Chapter 223: Minato’s Worries, Tsunade Receives the News

"One or two times is tolerable, but after repeatedly being pushed like this, anyone would snap. I wouldn't be able to hold back either," Minato said with a sigh.

"It seems this is somehow connected to the Uchiha. I heard it all started with the Elder Council," Uchiha Mikoto added, frustrated.

But there wasn't much she could do. She didn't have the power to intervene in such matters, so all she could do was silently support Takuya from behind.

"Damn it!!"

Because of Takuya's influence and his knowledge of the darker side of things, Nawaki had long since lost any respect for the members of the Elder Council. Hearing this just made him curse under his breath, mentally berating Koharu and the others countless times.

Unfortunately, no matter how angry he was, it didn't change anything. Even if he wasn't injured, there wasn't much he could do about the situation.

"My sister should be back in a few days. When she returns, I'll have her give those people a good scolding. They're always targeting someone, stirring up trouble for no reason."

I can't do anything, but my sister sure can! When she gets back, they'll be sorry.

It was probably for the best that Tsunade wasn't around to hear Nawaki say these things. If she had, she'd definitely give him a good smack for his cheekiness.

After all, there's truth in the saying: "It's best to discipline your brother early."

"What did you bring to eat? It smells so good~ I'm starving," Nawaki said, finally letting go of his worries about Takuya's resignation after being reassured it wouldn't go through.

Only then did he realize he hadn't eaten all day, too preoccupied with worrying about Takuya.

Kushina, ever thoughtful, opened the food box, saying, "Takuya told me that your blood levels are low. Eating more venison and drinking the broth will help replenish your blood and speed up your recovery."

"Hehe, I knew Takuya wouldn't forget about me," Nawaki chuckled. "This is delicious."

Since Nawaki was unable to feed himself, Kushina had to help, feeding him directly. No one thought twice about it—after all, they were practically like siblings.

Besides, everyone in Konoha knew that Kushina had eyes only for Takuya, the handsome white-haired guy.

After a few bites of venison and some broth, Nawaki felt much better, his body warming up from the inside.

As he ate, he noticed Minato had been unusually quiet ever since they entered the hospital room.

"Minato, why aren't you saying anything?" Nawaki asked.

"Yeah, you've been acting strange since we were at Takuya's house. Your face looked off too," Kushina chimed in, now remembering Minato's odd behavior and pressing him for answers.

Uchiha Mikoto also turned her gaze toward Minato.

Under the pressure of their collective stares, Minato scratched his head in frustration.

"You've all known Takuya for a long time now. Haven't you noticed his personality? Even if today's situation gets resolved, if anything happens later, with Takuya's temperament, he's not the type to stay quiet. I'm worried he might end up doing something drastic… like leaving the village."

"Then let him leave! If he's really fed up, he should—" Kushina started but abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

Leaving the village?

The implications hit her like a ton of bricks.

Leaving the village meant becoming a rogue ninja.

"Clatter!"

The food box fell to the floor, scattering the venison and broth everywhere. But no one was paying attention to the mess. All eyes were now on Minato.

"Don't talk nonsense. Takuya would never do something like that," Nawaki said, his face darkening as he resisted the urge to curse Minato out for saying such things aloud.

Uchiha Mikoto, after a moment of shock, smiled faintly, her thoughts simple:

If Takuya were to defect, what reason would I have to stay in the village? What's the point of staying in Konoha if he's not here?

Kushina, on the other hand, was completely stunned.

"Ahem! I'm just saying it's a possibility," Minato quickly backtracked, trying to calm them down. "The village has all of us here, plus Mikoto and you, Kushina. Takuya wouldn't do something like that. Besides, if he tried, Lady Tsunade would hunt him down, even if it meant searching the whole world."

Minato was desperately trying to cover his slip, fearing that his comment might make Kushina overthink and cause unnecessary trouble.

"Auntie always said she was grateful to have grown up in Konoha. Konoha is her home, and it's Takuya's home too. He won't leave," Uchiha Mikoto reassured Kushina with a warm smile.

"Even if he wanted to leave, he wouldn't be able to leave you behind, Kushina. Isn't that right?" Mikoto added with a playful nudge.

Kushina, simple and straightforward in her thinking, quickly calmed down after Mikoto's words and turned her frustration toward Minato.

"You nearly scared me to death, Minato! You're in trouble now! Get back here!"

"..."

Who'd be dumb enough to stick around? Minato thought. Kushina was already furious—standing still would just mean getting smacked.

Without hesitation, Minato jumped out the window and vanished in an instant.

Kushina, fuming, ran after him, with Uchiha Mikoto following close behind to keep her from really starting a fight with Minato.

"That Minato! He's always trying to scare me," Kushina muttered, still seething.

"Phew…"

Suddenly, Nawaki froze, his neck stiffening as he slowly turned to look at the scattered venison and broth on the floor.

"..."

"Minato!!"

His furious shout echoed down the hospital halls, startling the nearby doctors. But Minato was already long gone, too far away to hear the anger in Nawaki's voice.

Meanwhile, miles away from Konoha, Tsunade was still hard at work.

The number of injured being brought to the camp from the battlefield was overwhelming, and the medical unit was always the busiest.

Under Tsunade's leadership, they worked tirelessly to heal and care for the wounded.

Even when she finally got a chance to rest, she had to head to the command tent for meetings.

"Although the war is turning in our favor, I don't recommend moving the camp into Wind Country territory. First, logistics would be an issue, and second, as long as we hold our position, victory is certain. The Sand Village can't hold out much longer," Tsunade said.

"The Sand Village's puppet troops have suffered heavy losses, but they're still a threat. Tsunade, we need your help to deal with them," Hatake Sakumo added.

Tsunade was the natural counter to the Sand Village's puppet forces.

In her hands, those puppets were nothing more than oversized toys, easily crushed with a single punch or kick.

And Tsunade's immunity to poison made her an absolute nightmare for the Sand Village's puppet ninjas.

While Sakumo could also easily deal with them, his mission was to hold off the Third Kazekage.

So the task of dealing with the puppet troops had fallen to Tsunade.

"I'll take care of it," Tsunade replied.

Though exhausted, Tsunade didn't mind handling a few more enemies. She was eager to end this war and return to the village for some well-deserved rest.

Even though she wasn't officially the commander, Tsunade was undoubtedly the busiest person in the camp.

It was wearing her down.

"Good," Sakumo nodded and continued, "Everything else remains the same. Our main focus is to prevent the Sand Village from launching another surprise attack on our camp. We should all reflect on the lesson learned from the Rain Village's ambush. We—"

He stopped suddenly, looking toward the entrance of the command tent.

"Tsunade-sama,"

An intelligence officer rushed into the tent, handing Tsunade a scroll.

"This is an intelligence report from the village, for you."

"For me?"

Tsunade blinked, confused. Reports from the village should have been directed to either Hatake Sakumo or Nara Shikaku, not her.

Was this sent specifically for me?

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