---
Tsunade stopped mid-stride and glanced back at Hanekawa. "What's the situation?"
"No pursuers within five kilometers," Hanekawa replied, eyes closed as he maintained the Yamanaka clan's perception technique. The chakra expenditure was significant, but thorough. He made a mental note to ask about Kagura's Mind's Eye sometime—that technique sounded absolutely broken. Tens of kilometers? Yeah, that's nightmare fuel.
"The Hidden Rain hasn't identified us," Tsunade confirmed, turning to regard Konan with something approaching sympathy. "Your organization's position just became considerably more complicated."
Konan's expression remained composed, though Hanekawa caught the slight tension in her shoulders. Losing four jonin in a single operation was catastrophic for any village, let alone a small one. The Hidden Rain would need someone to blame.
"We understand," Konan said quietly. She bowed with genuine gratitude. "Without your intervention, I would have been the only one escaping. Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Tsunade waved dismissively. "Get your people to safety. The Hidden Rain's retaliation will come soon."
Konan nodded and departed with the Akatsuki members, her paper wings unfurling as she took to the air. The rest of the organization followed as best they could on foot.
Tsunade watched them go, her expression unreadable. "Pity," she murmured.
"What is?" Hanekawa asked.
"Their ideals are beautiful," Tsunade sighed. "But they can't beat Hanzo. Not without something extraordinary."
Hanekawa nodded slowly. Without the Rinnegan, Akatsuki was outmatched. The path ahead for them would be brutal—Yahiko's death, Nagato's crippling, the transformation into something darker. Unless circumstances changed.
"What's your assessment of Hanzo?" Hanekawa asked carefully.
Tsunade considered this. "Dangerous. Ambitious. Skilled." She glanced toward the Hidden Rain's direction. "He's the only reason a small village can challenge the Five Great Villages. That Salamander of his is a legitimate war asset."
And he's exactly the kind of threat that keeps Hiruzen up at night, Hanekawa thought. Which means Danzo's probably already scheming in the shadows.
"They can't defeat Hanzo," Hanekawa said slowly, "but they could contain him. Keep the Hidden Rain occupied with internal threats."
Tsunade turned to face him fully, eyebrow raised.
"We could supply them," Hanekawa continued. "Information, resources. Nothing that directly implicates Konoha. Just enough to let them survive longer, stay relevant as a counterbalance."
Understanding dawned on Tsunade's face. She was quiet for a long moment, then: "You're thinking like a Hokage."
Oh no. Not that line. Hanekawa's expression flickered. That exact phrase had been said about Itachi in the original timeline, and it had meant something very different then. I'm twelve. This shouldn't be shocking.
But the strategy itself was sound—borrowed from proxy wars he remembered from his previous life. The real genius of it, though, was that it would expose Danzo's operations in the Land of Rain. Hiruzen was too lenient with that man. If Tsunade knew what Root was actually doing out there, she'd force the old man's hand.
"What do you think?" Hanekawa asked, testing the waters.
"It's viable," Tsunade admitted. "Low risk, potential high reward. But will Akatsuki accept aid from Konoha?"
"Have Uncle Jiraiya approach them," Hanekawa suggested. "He spent three years in the Land of Rain. He has connections."
Tsunade's lips curved upward. "You're really determined to make me Hokage again, aren't you?"
Caught. "That's not—"
"Don't bother lying." She was already moving toward the carriage. "We're telling the old man together. Let's go."
Hanekawa followed, suppressing a smile. Sometimes the best plans were the ones that looked like they weren't plans at all.
---
The journey back to Konoha took five days. They encountered resistance only once—a small group of bandits who clearly hadn't heard that attacking a Sannin was a poor life choice. Kido Eiji departed with his caravan upon arrival, his A-Rank mission complete.
"Rest up," Tsunade told Sakumo and the others. "Hanekawa and I are reporting to the Hokage."
No one objected.
Once they were alone, Tsunade stretched with obvious satisfaction. "The Leaf Village really is better."
Hanekawa tried very hard not to notice how that stretch emphasized certain anatomical facts. Focus. Mission report. Hokage. Don't think about—
"After we hand this in, we're hitting the casino," Tsunade announced cheerfully.
"You've been traveling for over a week," Hanekawa pointed out. "Don't you want to rest?"
"A week is nothing." She glanced at him with amusement. "Don't underestimate your teacher."
"Yes, Teacher. But I'm tired."
"Then come rest at the casino." Her grin was pure mischief. "You won't be able to do anything there anyway."
Because you won't let me, he thought but didn't say.
---
The Hokage's office door swung open with more force than necessary.
Hiruzen looked up from his pipe with mild irritation. "Must you be so dramatic?"
"Mission complete. Pay up," Tsunade said, holding out her hand.
Hiruzen produced a passbook and tossed it over. "Where's the report?"
"Didn't write one."
"Of course you didn't." He sighed deeply. "What happened?"
"We encountered the Akatsuki organization," Tsunade said, pocketing the passbook without checking it. "The group Jiraiya's students founded in the Land of Rain."
Hiruzen's expression sharpened. "Why didn't he inform me?"
"Never mind that." Tsunade waved dismissively. "I want Konoha to support them. Supply them, feed them intelligence. Let them tie down Hanzo and the Hidden Rain."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up with understanding. "A proxy conflict. Keep our enemies occupied with each other."
"Exactly."
"This is sound strategy," Hiruzen admitted. "Though I'm surprised to hear it from you."
"It was Hanekawa's idea," Tsunade said without hesitation.
Hiruzen looked at the boy with genuine surprise. Hanekawa met his gaze calmly, though internally he was already bracing for—
Tsunade's foot came down on his, hard.
Ow. Seriously?
He smiled without changing expression.
Hiruzen pretended not to notice. "Have you exposed your identities?"
"No," Tsunade said, already pulling Hanekawa toward the door.
"Remember the mission report—"
"Tell Sakumo!" Her voice echoed back as she disappeared.
Hiruzen set down his pipe and smiled to himself. Tsunade had changed since Nawaki's death. She'd been drifting, content to waste away. But now? Now she was plotting against the Hidden Rain, taking initiative, engaging with the world again.
The boy was good for her. Better than good.
---
The Konoha Casino was exactly as Hanekawa remembered: loud, smoky, and full of people making terrible financial decisions.
Tsunade settled at a gambling table with the focus of a general planning a siege. Hanekawa sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.
"Sleep if you want," she said, not looking away from the cards.
"How could I sleep here?"
"You managed before."
Because I was in your arms, he thought but didn't say. "I'm not tired. Don't worry about me."
She nodded and returned her attention to the game, losing steadily and not caring one bit.
Hanekawa closed his eyes and practiced the Mind's Eye, letting his perception expand. The dice trajectories became clear—he could track their movement with precision. The ninja in this world really are something else. No cheating needed when you have chakra-enhanced senses.
But Tsunade didn't need tricks either. If she wanted to win, she could. The fact that she kept losing meant she genuinely enjoyed the gamble itself, not the victory.
Interesting woman, he thought, settling in for a long evening of watching his teacher lose money with a smile on her face.
---
In the Hidden Cloud, the Third Raikage received his intelligence report with interest.
"The Third Kazekage is dead?" he asked Dodai.
"Confirmed," the intelligence officer replied. "The Hidden Sand is fragmenting. Three factions competing for succession—Rasa with his Magnet Style, Pakura with her Scorch Style, and Elder Fuyoshi."
The Raikage stood, eyes gleaming with possibility. "We could exploit this. Intensify their internal conflict. Assassinate one of the candidates, blame another faction—"
"Precisely, Lord Raikage," Mabui interjected smoothly. "If we disguise our operatives as Pakura's subordinates and eliminate Rasa, the resulting chaos will cripple the Hidden Sand for years."
The Third Raikage smiled. "See to it."
In the distance, the Hidden Sand teetered on the edge of collapse, unaware that the Hidden Cloud had already begun pushing.
The Ninja World was shifting. Alliances were forming. Enemies were multiplying.
And in a casino in Konoha, a twelve-year-old boy with a system and a Sannin teacher watched the dice fall, completely unaware of the storms gathering on the horizon.
Well, Hanekawa thought as Tsunade lost another hand, at least I've got front-row seats to the chaos.
---
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