"Kawaki-kun, this camp is no longer of any use."
"I'm planning to lead the troops to withdraw and settle in a town within the Land of Fire first."
"We'll find another camp when the supplies arrive."
Orochimaru inspected the ruins of the warehouse and came to Kawaki's side, stating his decision.
It was obvious that he was now calm and composed, far surpassing Yamaru in terms of psychological quality.
This camp was not only exposed but also out of supplies. Orochimaru couldn't possibly lead the large troop to survive in the wild.
"Well, there's no other choice for now."
"I wonder who you're sending back to Konoha?"
Kawaki also didn't think there was any point in staying at this camp. The next crucial thing was how soon the supplies would arrive.
"You."
Orochimaru gave a faint smile and uttered a single word.
"Me?"
Kawaki was a bit skeptical if he had heard correctly. It was a good opportunity to go back and see Tsunade.
He had missed her so much after more than a month apart.
"Yes, Kawaki-kun. You're fast and can send the message back as quickly as possible."
"I'm sure you miss Tsunade, right?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru wore a playful smile on his face.
"Haha, then I won't decline."
"Time is of the essence. I'll set off right away."
"Okay, be careful on the way."
Orochimaru turned around and left, preparing to lead the troops to the town.
Kawaki entrusted the two young ones to Sakumo and Dai. He really wouldn't have been at ease if it were someone like Jiraiya.
Then he rushed towards Konoha without stopping. Fortunately, he had been smart enough to carve many Flying Raijin seals along the way when he came.
It only took him one day to return to Konoha.
Looking at the gates of Konoha Village again, Kawaki felt as if he had passed through a lifetime.
People who had come back from the battlefield might all yearn for peace deep in their hearts.
He knocked on the gates of Konoha Village. Two gatekeeper Ninjas used the Opening Gate technique. After confirming Kawaki's identity, they respectfully let him in.
Kawaki still had a bit of professional ethics and didn't go to find Tsunade first.
He went to the Hokage Building. After being interrogated by the Anbu, he was brought before the Third Hokage.
"Lord Third Hokage."
Kawaki greeted him first. He still had to show due respect. This old man had treated Tsunade quite well.
"Kawaki Hatake, why are you back?"
The Third Hokage frowned, puffing on his pipe. His intuition told him it wasn't good news.
"We've won two great victories in the Land of Rain."
"We've beheaded nearly a thousand enemies."
"Good!"
Before Kawaki could finish, he saw the Third Hokage slap the table and shout in applause.
He was used to reporting. He always reported the good news first so that when he reported the bad news later, at least he wouldn't anger his superiors too much.
"However, our supplies have been destroyed. We've now retreated to a town on the border of the Land of Fire."
"Orochimaru sent me back hoping that you could ask the Daimyō to send another batch of supplies to the front line."
Kawaki didn't mention that the idea was his own. It was a waste not to use Orochimaru's name.
"What?"
The Third Hokage's face turned ugly again. His mood was like a roller coaster.
If he weren't still relatively young, his heart might not be able to take it.
"It's just that the Rain ninjas came suddenly. They tied Explosive Tags to themselves and performed Self-Destruction as soon as they saw someone. The defending ninjas just couldn't stop them."
Kawaki added an explanation, "It's not that we're useless. The other side is just too crazy."
"Alright, I got it," the Third Hokage replied. "I'll discuss it with the Daimyō as soon as possible."
The Third Hokage sat down and waved for Kawaki to leave.
Once Kawaki stepped out of the room, the Third Hokage wasted no time in summoning two advisors. Then, after a brief discussion, they decided to dispatch Anbu ninjas. These ninjas were sent to the Daimyō's mansion to request supplies. Since it was a national conflict, the Daimyō's mansion should provide the necessary resources.
This was no longer Kawaki's concern. As soon as he left the Hokage Building, he used the Flying Raijin to teleport to the underground research room of the hospital.
As he expected, Tsunade was alone in the laboratory, engrossed in her research. Wearing a white lab coat, she looked every bit the part of a researcher.
The moment he appeared in the research room, Tsunade noticed him. The laboratory was small, and Kawaki hadn't bothered to hide his presence.
"Kawaki-kun!" Tsunade exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy. She dropped the utensils in her hands and rushed into Kawaki's arms.
Kawaki embraced the beautiful woman in his arms affectionately and gently stroked her hair. He breathed in her scent and whispered in her ear, "I'm back."
It took a while before Tsunade reluctantly pulled away from his warm embrace.
"Aren't you supposed to be on the battlefield?" she asked.
"The supplies were destroyed, so I came back for reinforcements. I came to see you right after leaving the Third Hokage's office," Kawaki explained briefly.
"Come on, let me show you my progress," Tsunade said. She wasn't interested in the battlefield situation. If things were really bad, Kawaki wouldn't look so calm.
Saying that, she grabbed Kawaki's hand and led him to the experiment table.
"I've managed to cultivate Grandfather's cells. However, they're still unstable and often disappear," she said. "His cells have high activity. My next goal is to stabilize them, and then we can conduct some fusion experiments. Don't be stingy with your blood then." Tsunade beamed with pride. Sharing her joy with her beloved made her extremely happy.
Kawaki's words were quite cheeky.
Tsunade gave him a sideways glance. "I'll drain every drop of your blood."
After saying that, she lost interest in continuing her research. She took off her white lab coat.
"Let's go see Natsuki. She must be eager to hear news about Sakumo," Tsunade suggested.
"Sure, I'll take you home," Kawaki said, putting his arm around Tsunade's waist. The next moment, they appeared in the Hatake family training hall.
Their sudden appearance startled the hidden samurai around. Since Natsuki became pregnant, the security of the Hatake family had been significantly enhanced.
When they realized it was Kawaki and Tsunade, the samurai quietly retreated.
"Steward, where's my sister-in-law?" Kawaki shouted. The steward appeared in response.
"The mistress is in the living room," the steward replied.
"Alright, you can go back to your work," Kawaki said.
He led Tsunade to the living room and saw Natsuki chatting with the Ghost Mastiff. It was quite boring to be home alone, but this was Natsuki's way of having fun.
"Kawaki, is that really you?" Natsuki said. She had smelled Kawaki's scent but couldn't believe it.
"Yes, I just got back," Kawaki said, with Tsunade by his side. His words were hardly convincing.
However, Natsuki isn't the type to be bothered by such trivial matters. A sister - in - law doesn't hold a candle to a wife.
After a while apart, the Ghost Mastiff actually missed this guy. Maybe it has a masochistic side deep down.
It bounded over and rubbed against Kawaki's feet.
Crouching down, Kawaki was surprisingly gentle. He scratched the Ghost Mastiff's chin, and it lay down comfortably.
"Did you come back alone?"
Natsuki looked around but didn't see Sakumo. She was a bit disappointed.
"I'm back on a mission. Aniki is safe and sound in a border town for now."
After Kawaki reported Aniki's safety, the tension on Natsuki's face disappeared.
"Aniki said he'll do his best to come back before your due date."
"Don't worry. The mission comes first."
Even though Natsuki said so, the happy look on her face didn't escape Kawaki and Tsunade.
"Sister - in - law Natsuki, I'll give you another check - up."
Since Kawaki left Konoha, Tsunade hadn't visited the Hatake family. This was a good chance to do another check - up.
This was also because Kawaki had mentioned it to her before and she hadn't forgotten about it.
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