The night was quiet, the sky stretched wide with stars scattered across it like faint lights.
In the still air, only one sound stood out, a faint hissing from Shukaku. The small tailed beast kept leaning toward the flask of sake in Hayashi's hand, clearly curious and trying to sneak a taste whenever it could.
Nawaki sat on a small stool nearby and let out a soft sigh.
"If only this war could end sooner."
When he was younger, Nawaki used to dream about battlefields. Now that he had seen enough of them, he wished for nothing more than peace.
Hayashi took a slow sip of the sake, which felt more like a mild drink than anything strong, then casually handed it toward Shukaku.
"It is not easy, but we did win this round. That alone gives us momentum. Peace will not be far off if things keep going like this."
Nawaki gave a small smile.
"Yeah. Even the Iwagakure commander Roshi has been captured. The Third Tsuchikage will not be able to hold out much longer at this rate."
He paused, then added with a quieter tone.
"It has been a while since I saw my sister. If things continue smoothly, we might be able to regroup with her soon."
Hayashi gave a slight nod.
He stood up and walked a few steps toward an open stretch outside the camp, his gaze lifting toward the distant direction of the Land of Grass.
---
At the same time, in the Konoha encampment in the Land of Grass, the night was just as still.
After a day of intense fighting against Iwagakure, both sides had suffered heavy losses, and the battlefield had settled into another uneasy standoff.
This kind of situation was not new here. The war in the Land of Grass had never been stable.
Unlike the other fronts, this one had started later. By the time the Third Tsuchikage declared war, Konoha's forces were already stretched thin across multiple battlefields.
The Land of Wind front was already consuming a large portion of manpower. At the same time, the Land of Lightning was watching closely, and the Hidden Cloud Village remained the strongest of the great nations in raw military power.
Because of that, the forces assigned to the Land of Grass were limited from the beginning.
Under those conditions, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had assigned his son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, as commander of this front.
Within Shinnosuke's division, apart from civilian ninja, the strongest contributions came from the Sarutobi clan and the Shimura clan.
The Sarutobi clan's presence was expected since Shinnosuke belonged to it. As the future heir of the clan, supported by the elders, he was trusted to avoid major mistakes on the battlefield.
What stood out more was the Shimura clan's involvement.
That arrangement did not come directly from Hiruzen. It was Danzo, the head of the Shimura clan, who personally placed his clan under Shinnosuke's command.
When Danzo made that decision, Hiruzen had been deeply moved. He almost took Danzo's hand and, in his own exaggerated way, celebrated their so called lifelong bond.
But Danzo's decision was not based on sentiment.
There were practical reasons behind it.
First, Danzo himself was commanding in the Land of Hot Springs front. If his clan members were under his direct control, he would be forced to lead them into the most dangerous positions to maintain appearances of fairness. Without them under his command, he could avoid scrutiny while still achieving results elsewhere.
Second, Danzo needed military achievements. A large amount of them.
He was competing for the position of Hokage, and war contributions were essential.
By splitting opportunities across multiple fronts, both his personal command and his clan's performance could generate results. Two sets of achievements were always better than one.
He had also avoided sending them under Orochimaru's direct command, wary of how unpredictable that front could become.
Shinnosuke, on the other hand, was a safer choice. As the Hokage's son and someone tied closely to both clans, he would not easily mistreat Shimura clan members.
In theory, it was a controlled and profitable arrangement.
But reality did not go as planned.
Danzo remained stuck in the Land of Hot Springs front, and the Land of Grass had become far more unstable than expected.
One major reason was the rapid defeat on the Land of Water front, which triggered a chain reaction across the war.
Ōnoki, reacting to the shifting situation, withdrew forces originally meant to contain the Hidden Cloud Village and redirected them to reinforce other battlefields.
The balance in the Land of Grass collapsed almost overnight.
It was only when Tsunade arrived with three thousand Konoha ninja that the situation was finally stabilized to some degree.
---
Inside the Konoha encampment, lights burned late into the night.
Tsunade entered the tent with tired steps after finishing another round of surgery. Her face showed clear exhaustion.
Nono had been assigned to the Land of Earth, and Kana was stationed in the Land of Hot Springs. Without their help, Tsunade had to handle both command duties and frontline medical work.
Most of her time after meetings was spent inside the field hospital.
Inside the tent, Kushina was already half asleep, her head resting on her hands.
Her red hair hung slightly damp near her cheeks, sticking lightly from sweat and recent cleanup after battle.
On the battlefield, maintaining hygiene was essential. After a day of combat, most ninja were covered in blood and dirt, and without proper cleaning, infections would spread quickly.
Fortunately, the camp had Water Release ninja, so water supply was not an issue.
Tsunade pulled up a chair and sat across from Kushina, picking up a report she had not finished earlier.
Her eyes briefly shifted toward the young girl wearing a jonin vest that still felt slightly oversized on her.
Even Tsunade had to admit, Kushina adapted quickly. From nervousness at the beginning to steady composure now, her growth was noticeable.
That was the Uzumaki clan for you. Strong instincts, strong resilience.
Kushina stirred slightly, then opened her eyes.
"Sister Tsunade, you are back," she said, still groggy. "Is morning already? I will go prepare breakfast."
She immediately stood up.
Tsunade facepalmed.
"It is still night. What breakfast are you talking about?"
"Oh."
Kushina rubbed her face, trying to wake herself properly.
Tsunade glanced at her and asked softly.
"Why are you still awake?"
"I was waiting for you."
"You were waiting this late?"
Tsunade tried to sound annoyed, but her tone softened despite herself.
Waiting up just to see her return, it was an oddly warm feeling.
She sighed lightly.
"Do not do that again. Staying up late is not good for you, even if you are worried about me."
Kushina yawned again.
"But you said there would be a battle report from the Land of Earth tonight and told me to wait."
"If not for that, I would have been asleep already."
Tsunade paused for a moment, then went quiet.
===
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