Chapter 14

"Okay, what do you two want to do? Let's talk about it after we've settled the business," Orochimaru said, suddenly reducing the smile on his face, reverting to his usual cold and indifferent demeanor, and shifting his gaze to the map on the conference table.

Tsunade secretly nudged Tatsuya's side with her arm and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here? Everyone here is focused on discussing the ongoing war."

She knew him well. Since graduating from the ninja school at the age of 7, he hadn't participated in any missions. He sustained himself through farming in the suburbs and hunting, never stepping foot on the battlefield.

"Something happened to my glass-hearted brother; I can't just watch him go to his death, right?" Tatsuya replied, tilting his head slightly towards Tsunade.

Feeling the familiar breath from Tatsuya, Tsunade's eyes flickered with a strange emotion. His words reminded her of recent rumors she had heard about White Fang. A deep disdain flashed in her beautiful eyes as she retorted, "Trying to make amends at the last minute? Humph, that's an old trick."

"Of course, I also wanted to come and see if you've been seeing someone behind my back. You should apologize to me," Tatsuya said with a low smirk, pinching Tsunade in a sensitive spot.

"You're asking for trouble! Do you know where we are?" Tsunade, who hadn't experienced such teasing in a long time, nearly shouted, but then lowered her voice, gritted her teeth, and glared at him. She couldn't bear the thought of being seen like this; it would be utterly embarrassing.

"Don't worry, I'm being careful. Nobody will see us," Tatsuya said with a mischievous smile.

Tsunade stomped on his foot again and hummed, "Remember, I've already broken up with you! Whatever you do won't change anything!"

"I'll visit your place tonight and check it out," Tatsuya abruptly changed the topic.

"You dare, you—!?" Tsunade couldn't hold back and shouted now.

Unbeknownst to them, their bickering caught the attention of everyone in the camp, and even Orochimaru frowned, asking, "Tatsuya-kun, Tsunade, do you have any comments?"

Whenever these two were together, chaos ensued. It had been like this since they were children. Tsunade turned her head away, adopting an attitude of indifference. Tatsuya, on the other hand, smiled more generously and said, "Actually, I didn't hear it clearly just now. Can you explain it again?"

To be honest, if Tatsuya wasn't strong, Orochimaru might have wanted to lash out at him. This was also why Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and others were so shocked. Seeing that Orochimaru didn't react angrily, they were taken aback. After all, Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, was rarely this polite to a Genin.

Fortunately, Hatake Sakumo intervened at the right moment to mediate the situation, "Now, the frontline is under the command of Chiyo, and she leads the puppet troops, including her younger brother, Ebizo."

Mid-sentence, Sakumo paused and continued, "The army seems entirely unwilling to fight the war though."

"That's because you killed Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, Mr. Sakumo. She is completely blind in her hatred and that led her to continue the war till you are killed," Orochimaru added.

"Also, the impact of the power of the One Tail Jinchuriki's power should not be underestimated."

"Huh? Power of One Tail?"

As Orochimaru mentioned the name, memories of the old man appeared in Tatsuya's mind. From the original story, he couldn't help but ask, "Can he fully control the power of the Shukaku?"

"No, but he can manipulate sand using Shukaku's power. The power output is similar to Second Kazekage Shamon who developed Magnet Style," Orochimaru said, poking her head out and curling her lips with a hoarse voice, "I'd really like to catch him and study him if I could."

Tatsuya felt a bit disgusted. Was Orochimaru slowly becoming a deviant?

"And Second Kazekage Shamon was planning to call off the war, but Chiyo is still determined to fight, so he is currently guarding the rear," Orochimaru pointed to the location of Sunagakure in the leeward region. Even with Kage-level speed, it would take at least two days and two nights to reach there.

"So, in other words, if we manage to kill either Chiyo or Second Kazekage, we can end this war, right?" Tatsuya redirected his gaze to Orochimaru.

"Yes," Orochimaru confirmed with a nod and then smiled strangely, "Which one would Tatsuya-kun like to target?"

"Well, I think it's better to go after Chiyo first. She is on the front lines, making it easier to deal with."

"With Mr. Sakumo and Tatsuya-kun as reinforcements, I really can't see a possibility of losing," Orochimaru smiled.

The faces of everyone present showed surprise. They could understand targeting Hatake Sakumo, known as Konoha's White Fang, but why would Hatake Tatsuya, known as the Eternal Genin alongside Might Guy, be included?

However, Orochimaru's guess was wrong; Tatsuya's target wasn't a Sand Shinobi, but rather a member of Konoha.

It was the son of a certain Hokage who hadn't survived in the original timeline.

"My elder brother gave you life, and now, if I take it back, there's nothing wrong with it, right?" Tatsuya thought to himself.

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