Kushina and Tsunade sat inside the command tent, the faint glow of a lantern casting soft shadows over stacks of reports.
Was she just being sentimental
Tsunade looked slightly embarrassed, her usual composure slipping for a moment.
With a dark expression, she said, "I don't recall ever agreeing to give you a full report on the war situation in the Land of Earth."
Kushina puffed out her cheeks and shot her a stubborn glare.
Tsunade did not back down either, meeting her gaze head on.
After a short silence, Kushina straightened her posture and spoke seriously, "Lady Tsunade, the situation in the Land of Earth is more important. Just tell me already."
Tsunade licked her lips, then leaned back lazily. "I'm a bit thirsty. I want some shochu."
The little fox, Kushina, reacted instantly. She stood up with surprising speed and rushed into the tent's supply corner. Clutching a small bag, she rummaged through it until she found what Tsunade wanted among the scrolls and supplies.
Tsunade sat back with an unhurried expression, holding the bottle in one hand while resting her chin on the other. She closed her eyes and inhaled the aroma of the drink as if the so called Land of Earth war report had completely left her mind.
Without even opening her eyes, she could tell Kushina was pretending to stay composed while clearly listening closely.
The corner of Tsunade's mouth curled slightly.
After taking a sip, she shook her head. "Kushina, you're still too naive. I was teasing you. What I meant was that Iwagakure has deployed additional forces. It's not about that Konoha unit you were thinking of."
Kushina gave a soft "oh" and turned her face away, pretending she did not care.
Tsunade chuckled and leaned forward, casually ruffling Kushina's hair.
"The battlefield over there has already achieved a major victory. Hayashi even captured the Four Tails Jinchūriki Roshi alive. Their situation is much better than ours here."
Kushina shook her head. "I already know all of that."
Tsunade froze for a moment. "How would you, no… a summoning technique?"
Then she clicked her tongue. "Hayashi, as a commander, is leaking battlefield information too casually. That man is far too irresponsible. I'll report him to Third Sensei sooner or later."
Kushina tilted her head, completely unbothered.
Tsunade pressed on. "Since you already know, and even knew earlier than I did, what exactly do you want to ask?"
Kushina blinked. "Sister Tsunade, when do you think our two units will be able to link up?"
"You stayed up in the middle of the night just to ask that?"
"Yes. You are the commander, so you know more than I do. Since they've already won a major victory, when can we meet up inside the Land of Earth?"
Tsunade paused, then suddenly sighed. "Sigh, I'm getting old. My shoulders and back start aching the moment night falls."
Kushina narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly seeing through the hint.
Still, she smiled brightly and stood up, walking behind Tsunade to massage her shoulders.
"Lower, a bit lower, yes, right there."
Tsunade leaned forward onto the table with a satisfied expression. "Sigh, a little more strength. Hiss."
Kushina increased the pressure slightly, making Tsunade inhale sharply.
Meeting Kushina's gaze, Tsunade finally relented. "The answer is… I don't know."
Normally, Kushina would have exploded in frustration, but today she only took a deep breath and held herself back.
Tsunade rolled her eyes, immediately understanding why.
Apparently, Kushina was trying very hard to maintain a gentle and proper lady image for a while.
As for who taught her that, Tsunade still had no idea.
Inside Kushina's consciousness space, the Nine Tails observed everything with interest.
"That's right, that's exactly it. Kushina, control your temper a bit. You look terrible when you get angry. Don't go around bullying people for no reason in the future."
As it spoke, it recalled its own past suffering at Kushina's hands.
It used to be the one overpowering her, but ever since she learned to use the Uzumaki sealing chains within her consciousness, the situation had completely reversed.
Those Adamantine Sealing Chains were extremely effective against tailed beasts.
Because of that, the Nine Tails had started this little plan to make Kushina restrain her temper, and it seemed to be working.
Back in the tent, Tsunade and Kushina played around a bit longer before Tsunade finally turned serious again.
"Based on the current battlefield situation, it will still take time before we can properly link up."
"At the very least, Hayashi, Orochimaru, and the others need to cut off Iwagakure's supply routes."
"Supply routes?" Kushina repeated in confusion.
"Yes. There are still a large number of shinobi stationed in the Land of Grass. If we want to push further into the Land of Earth, we must sever their logistics."
"The Land of Earth is different from other countries. The terrain is rough and complicated. Although there are several routes, they all converge through Kannabi Bridge. If we take control of that place, the Iwa forces in the Land of Grass will have no choice but to retreat."
Tsunade continued, "Even if we cannot hold it permanently, as long as Konoha's forces keep advancing into the heart of the Land of Earth, they will be forced to pull back to protect their supply lines."
Kushina nodded slowly, still processing it.
"Then if Kannabi Bridge is so important, why not just attack it directly?"
Tsunade shook her head. "It is not that simple. That place is heavily guarded by Iwagakure."
"With Hayashi's strength, he could even infiltrate the Hidden Mist Village and escape unharmed. He could lead a unit to strike there, but it is unnecessary."
"A mission like that is extremely risky. If the Third Tsuchikage appears, things become dangerous immediately. He is the only one in the entire ninja world who possesses a Kekkei Tōta."
"I have never seen Dust Release myself, but Third Sensei said anything it touches is reduced to dust instantly."
"So a steady advance is safer. There is no need to take unnecessary risks."
Kushina nodded again.
Tsunade added after a pause, "If only my granduncle were still alive. He could use the Flying Thunder God Technique and was known as the fastest shinobi in history."
"Even if he encountered the Third Tsuchikage at Kannabi Bridge, he could retreat at will without any danger."
"Unfortunately, no one in Konoha can fully master the Flying Thunder God Technique anymore. Even Hayashi has not managed it yet."
"Flying Thunder God…" Kushina murmured.
She felt as though she had heard Hayashi mention it before, but that was years ago.
Maybe he has already learned it by now.