Forty-One: Let's Get Married After the Second Shinobi World War Ends

Late at night, Tsunade stepped out of the lab with a yawn.

There was no denying it: Chiyo, the old lady from Sunagakure, was truly impressive. Her Medical Ninjutsu, built on the foundation of the Puppet Technique, had opened Tsunade's eyes. Likewise, Tsunade's own Medical Ninjutsu, founded on precise chakra control, had greatly benefited Chiyo.

Both were masters who had devoted themselves to medicine, and their exchange had made them even more skilled.

Unfortunately, Tsunade had only been back for a day, and time was short. They hadn't yet gotten around to analyzing the Ibuse poison they'd brought back from Amegakure. Still, Tsunade believed that with her and Chiyo's understanding of medicine, they could certainly crack the poison within three months.

"Looking at your expression, I take it you got along pretty well with Chiyo from Sunagakure today?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Tsunade brightened and looked up. She saw Sakuya leaning against the tree beside the lab entrance.

"Sorry, have you been waiting long?"

Tsunade asked apologetically.

It was eleven at night, already very late. By the time they got home, washed up, and went to bed, it would probably be close to one.

"Analyzing the poison is important."

Sakuya handed her the bag he was holding. "Here. Dango from Kanurigami. You haven't eaten all day, have you?"

"Thanks!"

Tsunade happily took the bag, pulled out a skewer, and popped a dumpling into her mouth. Then she closed her eyes in delight. "Mmm! So good!"

"Let's go. I'll walk you back to the Senju Clan Compound."

"Mm-hmm."

Tsunade nodded instinctively, then suddenly felt a little regretful.

Wait, was he only walking her home?

Wasn't he going to say something to her?

Ever since they left Amegakure, they'd been busy getting back to the village. Once they returned, she'd been busy with the poison. Now that they finally had a little time alone, wouldn't he say anything?

Watching Sakuya's back as he walked ahead, Tsunade suddenly found that the dango in her mouth didn't taste sweet anymore.

"Um... um..."

As they drew closer to her home, Tsunade suddenly worked up the courage to speak, stumbling over her words.

"Hm?"

Sakuya turned around.

Looking at his handsome profile, Tsunade felt much of her embarrassment fade despite herself. She stared at his face, took a deep breath, and stammered, "...What... what are we to each other now?"

Sakuya looked surprised. He turned to face Tsunade, whose face had gone scarlet, as if saying those words had taken all her strength.

"What are we to each other..."

Sakuya rubbed his chin, then suddenly smiled. "Hey, Tsunade onee-chan, I'm only fourteen."

"Huh?"

Tsunade froze at the unexpected answer.

"What do you mean?"

"If you want me to marry you, you'll have to wait at least another four years, right?"

Sakuya said with a smile.

"M-m-m-m-m-m-marry..."

Tsunade instinctively took several steps back, her face redder than the Sharingan of the Uchiha.

She felt Sakuya's gaze fixed on her, and her whole body stiffened. His eyes were like an invisible hand, roaming over her without restraint.

"Y-you've got it wrong!"

Her mind went blank, and she turned away instinctively. "W-who said I wanted you to marry me? I was just, just..."

"Dummy."

Seeing her still stubbornly deny it, Sakuya chuckled. "Let's talk about this after the Second Shinobi World War is over."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"How about we get married when the war ends and we return to the village?"

Sakuya made her a promise.

"...Mm, mm... Let's wait until you're an adult, hehe."

Tsunade lowered her head, unable to stop a smile from appearing on her face.

Watching Sakuya walk ahead, she mustered her courage, hurried to his side, and took his hand.

"But we... we have a promise, okay? Four years from now. You can't take it back!"

Tsunade said.

"All right, it's a promise."

Sakuya glanced at her and replied with a faint smile.

The Second Shinobi World War had erupted in full force.

The three major powers—the Amegakure, the Small Nations Alliance, and the Land of Earth—stood together against the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.

The good news was that the two other great nations, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, were sitting on the sidelines and hadn't joined the turmoil engulfing the Western Continent.

"Pop."

In the dense forest, Sakuya darted through the air like a swallow. The instant his foot touched a falling leaf, he pushed off and landed soundlessly on a tree branch.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan constantly revolved in his eyes, examining every detail around him to make sure he hadn't left a trace.

He quickly left the area, lightly slashing a tree with a Kunai marked with special paint every mile.

As one of Konoha's top fighters in the Second Shinobi World War, he wasn't supposed to fight in the meat grinder of a large battlefield like an ordinary Chunin or Genin.

Instead, he was to serve as a razor-sharp blade, slipping through the enemy lines.

Confirming that the route was safe, attacking their logistics, assassinating their leaders, cutting off their supply lines...

Those were Sakuya's missions.

"Thirty-eight miles east: confirmed safe."

After carefully checking the area once more, Sakuya let out a small breath of relief.

He took out a scroll and wrote down the intelligence. Then he patted a white mark on his left leg.

It was a white snake.

Awakened by his touch, the White Snake opened its eyes, slithered off his calf, and crawled into Sakuya's palm.

Sakuya slipped the scroll into the White Snake's mouth. After it swallowed the scroll, he said, "Get it to Orochimaru as soon as possible."

"Hiss, hiss."

The White Snake swallowed the scroll, flicked its tongue, and with a flip, burrowed into the ground and disappeared.

Sakuya waited where he was for half an hour. The White Snake emerged from the ground again, opened its mouth, and spat out a new scroll.

"Thanks for the effort. Get some rest."

Sakuya coiled it around his calf again, then opened the scroll and scanned the message inside.

Everyone operating in the field had a White Snake bound around their calf. It was one of Orochimaru's summoning techniques.

In war, intelligence was undoubtedly the most important tool.

Knowing something before the enemy could make a huge difference on the battlefield.

In this war, it was this White Snake Communication Technique that led Hiruzen Sarutobi to appoint Orochimaru as the commander of the main battlefield.

Unfortunately, this communication technique relied on White Snakes. Sending a message took at least half an hour, and the snakes couldn't communicate continuously; after each transmission, they needed a full day of rest. All in all, it was rather inconvenient.

Later, during the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had Minato. His Flying Thunder God Technique let him cross between battlefields in an instant, reducing the time needed to deliver intelligence to mere minutes. It was far more efficient than Orochimaru's White Snake Technique, so it was only natural that the latter was eventually replaced.