"By the way, do you know Kato Dan?" Kaito asked again, casually.

He remembered clearly—in the original timeline, Kato Dan was Tsunade's lover. But when he'd asked Shizune last time, she said no. That contradiction had bothered him ever since. Had his presence caused a butterfly effect that altered history?

But wait. When exactly was Kaito born here? Kato Dan lived during the Second Shinobi World War. The two shouldn't even be from the same era.

Still, the uncertainty nagged at him. Until he understood the situation clearly, he couldn't relax.

"Kato Dan? You know him?" Tsunade blinked. "Yeah, I remember him. I actually liked him. He stood out."

She thought for a moment, then continued, "Back during the war, I suggested every squad have a medical ninja. Everyone pushed back—except him. He backed me without hesitation. Later on, he died. A shame, really."

"That's it? You two weren't close?" Kaito asked, frowning slightly.

"What kind of relationship are you imagining?" Tsunade scoffed. "That guy trailed me for a while, confessed, and I punched him across the courtyard. I don't like people weaker than me. After that, I never saw him again."

"…You seem pretty upset about my asking," Kaito said, tilting his head.

"I'm not upset," she said hesitantly, "just surprised."

"I just wanted to know for sure. I might be connected to Kato Dan somehow," Kaito said, lying without even blinking.

"That's what I thought. Why the sudden curiosity?"

"Never mind. Let's focus on the real issue." His tone turned serious.

"What now?" Tsunade asked, pouting slightly.

"It's about Rasa and his team. The way they showed up was odd. Rasa told Chiyo that their village's ANBU intercepted intelligence suggesting I was headed here. Not just that—they had a full analysis of my strength and said I was planning to destroy the Sand's frontline forces."

Tsunade frowned. "And that's strange… why?"

Kaito let out a dark chuckle. "Because I appeared out of nowhere. No one knows much about me—except Iwagakure and Jiraiya. After I fought with Ōnoki, I disappeared. Iwagakure had no idea where I went."

He paused. "During that time, only one person—or rather, one group—made contact with me."

"Who?"

"Root. Shimura Danzo." Kaito's voice dropped, heavy with cold intent.

Tsunade's expression changed immediately. "Danzo? What did that old snake want?"

"He wanted me to cooperate with him. I refused. And in the process… I destroyed most of the Root agents he brought."

Tsunade whistled. "With Danzo's petty, vindictive nature, he's definitely going to stir something up."

"You sound like you know him well."

Tsunade's face darkened. "Too well."

"Then let's go find out exactly what he's planning." Kaito didn't wait. He wrapped an arm around her waist and vanished in a flash.

—

Border Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind

At a makeshift negotiation table, Nara Shikaku sat sweating. On the opposite side were four high-ranking Sand shinobi.

Normally, in wartime, the defeated country would send envoys to the victor's village—formal, proper diplomacy. The Sand should have traveled to Konoha and negotiated with the Hokage or his advisors.

But the Sand Village had ignored protocol entirely. They set up a table right at the frontline and demanded negotiations on the spot.

As the deputy commander on the battlefield, Shikaku wasn't authorized to make such sweeping decisions. Konoha hadn't had time to respond, and Tsunade had been whisked away by Kaito.

Now, he and his team—including Yamanaka Inoichi—were stuck, facing intense pressure under the gazes of three Kage-level Sand shinobi: Chiyo, Rasa, and Yūra.

"Granny Chiyo," Shikaku began cautiously, "you must understand, Sand has been defeated. Per protocol, your village must send formal representatives to negotiate directly with our Hokage. That's standard practice."

"What a joke!" Chiyo snapped. "If it were your forces that beat us, we'd follow protocol. But was it really Konoha that defeated us?"

She leaned in, her tone sharp. "Let's not pretend. The reason we're even talking right now is because of that man—Kaito."

"That's not quite true," Shikaku said, trying to remain diplomatic. "Kaito is now the fiancé of our Konoha Princess, Tsunade. That makes him one of ours."

"Is that so?" Chiyo said coolly. "Then let him say it himself. If he publicly declares he's part of Konoha, we'll proceed as tradition demands."

She remembered what Kaito had said during their fight: that he owed Tsunade a favor. In her eyes, that meant Kaito had no allegiance to Konoha—only a personal debt.

All intelligence from the Sand's side indicated Kaito was a wild card, unaffiliated with any of the Five Great Nations.

That's why Chiyo had chosen not to follow protocol. The situation wasn't traditional.

Shikaku fell silent. Chiyo's words were sharp, calculated. They hit exactly where it hurt. Even though they called him "Lord Kaito," the truth was, no one in Konoha could say with certainty that he was loyal to them.

In fact, Konoha's leadership wanted him to be. Badly. But it was still unclear.

And the truth remained—Sand had been crushed not by Konoha's forces, but by Kaito alone.

Chiyo leaned back and crossed her arms. "Enough chatter. Ten million ryo in cash, five hundred sacks of grain, one hundred explosive tags. That's our offer. Take it or leave it. If not, we resume hostilities."

Shikaku's face turned crimson. Was this some kind of joke?

That level of compensation wouldn't even support the frontline forces for a week!

Behind him, Inoichi and the other commanders looked equally insulted.

"Rasa sama, do you agree with this?" Shikaku asked tightly.

Rasa's face twitched. He didn't look proud of the situation either. "We've entrusted negotiations to Chiyo. The rest of us are here to offer support."

He closed his eyes quickly, clearly trying to avoid laughing—or showing how awkward he felt.

Shikaku took several deep breaths, suppressing his anger.

"You're crossing the line," he said, voice low and dangerous. "This is an insult."

Chiyo scoffed. "Don't act like we don't know what's going on. Kaito's your golden goose. Tsunade's fiancé or not, you want him tied to Konoha. And you'll say or do anything to make it happen."

Her words stung because they were true.

Shikaku clenched his jaw. There was no good move left on the board.

---

Read ahead of WN on patreon.com/Zphyr_