"Sending Sakamoto Tatsuma to the battlefield? This is absolute nonsense!"
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the roster Tsunade had submitted, his face dark with disapproval.
How old was Tatsuma? He wasn't even nine years old yet. Given the talent he had displayed, within ten years—no, perhaps only six or seven—he would undoubtedly possess the strength of a Jonin.
A genius of this caliber was on par with the likes of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. To send such a promising sprout to a dangerous battlefield before he had even matured... was that not the height of recklessness?
If the village were truly in its final hour, they might be forced to throw everything they had into the fray. But now? Hiruzen didn't believe for a second that a conflict with Sunagakure required Konoha to sacrifice its children.
"It's not like I forced him. He begged me to let him go, and I already gave him my word," Tsunade said, sitting across from Hiruzen. She was idly cleaning under her fingernails, her tone bordering on flippant. "What, Old Man? Are you trying to teach me how to go back on my word to my own student?"
Hiruzen took a several deep, steadying breaths to suppress the urge to shout.
"That still doesn't mean he should be on the front lines!" Hiruzen repeated, digging his heels in.
Tsunade finally looked up at her teacher. "We made a deal. Without my express permission, he stays with the medical and logistics teams. His medical ninjutsu is already more proficient than the vast majority of the village's active healers, and even Grandma Mito has acknowledged his progress in Sealing Arts. These are rare specializations that the village desperately needs."
She leaned forward slightly. "If Suna's Chiyo starts using her new poisons, I'm going to be spending every waking second developing antidotes. Having Tatsuma there to lead the medical detachment would put my mind at ease."
Hearing her reasoning, Hiruzen's anger cooled slightly. He fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment before speaking. "Fine. But I'm adding Orochimaru to the team."
"While you're busy with antidotes, the troops will still need a commander. With Orochimaru there, the camp will be better protected and the operations more coordinated. You don't have an issue with that, do you?"
The commander was the heart of a war zone—the one who reaped the most glory for a victory and shouldered the most blame for a defeat. Originally, Tsunade was slated for the role, but by adding Orochimaru, Hiruzen was effectively delegating that authority to him when necessary.
Tsunade didn't care in the slightest. In fact, she looked relieved. She shrugged. "If I wasn't worried you had other plans for Orochimaru and Jiraiya, I would have put their names on the list myself."
"Jiraiya does have other duties. Orochimaru is the only one available right now."
"Fine by me. You notify him. Also, tell him he's in charge of logistics and supplies. We move out in three days."
Tsunade stood up and sauntered out of the office with a light step. Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his temples. Tsunade was as much of a headache as ever. Based on her tone, she had spent the last two days doing absolutely nothing but writing a list of names, leaving the actual legwork of mobilization to Orochimaru.
He sighed again, reminding himself that one must be patient with their own students. "Sakumo," he called out. "Go find Orochimaru. Tell him to come see me."
"Understood, Lord Hokage."
Hatake Sakumo materialized from the shadows. Before leaving, he paused. "By the way, Lord Hokage... if the situation demands it, I am ready to deploy to the border as well."
Hiruzen shook his head. "I do need you on the battlefield, but not yet, and not on that front."
Sakumo looked puzzled. Seeing that his subordinate hadn't grasped the political nuance, Hiruzen explained further.
"The Cloud, Rock, and Mist villages are silent now, but that's only because the fighting hasn't started. The moment we or Suna show a weakness, they will strike without hesitation. That is when I will need you. Besides... if I send you against Sunagakure now, it will only inflame their hatred and resolve. We want to de-escalate, not start a world war."
"I understand. I'll go find Orochimaru now." Sakumo nodded and vanished.
Back at the Senju Compound, Uzumaki Mito reacted to the news of Tatsuma's deployment with surprising calm. She was a survivor of the Warring States period, an era where children were given no protection. Back then, clans fought clans, and a single loss could mean the extinction of an entire bloodline. Every hand that could hold a kunai was expected to serve.
To a veteran of that era, an eight-year-old was a legitimate combatant.
However, her lack of objection didn't mean a lack of concern. She summoned Tatsuma to the hall where she usually taught him Sealing Arts. Looking at him, she let out a soft sigh.
"I know that trying to dissuade you would be pointless," Mito said. "Since you are Tsunade's disciple, I consider you family. But there is little an old woman like me can do for you."
"Lady Mito, Sensei only agreed to let me observe from the medical and logistics units. I won't be on the front lines," Tatsuma said, trying to reassure her.
Mito shook her head. "You won't be content to just sit and watch. I can see that much in your eyes. Come here."
She beckoned him closer. Tatsuma was confused but obeyed, standing directly before her. Mito looked at him for a long moment, a nostalgic glint in her eyes. "If Tobirama had ever had a child, I imagine he would have looked quite a bit like you."
Tatsuma didn't know how to respond to such a deeply personal sentiment, and Mito didn't wait for one. She gently took his left hand, pulling back his sleeve to reveal his entire forearm. She measured the length of his arm with her fingers and whispered, "I hope you never have to use this."
Before Tatsuma could ask what she meant, a massive amount of crimson chakra erupted from Mito's body. Before he could even blink, her fingernail pierced the skin of his forearm.
Suddenly, a surge of blood-red chakra flooded through the small wound and into his arm.
Tatsuma's posture buckled. His knees went weak, and he would have collapsed if Mito hadn't been holding his arm upright.
It was searing. A white-hot, agonizing pain tore into his brain, as if his left arm were being held over an open flame. No—it felt as if his very flesh were being turned to ash.
Finally, the influx of red chakra stopped. Mito's finger, now coated in Tatsuma's blood, moved with blinding speed across his skin, tracing an incredibly intricate sealing formula.
The blood suddenly glowed with a faint light before sinking beneath the surface of his skin. The small puncture wound vanished as if it had never existed. The pain receded, and Tatsuma finally regained control of his body, gasping for air.
"So... heavy..."
His left arm felt as if it were weighted down by a ton of lead, pulling toward the floor. Simultaneously, he felt a strange, flickering connection to Mito—or rather, to the thing sealed within her.
Mito pulled her hand back and looked at him. She spoke in the hushed, conspiratorial tone a grandmother uses when she's sneaking a child a treat they aren't supposed to have.
"Keep this to yourself. Do not tell anyone."
Tatsuma looked at his arm, then back at her. "I understand. Thank you, Lady Mito."
"Just come back safely," she whispered.
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