Chapter 261

"Have you lost your mind?"

Inside the command room of the Konoha camp, Tsunade suddenly let out an angry shout.

The voice startled the Anbu members outside, but they remained in their places and promptly set up a soundproof barrier.

They dared not meddle in the affairs of the higher-ups, especially not with these two powerful figures inside the room.

"Come on, can you not get so worked up?" 

Kaito looked at Tsunade helplessly, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Lower your voice a bit. You don't want everyone to hear, do you?"

"I don't want everyone to hear, but look at yourself! What are you thinking?"

Tsunade took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then sat down, staring intently at Kaito.

"What exactly are you thinking? Planning to fight Iwagakure on your own? I admit I may not like you much, but you need to remember you're part of Konoha's leadership!

Your strength serves as a silent deterrent. Your logic and judgment bring immense value to Konoha.

And don't forget, you're also the head of a clan.

Taking such a risk is being irresponsible to yourself, your clan, your friends, and to Konoha. What are you thinking, Uchiha Kaito?"

Tsunade's words made Kaito scratch the back of his head. Honestly, this woman had her points.

Kaito knew that her personality carried shades of both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.

And she blended these traits quite well, allowing her to maintain empathy when dealing with fellow villagers.

Even if she sometimes didn't like someone, she wouldn't hold any significant malice towards them.

At most, she would just ignore them, pretending she didn't know or see them.

But once you betray Konoha, she might rationally make some decisive choices.

In the original story, she treated Sasuke well because she believed Naruto's words, willing to see if Naruto could save Sasuke.

However, when Sasuke caused significant trouble, she also issued a kill-on-sight order to prevent the situation from worsening further.

It can be said that Tsunade is a person where reason and emotion coexist, a truly captivating woman.

No wonder Jiraiya, even standing at the pinnacle of the shinobi world, still waited and tried to pursue Tsunade.

Of course, it might also be that Jiraiya likes 'large' things, but don't all men like them 'large'? 

"I won't agree to this, let's end the meeting here."

Tsunade noticed Kaito's eyes inappropriately drifting to places they shouldn't, and with a cold hum, she immediately ended the meeting.

"I'm sorry, but we agreed from the start that you have no say over my actions."

Kaito raised an eyebrow seeing Tsunade unilaterally ending the discussion.

"Moreover, I hope you understand something. I made this decision after careful consideration.

While it may sound boastful, I feel my abilities have greatly improved during this trial.

I've grown in many ways, especially my eyes which have made comprehensive progress.

And don't forget, my combat style uses large-scale ninjutsu and the Susano'o for offense.

In such situations, if I collaborate with others, there might be significant friendly fire.

Regarding safety, don't worry. I'm skilled in space-time ninjutsu and can return."

Kaito paused for a moment, then seriously continued speaking to Tsunade.

"We both understand what this battle signifies, don't we? The Fourth Raikage is currently in Konoha.

Only by demonstrating an overwhelming victory can we have the upper hand in subsequent negotiations and possibly avoid further escalation of the war.

Besides, if I succeed, we could reduce even more casualties, right?

So, I'm sticking to my stance, and I hope you can respect my thoughts."

Kaito's words left Tsunade genuinely torn. Although she felt that Kaito's rationale was somewhat skewed, she found it hard to refute.

To be fair, although she has never seen Kaito's actual combat, she has read quite a few reports.

She is well aware that Kaito excels at large-scale ninjutsu attacks and his use of the Susano'o is genuinely powerful.

However, in large-scale combat, ninjutsu inherently has some disadvantages, especially massive ninjutsu techniques that can easily hit allies.

The Susano'o is even more so. Tsunade has heard from many that this chakra giant, when wielded by Kaito, has taken out many enemies with a single blow.

Of course, most of these enemies were from his own village.

Those from the 'Root' faction were unlucky to have encountered such a ruthless person like Kaito. There was truly no salvation for them.

Moreover, Tsunade knew just how gruesome the deaths of those Root members were.

Furthermore, everything around them was completely destroyed, underscoring the vast range of Kaito's power.

If this guy truly goes into battle and takes a round trip, there might indeed be friendly fire if there are allies nearby.

Tsunade really needs to think this through. Plus, Kaito's space-time ninjutsu does indeed allow him to leave the battlefield at any time.

Pondering these thoughts, Tsunade couldn't help but rub her temples, and after a long while, she slowly spoke.

"Do you have confidence? Besides, can you ensure that you can control your emotions and return when in danger?"

"I wouldn't gamble with my life, just as you said."

Kaito's expression became much more serious at this moment, and he spoke solemnly.

"I have my clan behind me, I have my friends, and I've brought my family to its current prominence.

I am responsible for all of this, and naturally, I cannot act recklessly.

Minister Tsunade, I trust you, which is why I chose you as the war commander instead of recommending Minister Shikaku.

In the same vein, I hope you can trust me. After all, I am someone who has fought against your two grandfathers."

"You jerk."

Tsunade was both irritated and amused by Kaito's comment, even if she hadn't studied the 'Edo Tensei', she knew it.

That jutsu, wanting to summon her two grandfathers back to their peak, is almost an impossible thing.

However, after she gently shook her head, she nodded earnestly.

"I understand. I can agree to this matter, but I won't allow you to strike out on your own. You must cooperate and move with the main forces.

Furthermore, if you encounter any problems on the battlefield, you must come to me immediately for treatment.

Uchiha Kaito, do you understand?"

"Yes, Minister Tsunade."

Kaito nodded with a slight smile. But before he could say anything, there was a knock on the office door.

Both Kaito and Tsunade frowned. Shizune rushed in, panting, delivering important intelligence to the two.

"Lady Tsunade, Lord Kaito, Iwagakure is making a move!"

Inside the Grass Country, at a monitoring point originally belonging to Iwagakure's area of influence, Konoha ninjas were keeping watch over the surroundings.

The war has erupted and changed many things, but no matter what, they currently held the upper hand.

Under Tsunade's command, they constantly achieved victories, pushing back the Iwa-nin, who were forced to retreat further and further.

Had it not been for the Iwa-nin already being at their last line of defense and beginning to defend desperately, they might have driven them all the way back to the Earth Country!

However, they all believed that it's only a matter of time before they would achieve victory for Konoha!

"Captain, how long do you think it will be before we can end this war?"

Atop the monitoring point's tower, a young ninja gazed into the distance with a telescope, asking the middle-aged man beside him with curiosity.

The end of the war is every ninja's dream because by then, they could return to Konoha and reunite with their families.

Especially now, with Konoha continually achieving victories, many ninjas harbored such hopes, which is only natural.

The middle-aged ninja chuckled and shook his head, replying with a laugh, "I don't know the answer to that question, but I think it's soon. Why? Are you that eager to go back?"

"Captain, no one likes war, right?" The young ninja revealed a smile, "And now that Iwagakure is on the brink of defeat, can't I at least think about it?"

"I bet you're thinking about your fiancée, aren't you?" The middle-aged ninja patted the young man's shoulder, "So, when are you two getting married?"

"Captain!" The young ninja exclaimed with displeasure, looking a bit embarrassed.

Their conversation made the other Konoha ninjas, who were also on lookout, burst into laughter. Although the war was still ongoing, their spirits were still high.

If they were in a disadvantageous situation, they probably wouldn't have spoken such words.

Because of the brutal war, even the most experienced ninjas might not come out unscathed. They often didn't know if they'd live to see the next sunrise.

The atmosphere at the monitoring point was lively, but this liveliness didn't last long.

"Captain!" At that moment, a Konoha ninja who was scanning the surroundings with a telescope suddenly shouted, "There are three squads of ninjas coming from the west!"

"Hmm?" The middle-aged ninja's expression slightly changed, but he calmly asked, "Are they enemies or from our village?"

Even though the situation was relatively stable, Konoha ninjas still often harassed enemy positions to exert pressure.

The enemy would do the same. They remained there to monitor the enemy's movements.

"Damn, it's the Iwa-nin!"

Just then, another ninja responsible for surveillance yelled out, his face turning pale.

"It's not just three squads. It's... it's a large force of Iwa-nin!"

"Be careful!"

As these Konoha ninjas were responding, the sharp-eyed captain suddenly saw dozens of kunai flying towards them. He immediately shouted a warning.

These Konoha ninjas reacted quickly. Some pulled out their kunai to block the incoming ones, while others who couldn't reach theirs in time, used their telescopes as shields.

Taking advantage of this, the Iwa-nin stormed the monitoring point and immediately attacked the Konoha ninjas!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

The Konoha ninjas immediately retaliated, but unfortunately, their attacks couldn't pose much threat to the Iwa-nin.

//

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