"Grandma, whatever conditions you set, I'll agree to them!" Nawaki was extremely moved by Mito's actions and promised her readily.
Mito nodded, raising her first finger. "First, you can go to the battlefield, but only as a logistics member. You are not allowed on the front lines. This is not negotiable."
"Ah?" This clearly didn't meet Nawaki's expectations, but getting Mito to agree was already a monumental task, so he gritted his teeth. "Okay, I agree."
Mito raised her second finger. "Second, with Kyuushin as your captain, you must fully obey his orders. You are not to act on your own, and you are not to act alone. You must stay by Kyuushin's side and not leave him by even half a step."
"Okay, I agree to that." It was just about following Kyuushin's orders, which he had always done before. Nawaki originally thought this was the last condition, but then Mito raised her third finger.
"Third, come back alive." When she said this, Mito's voice seemed to carry an infinite, unspoken hope.
Nawaki's eyes reddened, and he almost gave up on his desire to go, but he finally choked out, "Grandma, I definitely will!"
Mito nodded, then turned to Tsunade. "You two talk now. I'm tired, so I'm going to rest first." With that, she turned and left.
Tsunade looked at her younger brother, feeling helpless, but since the decision was made, she could only say, "The logistics team still needs to gather. They'll depart in about three days. I'll submit your names, and then you can just leave with the main force."
"What?! Nawaki and the others are also going to the battlefield? Isn't this preposterous?!"
In the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage looked at the list Tsunade had submitted and spoke with great dissatisfaction. Nawaki was not yet twelve. Kyuushin and Minato were even younger, only ten. With the talent they showed now, within three to five years, they would have the strength to stand on their own. Sending such promising youngsters to a perilous battlefield before they had fully matured—wasn't that just absurd? It wasn't as if the village was in a dire crisis. If it were, he might have used all his resources, but now it was just a conflict with the Land of Rain, not even a Great Nation. In the Third Hokage's eyes, it was merely a minor ailment. If three geniuses were lost because of such a war, it would be an unacceptable loss.
"I don't want them to go either," Tsunade said helplessly, "but Grandma also agreed. However, they can only be logistics personnel; they won't be on the front lines. I guess Grandma also wants them to experience the atmosphere of the battlefield." The Third Hokage smoked his pipe, silent, clearly still uneasy.
"Besides," Tsunade added, "under Grandma's tutelage, Kyuushin also has a respectable level of medical ninjutsu, possibly even surpassing most ninja in the village. This is also a relatively scarce skill on the front lines. Once the Rain ninja use new toxins, I will have to spend a lot of time on deciphering them. With Kyuushin there, he can save me a lot of time."
"Alright then." The Third Hokage knew that since Mito had agreed, he couldn't object. However, he put down his pipe, picked up a pen, and added a few more names to the list. When Tsunade saw these names, she was surprised. "These people... are they willing to go?"
The Third Hokage said helplessly, "Nawaki and the others are going, so I have to give them some protection. It's fine, I still have enough influence for that." Tsunade nodded. With these people joining, their safety would undoubtedly have another layer of protection.
"By the way," the Third Hokage instructed, "Jiraiya and Orochimaru have already departed. For this mission, you must also be careful. Hanzō, though from a small nation, has combat power that should not be underestimated." He clearly understood that Hanzō was not someone who would easily compromise. Or rather, Hanzō had been training his troops and preparing supplies ever since the war with the Land of Iron ended, perhaps waiting for this very day.
"I know that," Tsunade nodded, but then she asked with confusion, "But I always feel that the cause of this incident is very strange. If the Land of Rain had originally planned to attack us, why did they only steal some supplies?"
"Heh heh." The Third Hokage smiled. "The fact that you can think of this shows you've made great progress." After a pause, he continued, "It's obvious that behind this incident, some old friends are pulling the strings from the shadows. To be precise, it should be that old fox Onoki who's behind it."
"Ah? Are you saying this raid by the Land of Rain was orchestrated by the Rock ninja?" Tsunade asked, stunned.
"More or less," the Third Hokage nodded. "According to our intelligence, although the Land of Rain defeated the Land of Iron, it hasn't fully digested the fruits of victory. Although we all know Hanzō wants to contend with the Great Nations, he won't make a move easily until he's fully prepared. And what Onoki did was very simple: force Hanzō to engage us prematurely, thereby tying up our energy so that they have an opportunity. It's a pity, otherwise we wouldn't be facing enemies on two fronts."
"Tsk tsk." Tsunade was a bit flabbergasted. She hadn't expected so many twists and turns. "Since this was done by the Rock ninja, why didn't Hanzō just explain it to us?"
"Impossible," the Third Hokage tapped his pipe on the edge of the table. "Hanzō has immense ambition. He wants the Land of Rain to become the Sixth Great Nation, and this dictates that he will not compromise with us. And his ambition is destined not to be tolerated by the Five Great Nations. Even without our intervention, other villages would act. Regardless of the outcome among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Rain is destined not to rise."
Nodding, Tsunade also understood the logic. Suddenly, she remembered the conflict between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth and asked curiously, "Could our hands also be at play between the Rock and Cloud ninja?"
"Of course," the Third Hokage said as a matter of course. "Onoki caused us such big trouble. If we didn't return the favor, it would be an open invitation for others to test our resolve. You must know that the current balance among the Five Great Nations is fragile. If one side shows weakness, it might face a siege from the other four. Since our Konoha has no choice but to engage in battle with the Land of Rain, then naturally we cannot let the other Great Nations remain idle. Now, they are in a state of mutual restraint, which allows us to free up our hands."
"What about the Land of Water?" Tsunade asked.
The Third Hokage frowned. "The Land of Water seems to have been in a state of isolation these past few years. The Third Mizukage seems to be busy with internal strife among the ninja clans in his village and should temporarily have no time to attend to the situation in the wider world."
"Alright then." Tsunade nodded. This conversation had made her clearly understand the current situation, but the most urgent task was to win the current battle first. She was about to leave when a knock on the door sounded.
"Urgent intelligence. Hokage-sama, please review it."
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