radicalducati Chapter 196 Tsunade: Old man, I can't let Izumi down.
Chapter 196 Tsunade: Old man, I can't let Izumi down.
Chapter 197 Tsunade: Old man, I can't let Izumi down.
"Juzo Biwa... went to Kirigakure!"
The land of rain.
Obito Uchiha suddenly opened his eyes.
The Hidden Mist Village is currently under Obito Uchiha's control. After all, even the Fourth Mizukage was under his control. Under his retaliatory manipulation, the entire Hidden Mist Village is engulfed in bloody infighting, massacres, and chaos day and night.
When the information reached Kirigakure, Obito Uchiha naturally received firsthand intelligence as well.
"...Obito."
At this moment, Black Zetsu, who had found a suitable White Zetsu clone and merged with it to become a human-shaped pitcher plant, spoke up: "I'm afraid the people who went to Kirigakure... are not just Juzo Biwa."
Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Don't forget, this guy has already betrayed us and the Akatsuki. He was on the same side as Uchiha Izumi."
Obito Uchiha frowned and said, "You mean, after Juzo Biwa brought Izumi Uchiha's shadow clone to the Land of Rain, he then brought Izumi to Kirigakure? What was his purpose in doing that?"
Black Zetsu slowly said, "I don't know. But one thing is certain: Juzo Biwa and the Akatsuki organization are at odds. His initial purpose for joining Akatsuki might not have been pure."
"Now... he has brought Uchiha Izumi to Kirigakure again. Perhaps there is such a possibility—he has realized that the current situation in Kirigakure is inextricably linked to the Akatsuki organization."
"When he realized that he couldn't change anything on his own, he began to seek help from outside. The outside help he found... was Uchiha Ikezumi."
Obito Uchiha didn't quite understand and didn't respond for a long time, still pondering the specific meaning of Black Zetsu's words.
Upon witnessing this scene.
Black Zetsu paused for half a second before saying, "The gist of it is that he already knows you were behind this in Kirigakure, and he wants to get rid of you. As for why he knows, it might be related to Uchiha Izumi, since that guy knows too many of our secrets."
As Black Zetsu spoke, a chill ran down his spine.
It always felt that its true purpose, its true scheme, was something it was trying to achieve.
Uchiha Izumi had already seen everything clearly!
even……
The other party may know more than you do.
No, that's not right...
Black Zetsu shook his head secretly.
Even if the other party possesses abilities similar to precognition, they shouldn't be almost "omniscient" as I've imagined. Even my mother couldn't be "omniscient," so what makes Uchiha Izumi think she can?
"...Hmph, I already knew that, you don't need to explain it to me."
Obito Uchiha snorted coldly, oblivious to Black Zetsu's complex thoughts. He said in a deep voice, "Now that we've confirmed that guy's whereabouts, it's time to settle things."
Black Zetsu asked, "Are you sure we're going to settle things with him? Is it really worth the risk?"
Obito Uchiha: "..."
After a few seconds of pause, Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth and said, "Didn't you say before that Izumi Uchiha couldn't be allowed to live? You even said his existence would seriously interfere with our plans!"
Black Zetsu sighed silently, but said calmly, "Remember, we're not the only ones who want to kill him. Uchiha Ikezumi has offended far too many people."
"He killed the daimyo of the Land of Fire, making countless daimyo of other countries extremely wary of him and wishing he could get rid of him as soon as possible; he also made Nagato feel threatened, and Nagato also wanted to get rid of him."
"We can use this power to do our dirty work. All we need to do is provide them with intelligence. The rest... we don't need to risk our own lives."
Obito Uchiha asked stiffly, "Since when have we had to be so roundabout when dealing with someone?"
As Black Zetsu walked forward, he said, "When you get older and live longer, you'll realize that living is the most important thing. If you live longer than others, nothing else matters. Don't put yourself in danger; keeping yourself alive is the most important thing."
Obito Uchiha stared at Black Zetsu's retreating figure: "You, are you deliberately imitating Madara Uchiha? Your tone is very similar to his."
Black Zetsu's lips curled into a smile: "My will originated from him, so naturally it's somewhat similar to that lord's."
……
Not long after.
"Uchiha... Madara told me about Uchiha Ikezumi's whereabouts. He took Kizo Biwa to the Land of Water. However, it's not clear yet whether it's his main body or some kind of clone."
Nagato informed Konan of this information.
Konan nodded and said, "Konoha's senior advisor, Koharu Utatane, wants to hire us to kill Uchiha Ikezumi. She promised a very generous reward, enough to cover at least two or three years of our work."
Nagato muttered to himself, "So this is the Great Ninja Village... The promised reward allows us to move our plans forward a bit."
Konan asked, "So, you've decided to hunt down Uchiha Izumi?"
Nagato nodded: "It's time to gather everyone together."
Xiao Nan was taken aback: "Everyone..."
Nagato slowly said, "A group of two or three people alone cannot hunt down that man. You probably know what kind of power he possesses."
"If there are too few of you, you'll be picked off one by one. Sending two or three people to hunt him is just suicide."
"Instead of wasting time and depleting Akatsuki's manpower, we should deal with that trouble once and for all. We need to be prepared to go all out against this kind of troublesome guy."
Xiao Nan sighed: "...Okay!"
At this point, Nagato added, "To be on the safe side, I will have all six Paths except the Hell Path act simultaneously. The Hell Path will also be on standby near Kirigakure."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Nan's pupils contracted slightly, and she immediately objected: "Wait! No way!"
Xiao Nan said somewhat anxiously, "In that case, wouldn't you be all alone? Your physical body is too fragile. If someone takes the opportunity to attack your physical body, you will be killed!"
Nagato shook his head: "No one can get close to me except Uchiha Ikezumi. And that man is far away from me. Unless this intelligence is a trap to lure us away from our base."
"But my gut feeling tells me... this isn't a trap. So, I choose to trust my gut feeling."
Konan opened her mouth, looking at Nagato who had already made up his mind, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
She was still a little worried: "I'll stay. It's always good to be prepared, isn't it? You know, the information came from Obito Uchiha. What if this is his scheme? Don't forget, his Sharingan can also get close to you!"
……
Konoha Village.
Shizune looked nervously at the Hokage and Tsunade before her, feeling that the atmosphere was strange.
The Hokage and Tsunade had been sitting facing each other for more than an hour.
Apart from exchanging greetings when they first met, the two sides had no other interaction.
After that, the two did not exchange a single word.
The two of them seemed to be mute.
Instead, it made Jingyin increasingly nervous, feeling that the eerie silence was the fuse for an impending explosion.
Could it be that Uchiha Izumi was right?
If the Hokage were to meet with Lady Tsunade in private, would he have ill intentions? Would he want to kill Lady Tsunade?
hiss……
What should I do as Lady Tsunade's disciple? Should I side with Lady Tsunade and then go against the Hokage?
Shizune was so frightened by her own dangerous thoughts that her face turned deathly pale.
She held Tun Tun in one arm, and the other hand seemed to instinctively rest in the ninja tool pouch at her waist.
It seems that as soon as the Hokage makes any unusual move, she will immediately take out a kunai to attack.
It seems they've made up their minds to go all out.
"Why?" Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi's slightly hoarse voice broke the silence: "Tsunade, is the village I governed so wretched in your eyes? Only when you are utterly disappointed in me would you try to replace me and become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, right?"
Tsunade finally spoke up: "Old man, you did a great job as Hokage when you were young, I have no problem with that. Konoha was indeed thriving back then. Although it went through several wars, it will recover soon."
"I know you sacrificed a lot for Konoha and made compromises time and time again. When you were young, you devised many risky measures and turned a blind eye to some things in order to bring Konoha back to the peak period of your grandfather's time."
"Back then, you felt that if the benefits outweighed the negative impacts, it wouldn't be a problem to turn a blind eye. You could deal with those guys later on."
"but……"
Tsunade raised her eyelids, her gaze fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi before her: "You only did the beginning, you didn't do the end. Those guys you turned a blind eye to, they only got the benefits of your indulgence back then, they didn't get the fate they deserved."
"The many evils that Chi Quan has unearthed in the village are just the tip of the iceberg of the troubles you left behind. Old man, it's not that you're unwilling to settle scores with them, it's that you no longer have the ability."
"Those people are deeply entrenched in Konoha, and some of their interests are even completely intertwined with yours. Taking them down is tantamount to taking down yourself."
"So you just pretend that everything you turned a blind eye to never happened. If it weren't for Chi Quan's sudden appearance, if it weren't for Chi Quan's insistence on absolute justice."
Time will erase all memories and sins. No one will know what they did, and you will forget it too.
"this……"
"That's not right."
Tsunade slowly exhaled, her mouth dry from talking too much in one breath. She took a small sip of sake.
She continued, "If this continues, Konoha will continue to decline, and the true meaning and belief of the Will of Fire will be deliberately distorted by some people."
"The evil lurking beneath Konoha will use you, the Hokage, as nourishment and protection, growing stronger and taking root under your protection."
"Old man, the courage you've shown in your later years has shown that you're not capable of handling such a crisis. You're even somewhat inadequate as a paperhanger."
"Perhaps it's time for you to let go of all this. Hand over the future of the village to the younger generation."
"Let the village undergo a radical baptism."
Hiruzen Sarutobi interjected, "Tsunade, the radical baptism you're talking about is just Izumi's absolute justice, isn't it?"
"right."
Tsunade frankly admitted, "There may be more ways to save Konoha than absolute justice, but this is the only one I can see right now."
"Moreover, it's not just Konoha that needs saving; the entire ninja world is actually in a similar situation to Konoha."
"Grandpa Hashirama... his heart wasn't just with Konoha Village, it was with the entire ninja world. Sometimes I can't help but think that Izumi and my grandpa are quite similar."
"But their personalities are completely different, which leads to them handling things in somewhat different ways as well."
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time.
"Give me another ten years," Hiruzen Sarutobi said earnestly. "If Ikezumi is willing to cooperate with me and follow my commands, I believe that with my methods and Ikezumi's strength, we can also eradicate Konoha's chronic disease."
Tsunade laughed: "Why don't you cooperate with him? Why don't you listen to him? Wouldn't that achieve the same goal?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath: "Everything must be prioritized. I cannot allow absolute justice to become the 'primary' principle of Konoha, and the Will of Fire to become the 'secondary' principle of Konoha."
Tsunade said, "Old man, this is the difference between you and me. You have too many concerns. Your care and concern for Konoha are mixed with many other things."
"Whether you like it or not, that's the reality. Otherwise, why do you think Jiraiya was so unwilling to inherit your mantle?"
"That idiot may have been fooled to death by a bunch of toads, but sometimes he also has very pure thoughts—that is, he doesn't want to become the kind of person you are now."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood there, stunned.
Tsunade slowly stood up, patted the hem of her clothes, and continued, "If you really don't want to abdicate, then how about we have two Hokage? You can transfer some of the Hokage's power to me. You'll be the Hokage, and I'll be the Hokage too. You can watch from the sidelines and see what changes I can bring to Konoha."
"If the changes I make satisfy you, then you can hand over all the remaining power to me, and you can step down with peace of mind."
"If you're not satisfied, you can argue it out again. Then we'll see who the villagers support."
"or……"
Tsunade looked down at Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Skip all the twists and turns, let's fight it out now. Whoever has the bigger fist, whoever has the support of enough ninjas, will be the Hokage of Konoha."
Tsunade reached out and touched her bare, pale neck.
She let out a deep breath: "Since we've already promised that guy, we can't let him down, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face stiffened.
……
The Land of Water.
A port.
"Senior Ikezumi! We've arrived at the Land of Water!" Ikezumi exclaimed excitedly as he turned to Uchiha Ikezumi.
Then, I saw Senior Ikezumi playing with something shiny.
Take a closer look.
It appears to be a pendant.
……
……
(End of this chapter)