"Tsunade, you went too far this time."
In the Konoha main camp, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his student, who stood before him with a blank, defiant expression. He kept his face stern.
On the surface, this battle had been a massive success—hundreds of Iwa shinobi had been wiped out, morale was soaring, and the village was well-prepared for the coming clash. But Tsunade's reckless gamble was something he could not condone as a leader.
It was only by pure luck that Sakumo Hatake had arrived with reinforcements in time. Had he been a moment later, it wasn't just a question of whether Tsunade and Minato could have escaped; Choza Akimichi, who had pushed himself to the brink by consuming the Red Chili Pill and entering Butterfly Mode, would have been dead with a ninety-nine percent certainty.
If the future head of the Akimichi clan had fallen because of his student's impulsive actions, Hiruzen wouldn't have known how to face his lifelong friends in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Furthermore, a deeper concern weighed on Hiruzen's mind: Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had all recently acted on their own whims, disregarding direct orders. If every shinobi began operating based on their own internal moral compass instead of the chain of command, the village's order—and the Hokage's authority—would be utterly undermined.
He had to use the potentially disastrous consequences of Tsunade's mission, combined with the recent setbacks faced by Orochimaru and Jiraiya, as a cautionary tale to suppress this "unruly wind" sweeping through his ranks.
"Do you have any idea how severe the fallout would have been if Choza had actually died because of you?!"
Seeing the flicker of guilt in Tsunade's eyes despite her "cool" and stubborn exterior, Hiruzen's tone softened slightly, though his words remained sharp.
At the mention of Choza—who was still unconscious—Tsunade's mask finally slipped, her expression wavering. In this entire ordeal, the only ones she truly felt she owed an apology to were Minato and Choza.
"It's a good thing you were clever enough to have that sharp kid, Hatani, run back for help. Otherwise, even I wouldn't be able to shield you from the consequences this time."
Knowing Tsunade's temperament, Hiruzen knew when to stop pushing. Shifting the topic before she could snap back, he brought up the boy who had played a pivotal role in the rescue.
"Speaking of Hatani, he's been racking up achievements lately, and his strength is certainly up to par. Don't you think it's time we considered promoting him to Chunin?"
Hearing Hiruzen mention Hatani, Tsunade finally broke her silence. However, it was clear she was grasping at the topic just to change the subject. She wanted to escape her teacher's "sermonizing" as quickly as possible.
"Hmph. I have my own plans for that. You just worry about heading back and reflecting on your own mistakes," Hiruzen grunted, easily seeing through her clumsy deflection.
Tsunade curled her lip but didn't argue. She turned and left with her usual flair, heading toward the makeshift field hospital.
Given how "wildly" she had behaved and the fact that casualties would inevitably spike once the full-scale war began, Hiruzen had effectively "exiled" her to the medical tents the moment she returned. Though, as the greatest medical ninja in the world, it was simply a matter of putting the right person in the right place.
"Sigh..."
Watching Tsunade walk away without even a parting courtesy, Hiruzen let out a long, weary sigh. Feeling the onset of a headache, he habitually reached for his pipe and placed it in his mouth, hoping the nicotine would soothe his nerves.
His three students were brilliant—the pride of his life. But sometimes, they were a bit too brilliant for their own good.
However, once the frustration with his students settled, he found himself frowning again as he considered Tsunade's suggestion about Hatani's promotion.
By any standard, he should have promoted Hatani to Chunin the moment the boy returned from the Land of Rain. Hatani's strength was sufficient to kill an Iwa Jonin, and he had completed at least two A-rank missions. No one would have questioned the promotion.
The reason Hiruzen had delayed it wasn't out of spite; rather, the "Professor" had his own little calculations.
To Hiruzen, this current war was a complex game of shadows. Initially, only Konoha and Suna were involved, while Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri watched from the sidelines like hungry wolves. Predictably, as the war neared its end, Iwa couldn't resist jumping in.
But in Hiruzen's tactical estimation, unless a major catastrophe occurred, the conflict between Konoha and Iwa would ultimately end in a peace treaty. Even though he and Onoki had mobilized nearly ten thousand shinobi for this confrontation, they were both wary of the still-silent Kumo and Kiri. The massive buildup was likely a show of force that would end in minor skirmishes rather than a total war of attrition.
Based on this logic, Hiruzen had already planned the first major event for the post-war era:
The Joint Chunin Exams.
He intended to invite Konoha's allies—Suna and Ame—as well as the restless Kumo and Kiri to a grand tournament in the Leaf. It would be a way to showcase Konoha's military might and "deter" Kumo and Kiri from making any sudden moves.
And Hatani, with strength far exceeding his peers, was the "genius" Hiruzen had earmarked to be that deterrent. He wanted Hatani to be the dark horse who would crush the prodigies of other villages and solidify Konoha's reputation.
This was why he had agreed to let Hatani join Tsunade's squad. He wanted the boy to "gain experience" and mature through the hardships of war, only to burst onto the scene during the exams.
But plans rarely survive contact with reality.
He had intended for Hatani to finish this mission and then remain under the protection of the main army to "observe" the war from safety. Now, he realized the situation had spiraled out of his control.
Because of Tsunade's stubbornness, her squad had become the catalyst for the annihilation of hundreds of Iwa shinobi. Hatani, as the member who successfully broke through the encirclement to bring reinforcements, was the linchpin of that victory.
Furthermore, during the subsequent relief effort with Sakumo's kenjutsu unit, Hatani had personally slain several Iwa Chunin and over a dozen Genin, earning the glowing praise of everyone—including the White Fang himself.
Hiruzen realized with a grimace that he could no longer suppress the momentum of Hatani's promotion.
He could technically find excuses to delay it, but with the real battle against Iwa looming, failing to reward such blatant merit would damage his own image and tank the army's morale.
After weighing the pros and cons, he finally made his decision.
"Summon Namikaze Hatani to see me."
The future was important, but for now, he had to take care of the present.