"Orochimaru, I have something to discuss with you."
After pacifying Uzumaki Nari’s emotions, Tsunade thought long and hard. Leaving a weak young girl on the front lines felt inappropriate.
However, they were currently on the battlefield, and she was Orochimaru’s teammate. Leaving abruptly might have some negative impact on Orochimaru. Tsunade couldn’t think of a perfect solution, so she decided to directly ask Orochimaru for advice.
Seeing Tsunade enter, Orochimaru shifted his gaze from the scrolls spread on the table and nodded gently at her.
"What is it?"
Tsunade organized her thoughts and explained her idea.
"Do you remember the child we brought back from Kusagakure?"
"About her?"
"You've been taking care of her recently. How is she?"
Orochimaru casually asked.
"Yes!"
"Her condition is similar to what you told me back then. She’s gradually recovering."
"But..."
Tsunade sighed softly and continued,
"This is the battlefield, after all. I’m worried that once the fighting starts, I won't have the energy to care for her."
"You know her experiences, so I wanted to ask you if there's a good arrangement."
"Can you..."
Seeing Tsunade’s hesitant expression, Orochimaru understood and nodded.
"You want to send her back to Konoha?"
Tsunade didn’t deny it, just looked at Orochimaru quietly.
"The current situation on the Rain Country battlefield..."
"Haha, Orochimaru, look who I brought!"
Jiraiya’s excited laughter interrupted Orochimaru’s unfinished sentence as he barged into Orochimaru’s tent, dragging someone along.
"Yo, Tsunade is here too! What a coincidence!"
The person following Jiraiya gave a wry smile, broke free from Jiraiya’s grasp, and bowed to Orochimaru and Tsunade.
"Lord Orochimaru, Princess Tsunade, long time no see!"
"Senior Dan?"
Tsunade exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the person.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting between Dan Katō and Tsunade, a flicker of an unreadable emotion in his eyes.
"So that’s why Jiraiya is so happy. It’s because Senior Dan is here."
"Have you been promoted to Jonin? Senior Dan, congratulations!"
Orochimaru glanced at the Jonin vest Dan was wearing and praised him casually.
Jiraiya clapped Dan’s shoulder forcefully, clearly happy about the reunion with his old friend.
"A while ago, when I was in the village, I wondered why I didn’t see Dan. Turns out he was sent on a mission by the old man."
"Then we came to the Land of Rain, and Dan went to the Wind Country front lines with Senior Sakumo. I thought I wouldn't be able to meet you!"
"Tsk tsk, meeting you now and you've been promoted to Jonin, that's truly amazing!"
Jiraiya gave Dan a thumbs-up and winked.
Dan Katō chuckled wryly, looking ashamed.
"Jiraiya, don’t tease me."
"I'm two years older than you, and I was promoted to Jonin so much later. I’m truly ashamed!"
Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head gently.
"Senior Dan is too humble!"
"The Spiritualization Technique is incredibly difficult to master. Being promoted to Jonin at this time shows you have successfully cultivated it completely."
"What Jiraiya said about being amazing isn't just flattery."
Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded seriously.
Touched by their sincere smiles, Dan Katō also smiled and chatted with them for a while before taking out the letter written by Sakumo Hatake.
"Lord Orochimaru, this is a letter entrusted to me by Lord Sakumo."
"The situation on the Wind Country front is not optimistic. Lord Sakumo’s intention is, if there’s no pressure on the Rain Country side, to see if you can find a way to support the Wind Country."
Orochimaru took the letter and shook his head gently.
"No need to be so formal!"
"Given your relationship with Senior Dan and Jiraiya, you can just call me by my name."
Dan Katō nodded slightly but didn’t explicitly agree to change how he addressed Orochimaru.
"Hmm..."
Orochimaru read the letter at a glance, put it away, and turned to Tsunade.
"Tsunade, with Senior Dan's arrival, I’ve thought of a way to solve Nari’s problem."
Tsunade was taken aback and looked at Orochimaru in confusion.
"What did Senior Sakumo say in his letter? How did it get connected to my and Nari’s matters?"
Orochimaru chuckled and handed the letter to Tsunade.
"The poison from the Sand Village puppeteer?"
"No wonder..."
Tsunade nodded gently after reading the letter.
"Then tell me what to do! I’ll follow your arrangements!"
A strange glint flashed in Orochimaru’s eyes before he quickly concealed it. He calmly turned to look at Dan Katō.
"I accept Lord Sakumo’s request!"
Dan Katō’s expression brightened, and he looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade sat there with a blank face, saying nothing.
"However..."
Orochimaru’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he changed the subject.
"Since Lord Sakumo decided to send you here, the fighting on the Wind Country front must have reached a stalemate."
"In that case, I, as the commander, will temporarily entrust you with a mission."
"A mission?"
Dan Katō looked bewildered.
"That's right!"
"This mission is very important to the village. I wouldn't trust just anyone with it."
"I will tell you the specific details of the mission later!"
"For now..."
Orochimaru paused and instructed Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, help Senior Dan find a place to stay first. Tsunade and I will discuss the specific details of our support for the Wind Country."
"I will send someone to inform you when it's time to depart."
Jiraiya winked at Orochimaru knowingly and led Dan Katō out of the tent.
Seeing them leave, Tsunade’s expression finally changed from its blankness.
"Orochimaru, you plan to have Dan Katō escort Nari back to Konoha?"
"It's possible, but..."
Tsunade furrowed her brow and pondered for a moment, then asked doubtfully,
"But if we do that, won't Sakumo-senpai be short one Jonin?"
"Will it have a negative impact on the village and the battle with the Sand?"
Orochimaru gently shook his head.
"Don't worry, I'll accompany you to the Land of Wind myself."
Tsunade’s eyes widened, and she looked at Orochimaru as if he were crazy.
"Orochimaru, are you alright?"
"You are the commander of the Rain Country battlefield. If you leave, who will command the fighting here? Are you expecting that idiot Jiraiya?"
Orochimaru’s lips curved upwards. Without any discernible movement, another Orochimaru suddenly appeared beside him.
"I haven't been idle during this time!"
"Shadow Clone?"
Tsunade frowned and asked, but felt something was off.
Orochimaru wouldn't be unaware of the characteristics of Shadow Clones. Not only do they split chakra, but they also dissipate when damaged. Except for tactical use in combat, they couldn't replace the original body.
"This is not a Shadow Clone!"
Orochimaru shook his head and added a reminder.
"Tsunade, have you heard of Mu, the Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure?"
Tsunade was stunned for a moment, and a look of shock suddenly appeared in her eyes.
"Split... Jutsu?"