The news of the supply convoy's ambush quickly spread to all sides.
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage finished reading the detailed report. Only then did his furrowed brows relax.
"Hah…" Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled, saying,"The Sand's attempt to raid our supply lines really cost them this time. Fortunately, the ninja guarding the convoy defeated the attackers. Dan Kato and the others truly are formidable—one hundred against three hundred, three jōnin facing eight jōnin… Under those odds, escaping would've been impressive enough. But they actually turned the tables and annihilated the enemy. Our losses are well within acceptable limits."
"This is a major victory! Shikaku and Haruki… two tactical geniuses… I'm looking forward to what they'll accomplish. Seems this old man won't have to worry about the next generation after all!"
A pleased smile crossed Hiruzen's face. He gazed out the window at the drifting white clouds in the clear blue sky and took a satisfied puff from his pipe.
Land of Wind — The young and capable Third Kazekage stared at the report in his hand. After a long moment, he crumpled it into a ball of useless paper.
"A bunch of useless fools! Three times the numbers in a surprise attack on Konoha's convoy, and they still got wiped out!"
As his rage swelled, a ring of black iron sand floated around him. With a sharp slap of his hand against the desk, the iron sand fell heavily to the floor. The messenger ninja at his side trembled, not daring to breathe too loudly.
"Konoha… If you're intent on invading the Land of Wind, then I'll make sure you never return alive!"
"Inform our frontline commanders, Ebizō and Chiyo, that Sunagakure will reinforce with five thousand more troops. I'll send my disciples, Dosha and Karuro, to assist them. Prepare for an all-out offensive—crush Konoha, then drive our forces deep into the Land of Fire!"
"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"
Unknowingly, Hinata Haruki had altered the course of history.
Originally, even if Sunagakure's surprise attack failed, their raiding force would not have been completely wiped out, and Konoha would have suffered heavy losses regardless. But with Haruki's help, Konoha achieved a decisive victory. This, in turn, spurred the Kazekage to commit massive reinforcements to the front. The situation at Konoha's forward lines was about to change dramatically, and the previously deadlocked war would shift into unknown territory…
In Konoha's forward command camp, Tsunade sat in the commander's chair, chin resting in her palm as she listened to a report.
At twenty-seven, Tsunade was in the prime of her youth—stunning, poised, and commanding. Clad in a jōnin vest and wearing her Konoha forehead protector, she radiated sharp intelligence and a heroic air. Her long, pale-blonde hair was tied low into twin ponytails at the back of her neck, with bangs framing her face. Beneath her slender brows, large, golden-brown eyes carried an aura of confident nobility that was unforgettable at first glance. A delicate, upturned nose and soft, slightly thin pink lips complemented her tall, slender frame. Her figure was lithe yet shapely, and her youthful beauty carried a sweet freshness rather than mature allure.
"Lady Tsunade, that's the full account of the convoy attack," the messenger reported. "We're lucky—our escort unit wiped out the enemy. If we'd lost those medical supplies, the wounded at the front would've been in serious trouble."
Tsunade pondered for a moment, then asked,"So… you're saying that Lord Third accepted a new disciple on my behalf? That this student will be arriving soon? And that he told others I only took him in because of his mother's request? And now the entire village knows about it?"
"Uh… yes, that's what I said earlier. I believe that was Lord Hokage's intention. Wait—Lady Tsunade, you didn't know?"
The messenger ninja couldn't help thinking, Was she even listening when I was reporting on the ambush just now?
"Inexcusable!" Tsunade's brows knit tightly, a large vein bulging on her forehead as she clenched her fists.
"That old man Sarutobi! Not only did he accept a disciple for me without my consent, he even told people it was because of some personal request from the boy's mother! That makes it sound like I accept students through connections, not talent! Now the whole village thinks I don't care about skill at all! And this happened half a year ago, and I'm only hearing about it now?! How long was he planning to hide it from me?!"
Her fists cracked audibly as she squeezed them, making the messenger break into a cold sweat and take two steps back.
"No, I have to go back and confront him about this!" Tsunade stood abruptly, ready to storm back to Konoha. The young Tsunade was clearly more impulsive than her future self.
The messenger quickly blocked her path."Lady Tsunade, please—you can't! If you go back to the village now, who will lead the troops?"
Tsunade halted, exhaled slowly, and forced down the urge to hit someone."Hmph! So that's it… he dumps a problem like this on me, hoping I'll just take it. Too cunning! By making sure the whole village knows, he's trying to corner me so I can't refuse! That old man's losing it—what was he thinking?"
"Please don't think that way," the messenger tried. "This… person… that Lord Hokage recommended is actually very talented. Perhaps I could tell you a bit about him—"
"No need," Tsunade cut him off with a shake of her head. "I'm strict when it comes to taking disciples. Forcing this on me would only ruin him, understand? Even if my teacher himself vouched for him, the answer is still no. Unqualified is unqualified."
"But Lady Tsunade, Lord Hokage said—"
"Go back and tell him not to bother coming here," Tsunade waved him away. "If he wants a teacher, he can go ask Lord Third himself! Tell my teacher exactly that!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade… I'll return to report."
The messenger left, muttering to himself, I've never met that Hyūga kid, but a five-year-old who's already a chūnin can't be bad. That's a genius, no question. Lady Tsunade's standards are too high—she won't even take in a prodigy. Sigh… Lord Hokage, I tried.
Hinata Haruki's convoy met up with the unit Tsunade had sent to escort them the rest of the way. Under their protection, they reached camp safely. Workers bustled to unload the supplies, and logistics ninja handled the formal handover.
Dan Kato called for Haruki to join him in meeting Tsunade—after all, the Third Hokage had tasked Dan with guiding Haruki, but once at camp, Haruki was supposed to come under Tsunade's tutelage. It was only proper to greet one's new master first.
Leaving the rest of the work to others, the two of them made their way toward Tsunade's tent. The Konoha base was vast, with a temporary outer wall of thick wooden stakes. Inside were rows of tents and hastily built wooden huts. Only the warehouses and medical stations had brick and concrete walls, heavily guarded. Soldiers manned every exit, and patrol teams moved constantly through the camp. Tsunade's tent was near the center.
As they approached, they saw a ninja coming out, heading toward them. From inside the tent came Tsunade's unmistakable roar:"This is outrageous! I'm not taking any disciple—!"
Followed by the sound of something breaking.
Even from a distance, Haruki could hear her clearly and thought, Yikes… young Tsunade's temper is worse than I imagined.
The departing ninja quickened his pace and soon recognized Dan Kato."Eh? Dan! Long time no see!" He waved cheerfully—it was the messenger from before.
Dan walked up with Haruki in tow, while Haruki looked around curiously.
"How have you been, Kazuto?" Dan greeted him warmly, and the two embraced briefly.
"I'm good. You didn't tell me you were here, old friend! I heard you gave the Sand a real thrashing out there. Nice work!" Kazuto gave them a thumbs-up.
Dan smiled modestly. "We just got back, handed over the supplies, and were on our way to see Lady Tsunade."
"I'd advise you to wait a bit," Kazuto whispered.
"Why?" Dan asked, puzzled.
"She's furious right now. Trust me, it's not a good time to meet her if you want to make a good impression."
Dan scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… what's she mad about?"
"You don't know?" Kazuto leaned closer. "She just found out the Third Hokage arranged for her to take a disciple without telling her. She's swearing up and down she won't accept him."
Dan shot Haruki a meaningful glance. Haruki had heard it too and found it odd."Wasn't it supposed to be that she agreed as a favor? How'd it become the Hokage forcing it on her? She really didn't know?"
Kazuto nodded. "Nope, she had no idea. And that 'favor' story? Totally made up. Must've been the Hokage's plan. She's livid—says no amount of persuasion will make her take someone unqualified, even if it's the Hokage himself asking."
Dan looked at Haruki again, while Haruki covered his forehead in exasperation.Old man, you've really made a mess of this. Now she thinks I'm some nepotism case. And Tsunade's stubborn as hell—how else could she have exiled herself for decades over the deaths of Nawaki and Dan? I wanted you to explain things to her, but now it's worse!
Dan told Kazuto, "Keep this quiet. It's the Hokage's decision—we just carry it out."
Kazuto nodded. "Got it. I have to get back to report. Dan, when we're back in the village, we'll share a drink. And… good luck with Lady Tsunade."
Dan's face flushed slightly. "Yeah… we'll see."
Kazuto hurried off. Dan then turned to Haruki, waiting for him to explain. Haruki sighed, not denying it."This was the old man's idea… but looks like it backfired. If I go up to her now and say I'm the disciple she didn't ask for, she'll probably punch me out of the tent."
Dan nodded. "So, what will you do? Tell her the truth?"
Haruki thought for a moment."Lady Tsunade has her standards for choosing students… and I have my standards for choosing a teacher. I'm not going to reveal who I am just yet. I'll keep the letter of recommendation for now. I'll prove to her that I'm worthy—and see if she's worthy of being my teacher."
His eyes firm, Haruki said,"I want to see for myself if she's fit to be my master. I believe that if I perform well enough, she won't refuse me."
Dan nodded. "All right. I'll make sure the others keep this under wraps. Let's gather the team and go meet her together."
"Dan-sensei… you're not… you know… with Lady Tsunade, are you?" Haruki suddenly asked.
Dan's face reddened as he coughed."Ehm… Haruki, you're too young to worry about that. Let's just say… I admire her, but I don't know how she feels about me."
"Oh, then you'd better try hard," Haruki replied with an innocent smile, though inwardly he was thinking, That's odd… by now, in the original timeline, Dan should have confessed and won her heart. His death is coming soon this year—how have they not started a relationship yet?
Haruki glanced at Dan's neck—sure enough, he wasn't wearing the First Hokage's green crystal necklace. Dan really hadn't begun courting Tsunade.
Could this world's events be slightly different from the original? Or is it something else entirely?
Unable to figure it out, Haruki decided to stop thinking about it. As far as he was concerned, with him here, Dan wasn't going to die so easily. Whether Tsunade ended up with Jiraiya or Dan would be their own affair—Haruki wasn't getting involved.