Upon hearing Shizune's words, Tsunade realized the girl actually thought she was returning to the village to seek justice for the old man. She replied crossly, "What would I even use to seek justice for the old man?"
"The Uchiha Clan caught the old man red-handed with undeniable proof."
"Then they simply hammered him to death."
"Even if he truly was wronged, with my current strength, how could I possibly go up against that new genius of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Uchiha Ryōsuke... rumor has it this guy doesn't just possess the Mangekyō Sharingan, but his strength is far beyond that of a normal Kage-level powerhouse."
Even if Tsunade were in her peak condition, she knew she would be no match.
Hearing Tsunade's words, Shizune felt a surge of fear in her heart and couldn't help but say, "Then why are we even going back to the village?"
"The Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan have never been on particularly good terms. Maybe they'll take this opportunity to deal with you too, just like they caught the Third Hokage's mistakes to take him down."
Tsunade's pupils dilated. "What kind of nonsense are you talking? I'm not like the Third Hokage; I don't have skeletons in my closet. I would never do something like betray the village."
"The Uchiha Clan has no legitimate reason to move against me."
"That's true, Lady Tsunade has always acted with integrity."
Shizune understood Tsunade's way of doing things, but she couldn't help but remain worried. "What if the Uchiha Clan doesn't play by the rules of honor?"
Tsunade, naturally, had her own concerns. "But I have reasons why I must go back. At the very least, I need to pay my respects to the old man and see exactly where the Uchiha Clan is leading the village."
"The Uchiha Clan shouldn't be coming after me."
The village was founded by her two grandfathers; they had protected it even at the cost of their lives. Most importantly, she sensed that this clan had changed.
Currently, the combat power of the Uchiha Clan has definitely reached another peak since the era of Uchiha Madara, possessing overwhelming military strength. Yet, they actually chose to hold a trial for the old man.
It was very strange.
She felt that the Uchiha of the past weren't like this. They didn't act this way before. If they had evidence back then, they would have just struck immediately.
Hearing Tsunade say this, Shizune could only helplessly follow her back to the village. Lady Tsunade's words made sense—the Senju Clan was no longer a rival to the Uchiha Clan, so they likely wouldn't be targeted.
She continued packing the clothes. Being so young, she wasn't willing to die an early death; she hadn't even experienced a sweet romance yet.
Meanwhile, in a secret base laboratory within the Sound Village.
Orochimaru was conducting experiments on immortality, perfecting the ninjutsu for soul transfer. Naturally, he had also received news of the death of the old man, the Third Hokage.
Beyond his surprised expression, there was a hint of excitement in his heart. He didn't feel the slightest bit of sadness for the old man's passing.
Although the report claimed it was a suicide, it was clearly a case of being forced into a corner by the Uchiha Clan. He hadn't expected the Uchiha to actually begin reclaiming their former glory.
He clearly remembered a certain Uchiha genius he had encountered in the village: Uchiha Itachi. The other man's extraordinary talent had deeply attracted him.
He still remembered the scene from back then. At such a young age, the boy could dodge a massive number of shuriken flying at him from irregular angles. In such a situation, even some Jōnin would be hit if they weren't careful. It proved the boy possessed powerful taijutsu and intuition—and of course, it was related to those crimson Sharingan.
However, based on the intelligence he had gathered now, this newly appeared genius, Uchiha Ryōsuke, seemed even more suitable as his next vessel. Not only was his talent greater than Uchiha Itachi's, but he had even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
That was the legendary evolved version of the Sharingan. Every single person who had ever possessed those eyes was a top-tier powerhouse in the ninja world. If he possessed a pair of eyes like those, he would undoubtedly become much stronger. He might even be able to research the secrets of Kekkei Genkai and further perfect his art of immortality.
At this thought, he couldn't help but lick his lips with his long, serpent-like tongue. It seemed he would have to find time to return to the Leaf Village.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
Uchiha Ryōsuke's battle record was brilliant; he was absolutely one of the top one or two powerhouses in the current ninja world. But Orochimaru wasn't afraid. He had a way to defeat such a powerhouse.
That was the Impure World Reincarnation.
Those resurrected by the Impure World Reincarnation did not fear death. He already possessed the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, and the Third Kazekage. He already had three top-tier powerhouses. As long as he had their cells, he could bring them forth through the Impure World Reincarnation.
Once he had the time to properly refine this technique and allow the reincarnated figures to possess even greater power, he could even bring back more experts. When that time came, no matter how strong Uchiha Ryōsuke was, he would still be his prey.
Such matters could not be rushed, but fortunately, he still had plenty of time.
A drizzling rain fell over the Rain Village.
Konan of the Akatsuki had naturally received the news from the Leaf Village as well. She was the one responsible for intelligence gathering.
The Third Hokage had actually committed suicide. And it was orchestrated by the Uchiha Clan. The Leaf Village truly enjoyed their internal strife.
Previously, Danzō had also met a miserable end because of their infighting. When she heard that news, she was immensely happy. Back then, Danzō had conspired with the despicable Hanzō to kill her companion, Pain. Now, it was Danzō's turn to die.
But receiving such significant news now made her heart feel a bit heavy. The Uchiha Clan was starting to grow powerful; were they about to achieve their former glory? Such a clan would surely become a major obstacle to the Akatsuki's great goal of achieving peace in the ninja world.
Therefore, she hurried without stopping to a secret chamber. Inside was a man with several black tubes inserted into his back. His body was reduced to skin and bones, and his eyes possessed pupils with a rippling ring pattern.
Konan spoke directly. "Nagato, something big has happened in the ninja world."
She then relayed all the information to Nagato.
Nagato looked at Konan, calmly receiving the information. He consoled her, "A formidable enemy in the Uchiha Clan? A powerhouse who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and can even capture Tailed Beasts?"
Such combat power did indeed stir something within him. As expected of the Uchiha, the elite of the ninja world; it wasn't surprising they would display such strength while regaining their past glory.
He comforted Konan, saying, "There is no need to worry. While this person's strength is indeed very formidable, once I have fully mastered the Rinnegan and can perfectly control the Six Paths of Pain—once I have mastered the power of a god—I can easily deal with this individual."