Sand shinobi kept changing their poison formulas, easy to poison, hard to cure. In all of Konoha, only Tsunade could create an antidote in a short time. And in the Land of Rivers War, there was no fighting without her.
So even if Tsunade had burst out in front of everyone earlier, the higher-ups had no choice but to swallow it, and send her to the front lines.
The long list of names was read aloud, forty jōnin in total.
If one jōnin commanded one company, that meant over two thousand shinobi would march into Land of Rivers.
Nara Shikakuro finished reading the list and looked at Tsunade.
Seeing Tsunade no longer exploding in anger, he quietly exhaled. If Tsunade didn't go to the front, his job as overall commander would become a nightmare.
The Nara clan raised deer and cultivated rare medicinal herbs, and their relationship with Tsunade had always been good.
When Tsunade was young and learning medical ninjutsu, she stayed in the Nara clan's deer forest for a full year to study herb properties.
The jōnin whose names were called looked toward the three commanders, planning their placements.
Then, in the silence, Uchiha Clan Patriarch stood up slowly:
"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha clan is willing to march to war and fight for Konoha. During the Second Shinobi War, we have yet to contribute. Why are there no Uchiha jōnin on the list?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was already troubled enough, first the Senju caused problems, now the Uchiha were restless too.
He felt irritated but answered patiently:
"The later the war drags on, the more hollow Konoha becomes. We must guard against sudden attacks from other villages. The Uchiha clan commands the Konoha Police Force, our last line of defense. Unless absolutely necessary, the Uchiha should not be sent to the front.
The Hidden Mist Village Elder Genji has been restless. Hidden Mist shinobi have been appearing around the Land of Uzumaki. We must remain cautious. If the Hidden Mist declares war, the Police Force, our final reserve, will also be deployed. There's no need to be hasty."
Faced with the explanation, Uchiha Bell had nothing more to argue.
He glanced enviously at Senju Hanaki. The Senju clan always had more room to maneuver than the Uchiha.
In the First Shinobi War, the village had thrown the Uchiha against the Hidden Mist, everyone else fought according to their strengths, but the village forced the Uchiha to fight against their weaknesses.
Uchiha excelled in Fire Release, but the Hidden Mist's Water Release crushed them. The war had been brutal, and many Uchiha died.
Seeing no one else speak, Sakumo Hatake finally stood up:
"Lord Hokage, please believe this, Konoha will win the Land of Rivers War!"
Hiruzen's expression softened. Sakumo's strength was unquestionable.
Konoha was full of talent, but Sakumo was one of the brightest.
Sakumo continued:
"Lord Hokage, I believe Lady Tsunade's proposal deserves consideration.
The Hidden Sand's puppet-users excel at poison. Whether our medical network is complete, and whether antidotes can be delivered in time, will determine our casualties. Every Konoha shinobi is our comrade. Lady Tsunade can bring trained Senju medical-ninja to the front and guarantee our advantage."
Tsunade blinked, surprised by Sakumo's support.
When Sakumo served as ANBU captain under the Second Hokage, he acted strictly by protocol, never favoring the Senju. After the Third took office and ANBU was reshuffled, Sakumo stopped interacting with the Senju altogether.
To Tsunade, Sakumo was a fair, principled shinobi, neither hostile nor friendly, simply distant.
Hiruzen slowly turned his head, while Danzō sat upright, staring back and forth between Sakumo and Tsunade.
Sakumo was strong, but overly straightforward, always acting according to his own principles.
The higher-ups stared at him, but Sakumo remained open and calm. His suggestion was for Konoha, nothing more.
Yoru thought to himself:
Sakumo's political sense is inversely proportional to his battle genius.
He's too principled… too honest.
In times like this, how can he openly support the Senju?
Hiruzen, tired of the discussion, ended it:
"This concludes the jōnin council. Shikakuro, Sakumo, Tsunade, and you forty jōnin, coordinate well.
Together we strike against the Hidden Sand."
The meeting ended in a strange atmosphere.
The higher-ups achieved their objectives, but many unexpected things occurred.
The three leaders returned to the Hokage's office.
Not long after, the Yellow Hound Squad Captain delivered a task to Yoru:
The Hokage was furious, he demanded strict surveillance of the Senju clan and Sakumo Hatake, checking whether the two were secretly colluding.
Yoru accepted the mission and left the Hokage building.
Surveilling elite shinobi like Tsunade required subtlety; too many people would blow the cover.
Yoru would work alone.
Sakumo remained in the building with the forty drafted jōnin, studying maps of Land of Wind and Land of Rivers.
The Senju jōnin, Senju Hanaki, Tsunade, and the others, left the building, and Yoru followed.
They entered Konoha Hospital.
Construction crews were working in the courtyard, building a new Outpatient Building No.2, which would be connected to the old one via a skybridge.
The hallway at the end of the old outpatient building had its windows and walls removed, fenced off temporarily, ready to link the two structures.
With so many Senju entering the medical corps, the hospital had run out of space.
These 160 medical-ninja would rotate to the front during war, and work in the hospital during peace.
Yoru examined the director's office, planning how he might infiltrate and gather intel.
Senju Hanaki and Tsunade remained busy from noon until late at night.
Only deep into the night did they finish treating wounded and arranging construction plans.
Inside the director's office, Tsunade stood by the window, staring blankly into the distance.
Senju Hanaki asked:
"Tsunade… was openly challenging the Third Hokage during the meeting really okay?"
Tsunade replied:
"I know Hiruzen. In many ways, he's someone who bullies the soft and fears the strong.
If you act polite and cooperative, he'll keep pushing you. If you resist fiercely, he backs down and seeks compromise. He's good at compromise.
Don't worry, auntie, I've always kept contact with Orochimaru. I have my own forces too. At critical times, even Hiruzen has to yield."
Senju Hanaki asked quietly:
"Can Orochimaru be trusted?"
"He's far more reliable than Jiraiya, that idiot."
Tsunade closed her eyes, remembering many unpleasant things.
"When Hiruzen was my sensei, he was so gentle, so patient with me.
I don't know when it started…
but he and Danzō began acting more and more extreme."