Kushina: I Don't Agree!

"Really? Hmm, it seems so."

A gentle smile appeared on Tsunade's face. She looked at Eiji's cheek, then wrapped Eiji arms around his waist and rested her head on Eiji lap.

"Tsunade?"

Eiji stopped what he was doing.

"Eiji, if I..."

Tsunade as if to say something, but then swallowed her words back. In the current atmosphere, she was genuinely afraid of doing something too outrageous.

"What?"

"It's nothing, I'm sorry... please let me be like this for a moment."

She understood the age difference between herself and Eiji, but the fact that Eiji had saved Nawaki and herself gave her a strong sense of security made her realize how immature she had been to do such a thing.

Upon hearing this, Eiji didn't say anything and continued working on his doll craft.

All that remained in my ears were the chirping of insects and the crackling of fire burning dry branches.

◇

Ever since news of Ryuuzaki Eiji killing the Kazekage spread throughout the Shinobi World, Kushina's status has risen like a rocket.

Many girls from noble families began to fawn over Kushina, and she was instantly surrounded by a large number of followers.

"As expected of Kushina, her cooking is as excellent as ever!"

"Please teach me too, Kushina!"

It was another day of being surrounded by girls. Kushina was surrounded by the crowd, and the noise around her made her feel increasingly helpless.

It took Kushina quite a bit of effort to get rid of them all; chatting with these noble ladies was clearly more tiring than undergoing bridal training here.

"Ugh, they're so noisy," Kushina complained.

"This is what people of high status have to face, Miss Kushina," said Sayuri with a smile.

"Oh, didn't I already tell you? Just call me by my name! Call me Kushina, okay? We're friends, aren't we?"

"I understand, Kushina."

"Speaking of which, that drill girl hasn't shown up since then. Was she ejected for committing a foul?"

"Probably not. The examiner will likely give her another chance since it's her first offense."

Just as Kushina and Sayuri were still chatting, a figure slowly approached them.

The two looked over, Shinka Shinazugawa had already arrived in front of them.

Seeing the fear and anxiety written all over her face, Kushina tilted her head, not understanding what had happened.

How did she suddenly change from a spoiled princess to this state after not seeing her for a while, without any followers behind her?

Sayuri looked thoughtful, then seemed to have thought of something, but she didn't say it aloud.

"Greetings... Miss Kushina, Miss Sayuri." Shinka bowed politely first, then continued, "First of all, I want to apologize to both of you. I have deeply reflected on my rude behavior a few days ago, and I hope to win your forgiveness."

Kushina was even more confused, but with the attitude that admitting one's mistake is good, she patted Shinka on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's alright! Don't worry about it, don't worry about it. Since you've apologized, I won't hold it against you!"

Well, it seems the princess isn't so difficult to get along with after all.

"Really?" Shinka lit up with joy. "Future my father hopes to marry me off to the Ryūzaki family as a concubine. I also hope that Miss Kushina will be tolerant of me, and please don't let Eiji be too harsh on me..."

Kushina's previously smiling face instantly froze.

I! Do! Not! Agree!

"Alas--!?"

Kushina immediately bristled, scaring Shinka so much that she ran far away.

Watching her retreating figure, Kushina was furious.

Honestly, I thought her sudden apology meant she genuinely realized her mistake. It seems she's just trying to usurp my position!

◇

Two months later, at the border of the Land of Wind.

The meeting proceeded as scheduled. The reason for choosing the border of the Land of Wind was that the area was relatively open and less likely to be ambush.

The Ninjas erected a huge tent in an open space backed by a high cliff, which served as the main venue for the peace talks.

The heads of state of various countries, along with the Jonin who served as their Guards, entered the tent one after another.

Just to be on the safe side, each village leader also brought more than two hundred Ninjas to guard the camp. In case of any unexpected events, a melee could break out at any moment, and the leaders could take advantage of the chaos to escape.

The largest number of people came from Konoha, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Uchiha Somei, Hyuga Soichiro, Hatake Sakumo, and Ryuuzaki Eiji.

Because there were too many people from Konoha, only Hiruzen Sarutobi ended up sitting at the negotiating table, while the others stood behind him as Guards.

On the Sunagakure side, Chiyo and Rasa, who had just succeeded Fourth Kazekage, were present.

On Iwagakure's side, it was Ōnoki alone.

The newly chosen Fourth Raikage and Dodai have arrived from the Kumogakure Cloud Village.

Hanzo of the Salamander from Amegakure was also present, but he participated in the meeting as a neutral party.

Although Amegakure also participated in the war, everyone knew that the conflict was mainly due to Sunagakure and Iwagakure's desire to attack Konoha.

Even if Amegakure were brought to the negotiating table, Amegakure's current national strength is still far inferior to that of Sunagakure.

No one expected Hanzō to offer any substantial compensation, especially since he couldn't really claim defeat.

Eiji stood behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, feeling there was nothing worth participating in this meeting.

What follows will inevitably involve a dispute over interests, but more important to him is the girl behind Chiyo.

Behind Chiyo, besides several Jonin Guards, stood a girl who was a bit older than her. For some reason, the girl would occasionally cast probing glances at her.

However, instead of her gaze, Chiyo turned her head and cast an even more intense look at Saiki Sakumo, a look so fierce it made Sakumo's heart tremble.

Uncle Sakumo is so charming, he even won over an old lady.

The admiring gaze from Eiji made Saiki Sakumo feel uneasy, and he awkwardly took a half-step back.

"It's been a long time, Hiruzen. I never imagined Konoha was so full of hidden talents."

Before the meeting began, Ōnoki chose to exchange pleasantries first, but his attention was focused on Ryuuzaki Eiji, as he pondered how to get the kid to the negotiating table.

Those were truly beautiful yet dangerous eyes; Ōnoki could clearly feel a strong sense of oppression emanating from Ryuuzaki Eiji.

Although he seemed rather relaxed, Ōnoki felt that if a fight broke out here, he would be the one to suffer.

He thought again of the question of who was stronger, the hundred versions of himself in the Kitsuchi or Ryuuzaki Eiji, and a throbbing pain shot through his temples.

"Hehe, it's all thanks to the young people's own hard work. We older generation can only be their foil."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile, adding that he could also confidently say that Konoha hadn't sent any Jinchūriki to the Frontline.

It's just that Ryuuzaki Eiji is too powerful; you, Ōnoki, can't very well say that Konoha isn't allowed to send out powerful Ninjas.

"Since we're just supporting characters, why don't we let the main character sit here too? You know, we wouldn't be sitting together like this without him."

After saying that, Ōnoki looked directly at Ryuuzaki Eiji.

"Wouldn't this be inappropriate? He's still very young. Although he's capable enough, this is a negotiation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, his tone tinged with concern.

"It's alright, I'd rather hear the young people's opinions than the old folks."

"That's right, they killed over two thousand of our Sunagakure, even the Kazekage was killed. I want to see what's so special about them besides their eyes."

Chiyo immediately chimed in.

"Ryuuzaki Eiji, you sit down here! You dared to kill my father? I will never let you get away with this!"

The hot-tempered Fourth Raikage, his body crackling with lightning, stared intently at Eiji, poised to attack.