34. Heading to the Battlefield
The war hospital ward at Kikyo Mountain was shrouded in silence.
Minato was carefully evaluating the feasibility of Danzo's plan.
Shikai was agonizing over how to hold off Sunagakure's forces once Danzo and Minato left.
Meanwhile, only Aburame Ryoma and Uchiha Shisui gazed at Danzo with admiration.
"Is this the reason you summoned me here, Danzo?"
Suddenly, a female voice broke the silence.
Everyone turned toward the doorway, where a blonde woman in a tea-green robe with a black sash leaned against the doorframe.
One hand supported the astonishing curve of her chest, while the other held a bottle of sake. A faint blush colored her face.
The group instantly recognized her: Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, known as the "Princess of Konoha"!
Despite being Jiraiya's contemporary, time seemed to have left no marks on Tsunade.
Her face was unblemished, her skin as pale as milk—smooth, supple, and radiant.
The only noticeable difference was the unique aura of maturity brought about by her experiences.
"Lady Tsunade, why are you here?"
As Jiraiya's student, Minato was quite familiar with her.
Hearing Minato's question, Tsunade raised the sake bottle and pointed toward Danzo with her red-polished fingernail.
"Ask him."
Minato looked at Danzo, wondering if the elder had anticipated her arrival.
Danzo shook his head. "I'm no prophet. I had Hiruzen summon Tsunade to deal with Chiyo's poisons."
He folded up the map and turned to Tsunade. "Since you overheard our discussion, I'll leave the defense of this front to you."
Tsunade instinctively felt some dislike toward Danzo, but considering his recent reputation and the current dire circumstances, she refrained from showing it. Instead, she stared intently at him and warned:
"Danzo, you should know…"
Danzo nodded, fully aware of what she meant.
After losing both her brother and her lover, Tsunade had developed a severe fear of blood—hemophobia.
For a ninja, this was almost a fatal flaw.
On the battlefield, where life and death are decided, avoiding bloodshed is impossible.
This was the primary reason for Tsunade's rare appearances during the later stages of the war.
However, her condition was a closely guarded Konoha secret. With the weight of the Sannin title, Sunagakure would likely hesitate to launch a reckless attack.
"Don't worry. Chiyo won't strike immediately. You only need to hold the line and defend."
Danzo offered Tsunade an encouraging, almost parental gaze.
"I believe in you, Tsunade."
"Tch, don't look at me like I'm some kid!"
Tsunade averted her eyes, clearly annoyed.
Danzo didn't mind her reaction and clapped his hands. "Ryoma, Shisui, you two stay behind and assist Tsunade."
"Yes, sir!"
Shisui, now utterly loyal to Danzo, complied without question. As long as Danzo didn't order him to destroy Konoha, he would do whatever was needed.
Danzo then turned his gaze toward Minato.
"Well, in that case, let's not waste any more time."
"Understood, Elder Danzo."
Minato obediently placed his hand on Danzo's shoulder.
"Hold on. Here we go."
As Minato activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, Danzo felt everything around him stretch into impossibly thin lines, like the surreal visuals of a sci-fi wormhole.
This sensation lasted only for a fleeting moment. In the blink of an eye, the scene before them stabilized, revealing a wooden structure.
Inside, various supplies were stored, including ration pills and a range of ninja tools.
If the guess was correct, this must be a supply station located somewhere within the borders of the Land of Fire.
Minato's explanation confirmed it.
"This is one of the teleportation points I set up while traveling to Kikyo Mountain. We'll need to go through about five teleportations to reach the southern part of the Land of Fire. After that, we'll have to rely on foot travel to reach the battlefield in the Land of Water."
Minato rubbed his nose, seemingly embarrassed about being unable to transport Danzo directly to the battlefield.
Danzo patted him on the shoulder with a smile, encouraging him. "You've already done very well."
Minato gave a wry smile as he popped a ration pill into his mouth and explained, "Teleporting others with the Flying Thunder God Technique consumes a tremendous amount of chakra. I need to replenish mine, Elder Danzo."
"I have a solution for that," Danzo said confidently.
"But it will require precise chakra control on your part."
"What kind of method?"
Curiosity was written all over Minato's face. Besides using ration pills, he hadn't encountered many other ways to replenish chakra.
Occasionally, he had heard from Kushina that some members of the Uzumaki clan with special constitutions could transfer chakra to others by letting them bite into their flesh.
As for chakra control, Minato was confident in his abilities.
Danzo, too, had confidence in him.
After all, this was the man who managed to tame Yin Kurama within the belly of the Shinigami.
"Here it comes."
Danzo placed one hand on Minato's shoulder while using the other to undo the Four Symbols Seal on his abdomen.
In an instant, a sinister and violent chakra engulfed Danzo's body, filling the entire supply station with an icy, oppressive aura.
Even Minato was startled.
If not for his trust in Danzo, he would have instinctively drawn his kunai, activated the Flying Thunder God, and retreated to a nearby forest.
"This feeling... it's... a Tailed Beast!"
The energy Danzo emitted immediately reminded Minato of the terrifying creature sealed within Kushina's body.
"This is chakra I absorbed from the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki. It should be sufficient for your Flying Thunder God Technique," Danzo explained.
"Focus and control this chakra carefully."
Danzo directed the chakra to flow toward Minato, allowing it to spread into his body.
Following Danzo's warning, Minato quickly closed his eyes, concentrating on the overwhelming energy infiltrating him.
Even though this chakra was no longer within the Eight-Tails, it still carried an indescribable malevolence and terror, leaving Minato deeply uncomfortable.
So this is the kind of pain Kushina has endured all this time...
Minato's expression softened with a hint of heartache.
If even this small portion of the Eight-Tails' chakra was this unbearable, how much more devastating would the mental toll of the entire Nine-Tails—stronger and more ferocious—be on Kushina?
And yet, she still managed to smile brightly every day, talking about how she wanted to become the first female Hokage...
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