Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!
Chapter 484: Ōnoki Prepares for a Counterattack

Chapter 484 - 484: Ōnoki Prepares for a Counterattack

"Yahiko and the others are pretty fast."

"The Land of Water has already fallen."

Nawaki and Minato sat inside, whispering to each other. Several plates of fruit and snacks rested on the coffee table.

"Their mission is finished."

"Ours is just beginning."

Minato rubbed his head, clearly frustrated. The past two days had been troubling.

"It was only a matter of time."

"Those two couldn't stay injured forever."

Nawaki popped a grape into his mouth, referring to Rōshi and Kitsuchi.

Lately, the two had fully recovered, and Ōnoki was preparing a decisive strike against the Kumo-nin.

With Konoha's support, Ōnoki was confident he could make Kumo pay.

Even if they couldn't take down the Third Raikage, they could at least tear a chunk out of Kumo's forces.

But this wasn't what Nawaki or Minato wanted to see—nor was it in Konoha's best interest.

Letting dogs fight and tear each other apart—that was what Kawakaze wanted most.

"That's true."

"But do you have a plan to stop it?"

Minato sighed and shot Nawaki a helpless look. Ever since they arrived, this guy had been getting lazier with thinking.

"We definitely can't agree to Ōnoki's plan."

"You figure something out—I'll follow your lead."

Nawaki spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, showing no shame whatsoever.

"I can't believe you."

"I'm not the only one in charge here."

Minato shook his head. Was his brain really the only one working?

"Heh, the capable ones should do more work!"

Nawaki grinned and flattered Minato shamelessly, perfectly demonstrating a thick-skinned attitude.

"We obviously can't say yes."

"But what excuse do we use to refuse?"

Minato knew there was no way to avoid getting involved, so he had to deal with Nawaki properly.

"Fake an illness?"

Nawaki's first suggestion was outright ridiculous.

"Brother, use your brain."

"If we both suddenly fall sick at such a crucial moment, do you think Ōnoki is stupid?"

Minato stared at Nawaki like he was an idiot, tempted to crack his head open and check how much water was inside.

"Then how about you get sick, and I take care of you?"

Nawaki averted his eyes, testing the waters.

"Screw you."

"Since when were you a Medical-nin?"

Minato covered his forehead, feeling like he was getting a real headache now.

"Ugh, then what's your idea?"

"If we can't refuse, do we just break all ties completely?"

Nawaki leaned back, looking as if he was ready to let things blow up. To him, even if they had to give Kumo a good beating, it wouldn't be the worst outcome.

"Break ties completely?"

"That's actually an option."

Minato's eyes lit up. At this point, backing out altogether wasn't impossible.

"You have a plan?"

Nawaki suddenly leaned forward, now only a few inches from Minato.

"Let's contact Sensei first and discuss it."

Minato wasted no time, summoning a slug clone to get in touch with Kawakaze. With Kakashi and the others standing guard outside, he felt reassured.

"Sensei—"

Before long, Minato managed to reach Kawakaze and quickly explained the situation.

"Ōnoki has already endured for a long time—that alone is impressive."

"As long as you remain there, he won't be able to suppress his urge for revenge."

Kawakaze chuckled lightly.

Thinking from Ōnoki's perspective, he could understand how suffocating this situation was for him.

Being pushed to the brink by Kumo, only to then lower his pride and beg Konoha for help—any one of those things was a massive humiliation.

"Yes."

"Nawaki and I can't think of any reasonable excuse to turn him down."

Minato nodded, while Nawaki remained silent on the side.

"Since you contacted me, you must have an idea already."

Kawakaze knew Minato well, and the smile on his face never faded.

"I just have a rough idea."

"There's no point in keeping the Kumo-nin in the Land of Earth anymore. Should we withdraw?"

Kawakaze had never specified when their mission would end, and Minato felt that now was the perfect time.

Once they left, the Kumo-nin would surely take the opportunity to escape, allowing the Land of Earth to return to a relatively stable state.

By then, whatever plans were made against the Land of Earth wouldn't have to worry about outside interference.

As for the Kumo-nin who left, there was even less reason for concern.

After all the effort and resources spent on this campaign, only to return empty-handed, the Third Raikage would have to deal with the consequences when he faced the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning.

"You can decide for yourselves."

"Your sensei's wife and I have no objections."

Since the decision had been made to choose the next Hokage, Kawakaze was more than willing to delegate power.

Neither he nor Tsunade had any attachment to authority, nor did they want to groom a puppet leader.

"All right, I understand."

Minato had originally planned to explain his thoughts in detail, but seeing Kawakaze's response, he decided there was no need.

"Well, that's settled then."

"My wife is calling me. Bye."

Kawakaze ended the call, just as Tsunade walked in with damp hair, fresh from a bath.

"You're done talking already?"

Nawaki didn't even get a chance to speak before his brother-in-law hung up, completely taken aback by how quickly it ended.

He had no idea that Kawakaze and Tsunade had "important matters" to attend to and had no time for them.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Listen to me..."

Since Kawakaze had chosen to step back, Minato no longer hesitated and laid out his plan.

The two of them then discussed and refined the details, making sure everything was settled.

Afterward, they called Kakashi in to relay some instructions. With their concerns finally addressed, both men felt much more at ease.

Without the burden of worries, their conversation became more relaxed, and before long, the room was filled with people.

While they enjoyed their tea and laughter...

...

The atmosphere at Iwagakure's meeting was tense and serious.

"Have we located the Kumo-nin?"

Ōnoki sat at the head of the table, his face cold. To his left and right sat Rōshi and Kitsuchi. Finally, he had strong warriors at his side again.

"We've pinpointed their location."

"But something about it is strange."

"The Kumo-nin vanished from our sight for a while, and now they're near the border of the Land of Rain."

The intelligence officer had only received news of the Kumo-nin's whereabouts a few days ago. When Ōnoki had first given the order, he truly had no idea where they had gone.

Ironically, he had to thank the Akatsuki. Had they not firmly refused to assist, the Kumo-nin would have already slipped out of the Land of Earth.

If that had happened, he—the one responsible for intelligence—would have surely faced Ōnoki's wrath.

"They must be trying to take an alternate route and escape through the Land of Rain."

"Looks like their allies abandoned them."

"This is truly a stroke of luck for Iwagakure. We're definitely getting our revenge."

An Iwa-nin sneered, though it was unclear whether he was mocking the Kumo-nin or silently thanking the Akatsuki.

"Let's not talk about allies."

"Kumo didn't escape—maybe because Akatsuki is too powerful, and they didn't dare provoke a conflict?"

That hit the mark.

The sheer strength Akatsuki had displayed was terrifying. Even the Third Raikage hadn't dared to act recklessly.

After all, the Land of Water, now under Akatsuki's control, wasn't that far from the Land of Lightning.

If they completely severed ties, the Third Raikage wasn't confident he could handle the consequences.

When negotiations with the Land of Rain failed, he had no choice but to retreat in frustration—giving Iwagakure the perfect opportunity to strike.

"None of that matters now. Kumo is isolated and vulnerable."

"Inform the Konoha-nin. We strike together tomorrow."

Ōnoki's voice carried unmistakable killing intent. His orders were final.