Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

Tsunade's frustration was palpable as she complained, "Do you think the people in Kumogakure and Kirigakure are fools?" Her voice was laced with exasperation. "Or do you think I can scare them with just my reputation alone?"

The original intention behind establishing the Ninja Academy was to prevent children from being sent to the battlefield to fight. Instead, they accelerated the graduation process, and then… 'Stop that line of thinking, Tsunade! I can't think about him right now.'

She had many dissatisfactions with Konoha. One was that the reduced graduation age was happening again during a time of war. If Hashirama or Tobirama were in power, they would never send children so young to the battlefield, no matter how difficult the situation, let alone use them as bait.

Jiraiya stood there, his face reflecting his helplessness. He was just a messenger and powerless to change these decisions. But what could he do? He couldn't think of a solution.

"By the way, are there anyone else besides Minato's team?" Tsunade asked, taking a few sips of wine and turning to him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"The Hyuga clan has sent people, and Uchiha Fugaku has also brought a contingent. There are many jonin from the village, but the main problem is that Kumogakure also intends to take action," Jiraiya replied, his voice tinged with concern.

"Meow, what if Tsunade-sama doesn't come back?" Takeshi blurted out, his voice laced with worry.

The current situation was completely different from that in canon, so the original plot couldn't be used to predict the eastern border. But one thing was certain, Tsunade's return was an accident. The Third Hokage and Danzo certainly didn't expect it but were still trying to take advantage of it.

"I hope not." Jiraiya sighed softly, a little depressed. 'Anyway, if something happens, it won't be the Uchiha or Hyuga. It will most likely be Minato or some other prestigious elite jonin.'

"Danzo… Heh, Takeshi, let's go." Tsunade drank the wine in one gulp, her expression hardening.

Takeshi followed behind, his eyes fixed on Tsunade's back. He didn't care about getting points right now, he had to go to the eastern border. The plot had changed. All he could do was become stronger. Fortunately, he was stronger now. Even if he met the Seven Ninja Swordsmen again, he wouldn't have to worry. The only thing he had to worry about was Kakashi and his team.

He had a system, but they didn't. He had made great progress in ten days, but that wouldn't be the case for them.

Kakashi wielding the Kiba blade would be targeted relentlessly. "Tsk ~" 'The only good news is that I might be able to collect another Kiba blade for Kakashi this time. Kakashi dual-wielding Kiba blades, enhancing his lightning release jutsu's... He's been focused on his swordsmanship quite a bit since he got that blade.'

"Takeshi, take this wine bottle." Tsunade waved for Takeshi to take it, then ran quickly toward the camp, using the brisk pace to work off the alcohol.

Though he was becoming a storage mule, it was difficult to refuse such a small request. Takeshi hesitated for a moment, then stored the wine bottle. 'Controlling access to wine might be a good thing. Even if I don't drink it, I can use it as leverage when I ask Tsunade for something later. For alcoholics, it is very useful.'

They had to move again. But for Kakashi and the others, this was good news, they were tired of playing with rats, and the rats were desperate to avoid being caught.

Tsunade acted decisively and prepared to leave after returning. Fortunately, Shizune had arrived at the northern border camp (their current location). If she had arrived an hour later, she might have had to stay at the northern border or go to the eastern border alone.

Team Minato set off with her. While Tsunade was nominally the leader of this eastern border force, it would be more accurate to say that Minato and Takeshi were the main drivers. After all, while Tsunade was very capable, she couldn't participate directly on the battlefield.

Takeshi gave the mouse puppet to Gekko Naoki so he could continue training Asuma's team. Asuma's team had been slowly improving because of this training. They could have played with the Counterattacking Daruma, but unfortunately, it had been destroyed by Tsunade's punch and would never fight back again. 'You shall be missed, my friend.'

Takeshi had spent two thousand points to get it, and now it was no longer in the lottery pool. Besides, Kakashi and Obito had already adapted to it, so there was no need to buy another one to make them comfortable getting victories.

"Tsunade-sama, where are we going?" Shizune asked.

"Eastern border," Tsunade replied unhappily, her voice tinged with reluctance.

Shizune had just arrived at Jiraiya's camp with her luggage and had to leave again after taking a short break. If she were an ordinary person, she might be unhappy, but Shizune was completely used to it. Years of running from gambling debts had prepared her well for adaptability. She'd be happy if she just got a good sleep in a day.

She glanced at Kakashi and the others carefully. Four years ago, she had been in the same class as Kakashi, Rin, and Obito, but she had left Konoha with Tsunade when she was six, so she hadn't continued her studies. This time it was a long-awaited reunion, so there was a hint of excitement in her eyes. But they had to hurry, and there wasn't time to chat and reminisce about the past, so she could only suppress her emotions for now and chat when they had time to rest later.

"By the way, Takeshi, can you tell me the details of your mission that involved Kirigakure ninjas?"

"No problem, meow. This is what happened..." Takeshi told the whole story.

He recounted their border patrol mission, encountering the corpses of a Konoha chunin team, and discovering it was the work of Kirigakure ninjas. After that, he explained how he killed the wielder of Kabutowari and acquired a Kiba blade. The Kiba blade was given to Kakashi after sealing it, but Takeshi didn't know what happened to Kabutowari after Minato took it.

Tsunade nodded slightly. This information wasn't particularly useful for analyzing the situation on the eastern border, but it satisfied her curiosity a little.

After eavesdropping, Shizune looked at Takeshi with a bit of surprise and disbelief, making Takeshi wonder if he had found another points printer. But sadly, Shizune was now at most at the level of Kurenai, and there weren't many points to squeeze out. At most, he could get a few hundred points. It wasn't worth working hard for so few.

The journey was boring, and Tsunade couldn't help but drink again halfway. She had the highest seniority and strength, and even Shizune, who had been with her for a long time, couldn't persuade her. If she could, she wouldn't need to hide from debt collectors.

In the afternoon, the six people and the cat arrived at one of the camps on the eastern border. Since there wasn't a single overall commander, the eastern border was divided into various scattered camps based on clan affiliation. The Uchiha were separate, the Hyuga were separate, and so on.

Takeshi and his team arrived at the Uchiha clan's camp, close to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron. The Hyuga clan were stationed further from the border, and the remaining forces were stationed even farther away.

Everyone recognized Tsunade, and Minato and Takeshi were also well-known in the village. The former was Jiraiya's disciple, and the latter was the first ninja beast to become a Special jonin. They were allowed to pass through without difficulty, and after arriving at the camp, Uchiha Fugaku greeted them.

Takeshi immediately jumped onto Tsunade's shoulder and looked around. At least twenty Uchiha clansmen were visible. And this was just inside the camp; there might be many more patrolling outside. The Uchiha were truly committed.

"Tsunade-sama, I am glad you are the one who will lead us. We are relieved to have you in charge," Fugaku said, smiling sincerely.

He didn't know Tsunade personally, but knew having someone of her status was reassuring. Only someone like the Sannins could lead without much political infighting. The Uchiha wouldn't obey the Hyuga, and the Hyuga wouldn't obey the Uchiha, and they had already had arguments.

"Don't expect too much from me. I'm just responsible for overseeing things. The main combat force is you, and… Minato, Takeshi," Tsunade pointed out, not elaborating.

The other Uchiha clansmen looked over, some with curiosity. The younger ones recognized Takeshi as the kitten who used to be with Obito. 'This ninja beast is strong enough to fight in a war?'

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