In Leaf Village: A Slap for White Fang at the Start

This was thrilling as hell~

"Go to hell, you bastard!!"

Tsunade threw a steel fist at him.

But upon closer inspection, one would see the unconcealed delight glittering in the corner of her eye.

"Can you two stop fooling around?"

Just as Gengetsu tilted his head aside to dodge Tsunade's iron fist, Orochimaru spoke faintly from behind him before teasing Tsunade, "So? Are you satisfied with this surprise?"

"Surprise? More like a scare!"

Tsunade snapped irritably.

Yet as her words fell, the corners of her lips could not help but rise slightly, forming a breathtaking curve.

Inside the tent, Hatake Sakumo, Hyuga Hiashi, Hizashi Hyuga, Nara Shikaku, and the other fathers of the future 12 Little Strong were all dumbfounded.

Ever since the Senju Clan had suffered that unexpected disaster last year, this was the first time they had seen Tsunade smile!

Didn't they break up?

Hatake Sakumo could not help thinking so as well, a trace of admiration rising in his heart.

Outside the rear camp's entrance, Dan Katō, who had witnessed everything, stood frozen in place with his eyes wide as saucers.

At some point, the towel in his hand had fallen to the ground.

Right now, he only wanted to sing: "I should be under the car, not inside it, watching how sweet you two are~~"

"Enough. Whatever you two want to do, wait until we settle the important business first."

Orochimaru suddenly put away the smile on his face, returning to the cold and detached "Cold Lord" everyone knew, and turned his gaze toward the map on the conference table.

"Why did you come?"

While everyone else had turned their attention to the discussion of the war,

Tsunade secretly bumped Gengetsu's waist with her elbow and asked in a low voice.

She knew this guy very well.

Ever since he had graduated from the Ninja Academy at six, he had never taken a single mission.

He had relied entirely on farmland outside the village and hunting to support himself.

Not to mention going to the battlefield.

"My glass-hearted big brother got himself into some trouble. I couldn't exactly stand by and watch him die, could I?"

Gengetsu tilted his head slightly toward Tsunade as he spoke.

Sensing that long-lost yet familiar aura from him, a strange glint passed through Tsunade's eyes.

When Gengetsu brought up the subject, she also recalled some of the rumors about White Fang that she had heard recently. Deep disdain surfaced in her beautiful eyes as she said, "Killing the donkey after it's done grinding the mill? Hmph, same old trick."

"Of course, I also came to see whether you'd done anything behind my back that betrayed me."

Gengetsu gave a low, wicked laugh and pinched a soft spot behind Tsunade.

"Are you looking to die...?! Do you even know where we are!?"

Tsunade, who had not done that sort of thing in far too long, shuddered and nearly shouted. She lowered her voice, gritted her teeth, and glared at him.

If someone found out, how was she supposed to face anyone afterward?

Did Princess Tsunade not have any dignity?!

"Relax, I'm watching. No one saw."

Gengetsu smiled maliciously.

Tsunade stomped hard on his foot again and snorted. "Don't forget, I've already broken up with you! Even if there is something, there's no question of whether I'm betraying you or not!"

"I'll come over to your place tonight and strip you down for a look."

Gengetsu suddenly said something outrageous.

"You fucking dare!?"

This time, Tsunade truly could not hold herself back and shouted.

Though he had done it plenty of times before...

Tsunade's roar made the many jonin in the tent, who had been intently listening to Orochimaru explain the battlefield situation, jump in fright and nearly fall over.

Even Orochimaru could not help frowning deeply as he said speechlessly, "Gengetsu-kun, Tsunade, do you have any objections?"

Whenever those two were together, chaos always followed.

It had been that way since they were children.

Tsunade awkwardly turned her head away, wearing an expression that said it had nothing to do with her.

Gengetsu was far more open about it, smiling as he said, "To be honest, I didn't catch much of what you said just now. Could you explain it again?"

Honestly, if Orochimaru had not known Gengetsu's strength, he really would have wanted to swallow the person who said that whole.

That was also why Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and the others were so astonished.

Seeing that Orochimaru did not seem angry at all, they were utterly baffled.

Why was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, being so polite to a genin?

Fortunately, Hatake Sakumo stepped in to smooth things over. "The one commanding the frontline forces right now is mainly Chiyo and the Puppet Force she leads. Her younger brother Ebizo is among them as well..."

Halfway through, Hatake Sakumo paused slightly before continuing, "They are completely determined to fight to the death."

"That is because Sakumo-san killed her son and daughter-in-law, making Chiyo swear that she would not rest until she took your head."

Orochimaru interjected, "Also, Bunpuku, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, must not be underestimated."

"Hm? Bunpuku?"

At the mention of that name, Gengetsu immediately remembered the old man who had appeared in Shukaku's memories in the original story. He could not help asking, "Can he perfectly control Shukaku's power?"

"No, but he can use Shukaku's sand-manipulating power. The Second Kazekage, Saimon, developed Magnet Release by taking inspiration from that."

As he spoke, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his voice hoarse. "If possible, I really would like to capture him and study him."

Gengetsu felt a little nauseated.

Was he already starting to become a pervert?

"And the Second Kazekage, Saimon, has already considered ending the war, but he cannot overcome Chiyo's insistence on continuing. Therefore, he is currently guarding the rear."

Orochimaru pointed again at the location of Sunagakure within the Land of Wind.

Even at Kage-level speed, it would take at least two days and two nights to get there from here.

"So, as long as we kill either Chiyo or the Second Kazekage, we can end this war?"

Gengetsu turned to glance at Orochimaru as he asked.

"That's right."

Orochimaru nodded. The next second, he gave a strange smile. "Which one does Gengetsu-kun wish to target?"

"Well... I think we should choose Chiyo first. She's on the front lines, so she'll be easier to deal with."

"With Sakumo-san and Gengetsu-kun joining as reinforcements, I truly can't imagine how we could lose."

Orochimaru smiled.

The expressions on everyone's faces grew even more astonished.

They could understand Hatake Sakumo, known as Konoha's White Fang.

But why was Hatake Gengetsu, who shared the title of Eternal Genin with Might Duy, included as well?

But Orochimaru had guessed wrong. Gengetsu's true target was not someone from Sunagakure.

It was someone from Leaf Village.

A certain Hokage's son who had yet to live long enough to reach the original story's timeline.

Your life was originally saved by my big brother. Now that you're turning around and stabbing him in the back, there's nothing wrong with me taking it back, is there?

The Second Shinobi World War.

By now, it had lasted six years.

That's right, six years.

Compared to the Fourth Shinobi World War in the original story, which had ended in only three days,

it felt unbelievably long.

But for an actual war, this was normal.

The power structures among the major nations were already intertwined and complicated.

Today you fought me, tomorrow you fought him, and the day after, I fought him.

All of that was possible.

The first three Ninja Wars had all been chaotic melees between multiple factions, while the Fourth Shinobi World War had ultimately only involved two sides.

Of course, the more important reason was that the Fourth Shinobi World War was no longer a battle between so-called shinobi.

It was practically a fight between gods.

A world where "Super Kage were everywhere, and Kage-level fighters were worthless."

It looked as though hundreds of thousands had taken part in the war.

But in reality, the ones who truly decided its outcome were Naruto, Sasuke, Six Paths Madara, Six Paths Obito, and those other Six Paths level monsters.

Ordinary Super Kage could not even influence the outcome of a war on their own.

Unless they had reached the level of Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama, who had each stepped one foot into the Six Paths level while alive.

No such figures had appeared during the first three Ninja Wars.

That was why those wars had dragged on for years.

Yellow sand drifted through the air, while beneath their feet lay barren rock where not a blade of grass grew.

At the border of the Land of Wind, Gengetsu and Orochimaru, the overall commander of the frontline forces, stood atop a desolate cliff.