Chapter 197: Tsunade: Old Man, I Can’t Disappoint Ikeizumi
“Juzo Biwa…… went to Hidden Mist Village!”
Land of Rain.
Uchiha Obito suddenly opened his eyes.
The current Hidden Blood Mist Village was already under Uchiha Obito’s control. After all, even the Fourth Mizukage was controlled by him, and the entire Hidden Blood Mist Village was under his vengeful manipulation, with bloody infighting, massacres, and chaos playing out day and night.
When the intelligence reached Hidden Mist Village, Uchiha Obito naturally received the firsthand information as well.
“……Obito.”
At this moment, Black Zetsu, who had already found a suitable White Zetsu Clone nearby, merged with the White Zetsu Clone again, taking on the form of a humanoid pitcher plant, spoke up: “The person who went to Hidden Mist Village…… is probably not just Juzo Biwa.”
Black Zetsu narrowed its eyes and said gravely: “Don’t forget, this guy has already betrayed us and betrayed Akatsuki. He’s standing on the same side as Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
Uchiha Obito frowned and said: “What you’re saying is, after Juzo Biwa took Uchiha Ikeizumi’s shadow clone to the Land of Rain, he then brought Uchiha Ikeizumi to Hidden Mist Village? What’s his purpose in doing that?”
Black Zetsu said slowly: “Unclear. But one thing is certain: Juzo Biwa is at odds with Akatsuki. His initial reason for joining Akatsuki might not have been pure.”
“Now…… he’s brought Uchiha Ikeizumi to Hidden Mist Village. There’s a possibility—he’s realized that everything happening in Hidden Mist Village is inextricably linked to Akatsuki.”
“When he realized he couldn’t change any of this with his own power, he started seeking external help. The external help he found…… is Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
Uchiha Obito was a bit confused and didn’t respond for a long time, still pondering the exact meaning of Black Zetsu’s words.
Seeing this scene.
Black Zetsu was silent for half a second, then said: “The gist is that he already knows you’re the one behind the chaos in Hidden Mist Village. He wants to deal with you. As for how he knows, it might be related to Uchiha Ikeizumi again—after all, that guy knows too many of our secrets.”
At this point, Black Zetsu felt a chill down its spine.
It always felt that its true purpose, its true scheme.
Had long been seen through completely by Uchiha Ikeizumi!
Even……
The other might know even more than it did.
No, that’s not right……
Black Zetsu shook its head inwardly.
Even if the other had some prophetic ability, it shouldn’t be nearly “omniscient” as it had imagined. Even Mother couldn’t achieve “omniscience.” What made a Uchiha Ikeizumi capable of that?
“……Hmph, I already knew that. No need for you to explain specially.”
Uchiha Obito snorted coldly, not noticing Black Zetsu’s current complex thoughts. He said gravely: “Since we’ve confirmed that guy’s whereabouts, it’s time to bring things to an end.”
Black Zetsu asked: “If we go and settle it with him, are you sure? Are we really going to take the risk?”
Uchiha Obito: “……”
After pausing for several seconds, Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth and said: “Didn’t you say before that Uchiha Ikeizumi couldn’t be left alive? That his existence would seriously interfere with our plan!”
Black Zetsu sighed silently but said calmly on the surface: “You need to remember, it’s not just us who want to kill him. Uchiha Ikeizumi has offended too many people.”
“He killed the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, making countless daimyos wary of him and eager to get rid of him; he also made Nagato feel threatened, and Nagato wants him gone too.”
“We can borrow that power and use others to do our killing. All we need to do is provide them with intelligence. The rest…… doesn’t require us to take risks.”
Uchiha Obito asked stiffly: “When did dealing with a person become so roundabout for us?”
Black Zetsu said as it walked forward: “When you’re older and live longer, you’ll know that staying alive is the most important thing. Outlive others, and nothing is a problem. Don’t put yourself in danger—staying alive is what matters most.”
Uchiha Obito stared at Black Zetsu’s back: “You…… are you deliberately imitating Uchiha Madara? Your tone is just like his.”
A curve appeared at the corner of Black Zetsu’s mouth: “I am the will born from him, so naturally I’m a bit similar to that lord.”
……
Soon after.
“Uchiha…… Madara told me Uchiha Ikeizumi’s whereabouts. He took Juzo Biwa to the Land of Water. But for now, I can’t tell if it’s the real body or some clone.”
Nagato informed Konan of this intelligence.
Konan nodded and said: “Konoha Village’s senior advisor Koharu Utatane wants to hire us to kill Uchiha Ikeizumi. She promised a very generous reward—at least enough to cover two or three years of our work.”
Nagato murmured: “That’s a major ninja village for you…… The promised reward can advance our plan by a period of time.”
Konan asked: “So, have you decided to hunt Uchiha Ikeizumi?”
Nagato nodded: “It’s time to gather everyone.”
Konan was stunned: “Everyone……”
Nagato said slowly: “A group of just two or three people can’t hunt that man. You probably know what kind of power he wields.
“If there are too few people, we’ll be picked off one by one. Two or three going to hunt him is just suicide.”
“Rather than waste time and expend Akatsuki’s living forces, better to resolve that trouble all at once. To deal with that kind of troublesome guy, we need to prepare to go all out.”
Konan exhaled: “……Fine!”
At this point, Nagato added: “To be safe, I’ll have all Six Paths except the Naraka Path strike at the same time. The Naraka Path will also stand by near Hidden Mist Village.”
Hearing this, Konan’s pupils shrank slightly, and she immediately objected: “Wait! No!”
Konan said urgently: “If that’s the case, won’t you be alone? Your real body is too fragile. If someone sneaks up on your real body, you’ll be killed!”
Nagato shook his head: “No one except Uchiha Ikeizumi can get near me. And that man is far away. Unless this intelligence is a trap to lure the tiger away.”
“But my intuition tells me…… this time it’s not a trap. So, I’ll trust my intuition.”
Konan opened her mouth, looking at Nagato who had already made up his mind, unsure what to say for the moment.
She was still worried: “I’ll stay behind. We should always prepare for two possibilities, right? Remember, the intelligence came from Uchiha Obito. What if it’s his scheme? Don’t forget, his Sharingan abilities could get near you too!”
……
Konoha Village.
Shizune looked anxiously at the Hokage and Lady Tsunade in front of her. She felt the atmosphere on site was very weird.
The Hokage and Lady Tsunade had been sitting opposite each other for over a full minute.
Aside from greeting each other at the very beginning.
After that, neither side had said a word.
These two were like mutes.
This only made Shizune more and more tense, feeling that this eerie silence was the fuse for the impending explosion.
Could Uchiha Ikeizumi really have been right?
If the Hokage met Lady Tsunade privately, was it with ill intent? Did he want to kill Lady Tsunade?
Hiss……
Then what should I, as Lady Tsunade’s disciple, do? Stand with Lady Tsunade and oppose the Hokage?
Shizune had already scared herself pale with her own dangerous thoughts.
One hand held Tonton, the other seemed instinctively placed on the ninja tool bag at her waist.
As if the moment the Hokage made any move, she would immediately draw a kunai to attack.
She seemed ready to go all out.
“Why?” It was only then that Sarutobi Hiruzen’s slightly hoarse voice broke the silence: “Tsunade, is the village under my management so unbearable in your eyes? You only try to replace me and become Konoha’s Fifth Hokage when you’re utterly disappointed in me, right?”
Tsunade finally spoke: “Old man. When you were young, you did a good job as Hokage, and I had no complaints. Konoha Village at that time was indeed thriving. Though it went through several wars, it could still recover its vitality.”
“I know you sacrificed a lot for Konoha and made one compromise after another. When you were young, to bring Konoha back to Grandpa’s peak era, you implemented many risky measures, turning a blind eye to some things.”
“Back then, you thought that turning a blind eye was no issue if the benefits outweighed the negative impact. You could settle accounts with those guys later.”
“But……”
Tsunade lifted her eyelids, her gaze fixed on Sarutobi Hiruzen in front of her: “You only did the first part; you didn’t do the latter. Those guys you turned a blind eye to only reaped the benefits of your indulgence back then and didn’t get the punishment they deserved.”
“The sins Ikeizumi dug up in the village are just the tip of the iceberg of the disasters you left behind. Old man, it’s not that you don’t want to settle accounts with them—you no longer have the ability.”
“Those people are already deeply rooted in Konoha, and some have interests completely entangled with yours. Settling accounts with them would be like settling accounts with yourself.”
“So you pretended everything you turned a blind eye to never happened. If Ikeizumi hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, if Ikeizumi hadn’t insisted on absolute justice.”
“Time would erase all memories and sins. No one would know what they did, and you’d forget too.”
“This……”
“Is wrong.”
Tsunade slowly exhaled, feeling parched after speaking so much, and took a shallow sip of sake.
She continued: “If this continues, Konoha Village will keep declining, and the true meaning and belief of the Will of Fire will be deliberately distorted by certain people.”
“The sins entrenched underground in Konoha will use you, the Hokage, as nourishment and shelter, growing stronger under that shelter, taking root and sprouting.”
“Old man, the resolve you’ve shown in your later years already proves you’re not up to handling this crisis. Even as a stopgap, you’re somewhat inadequate.”
“Maybe it’s time for you to let it all go. Entrust the village’s future to the young.”
“Let the village undergo a more radical baptism.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen interjected: “Tsunade, the radical baptism you’re talking about is Ikeizumi’s absolute justice, right?”
“Yes.”
Tsunade admitted frankly: “There might be more than one way to save Konoha, but the only one I can see right now is this.”
“Moreover, this ninja world has more than just Konoha needing salvation—the entire ninja world is pretty much like Konoha.”
“Grandpa Hashirama…… back then cared not just about Konoha Village but the entire ninja world. Sometimes I can’t help but marvel—actually, Ikeizumi and my grandpa are quite similar at times.”
“But their personalities are completely different, so their ways of handling things are a bit different too.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a long time.
“Give me another ten years.” Sarutobi Hiruzen said seriously: “If Ikeizumi is willing to cooperate with me and follow my lead, I believe with my methods and Ikeizumi’s power, we can eradicate Konoha’s chronic ills.”
Tsunade laughed: “Why not you cooperate with him? Why not you follow his lead? That would achieve the goal too, right?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath: “Everything needs a primary and secondary. I can’t let absolute justice be Konoha’s ‘primary’ and the Will of Fire be the ‘secondary.’”
Tsunade said: “Old man, that’s the difference between you and me. You care about too much—your concern and care for Konoha is mixed with many other things.”
“Whether you admit it or not, that’s the fact. Otherwise, why do you think Jiraiya refused to inherit your mantle no matter what?”
“That idiot might be fooled half to death by a bunch of toads, but sometimes he has very pure ideas—like not wanting to become like you are now.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen froze in place.
Tsunade slowly stood up, brushed off her clothes, and continued: “If you really don’t want to step down, how about two Hokage directly? You cede part of the Hokage’s authority to me—you’re still Hokage, I’m still Hokage, and you can watch what changes I bring to Konoha.”
“If the changes I make satisfy you, then hand over the rest of the authority, and you can retire with peace of mind.”
“If not, we can compete again. Then we’ll see who the village truly supports.”
“Or……”
Tsunade looked down at Sarutobi Hiruzen: “Skip all the twists and turns and compete directly now. Whoever has the bigger fist and enough ninja support is Konoha’s Hokage.”
Tsunade reached up and touched her bare, fair neck.
She exhaled deeply: “Since I already promised that guy, I can’t let him down, right?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face stiffened.
……
Land of Water.
Some port.
“Senior Ikeizumi! We’ve arrived in the Land of Water!” Senior Izumi turned her head excitedly and shouted to Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Then she saw Senior Ikeizumi toying with something shiny.
Looking closely.
It seemed to be a pendant.
……
……
