When morning comes, Team 7 gathers their things. Kadoya makes Nawaki use Earth Release to bury the remains of their camp, hiding the burnt woods and charred rock underneath the ground.
Team 7 continues to move through the heavy rain, eventually reaching the front line of the battlefield. Standing at the camp gate, the ninja standing on guard was a bit surprised seeing the three genin.
"Young Master Nawaki!?" The ninja standing at the gate asks, recognizing Nawaki.
"Brother Gin?"
Nawaki seems to recognize that the ninja guarding the gate is Gin Ichimaru, a part-blooded Senju member; his grandmother is a Senju who married a civilian.
So even with most of the full blooded Senju members dead, some part-blooded Senju members were still present in the village. And now it seems that those half-blood Senju have been transferred onto the Second Ninja War battlefield.
"Nawaki, besides you and Tsunade-sensei, are there any full blooded Senju left?" Kadoya suddenly turned to ask his teammate.
He has been to the Senju Compound a few times already, but he has never seen any full blooded Senju Clanman besides Nawaki and Tsunade.
"Uhh, well. Most of our Senju Clanmen married civilians in the village, so actually a lot of civilian shinobi in the village could potentially carry some Senju's blood." Nawaki said with a proud smile, like weakening your own Clan was something to be proud of.
Kadoya has to stop himself from rolling his eyes, so the Senju haven't disappeared completely, it's just that they married with civilian, fully integrating themselves with the village to the point that their bloodline disappears almost completely.
This is why many Clans with Kekkei Genkai usually marry member in their own clan, performing inbreeding to help keep the bloodline pure.
Kadoya then met up with his teachers, Orochimaru and Tsunade were both happy and worried seeing Team 7 standing in the battlefield.
Honestly, they didn't approve the Third's decision to send Team 7 out on mission so early on, even when their graduation was in a few months from now.
By then, the previous Jonin instructor would temporarily return to the village, to help bond and guide their team for a week or two before heading right back into the battlefield with their team.
The fact that Team 7 managed to make their way from Konoha all the way into Amegakure without a Jonin instructor was already quite impressive.
"Tch! What the hell is that old bastard thinking!?" Tsunade roared, slamming her fist on a stone and shattering it into pieces.
After the talked with Kadoya that day, she decides to try and convince her younger brother not to graduate and he should stay back a few more years before graduating, when the war end at least.
But her idiot brother didn't listen and still insisted on graduating and becoming a shinobi.
So she tries and convince the Third Hokage, who agrees with her verbally, then purposefully sends Nawaki into war.
When she comes back to the village, the first thing she would do is charge into his office and teach him a lesson.
"Tsunade-sensei, you should calm down." Kadoya said, causing Tsunade to turn back and glare at him.
"Calm down!? How do you expect me to-"
She wanted to complain, only to notice Kadoya pulling a large bottle that looked oddly like a sake bottle out from his back.
"I've been learning how to create some drinks, wanna try out the wine I made, Sensei?" Although he knew that one shouldn't drink while at war, she had been going days without any alcohol. So when she saw the bottle, although she wanted to scold him, but knowing her student's personality, he would most likely smash the bottle instead of handing it over to her if she tried that.
After all, her father once scolded her for drinking alcohol at four, she could still remember her four-year-old self holding a large alcohol bottle, he scolded her and tried and force her to hand it over, the four-year-old Tsunade decide to throw a fit and toss the bottle to the ground, shattering it and spilling all of those good wine.
"Alright, boy, I'm now calm. Come closer so your Sensei can give you a warm hugs." She said, walking toward Kadoya with her arms spread.
This shameless woman...
Kadoya thought, as Tsunade pulled him into a tight hug, pressing his face against her soft breasts, while her hand reached over and snatched away the bottle in Kadoya's hands.
Smirking, she pulled back, now holding the bottle and quietly tried to hide it.
Kadoya flicked his hand, pulling out a small cup and toss it toward Tsunade, she quickly caught it.
"Don't get too drunk, Sensei. Don't worry too much about Nawaki, if needed, I'll tie that idiot up and pack him to be sent back to the village."
Tsunade stared at Kadoya with a complicated expression.
In the original story, the idiot Nawaki and the waste Dan's death is what causes Tsunade to crumble and fall, having her potential completely wasted.
The Village was founded by the Senju and Uchiha, so he decide that he would save the Senju too while he is at it.
"Hey Kadoya." Tsunade suddenly called him.
"What-" He was cut off, as Tsunade flicked his forehead hard, sending his forehead protector flying.
Before he could react, she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, much to his shock.
"Thanks, kid." She said before taking off the necklace she was wearing, she placed it around his neck. "This was once my grandfather's necklace. I'm sure he would love an Uchiha like you."
"Anyway, if anyone asks, tell them I'm spending some me time." She quickly turns, picking up her sake bottle before leaving and retreating into her tent to enjoy her sake.
Kadoya paused, his forehead protector fell back on the wet ground as he looked at the death flag hanging around his neck.
In the original work, Tsunade handed this necklace to Nawaki Senju, and he died, then she handed this necklace to Dan Kato, then he died, lastly, she handed this necklace to Naruto Uzumaki, he almost die luckily he managed to destroyed the curse necklace before it could kill him in the battle against Pain.
But because of him, the timeline changed, and the first person who got the death flag has become him.
Kadoya suddenly pulls out his Totem of Undying, not sure if a single Totem is enough to save him from this curse.
Maybe he should get more Totem, but he needs 1,000 Shop System Points to buy one in his Shop.
Should I just hand this death flag to Nawaki? Nah, I'm trying to save him, not bury him.
Still, looking into this necklace, Kadoya could sense some chakra inside it before realizing it actually carried a trace of the First Hokage's chakra, which carried the property to augment the power of capture and seal Tailed-Beasts.
"Brat, stop looking at that necklace like an idiot." Naori suddenly appeared, her ghostly voice echoing next to Kadoya's ears.
Kadoya moved his gaze off his new necklace and turned back toward the ghost woman who had been living rent-free inside him, before deciding to ignore her.
I'm busy thinking about how to deal with this death flag. You who know nothing, so you shouldn't talk like you know everything!
Kadoya spun the necklace in his hand before sealing it inside his own body. He walked over and picked up his forehead protector before tying it around his neck.
Walking back toward the camp, Kadoya decides to sit down and rest.
After some time, in the main commander's tent.
"Tsunade, did you drink?" Orochimaru asks, his golden snake-like pupil locked onto his teammate.
"No!" Tsunade said her face was somewhat red from the good alcohol. "I was just enjoying some me time."
Orochimaru was used to this, so he didn't say anything.
"Haven't been sleeping well?" Sakumo asked, pretending not to notice that she had drunk during the war.
"Yeah… I don't know what's gotten into Iwagakure, but they've been launching frequent attacks lately," Tsunade replied, rubbing her temples. "I've barely had any rest."
Sakumo nodded. "We also encountered some Iwagakure reconnaissance ninjas earlier. But before I could react, a massive fire pillar rose, almost hitting them, then, something that created a loud boom rang out, and the Iwagakure ninjas were killed on the spot."
Both Tsunade and Orochimaru raise their eyebrows upon hearing this.
"Did you find out who initiated those attacks?" Orochimaru asks, more interested in the powerful jutsu cast than the dead Iwagakure shinobi.
Sakumo just shook his head. "No, when I got there, the fight was already over."
"I see, send some shinobi to scour the area," Tsunade quickly barked. "We don't know the person using that ninjutsu is friend or foe yet, so don't let your guard down."
"Any other developments?" Sakumo inquired.
"Not at the moment. We still hold the advantage on the battlefield," Tsunade said.
"However… Hanzo's behavior has been strange."
"Oh? How so?"
"The three great nations are waging war across the Land of Rain, causing countless casualties among the Amegakure people. Yet Hanzo hasn't made a single move."
She gestured to a map on the table. A complex web of lines and dots covered it, each line representing Konoha's troop movements since the start of the Second Shinobi World War, each dot marking a battle site.
"According to intelligence reports, Hanzo still has plenty of ninjas at his disposal, but he hasn't deployed them. If this continues, we'll push deep into their territory. Based on their past resistance, this doesn't add up."
Orochimaru pondered her words, then nodded.
"Hanzo is called the 'Demigod' for a reason. A retreat on the main battlefield doesn't necessarily mean he's conceding defeat. A tactical withdrawal can often mean something bigger is brewing."
"I think so too. However, for now, the battlefield should remain relatively stable."
The three exchanged intelligence, while outside, the tent remained heavily guarded. At least dozens of elite ninjas patrolled the perimeter.
Approaching the tent was strictly prohibited, and even those passing by gave it a wide berth.
"Oh, right, where's Jiraiya?" Orochimaru finally asked, realizing they hadn't seen their teammate since arriving.
Tsunade thought for a moment. "He probably went to visit his disciples."
"He said he hadn't seen them in over months and missed them terribly."
Orochimaru nodded.
"How talented are they?" Tsunade asked, leaning forward with interest. "He keeps bragging about them."
"I don't know," Orochimaru admitted. "But I doubt they're as good as my disciples."
"Isn't he my disciple too?" Tsunade pouted. "What are you so smug about?"
"Speaking of Kadoya, I just remembered something," Orochimaru continued. "Are there any suitable missions for his team?"
Tsunade frowned. "What are you planning? The battlefield is dangerous. Wouldn't it be better for the three of them to stay at the base and train?"
She was clearly reluctant to let Kadoya and Nawaki take risks. After all, his student was right when saying her younger brother wasn't strong, his potential is only so-so, if given time, then sure he could become a Jonin-level shinobi.
But not now, Nawaki was still growing and shouldn't be sent to the battlefield.
Kadoya, on the other hand, Tsunade has more faith in him than in her own younger brother.
"What they need is actual combat experience, not just training," Orochimaru countered.
"What would they even do here? Throw shuriken from eight hundred meters away if an enemy shows up?"
"You know Kadoya's strength. He can handle ordinary enemies. Nothing will happen."
"His kenjutsu is also good too."
"What's wrong with throwing shuriken?" Tsunade muttered under her breath, though she was clearly reconsidering.
With a sigh, she shuffled through the chaotic pile of mission documents.
After a moment, she found a few.
"Investigate the Amegakure's defenses? No, no, that's suicide."
"Intercept the Iwagakure's supply route? No, definitely too many Jonin involved."
"Assassinate Hanzo… Difficulty B? …What kind of idiot issued this mission?" Tsunade slammed the table.
After several failed options, she finally picked one.
"This one, reconnaissance at the battlefield's edge. Dangerous, but not life-threatening. It'll serve as training."
"Good," Orochimaru said, taking the document. He glanced at Sakumo before leaving.
Tch. In such a hurry. And he just criticized Jiraiya for being the same way, Tsunade thought with a sigh.
She had noticed Orochimaru had been… different lately. A bit more talkative, even cheerful.
Watching his departing figure, she wondered, was it because his disciples were with him?
Speaking of which, her own disciple, Kushina, was still in the Hidden Leaf.
She sighed. I hope no one's bullying her.
Meanwhile, back Konohagakure, the Red-Hot Habanero was busy beating the shit out of a few boys for making fun of her red hair.