The Troops of Sunagakure

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

Her hair was styled in deep green pigtails pointing upward, with brownish-yellow, pendant-like locks framing her forehead. With a perfect figure and fair, beautiful skin, everyone would surely recognize her identity.

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

Chiyo had originally intended to ignore everyone, as the task they were undertaking—setting up an ambush and installing 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 deeply and tilted her head slightly. Upon seeing that it was Pakura who had spoken, her brow smoothed out. "Oh, 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, looking puzzled.

Chiyo chuckled. "Konoha has just achieved a great victory, and their minds are restless. If there happens to be a careless commander, perhaps this will have a miraculous effect."

Pakura's eyes shifted. Indeed, arrogant soldiers are bound to lose; everyone understood this principle, yet the same mistakes were always repeated.

It truly confirmed 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 to date, 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 Elder Council, 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, aiming 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 Xiao called out to Tsunade, "Tsunade."

"Hmm?" Tsunade turned back to look at Uchiha Xiao, feeling very happy—not just because he had spoken up for her when she offered her suggestion.

It was also because her teacher had recognized his ability. Uchiha Xiao had used his own talent to earn the recognition and admiration of the high-ranking officials, which was the most precious thing of all.

This also meant that from now on, Uchiha Xiao had entered the inner circle of Konoha. Whenever there was a war, they would think of Uchiha Xiao. His status had increased significantly!

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

Uchiha Xiao smiled. "Yes, there are some things—very important things. Is it convenient to talk about them back at your place?"

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 hesitated, finally scratching his head with a forced smile. "I'll pass. The Great Toad Sage suddenly told me I need to head to Mount Myoboku."

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

With that, Jiraiya used a teleportation technique and vanished from the spot, while Orochimaru used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the scene.

Seeing that no one was nearby, Tsunade stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Uchiha Xiao's arm, pressing her soft chest against him with a slight smile. "Let's go!"

Uchiha Xiao was taken aback, then laughed. "Alright!" Guided by Tsunade, they began walking toward the Senju Clan Compound.

Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, took a deep breath, and exhaled. He watched Uchiha Xiao 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 files.

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

Ding! Host's request received. Searching the store...

Ding! 2090 Blast-Proof Suit: Negates all damage caused by explosions, provides maximum defensive capabilities, and can withstand three attacks from a Kage-level powerhouse. Cost: 10,000 points.

Does the host wish to purchase?

Seeing the price, Uchiha Xiao's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected it to actually exist! But the price...

He suddenly snapped back to reality, looking at Tsunade's bright smile, her alluring figure, and her ample... well, he decided that this item had to be bought! After all, the battlefield was fraught with danger, and simply 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 size of the person in your mind. Remaining points: 10,050.

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 Xiao felt the money was well spent!

He thought, "Brother-in-law, this time, I'll save your life!" In a great mood, he walked with a smirk until he and Tsunade returned to the Senju Clan Compound.

The guards at the Senju Clan Compound saw the young mistress return, and she was holding... well, Uchiha Xiao, so it was fine. One opened the gate while 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 Xiao's arm.

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

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Xiao, confused. What was wrong?

Uchiha Xiao said awkwardly, "Your hand."

Hand? Tsunade looked down to see her hands were still clutching Uchiha Xiao's arm. She quickly let go and looked at her grandmother.

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

"Tsunade, you go inside first. I have something to discuss with Xiao," 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 Xiao, then finally gritted her teeth and walked inside.

Uchiha Xiao offered a faint smile. "Grandma Mito."

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

Uzumaki Mito raised her right hand, and a sealing barrier manifested. The scenery around them 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 Xiao sat on the stone stools, neither of them spoke.

After a long moment, Uzumaki Mito sighed. "Xiao, tell me the truth. How do you feel about Tsunade?"

Uchiha Xiao's heart skipped a beat. Although he had long anticipated that Uzumaki Mito would ask this and had prepared many excuses, he still felt incredibly nervous when the moment finally came to speak.