I, The New Hokage of Konoha - Chapter 215
“Didn’t expect this! The little devils from back then have grown this far,” gazed Tsunade, crossing her arms as she watched Naruto walk away.
She vividly remembered how those three little devils from the Land of Rain trembled in fear under the gaze of Orochimaru’s killing intent.
But who would’ve thought that these three would grow to this extent today?
Though Jiraiya’s moral education had flaws, it had to be acknowledged that his teaching of the ninja’s ways was commendable.
Whether it was the three orphans from the Land of Rain or, later, Yagura, they all proved that point.
“Should we appoint Jiraiya as the liaison between Konoha and the Rain Village? Can he handle it?” After Naruto’s figure disappeared from her sight, Tsunade turned to her side and asked Yuki.
As former partners, she knew firsthand just how unreliable Jiraiya could be.
However, over the years, under the orders of the Konoha Intelligence Division, Jiraiya had completed many missions to atone for his past mistakes.
But the lasting impression remained, and Tsunade was concerned that when the crucial moment came, he would still be off on one of his so-called “research trips.”
“Don’t worry. While Jiraiya may be unreliable for trivial matters, he can handle the big ones. Besides, with such a good teacher-student relationship, it’s only natural to utilize it,” Yuki calmly replied.
Of course, he wouldn’t mention that part of the reason for this arrangement was Jiraiya’s recent discreet submission of a new series of intimate works titled “Intimate Violence” and an even more explicit unpublished masterpiece titled “Intimate Power.”
With these two surprises, and considering Jiraiya’s diligent work over the years without opposing reforms in Konoha and the Fire Land, Yuki decided to give him a chance.
Once the matter in the Land of Rain was resolved, it was time to lift the ban on Jiraiya. He could return to the village.
Times had changed, and both Konoha and the Fire Land were now under Yuki’s rule alone. Even if Jiraiya had different ideas, he couldn’t act on them now.
As for the layer of being a romantic rival, Yuki had grown up, and now that his and Tsunade’s child was so grown, he could afford to be magnanimous when it came to romantic competition.
Although he had heard that when Jiraiya learned of his marriage to Tsunade, he got drunk for several days, he eventually sent his blessings and gifts, clearly accepting everything.
Speaking of Jiraiya’s gift, it seemed that Tsunade had opened it long ago, but Yuki still didn’t know what it was.
Since the topic came up now, Yuki asked Tsunade after dismissing the Water Stop Jutsu.
“Jiraiya’s gift…” Tsunade raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that Yuki suddenly asked about it.
After all these years, she saw no reason to keep it a secret any longer and smiled as she revealed, “It’s a book he wrote himself.”
“A book?” Yuki felt a knot in his stomach and instinctively thought of the intimate series.
Before he could deny it, Tsunade chuckled and directly told him, “It’s called ‘The Guide to Male Psychology and Behavior.’ I have to admit Jiraiya has a profound understanding of men’s thoughts. This book taught me a lot, especially about men’s psychology. How about that? Haven’t I done well as his wife all these years? Yuki, you should remember to thank Jiraiya properly.”
“No wonder!” Yuki suddenly realized.
After five years of married life, Tsunade’s ability to understand him so well was undoubtedly due to Jiraiya’s meticulous instruction. Only a Legendary Sannin could truly understand another Legendary Sannin.
Especially one who had written bestsellers throughout the ninja world and was considered the top expert in that field.
Such a person, when countering men, was absolutely accurate.
Unbelievable!
Yuki had never imagined that Jiraiya would betray their revolution!
And he even sent Tsunade such a specialized gift!
He must have had sinister motives!
He really should have thought twice about inviting Jiraiya back to the village.
At this moment, while he smiled and agreed to properly thank Jiraiya, Yuki was seething inside.
Meanwhile, in a tavern in the Land of Rivers, Jiraiya, who was joking around with a sake-selling girl while collecting information, suddenly sneezed repeatedly.
“No worries, it’s probably some lucky girl thinking about this handsome devil,” Jiraiya explained to the sake-selling girl, rubbing his nose.
“Oh, I wonder which lucky girl that could be?” the girl responded with a teasing smile.
“Her?” Noticing the girl with blue hair beside him, Jiraiya’s eyes sparkled with a hint of nostalgia. He absentmindedly stroked his chin and said, “A little blue-haired beauty, just like you.”
“Uh… no! She must be a grown-up beauty by now.”
Back to the present.
As soon as Konoha swiftly implemented its changes after the incident in the Land of Rain, on the other side, with Naruto and others now far away, Tobirama and his group slowed their pace. Naruto and others became their enemies after the Land of Rain incident, so they turned towards a secret base that only Tobirama knew about.
During this time, Tobirama informed Izuna about the various changes in the ninja world.
“I didn’t expect the ninja world to change so rapidly in just a decade. Especially Konoha…” Izuna said, his interest piqued when he heard about how the Fire Land had fallen completely under the control of Senju Yuki. Over the years, they expanded their military might, openly expressing their ambitions to the ninja world.
“Though they share the Senju name and possess Wood Release like Hashirama, this Senju is nothing like him in character,” Tobirama commented.
“If Hashirama had been this way, there might not have been so many problems later on,” Izuna mused. Initially, Izuna’s thoughts mirrored Yuki’s present ideals: conquering all nations by force. However, they faced opposition from Hashirama, leading to the plan’s premature end.
Ironically, decades later, the new Senju leader, Senju Yuki, had abandoned Hashirama’s policies and adopted their own, and even more radical ones at that.
After all, Hashirama had only focused on ninjas back then, while Senju Yuki was sweeping away ninjas and nobles, daimyos, and more. Their ambitions were greater than Izuna had imagined.
“I wonder what Hashirama would think if he knew that the Senju clan would produce someone like this?” Izuna wondered aloud, wishing he could hear the thoughts of his old friend.
Unfortunately…
After summarizing the state of the ninja world, Tobirama, while agreeing with Senju
Yuki’s actions knew that changing Yuki’s current ideals would be impossible.
After reading the inscriptions left by the Sage of the Six Paths, his own thoughts changed once again.
Compared to the endless troubles that came with unifying the nations, allowing everyone to bask in a beautiful illusion created by the Infinite Tsukuyomi seemed much more fulfilling.
At this moment, Tobirama informed Izuna of his thoughts, “Izuna, with our current strength, it’s probably impossible to challenge Konoha. Remember, they not only have Senju Yuki, who is no less than Senju Hashirama, but also Jiraiya, Tsunade, Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, and Minato Namikaze, a lineup no weaker than the Five Kage. Add to that the largest ninja army in the world, and we’re not their match.”
Izuna nodded after a brief thought.
If he had heard Tobirama say this immediately after being revived, he would have proudly declared that he alone was enough.
But now, with the strength of Senju Yuki as a formidable obstacle and the backing of a massive force, he understood the importance of not being alone in this battle.
“Do you have any forces at your disposal?” Izuna inquired.
“Besides Kaguya, there’s also the Akatsuki organization that Nagato and I founded back then,” Tobirama replied. “The latter has gathered S-rank rogue ninjas from across the ninja world, and each member’s strength is no less than a Jinchuriki. Although our leader, Nagato, has passed away, we can still contact them using the Rinnegan. These people value power more than loyalty, so recruiting them won’t be difficult. However, our numbers have decreased significantly over the years.”
“Even with fewer members, they will still have their moments of self-sacrifice when the time comes,” Izuna remarked, activating his Sharingan to send a message to the remaining members of Akatsuki.
After all this, Izuna raised his hand, allowing Raijin to pass through his fingers, and contemplated, “The storm called ‘war’ seems to be brewing. The Akatsuki’s strength is just an addition. If we want to carry out the Eye of the Moon plan, we need more manpower.”
Tobirama asked, “Are you suggesting we cooperate with the Four Great Nations? But what about our identities? It won’t be easy.”
“An enemy’s enemy is a friend. Those who lead the major villages understand this well,” Izuna replied. “As for the Tailed Beasts, we can delay that matter for now.”
With Tobirama’s ability, defeating a Jinchuriki was a simple task.
However, hiding the Tailed Beasts later was difficult, even for someone as skilled as White Zetsu. Especially with Konoha, led by Senju Yuki, constantly searching for them.
It wouldn’t be ideal if they immediately made enemies of the entire ninja world.
So, they planned to use the combined power of the Four Great Nations to eliminate Konoha first.
Once Konoha, with Senju Yuki gone, was out of the picture, Tobirama and Izuna could rest easy, even if it took a long time to locate the Tailed Beasts.
Of course, if the situation changed during the war, they could gather information about the Jinchuriki sooner as allies.
They were prepared for any eventuality.
After listening to Izuna, Tobirama nodded in agreement.
Now, the question was how to reach an agreement with the Four Great Nations.
At that moment, Kagetsu said, “I’ve heard that the leaders of the Four Nations are planning a secret meeting soon.”
“A meeting of the Four Kage? Interesting,” Tobirama commented. “Then let’s use this opportunity to solve our problems once and for all.”
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