Chapter 88: Sisters, Caves, and Grudges
Being swept into Ragnar's arms yet again, Tsunade felt a hot flush of embarrassment creep up her neck. It was one thing when he was the anonymous, terrifying Rakshasa. It was entirely another now that she knew it was Ragnar—the boy she'd taken under her wing. She'd never been carried like this by anyone, let alone someone she viewed as a younger brother.
"Put me down this instant!" she demanded, though her voice lacked its usual commanding force.
Ignoring her, Ragnar was already moving, his body a blur as he leapt from tree to tree, putting distance between them and the creek. "The battlefield is fluid. Our position was compromised. Swift relocation is standard protocol." His tone was utterly professional, leaving no room for argument.
Tsunade knew he was right. She'd sensed the approaching chakra signature too, faint as it was. Her struggles diminished, but a private grumble echoed in her mind. Couldn't he just carry me on his back? This… this bridal carry is ridiculous! It felt undignified for a senior, a Sannin, to be held this way by her junior. Tsunade, for all her strength, harbored a fiercely independent, almost prideful streak.
"Let me find a secure location first," Ragnar said, his expression behind the mask unreadable, his focus entirely on their surroundings.
Tsunade eyed him suspiciously. That serious face… I bet he's laughing inside. This brat is getting revenge for all the times I knocked him around in training. So sly! How did I not see this mischievous side before?
"He's definitely enjoying this," she muttered to herself, defeated.
Ragnar didn't go far. A full-speed dash back to the distant Konoha lines was out of the question; Tsunade's body, resilient as it was, couldn't handle that kind of sustained jostling in her current state. Plus, the oldest trick often worked best. The forest that had just witnessed an apocalyptic battle would be the last place anyone would think to search thoroughly.
He found what he was looking for near the base of a rocky outcrop: a shallow cave hidden behind a thick curtain of hanging vines and tangled roots. It was damp and dark, but secluded.
Setting her down inside, he ignored the daggers her eyes were shooting at him and got to work. With brisk efficiency, he cleared debris and used a controlled burst of the Burn-Burn Fruit's heat to dry the air and stone, turning the clammy hollow into a passably dry, warm shelter.
"Rest here. With your skills, a few hours of chakra recovery should let you handle your injuries," he stated, his voice matter-of-fact.
Tsunade stared at him, trying to pierce through his stoic facade. She saw nothing but calm practicality. With a final, frustrated huff, she turned and walked deeper into the now-warm cave. Her injuries still ached, and her chakra reserves were a mere trickle, but her physical stamina, thanks to her monstrous Senju vitality, had rebounded remarkably. Ragnar noted it with silent respect. Her natural recovery was, at this stage, even more formidable than his own Haki-tempered body.
Iwagakure Village – Tsuchikage's Office
Far from the damp caves of Rain, rage simmered in a room of stone and polished rock. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, still young but with the weight of a village on his shoulders, slammed a mission report onto his heavy desk.
"INCOMPETENT FOOLS!"
His voice echoed in the austere chamber. The failure of the initial ambush on the Konoha team had been bad enough. Letting them escape into the heart of the Land of Rain was worse. He'd personally greenlit the deployment of an Anbu-assisted hunter squad to finish the job, especially after confirming the target's identity: Tsunade Senju. Capturing or killing the First Hokage's granddaughter, the Third's student, would be a devastating blow to Konoha's morale.
Now, the report stated the entire hunter force had been wiped out. Annihilated. Combined with the earlier squad Ragnar had erased, it meant Iwagakure had lost two full teams in quick succession—five jonin and dozens of chunin and genin.
The losses were a stomach-churning setback this early in the war.
Ōnoki paced, his short stature belying the immense pressure he radiated. This was not yet the weathered, cynical kage who would later face Madara. This was a younger, more aggressive leader, fiercely committed to his village's expansion and security. In war, there were no true villains, only conflicting wills. His will was for the Land of Earth to thrive, just as Hiruzen's was for the Land of Fire. But his methods, at this stage, were hardening into something ruthless.
He snatched the report up again, his sharp eyes scanning the sparse details. Something nagged at him. In the heart of Rain Country… where did Konoha muster an elite force capable of this? Hanzo's scouts aren't blind. They would have reported a large troop movement.
"This doesn't add up," he muttered.
He called for the reconnaissance detail. A nervous chunin entered and provided a more granular description of the battlefield site: widespread earth disturbance, signs of intense fire or lava, and a massive, circular zone of total annihilation where the ground was glassed and scarred by lightning.
"The scale… it's not a squad battle. It's the aftermath of a kinjutsu. Or a Kekkei Genkai of tremendous power." Ōnoki's frown deepened. A single shinobi, or a very small team, wielding such force. A new, unknown variable on the board. "Who?"
The loss stung personally. Hi no Ishi, his promising Lava Release disciple, a potential future Tsuchikage, was among the dead. The cold calculus of war warred with a flicker of genuine grief, which was swiftly buried under a colder, harder resolve. Hatred bred in such soil.
He returned to his stone seat, the weight of command settling heavily. After a long silence, he began issuing new, terse orders. It was time to remind Konoha that the Village Hidden in the Stones could hit back twice as hard. They would pay a price for this.
(End of Chapter)
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