After the meeting, Senju Genma and Tsunade returned to the tent together.
As soon as they entered, they saw Konan waiting by the entrance.
Seeing her brother and sister return safe and sound, Konan opened her arms to Genma.
Senju Genma eagerly returned the gesture, rushing forward the instant Konan opened her arms. The two naturally ended up in each other's embrace.
After his experiences with Kushina and Mikoto, Senju Genma had also picked up a few tricks when it came to raising girls.
The most important thing was to have a face that could leave people utterly smitten, then naturally build affection until, with time, they reached the point where they were part of each other.
As long as the person with that face wasn't too awful in temperament, things would generally work out.
Tsunade stood to one side, watching the two cuddle without a care in the world, feeling a little put out.
Fortunately, they were both adorable, and Tsunade's heart soon melted. She quickly pulled them both into her arms, occasionally letting out a strange "Heh heh heh" laugh.
Konan rubbed her face against Senju Genma's chest. He had already taken off his armor, and she took a deep breath before timidly saying, "Brother Genma, war really is scary! I was so worried about you!"
Seeing Konan's frightened expression, Senju Genma's face filled with concern too. "It's all right, don't worry. The war will be over soon, and peace will come before long!"
The decisive battle was about to begin. Genma wasn't the only one feeling tense; even Tsunade, a veteran of countless battles, was nervous.
Perhaps to ease their tension, Senju Genma chatted at length with Tsunade and Konan.
They talked about everything from what might happen in the coming battle to their plans after returning to the village, from Senju Genma's future to the future of the Senju Clan.
That night, after coaxing the two girls to sleep, Senju Genma summoned a tiny Katsuyu.
After spending so long chatting with Tsunade and Konan, Senju Genma still remembered that three people back home were thinking of him!
At the Senju Clan Grounds, Mito, Kushina, and Mikoto had gathered together. Uzumaki Mito had also summoned Katsuyu.
Senju Genma hadn't been on the battlefield for long before Uchiha Mikoto, a Genin, wanted to go there and look for him.
When Uchiha Yodo learned what Mikoto wanted to do, he thought it over for a long while and decided to send her to the Senju Clan.
Mikoto didn't refuse, and Uzumaki Mito was happy to see it.
Although some members of the Senju Clan had misgivings about this arrangement, Uzumaki Mito was glad to see anything that could promote unity in the village.
Besides, Genma and Mikoto had a good relationship, and Uzumaki Mito was willing to help keep an eye on things for him.
"Lady Mito, Kushina, Mikoto, I've missed you all so much these past few days." As soon as the connection was established, Senju Genma expressed how much he missed them.
Senju Genma had spent two years on the battlefield and had also used the Reverse Summoning Technique to return to the village and visit them.
But he hadn't had many opportunities. The last time he'd returned had been seven days ago.
The three of them had been worried about his safety after going several days without seeing him. Now that they could contact him through Katsuyu, they were overjoyed.
"Lady Mito, are you feeling all right?" During their brief time together a few days ago, Senju Genma had clearly sensed that Uzumaki Mito's health had deteriorated considerably. He couldn't help worrying about her.
Katsuyu relayed Uzumaki Mito's words, her tone filled with concern. "Don't worry. I still have some time."
Senju Genma lowered his eyes and clenched his fists unconsciously, but what came out of his mouth was, "Is that so? Then I feel better."
Early the next morning.
After Orochimaru gave a speech to rally them before battle, Konoha's forces set off in unison for Amegakure.
After a night's rest, the Konoha Ninja had recovered to their best condition, each one brimming with confidence.
The Yellow-Gambling-Poison Trio set out first, leading the vanguard.
As the forces drew closer to Amegakure, they soon noticed that something was wrong.
All of Amegakure's outposts on the outskirts had been wiped out, but the village certainly still had troops left.
They were approaching Amegakure in full force, yet had encountered only a few patrols and faced no effective resistance. Something was clearly wrong.
"It's a trap!" someone in the ranks suddenly shouted.
Numerous Explosive Tags suddenly emerged from underground and climbed up the ninjas' legs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rang out. In an instant, flames soared into the sky, and screams rose from the crowd.
The forces fell into chaos.
"What the hell is this?!" terrified cries came from the front of the ranks as well.
Purple mist began spreading ahead of them. The ninjas who inhaled it were paralyzed and collapsed one after another.
Cold sweat ran down Orochimaru's forehead. He had already figured out why this was happening.
"I can only think of one person who could use the Explosive Flame Formation so effectively and be so skilled with poison."
"Jiraiya, wasn't Hanzo on the Sand Ninja battlefield?"
Faced with Orochimaru's question, Jiraiya looked grim. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way either.
"Maybe the intelligence was wrong."
"Never mind that. We need to pull the troops back first. We'll cover their retreat!" Tsunade said quickly.
Orochimaru nodded and immediately began issuing orders for the forces to withdraw.
Of course, Hanzo wasn't going to sit back and let Konoha's forces escape. He immediately summoned Ibuse onto the battlefield to spew poison mist, then charged into the Konoha ranks alone.
Because a poison sac from Ibuse had been implanted in his body, Hanzo was resistant to poison. With Ibuse's poison mist to support him, the paralyzed Konoha Ninja were helpless as lambs to the slaughter.
He knew Amegakure couldn't defeat Konoha. The village's defeat was inevitable.
But what he needed to do now was show Konoha how dangerous he could be, so that Amegakure wouldn't lose too much in the aftermath of the war.
Orochimaru and the others spotted Hanzo on the battlefield. They all used the Body Flicker Technique to rush in and intercept him.
Jiraiya appeared behind Hanzo, his hands forming seals at lightning speed. "Fire Release: Great Flame Bomb!"
The next moment, Jiraiya's mouth filled with oil. He spat it out while using Fire Release to ignite it.
"Too slow!" Hanzo sneered. He formed a seal with one hand and turned into a pool of water, evading the Great Flame Bullet.
While Jiraiya searched for Hanzo, Hanzo had already appeared behind him, raising his scythe high.
"Watch out!" Orochimaru shouted from not far behind Jiraiya. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several giant snakes slithered out of Orochimaru's sleeves and lunged toward Hanzo.
Jiraiya and Tsunade reacted as well.
Jiraiya quickly formed Hand Seals. His long silver hair spread over his body and hardened to defend him.
Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!
Tsunade leapt high into the air and brought down a punch infused with Strength of a Hundred on Hanzo.
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