Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at Tsunade. "You're saying there's no gold mine here?"
Tsunade kept her hands on Uchiha Tatsumi's chest, still using medical ninjutsu. She didn't look up as she replied, "At least, we haven't found any trace of the so-called small gold mine."
Uchiha Tatsumi winced, clutching at his chest in pain.
At that moment, he silently swore: if he ever died from exhaustion or starvation, he'd never accept an A-rank mission again.
Orochimaru had confidently told him that Tsunade had confirmed a gold mine's existence. Their mission was supposed to be simple—just retrieve the mined gold and return. An easy A-rank mission.
Who gave you the confidence to say something like that?
Sure enough, never believe a single punctuation mark from a jōnin's briefing.
Tsunade continued analyzing the situation. "You read the intel report. It claimed the gold mine here was nearly depleted, and that a team from Rogetsu Town had moved in to secure it."
"According to that intel, there should've been a guard squad and a mining team already here," she went on. "If that were true, there should've been signs—supply routes, disturbed terrain, leftover rations."
"They need food, water, and shelter. But so far, my team hasn't found a single trace."
"In short, we were misled. There's no gold mine here."
The tent fell silent. Tsunade's analysis made sense.
Given the vague nature of the original report, it had always been suspicious. And now, with her evidence, Uchiha Tatsumi was certain: the intel was fake.
Tsunade had been ready to abandon the mission and return to Konoha. But ultimately, it was the village's leadership who made the decisions. The Hokage had insisted Tatsumi's team join up to assist in recovering the alleged mine.
After all, even a small gold mine was a highly valuable asset.
Konoha's plan had been simple—have Tsunade's squad investigate and confirm the mine's location, then work with Orochimaru's team to block any interference from Amegakure and recover the resources.
Despite the size of the area, Tsunade's squad included members of the Inuzuka and Hyūga clans—both experts in tracking and reconnaissance. The fact they'd found nothing spoke volumes.
"By the way… what happened to that enemy ninja?" Tsunade asked.
"He escaped," Orochimaru said flatly.
Tsunade inhaled sharply, then snapped.
"Useless! You should go home and raise pigs."
"To lose such a crucial lead—can't you take this seriously for once? What else are you good for?"
She dug her fingers into Tatsumi's wound as she ranted.
"Ow—! You've completely mastered Orochimaru-sensei's pettiness, but your healing techniques really sting!"
Tsunade shifted her frustration to Tatsumi, scolding everyone in sight. Her rapid-fire rebukes filled the tent like a storm.
Only Mikoto was spared from the barrage. The others simply endured, knowing better than to talk back to an irate Tsunade.
Eventually, she sat back down on her stool, drained from the outburst.
Tatsumi started massaging her shoulders while Nawaki poured her tea in silence.
"This complicates things," Tsunade muttered. "If that escaped ninja used a summoning to alert his comrades, they've probably gone into hiding."
Orochimaru nodded. "That's very likely."
"We were stretched thin before," he added. "Your team couldn't cover every route. But now that we're working together, we'll perform a full sweep of the area."
"I haven't eaten or slept properly in days," Tsunade complained. "I've been up every night searching for that damn mine, and Kushina and the others are still scouting right now…"
Just as she continued venting, a cheerful voice rang from outside.
"Sis Tsunade! We bought shaved ice!"
The tent fell into stunned silence.
The voice, filled with a bubbly tone and a unique accent, could only belong to Kushina Uzumaki.
Tsunade froze mid-sentence.
Orochimaru and the others turned to stare at her in quiet disbelief.
Weren't they supposed to be on active reconnaissance duty…?
Tsunade slapped her forehead, laughing awkwardly. She had forgotten about that little detail.
"Sis Tsunade, the bento you asked for was sold out," Kushina announced as she lifted the tent flap and walked in.
Behind her were two other girls—one with face paint (Inuzuka Hana) and the other with the signature white eyes of the Hyūga clan.
The three strolled in, arms loaded with snacks and bags. Kushina was happily sucking on a piece of shaved ice.
She noticed the unfamiliar guests.
"Oh! Tatsumi, you're here too!" she beamed, hopping over to him. "And Mikoto! And Uncle Orochimaru!"
Yusuke smiled, waiting for her to call his name too, but she walked right past him without a glance.
"Kushina! What do you think you're doing? Shopping during a mission?!" Tsunade scolded sharply.
"But you said it was fine if we left a slug summon behind to keep watch…"
"…Ahaha." Tsunade rubbed the back of her neck, clearly embarrassed.
Truth be told, she had said that. Despite the Third Hokage assigning her to protect Kushina, Tsunade had let her and the others wander off to a nearby town.
Yes, they had slugs as surveillance, and yes, the Hyūga and Inuzuka girls could sense threats early—but even so, it was far too casual. Especially for someone who might become the next jinchūriki.
Not that Tsunade knew Kushina was slated for that role… but even if she did, she probably wouldn't have acted differently. She was never one for rigid rules.
Having made a fool of herself, Tsunade sulked in the corner while Orochimaru stepped up to take command.
"I am Orochimaru," he said, standing at the front of the tent. His hoarse voice quieted the room.
"As commander of this joint mission, I'll outline our objective."
"There are two goals: First, secure all roads connecting to the Land of Rain. Second, conduct a thorough search of this area, identify the gold mine if it exists, and locate the Amegakure team."
"Mission start!"
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