In Konoha: Three Choices at the Start

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

The news struck Tsunade like a Thunderbolt. Without a thought for anyone around her, she rushed out of the tent.

"Orochimaru, hold the fort here. I'm going to take a look!"

Jiraiya hurriedly called out those words and followed her.

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

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes flickered, his voice grim.

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

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

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

At Orochimaru's words, the Elite Jonin meeting in the tent hurried after Jiraiya.

Orders were absolute on the battlefield. With their commander, Hatake Sakumo, recovering from his injuries, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade held the highest authority here.

And Orochimaru's order was exactly what they wanted.

That was how they came to be racing across the battlefield.

"Tsunade! Do you feel it getting colder around us?"

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

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

"I hope so." A spark of hope appeared in Tsunade's dull eyes.

Thinking of Liuyun's strength, the hope in her eyes quickly faded. It was the Sand Ninja's Beheading Squad.

It had seven Elite Jonin, not to mention its other Jonin.

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

Knowing all too well what that meant, Tsunade's face fell again.

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

They sped onward. The air grew colder, and flecks of ice appeared on the branches.

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

A little farther on, the scenery changed again. Ice covered the land and coated every tree, as though they had entered a frozen world.

"What's that?"

Jiraiya's sharp eyes caught something. He pointed, then swiftly appeared before it.

An ice sculpture—a lifelike one, with a Sand Ninja frozen inside.

Terror filled the man's eyes, and his posture suggested he had been fleeing.

Ice Arrows were lodged in his back.

Looking at the frozen figure, Jiraiya had a thought so bold he hardly dared believe it.

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

Tsunade nodded without a word. She pushed off hard and raced ahead.

She had reached the same conclusion as Jiraiya. Perhaps things truly weren't as bad as she had imagined.

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

The hope turned to profound shock. One after another, frozen Sand Ninja appeared, each caught trying to escape.

Tsunade's heart, numbed by dread, began to stir again.

Perhaps Jiraiya was right. She even found herself entertaining the same impossible thought.

But... could it really be true?

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

Jiraiya stepped forward and pointed at the sculpture, his eyes grave and astonished.

With every ice sculpture they passed, his impossible suspicion looked more like the truth.

Jealousy crept into his voice. "I envy you. You've got one hell of a 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 panic was gone.

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

A ninja from the Yamanaka Clan reported respectfully from behind them.

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

A huge weight lifted from her heart.

Jiraiya's thoughts had already raced farther ahead. Konoha had gained a prodigy of extraordinary talent!

Before long, Tsunade and the others spotted Liuyun, Mikoto, and Nawaki.

"Hey, Tsunade-Teacher! You made it! Took you long enough!"

Liuyun greeted her with a complaint.

"You brat! Is that any way to talk to your Teacher?" She rapped Liuyun hard on the head.

Then she grabbed Liuyun's head and pressed it firmly against her chest.

A slightly tearful voice sounded by Liuyun's ear.

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

Liuyun had been thinking about how to have his way with Tsunade, but at her words, he stopped struggling.

And with people watching or not, he was going to enjoy this rare treat!

First, the softness. Second, the warmth. Third, her sweet scent, which seemed determined to seep into every part of him.

It was far better than Mikoto's. Perhaps Mikoto would only be able to compare once she grew up.

Just as Liuyun's thoughts began to wander, the soft sensation began to disappear.

Tsunade pushed his head away and went to Mikoto. With an encouraging smile, she praised her. "Good. What matters is that you're safe."

(Any flowers for me? Send some over! I'll introduce you to some girls!)

Don't Hate Me, Little Brother-in-Law! (Fourth Update!)

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

“Tsunade Teacher, I didn't do anything. It was all Liuyun. He even protected us!”

Mikoto quickly shook her head. Disappointment and self-reproach filled 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, Tsunade Teacher!”

Mikoto nodded excitedly at first, but when she saw the bodies of her companions nearby, her eyes gradually reddened.

Tsunade said nothing. She simply patted the girl's shoulder. Everyone was like this after their first time on the battlefield.

"Um... Sis! I'm... I'm all right, aren't I?"

Seeing Tsunade's dark expression, Senju Nawaki spoke with an uneasy smile.

"Nawaki! Who told you to come here?"

Tsunade roared and slammed her fist into Nawaki's head!

Clang!

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

"Ow! Ow! That hurts, Sis!" Senju Nawaki clutched his head, grimacing.

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

While Nawaki was still yelling, Tsunade gave him the same kind of treat Liuyun had gotten.

Her voice softened, thick with worry. "If something happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do. I wouldn't know how to face our grandfather and the others who are gone!"

"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 quietly.

He had come close to passing through the Gates of Hell this time. If Liuyun hadn't been there, he would likely have ended up like the people lying on the ground.

War forced people to grow up. At that moment, Senju Nawaki understood just how absurd it had been to sneak out of Konoha.

"Brat! I never thought you were this strong!"

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

“They were nothing but rabble, not worth worrying about. It's a shame that old man Ebizo got away!” Liuyun said, calmly shaking his head.

Jiraiya: ...

The Konoha Ninja: ...

Nothing special? Are you showing off?

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

Well, they had thought Lady Tsunade's student might be free of the Uchiha Clan's arrogance.

And he was. But he certainly knew how to show off.

At the same time, they envied the Uchiha Clan. Damn it, the kid was already this strong at his age.

Give him a few more years, and who in the Uchiha Clan—no, who in Konoha—could stand against him?

Jiraiya waved his hand, ordering the others to bury the fallen Konoha Ninja there and give them a proper resting place.

By the time Tsunade and the others returned to camp, the sky was beginning to darken.

"Those tents over there were put up recently. Pick whichever one you like."

Tsunade pointed toward a row of tents nearby.

They had erected them after receiving word that the supply convoy and reinforcements were coming.

Originally, five or six people were meant to share each tent. Now there were more damned tents than people, so why bother assigning anyone?

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

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

The Sand Ninja's Beheading Squad had been almost completely wiped out by Liuyun, but Konoha had lost so many Genin. They could not let those deaths go unanswered.

“Thank you for this, Liuyun! If it weren't for you, I really...” Senju Nawaki fell silent for a moment, his voice full of gratitude.

“No need! I'm Tsunade Teacher's student. We're family.” Liuyun waved it off.

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

"Right. I understand." Senju Nawaki nodded and headed for a tent.

After coming so close to death, he needed a long sleep. Only then could he put it all behind him.

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

The tent was large enough that the two of them had plenty of room.

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

Liuyun, however, felt no urge to sleep. 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 on the border now, already in a war zone. Who knew what might happen while he was away?