Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!-Chapter 343: Kawakaze’s Clever Plan

"Wonderful, professional."

Although it was their first meeting, Nonō had truly impressed Kakuzu with her abilities. Managing to assess the Land of Rain's forces within just a week was no small feat.

"You're too kind," Nonō said humbly, offering a polite smile to Kakuzu.

"It really is very complicated," Yahiko said, rubbing his temples. The chaos in the Land of Rain was far worse than Sensei had described.

"It doesn't matter if it's complicated or not. The worst that can happen is we push our way through," Konan said firmly, her tone carrying a hint of recklessness.

"Brainless," Kakuzu muttered with disdain.

"Who are you calling brainless?" Konan shot back, standing up in a flash. It seemed a verbal fight was about to erupt.

"Stop it," Yahiko interjected, pulling Konan back down with one hand. The tension eased as she reluctantly settled.

Nonō watched the scene unfold with amusement. Kakuzu didn't seem as brutal as the rumors had suggested.

"We can't act recklessly. We're on our own from here on out," Nagato said, his tone steady. He understood well that Konoha wouldn't be offering any support for this mission.

"By the way, what is our mission this time?" Nonō asked, still unsure after their arrival in the Land of Rain. She genuinely had no idea what they were supposed to accomplish.

"To conquer the Land of Rain."

"To unify the Land of Rain."

"To bring peace to the Land of Rain."

The siblings answered in turn, each stating the same goal in their own words.

"What?" Nonō stared at them, almost doubting her ears. You call this a mission?

"You heard right," Yahiko said, his expression serious. "This is the mission Sensei personally gave us."

"It's very important," he added, sensing her disbelief, and brought Kawakaze into the conversation for emphasis.

"Give me a minute," Nonō murmured, overwhelmed by the revelation. She had thought gathering intelligence was dangerous enough. Now, she was being asked to take down an entire country. She questioned her abilities, wondering if she had overestimated herself all along.

"I'm here for you," Nagato said gently, noticing her unease. He reached out and squeezed her hand.

Who wouldn't fear death?

Nonō looked up at Nagato and softly replied, "Mm."

Even if the road ahead was muddy and treacherous, having Nagato by her side was better than facing it alone in a strange land. He had saved her life once, and now she felt no hesitation in giving it back to him, even here in the Land of Rain.

"Do you have any plans for the next step?"

Nonō, having come to terms with reality, hoped to hear a well-thought-out plan. Their small numbers didn't matter—perhaps there was a brilliant strategy in place?

"We haven't had time to come up with anything yet," came the reply.

"Isn't that exactly why we needed to find you so urgently?" Konan added bluntly, speaking the unvarnished truth without hesitation.

"You knew I was in the Land of Rain?"

"This was all planned in advance?"

"I was the only one kept in the dark?"

Three questions burst from Nonō in quick succession. She had only now realized the implications of Konan's words. Naively, she had thought it was all a coincidence—that Nagato and the others were simply on a mission and she had come to help by chance.

"I'm sorry. I didn't ask for your wishes," Nagato said, guilt evident in his voice. "If you don't want to stay here, you can go back to Konoha. I'll talk to Sensei."

He felt responsible for pulling Nonō into this conflict, knowing it was Kawakaze's arrangements that had led to this situation—and that he had agreed to them.

"It's not Nagato's fault. If you want to blame someone, blame Sensei for taking matters into his own hands," Konan said, stepping in to defend him. It wasn't the first time she had been critical of Kawakaze, and she did so without hesitation.

"Nagato also misses you too much," Yahiko chimed in, hitting the heart of the matter.

Kakuzu, standing off to the side, watched the unfolding scene like a disinterested spectator.

"Puff..."

Nonō suddenly burst into laughter, her unexpected reaction catching everyone off guard. The nervous, guilty expressions on the faces of the three before her were just too much. How could she bring herself to blame Nagato? She wasn't truly angry—just a little upset about being kept in the dark.

"No need to apologize. I wasn't trying to blame anyone," she said, her tone soft and reassuring. "It's not so bad staying here. Honestly, I might not even get used to going back."

After all, if Nagato wouldn't be there when she returned to Konoha, what would be the point of going back at all?

"That's good."

"We can fight together again," Konan said happily, cutting in before Nagato could respond.

"I don't have any plans yet," Nagato admitted, letting out a small sigh of relief. Since Nonō had chosen to stay, he silently resolved to do whatever it took to keep her safe.

"Who said there were no plans?"

Yahiko beamed as he pulled a scroll from his chest, the one Kawakaze had given him. "How could I have forgotten this?"

"Open it and take a look," Konan urged, her eyes lighting up. She remembered this deployment plan, one devised by Sensei. It had completely slipped her mind, distracted as she was by the allure of money.

"Don't worry. I'll open it," Yahiko said eagerly, filled with anticipation. Kawakaze was the most reliable person he knew.

Kakuzu, sitting nearby, glanced over despite himself. Though he despised Kawakaze, his curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to see what kind of plan the so-called genius had devised.

"Just tell us," Nagato said impatiently. Yahiko's increasingly shocked expression—and even Kakuzu's strange look—was enough to make him anxious.

"Just look at it yourself," Yahiko said, rubbing his forehead as he closed the scroll and handed it to Nagato. Did Sensei really come up with this?

"Don't be so secretive. There's no need to hide anything," Nagato said, opening the scroll. Konan and Nonō moved closer to peer over his shoulder.

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Moments later, the same incredulous expressions spread across their faces.

"Open a casino and a brothel?"

"Are you serious, Sensei?" Konan blurted out. She had always believed Sensei to be an honorable man, but this plan left her questioning everything.

Everyone at the table understood what a brothel was. Was this really the idea of the God of Shinobi?

"He really does trust you," Kakuzu said suddenly. For once, there was no contempt in his tone toward Kawakaze.

The scroll had little detail about the battle plan beyond the usual—recruit soldiers, unify the Land of Rain. Instead, it focused heavily on reconstruction efforts after unification. If this wasn't a sign of trust in Kawakaze's judgment, what was?

"But isn't this a bit..." Yahiko hesitated, unable to find the right words to describe how inappropriate it felt.

"I think it's a good idea," Kakuzu said without hesitation. "The Land of Rain is small and lacks abundant resources, making it difficult to build a stable economy. But its strategic location—sandwiched between three major countries—gives it an advantage. If it becomes a hub of entertainment, it just might work."

Kakuzu's business sense had quickly grasped the potential. Gambling and brothels would attract the wealthy from neighboring nations. While such activities might face scrutiny at home, the rich would gladly indulge elsewhere. Money would pour in effortlessly.

Excited by the vision, Kakuzu thought of the future—no more battles, just sitting back and counting money. This was paradise.

"Disgusting."

"Filthy."

Konan and Nonō voiced their disgust in unison, snapping Kakuzu out of his daydream.

"It wasn't my idea!" Kakuzu protested, feeling aggrieved. "You're too scared to criticize Kawakaze, so you're taking it out on me? Where's the justice?"

Yahiko and Nagato wiped cold sweat from their foreheads, grateful they hadn't sided with Kakuzu.

Sensei... this is useful, but also absurd.

The scroll was handed back to Yahiko, and an awkward silence fell over the group.