At that time, inside the central command, Kumogakure's elite strike force had been decimated. Even though the survivors managed to pull back toward their own lines eventually after that, Orochimaru had also drawn Konoha's wider forces into a coordinated push, making it possible to drive Kumo all the way back toward the Land of Frost area.
Orochimaru was in a rare good mood, his serpentine smile sharper than usual.
Tsunade, by contrast, looked tired and feigned laziness.
Ryusei, however, was quietly satisfied.
He had revealed his strength and means not just in front of the central command but across the wider battlefield now.
Orochimaru's golden eyes slid from Tsunade to Ryusei, his lips curving into that unsettling smile.
"Mm… what a satisfying outcome. Kumo's pride wounded, Yugakure in our hands. Not a bad day."
Tsunade stretched her shoulders, stifling a yawn. "You look way too pleased for someone who nearly got skewered by the Raikage. If it wasn't for me keeping the line together, you'd be smiling from a coffin."
Her tone was sharp, but her exhaustion bled through it.
Ryusei, leaning on a broken wall, smirked. "Don't be modest, Tsunade. We all know you carried half this front by yourself. Commander is just pretending it was all his genius."
Orochimaru's chuckle was low and dry. "Pretending? My, Ryusei comrade, you've grown bold. Perhaps that battlefield taste suits you. Still… it seems today you earned your share of credit. Konoha's shinobi have already started whispering your name alongside ours."
Ryusei tilted his head, grin narrowing his eyes into slits. "Whispers are good. Whispers spread."
Tsunade shot him a look. "Don't get cocky. You've still got a long way to go before you can stand with either of us."
He only chuckled, rubbing the back of his head where her earlier punches still throbbed.
"Maybe so. But being called the third most responsible for this victory? I'll take that."
Orochimaru's gaze lingered on him a little longer, the smile not fading. "Third most responsible… hm. Yes. That sounds about right."
Orochimaru's gaze lingered on the two of them, his smile curling wider.
"Not only Ryusei… but you as well, Tsunade. You were truly the most pivotal this time around; Konoha should be very proud of you, hehe. I expected something from you, of course, but you still managed to surprise even me today. That method of transferring chakra through your slug fragments… even I hadn't quite imagined you would perfect it to that extent."
He spoke softly, but there was weight beneath his words.
In truth, Orochimaru had tracked Tsunade's progress far more closely than anyone else, over the years, closer even than Jiraiya probably.
Where others dismissed her as a healer in the background, among the Sanin, he always observed her without judgment due to his insight.
He had already guessed, back in the Second War when their bond was still at its strongest, that she was quietly pursuing some dangerous form of bodily fuinjutsu that would store her chakra over time passively.
And so, by this war, he logically suspected she might finally have perfected it.
That was why he tested Ryusei first, then pressed Tsunade directly, baiting her to reveal it.
His suspicions were confirmed when she not only sidestepped denying it in their pre-war conversation but later used it outright before everyone's eyes.
And of course, he hadn't forgotten Katsuyu. Orochimaru remembered well from the last war that the strange slug had unique properties for transmitting chakra.
It didn't take much to connect the dots then: if Tsunade had truly mastered her Yin Seal, then she could channel it through those fragments in massive amounts to countless shinobi.
He had long theorized it was possible. If she could pull it off, it would be a game-changing weapon this time. And now it was proven. His vision worked again.
Kumo had charged in at full strength with no preparation for such an advantage, only to have their full throttle collapse back on them spectacularly next, finally not only pushing off all that pressure from the last 6 months from his shoulders, but gaining a huge reputation.
Tsunade met his gaze, arms folded, her brow furrowed. "Don't make it sound like I was putting on a show for you. I didn't master this for your amusement, but to help people."
Still, inside, she was shaken.
She hadn't seen Orochimaru fight seriously since the Second War, when they last fought side by side.
She had grown since then, but so had he.
Strong enough now to hold the legendary Third Raikage in check, alone, for so long.
That was no small feat.
'Jiraiya…' She couldn't help but think of her other peculiar teammate, fighting on another front, and wonder how he was doing, how much he had grown by now.
Yet she also couldn't ignore what else she sensed here in Orochimaru.
His chakra nature was darker than before.
Sharper, colder, and driven by ambitions he didn't bother to hide anymore.
Her eyes flicked toward Ryusei for a moment.
Half a day of watching them together made something clear: Orochimaru and Ryusei moved, spoke, and now even needled one another like men who had known each other far longer than Ryusei admitted.
Their ease wasn't just familiarity; it was as if Orochimaru himself had already marked him out, elevating him in a way their current ranks and strength shouldn't have allowed. For what reason, Tsunade couldn't tell.
But Tsunade didn't blame him.
A boy pressed so close to death, over and over, would chase any avenue that increased his chances of survival.
Of course, he would reach for Orochimaru, eventually, too.
Even if he might have known what kind of man it was.
But it wasn't worth scolding him over, not now.
As for Ryusei's own chakra?
Tsunade didn't even try to parse it.
His sensory ability had been sharper than hers from the day they met.
She knew when she was outmatched.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, suddenly chuckled, golden eyes narrowing with amusement. "I wonder," he drawled, "whether our teacher would be happy or sad about this battlefield result."
The grin stretched wider, and Tsunade, for once, didn't argue.
She understood immediately what he meant. Hiruzen probably wouldn't be happy at all, because the three of them were also involved and most responsible for it happening.
Ryusei said nothing, just grinning, before they all talked some more and split to rest.
Yet as they walked in the same direction out of the ruined streets, Tsunade suddenly sighed.
Her voice was quieter than usual.
"Do you really have to go?"
Her words weren't casual.
She had already confirmed before somehow that he and Orochimaru had arranged another deal, this time to send Ryusei somewhere else, for reasons neither of them explained fully.
Ryusei nodded easily. "Yeah. There are other opportunities I can grab on the other fronts. If I want to survive, I need even more leverage. It is never a good idea to remain static for someone in my position, Tsunade."
Tsunade's lips pressed tight. She bit down lightly, her plump lip caught in her teeth, eyes narrowing with an expression Ryusei hadn't seen often: worry. "Then I'll go with you."
He met her gaze, slit eyes softening for a moment. Inside, he was strangely happy she was this connected to him already. Out loud, though, he kept his voice even. "You can't. We just pulled off the first push here. If you leave now, before it's cemented, the merit might slip through your fingers. Orochimaru can hold this front on his own against the Raikage and his sons once it's settled. But right now? You need to stay and lock it down. Once it's stable, the southern fronts will be the most pressed. That's where I'll head. That's where the medical corps will be needed, too. We'll meet again there."
Her jaw clenched, but she didn't argue further. Instead, she looked away, voice turning quieter. "You… really are troublesome."
Still, she hesitated, then blurted, almost embarrassed, "Fine. But we can stay in contact through Katsuyu. If you're in trouble, I'll know. I can even continue to send chakra to you through the summoning link, through Katsuyu..."
Despite the dark around them, Ryusei could swear she was blushing.
Her face had softened, almost like that of a younger girl.
Internally, Ryusei laughed at himself.
'Like a damn gigolo, 'sponsored by this legendary kunoichi,' he thought dryly.
But outwardly, he only smiled faintly.
"I already feel bad enough draining you anymore. Also, you burned through a chunk of your seal today as well. Save it. My 'special training' with it hit diminishing returns anyway; it's time to stop pushing that way already."
She still didn't look convinced. "…Then at least promise this. I'll always keep a few fragments fully charged and stored in Shikkotsu. If you're ever running low on chakra, during some dangerous situations, summon them. That way, you'll always have another reliable backup."
This time, Ryusei nodded more seriously. "Alright. That much, I'll promise. And thank you."
Her care actually touched him, more than he expected, and his grin softened.
"And don't pout, I'm not leaving tonight. I'll stay a few days. Need to coordinate with Orochimaru first, settle everything before I move on."
Tsunade's pride kicked back in immediately. She tossed her hair and snorted, like she hadn't shown worry at all. "Hmph. Go where you want, brat. I don't care."
But as she turned to leave, she added,
"During these days, I'll help you inscribe your own Yin Seal."
Ryusei watched her go, his grin lingering.
'You're not caring? Or caring?' he thought.
Yet deep down, he knew the truth.
Tsunade had already become the most important person in his life, simply because of how much she had done for him, so selflessly, despite how little time they had actually known each other. In truth, that kind of bond was very rare, even more for someone like him.
Not a battery. Not just an S-rank beauty with golden hair and dangerous fists.
But his closest person, the one who had already broken through all the walls he'd built around himself. He thought of that as he turned toward his own quarters for the rest.