Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!

They returned to camp faster than they had left, with Kawakaze carrying Nawaki on his back. A Konoha ninja on duty approached to inquire, his demeanor noticeably warmer than when they first arrived. After a quick confirmation of their identities, he allowed them in.

Kawakaze headed straight for the small thatched hut, where Sakumo and Duy were still discussing the theory behind the Eight Inner Gates. Without the time to practice, the two had shifted their focus to refining their understanding of the technique.

"What happened to Nawaki?" Sakumo asked with concern, seeing Kawakaze carrying him. Being future relatives, his tone reflected genuine worry.

"He's a little injured," Kawakaze replied, placing Nawaki gently on a bed. "It's his first time seeing blood, but he'll be fine after some rest."

Minato quietly sat down on one side of the room, listening.

"How many did you deal with this time?" Sakumo asked, confident in Kawakaze's capabilities. For him, Kawakaze's involvement almost always guaranteed results.

"One Jōnin and two Chūnin. Overall, a standard team," Kawakaze responded calmly, as though it were routine. An ordinary Jōnin posed little challenge to him.

"Minato, good job," Duy said, giving Minato a thumbs-up and a warm smile.

"Haha," Minato chuckled, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"Since you're already back, stay and keep watch over the camp," Sakumo suggested. "Just one Jōnin—seems like the Amegakure ninja still don't understand pain. Duy and I will head out again. Let's show them the strength of Konoha."

Sakumo, ever eager for action, couldn't stay idle. Protecting the camp didn't suit someone with his assassin-like skills.

"Yes! Kawakaze, Big Brother Sakumo and I will handle this," Duy added enthusiastically, excited to prove himself in battle.

"Alright, go," Kawakaze said without adding a word of caution. He trusted that no one in Amegakure, short of Hanzō of the Salamander, could challenge the combined might of Sakumo and Duy.

"Let's go. See you later," Sakumo said as he stood up, with Duy following closely behind.

The two Jōnin-level ninjas moved far quicker than Kawakaze, who had been slowed by the younger members earlier. Sakumo's extensive combat experience also made him adept at tracking and finding their targets.

Not long after, Sakumo and Duy located a group of five ninjas led by a Jōnin. The twenty Amegakure ninjas accompanying them were utterly annihilated—none could withstand Sakumo's blade or the raw destructive power of Duy's Eight Inner Gates. Their deaths were swift and brutal.

With the addition of Kawakaze's earlier efforts, Amegakure had suffered catastrophic losses. The mission to attack and delay, initially orchestrated by Hanzō of the Salamander, now faced a severe setback due to the limited forces he had committed.

The leader of the remaining Rain ninja, Yamaru, had no choice but to pull back and restrict their movements. He also sent word to Hanzō, who was still locked in battle with Chiyo of Sunagakure.

When Hanzō received the report, his fury erupted. In a fit of rage, he tore the message to shreds. He had underestimated the Konoha ninja's speed and wrongly assumed this group was part of Konoha's main force.

Little did he know, the chaos was caused by Kawakaze and his small team, who had arrived well ahead of the main army.

"Send reinforcements to Yamaru and keep him vigilant," Hanzō ordered. "For now, avoid direct confrontation with the Konoha forces. If their main force begins advancing, delay them at all costs until I return."

The kneeling ninja acknowledged the command and swiftly retreated to carry out his orders.

At this time, Hanzō was deep within the Land of Wind. Rather than taking a defensive stance, he had boldly led a Surprise Attack Division to strike at Sunagakure. His audacity was undeniable.

In response, Sunagakure dispatched Chiyo to lead a formidable force against him. The two sides had already clashed several times, with heavy losses on both sides.

Hanzō's poison had wreaked havoc among Sunagakure's troops, inflicting devastating casualties. Conversely, Chiyo's puppets had taken a heavy toll on the Amegakure forces, her precision and ingenuity making her a fearsome adversary.

"Damn that old hag and her puppets," Hanzō muttered bitterly. Without Chiyo, Sunagakure would have been no more than a band of weaklings in his eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Sunagakure camp, Chiyo meticulously studied the effects of Hanzō's poison. Renowned for her expertise in poison, she worked tirelessly to neutralize its effects. However, Hanzō's poison was exceptionally potent, even for a master like Chiyo, proving difficult to counter.

"That old man in the gas mask is truly detestable," Chiyo muttered, her frustration evident as she continued her research. She estimated it would take a long time to crack Hanzō's poison. Thinking about the Sand ninja who would die in the meantime, her brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Mother, you've been at this for a day and a night. Take a break," said a man with striking red hair and a handsome face—Sasori's father.

"Yes, sister, if you push yourself too hard, your health will suffer," Ebizō chimed in, echoing the concern.

"I won't rest until I solve this," Chiyo sighed, rubbing her aching eyes. Inwardly, she vowed to dismember Hanzō into eight pieces when the opportunity came.

Before long, a ninja arrived with urgent news—Hanzō was launching another attack. Chiyo had no choice but to set aside her research and lead her younger brother and son to counter the assault.

Meanwhile, fierce battles continued to rage in the Land of Wind between the Amegakure and Sunagakure forces.

Kawakaze and his team had been traveling north for several days without encountering any Amegakure ninja. They speculated that the enemy was planning a retreat. The days passed peacefully at their camp.

A week later, Orochimaru arrived with a large army. News of the reinforcements quickly reached Kawakaze, who led Sakumo and the others out to greet him.

With Orochimaru came substantial supplies—food, medicine, and essential ninja gear—all unloaded and distributed with precision. Under Orochimaru's leadership, the camp expanded significantly. Tents and buildings were laid out according to a meticulous plan, an area of logistics that Kawakaze admittedly knew little about.

Once the camp was organized, Orochimaru invited Kawakaze and the others to a newly constructed earthen house. The simple room had a low table surrounded by seating cushions. Fresh melons and fruits from the supply convoy were laid out on the table. Nawaki and Minato knelt quietly to the side like obedient students.

"Sensei," Nawaki greeted, his joy evident as he saw Orochimaru.

"I heard from Kawakaze that you performed well," Orochimaru said, stroking Nawaki's head with a cold smile.

Nawaki beamed with pride, his grin so wide that his eyes nearly closed.

"Kawakaze, do you have any recent intelligence?" Orochimaru asked, his tone becoming serious.

The room fell silent as Kawakaze began his report. "The Amegakure ninja currently operate in small units, focusing on assassinations and hit-and-run tactics. My assessment is that Hanzō's main focus is not us, Konoha. He's simply buying time. Over the past few days, their raiding force seems to have been deterred by our actions—they haven't appeared in three days."

Kawakaze shared his observations and theories with clarity, confident that Orochimaru would easily piece together the larger picture.

Sakumo and Duy remained silent throughout, letting the exchange between Orochimaru and Kawakaze take center stage.

"Kawakaze's analysis is reasonable," Orochimaru said after a moment of thought. "Next, I'll deploy scouts to locate the Amegakure forces. We'll feign a large-scale attack to gauge their reaction. That will reveal their intentions."

"Agreed," Kawakaze said without hesitation. He had no desire to command troops himself and saw no reason to challenge Orochimaru's strategy.