The most frustrating thing is that Hyuga Ayane, as a renegade ninja, prominently collaborated with the Third Tsuchikage of Hidden Rock, which made Jiraiya suffer tremendously on the battlefield of the Land of Grass, forcing him back into the Land of Fire at one point, causing significant losses to the towns at the border.
This was all the bitter outcome brought about after Hakushi's defection, leaving Konoha to bear it alone.
It is conceivable how enraged the upper echelons were with Hakushi and his party at that time, itching to eliminate them as quickly as possible.
"So why did you ultimately choose the Land of Demons?"
"Long ago, Ruri's parents, under the arrangements of the Uchiha Clan, were engaged in business at the Land of Demons. The name of the Shion Flower Merchants Association must be familiar to you, Tsunade-sensei; the president is Ruri's parents. Moreover, they established business collaborations with the Witch of the Land of Demons early on, bringing economic prosperity to the nation. Due to these connections, I went to develop in the Land of Demons."
A practical problem.
If it were not for the ties with the Uchiha Clan, seeking the trust of the Witch of the Land of Demons would not have been so simple.
Similarly, it is also true in the Land of Iron.
After defecting, the initial phase would certainly be very difficult.
But things took a completely different turn because of the Uchiha Clan connections.
It immediately solved the most fundamental issues of survival and security; every subsequent difficulty was easier to handle compared to the initial phase.
Tsunade's eyes twitched slightly, somewhat taken aback.
Not only Hakushi, the Uchiha Clan seemed to have similar thoughts about leaving Konoha.
After all, even the Uchiha Clan managed to establish such a massive merchants association in the Land of Demons, yet Konoha was completely unaware.
Rather than claiming Konoha's intelligence system to be lacking, it might be said that the Uchiha Clan had thoughts of setting up their own domain for a long time.
It's just that she cannot be a judge of such matters.
Even if the Uchiha Clan made such a choice, upon further reflection, it's not unreasonable.
Back during the era of her great uncle, Senju Tobirama, managing Konoha, it was fine, but when it came to her teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi, due to Danzo and Root's intense rejection of the Uchiha Clan, the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan began to deteriorate gradually.
Danzo even went so far as to dispatch Root ninja to assassinate Uchiha Ruri, causing Hakushi and Hyuga Ayane to suffer at that time, nearly dying from Root's conspiracy.
Thus, it's evident Danzo's aversion towards the Uchiha Clan.
Given this, it's unsurprising that the Uchiha Clan had thoughts of rebelling against Konoha in the past.
"Then, regarding the extermination of the Uchiha Clan this time..."
Tsunade recalled something because the Uchiha Clan's extermination was indeed too bizarre.
She's only heard of Uchiha Itachi but has never met him.
But she knows that the power of the Uchiha Clan is not something Uchiha Itachi alone can shake.
Even if she awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Therefore, there is certainly substantial trouble in this situation.
If this was an ongoing contest behind the scenes between the Land of Demons and the high levels of Konoha...
Wait a minute, this doesn't make sense either.
If the Land of Demons was indeed orchestrating something from behind, they certainly wouldn't allow the Uchiha Clan to be exterminated, and thereafter Konoha wouldn't remain peaceful but be plunged into a complicated civil strife.
If, behind the scenes, the Uchiha Clan had Hakushi and other ninja from the Land of Demons as support, after the Uchiha extermination, Konoha would certainly fall into internal warfare and wouldn't end hastily.
Tsunade glanced at Hakushi with inquisitive eyes.
She couldn't help but think about these issues.
Because this is fundamental to Konoha.
The Uchiha and Senju united to establish Konoha.
The extermination of the Uchiha Clan equates to someone severing an arm from Konoha, causing a significant decline in Konoha's power.
"I was equally shocked upon hearing about the Uchiha extermination, because when Ruri took part of the Uchiha Clan members and left with me, all contact with the Uchiha Clan was severed. So, I have no knowledge of what transpired within the Uchiha afterwards."
Hakushi sighed.
This incident is truly regrettable.
The main thing is that Uchiha Shikora offended Ruri too harshly at the time.
Leading Ruri to complete disappointment with Konoha's Uchiha, severing all ties and seeking development in the Land of Demons.
Since then, Ruri has been adamantly refusing any interactions with Konoha's Uchiha.
But that blood-related kinship is unchangeable regardless.
Otherwise, Ruri wouldn't have gone to great lengths to arrange for the surviving orphans of Konoha's Uchiha to survive in the Land of Demons.
Tsunade fell silent, believing Hakushi's words.
Because when considering the events before and after the Uchiha extermination, if Hakushi were truly orchestrating from behind, such a tragedy wouldn't have befallen the Uchiha Clan.
If Hakushi and the Land of Demons weren't orchestrating from behind, then everything makes sense.
As for who truly orchestrated everything from behind, Tsunade already suspects someone.
Shimura Danzo.
Only he is most likely.
Teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi has aged and wouldn't be so decisive, only fixing problems after they explode.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu have always been fence-sitters, fearful of the Uchiha's power and wouldn't easily take a stand.
The one who can mercilessly execute such actions and is able to do so is only Shimura Danzo.
This fellow allied with Orochimaru during the Third Shinobi World War and relentlessly sold out Hanzou, resulting in Hanzou's death at the hands of Hidden Sand Ninja, showcasing his cold-blooded nature.
Come to think of it, Uchiha Itachi might have been just a pawn arranged by Danzo.
Even if Itachi defected from Konoha, he likely still had connections with Danzo.
As for whether her teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi knows the truth about Uchiha Itachi, Tsunade cannot fathom.