Chapter 38

He had never expected the Beheading Squad's first battle to be against Liuyun and the others.

The news struck Tsunade like a thunderbolt. Ignoring everyone around her, she rushed out of the tent.

"Orochimaru, hold things down here. I'm going to take a look!"

Jiraiya hurriedly called out those words and followed her.

"Leave two Elite Jonin here. Everyone else, go! This time, we'll make sure the Sand Ninja never leave the Land of Fire!"

Orochimaru's serpentine eyes gleamed, and his voice was grim.

Nawaki was his student too. If Jiraiya hadn't told him to stay, he would have gone along.

At this point, Orochimaru had not yet become so obsessive.

Nor had he begun pursuing the meaning of life. He was simply an Elite Jonin even more accomplished than Jiraiya and Tsunade.

At Orochimaru's command, the Elite Jonin in the meeting tent followed Jiraiya out.

On a battlefield, orders were absolute. With their commander, Hatake Sakumo, recovering from his injuries, Orochimaru and the other two held the highest authority there.

His order was exactly what they wanted.

And so the group set out.

"Tsunade! Do you feel it getting colder?"

Jiraiya frowned. A glint flashed in his eyes, and hope appeared on his face.

"Do you think Liuyun and the others might still be...?"

"I hope so." A flicker of hope crossed Tsunade's dull eyes.

But when she thought of Liuyun's strength, that hope quickly faded. They were up against the Sand Ninja's Beheading Squad.

The squad alone had seven Elite Jonin, not to mention its other Jonin.

Liuyun was strong, but how could he defeat so many powerful opponents? Even she would be finished if she encountered them alone.

Putting herself in his place, Tsunade's expression sank again.

She had already prepared herself to recover the bodies of her two beloved students and her younger brother.

They sped onward. The temperature kept dropping, and flecks of ice had even formed on some branches.

Tsunade and Jiraiya fell silent. They both knew this was Liuyun's secret Ice Release technique.

After traveling a little farther, the scenery changed again. Frost blanketed everything, and the world had frozen over, as though they had entered a World of Ice.

"What's that?"

Sharp-eyed Jiraiya pointed, then appeared before the strange object in a flash.

An ice sculpture. A lifelike ice sculpture with a Sand Ninja frozen inside.

Terror filled his eyes, and from his posture, he seemed to have been fleeing.

A Frost Arrow protruded from his back.

Looking at the ice sculpture, Jiraiya had a bold thought he hardly dared believe.

"Tsunade! Maybe things turned out better than you think!"

Tsunade nodded without a word, pushed off hard, and hurried onward.

If Jiraiya had thought of it, so had she. Perhaps things truly were not as bad as she had imagined.

As they drew closer to the center, the dead look had vanished from Tsunade's eyes.

In its place was sheer astonishment. Ice sculptures of fleeing Sand Ninja appeared one after another.

Tsunade's numbed heart began to pound again.

Perhaps Jiraiya was right. The same wildly implausible thought had even occurred to her.

But... was it possible?

"This man! I know him. I've fought him before. He's an Elite Jonin from Sunagakure!"

Jiraiya stepped forward and pointed at the statue, his eyes grave and shocked.

As more ice sculptures appeared, the impossible thought in his mind began to feel real.

At that thought, he said with a hint of envy, "I'm jealous of you. You have one incredible student!"

"We don't know what happened yet. Don't get ahead of yourself!" Tsunade shot him a glare.

But despite her words, her earlier anxiety had already disappeared.

"Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya! I sense three Chakra signatures ahead!"

A Ninja from the Yamanaka Clan spoke respectfully behind them.

"Let's go!" Excitement shone in Tsunade's eyes, and she could no longer hold back her smile.

A huge weight lifted from her heart.

Jiraiya was thinking further ahead than Tsunade. Konoha had gained a prodigy!

Before long, Tsunade and the others spotted Liuyun's group of three.

"Hey, Teacher Tsunade! You're here! What took you so long?"

Liuyun greeted her with a complaint.

"Brat! Is that any way to talk to your teacher?" She rapped him hard on the head.

Then she grabbed his head and pressed it tightly against her chest.

Her voice, thick with tears, sounded beside his ear.

"Thank goodness you're all safe. If something had happened to you, I don't know what I would've done!"

Liuyun had been wondering how to tease Tsunade, but at her words, he stopped squirming.

Whether anyone was watching or not, he decided to enjoy this rare treat.

First, she was soft. Second, she smelled wonderful. Third, her sweet fragrance seemed determined to fill his every breath.

She had Mikoto beat by a wide margin. Perhaps only a grown-up Mikoto could compare.

Just as Liuyun's thoughts began to wander, the softness vanished.

Tsunade pushed his head away and went to Mikoto. With an encouraging smile, she praised her. "You did well. I'm glad you're safe."

Tsunade patted Mikoto's head, then pulled her into a hug too.

"Teacher Tsunade, I didn't do anything. Liuyun did it all. He even protected us!"

Mikoto quickly shook her head, disappointment and self-reproach in her bright eyes.

"That's what he was supposed to do. Don't blame yourself, little one. Once we're back at camp, I'll teach you some powerful Ninjutsu!"

"Surpassing that brat will be easy!" Tsunade boasted shamelessly.

"Thank you, Teacher Tsunade!"

Mikoto nodded excitedly at first. Then she looked at the bodies of her companions, and her eyes reddened before she knew it.

Tsunade said nothing. She merely patted the girl's shoulder. That was what a first time on the battlefield did to someone.

"Um, sis! I... I'm fine, see?"

Senju Nawaki saw Tsunade's dark expression and spoke with an awkward smile.

"Nawaki! Who told you to come out here?"

Tsunade roared and brought her fist down hard on Nawaki's head.

Thwack!

The crisp sound rang out, and a huge lump rose on Senju Nawaki's head.

"Ow! Ow! That hurts, sis!" Senju Nawaki clutched his head and grimaced.

For a moment, the outburst even drove away his grief.

While Nawaki yelped, Tsunade pulled him into the same kind of embrace she had given Liuyun.

Her voice was gentle and full of worry. "If something happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do. I wouldn't know how to face Granduncle and the others who've passed away!"

"So, Nawaki, please don't be so reckless again, all right?"

As she spoke, tears slipped down Tsunade's cheeks.

"I understand, sis," Senju Nawaki said softly.

He had come close to death this time. If Liuyun had not been there, he would probably have ended up like the people lying on the ground.

War forced people to grow up. Only now did Senju Nawaki realize how foolish he had been to sneak out of Konoha.

"Brat! I never expected you to be this strong!"

Jiraiya walked up to Liuyun and gave him an emphatic thumbs-up.

"They were nothing special. It's hardly worth mentioning. Shame that old Ebizo managed to escape, though." Liuyun shook his head calmly.

Jiraiya: ...

The assembled Konoha Ninja: ...

Nothing special? Was he showing off?

If they were nothing special, what did that make us?

Well, they had thought Lady Tsunade's student might not have the Uchiha Clan's arrogance.

It seemed he truly lacked that arrogance, but he certainly knew how to show off.

At the same time, they envied the Uchiha Clan. Damn it, the kid was this strong while he was still so young.

In a few more years, who in the Uchiha Clan—no, in all of Konoha—could stand against him?

Jiraiya waved for the others to bury the fallen Konoha Ninja there, giving them a proper resting place.

By the time Tsunade and the others returned to camp, the sky was nearly dark.

"Those are the new tents we put up recently. Pick whichever one you like."

Tsunade pointed toward the nearby tents.

They had erected them after receiving the grain convoy and reinforcements.

Originally, five or six people would have had to share each tent. Now there were more damn tents than people, so there was no need for that.

"Choose any one. I'll come get you when it's time to eat."

With that, Tsunade hurried toward the command tent in the center of camp.

Liuyun had all but wiped out the Sand Ninja's Beheading Squad, but they had lost so many Genin. That loss could not go unanswered.

"Thank you, Liuyun. If it weren't for you, I really..." Senju Nawaki fell silent for a moment before speaking gratefully.

"No need. I'm Teacher Tsunade's student. We're practically family." Liuyun waved it off.

Don't worry, future brother-in-law. Just don't hate me later.

"Right. Got it." Senju Nawaki nodded and walked toward a tent.

After coming so close to death, he needed a good sleep. Only then could he put the ordeal behind him.

Liuyun exchanged a glance with Mikoto, took her small hand, and led her to the tent beside Nawaki's.

The tent was spacious. The two of them had plenty of room.

Mikoto lay down on the Tatami mats and soon fell asleep. Clearly, the day's battle had frightened her badly.

Liuyun, on the other hand, was not sleepy at all. His blood was still racing.

To him, today had been a chance to test his skills and make a name for himself.

He wanted to go out for a walk, but one look at his Little Wife beside him changed his mind.

They were at the border now, with one foot already on the battlefield. Who knew what might happen while he was gone?