"Lady Tsunade, the reinforcements from the village are about to depart. These are the supplies we need for our side. Is there anything else you'd like to add to the request?"
A few days later, in the Konoha border camp, a Nara clan Jonin held out two scrolls to Tsunade. She nodded and reached for them. "I'll take a look."
Tsunade scanned the first scroll, which detailed standard ninja tool requisitions. Finding that it largely mirrored the inventory list sent by the village, she saw no need to amend it.
Then she opened the second scroll. This list was... a bit more eclectic. Aside from some niche ninja gear, it contained various specific medicines—including, surprisingly, an ointment for hemorrhoids.
Tsunade understood the necessity for most of it, but when her eyes landed on an entry for "Ryukakusan," her brow furrowed. The name sounded grand, but in reality, it was just a common remedy for soothing coughs and clearing phlegm. Actually, calling it medicine was a bit of a stretch; it was more like a throat lozenge.
She pointed to the entry and looked at the Nara Jonin. "Nara Satoru, who submitted this? Do they think we're playing house on this battlefield?!"
Nara Satoru's mouth worked for a few moments before he replied hesitantly, "Lady Tsunade... that... that was requested by Sakamoto Tatsuma."
"Er..."
Tsunade's anger stalled. Regardless of the absurdity, Tatsuma was her disciple. If he did something this ridiculous, the embarrassment fell squarely on her shoulders as his teacher.
After a pause, she tried to find a scrap of logic. "Did he give a reason? Is it a relapse of that old neck injury?"
She racked her brain for an excuse, however flimsy. After all, Tatsuma's neck had been injured a few days ago. If the injury hadn't fully healed and he'd misdiagnosed himself... well, that would be understandable, right?
Satoru's expression became even more strained. "Supposedly... it's because he's been talking too much lately, and his throat is sore."
Slam!
Tsunade's fist descended on her desk, shattering the wood into splinters. "What does he mean, 'talking too much'?! Is he on a battlefield or a concert stage?!"
"I'm not entirely sure, but... according to the wounded returning from the front, Tatsuma has earned himself a nickname among the Suna ninjas. They call him... they call him..."
"They call him what?" Tsunade's voice was dangerously low.
Satoru took a deep breath, looking like a man ready to face a firing squad. "The Rapping Tobirama."
Boom!
Tsunade stomped her foot, causing the ground to spiderweb with cracks. "That brat! And those damn Suna bastards!" she hissed through gritted teeth.
The nickname was a blatant insult to her granduncle's legacy. She could guess why the Suna ninjas had settled on it. Even within Konoha, more than one person had noted the resemblance. Her own grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, had often remarked on how much Tatsuma reminded her of Tobirama.
With his white hair, red eyes, and a genius-level talent for jutsu development that far outstripped his peers, the similarities were undeniable. Aside from Tatsuma's natural curls and his far more approachable, smiling demeanor, they could have been relatives.
Tsunade suspected this was why her grandmother was so protective of the boy. In fact, most of the Senju elders held a soft spot for Tatsuma despite only meeting him a handful of times. Even Tsunade herself had occasionally wondered if her granduncle had sowed some wild oats in his youth. But she never imagined the Sand Village would use that resemblance to mock her family.
"Tell Orochimaru that the main reinforcements arrive in three days. It's time to close the net! Those Suna bastards... I'll make them pay! And as for Tatsuma, just wait until I get my hands on him!"
She took a breath, trying to reclaim her composure. "And this list—aside from Tatsuma's nonsense, approve the rest. Get them here as fast as possible!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Satoru exhaled in relief and scurried away before she could change her mind.
"Achoo!"
On the front lines, Tatsuma let out a sudden sneeze as his unit continued their retreat. He rubbed his nose and glanced up at the sky. The weather had been warming up lately; why was he sneezing? Was a Suna ninja he'd beaten today cursing his name?
Over the past few days, Tatsuma had clashed with different Suna squads almost every day. His trademark habit of "praising" his opponents had become a psychological weapon that left the Sand ninjas seething with "nausea."
Because Tatsuma was so young, having a junior offer them "encouragement" while systematically dismantling them was a supreme humiliation.
The nickname "Rapping Tobirama" wasn't purely an insult, though. Many Suna ninjas were genuinely terrified of his talent. His projectile accuracy, Taijutsu, and mastery of elemental counters were far beyond adult levels.
Worse, the brat didn't seem to fear injury; in fact, he seemed to get more excited once he drew blood. As long as he wasn't facing a Jonin, the boy was a menace. And Sunagakure didn't have an infinite supply of Jonin to throw at one Genin.
Even when Tatsuma's squad encountered a team led by a Suna Jonin, the higher-ranking officer usually wouldn't lower themselves to target him. First, Inuzuka Shin was always there to intercept them. Second... it was just undignified. Suna had already identified him: the genius Genin of the Leaf and the disciple of the legendary Tsunade.
If he were a Chunin, they would have dropped their pride and killed him instantly. But as a Genin, targeting him felt like a stain on a Jonin's reputation. The only one who seemed willing to throw away his pride was Sajin, but their paths hadn't crossed again since the first skirmish.
Currently, the Konoha forces were fragmented, looking for all the world like a defeated army fleeing in panic. Tatsuma's squad was down to nine people and one dog, making them an easy target for Suna ambushes. However, with a sensory Jonin like Inuzuka Shin leading them, they always managed to slip away or turn the tables.
The Leaf had retreated again and again. By the end of today, they would likely be forced entirely out of the Land of Rivers and back into the Land of Fire. The Suna ninjas were growing emboldened, pursuing with reckless abandon.
Tatsuma's squad stopped by a small stream. He pulled out a specialized litmus strip—a tool Tsunade had developed to check for toxins in water. While it couldn't detect every rare or experimental poison, the Sand wouldn't be wasteful enough to dump high-end toxins into a flowing river.
After the test came back clean, Tatsuma nodded to the group. Shin signaled for his hound to scout the perimeter before sitting down to rest.
As the others drank, Tatsuma began treating the minor scrapes his teammates had picked up. Just then, the Yamanaka ninja in their squad saw the light on his communication gear flashing. He ducked away to take the message and returned a few moments later.
He looked at Shin, then at Tatsuma. After Shin gave a slight nod, the Yamanaka spoke.
"Captain Shin, Lord Orochimaru has sent new orders. We are to stop the retreat. From now on, if we encounter Suna squads, we assess their strength and engage to win. Our sector's line cannot fall back any further. We don't have to push forward yet, but we hold our ground here."
"Understood, Naoto. Pass the word to the others and have them stay sharp."
Shin waited for Yamanaka Naoto to leave before whispering to Tatsuma, "You know what this means, right?"
"We're the flank," Tatsuma replied instantly. "It's time to pivot for the pincer movement. We're just waiting to see how deep the Sand has crawled into the trap."
The two of them were among the few who knew the full scope of Orochimaru's plan, leading to frequent private discussions.
Shin nodded. "Once Suna realizes they've walked into a cage, they'll hit the rear and flanks with everything they've got to break out. We might also run into Suna's own reinforcement waves. We could end up sandwiched. Are you sure you want to stay on the front for this?"
Konoha was aiming for a total wipeout, but Suna wasn't a flock of sheep. They wouldn't just wait to die. If they were smart, they wouldn't try to push deeper into the Land of Fire; they would turn and fight their way back toward the Land of Wind. That meant the units holding the "back door"—Tatsuma's unit—would face the brunt of the desperation.
Tatsuma was confident in Konoha's speed. From the moment the official declaration was made, Konoha had held the initiative. Logistics for an army takes time to organize; unless Suna had perfectly predicted this exact maneuver, their reinforcements would be a step behind.
Plus, with Suna deep in the Land of Rivers, Konoha's interior supply lines were shorter and faster.
"Captain Shin," Tatsuma smiled, "I didn't come here just to pad my record."
Shin laughed and patted his shoulder. "Good lad. But in the coming fight, stay alert. Never underestimate a ninja—not even one you've already beaten or left for dead. Got it?"
Tatsuma nodded solemnly. The last few days hadn't been easy. If not for the White Yaksha constitution and the medical skills he'd learned from Tsunade, he might already be a name on the Memorial Stone.
His unique learning style allowed him to master jutsu at an absurd pace, and his sensory talent combined with his projectile accuracy made him a deadly mid-range fighter, but he was still effectively a Chunin-level combatant. In the chaos of a real war, there were always enemies who were stronger or better in certain niches.
Most of his victories had been high-risk gambles. But the payoff was worth it; thanks to the Combat Transcendence effect, his daily talent realization was triple what it had been in the village.
He was glad he had spent three years training like a maniac. If he had just coasted until graduation and then come to this war, he would have been killed before he could even collect his first reward.
Rustle—!
Tatsuma's thoughts were cut short as Shin's hound bolted back from the brush. The entire squad was on their feet in a heartbeat.
"Battle stations!" Shin barked, drawing a kunai.
Tatsuma unsheathed his short sword, his eyes narrowing as his sensory field picked up the incoming heat of hostile chakra.
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