Without much further issue, fortunately.

Good.

She's not one to abandon her mission. Or her charges.

Things aren't going so well for Orochimaru and Rian, however...

Entirely because politics are a scourge on any sensible person.

(Rian does remember liking people, of course - they still do, even with their mind altered. But, well, politics are in some ways the opposite of liking people, and the old Orochimaru had never bothered with it at all, so they don't even have experience to draw on.)

And it's politics that's the case now - namely, trade routes. International relationships. Tariffs. All the obnoxiousness border guards can put up over merchants from a suspect land.

The places they're having friction with aren't particularly high and mighty, of course - but they're mostly protectorates of the Land of Lightning, and that nation's daimyo's fingerprints are all over the mess facing them.

The solution - a possible one - floats from Rian's mind first.

Many of these places lack medical infrastructure, of any kind. Lightning's helped their infrastructure some - they have any electricity, and modern roads - but entirely towards supporting military maneuvers, and hospitals are unnecessary for a military that brings its medics and its deep distrust of the out-group with it.

But Senju Tsunade is not only the most well known and innovative medic - in Rian's opinion, her most important claim to fame is as an administrator. A creator of hospitals - not a worker of them.

Of course, Tsunade is only nominally attached to their nation, and might not be willing to play diplomat...

She shows up when politely requested, at least.

Eventually.

She has other crap to do first.

They know what Tsunade's like, and they're not very bothered.

Still: "Good morning, Tsunade," Rian's body says. (Tsunade is still sometimes bothered by Orochimaru's.)

"What do you want?"