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By noon the next day, Qiu Dao Xuanwu slowly opened his eyes. The benefits of his extremely strong soul and physique were obvious—after just one night's rest, he had basically recovered.
The bumpy sensation made him realize he was inside a moving carriage.
But he wasn't alone inside. I turned my head and saw what was happening in front of me. The person lying opposite me—wasn't that my handsome master?
Time went back to yesterday.
After Qiu Dao Xuanwu left, Tsunade and the others fought dozens of enemy ninja. In the end, only five members of the three-nation allied forces survived—and they were all slaughtered. Even Salamander Hanzo, who had been hiding in the rear, was forced to show himself. He had no choice—if he didn't act, his son would be turned into minced meat.
After a fierce battle, although the three eventually won, they were all injured to varying degrees. The other two were still fine, but Tsunade had completely exhausted her chakra. Fighting Hanzo in that state would have been suicide, so she had to retreat. But someone like Salamander Hanzo was not so easy to shake off.
In the end, Tsunade took Qiu Dao Xuanwu's secret military pill. In less than a minute, her chakra returned to normal.
Not only that, the icy pill completely removed her fatigue and even made her feel excited. She couldn't even feel the pain from a cut on her arm. This shocked her. What exactly was the medicine Xuanwu gave her? A Nine-Transformation Golden Pill?
Her body was now fully recovered, and she felt a little smug. She originally planned to strike the ground again to create an opportunity for their retreat.
Instead, the "Tiger Girl" used all her strength and stomped down with one foot. The already shattered ground suffered beyond its limit and finally collapsed completely. A massive rift—over ten meters wide and unfathomably deep—split the valley between them and Salamander Hanzo.
That single kick stunned everyone present, including Jiraiya, the so-called demigod of the ninja world. His jaw almost dropped. He silently warned himself never to provoke this female tyrannosaurus again. He had been lucky last time—next time, he wouldn't be.
Shocked by Tsunade's ferocity, Hanzo realized the situation was beyond saving. If the battle continued, perhaps the three of them could survive, but the losses would be unbearable. Most of the ninja he brought would also be killed. The Hidden Rain Village had already shed too much blood.
As Hanzo stopped, he spoke to the three on the other side of the gorge:"Konoha ninja, today it ends here. You have earned my recognition. From now on, you are the three ninja of Konoha."
In truth, Hanzo's praise was also a form of self-consolation. With such heavy losses, only by praising these three could the so-called demigod of the ninja world save face.
Thus, the title of the "Three Ninja of Konoha" spread across the ninja world five years earlier than originally planned.
The three had no mood to chat with Hanzo. They quickly withdrew from the battlefield. Who cared about some title? Nothing was more important than their lives. They escaped before "Salamander" Hanzo could act again.
Just one hour later, an overexcited Tsunade suddenly collapsed without warning. Nearly a full day had passed, and she was still unconscious.
Because the carriage was cramped, they had no choice but to lie side by side.
Looking at Tsunade so close to him, Qiu Dao Xuanwu—though only fifteen physically, but over forty mentally—began to let his thoughts wander.
There were only twenty centimeters between them. Since they were nearly the same height, they were face to face. He could even feel the steady breathing of the beauty before him. A beauty truly was a beauty—even her breath was fragrant (Author: Have some shame!!!).
Tsunade's face was fair like jade, her skin like snow, as if carved by the gods themselves—stunningly beautiful. At only twenty years old, she radiated youthful vitality that stirred Xuanwu's heart.
Her beautiful eyes were closed, her brows slightly furrowed, as if some lingering sadness remained.
Unable to resist, Qiu Dao Xuanwu reached out and lightly scratched the bridge of her straight nose, then gently rubbed her brow. Perhaps sensing the touch, or perhaps her worries eased, Tsunade's brow slowly relaxed.
At that moment, the carriage curtain was lifted. Xuanwu withdrew his hand and sat up instantly.
His movement startled Nara Qingshui, who was lifting the curtain."You're awake? I thought you were still asleep. And why was your face so close to mine?"
"I just woke up and wanted to get out—almost bumped into you," Xuanwu explained awkwardly.
Nara Qingshui didn't care and dropped the matter. What could a fifteen-year-old kid possibly understand?
Reluctantly, Qiu Dao Xuanwu left the carriage, leaving the beauty alone. Before leaving, he stared intensely at the sleeping Tsunade, as if engraving her into his eyes. He still wanted to protect this sleeping beauty.
Stepping outside, he saw the scene clearly. Two horses pulled the carriage along the road. Nara Qingshui and Yamanaka Yuu were driving, but Jiraiya and Orochimaru were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are Lord Jiraiya and Lord Orochimaru?"
"They're still at the border outpost, stopping enemy ninja from crossing. We're taking you and Teacher Tsunade back to Konoha first."
"How's the situation now?"
"What was supposed to be a simple escort mission turned into a battle on the scale of a small war. If we had all died in the Land of Rain, the Hidden Rain Village could have denied everything. But we all made it back safely. Intelligence about the alliance between the Land of Rain, Earth, and Wind was exposed, along with their plan to massacre Konoha ninja. The information has already been sent back. The Third Hokage has dispatched a large number of ninja to the Land of Fire's border—they're on the way."
"Xuanwu, do you think this will turn into a war in the end?" Shan Zhongyu asked.
"Unlikely."
"You think so too? Qingshui said the same. Can you tell me why?"
Looking at the documents Qingshui handed over, Qiu Dao Xuanwu said, "Simple. The alliance of Earth, Wind, and Rain is already a fact. If Konoha rashly invades the Land of Rain, no matter the reason, the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth will never stand by. We'd face a three-nation assault."
Defeating them quickly would be ideal, but if dragged into a prolonged war, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water would surely join. That would trigger the Second Great Ninja War, with four major powers besieging us. Konoha clearly isn't prepared for that. So this large deployment is mainly for prevention and deterrence. The Hidden Rain Village will probably offer some minor compensation—or more likely, nothing at all.
After all, we didn't suffer major losses, but they lost dozens of ninja, including twenty jonin and one elite jonin—the Hidden Rain ANBU captain, who was burned to ashes by Jiraiya's Toad Oil Flame Bomb while protecting Salamander Izo.
"Oh? Why is your analysis so similar to Qingshui's? Birds of a feather, huh."
Shan Zhongyu complained bitterly. Qingshui was from the Nara clan—of course they were smart. But you're from the Akimichi clan, a brute—how could you be smarter than me? He couldn't accept it.
"What do you mean birds of a feather? Great minds think alike, isn't it obvious? You trash!" Xuanwu mocked mercilessly.
"You'd better take that back. The remains of your maternal cousin-in-law that you've coveted for eight hundred years are still with me—especially the five eyes, all intact," Yamanaka Yuu said calmly, arms crossed.
"Brother, you're my real brother, please forgive me! When we get home, I'll make your favorite roasted whole lamb and roast suckling pig—just for you alone, not even a sip of water for anyone else!"