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"As long as the Sarutobi clan's ninja are sufficiently skilled, have upstanding character, and show Kazuki adequate respect, I can guarantee they will not be discriminated against and will have a fair chance to compete alongside everyone else."
This was Tsunade's final concession.
If the Third Hokage still wanted to push for more, she could only apologize.
Pulling strings behind the scenes was out of the question. These were the terms.
If he didn't agree, then the Sarutobi clan's ninja would have to seek opportunities elsewhere.
To become a teacher at the cram school, strength was important, but upright character was paramount.
How could a teacher with questionable morals and personality possibly educate students?
Not corrupting the children would be an achievement in itself.
Take Jiraiya and Orochimaru, for example. They were excellent teachers, but each had significant flaws. One had a habit of abandoning his students to wander around, educating his disciples with excessive leniency and a soft approach.
The other was too dark; you could never be sure if he might one day place his own students on an operating table for some experiment.
They could produce good disciples, but they were unsuitable to be cram school teachers because their personal defects were too great.
Cram school teachers had to deal with a wide variety of students, not just a select few.
The most crucial point was that they must show Kazuki sufficient respect.
Kazuki was the Hokage's Advisor. To put it bluntly, his power and status were second only to hers, Tsunade's.
Kazuki controlled everything about the cram school. If Sarutobi clan ninja were to secretly curse him while simultaneously seeking favors from him, wasn't that the epitome of biting the hand that feeds you?
Such behavior absolutely could not be tolerated.
"Tsunade, is this really necessary?" The Third Hokage couldn't help but frown. He had come in person, and this was all the preferential treatment he got?
And could this even be considered preferential treatment?
The Third Hokage had confidence in his clan's ninja, both in terms of strength and character. He would personally select the participants.
Maintaining constant respect for Kazuki was slightly more difficult; superficial respect was probably the best he could hope for.
After all, the strained relationship between Kazuki and the Third Hokage was common knowledge throughout Konoha.
The Hokage's Advisor and the retired Third Hokage were on bad terms, their relationship discordant. Under such circumstances, expecting the Sarutobi clan to respect Kazuki from the bottom of their hearts was unrealistic.
"I believe it is necessary."
Tsunade didn't give the Third Hokage much face. Instead, she reminded him:
"Old man, the Sarutobi clan only bears the label of a 'civilian clan.' Don't actually start thinking of yourselves as commoners. Letting you compete with other ninja already gives you a natural advantage. Upbringing from childhood, coupled with clan traditions and various other factors, means clan ninja possess advantages that civilian ninja simply cannot match. Giving the Sarutobi clan a fair chance to compete for duties is already the greatest form of favoritism "against" civilian ninja."
"Also, past events are over. Kazuki is no longer targeting your Sarutobi clan, and I hope you will exercise some restraint yourselves. Kazuki is the Hokage's Advisor. To put it harshly, his status and authority within the village are second only to mine. In the absence of specific orders, his status is even above yours. Faced with such a person, if your Sarutobi clan is unwilling to lower its head and show sufficient respect, why even bother trying to get close to him? The Uchiha clan despises you, but have they shown you disrespect?"
Let's be fair. Think about it carefully. The Uchiha clan hated you and Danzō intensely, but aside from Kazuki, that lunatic, have any other Uchiha ever acted disrespectfully towards you?
No, not only have they not, they've been exceedingly obedient.
Why can the Uchiha, a clan others call the 'mad clan,' manage this, while your Sarutobi clan cannot?
"....."
The Third Hokage was left speechless, because Tsunade was stating facts.
He had no retort.
"Sigh~~~ I will advise them and work to correct this."
"Not 'advise,' not 'correct'—change it, immediately!!"
Tsunade slammed the table forcefully, a thread of anger weaving into her tone:
"My patience has limits. Kazuki's temper is even worse. You understand this perfectly well. If the Sarutobi clan continues clinging to their old mindset, doing as they please, then when Kazuki truly turns his blade on you, don't blame me for not honoring our past ties. You, as the village's Third Hokage, also understand perfectly how simple it is for someone like Kazuki, who wields great power and holds a high position, to target certain people."
He wouldn't need to target you openly. Just assigning specific missions or delegations could be enough to ruin you.
The Uchiha had endured plenty of such targeting in the past, but no one could ever find concrete fault.
The rules were the rules. If he operated within them, what could you do even if you knew he was targeting you?
For example, a suicide mission is assigned to you. Do you go or not?
Not going is defying orders.
Don't ever doubt it. Some missions ninja can refuse, but others, like clan-assigned missions, cannot be refused.
Once those kinds of missions start landing on your Sarutobi clan's doorstep, could you refuse?
"....."
Recalling some of the things he himself had done, and the tactics Danzō had been so adept at employing, the Third Hokage immediately became unsettled, breaking into a fit of coughing.
He imagined that scenario and was truly frightened.
He hadn't thought much of it when using such methods against others, but if someone turned the same tactics on his own clan, the Sarutobi would have a very difficult time.
They might even suffer significant sacrifices as a result.
"Take a look at this data yourself. Kazuki collected it. From the time you became the Third Hokage onward, the Uchiha clan's casualty rate on missions and assignments has always been higher than other clans. The strength of Uchiha ninja is universally acknowledged, recognized throughout the shinobi world. Why their sacrifice ratio was higher than other clans… you know perfectly well in your heart. Kazuki hasn't forgotten these things, nor will he. So you'd better tread carefully."
Some things Kazuki hadn't mentioned outright didn't mean he had forgotten or let them go.
For instance, he could easily apply the data showing the Uchiha's higher casualty rate to the Sarutobi clan.
After all, he had the authority to issue missions and assignments. He could specifically pick tasks for your Sarutobi clan to execute. Enjoy the experience.
"I understand. I will go back and warn the clansmen to maintain the proper respect and awe towards their superiors. Such things will not happen again."
The reminder had been so explicit that if the Third Hokage still didn't wake up, he would be truly foolish.
Kazuki wouldn't collect this data without reason. Once collected, it meant he was ready to act at any time.
If your Sarutobi clan still refused to change, the consequences would be yours alone to bear. She couldn't help them.
As long as Kazuki held the authority to issue missions and assignments, as long as his power wasn't stripped away, this kind of thing would happen sooner or later.
Tsunade also couldn't monitor Kazuki constantly.
Besides, causing friction and distrust between herself and Kazuki just to protect the Sarutobi clan?
Tsunade wouldn't do such a foolish thing.
'Start a conflict with my own man for your sake? Have I gone mad?'
"Forget it, sit down and have some tea first."
It had been a while since she'd chatted with the Third Hokage. Tsunade kept the flustered old man there.
"The situation hasn't deteriorated to that point yet. Consider this Kazuki's final warning. Although he holds a grudge, he values the bigger picture more than you or Danzō did."
Don't use your own moral bottom line to speculate about others.
Or assume everyone is as shameless and reckless as you were.
"Cough!! Cough!!"
The Third Hokage nearly choked on those words.
'Point made.' Saying more would just make everyone lose face. Tsunade didn't continue provoking the Third Hokage. She unrolled the scroll Kazuki had sent.
"Kazuki went to Iwagakure. This is the scroll he sent. I haven't read it yet. I don't know how things turned out in Iwagakure either."
"Iwagakure's actions are probably meant to intimidate us."
They were both old relics, old rivals. The Third Hokage understood Ōnoki's temperament and motives perfectly well.
To put it bluntly, if Ōnoki bent over, he'd know what kind of fart was coming.
On the surface, it seemed like Ōnoki had no choice, but in reality?
They both knew better.
"Heh heh heh, that Ōnoki really dares to dream," Tsunade laughed scornfully. If it were her just after taking over the mess, she wouldn't have the confidence to say such things. But now…
Not just posturing and demonstrations—if you, Ōnoki, have the guts, try launching another war against Konoha.
Let's see how well Iwagakure's army holds up against the impact of a few Susano'o.
"BAM!!"
After glancing at the scroll's contents, Tsunade angrily slammed the table again.
The Third Hokage, who had been waiting for Tsunade to finish reading so he could discuss it with her, jumped in surprise.
Disregarding propriety, he stood up, walked over, and looked down at the scroll's contents.
After scanning it for a moment, the Third Hokage understood why Tsunade was so angry.
Was Ōnoki trying to use the Kusagakure incident to show strength to Konoha?
No, it wasn't just to show strength anymore; he wanted to continue dominating Konoha.
Because he had discovered that,without noticing, Konoha had already stopped viewing Iwagakure as a threat.
When Tsunade first became the Fifth Hokage, Iwagakure and Kumogakure were still major enemies of Konoha.
But now, Tsunade could roll up her sleeves and say, "Just bring it on!"
This wasn't a good signal for Ōnoki, so he wanted to do something.
Otherwise, he'd be insane to bother with Kusagakure's trivial nonsense.
"What a clever move! But he picked the wrong person."
If someone else had gone to Iwagakure, they might have conceded a step for the sake of the bigger picture, to avoid attracting more trouble, and that would have been the end of it.
Sit down, talk it out, negotiate however necessary, give Kusagakure some verbal promises at most—anything else was a dream.
Once the talks were over and they returned, who would still pay attention to Kusagakure?
Have the guts to come to Konoha to demand benefits.
Otherwise, shut up.
But unfortunately, the person who went to Iwagakure was that lunatic. He wouldn't indulge Ōnoki.
Go ahead, bring it on. Whether you want a direct confrontation or threats of war, suit yourself.
He might even threaten you first.
If you, Ōnoki, dare to make a move, it means you are actively declaring war on Konoha. The current Konoha isn't afraid of war. Bring it on if you can.
Did Ōnoki not want to keep Kazuki in Iwagakure?
To be honest, he very much did, but he didn't dare act rashly.
"It seems Kusagakure really does need a cleanup. That village is somewhat excessively chaotic."
This single statement represented Tsunade's support for Kazuki's decision to purge Kusagakure, at the very least removing some of its upper echelons and installing people who showed Konoha sufficient respect.
Wouldn't that be somewhat inappropriate?
What if it blows up? It wouldn't sound good if it got out; it would damage Konoha's reputation.
This was the Third Hokage's first reaction.
The words reached the tip of his tongue, but the Third Hokage swallowed them back.
The current Konoha was not the Konoha of his era. The current Konoha didn't care about these trivial influences, nor did it care how others viewed it.
My strength is right here. Even if you dislike me, you still have to kneel and lick my boots!
Could it be that my foreign policy was truly too soft and weak?
Recalling Danzō's past comments about his foreign policy being too soft, the Third Hokage couldn't help but fall into self-doubt.
Understanding Ōnoki's intentions and knowing Kazuki's plans, Tsunade decisively chose not to interfere. She would let Kazuki handle it.
After all, Iwagakure didn't dare to casually start a war with Konoha. In other words, Konoha also had no fear of war with Iwagakure.
So what was there to worry about?
It was just cleaning up Kusagakure a bit. A minor matter.
As for Iwagakure, let them bring it on. Whatever moves they had, Konoha would handle them.