"Yeah... What's wrong with Kushina's personality? I think it's quite good." Ryun said with a serious and affirming expression.
"Little brother... you're drunk. With Kushina's terrible temper... sometimes it's even more explosive than Tsunade's..."
"You should take the time to properly discipline her, otherwise, big brother really fears for your future..."
Boom!!!
"Ah!!!"
Before Jiraiya could finish his words, the wall behind him was suddenly smashed open by a powerful punch. He was sent flying by the tremendous force, only managing to let out a scream before his face slammed into another wall, embedding him completely into it.
Ryun glanced sideways at him and saw that Jiraiya was motionless, having already fallen unconscious!
"Nana... why are you here..." Ryun asked with an awkward smile, pretending not to know.
At this moment, Kushina's fist was still raised, and the red hair behind her stood straight up. She had clearly entered a rage mode, transforming into the dreaded 'Red Hot Habanero'...
"From now on, you are not allowed to drink with this Pervy Sage ever again!" Kushina coldly warned.
"Pervy Sage? You mean Big Brother Jiraiya?" Ryun asked again with a smile, still pretending not to know.
"Him, that pervert that all the women in the village shout and beat. He often peeps at women bathing in the female bathhouse..." Kushina said with disgust, listing his dark history.
Since Jiraiya dared to talk behind her back, Kushina naturally had to let Ryun know the true nature of this Pervy Sage.
Hearing this, Ryun was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, "That damn bastard didn't dare to peep at you, right..."
"Nonsense, if he dared to peep at me, would he still be alive today? I never go to bathhouses to bathe. I just passed by once and helped those women catch him... Unfortunately, he still managed to escape in the end..."
Kushina said with a dark face, recalling the incident from last year.
"So that's how it is. My big brother..."
Before Ryun could finish, the Red Hot Habanero glared at him fiercely.
"He really deserves to die!"
"Nana, don't be angry. You know me, I wouldn't easily believe the nonsense of the Pervy Sage, and I definitely wouldn't learn from him to become that kind of lust-driven demon..." Ryun reached out and put his arm around Kushina's shoulder, swearing his loyalty.
"Mmhmm... I heard everything just now. Our Little Brat is the most sensible. Naturally, he wouldn't be easily deceived by this scoundrel..." Kushina's expression instantly softened, and her previously standing red hair became smooth in an instant.
Ryun had been praising her relentlessly outside just now. Kushina had no reason to be angry with him.
"Boss, please go find a medical ninja to treat him. All the related treatment costs, the alcohol bill, and the repair costs for these two walls will be covered by me..."
Ryun generously placed a stack of bills down, then took Kushina's jade-like hand and turned to leave.
They left decisively, as if they had made up their minds about something, not even glancing back at that man...
The next day at noon.
Twenty hours had passed since Ryun's meeting with the Five Kage.
The frontline forces at the Fire-Earth battlefield sent shocking intelligence back to Konoha via messenger hawks.
"The Land of Earth has actually withdrawn its troops!"
The Fire-Earth battlefield was located within the Land of Grass. The Iwa-nin forces withdrew from this forward war position without any hesitation, retreating entirely back into their own country's borders.
They left decisively, as if they had made up their minds about something, not even daring to glance back at the Konoha camp...
Within two hours of the intelligence about the Land of Earth's withdrawal reaching Konoha, the forces of Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure also successively withdrew and returned to their own countries.
"Uchiha Ryun... This boy is truly terrifying!"
Koharu Utatane's voice trembled slightly, and even the hand holding the intelligence report shook lightly.
"Who says otherwise... Facing such unreasonable threats, all four countries chose to swallow their anger... It's imaginable how much they must fear him..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"With four Tailed Beasts held in his hands alone, how could those countries not fear him..." Homura Mitokado whispered, wiping his glasses.
It wasn't just the other four great nations; even their own Land of Fire feared Uchiha Ryun...
Hadn't the Daimyo of the Land of Fire even sent a handwritten letter of apology? And yet, Uchiha Ryun directly refused to accept it...
"Hiruzen, Kushina has been by his side all this time. Could the Nine-Tails..."
Knock! Knock! Knock!!!
Koharu Utatane voiced her worries, but before she could finish, Hiruzen Sarutobi forcefully tapped his smoking pipe.
"Save your breath... Stop making these inappropriate comments..."
"What do you mean, save my breath? As a Konoha elder and Hokage advisor, is it wrong for me to worry about the Nine-Tails? I didn't say he would harm Kushina, but it's also a fact that he has his eyes on the Tailed Beasts..." Koharu Utatane retorted with dissatisfaction.
"Shut up... You will soon no longer be a Konoha elder!" The Third Hokage suddenly slammed the table and stood up. His irritable rebuke instantly stunned the two Hokage advisors.
"Hiruzen, what's gotten into you suddenly... What do you mean, 'you will soon no longer be a Konoha elder'... What does that mean???" Homura Mitokado quickly reacted.
"It means exactly what it says. You... and you... including me... The Konoha elders have repeatedly made major strategic errors. Our strategic planning and thinking have been wrong again and again. I announce that I will resign from the position of Hokage in three days!
Both of you will also be removed from your current positions. Either retire early like me and enjoy a retired life, or take on some easy, worry-free clerical work..."
The Third Hokage's tone brooked no argument. The two Hokage advisors' eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing this, their faces full of shock.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, you've gone mad!!!"
Koharu Utatane couldn't help but exclaim.
"I am more clear-headed than ever. This is a decision I made after careful consideration."
"I previously made a promise to the villagers of Konoha that I would step down and make way for a worthy successor once the war ended. Now that the four nations have withdrawn their troops, the war has stopped, and peace has arrived, it is time for me, the Hokage, to fulfill that promise."
As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, the two advisors were stunned on the spot.
The Third Hokage had indeed said he would resign once the war ended, but the two Hokage advisors had never made such a promise...
Why strip them of their power and positions?
"Hiruzen, our positions were appointed by our teacher on his deathbed. You have no authority to remove us from our positions!" Both of them were furious.
"Preposterous! According to your logic, does that mean no future Kage would be able to remove you from your positions?"
"Our teacher only asked you to assist me with complicated official duties and to provide opinions and suggestions. He did not give you the power to oppose the Hokage's orders!"
"We've been friends for a long time. I want to give you a dignified exit. But if you don't want to be dignified, then I, as the Hokage, can help you be dignified..."
At this moment, the Third Hokage was embodying a ruthless attitude, and the one who taught him this attitude was the very teacher the Konoha elders spoke of—the deceased Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!
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