After hearing Kizaru's words, Tsunade lowered her head. Her eyes had reddened with anger and worry.
"B-but Nawaki is just an ordinary child! He didn't inherit Grandfather's talent. He... he..." Tsunade said slowly and sadly, her voice trembling.
"He's the First's grandson. He might awaken a Kekkei Genkai. For the other hidden villages, the mere possibility is enough!" Kizaru said bluntly.
Silence. A deathly silence. Tsunade was an adult now, capable of standing on her own, and she understood that Kizaru was right.
"What can I even do?" Tsunade looked up at Kizaru, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness.
"The simplest solution is to have Nawaki give up being a ninja and keep him safe at home."
Tsunade opened her mouth. She knew it was the best and simplest solution, but she couldn't agree to it.
She couldn't help picturing her younger brother telling her with bright-eyed determination that he wanted to become Hokage.
Tsunade couldn't bring herself to cruelly accept Kizaru's suggestion.
Wouldn't doing that be no different from killing her own brother?
She shook her head and said with difficulty, "I don't agree."
"If Nawaki doesn't give up being a ninja, then with his talent and abilities, it'll be hard for him to gain the strength to protect himself anytime soon.
"In the short term, Anbu could assign ninjas to guard him closely. But the situation is tense now, and war could break out at any moment.
"When that happens, once manpower becomes scarce, the village may want to protect Nawaki, but it won't have the means to assign ninjas to him."
Looking at Kizaru, Tsunade forced a smile and said firmly, "I'm Nawaki's older sister. I'll protect him!"
Kizaru nodded, approving of Tsunade's resolve. He didn't say anything, but reached into his inner pocket and took out a scroll.
Tsunade eyed the scroll he held out to her and asked, puzzled, "What's this?"
"It's the data analysis I told you about last time, on the enormous role medical ninjas, especially female medical ninjas, can play in wartime, along with a proposal to expand medical ninja training!
"As the Shimura Clan's representative, I've already signed it."
Tsunade took the scroll and stared at Kizaru, momentarily stunned.
The proposal to expand medical ninja training was something she'd brought up three months ago while drinking with Kizaru, complaining under the influence.
At the time, Tsunade hadn't expected Kizaru to voice his support. She'd thought her junior would do no more than the others and offer a few empty words to comfort her.
But to Tsunade's surprise, Kizaru had openly agreed with her and put forward several useful, far-sighted suggestions.
After all, in the Shinobi World, where personal power was revered, medical ninjutsu and medical ninjas were badly neglected by everyone, from the hidden villages down to ordinary ninjas.
Even in the prosperous and powerful Konoha, medical ninjutsu and medical ninjas had only begun to receive some attention and make progress after Tsunade rose to prominence.
That was why Tsunade had been so astonished to hear Kizaru agree and offer one sensible, beneficial suggestion after another.
Tsunade's surprise was understandable. She didn't know that Kizaru's soul came from another world.
In Kizaru's previous life, the crucial role of medics on the battlefield had already been proven by history and data.
That was why Kizaru supported Tsunade's idea so strongly.
It wasn't because he wanted to score points with Tsunade. He simply thought the proposal would benefit the village and strengthen it.
And a stronger village would further ensure the peaceful, leisurely life Kizaru was so satisfied with.
Kizaru liked a stable life of slacking off and hated trouble!
But that didn't mean he was afraid of trouble!
Wars in the Shinobi World arose from the unequal distribution of resources between nations. They were the inevitable result of long-simmering conflicts caused by unequal interests.
Kizaru hated war, but he wasn't a saint who would sacrifice everything for peace. He only hoped he'd always be on the winning side.
So Kizaru supported anything that could strengthen the village and increase its potential for war!
Besides, Kizaru hadn't forgotten that the Cloud Village, Rock Village, and Sand Village had all tried to assassinate him. He'd even jotted it down in his little notebook.
"So you tried to assassinate me? How scary! I'll have to take you all down, one kick each!"
Tsunade took the scroll from Kizaru. Feeling warmed by the gesture, she set her worries aside for the moment and felt a little happier. She didn't open it right away, instead turning to Kizaru and speaking.
"Once Nawaki's discharged, I'll have to trouble you again!"
Kizaru rubbed the back of his head and gave her a bashful smile.
"I'm terribly sorry about that!"
"You rascal!" Looking at her junior, who could both annoy her and cheer her up, Tsunade didn't know what to make of him.
Jiraiya, who had been standing silently off to the side, looked from Tsunade to Kizaru and suddenly had a bad feeling.
Had he missed something during the year or two he'd been away?
"Still three months next time?" Kizaru asked Tsunade with a grin.
"You!" Caught off guard by his question, Tsunade took a deep breath to settle herself, then deliberately put on a cold expression. "Do whatever you want!"
"Then let's make it six months!" Kizaru decided after thinking it over.
"Go easy!" Tsunade blurted out, worried about her younger brother.
"Don't worry, I'll be quick!" Kizaru said with a slightly lecherous grin.
By now, Jiraiya had finally figured out some of what was going on.
He looked at them, shifting his gaze back and forth before finally fixing it on Tsunade.
"Tsunade, Nawaki's your own brother!"
"Do you have a better solution?" Tsunade shot back irritably.
Jiraiya fell silent. He wanted to say he could protect Nawaki, but he couldn't bring himself to say it without being completely certain.
With Tsunade's younger brother's life at stake, Jiraiya wouldn't make promises he couldn't guarantee!
"Actually, there is a way!" Kizaru said, looking at the two of them.
"What?" Tsunade asked eagerly.
"We win this war and make them hurt so badly that they won't dare reach out again!" Kizaru said seriously.
"That makes sense!" Tsunade's eyes lit up. She remembered when she was little, back when her grandfather, grandmother, and Second Grandfather were all still around.
None of the other villages had dared lay a hand on her!
She reached out to pat Kizaru on the shoulder, but realized he was too tall. Left with no choice, she patted his arm instead.
"This time, we'll teach them a lesson together!"
"Make them hurt!" Kizaru said firmly.
"Make them hurt!" Tsunade echoed with determination.
After saying that, the two of them turned to look at Jiraiya.
Under the gaze of Kizaru and Tsunade, Jiraiya, who loved peace, could only chime in, "Same here!"