It wasn't long after Tsunade left that people in the meeting room began to slowly disperse.
Though they had their suspicions beforehand, the news still came as a major shock.
The moment they stepped out of the conference hall, everyone silently acted as if nothing had happened.
At least for now, this was something only Konoha's ninja needed to worry about.
"The news came pretty suddenly," Orochimaru said with deep emotion. That day had finally come.
As key figures among the leadership, the moment Tsunade left, they were immediately swarmed by people asking questions.
After an exhausting round of endless questions, the group finally exited through the meeting hall doors.
"I got the news and called you right away," Kawaki said, just as Shouta had indeed notified them first.
"I was wondering why merchant ships departing from ports in the Land of Lightning suddenly increased recently."
Jiraiya chuckled—it finally explained something that had been bugging him for days.
Tonight, he could finally get some peace.
He couldn't fault the intelligence agents—the Cloud Village's security was rock solid.
If it weren't for Kawaki's secret maneuver, he might've stayed in the dark until reports from the Land of Earth came in.
"Never thought the Cloud would strike the Land of Earth first," Fugaku muttered, looking completely baffled—he really couldn't understand why the Third Raikage didn't target an easier opponent.
Could there be something about the Land of Wind that intimidated him?
"Because he absolutely doesn't take the Sand Village seriously," Orochimaru replied, a glint of sharp insight flickering in his eyes, his tone firm.
As someone who had turned over a new leaf after his past ambitions, he was bold enough to claim this was exactly how the Third Raikage felt.
Even more so, the Raikage wasn't even afraid of the Sand offering aid to the Land of Earth.
If they dared to support the Earth, he'd crush them too.
"Heh~ Nothing more than enjoying shade from trees we planted ourselves," Sakumo shrugged nonchalantly. If the Sand had been at full strength, would the Cloud still be this confident?
"That's true enough."
During the Second Shinobi World War, Shinryu had handled logistics and witnessed firsthand just how thoroughly Konoha had crushed the Sand.
Had things gone differently back then, the modern ninja world probably wouldn't even have a Sand Hidden Village anymore.
"There's no point talking about it."
"We're not next in line yet—might as well relax while we can."
"When things really kick off, we won't have time anymore."
Kawaki smiled with his usual carefree attitude, as unshaken as if mountains hadn't just crumbled before him.
He clearly knew—Konoha, as it stood now, was terrifyingly strong.
Setting aside everything else, they already had far more Kage-level experts than any other village.
The Third Raikage hadn't lost his mind entirely. If he had allied with Akatsuki first and attacked the Land of Fire, Konoha would make sure he learned why those flowers bloomed so red.
"You think everyone has as much free time as me? No way!"
"Forget it—I've got things to do."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes and hurried off—he needed to set up scouts ahead of time to monitor possible battlefields.
To get intel and do nothing about it was unthinkable to him.
"I'm off too—I've got to organize some clan affairs."
"Of course Fugaku knew Konoha would eventually intervene, although not right now—it was just a matter of time.
As the clan leader of Konoha's most prominent family, he couldn't afford to disgrace the Uchiha name.
"Haha, we're all busy people. I'll head back to be with my wife and kids."
Shinryu had no worries at all about the future state of the ninja world. This confidence came from the immense might that Konoha possessed.
Besides, having stepped back from active duty, he certainly wouldn't be among the first sent into battle, so he naturally felt relaxed and carefree.
"When there's a mission, don't forget to call me. I'm outta here."
Dai only spoke after listening patiently until now; he clearly understood his role.
Once Dai turned and walked away, only three remained at the scene.
"You two chat. I still have things to handle."
It wasn't yet time to clock out, and even after finishing the meeting, Sakumo remembered his duties.
"Fine, I'll go check out Orochimaru's lab with him."
Without caring whether Orochimaru liked it or not, Kawaki casually slung an arm over his shoulder like they were best buddies.
The next moment, the two Hatake brothers vanished from the spot almost simultaneously.
"Been a while since I last dropped by."
Kawaki let go of Orochimaru, who looked visibly annoyed, then pushed open the door and walked straight in.
"Bro-in-law."
Misaki, who had been conducting an experiment, lifted her head and saw Kawaki's grinning face.
"You focus on your work. I'll just take a quick look around."
Waving his hand, Kawaki signaled Misaki not to mind him.
"What could you possibly understand?"
"Just browse and then leave quickly."
Orochimaru wasn't mocking—he genuinely looked down on Kawaki.
"I'm staying right here. If you can, make me leave."
Instantly turning into a drama queen, Kawaki pointed his finger against the experiment table, making a 'clack-clack' sound as his expression became arrogantly insufferable.
"Goddammit, you moron."
Orochimaru burst out laughing in frustration. The last time he'd felt this speechless was… well, the last time already.
"You're the idiot."
"Any new projects lately?"
Unfamiliar with the "fight for supremacy" reference, Orochimaru didn't get the joke, so Kawaki gave up.
"There is actually a fresh idea I've been toying with."
After their joking around, the atmosphere gradually returned to normal between them. Misaki had long grown accustomed to these interactions.
Kawaki didn't respond immediately, instead fixing his eyes firmly on Orochimaru, his gaze burning with curiosity.
"Through my research, I've found that the Tailed Beasts might very well share a common origin."
As soon as Orochimaru spoke those words, Kawaki shuddered in shock.
Among the entire ninja world, aside from Zetsu, practically only Madara and himself knew the legend of the Ten-Tails. Even Fugaku likely hadn't seen the part about the Ten-Tails engraved on the stone tablet at Naka Shrine.
This chapter isn't finished yet—more exciting content follows!
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade – please bookmark: (m.
"Cough cough, you're truly… crazy."
At a loss for words, Kawaki struggled momentarily to describe his astonishment. Orochimaru really was frighteningly brilliant.
"Haha~ Just a little theory of mine."
"Lately, I've been trying to fuse existing Tailed Beast cells together. Don't know what results I'll get yet."
Orochimaru said it offhandedly, treating the whole experiment as if it were merely a casual hobby.
"Wishing you fail."
"You can't get pearls from a pig's snout. Scram already."
Driven away relentlessly by Orochimaru, Kawaki finally left."
Back at home, Kawaki remained deep in thought. If Orochimaru truly fused all nine Tailed Beast cells together, would he obtain the Ten-Tails' cell? Could he create an artificial Jinchūriki like the reanimated Burubi?
If that were really possible, it would be beyond imagination. The power of the Ten-Tails was on a completely different level from regular Tailed Beasts.
Kawaki himself couldn't tell whether he felt excited or frightened—he was just emotionally stirred up. He didn't know how much time had passed before he snapped out of his thoughts.
Right now, Orochimaru only held the cells of five Tailed Beasts. They hadn't even gathered them all yet, let alone successfully fuse them.
Thinking about this, Kawaki sighed and decided not to add more worries for himself.
"Dad, dinner's ready."
After zoning out for a while, Ginji jogged over to stand in front of Kawaki.
"Okay."
Kawaki responded while getting up, ruffling Ginji's hair. Father and son walked together toward the dining room.
During dinner, it was only natural that the upcoming war came up at the table.
"That old midget Ōnoki's got it coming this time,"
"Hehe~ Just thinking about it makes me happy."
Tsunade openly showed her emotions at home—she really was delighted. She'd never been known for being forgiving.
"If Nagato goes all-out…" Kawaki shook his head without finishing the sentence. Even imagining it made him feel for Ōnoki.
Luckily for him, Nagato was on Kawaki's side. Once Ōnoki found out, he'd surely want to 'thank' Kawaki properly.
"There's no one to blame for that."
Sakumo took another bite of rice, speaking calmly. He hadn't forgotten the trouble Iwagakure ninjas had once brought him.
"They definitely deserve a good lesson."
Minato agreed, then returned to his battle with the delicious food.
"Auntie, when things start, I wanna go to the battlefield for some training."
With great courage, Kakashi locked eyes with Tsunade. He knew that his aunt carried considerable weight in such decisions.
Sakumo glanced up briefly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
That's my son!!!
"Isn't it too early?"
Before Tsunade could respond, Natsuki spoke up.
She knew Kakashi was more than capable and understood a ninja's responsibilities, but she couldn't help but worry anyway.
"When you were my age, Senior Minato, weren't you already on the battlefield?"
Kakashi used Minato as leverage against his mother. Natsuki found herself momentarily speechless.
If she continued, it would sound like she thought Kakashi wasn't as capable as Minato had been at ten.
"It's good to have that kind of courage. I won't interfere—you can listen to your aunt's decision."
Sakumo unusually gave generous support, although clearly confident about the outcome.
"We haven't reached a point where we need children fighting on the battlefield yet."
Tsunade feigned hesitation, frowning. With years of development, Konoha now boasted elite troops and skilled commanders.
"I'm not a child anymore!"
"I've already achieved Jonin-level strength!"
Kakashi proudly declared, raising his voice.
"That doesn't change the fact that you're ten years old."
Although Tsunade had often marveled at Kakashi's genius before, she had long grown numb to it by now.
To Kawaki, Kakashi becoming a Jonin at ten made perfect sense—White Fang was still alive, and he'd been mentored by many Kage-level shinobi.
"In the ninja world, it's strength that matters, not age. What difference does youth make?"
Kakashi argued passionately, so much so that he stopped eating altogether.
"Yeah yeah, we get it. You're strong."
"Stick with Senior Minato when things get serious."
Kawaki couldn't be bothered to keep watching Tsunade play around with the kids. With Kakashi's current strength, he should be capable of fighting alongside Minato on the battlefield.
"Yay~ Uncle, I love you!"
Kakashi leapt joyfully into the air.
"Then~ Papa, I wanna come too!"
Ginji made his request immediately. Even going all out, Kakashi wasn't certain he could beat Ginji.
"Everyone's going, everyone's going."
"You'll be sticking with your uncle then."
Without hesitation, Kawaki gave his immediate approval.
He well understood: a pine tree won't survive a thousand years in a greenhouse, nor will a courtyard ever breed a champion steed.
"Yay~ Papa rocks!!!"
Ginji gave Kakashi a high-five and whooped excitedly — obviously, they'd been plotting this together.
This inevitable war? What was top secret to everyone else was already common knowledge between the two of them.
"You really are decisive."
"This time we'll see how you perform. Don't disappoint Konoha."
Tsunade shot Kawaki a sharp glare, though her final words were clearly meant for Minato.
Clearly hinting at something more!!!
That '-men' suffix, of course, was referring to Nawaki.
"Understood, Teacher's wife."
Minato gave a solemn nod. His dream had never left him.
...
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade – Please bookmark (m.