Chapter 169: Chapter 169
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Yoichi and Tsunade walked one after the other to the tent entrance, but Yoichi suddenly stopped.
Turning around, Yoichi asked, "Tsunade-sama, did you stay up all night?"
"Hmph, with an important mission, how could I rest easy? Brat, you've participated in too few wars in the ninja world!"
Tsunade crossed her arms and turned her head, indicating that she was a bit worried, which is why she sent Shizune back to rest and stayed to wait for news herself. For a powerful ninja, staying up all night was no big deal.
"It seems you've been up for more than one night and pacing back and forth. Your heels are a bit worn."
Yoichi pointed out after consulting his guide, glancing at her heels, noticing slight red marks—barely visible unless examined closely.
This strategy guide was incredibly detailed.
Tsunade was a bit surprised, "How do you even know that... Wait, this has nothing to do with you!"
"Don't wake Shizune; let me help you relax a bit."
Yoichi gestured for silence and took Tsunade's soft hand, leading her to his tent.
Tsunade hesitated, then gritted her teeth in anger, thinking, 'This bold brat!'
"Enough, brat. Don't you know your limits? I am one of the Sannin. Show some respect!"
Once inside the tent, Tsunade's face showed anger, which was quite intimidating.
Yoichi was startled but saw a prompt from the strategy guide and couldn't help but twitch his lips. If this went wrong, he might end up severely injured from a punch.
However, trusting the guide, Yoichi decided to follow its instructions despite his fear.
Yoichi pressed Tsunade's shoulders, making her sit on the bed, then lifted her foot and removed her sandal.
"What are you doing?"
Tsunade was momentarily stunned. She had shown clear anger, yet this brat didn't understand her intentions. Did he want to force her to act? Thinking this, Tsunade clenched her fists, ready to teach him a lesson.
"I plan to use a special method to help you relax. Thank you for your concern, but I won't get hurt before completing our bet and becoming Hokage. You can rest assured, Tsunade-sama."
Hearing Yoichi mention their agreement, most of Tsunade's anger dissipated.
Undertaking such dangerous missions, noticing her pacing, all for their agreement... Tsunade saw two other figures beside Yoichi: her former lover and her brother Nawaki.
"I'm not worried..."
Tsunade turned her head, her voice much softer than before, and her clenched fists relaxed. She propped herself up on the bed, not retracting her soft white feet.
Feeling her relax, Yoichi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The statement had defused the situation, even increasing her affection slightly.
Following the guide's instructions, Yoichi warmed his hands and began massaging Tsunade's feet.
Though unfamiliar with massage techniques, Yoichi focused on warming his hands, pretending to massage seriously.
Tsunade's feet were indeed beautiful, Yoichi noted. For a woman in her thirties, her feet were remarkably smooth and fair, with red-painted toenails.
As Yoichi massaged, her toes curled cutely.
Seeing Tsunade's head turned away and silent, Yoichi removed the sandal from her other foot, placing it on his leg and continuing his "massage."
He thought of how Jiraiya would be envious, likely drooling if he saw this.
Suddenly, the guide prompted Yoichi to stop. He put Tsunade's feet down and helped her put on her sandals, saying, "I'm not experienced with massages, so forgive me if it wasn't comfortable."
"It's fine, much better..."
Tsunade's voice was softer, feeling relieved. If Yoichi had continued, she wouldn't have known how to react.
This brat seemed to understand her deeply, always knowing how to take care of her.
"I'll go back. Rest well."
Tsunade said, then quickly left Yoichi's tent. Back in her own tent, she still felt the lingering warmth on her feet.
Realizing Yoichi's intentions, Tsunade felt conflicted. Rejecting him wasn't straightforward since Yoichi never explicitly revealed his feelings.
They had an agreement, and she had accepted it. Avoiding him wouldn't be easy.
Lying on her bed, Tsunade felt deeply conflicted. Yoichi's care in every little detail made it hard for her to speak out.
'I had a lover before, and there's a significant age gap with this brat. It's impossible... I'll not reject him now, deal with it later.'
Deciding not to dwell on it, Tsunade tried to sleep, her decision aligning with the guide's prediction, giving Yoichi new prompts.
Since the new prompt wasn't urgent, Yoichi decided to rest.
After gathering the bodies of the Iwagakure ninjas, Kitsuchi left the Hidden Cloud camp without informing A.
This action made A uneasy. He wanted to send someone after Kitsuchi, but Dodai stopped him.
If A had done that, his reputation in the Hidden Cloud would have been ruined.
The alliance between Iwagakure and the Hidden Cloud wasn't a secret. Their success on the battlefield owed much to Iwagakure's support.
Now, with Iwagakure suffering heavy losses and wanting to return, capturing them would make A seem despicable, ruining his hard-earned reputation.
Dodai advised A to stabilize the front line. Although Yoichi was powerful, they could win by leveraging their numerical advantage.
Meanwhile, Kitsuchi returned to the Land of Earth with the surviving ninjas, informing Onoki of the losses, who was already furious about the deaths of Roshi and Han.
Onoki, not a physical fighter, easily smashed several tables in anger.
Hearing Kitsuchi's report, Onoki's face turned grim. Yoichi had nearly wiped out their elite forces and left them without Jinchuriki for over a decade. Onoki wouldn't forget this grudge.
He suspected Hidden Cloud involvement as well, given their long-standing rivalry.
Onoki decided to join the battlefield, aiming for mutual destruction with the Hidden Cloud and Konoha.
Both battlefronts were stalemated, with Iwagakure and Hidden Cloud forces not letting up.
The Hidden Cloud summoned another 1,500 ninjas, raising their numbers to nearly 4,000.
Their forces wreaked havoc in the Land of Fire, attacking small towns and causing destruction without slaughtering civilians, creating widespread panic.
Sakumo and Homura dispatched teams to intercept, but Konoha's 900 ninjas were vastly outnumbered.
Many Hidden Cloud teams were strong, and Homura's reinforcements were mostly lower-ranked ninjas. Konoha's forces, excluding elite ninjas like Yoichi, were weaker.
Unable to stop the Hidden Cloud's actions, bad news reached Konoha's camp. Yoichi, however, didn't rush, killing Hidden Cloud teams during missions but not exerting himself.
He'd already achieved enough fame and decided to slow down.
Sakumo felt some pressure but less than Homura, whose job was to prevent further invasion. However, Sakumo couldn't deal with small-scale infiltrations.
Despite their best efforts, reports of Hidden Cloud attacks reached the Fire Daimyo, who questioned Konoha.
With Hiruzen away in the Land of Grass, Koharu handled village affairs, urging Homura to address the situation.
But Homura lacked the manpower, and Yoichi was holding back.
Considering a decisive battle, Homura suggested Yoichi use his strength to deliver a devastating blow to the Hidden Cloud, but Yoichi refused, citing the need to save his strength for a final confrontation with the Eight-Tails.
Yoichi had no intention of easing Homura's pressure, questioning his own importance.
(End of Chapter)
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