Chapter 204

In the crowd, Tsunade ignored the eyes of onlookers and threw herself into Orochimaru's arms.

In that moment, as Orochimaru's partner, she felt an immense sense of pride.

Orochimaru's defeat of the Third Kazekage was a battle that had shifted the entire course of the war.

It was akin to Minato Namikaze's famous victory at the Kannabi Bridge during the Third Ninja War.

Holding Tsunade close, Orochimaru allowed a rare smile to cross his face. "Let me report to sensei first."

"Mhm! I'll go with you!" Tsunade nodded enthusiastically, grasping Orochimaru's hand as they made their way to the Hokage's office.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen had been waiting.

The Konoha higher-ups were more than pleased with Orochimaru's recent accomplishments. They hadn't been privy to all the details of the battle, but the fact that Orochimaru had managed to kill the Third Kazekage before reinforcements even arrived was both surprising and uplifting news.

Konoha's triumph in battle, coupled with Orochimaru's achievements, seemed like the perfect outcome.

But for Hiruzen, it was a bittersweet moment.

On one hand, he was thrilled by Konoha's great victory and the significant role Orochimaru had played in minimizing losses.

On the other, the power and influence Orochimaru was amassing made him uneasy, especially with Orochimaru's ties to Danzo.

It left a bitter taste in Hiruzen's mouth, though now wasn't the time to dwell on it. The pressing matter of managing diplomatic relations with other nations demanded his full attention.

So, after giving Orochimaru and Tsunade well-deserved praise, he allowed them to take their leave.

---

With the support of the legendary Sannin and the shock of the Third Kazekage's death, Konoha took a firm stance in negotiations.

Konoha demanded reparations from both the Sand and Stone villages and pressed the Land of Lightning for an explanation about the attempted kidnapping involving the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

The Sand Village, weakened and leaderless after the loss of their Kazekage, had no choice but to comply.

The Stone Village, having suffered multiple defeats and caught between two attacking forces, was forced into submission and had to temporarily yield to Konoha's terms.

As for the Land of Lightning? While tensions remained, Konoha's acknowledgment of their past aid and the deaths of the Kumo shinobi involved in the Nine-Tails incident led to a fragile truce. Despite the lingering resentment, the Kumo ninjas had little to say, at least for now.

With that, the Second Ninja War officially came to an end…

"Orochimaru, how about a drink?"

"Sounds good."

Outside the Hokage's office, Tsunade invited Orochimaru for a celebratory drink.

Orochimaru nodded in agreement.

The war's early end meant a return to peace, if only temporarily. Even Orochimaru felt the need to unwind.

Just the two of them, they found a small tavern and sat facing each other.

Food and drinks were quickly brought to their table. Tsunade raised her glass and looked at Orochimaru, eyes glinting with admiration.

"Orochimaru, I never imagined you'd reach the level where you could kill a Kage one-on-one. When did you become this strong?"

Defeating a Kage was no trivial feat. It was an entirely different realm of power compared to their previous three-on-one battle against Hanzo.

This was no mere victory; this was a kill. And not just any Kage, but the Third Kazekage.

Even Tsunade found it hard to believe.

"It was nothing more than an intelligence advantage," Orochimaru said calmly.

The Third Kazekage was formidable. Orochimaru knew he'd managed to kill him largely because of a gap in information.

The combination of the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the immense chakra reserves granted by his enhanced body, all these assets provided him with the capability to challenge and defeat a Kage-level opponent.

And these were precisely the aspects that the Sand Village had no knowledge of.

In a battle where critical information was missing, victory was far easier to secure.

Orochimaru was certain that if the Sand Village had known about these abilities, they wouldn't have engaged him in such a direct manner.

And even if they had, they would have prepared countermeasures.

In that case, defeating the Third Kazekage would have still been possible, but killing him? That would have been significantly more challenging.

"An intelligence gap?" Tsunade chuckled. "I suppose that's true. Even I didn't know the full extent of your abilities. How could the Sand ninjas have?"

She downed her drink in one go, a smile playing at her lips.

Orochimaru paused, glass halfway to his mouth. "What, are you upset that I've kept things from you?"

"No… No, I get it," Tsunade said, a bittersweet smile crossing her face. "It's normal for ninjas to have their secrets, even those who spend every day together. I just wish I could have seen that fight with my own eyes."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru's smile was faint.

He knew she was bothered. After all, he had concealed many things from her.

But some secrets were necessary, even between them. Orochimaru believed that certain things were best left unsaid, even to Tsunade.

Seeing Orochimaru's detached expression, Tsunade let out a small sigh and continued drinking, glass after glass.

By the time they reached their third round, her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes remained sharp.

"Hey, Orochimaru, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"We've been together for quite a while now. Don't you think… it's time we got married?"

"Why the sudden question?" Orochimaru replied, not answering directly.

To be honest, he hadn't thought about it.

He was acutely aware of the political minefield he was navigating.

Despite his achievements, he was still a pawn in the complex power struggle between Hiruzen and Danzo.

In other words, no matter how much he accomplished for Konoha, true influence was always just out of reach.

And because of his association, Tsunade was likely on Hiruzen's list of people he couldn't fully trust.

It was an inevitable consequence.

Although Hiruzen had treated him well in the past, who knew what lay in the mind of someone who'd been Hokage for so long?

"It just crossed my mind," Tsunade said after a pause. "After all… we're not getting any younger."

"Is this your way of proposing to me?" A playful smirk appeared on Orochimaru's lips.