Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!

"Listen to the noise, it's quite lively over there," Kawakaze teased, glancing at Orochimaru beside him.

The shifting location of the battle hadn't escaped his notice, but it didn't impact his plan. As long as the Eight-Tails wasn't dealt with, the Kumo Ninja would remain preoccupied. And Kawakaze knew better than anyone that the Eight-Tails wouldn't be subdued so easily.

"What, are you thinking of getting involved?" Orochimaru asked, his tone sharp and his snake-like pupils narrowing in suspicion.

Kawakaze felt a twinge of unease under Orochimaru's gaze. Had he offended him again?

The two had already reverted to their original appearances. With their plan in Kumogakure nearing its conclusion, there was no need for further concealment.

"What kind of fool would I be to interfere now?" Kawakaze retorted, his tone dripping with exasperation.

"You do have a serious illness," Orochimaru replied, a sly smile curling his lips and amusement gleaming in his eyes.

"Fine, fine, I'm not arguing with you. We're almost there," Kawakaze said, waving off the comment. He knew Orochimaru was teasing him, likely in light of the mischief he had caused over the past few days.

As they approached a solitary house perched on a cliff, Kawakaze recognized it immediately as their destination.

Walking casually and chatting without any effort to conceal themselves, the two were quickly spotted by the Kumo Ninja guarding the Two-Tailed Jinchuriki.

The sound of weapons slicing through the air broke the silence, followed by a streak of lightning racing toward them from the forest. The attack aimed to pin them down from above and below.

Had they been ordinary ninja, they would've been easy targets.

But Kawakaze and Orochimaru were anything but ordinary.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands," Orochimaru muttered, extending his hand. Snakes shot out from his sleeves, catching the incoming kunai and shuriken midair.

Meanwhile, Kawakaze stomped his foot, extinguishing the streak of lightning with ease.

Playing with Lightning Release in front of me? There's no one impressive enough in Kumogakure for that.

"Let's hurry up and finish it," Kawakaze added, narrowing his eyes before dashing toward the source of the attack.

"Annoying," Orochimaru muttered, licking his lips as a flash of murderous intent flickered in his eyes. He disappeared a moment later, following Kawakaze's lead.

"Ahhh!"

Screams echoed through the forest moments later. Kawakaze emerged, dusting his hands off with a look of disdain.

"Just these small fry? They're not even good enough for a warm-up."

He hadn't even put in much effort, and yet the opponents had already fallen.

"Let's go."

Orochimaru walked past him, not a drop of blood on his robes.

The two strolled leisurely toward the cabin, their pace entirely unhurried. They moved deliberately, knowing the Kumo ninja would find them, sparing them the trouble of searching.

When they arrived at the cabin, they pushed open the gate and stepped inside. The interior was sparsely furnished—there wasn't even a proper table. However, the tatami mats were serviceable.

Lying on top of them was the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki, still dazed. From time to time, he muttered unconsciously, "No, no." Even in his sleep, he found no peace, haunted by the nightmare that was the Two-Tails.

The power of the Tailed Beasts was undeniably formidable, but controlling it was another matter entirely. The simple furnishings weren't due to mistreatment by Kumogakure but practicality. His frequent rampages made it futile to provide anything elaborate, as it would inevitably be destroyed.

"He is a pitiful child," Kawakaze sighed, looking at Jonah on the bed, pale and barely breathing.

Who knows how long he can survive.

"You think being a Jinchūriki is easy?" Orochimaru shot him a cold stare. Jonah was fortunate to have survived his violent outbursts at all.

The two Jinchūriki Kawakaze had encountered before were far more stable. Mito had kept the Nine-Tails firmly under control, and Chōmei, though a chatterbox, often found himself subdued through sheer annoyance. Both situations were far removed from this chaos.

"Forget it. Take him away," Kawakaze said, uninterested in further action. Orochimaru, better suited for handling live captives, obliged without protest.

"Summoning Technique."

With practiced ease, Orochimaru summoned a massive snake. Without needing instruction, the snake swallowed Jonah whole and vanished with a resounding "bang."

"You're not thinking of taking him back to the village, are you?"

Orochimaru seemed to snap to his senses, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes as he looked at Kawakaze.

"What are you thinking? I want to trade him for something."

Kawakaze was aware of Orochimaru's concerns. Releasing the Eight-Tails had already been an act of retaliation. Considering the current situation, Kumogakure's losses were still within tolerable limits. However, taking the Two-Tails away might change everything.

That belligerent Raikage might just launch another war, and with three Tailed Beasts under Konoha's control, they would inevitably become the target of every other village. No one would sit by and watch a rival village prosper beyond measure.

In the end, Konoha would suffer for it, with losses far outweighing any gains. It was a risk they couldn't afford to take. Two Tailed Beasts in Konoha were more than enough for now.

"That's more like it," Orochimaru said with a sigh of relief, reassured by Kawakaze's reasoning. Trading the Two-Tails for something practical was indeed a better plan.

"I'll leave a message for the Raikage," Kawakaze said with a smile. "Otherwise, I'm afraid he won't be able to find me."

He pulled out a pen from somewhere and scribbled directly onto the bed:

"I want Lightning Release Chakra Mode. See you on Crescent Moon Island. Kawakaze Hatake."

After finishing, he stared at the words with a satisfied expression. "What do you think?" he asked, patting Orochimaru on the shoulder, clearly pleased with himself.

It was unclear where Kawakaze got his confidence from; the writing barely looked better than if it had been scratched out by a chicken's claws.

"I can read it."

Orochimaru thought for a moment before politely responding with three pointed words.

"What do you mean you can read it? Look at the stroke, look at the structure..." Kawakaze licked his lips, showering himself with praise.

He didn't seem to notice that Orochimaru's face had darkened considerably. "Are you sure you don't have some kind of misunderstanding about writing styles?"

With that, Orochimaru, his expression growing darker, turned and walked out of the house. He had no intention of continuing the conversation. Staying any longer might erode his own sense of aesthetics.

What kind of person is this? Orochimaru thought. He really must have a serious problem! I couldn't write that poorly even with my feet, and he's asking for my opinion?

"Hey, wait for me!" Kawakaze called, hurrying out the door to catch up. He put a hand on Orochimaru's shoulder, and the two disappeared together.

When they reappeared, they were already outside Kumogakure.

"Where are we going?" Orochimaru asked, fully aware that Kawakaze planned to trade the Two-Tails for Kumogakure's secret techniques. Knowing Kawakaze, however, there was no way he intended to wait patiently on Crescent Moon Island.

"Let's go to the Land of Hot Water for a few days and see what happens," Kawakaze replied. "We have the hostage, so there's no rush. Oh, and don't let him die on you."

Kawakaze glanced at Orochimaru, uncertain how long the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki could survive inside the snake's belly. Of course, this was a world where reality bent to the rules of Naruto lore.

"Don't worry—it's a storage snake with a sealing function," Orochimaru said, giving Kawakaze a disdainful look, as if addressing a country bumpkin unfamiliar with such techniques.

"Lady Katsuyu doesn't have that function, so don't blame me for not knowing," Kawakaze muttered in defense.

The two set off, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel quickly. They soon arrived in the Land of Hot Water.

Meanwhile, back at Kumogakure's beach, chaos continued. The Raikage and the Eight-Tails had been locked in battle for three days and nights. At last, both man and beast collapsed, too exhausted to move.

Seizing the opportunity, the Kumo ninja used the Amber Purification Jar to seal the Eight-Tails, leaving Blue B's lifeless body behind.

"Lord Raikage, what should we do with it?"

A Kumo ninja stepped forward cautiously, aware of the growing discontent among the villagers regarding Blue B. Despite the unease, Blue B had been Raikage's partner for many years, making the decision about his body a difficult one.

"Find a secret place to bury it," Raikage instructed, his voice heavy. "Tell everyone there is no trace of the body left."

Lying on the beach with his eyes closed, tears trickled from the corners of the Raikage's eyes, mixing with the sand.

"Lord Raikage, let me treat you first," a medical-nin said, stepping forward and pressing a hand against the Raikage's right chest. The wound there was deep, bleeding intermittently. It was a testament to the Raikage's remarkable health that he was still alive; anyone else would have succumbed to blood loss long ago.

"Take good care of the Amber Purification Jar," Raikage ordered as the medical-nin tended to him.

"Yes, Lord Raikage," the Kumo ninja replied. "We've already assigned someone to guard it 24 hours a day."

"Well, have you heard anything about Kawakaze Hatake or Orochimaru?" Raikage asked, his tone unusually calm, devoid of anger.

"Not yet. It's been chaotic these past few days, so they might have taken advantage of the disorder to escape," the Kumo ninja admitted. In the chaos caused by the Eight-Tails, the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki had gone unnoticed. To the Kumo ninja, containing the Eight-Tails' rampage had been the highest priority. They couldn't imagine Konoha achieving anything significant with just two men.

"Keep investigating. Don't let your guard down," Raikage ordered, though unease lingered in his expression. A nagging feeling gnawed at him, though he couldn't quite place its source.

Before he could dwell on it further, another ninja rushed over, dropping to one knee in front of him.

"Lord Raikage, the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki has been taken by Kawakaze Hatake."

"What?" Raikage's eyes flew open, fury surging through him. Summoning strength from nowhere, he pushed himself upright.

"When I arrived, the room was empty. There was only a note left by Kawakaze Hatake," the ninja confessed, keeping his gaze firmly on the ground.

"What are you all doing?" Raikage roared. "I'm here fighting the Eight-Tails, and you can't even guard Jonah?!"

"You're all useless!"

...

Raikage's rage was suffocating. Known for his usual kind smile, he now scolded them with unrestrained fury.

"It's our fault. Please punish us, Lord Raikage," the guard responsible for the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki stepped forward, bowing deeply to beg for forgiveness. He knew he couldn't escape responsibility.

"Will punishing you solve the problem?" Raikage snapped. "Help me take a look."

The others helped Raikage to his feet. His exhaustion was evident, his body worn from the battle. Receiving such grim news immediately afterward only deepened his resentment toward Kawakaze and Orochimaru.

"Yes, Lord Raikage," they answered, supporting him as they hurried to the edge of the cliff.

When they arrived at the house, they quickly spotted the words left behind. The Raikage stared at them for a moment before laughing in sheer anger.

"Haha! What a Kawakaze Hatake. Shameless."

His disgust was indescribable, far worse than the feeling of swallowing a fly.

"Lord Raikage, The Lightning Release Chakra Mode cannot be given," one of the Kumo ninja said firmly. "It's a Nintaijutsu exclusive to successive generations of the Raikages."

"The worst-case scenario is that we fight Konoha again," another added.

The Kumo ninja began speaking all at once, urging Raikage not to agree to Kawakaze's demand.

"Stop it. I need to rest," Raikage interrupted, his voice heavy. "Fine, refuse him if you must, but come up with a foolproof plan before I wake up."

With that, Raikage collapsed onto Jonah's bed and began snoring almost immediately. It was unclear whether he was truly that exhausted or simply that carefree.

The group of Kumo ninja exchanged uneasy glances. Stepping outside, they realized none of them had any idea how to resolve the situation.