Uchiha Ling lightly tapped the pleading scroll with his fingertips. His gaze swept over the words "Lady Tsunade's... maternal cousin's nephew," and the corner of his lips curled into a faint, ambiguous smile.
"Family ties..." Uchiha Ling murmured, Lady Tsunade's face surfacing in his mind—both valiant and alluring, along with the noble bearing she occasionally displayed, fitting for a princess of the Senju Clan.
He had indeed heard that Tsunade bore the title of "Lady Tsunade" and was also a princess of the Land of Fire.
It was just that such ties had long been deliberately downplayed within the ninja village system. If the Feudal Lord had not brought it up today, he would have nearly forgotten it.
"Not... a bad pretext." Uchiha Ling had been troubled over how to further break through the subtle barrier between himself and Tsunade. This plea for mercy, along with that nearly forgotten family connection, had arrived at just the right time.
Uchiha Ling rose to his feet. Without alerting anyone, he flickered several times and appeared outside the courtyard of Tsunade's temporary residence.
This had once been the private estate of a noble who had surrendered. Now, it had temporarily been assigned to Tsunade.
In the courtyard, Tsunade sat beside a stone table, her brows slightly furrowed as she read a preliminary report on the assets of the capital's nobles. Clearly, she too knew of the swift progress on the front lines.
"Sensei." Uchiha Ling's voice made her look up.
"Ling? What are you doing here?" Tsunade was somewhat surprised, especially at such a tense moment, with the army about to reach the capital.
Uchiha Ling did not beat around the bush. He directly handed her the plea for mercy. "Take a look at this. Our esteemed Feudal Lord seems to have something