Watanabe was an intelligence officer under the Fire Country's daimyō, an excellent negotiator and politician.
This time, his purpose in coming to Konoha was simple, to convince the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, to stand on the Fire Country's side and send troops to hunt down Ryosuke.
Even though Konoha was no longer the powerhouse it used to be, its golden era long gone, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. With a bit of squeezing, it could still produce some oil. At the very least, wasn't the Third Hokage still alive?
Dying heroically on the battlefield would make for a glorious name, wouldn't it?
Besides, Watanabe honestly thought there was nothing complicated about this matter.
"Lady Tsunade," he began, "your grandfather, Senju Hashirama, founded the shinobi village system for the sake of peace, so that ninja could live better lives."
"Ask yourself sincerely, has the Fire Country ever mistreated Konoha all these years?"
"No."
Not only had it not mistreated them, even when the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, passed away, during the time when Konoha lost countless elite ninja in the Third Great Ninja War and the Nine-Tails' attack, the Fire Country didn't withhold a single piece of military support.
Watanabe nodded and went on, "You're a smart woman, Lady Tsunade, so I'll speak plainly, as one intelligent person to another, Ryosuke wants to destroy us, and he wants to destroy you, and then divide the spoils among the common people."
"I admit," he continued, "that the current system inevitably leads to a ninja world war every few decades."
"But compared to the clan-exterminating wars of the past, the Great Ninja Wars, at least among the Five Great Nations, are relatively restrained."
"In fact, you know as well as I do, it's not that ninja cause wars. It's that ninja need wars."
"After all, ninja don't produce anything. You, of all people, have seen firsthand what happens when there are too many powerful ninja."
He was referring to Uchiha Itachi's massacre of his own clan.
Watanabe pulled out a document from his briefcase and set it on the desk.
"From a moral standpoint, Konoha should help the Fire Country."
"From a political standpoint, ninja and daimyō are allies on the same front. We are both privileged classes standing above the common people."
"So..."
He pushed the document toward Tsunade.
"As Hokage, the only thing you need to decide is, who will lose, and who will win, and how to maximize your village's benefit."
Tsunade opened the document. Inside was a detailed analysis comparing the military power of the daimyō's forces and Ryosuke's side.
In sheer numbers, Ryosuke's side was at a disadvantage.
In mid-tier combat strength, Ryosuke's side was still at an absolute disadvantage.
Only in the highest tier did Ryosuke himself possess overwhelming power.
But the daimyō's side had the Akatsuki organization.
And the Akatsuki weren't acting alone. To support their tactics, the daimyō had assigned them nearly ten thousand troops under their command.
"We've already figured out Ryosuke's abilities," Watanabe said confidently. "He's doomed to die."
"Lady Tsunade, this is a one-way ticket to victory and spoils."
"All you need to do is sign your name, agree to send your ninja..."
He pulled out an agreement and laid it before her, then took out a beautifully crafted golden pen from his breast pocket and handed it to her with a smile.
"Once Ryosuke's faction is wiped out, Konoha will get its share of the gains. You can revive a village that's been in decline for years and restore its former glory, greater even than your predecessors."
Tsunade accepted the pen.
The luxurious feel of it, the gold-tipped nib, she raised an eyebrow slightly, then casually tossed it into her own pen holder.
"Are you finished?"
Watanabe's smile faded a little. He said coldly, "If I may offer personal advice, Lady Tsunade, don't act out of emotion."
Tsunade chuckled softly. "Before you came, I was still hesitating. Thanks to you, I've finally made up my mind."
Why had she, who loved her freedom so much, returned to the village to become Hokage, to bury herself every day in dull, endless paperwork?
It was because she wanted to clean up the mess left behind by the Third, to drag the sticky, damp, shadowed Konoha, warped by Sarutobi and Danzō, back into the sunlight, where everyone could finally breathe freely again.
And Ryosuke, his ambition was even greater than hers. He wanted to destroy the damp darkness of the entire shinobi world, so that everyone could live equally under the same sun.
Watanabe wasn't wrong. Ninja were on the same front as the daimyō.
But the essence of a ninja was still "human."
And as long as one is human, they will never truly stand with the oppressors.
"In light of the Fire Country's support over the years, Konoha will neither help nor hinder in this war. You may leave."
Watanabe's smile vanished completely. His eyes grew cold as he stared at her.
"You're gambling with the lives of every ninja in Konoha."
"Heh,"
Tsunade laughed softly. "I've always been a gambler. Want to bet with me?"
She pulled open a drawer, took out three dice, tossed them into a cup, shook it, and slammed it down on the table.
"I'm betting high."
Watanabe had no patience to humor an old woman gone mad.
He stood up and said coldly, "You'll regret this. When the war's over, the Five Great Nations will settle accounts with you together."
He turned and left.
When he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed, Watanabe reached for his chest pocket, then suddenly realized his expensive pen had been taken by Tsunade. His face darkened even further.
Tsunade stood by the window, watching as Watanabe exited the Hokage building.
A carriage waited below. His attendant opened the door for him, and once he was seated, the carriage rattled away into the distance.
"Lady Tsunade, are you sure… this is the right choice?"
A figure wearing a cat-like Anbu mask, Yamato, landed softly from the rooftop.
Since a Fire Country envoy had come, there naturally had to be an Anbu guard. Yamato had listened to the entire conversation from above.
He didn't have much personal connection with Ryosuke. Being calm and rational by nature, Yamato analyzed the situation objectively, and had to admit, Watanabe wasn't wrong.
Ryosuke was challenging the entire world.
No matter how strong he was, there was no way he could win.
If Konoha refused to pick a side now… what would happen after the war ended?
"Who said I'm not picking a side?"
Tsunade folded her arms across her chest, a simple movement that made her full bust ripple slightly. "Didn't Iwagakure already set a good example for us?"
"Take off the forehead protector. Put on a mask. And at the crucial moment, help Ryosuke."
Yamato froze, stunned by her words.
He finally understood, Tsunade wasn't just sitting down to gamble. She was raising the stakes.
"But…"
Yamato's lips went dry. "Can we win?"
Tsunade didn't answer.
Yamato waited in silence, then sighed inwardly, bowed, and left.
After he was gone, Tsunade walked back to the table and lifted the dice cup.
"1... 1... 3… Small."
"Lost again, huh."
She scratched her head, then turned to gaze out the window into the endless dark.
Her warm breath fogged up the cold glass, forming a thin white mist.
The view outside blurred, like the uncertain future, hazy and hard to see clearly.
"Ryosuke, I've gambled my whole life, and I've lost my whole life. You…"
"…can you let me win this one time?"
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