Sunagakure's Forces

"Commander Chiyo, may I ask what we are doing?" a female ninja asked.

Her hair was a deep green tied in a high ponytail, with brown-yellow locks hanging like pendants on either side of her forehead. With a perfect figure and fair, beautiful skin, everyone has surely guessed her identity by now.

Pakura, the pride of Sunagakure, a genius whose wind and fire bloodlines fused into the Scorch Release. She was only about twenty years old at this moment, yet her chakra reserves had already reached the level of a jonin.

Chiyo originally did not want to entertain questions, because the task they were undertaking—setting an ambush and planting explosive tag traps on the path Konoha forces were bound to take—was best kept to as few people as possible.

At this moment, she frowned and tilted her head slightly. Upon seeing that it was Pakura, her brow relaxed. "Ah, it's you, Pakura. Haha, this old woman is just taking you all to set some traps."

"Traps? Isn't it a bit too late to set them now? After all, Konoha isn't full of fools," Pakura asked, puzzled.

Chiyo smiled. "Konoha has just achieved a great victory, and their minds are restless. If there happens to be a careless commander, we might see some miraculous results."

Pakura's eyes shifted. Indeed, arrogant soldiers are bound to lose; everyone understands this truth, yet the same problem repeats itself time and again.

It confirms the saying: what has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Pakura nodded, and having no further questions, she followed behind Chiyo and began to work diligently.

Chiyo nodded in approval, her eyes filled with kindness as she looked at Pakura. The current Kazekage of Sunagakure was the strongest Kazekage, and he had two disciples: Pakura of the Scorch Release and Rasa of the Magnet Release.

Pakura was closer to the elders, while Rasa was closer to the commoners. As a member of the Council of Elders, Chiyo naturally favored Pakura more.

That brat Rasa was like a hypocrite, constantly spouting words about the people while denying the contributions of their predecessors.

Thinking of this, Chiyo shook her head. The troops continued their march, striving to reach their destination as soon as possible to make the explosive tag traps even more concealed.

Konoha.

As everyone exited the conference room, Uchiha Kō called out to Tsunade, "Little Tsun."

"Hm?" Tsunade turned back, looking at Uchiha Kō with great joy, not just because he had spoken up for her when she made her proposal.

It was also because their teacher had recognized his ability. That Kō-kun had used his own talent to gain the recognition and admiration of the high-ranking officials was the most precious thing of all.

This also meant that from now on, Kō-kun had entered the core circle of Konoha. Whenever there was a war, they would think of Uchiha Kō; his status had increased significantly!

"Kō-kun, is there a problem?" Tsunade asked, her eyes curving into a charming smile.

Uchiha Kō smiled. "Yes, there are some matters—very important matters. Is it convenient to talk about them back home?"

Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Sure!" She turned to look at Jiraiya and Orochimaru. "Are you two coming?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak but stopped, eventually forcing a smile and scratching his head. "I'll pass. The Great Toad Sage suddenly told me to go to Mount Myoboku."

Orochimaru just clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I have some research to attend to recently, so I won't go."

After speaking, Jiraiya used a teleportation technique and vanished on the spot, while Orochimaru performed a Body Flicker Technique and left the scene.

Seeing that no one was nearby, Tsunade stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Uchiha Kō's arm, pressing her soft curves against him, and smiled slightly. "Let's go!"

Uchiha Kō was taken aback, then laughed. "Alright!" Guided by Tsunade, he began to walk toward the Senju Clan Compound.

Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe, took a deep breath, and exhaled. He saw Uchiha Kō and Tsunade walking together, acting intimately, and sighed.

"Jiraiya, it seems you have no chance." He shook his head and returned to his seat to continue reviewing documents.

Uchiha Kō took the opportunity to ask the system, "System, system, do you have any blast-proof equipment?"

Ding! Request received from the host. Searching the shop...

Ding! 2090 Blast-Proof Suit: Negates all damage caused by explosions, with maxed-out defensive stats. Can withstand three attacks from a Kage-level powerhouse. Price: 10,000 points.

Does the host wish to purchase?

Uchiha Kō's heart skipped a beat at the price. He didn't expect it to actually exist! But the cost...

He suddenly snapped back to reality, looking at Tsunade's bright smile, her alluring figure, and her ample... well, he decided, this item had to be bought! After all, the battlefield was fraught with danger, and just warning his brother-in-law might not be enough!

He thought to himself, "Purchase!" The system sounded much more cheerful.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the 2090 Blast-Proof Suit. It will fit perfectly once retrieved, based on the dimensions of the person in your mind. Remaining points: [Redacted].

Ding! Congratulations to the host for spending over 10,000 points. Achievement unlocked: "Spending Money Like Water." Reward: One random talent.

Ding! Drawing talent... Draw complete. Reward: Space-Time Talent (Undeveloped).

Seeing that he had been rewarded with a talent, Uchiha Kō felt the money was well spent!

He thought, "Brother-in-law, this time, I'll save your life!" In a great mood, he curled his lips into a smile and soon returned to the Senju Clan Compound with Tsunade.

The guards at the Senju Clan Compound saw the young mistress return, and she was holding—uh, Uchiha Kō's arm. Well, that was fine. One guard opened the gate, and the other went to report.

Soon, Uzumaki Mito appeared before they even reached the door.

Upon seeing Uzumaki Mito, the two quickened their pace.

"Grandmother!" Tsunade called out, but her hand did not let go of Uchiha Kō's arm.

Uzumaki Mito nodded, her gaze somewhat teasing. Uchiha Kō coughed twice.

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Kō. What was wrong?

Uchiha Kō said awkwardly, "Your hand."

Hand? Tsunade looked at her own hands still clinging to Uchiha Kō, hurriedly let go, and looked at her grandmother.

"Grandmother, I didn't mean to, it's just because Kō-kun helped me speak up earlier..." Before Tsunade could finish, Uzumaki Mito interrupted her.

"Little Tsunade, you go inside first; I have some things to discuss with little Kō," Uzumaki Mito said with a smile.

Just as Tsunade was about to say something more, she saw Uzumaki Mito narrow her eyes, and the power of bloodline suppression washed over her. Tsunade cast a worried glance at Uchiha Kō, then finally gritted her teeth and walked inside.

Uchiha Kō smiled slightly. "Grandma Mito."

Uzumaki Mito nodded. "Follow me!" With that, she led Uchiha Kō to the pavilion in the courtyard.

Uzumaki Mito raised her right hand, and a sealing barrier manifested. The surrounding scenery shifted, and the nearby flowers, plants, and trees all vanished from sight.

The surroundings turned a solid golden hue, and as Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Kō sat on the stone stools, neither of them spoke.

After a while, Uzumaki Mito sighed. "Little Kō, tell me the truth: what are your feelings for little Tsunade?"

Uchiha Kō's heart skipped a beat. Although he had long anticipated that Uzumaki Mito would ask this and had prepared many excuses, he felt incredibly nervous now that the moment had actually arrived.