Chapter 185: Mount Myōboku, I Advise You Not To Stand Against Justice
The moment Tsunade returned to the inn, she wanted to collapse and sleep soundly, then head to the Konoha Village casino for a big gamble after waking up.
But just as she lay down on the tatami mat, she couldn’t help but sit up again.
Tsunade gently patted her own face with both hands.
“After slacking off for so long, I always want to keep slacking. I said so many harsh words to the old man, but now that I’m back, I don’t want to do anything.” Tsunade muttered, then forced herself to stand up and looked toward Shizune beside her.
“Shizune, come with me to the Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, and Nara Clan, then to the Ninja Academy.”
Tsunade rallied herself and said.
Shizune was stunned: “Lady Tsunade, why go to these four places?”
Tsunade said expressionlessly: “I want to form a Konoha Medical Team, one that doesn’t take orders from the old man and his group. If we recruit from elsewhere, we’ll easily get ninjas who obey the Hokage’s commands.”
“Those four places I mentioned—the first three have already sided with Uchiha Ikeizumi. And the kids at the Ninja Academy haven’t formed their values yet. Before they become the old man’s loyal dogs, I’ll pick out the ones with talent for Medical Ninjutsu first.”
Shizune was dumbfounded: “This is blatantly poaching from the Hokage, right? Especially at the Ninja Academy—there’s no way the Hokage will let you do whatever you want there.”
Tsunade said: “What business of his is it if I do whatever? Besides, Konoha wasn’t founded by his Sarutobi Clan. The Ninja Academy wasn’t founded by him, Sarutobi Hiruzen, either.”
“What are you standing there for? Let’s go!”
Shizune shivered and said with a bitter face: “Yes, Lady Tsunade!”
……
Ninja Academy.
Sasuke had been in a daze all day today. Whether it was Iruka’s lecture or Naruto chattering beside him, it all went in one ear and out the other; his brain seemed to have given up thinking.
Sasuke had thought he could quickly move on from the sadness of his father’s death.
But he hadn’t expected to overestimate himself.
“Hoo…”
He let out a heavy breath and murmured in a voice only he could hear: “Since Father made a mistake, he has to pay the price for it. Just like Uchiha Itachi—I don’t need to dwell too much on their deaths. Simple remembrance is enough; no need to be too obsessed…”
Not sure if he had convinced himself even a little, a flicker of change finally appeared on Sasuke’s dazed face.
“Looks like you’re back to normal.”
The sudden voice drew Sasuke’s attention. He turned and saw Yamanaka Ino sitting next to Naruto at some point.
“You… talking to me?” Sasuke asked uncertainly. “Have you been watching me secretly?”
“Yeah.”
Yamanaka Ino nodded and said: “To be precise, openly watching you. To prevent any extreme ideas from popping into your head and leading to wrong actions. After all, you Uchiha Clan people… sometimes can’t control your own emotions.”
“If this makes you misunderstand justice, Uzumaki Naruto and I will restrain you right away, so you don’t slip and fall into the abyss of sin. Once that happens, no one will really be able to save you.”
Sasuke was speechless for a moment because Ino was right.
Then he heard Uzumaki Naruto’s somewhat dissatisfied voice: “Hey, hey, why do you snap out of it when Ino speaks? I said so much to you, and you didn’t listen to a word.”
Sasuke gave a light hum and reflexively retorted: “Because your comforting words have zero nutritional value.”
“What?!”
Naruto glared at Sasuke with gritted teeth.
Sasuke glared back without yielding.
Seeing this, Yamanaka Ino touched her smooth, fair chin.
“Looks like he’s definitely recovered.”
She murmured.
……
“Uchiha Sasuke probably isn’t the Child of Prophecy. Rather, Uzumaki Naruto next to him has a higher chance. Plus, Uzumaki Naruto seems to be Minato’s child, right?”
Sage Fukasaku, standing on Jiraiya’s shoulder, spoke slowly: “Minato was someone you trained as the Child of Prophecy back then. Maybe his child inherited some latent quality from him.”
“Little Jiraiya, this time it shouldn’t be wrong. The Child of Prophecy that Uchiha Ikeizumi mentioned by his side is Uzumaki Naruto!”
Sage Shima, standing on the other shoulder, also said: “His father and I are at least ninety percent sure that Uzumaki Naruto is the Child of Prophecy that the great lord spoke of. On some future day, he will be the savior of the entire Ninja World.”
On the treetop of a tree in the Ninja Academy.
Jiraiya looked at a classroom a hundred meters away. Through the window, he could see Uzumaki Naruto inside.
“Uzumaki Naruto…”
“Child of Prophecy…”
Jiraiya finally got a bit excited: “Looks like the decision to return to the village was right. I didn’t expect to lock onto the real Child of Prophecy in less than a month back in the village.”
Jiraiya paused, then added with a mix of excitement and complex tone: “Of course, this also counts as using Ikeizumi. Through Ikeizumi’s connections, we locked onto the Child of Prophecy.”
“And Ikeizumi doesn’t seem to mind being used. Or rather, he doesn’t mind us figuring out who the Child of Prophecy is. He has zero interest in the Child of Prophecy…”
At this point, Jiraiya himself didn’t know why a trace of discouragement lingered in his heart.
Perhaps because the savior he valued so highly seemed, in the other’s eyes, just an unusual child—despite the other clearly knowing Naruto’s true identity.
Rather than saying Uchiha Ikeizumi couldn’t understand the importance of the Child of Prophecy.
It was more that Uchiha Ikeizumi didn’t place the Child of Prophecy in as special a position as he, Jiraiya, did.
Jiraiya had the illusion that his vision was being crushed by the other.
“Jiraiya? What are you doing here?!” A sudden familiar voice nearly scared Jiraiya off the tree.
He quickly looked down and saw Tsunade and his disciple Shizune had arrived at the Konoha Ninja Academy at some point.
Before Jiraiya could scratch his head and awkwardly explain.
Sage Shima on his shoulder spoke for him: “Little Jiraiya is of course searching for the future savior of the Ninja World.”
Tsunade narrowed her eyes under the tree: “Savior? The Child of Prophecy that the big toad spoke of, right? So you two toads have already helped Jiraiya find the person?”
Jiraiya thought to himself that this was bad.
Sage Shima and Tsunade had clashed verbally before this.
Sage Shima said: “This has nothing to do with Shikkotsu Forest.”
Tsunade said: “Tch, that attitude confirms you’ve really found him.”
Next, Tsunade suddenly changed her expression.
She stared at Jiraiya and said slowly: “Don’t use the excuse of searching for and training the Child of Prophecy to do anything that crosses the bottom line of justice. You toads from Mount Myōboku, and you, Jiraiya—I’m warning you not to stand on the opposite side of justice.”
“Otherwise…”
“I won’t consider our old friendship.”
……
……
PS: Not in great shape today, taking half a day off lightly
_(:з」∠)_
