Chapter 498: Conflict
The personal letter with thousands of words eloquently wrote out Tsunade's analysis of Akatsuki's strength, as well as her judgment on the current and future situation of the ninja world.
In a nutshell—
The ninja world is doomed... pfft, pill party step aside, Tsunade means it's not optimistic.
The Raikage stared intently at the letter in his hand.
His gaze swept slowly from top to bottom, then he read it again.
After reading it carefully twice, his silkworm-like eyebrows twitched, and his thick fingers flicked the scroll in his hand.
He had no objection to Tsunade's analysis. After losing the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, A was full of dread towards the organization Akatsuki, and similarly identified it as a major threat to the ninja world.
But other things were open to discussion.
"Alliance?"
The Raikage put away the scroll and said in a booming voice.
"Alliance itself... I don't oppose it."
Inviting the Konoha delegation to visit itself already explained an attitude. The Raikage didn't need to make an issue out of it and directly expressed his approval.
But—Haruno Sakura also knew there must be a twist here—the Raikage paused and said:
"But before that, I have a few questions."
He took off the Raikage hat and put it aside casually.
"I'd like to hear the details."
Haruno Sakura looked up at the Raikage who was still a head taller than her even while sitting, and said calmly.
"First, the Fifth Hokage said not to pursue historical issues and put aside past grievances. To what extent can your Konoha do this?" The Fourth Raikage's voice was like a loud bell, his rough face solemn and composed, possessing an imposing manner of authority without anger, "In other words, can Konoha write off the hatred brewed by the war between Cloud Ninja and Konoha more than ten years ago?"
Haruno Sakura retracted the faint smile on her face, her expression becoming serious.
"In the face of a great enemy, clinging to old hatreds is seeking death. Presumably, the Raikage is not such a petty person and can understand why we made this promise." She said slowly.
"Yes... if you join the Allied Forces, Konoha can put aside the hatred caused by the war back then. Even..." She paused, her eyes turning cold, "We can forgive your evil deed of forcing Konoha ninja Hizashi Hyuga to commit suicide in the incident of abducting the young Hinata Hyuga back then."
"We won't pursue the ugly things you did back then."
The Raikage's thick short eyebrows frowned fiercely.
Back then, Cloud Ninja took advantage of Konoha's heavy losses in the Nine-Tails incident to go to Konoha for blackmail, and then secretly tried to abduct Hinata to seize the Byakugan. In Cloud Ninja's propaganda, the dishonorable things Cloud Ninja did were naturally omitted, intentionally leaving out the abduction of Hinata, only saying that Konoha killed a Cloud Ninja Head Ninja—equivalent to Konoha's Jonin Commander—in the village due to past grievances.
Therefore, ordinary Cloud Ninja believed that the fault lay with Konoha, that Konoha despicably attacked the Cloud Ninja Head Ninja. If not for Konoha bringing out Hizashi Hyuga's corpse to admit mistakes afterward, I'm afraid under the righteous indignation and surging public sentiment of Cloud Ninja, friction between the two countries would start again, even outbreak of war.
Of course, if that were the case, the weak Konoha would undoubtedly lose, but Cloud Ninja probably wouldn't benefit either. The two villages hurting each other would only let other villages profit.
So the two villages actually had no intention of blowing it up.
A matter that caused a huge uproar ended anticlimactically.
Hizashi Hyuga said he committed suicide for his brother and to break free from fate, but actually he saw through the weak nature of the village. Under extreme reluctance, he could only sacrifice himself to extinguish Cloud Ninja's anger, to protect Konoha, and even more to protect Neji.
Every time Haruno Sakura read about such a stifling incident happening at the doorstep, she felt a rage in her heart hard to vent.
A bit like the situation in her previous life, not to mention far away, the last dozen years of the last century... forget it, let's not mention it.
The difference was that in her previous life, he was just an ordinary person powerless to change anything; in this life, she was a ninja with superb power—even one of the few at the peak of ninja. Haruno Sakura's identity, status, and ability qualified her to seek justice from the perpetrators.
However, sadly, when she had the ability to seek this justice... because of the overall situation of the five-village alliance, Haruno Sakura had to endure her clenched fists!
She had to... consider the big picture.
The Raikage knew the truth of the incident back then and knew he was in the wrong. Although he was very unhappy with Haruno Sakura's piercing attitude, he couldn't refute it, his face gloomy and silent.
But the Cloud Ninja listening below were different.
The Cloud Ninja Head Ninja who was despicably attacked and sacrificed by Konoha ninja in Konoha Village back then, such a heroic figure became a despicable person abducting a young child in Haruno Sakura's mouth. Konoha ninja actually insulted Cloud Ninja Village face to face, trampling Cloud Ninja's reputation underfoot. How could the straightforward Cloud Ninja endure this?
Immediately someone shouted angrily!
"Bastard! What nonsense are you talking about!" Omoi's sword eyebrows stood up, drawing the long sword in his hand, saying furiously, "A fledgling brat dares to speak wildly and slander our Cloud Ninja!"
The other Cloud Ninja beside him, although not shouting at Haruno Sakura, all put their hands on their swords, their gazes becoming cold and dangerous!
Haruno Sakura, pointed at by thousands, not only didn't retreat but sneered.
"Slander Cloud Ninja?"
She turned her head and exchanged cold glances with every Cloud Ninja glaring at her.
Ridiculous, hateful!
She, who compromised for the sake of the overall situation, put down hatred and desire for revenge, was instead bitten back by Cloud Ninja who committed such despicable acts!
The angrier Haruno Sakura was, the colder the expression on her face became, and the tone between her lips and teeth became colder: "Heh... I'm just stating facts. What? Truth exposed, flew into a rage out of humiliation? You trash who bully the weak and fear the strong!"
Cloud Ninja Omoi's eyes widened in anger, silver teeth clenched, trembling all over with rage.
If not for reason still holding him back, I'm afraid Omoi would have drawn his sword and rushed up. Regardless of whether Haruno Sakura was a Konoha envoy, he would chop her into mincemeat!
But someone was more impulsive than him!
"You're looking for death!"
Accompanied by an angry shout, a black figure rushed out, the sharp blade in hand drawing a cold light, with a fierce whistling sound, slashing at Haruno Sakura from the air!
The slash was ruthless and decisive, the cold edge attacking people!
This strike was a hate-filled attack by a Cloud Ninja, leaving no room, slashing straight at the girl's vital point!
Haruno Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously.
In an instant, her killing intent was released in the Raikage Building for the first time.
Ice cold, chilling to the bone.
Making people feel like falling into an ice cave!
"Stop!" "Karui!" "Don't be impulsive!" Several shouts rang out simultaneously!
Instantly, dust filled the air, gravel splashed!
Afterimages flashed. The final frozen picture was the Raikage grabbing Haruno Sakura's hand.
And Haruno Sakura, grabbing Karui's hand.
Karui's blade stopped in front of Haruno Sakura's forehead, only a palm's distance from her smooth skin, held in the palm by Haruno Sakura's other hand, ultimately unable to advance an inch.
"Let go of Karui."
The Raikage's face was sunken like water, saying coldly.
Haruno Sakura had a dangerous smile on her face, not even glancing at the Raikage, just staring coldly at the woman who impulsively slashed at her.
The woman pulled the sword, found her sword motionless, the expression on her face instantly became somewhat astonished.
"Want the sword?" Haruno Sakura sneered, "Sure, I'll return it to you."
Saying that, the girl exerted force in her hand. The refined steel long sword in her palm was as soft as a block of tofu under her palm, forcibly crushed into a ball of scrap iron!
"Hmph."
Haruno Sakura released her hand, throwing the iron scrap to Karui casually, smashing the woman into a stumble, sitting on the ground wretchedly.
"Get lost!"
After doing all this, she turned her head and looked back at Raikage A coldly.
Two figures, one big and one small, stood together, their body shapes extremely uncoordinated. But in the eyes of the bystander Cloud Ninja, the momentum of the two was evenly matched, one cold and one hot, each occupying half of the hall!
There seemed to be a fire in the Raikage's eyes.
Haruno Sakura disciplined his subordinate in front of him. How could this hot-tempered Raikage not be furious!
But he still endured it.
For the overall situation of the five-village cooperation, Konoha had to endure, and he, a Raikage, being so despised, also had to endure!
More importantly, he clearly had grabbed Haruno Sakura's arm tightly, but the girl's action of breaking the long sword was still unaffected. This monstrous strength was actually above him, the Raikage...
So strong...
In the momentary confrontation just now, the Raikage could see the strength of the girl in front of him, so strong!
If forced to turn hostile, the Raikage dared not say he had absolute certainty of winning!
"Is this the sincerity of your village allying with our Cloud Ninja?"
The Raikage said coldly.
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