Goodbye Tsunade

"Genma, is your medical ninjutsu not up to par? Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Sakumo Hatake asked, looking down at the unconscious Karura.

Senju Genma crouched before Karura, checked her over, and said, "Medical ninjutsu only helps her recover from injuries. She's just exhausted her chakra and is slowly replenishing it; she'll wake up any second now."

No sooner had Senju Genma finished speaking than Karura slowly opened her eyes.

Feeling completely drained, she fumbled for a soldier pill from her waist pouch.

"Where am I? And who are you?"

Senju Genma frowned slightly and said with a straight face, "Don't you remember? I'm your husband!"

Sakumo Hatake, the four men behind him, and the three Hidden Sand Village ninjas were all left speechless.

They hadn't expected that this kid, who could kill without batting an eye, would be so unreliable when it came to actual matters!

The three Hidden Sand Village ninjas hurriedly asked, "Lady Karura, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!"

Hearing Karura's reply, the three Hidden Sand Village ninjas finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Karura was a wielder of the Magnet Release bloodline limit in the Hidden Sand Village; it would be a disaster if anything happened to her!

Karura swallowed the soldier pill, her complexion beginning to flush with color, and she reached out her right hand to gently pinch Senju Genma's small cheek.

"Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Senju Genma shook his head, his large, watery eyes fixed on Karura as he said adorably, "Not at all!"

After all, Karura was still a teenager, and her willpower wasn't exactly ironclad. Her gaze drifted involuntarily to Senju Genma's face as she whispered, "If you want to be my husband, you'll have to wait until you're a bit older."

Senju Genma felt quite smug inside.

It couldn't be helped; being this handsome and adorable came with its own set of troubles.

However, he didn't want to rely on his looks to get by; in truth, he had always wanted to rely on his strength.

Seeing their faces drawing closer and closer, Sakumo Hatake gave a loud cough. "Ahem! Since you're both fine, we'll be heading out!"

"Genma, let's go!"

Sakumo Hatake's words interrupted the atmosphere between them at just the right moment, and Karura turned her head away in embarrassment.

Senju Genma narrowed his eyes, staring at Sakumo Hatake with a sinister gaze.

Although he had no proof, he felt certain that Sakumo Hatake had ruined his moment on purpose.

Kakashi, don't blame me for this!

Sakumo Hatake looked at the displeasure plastered all over Senju Genma's face and felt a sense of satisfaction.

Karura nodded and said quickly, "That's true. In that case, let's part ways here!"

Blushing, she grabbed Senju Genma's hand and scratched his palm twice.

"I won't forget that you saved my life. I'll keep today's events close to my heart."

With that, Karura leaped onto a tree, the three Hidden Sand Village ninjas following closely behind.

Sakumo Hatake gave Senju Genma a heavy pat on the head, his smile widening. "Alright, stop staring. We still have a mission! Let's move!"

Senju Genma shot him a vicious glare and followed behind him, looking thoroughly disgruntled.

After the five of them organized the spoils of their trip and looted the corpses of several Rain Ninja to replenish their supplies, they headed toward the northern border of the Land of Rain.

The Land of Rain was too dangerous; if their intelligence proved faulty and they ran into Hanzo, they would be in serious trouble. It was safer to stay with the main force.

The five of them traveled through the rain for several days, encountering many Hidden Sand Village and Rain Ninja along the way, though they managed to avoid them all.

They were ninjas; there was no need to go on a rampage and kill every enemy they saw while on a mission—as long as the objective was completed, that was enough.

With Sakumo Hatake handling the communication, the five of them soon entered the Konoha camp.

Once inside the camp, Senju Genma's mind was no longer on the mission.

He found Orochimaru in the command center, inquired about the location of the medical unit, and hurried toward their quarters.

Upon entering the medical unit, Senju Genma truly felt the brutality of the battlefield.

There were corpses and mangled ninjas everywhere, and the sounds of wailing and angry shouts filled the air.

Fear, pain, confusion, sorrow, hatred, rage, and madness all converged here.

Although Senju Genma had already killed quite a few people, such a scene still made him feel uneasy.

"Why are you here?!!" Tsunade's shocked voice came from behind him.

Senju Genma turned quickly, hugged Tsunade, and buried his head in her chest.

"Are you alright?!" Senju Genma asked slowly, his tone filled with concern.

Senju Genma's words of concern caused Tsunade's tense heart to slowly calm down.

A gentle smile appeared on her face as she crouched down and gently stroked Senju Genma's hair.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. This is just what war is like; you'll have to get used to it too!"

She had no intention of saying anything beautiful to Senju Genma to sugarcoat all of this.

Beauty was merely a fleeting sensation, while reality was eternal, yet reality was never beautiful.

War was never a pretty thing; learning to accept it was always better than escaping from reality.

Senju Genma rubbed his face against Tsunade's chest like an injured kitten.

Tsunade held him in her arms with a heart full of pity, burying her head into the crook of his neck.

Senju Genma pondered for a moment before asking, "Sister Tsunade, can I stay here?"

"What did you say?!" Tsunade had not expected Senju Genma to say such a thing; her heart warmed, but she also felt a twinge of worry.

This was hardly a safe place!

Tsunade quickly calmed herself, her expression turning grave as she asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Senju Genma nodded. "I want to stay by your side, and I want to train myself."

Tsunade was silent for a moment before replying, "Very well. I will speak to Orochimaru about it, but whether you can stay depends on the Hokage's decision."

She herself had gone to the battlefield at the age of six. The front lines were indeed dangerous, but as long as one could survive the war, becoming a ninja capable of standing on their own was no problem.

Moreover, although the front lines were not safe, Senju Genma would still have to carry out missions if he stayed in the Anbu. She had heard about this current mission—it involved deep infiltration into the Land of Rain, which was extremely dangerous.

Since that was the case, it was better to have him stay by her side. With Jiraiya and Orochimaru also here, he could receive training while being safer.

Perhaps none of the Yellow-Gambling-Poison Trio could defeat Sakumo Hatake alone, but any two of them working together could certainly best him.

Early the next morning, inside Tsunade's tent.

Senju Genma and Tsunade woke up together in bed.

Having finally made it to the front lines, Senju Genma had finally, after a long time, warmed the bed for Tsunade.

He left the warmth of Tsunade's embrace, got out of bed, dressed, and stepped outside the tent.

As he walked out, he looked up to see Sakumo Hatake walking toward the tent.

"It looks like you slept well last night!"

Senju Genma asked in confusion, "Is there a new mission?"

Sakumo Hatake waved his hand and said, "No, the Hokage has issued new orders. You are to stay here. The Hokage has already communicated with Orochimaru, and Shin and the others will also stay to assist you. From this moment on, you are the new leader of the Ninja Squad."

Senju Genma asked, "And what about you?"