood up, the Ghost Mastiff let out a howl and vanished off somewhere as if it had seen a ghost.

"Why are you picking a fight with the Ghost Mastiff?"

Nayuki found Kawafune's unwilling expression amusing.

"That damned dog. Just let me catch it."

Kawafune sat down and took a sip of tea, still unable to let it go.

"You really are... Ugh, ugh."

Before Nayuki could finish speaking, she began dry-heaving.

"Sister-in-law, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Kawafune could not exactly get up and comfort her, so he could only ask first.

"Not really. I've just been dry-heaving for no reason today."

"I don't know if I ate something bad."

After dry-heaving for a while, Nayuki returned to normal.

She was about to drink some tea, but Kawafune snatched the cup away.

"What?"

Nayuki thought someone might have drugged the tea and glanced around.

"The tea doesn't taste good."

"I'll have my brother take you to the hospital. You might be pregnant."

Kawafune knew tea was not good for pregnant women, which was why he had taken it away. He had every reason to believe Nayuki was pregnant.

Because next year would be Konoha Year 37, the year Kakashi was born.

The timing matched up.

"Now that you mention it, that is possible."

Nayuki spoke more softly, her face flushing slightly. Sakumo had indeed been rather diligent lately.

"Big Brother, Sister-in-law might be pregnant!"

"Take her to our hospital for a checkup!"

Kawafune shouted at Sakumo in the distance.

The moment his words fell, Sakumo appeared at his side with a short blade in hand.

Good lord, anyone who did not know better would think he had come to cut Kawafune down.

He had even forgotten to sheath his blade.

"Really? Take her there. I'll be right behind you."

Only then did Sakumo remember to put away his blade. He had known for a long time that Kawafune had left a Flying Thunder God mark at the hospital.

Speaking of which, after practicing the Flying Thunder God for so long, he had made progress as well. It was just that his Chakra reserves were clearly insufficient to carry someone over a long distance.

Just how did his younger brother have so much Chakra? Were they really born to the same parents?

"Alright, I'll take Sister-in-law there first."

Kawafune did not stand on ceremony. He had also thought of something more important that needed to be prevented.

He placed a hand on Nayuki's shoulder, and in the next instant, they appeared beneath the large tree outside the hospital entrance.

The surrounding patients and their families were given quite a fright.