Tsunade stripped off her medical gloves. Tossed them aside.
"Poison Enemy Mountain venom." Her voice was flat. Professional. "Under these conditions? No treatment. And I barely understand the toxicology." She looked at Danzō's barely-breathing form. "He's beyond my help."
Beyond anyone's help.
Senju Tobirama had arrived. Which meant Tsunade came too. And Jiraiya—sent by Hiruzen to convince her to broker peace.
(Hiruzen's backup plan. No matter how bloody the war got, eventually they'd have to talk. The "wife route"—surprisingly effective.)
Tsunade hadn't wanted to get involved.
The past ten years? Perfect. Jinghang was faithful—never cheated, never even looked at other women. Generous too. Her shares in Silver Sand Pharmaceuticals, dividends from Gold Sand Entertainment—she could gamble at Crystal Palace for three lifetimes and never run out.
Sunagakure's politics were clean. No backstabbing. No schemes. As First Lady, she had respect. Authority. Her Medical Department let her build something.
And their son. Smart. Beautiful. Theirs.
Best life any kunoichi could ask for.
Then Hiruzen declared war.
Tsunade had wanted to scream.
Are you KIDDING me?!
The declaration's words—"abandoning the shinobi way," "betraying the Sage's legacy"—bullshit. Pure jealousy. They're happy, so let's DESTROY them.
And I'm caught in the MIDDLE.
Sure enough, Sunagakure's council turned cold. Forced her out. "Overseas inspection"—exile by another name. Away from Jinghang. Away from her son.
What the hell kind of—
She'd despised Konoha's leadership for years. Their petty games. Their endless scheming. One reason she'd married into Suna in the first place.
Now? She hated them. Hiruzen. Danzō. All of them.
I hope Jinghang crushes you.
Months in foreign casinos—"studying," officially—and every report of Konoha's defeat made her smile.
Good. Beat them bloody. They deserve it.
But after a year...
Her feelings shifted.
It's still my home.
Konoha's leadership were bastards. But the people? The genin? The civilians?
What did THEY do?
They're the ones suffering. Dying. Leaving orphans behind.
Her heart ached.
Then Tobirama appeared. And Jiraiya.
And Tsunade made her choice.
The Calculation
Jinghang and the Third Raikage were done.
They'd won the Service Area battle. Crushed Konoha's forces. But those stubborn bastards would just keep coming.
Jinghang wasn't afraid of continuing.
But it was pointless.
Destroy Konoha entirely?
Thirty thousand Wind-Cloud troops couldn't do it. If Konoha went full scorched-earth—total mobilization, fight-to-the-last-man desperation—the casualties would be catastrophic.
His advisors had run the numbers: Twenty thousand dead. Minimum.
And that assumed everything went perfectly. No more Moon Lake miracles. No more Lishi massacres.
(Revolutionary tactics only work once. Explosive tag saturation? Konoha copied it within months. Now both sides were back to traditional combat. Equal losses. And the entire ninja world was OUT of tags anyway.)
Even if they won—took the village, killed the Hokage—Suna didn't have the manpower to hold it.
Wind Country isn't even fully secured.
And Iwagakure's been quiet. Too quiet.
Win here, lose there. Stupid.
Jinghang thought of Qin Shi Huang. Unified China. Legendary.
But that took SIX GENERATIONS of buildup.
I've had twelve YEARS.
Can't rush perfection.
The current situation was incredible. Money secured. Konoha humbled. Kiri crippled. Kumo allied. Iwa contained.
Sunagakure was the strongest village in the world.
Quit while you're ahead.
Leave something for the next generation.
Jinghang's voice—amplified by Sage chakra—boomed across the desert.
"CEASE FIRE! NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN NOW!"
Slowly, the fighting stopped.
Shinobi disengaged. Retreated to their lines. Weapons lowered.
Hiruzen dismissed his Adamantine Staff. Wiped sweat from his face.
But now comes the price.
Jinghang never loses a negotiation.
"Right here." Jinghang stamped the sand. "We'll talk here."
"Fine." Hiruzen's voice was tired. "But not under the sun."
"Obviously." Jinghang grinned. "I brought tents. Give everyone an hour to rest." He gestured. "On our side: me, the Raikage, Pain. You?"
Hiruzen glanced at unconscious Danzō.
"Me. And Takikage Amemiya."
Jinghang nodded. Good enough.
"One hour. Then we settle this."
[Political Note: "Wife route" = using Tsunade's dual loyalty as diplomatic leverage. Poison diagnosis = Danzō effectively removed from negotiations. Strategic calculation = Jinghang's cost-benefit analysis shows conquest impractical. Qin Shi Huang parallel = historical context for multi-generational empire building. Ceasefire = both sides exhausted, ready to formalize Suna's dominance.]
[Emotional Arcs: Tsunade's loyalty torn between husband and homeland. Jinghang's pragmatism = victory secured, no need for pyrrhic conquest. Hiruzen's exhaustion = acceptance of defeat. Negotiation setup = winner dictates terms.]
[Power Status: Sunagakure = undisputed #1 village. Konoha = defeated but not destroyed. Future = Suna hegemony for decades, space for next generation's growth.]
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