Chapter 237: Tsunade: Old Man, I Can't Disappoint Ikeizumi
"Jūzō Biwa... has gone to the Hidden Mist Village!"
In the Land of Rain.
Obito Uchiha suddenly opened his eyes.
The current Bloody Mist Village is essentially under Obito Uchiha's control. After all, even the Fourth Mizukage is under his control. Under his vengeful manipulation, the entire Bloody Mist Village is subjected to bloody internal strife, massacres, and chaos day and night.
When the intelligence reached the Hidden Mist Village, Obito Uchiha naturally received the first-hand information.
"...Obito."
At this moment, Black Zetsu, who had found a suitable White Zetsu clone and re-merged with it into the form of a humanoid pitcher plant, spoke: "The person who went to the Hidden Mist Village is probably... not just Jūzō Biwa."
Black Zetsu narrowed its eyes and said solemnly: "Don't forget, that guy has betrayed us, betrayed the Akatsuki, and he stands in the same camp as Ikeizumi Uchiha."
Obito Uchiha frowned: "Are you saying that guy Jūzō Biwa brought a Shadow Clone of Ikeizumi Uchiha to the Land of Rain, and then took Ikeizumi Uchiha to the Hidden Mist Village? What is his purpose for doing this?"
Black Zetsu slowly replied: "It's unclear. But one thing is certain: Jūzō Biwa is at odds with the Akatsuki. His purpose for joining the Akatsuki in the first place might have been impure."
"Now... he has brought Ikeizumi Uchiha to the Hidden Mist Village. There is a possibility—he has realized that the entire current situation of the Hidden Mist Village is inseparable from the Akatsuki."
"When he realized that he couldn't change all this with his own strength, he began to seek external assistance. The external force he found... is Ikeizumi Uchiha."
Obito Uchiha was a bit confused and remained silent for a long time, still pondering the specific meaning of Black Zetsu's words.
Seeing this scene.
Black Zetsu was silent for half a second and said: "The gist is that he knows you are the one causing trouble in the Hidden Mist Village, and he wants to deal with you. As for how he knows, it might be related to Ikeizumi Uchiha again, after all, that guy knows too many of our secrets."
When speaking here, Black Zetsu felt a chilling sensation.
It always felt that its true purpose, its true ambition.
Had long been "seen" clearly by Ikeizumi Uchiha!
Even...
The other party might know more than it did.
No, that's not right...
Black Zetsu shook its head secretly.
Even if the other party had an ability similar to precognition, it shouldn't be as "omniscient" as it imagined. Even Mother couldn't be "omniscient," so how could a mere Ikeizumi Uchiha achieve it?
"...Hmph, I knew it already. You don't need to specifically explain it."
Obito Uchiha snorted coldly, not detecting Black Zetsu's complex thoughts. He said in a deep voice: "Since that guy's whereabouts are confirmed, it's time to settle things."
Black Zetsu asked: "Are you sure you want us to go and settle things with him? Do we really need to take the risk?"
Obito Uchiha: "..."
After pausing for several seconds, Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth and said: "Didn't you say before that Ikeizumi Uchiha cannot be left alive? And that his existence will severely interfere with our plans!"
Black Zetsu sighed silently, but its expression remained calm as it said: "You must remember, we are not the only ones who want to kill him. Ikeizumi Uchiha has offended too many people."
"He killed the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, making the Daimyō of countless countries extremely wary of him and eager to eliminate him; he also made Nagato feel threatened, and Nagato also wants to eliminate him."
"We can use this power, use others to do our dirty work. All we need to do is provide them with intelligence. The rest... does not require us to risk taking action ourselves."
Obito Uchiha's face was rigid as he asked: "Since when do we have to be so circuitous to deal with one person?"
Black Zetsu walked forward and said: "When you get older and live longer, you will realize that being alive is the most important thing. If you live longer than others, everything is not a problem. Don't put yourself in danger, keeping yourself alive is the most important thing."
Obito Uchiha stared at Black Zetsu's back: "Are you intentionally trying to imitate Madara Uchiha? Your tone is very similar to his."
Black Zetsu curved its lips: "I am the will born from him, so it is natural to be somewhat similar to that great one."
Not long after.
"Madara... Uchiha, told me the whereabouts of Ikeizumi Uchiha. He took Jūzō Biwa to the Land of Water. However, it's temporarily impossible to distinguish whether it's his real body or some kind of clone."
Nagato relayed this intelligence to Konan.
Konan nodded and said: "The Konoha Senior Elder Koharu Utatane wants to hire us to kill Ikeizumi Uchiha. She promised a very generous reward. This reward is at least equivalent to two or three years of work for us."
Nagato murmured: "This is a Great Ninja Village... The promised reward allows us to advance our plan by a period of time."
Konan asked: "So, have you decided to hunt Ikeizumi Uchiha?"
Nagato nodded: "It's time to gather everyone."
Konan was startled: "Everyone..."
Nagato slowly said: "A combination of merely two or three people cannot hunt that man. You probably also know what kind of power the opponent possesses."
"If the number of people is too small, the opponent will defeat us one by one. Two or three people going to hunt him is just sending them to their deaths."
"Instead of wasting time and consuming the active forces within the Akatsuki, it's better to resolve that trouble once and for all. When dealing with such a troublesome person, we must be prepared to go all out."
Konan sighed: "...Alright!"
At this moment, Nagato added: "To be safe, I will have the Six Paths of Pain, excluding the Jigokudō, attack simultaneously. And the Jigokudō will be on standby near the Hidden Mist Village."
Hearing this, Konan's pupils slightly contracted, and she immediately adopted a stance of rejection: "Wait! No!"
Konan said somewhat anxiously: "If you do that, wouldn't you be alone? Your body is too fragile. If someone takes the opportunity to sneak attack your main body, you will be killed!"
Nagato shook his head: "No one can approach me except Ikeizumi Uchiha. And that man is far away from me. Unless this intelligence is a trap to lure me away."
"But my intuition tells me... this is not a trap this time. So, I choose to trust my intuition."
Konan opened her mouth. Looking at Nagato, who had already made up his mind, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
She was still a little uneasy: "Let me stay behind. It's always better to have a backup plan, isn't it? You must remember, the information was given to you by Obito Uchiha. What if this is his conspiracy? Don't forget, his Sharingan ability can also allow him to approach you!"
Konoha Village.
Shizune looked anxiously at the Hokage-sama and Lady Tsunade before her. She always felt that the atmosphere was eerie.
The Hokage-sama and Lady Tsunade had been sitting across from each other for over a minute.
Apart from the initial greetings when they first met.
Since then, neither side had spoken a single word.
The two seemed to be mute.
This only made Shizune increasingly nervous, always feeling that the current eerie silence was the fuse for the upcoming explosion.
Was Ikeizumi Uchiha really right?
If the Hokage-sama met Lady Tsunade privately, was it with malicious intent? Does he want to kill Lady Tsunade?
Hiss...
What should I do, as Lady Tsunade's disciple? Should I side with Lady Tsunade and fight the Hokage-sama? But if the Hokage-sama is eliminated, will Lady Tsunade become the next Hokage-sama?
Just as Shizune couldn't stop her wild thoughts, with cold sweat running down her forehead and her anxiety reaching an extreme.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been silent for a long time, finally slowly stood up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tsunade.
He didn't speak, but turned and walked towards the door.
When he reached the doorway.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his back to Tsunade, and his hoarse voice solemnly said: "Why? Tsunade, is the village under my governance so unbearable in your eyes? Only when you are utterly disappointed in me would you try to replace me and want to become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, right?"
Tsunade finally spoke: "Old man. When you were young, you were a good Hokage. I have no objection. Konoha Village back then was indeed prosperous. Although it went through a few wars, it was able to recover quickly."
"I know you sacrificed a lot for Konoha and made one compromise after another. The younger you, in order to return Konoha to the peak period of my grandfather's time, implemented many risky measures, turning a blind eye to some matters."
"The you back then thought that when the benefits outweighed the negative impact in some matters, turning a blind eye was fine. You thought you could deal with those people later."
"But..."
Tsunade raised her eyelids, her gaze fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi before her: "You only did the former; you didn't do the latter. Those people you turned a blind eye to only received the benefits you indulged them with that year and did not receive the consequences they deserved."
"The many evils that Ikeizumi dug up in the village are just the tip of the iceberg of the troubles you left behind. Old man, it's not that you were unwilling to deal with them; you simply didn't have the capability anymore."
"Those people are already deeply rooted in Konoha, and some of their interests are completely intertwined with yours. Dealing with them is equivalent to dealing with yourself."
"So you simply pretended that everything you had turned a blind eye to never happened. If Ikeizumi hadn't appeared out of nowhere, if Ikeizumi hadn't insisted on Absolute Justice."
"Time would erase all memories and evils. No one would know what they had done, and you would also forget about it."
"This..."
"Is wrong."
Tsunade slowly let out a breath. Speaking too much in one go made her feel dry-mouthed. After taking a small sip of sake.
She continued: "If things continue like this, Konoha Village will continue to decline. The true meaning and belief of the Will of Fire will be intentionally distorted by certain people."
"The evils lurking beneath Konoha will treat you, the Hokage, as nourishment and a protective umbrella, constantly growing and taking root under that umbrella."
"Old man, the decisiveness you have shown in your later years has demonstrated that you are insufficient to resolve such a crisis. You are even somewhat unqualified to act as a mere patch-up artist."
"Perhaps, it is time for you to let go of everything. Hand over the future of the village to the younger generation."
"Let the village undergo a slightly radical purification."
Hiruzen Sarutobi interjected: "Tsunade, the radical purification you speak of is Ikeizumi's Absolute Justice, right?"
"Yes."
Tsunade readily admitted: "Perhaps Absolute Justice is not the only way to save Konoha, but it is the only one I can currently see."
"Furthermore, it's not just Konoha Village that needs saving in this Shinobi World; the entire Shinobi World is actually similar to Konoha's situation."
"Grandfather Hashirama... was not only concerned with Konoha Village back then; he was concerned with the entire Shinobi World. Sometimes, I can't help but feel that Ikeizumi is quite similar to my grandfather."
"It's just that their personalities are completely different, which resulted in their different ways of handling things."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a long time.
"Give me ten more years," Hiruzen Sarutobi said seriously: "If Ikeizumi is willing to cooperate with me, willing to follow my command. I believe that with my methods and Ikeizumi's power, the deep-seated problems of Konoha can also be cleared away."
Tsunade smiled: "Why shouldn't you cooperate with him? Why shouldn't you listen to him? Wouldn't that also achieve the goal?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath: "Everything must be distinguished by primary and secondary roles. I cannot allow Absolute Justice to become the 'primary' of Konoha and the Will of Fire to become the 'secondary'."
Tsunade said: "Old man, this is the difference between you and me. You are concerned with too many things. Your care and concern for Konoha are mixed with many other things."
"Whether you are willing to admit it or not, the fact is that this is the case. Otherwise, why do you think that guy Jiraiya is so unwilling to inherit your legacy?"
"Although that idiot is constantly being fooled by a bunch of toads, sometimes he also has a very pure thought—that is, he doesn't want to become the person you are now."
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze in place.
Tsunade slowly stood up, brushed the clothes on her body, and continued: "If you truly don't want to step down, then why don't we just have two Hokage? You cede a portion of the Hokage's authority to me. You are the Hokage, and I am also the Hokage. You can observe from the side what changes I can bring to Konoha."
"If the changes I make satisfy you, then you can hand over the rest of the authority to me, and you can retire with peace of mind."
"If you are not satisfied, then we can compete again. At that time, we'll see who the people in the village support."
"Or..."
Tsunade looked down at Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Let's skip all the detours and compete directly now. Whoever has the bigger fist, whoever has the support of enough ninja, is the Hokage of Konoha."
Tsunade reached out and touched her bare, fair neck.
She let out a heavy sigh: "Since I've already promised that guy, I can't let him down, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was rigid.
Land of Water.
A certain port.
"Ikeizumi-senpai! We've arrived at the Land of Water!" Izumi shouted to Ikeizumi Uchiha in surprise.
Then, she saw Ikeizumi-senpai fiddling with a shiny object.
Upon closer inspection.
It appeared to be a pendant.