"Clean up the battlefield immediately. Send the lightly wounded to Konoha Hospital. Leave the seriously wounded here for me to treat. Shizune, go prepare the surgical environment."
Having just finished a major battle, Tsunade didn't even have time to rest before taking on the responsibility of medical-nin. In terms of hardship, medical-nin are even more demanding than combat ninjas, only slightly safer.
Kakashi was covered in blood, but in terms of injuries, apart from a slight depletion of Chakra, he was almost unharmed, suffering only minor superficial wounds that he could bandage himself.
But Kakashi had no time to recover his Chakra. He rushed to Tsunade's side, who was undergoing surgery, and reported:
" Lady Tsunade, there are still many Sunagakure Ninja in Konoha. I request permission to lead a team back to Konoha to help minimize the village's losses."
Tsunade one hand maintaining the Healing Mystical Palm Technique and the other holding the Chakra Scalpel, Tsunade multitasked, precisely and elegantly treating the seriously injured.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on her smooth, delicate forehead. Shizune carefully wiped it dry with a clean towel so as not to interfere with Lady Tsunade's surgical procedure.
Upon hearing Kakashi Hatake's report, Tsunade replied casually without even looking up:
"There are other arrangements within Konoha, so there's no need to send more people. It's the area outside the village that needs vigilance. Be careful of Kirigakure's main force; they may have already infiltrated the Land of Fire."
"What!"
Tsunade's answer deeply shocked Kakashi. Had Konoha really reached such a critical point...?
" Lady Tsunade, we understand. Before we sacrifice ourselves, the Kirigakure Ninja will absolutely not approach Konoha!"
Kakashi's reaction was more intense than Tsunade had anticipated, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing; Konoha was currently lacking Kakashi's spirit.
"Don't fight head-on. Konoha isn't as fragile as you think, so we don't need pointless sacrifices, understand?"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Kakashi bowed his head in response, while secretly having a premonition that if the Third Hokage were killed by the missing-nin Orochimaru, then Lady Tsunade would very well become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha!
With prestige, strength, opportunity, and the vacancy of the Hokage Position, Tsunade has all the necessary conditions to become the Fifth Hokage. As long as Konoha can withstand the invasion of the Three Great Shinobi Villages, Tsunade's prestige will even surpass that of the recently deceased Third Hokage in a very short time!
However, none of this mattered to Kakashi. He did not have an excessive thirst for power. As long as Lady Tsunade could lead Konoha onto the right track of progress after becoming the Fifth Hokage, he would still be willing to dedicate everything to Konoha!
After Kakashi left the makeshift medical operating room, Tsunade finally had the time to chat with Shizune.
" Shizune, do you think I should go back now?"
Tsunade sounded unusually tired, but the source of her fatigue was not the combined effects of a major battle and intense surgery, but rather psychological exhaustion.
Clashing together in the heart of Konoha are her master, her former teammates, and Naoki Senju, who carries the last hope of the Senju Clan...
In terms of sheer strength, Naoki Senju, with his mastery of Wood Release, is undoubtedly the strongest. However, the battlefield situation can change in an instant, and who can guarantee the final outcome?
" Lady Tsunade..."
Shizune gently wiped the cold sweat from Tsunade's forehead. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, Lady Tsunade would undoubtedly be the one suffering the most...
Fortunately, at this moment, the Konoha Ninja responsible for delivering intelligence arrived at the makeshift medical station where Tsunade was located and reported the latest battle situation in Konoha.
It's worth mentioning that the ninjas responsible for delivering intelligence tonight are all elite ninjas from various clans: Inuzuka Clan, Hyuga, Aburame...
" Lady Tsunade, the Sunagakure and Kirigakure Ninja within Konoha have been cleared out, but... the Third Hokage was killed by the missing-nin Orochimaru, and sixteen Konoha comrades have died in action, while thirty-three others are wounded. The total number of Konoha killed or wounded has exceeded one hundred..."
Orochimaru!!!
Tsunade and immediately gave the order:
"Issue this order to all Konoha Ninja: Orochimaru, the missing-nin ninja, has committed an unforgivable crime by killing the Third Hokage. All Konoha Ninja will pursue and hunt down Orochimaru at all costs!"
Tsunade's order undoubtedly sealed Orochimaru's guilt, and from then on, the Third Hokage could only be killed by Orochimaru! There was no other possibility!
Naoki Senju casually swung the bronze hilt of his sword a few times, and the Sunagakure Chunin front of him inexplicably collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The Soul-Slaying Sword, Futsunomitama, was a powerful force that was completely incomprehensible to them.
Invisible, unstoppable, touch and you die!
Being struck by Futsunomitama's sword, the best outcome would be like Orochimaru's, permanently losing a part of his soul and causing a part of his body to completely die. But more often than not, the sword would strike a vital point, resulting in instant death.
It's no wonder Orochimaru was willing to turn against them to seize Futsunomitama. Orochimaru, who is keen on collecting Kusanagi Sword, must have already been aware of the power of Futsunomitama. With this Kusanagi Sword, his chances of defeating Uchiha Itachi would increase by at least 30%!
Ultimately, Orochimaru chose to temporarily back down in the face of the formidable Naoki Senju, after all, Sasuke Uchiha would be a good alternative to Uchiha Itachi's physique.
Orochimaru packed up the remaining demon masks and the Shinigami phantom and took them with him. As for the detailed Scroll of Seals for the Reaper Death Seal, that would naturally have to wait until Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage before he could realize it.
However, although Orochimaru has left, the mess he left behind will not be cleaned up anytime soon, especially since the One-Tail Jinchuriki of Sunagakure is entangled with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha, which is practically a bromance!
In light of Sunagakure's heinous act of instigating the war, Konoha detained Sunagakure's One-Tail Jinchuriki, as well as the Fourth Kazekage's children, Kankuro and Temari. As for dangerous individuals like Baki, they had already died on the day of Konoha Crush Plan.
Meanwhile, the first battle report from the border of the Land of Fire was officially delivered to Konoha.
The elite troops led by Jiraiya have temporarily repelled the main force of Iwagakure, which is the only slightly better news so far.
The war between Konoha and Kumogakure has reached a stalemate, with both sides trading blows on the border battlefield. But even worse news has arrived – the main force of Kirigakure has been discovered within the Land of Fire!
Konoha can only maintain a two-front war now and is unable to open a third battlefield to resist Kirigakure. It can be said that Mei Terumi has chosen the best time, the time when Konoha is at its weakest. But on the other hand, once Konoha gets through this crisis, it will have accomplished the feat of defeating four enemies in a row!
To make this moment truly significant, and to prevent Konoha from being leaderless, Tsunade, with the support of most of the Konoha Ninja, chose a date to succeed as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha!