Chapter 41: War

Konoha

It had been 4 months since the declaration of war by Kumogakure.

That seemed to be the match that lit the flame of chaos in the Shinobi World as everything went downhill from then.

The Villages Hidden in the Stone and Mist had each declared war on each other, mere days after Hashirama's death.

The Hidden Sand had begun trying to annex smaller nations like the Land of Rain, as well as attempt to invade Konoha.

The atmosphere in the village was no longer tranquil and peaceful, with it being replaced by a depressing and somber feeling as the streets that were once filled with stalls and merchants, now stood in silence other that the shinobi who were either heading in the direction of the Hokage building or to the gate that lead outside the Village.

Senju Clan Compound

Tsunade awoke with a heavy face and quickly took care of her daily necessities. She then came out of her room to see Mito placing breakfast on the table while Ayako and Tobirama sat at the table. Tsunade sighed when she saw her father wasn't home, as she knew that he had rejoined the ANBU and was probably on a mission.

They ate in a comfortable silence until Tobirama turned towards Tsunade and said "You have a big day today, so make sure you make it to the Academy on time."

Tsunade looked confused at that before nodding and continuing to eat. After she finished, she gave everyone a hug and a smile before quickly leaving.

The house was in silence for a little while until Mito said with a smile "She is smiling again. That's good."

Tobirama nodded and said "I don't know if it's because of elder brother's death or the hospital. But I'm glad that she's overcoming it."

He then put on his Hokage robe and left, while Tsunade caught up with her friends, who were already heading towards the Ninja Academy while talking.

When walking up, she heard Shinku ask with a trace of fear "So will we have to go to the frontlines after we graduate?"

Anyone could see how terrifying the war is, just seeing the state of the Shinobi who returned from the front lines put fear into many of the villagers and Academy students, with some from the lower classes even dropping out at their parents behest.

"I doubt it. We may help with missions such as sending resources and other support jobs, grandpa is adamant about the fact that we shouldn't fight on the frontlines until we turn 12." Tsunade said while walking up with a smile, happy her friends don't have to go to war, otherwise they may have to see the terrifying things she did in the hospital.

Tsunade had began helping out at the hospital after she heard Tobirama speak about the staff shortage that they were having, since the head of the hospital was overseeing the medical camps on the battlefield.

But she was mentally unprepared for the horror that she witnessed on her first day there. From the shinobi who lost limbs and had disfigured faces, to the ones who were begging to be put out of their misery. It terrified Tsunade, with her running home as fast as she could. And it made her finally realize where she was. She was in the Shinobi World, not the world of Naruto. The difference was that one showcased the sunny side of being a ninja, and the other showcased the cruelty and inhuman treatment that they had to withstand in it.

Tsunade had changed after that day. She no longer showed child-like innocence or even looked at the world with a modern point of view. She began to delve deeper into sealing jutsu and had Mito teach her how to use it in combat. She also came back to the hospital with a new resolve, becoming one of the best healers in the village. She also started wearing weighted clothing around the village and in her training sessions to help improve her speed. She had almost mastered Earth to the highest degree she could as the Village didn't have any Earth ninjutsu specialist.

Her friends also started training harder after seeing her doing it, since they were afraid that they would be left behind by her. She began by having them have mock spars against each other during their training days and switching opponents after each match ended. Tobirama also gave them access to the Senju Clans B ranked techniques to help them improve their strength faster. Overall, the entire group had reached a level of strength where any of them could go toe to toe with a chunin if it was deemed necessary.

The group 14 finally arrived at the Academy, with them all enetering the classroom to see Yoma sitting at his desk with a grim face.

'He must have gotten more bad news about the war.' Tsunade guessed after seeing Yoma's face while sitting down.

Yoma sighed before standing up and walking in front of the class and said "Due to the village using its full manpower on the war front and they have no one to help pass messages or send resources, and the fact that you all have been advancing in strength at an extremely fast speed, it has been decided that we will move the graduation exam from next year to this year. Which means that today is when we will be holding the exam."

Everyone was stunned at this revelation.

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