Peace did not last.
They never got the chance to have their beautiful wedding.
The Second Ninja World War arrived suddenly, like a dark, violent storm.
Enemies attacked the borders.
The happy wedding plans were quickly packed away in a wooden box.
Tsunade was immediately pulled into the war effort.
She was incredibly busy, working day and night in the village hospital.
One evening, she stood in the Hokage’s office.
Dale stood quietly behind her, carrying a large, heavy scroll.
Hiruzen looked at her from across his desk.
The old man looked very tired.
“Tsunade,”
Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his aching eyes.
“I know why you are here. You are going to ask me to put a medical ninja in every four-man squad.”
Hiruzen shook his head slowly.
“I want to agree, but I must refuse your request. We simply do not have enough time or resources to train that many medics right now. The war is too fast. We are losing too many people.”
Tsunade did not look angry.
Instead, she smiled a confident, sharp smile.
“You are wrong, Sensei,”
She said smoothly.
“I am not asking you to put a medic in every squad. That is the old way.”
Hiruzen blinked in surprise.
“Then what are you asking?”
Tsunade turned to Dale.
He stepped forward and rolled the large scroll open on the Hokage’s desk.
Inside the scroll were rows of small, glowing paper tags and tiny glass bottles filled with bright liquid.
“In Dale’s world, I spent four years studying modern science and medicine,”
Tsunade explained, her voice ringing with absolute certainty.
“I combined their advanced knowledge with our ninja arts.”
She pointed to the glowing paper tags.
“These are instant healing seals. Anyone can use them on the battlefield, even if they don’t know medical ninjutsu. You just stick it on a bad wound, and it stops the bleeding instantly.”
Then, she pointed to the small bottles.
“And these are stamina boosters. They repair torn muscles and refill energy in seconds without destroying the body’s natural limits.”
Hiruzen stood up.
His tired eyes widened as he looked at the amazing items on his desk.
“With these tools, every single ninja can save their own life,”
Tsunade said, leaning over the desk.
“Give me the village factories, Sensei. Let me mass-produce these. I will change how we fight this war.”
Hiruzen did not refuse her this time.
He was amazed.
He gave her everything she asked for.
Within a few weeks, Tsunade’s modern medical techniques spread to every battlefield.
The results were like magic.
Ninjas who should have died from deep wounds were slapping healing seals on their bodies and surviving.
Tired fighters drank the boosters and made it back home safely.
The death toll dropped.
The survival rate of the Leaf Village ninjas increased drastically.
Dale helped Tsunade every single day.
While she ran the busy hospitals and the new factories, Dale was always right beside her.
He carried her heavy scrolls.
He brought her hot meals when she forgot to eat.
He made sure she slept.
One rainy afternoon, a new face arrived at the big Senju estate.
It was a young girl with bright, beautiful red hair.
She looked scared, tired, and very alone.
“This is Uzumaki Kushina,”
Mito introduced the little girl, resting a gentle hand on her red hair.
Because Dale was engaged to Tsunade, Mito treated him like a true family.
She did not keep secrets from him.
Later that night, Mito called Dale and Tsunade into her quiet tea room.
“Kushina is not just here to visit,”
Mito explained softly, her face looking tired in the dim light.
“She was brought here to take my place. She is going to be the next Jinchuriki.”
Dale frowned, feeling confused.
“What is a Jinchuriki?”
He asked.
Tsunade looked down at her hands.
Her voice was heavy with sadness.
She explained.
“Inside Grandmother’s body is a giant, terrifying monster made of chakra. The Nine-Tailed Fox. When Grandmother dies, the Fox will break free and destroy the village. So, it must be sealed inside a new person.”
Mito nodded slowly.
“Kushina has a special, strong chakra,”
Mito said.
“She will be the new cage for the beast. It is a very lonely, painful life. The village will fear her, and she will have to carry this heavy burden forever.”
Dale sat perfectly still.
He listened to the harsh, cruel truth of the ninja world.
He thought about the scared little girl with red hair.
Then, he thought about the giant Fox.
A heavy sadness filled his heart.
“That is terrible,”
Dale whispered, his voice full of deep pity.
“It is terrible for both of them.”
Mito looked at him in surprise.
“Both of them?”
She asked.
“Yes,”
Dale said honestly, looking at the two women.
“Kushina is just a child. She loses her freedom and her normal life. But the beast… It is treated like a weapon. It is locked in a dark cage inside a human body against its will. No one deserves to live like that.”
Tsunade and Mito stared at him.
Most people only felt fear and hatred for the Tailed Beasts.
Only Dale, with his pure and gentle heart, felt bad for the monster in the cage.
Tsunade rubbed her tired eyes.
“I want to help Kushina,”
Tsunade said, her voice shaking a little.
“I want to welcome her and make her feel loved. But the war is getting worse. The hospital is completely full every single day. I just don’t have the time to take care of her.”
Dale reached out and held Tsunade’s hand tightly.
He gave her a warm, reassuring smile.
“You don’t have to worry about that,”
Dale told her.
“You focus on saving lives. You focus on winning this war and coming back to me safely.”
He looked toward the paper door, knowing the little red-haired girl was sleeping in the other room.
“I will take care of Kushina,”
Dale promised, his voice strong and absolutely certain.
“I know what it feels like to be alone and scared in a strange new place. I will be her big brother. I will make sure she always has a family here.”
The next few months were hard for Kushina.
When she started going to the Ninja Academy, the other children were mean to her.
They laughed at her bright red hair.
They called her hurtful names and left her out of their games.
She came home crying almost every day.
But Dale was always there waiting for her.
He cooked her favorite warm meals.
He sat with her on the porch of the Senju estate, brushed her hair, and listened to her cry.
“Why do they hate my hair?”
Kushina asked one evening, wiping her wet eyes.
“It is so weird and red. I hate it.”
Dale smiled gently.
He wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders.
“Your hair is beautiful, Kushina,”
He told her softly.
“In my world, red is the color of heroes. It is the color of a strong, warm fire. Do not hate it.”
“Really?”
She sniffled.
“Really,”
Dale promised.
“One day, this red hair will be like a thread of fate. It will lead you straight to the people who truly love you. Until then, you have me.”
Kushina hugged him tight.
With Dale around, she didn’t feel so alone anymore.
He was the best big brother in the entire world.
When a new school term started, Dale didn’t just walk her to the Academy gates.
He walked right inside with her.
Hiruzen had given Dale a special job.
Since Dale needed to learn more about basic ninja elements, and the village needed strong protectors for the children during the war, Dale became a combat teacher at the Academy.
Rumors spread very fast in the village.
The students and teachers whispered in the busy hallways. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Is that Dale? Lady Tsunade’s fiancee?”
“I heard he fought the Hokage for a whole hour!”
“They say his chakra is as big as a monster’s. He is just as strong as Lady Tsunade!”
Not everyone liked these rumors.
One afternoon, Dale was watching Kushina’s class practice throwing shuriken in the dusty training yard.
A senior teacher named Kenji walked up to Dale.
Kenji was arrogant and very proud.
He also had a massive, secret crush on Tsunade for years.
He absolutely hated that a stranger had won her heart.
Kenji crossed his arms and glared at Dale.
The children stopped throwing their weapons.
They all gathered around to watch.
“So, you are the famous Dale,”
Kenji said loudly, making sure every student could hear.
“The man hiding in the school yard while Lady Tsunade fights in a real war. They say you are strong. I think it is just a lie to make you look good.”
Dale turned to look at Kenji.
His face was perfectly calm.
“I am just here to teach the children,”
Dale said politely.
“I do not want to fight you. We are on the same side.”
Kenji smirked.
He thought Dale was scared.
“A real Leaf ninja never backs down from a challenge,”
Kenji sneered.
He pulled out a heavy wooden practice sword.
“Let me show these kids what a real warrior looks like. Or are you too afraid to lose in front of your little red-haired sister?”
Kushina clenched her small fists.
She looked at Dale with worried eyes.
Dale sighed softly.
He didn’t want to show off, but he knew he had to earn their respect.
He also could not let anyone disrespect Kushina.
“Okay,”
Dale said.
He didn’t draw a sword.
He just picked up a small, thin wooden twig from the ground.
“Just one move.”
Kenji laughed loudly.
He rushed forward with all his speed, swinging his heavy wooden sword right at Dale’s head.
“Take this!”
Kenji yelled.
*Pop.*
Dale vanished.
Kenji hit nothing but empty air.
He stumbled forward, his eyes wide in total confusion.
Before Kenji could even blink, he felt a gentle tap on the back of his neck.
Dale was standing right behind him.
The small wooden twig was resting lightly against Kenji’s spine.
Bright blue lightning sparked softly from Dale’s fingers, making the air buzz with intense, terrifying power.
“You are too slow,”
Dale said, his voice completely calm and serious.
“In a real war, you would be dead before your sword even moved.”
Kenji froze completely.
Cold sweat ran down his face.
He dropped his wooden sword into the dirt.
He knew he was completely outmatched.
Dale could have ended his life in a single second.
The entire training yard was completely silent.
Then, Kushina threw her hands in the air and cheered loudly.
“Wow! Big brother Dale is amazing!”
She yelled, jumping up and down.
The other students quickly broke out into loud cheers.
Their eyes were shining with absolute awe.
They crowded around Dale, completely ignoring Kenji.
They asked him a hundred questions about his lightning speed and his cool teleporting trick.
Kenji quietly walked away in deep shame.
Overnight, Dale became the biggest idol in the Academy.
He wasn’t just Tsunade’s fiancee anymore.
To the children, he was a true, untouchable hero.