Konoha.
Under the ceaseless downpour, the skies seemed to mourn the countless fallen shinobi on the battlefield.
Thunder rolled across the dark, cloud-choked sky, flickering with the occasional bolt of lightning.
Senju Clan Compound.
"Damn it! There's no way this is just a coincidence!"
Tsunade's fist smashed through the wooden table in front of her. Opposite her sat Uzumaki Mito, silent and grave.
No one could have imagined that this time... they had nearly lost the last direct descendant of the First Hokage's bloodline.
Mito's voice was hoarse and weary as she finally spoke:
"Tsunade, what if… what if it was just a coincidence?"
But even as she said it, Mito let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.
Not even she believed that.
And Tsunade? Her eyes burned with fury as she bit out her words.
"Coincidence? Those wandering samurai had no obvious issues. It's not strange for them to carry explosive tags for protection. It's even reasonable they'd lay traps."
She looked up, her face twisted in a mocking grin.
"How convenient. No matter how we investigate, there's not a single flaw in the setup. But somehow, it's a 'simple' mission inside Fire Country… and Orochimaru just happens to let his guard down? Nawaki, a Genin with Chuunin-level strength, gets caught in a trap… and is blown to bits by explosive tags?"
"But Grandma, you tell me — don't you think there were a few too many tags involved? Even if every last one of them checks out 'officially'?"
The more seamless the lie, the more suspicious it became.
If they hadn't received an anonymous warning ahead of time, this incident might have gone unquestioned. They would've investigated, again and again, only to find no trail — nothing to trace back.
Just a mystery.
But the warning had come.
And everything aligned far too perfectly.
Especially when you consider this mission wasn't just in Fire Country — it was practically at Konoha's doorstep.
Nawaki had just celebrated his twelfth birthday the day before.
Then the next day, he left for his mission.
By that night, Jiraiya could personally deliver the message to his corpse.
You call that a coincidence?
"And as for the Uchiha…"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, her voice dipped into cold disdain.
"The Uchiha Clan has been isolated, pushed out of the village's inner circle. They've been desperately trying to prove themselves, to integrate with Konoha. Even if they had reason to act against us… would the Police Force alone even have the ability to pull off something this flawless?"
The Uchiha were powerful — no doubt.
They were the strongest noble clan, not just in Konoha but across the entire ninja world.
But most of their elite had been sent to the frontlines.
The Uchiha remaining in the village were constantly under scrutiny — spied on, distrusted, watched in secret by Konoha's leadership.
If they had attempted something like this, the risk would've been astronomical. Pulling it off perfectly?
Impossible.
"Tsunade…"
Mito let out a long, melancholy sigh. Her aged face showed a rare flicker of sorrow.
"Nawaki… he's my grandson. But maybe… maybe it's better this way. We can use this as a cover to smuggle him to the Daimyō's estate. There are still some hidden Senju loyalists there. He can grow in the shadows."
"Tsunade, I know you're angry — but the village isn't the same as it once was. The war is here. Please, don't act on impulse."
She was the one grieving most, yet she was also the one cautioning restraint.
Tsunade looked up at her grandmother. Her expression slowly shifted from fury… to eerie calm.
That sudden stillness made Mito pause. There was something dangerous about that quiet.
"Don't worry, Grandma."
Tsunade might be headstrong, even rash, but she wasn't stupid.
She would go on to become the Fifth Hokage for a reason.
When it came to critical matters, Tsunade had a firm backbone and a sharp political mind. She wasn't just a brawler or a medic — she understood how the game was played.
Seeing her calm down so quickly, Mito finally smiled in relief.
"Tsunade… I won't be around for much longer. When I'm gone, the future of the Senju Clan — and Kushina — will rest on your shoulders."
Just then, both of them turned.
They had sensed someone approaching.
Bang!
The door opened.
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya's voice rang out, and Tsunade immediately put on a show — her expression turning into a fiery glare.
"Jiraiya! You better have a damn good reason for showing up here. Or else!"
But Jiraiya didn't respond with his usual nervous laugh.
His face was heavy — his expression dark.
Tsunade's fury began to fade.
A terrible, creeping feeling settled over her.
"…No. Don't tell me something happened at the front."
Her voice was tight. Her smile was strained.
Then Jiraiya finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Tsunade… Orochimaru's back. He's in the morgue."
BOOM.
A crack of lightning illuminated Tsunade's blank expression. Her eyes were hollow with dread.
Next instant —
BANG!
Rain splashed in every direction as Tsunade vanished, launching herself toward the morgue at full speed.
Jiraiya cursed under his breath and rushed to catch up.
Women, especially kunoichi, were natural-born actors.
And Tsunade?
From start to finish, she hadn't revealed a single sign of her inner storm.
Dark skies. Torrential rain.
Outside the morgue, footsteps splashed against puddles. Rapid. Heavy breathing.
Tsunade stood outside the door, frozen.
Leaning against the wall was Orochimaru.
That breathing — it wasn't exhaustion.
It was anxiety.
Just as Tsunade reached for the door, Jiraiya stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You… shouldn't look at the body."
Coming from him, that said everything.
The state of the corpse was horrific.
Leaning against the doorframe, Orochimaru let his black hair obscure half his face as he spoke in a strangely calm tone.
"What's the point? You wouldn't recognize your little brother anyway."
"Shut it, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya barked, furious.
But Orochimaru only let out a cold laugh, hiding the sorrow in his eyes.
"Another unrecognizable corpse. Just like the others. No medics on the battlefield. It's always the same."
"But this time… it was just a child."
"And the day after, he got his birthday gift."
Orochimaru pulled something from his robes.
It was a pendant — a necklace.
Tsunade's eyes went wide. Her pupils dilated. Her breath caught.
Jiraiya turned his head away, unable to look.
This was war.
Tsunade's hands trembled as she reached out and took the necklace.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Nawaki!!"
Her scream echoed through the rain-drenched night, piercing the hearts of every nearby shinobi.
Countless heads lowered in silent sorrow.
This… was the life of a ninja.
Death was a constant companion, and in wartime, the cries of the grieving echoed through the village almost daily.
Somewhere in the Fire Country.
The rain drizzled steadily, mingling with the earthy scent of wet soil.
"August 10th… Nawaki's twelfth birthday was yesterday. That means by now… Tsunade should've found out."
Even if what happened to Nawaki was truly a coincidence, when you're warned, it stops being a coincidence.
This was the ugliness of human nature.
High in a tree, Uchiha Ye hid his presence, staring up at the overcast sky.
"Ye."
A black figure suddenly flashed beside him, pulling his attention back to the present.
In the rain, Uchiha Mikoto appeared, carrying the standard Uchiha long blade. Her Sharingan eyes, now two-tomoe deep, stared coldly toward a nearby cave.
"The ninja cat's scent-tracking confirmed it. He's inside."
Usually gentle and soft-spoken, Mikoto now exuded a dangerous aura. Her eyes shimmered with killing intent.
Thud.
Ye gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
The touch was enough to snap her out of her bloodlust.
"Mikoto-nee."
She nodded, regaining her composure, still watching the cave with alert eyes.
Inside the dark, damp cave…
"Man… or woman?"
A frail old man stirred, slowly lifting his head.
His voice was calm, almost flat, but carried an unsettling tone beneath.
"Alright then. If it's a woman who charges in this time…"
"I'll kill her."
His lifeless eyes began to flicker with madness, staring straight toward the cave entrance.