Facing Tsunade's sharp tone, the ANBU under the mask could only give a bitter smile.
If anyone within the remnants of the Sarutobi faction could still rally people with just a call, it would be Tsunade. Not even Jiraiya could do that.
The current situation was entirely reversed from before.
The Uchiha clan was flourishing, filled with talented individuals, many friends, and strong unity. In contrast, the Sarutobi faction was in decline, far from what it once was.
The Uzumaki clan had been rebuilt, and Minato was no longer part of the Sarutobi faction.
With clans splitting apart and members leaving, there was no one left in the village to hold up the Sarutobi faction's banner.
Asuma might be a jonin, but the old veterans had seen countless ninjas in their time. They knew he would never reach Kage-level. At most, he would be an elite jonin, but nothing beyond that.
With no promising talents among the younger generation, they had no choice but to look among the older generation.
That left only two options: Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Everyone knew Jiraiya was deeply involved with Mount Myōboku and had taken on some strange mission. Unless the village was in a major crisis, he wouldn't return.
That made Tsunade, who had been wandering outside, their only choice.
To be clear, bringing her back wasn't about fighting against the Uchiha clan. If they didn't find someone to hold the faction together, the Sarutobi faction might not last long enough to find their next leader—it would completely dissolve.
Even the once-prosperous Senju clan had disappeared overnight. What was the Sarutobi faction compared to them?
Once a faction dissolved, it was nearly impossible to rebuild.
This wasn't the era of the Second Hokage anymore.
At its core, the issue was a lack of talent.
At this point, the Sarutobi faction even started missing Konoha's White Fang. If the White Fang were still around, he would have been able to hold things together and help them through this tough time.
Now, their greatest regret was not pulling him back when they had the chance.
"What's wrong? Got nothing to say?" Tsunade coldly stared at the ANBU in front of her.
In a way, it was precisely the ideology that this person represented that had cost her the people she cared about most.
That ideology came from her granduncle, and for political reasons, it had been amplified to an extreme.
Because of that ideology, Madara had severed ties with the village. The Uchiha clan and the Hokage's office had maintained a surface-level relationship, which later escalated into outright confrontation.
Once the initial spirit of unity between the Senju and Uchiha clan was lost, the consequences manifested rapidly.
Even with the Senju clan leading from the front, they couldn't keep up with the intensity of the wars in the Warring States period.
A whole generation was lost. The veteran warriors from the village's founding had died, and the new generation of Senju lost interest in being shinobi.
Only a handful remained within the system.
She and Nawaki were among them.
As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she had done her best. But in the end, it was all in vain.
When Dan died right in front of her, she was truly in despair.
Medical ninjutsu couldn't save her life.
And that made sense. Her grandfather had mastered medical ninjutsu to the point where he didn't even need hand seals—he walked away from every battle unscathed. Yet somehow, his body simply gave out one day, catching everyone off guard.
The same thing happened to her granduncle, who was second only to her grandfather in medical ninjutsu and was said to be impossible to kill. He died on the battlefield, at the hands of the very First Raikage he looked down on. The Kumo jonin surrounded him for days and nights, eventually overwhelming him.
Life was fragile.
Being Hokage was miserable. Being a ninja was even worse.
There was nothing else but death.
The dead even had it easier than the living.
"If you have nothing else to say, then get lost." Tsunade had lost all patience. She cracked her knuckles threateningly. "And one more thing—don't say I didn't warn you. If you mess with Shizune again, I'll come back to the village just to beat the crap out of you!"
"Tsunade-sama…"
"Scram!"
Before the words had fully left her mouth, the ANBU disappeared into the tatami floor with a whoosh.
He had sensed Tsunade's killing intent. If he didn't leave now, he'd be on the receiving end of her monstrous strength.
He wasn't confident he could survive a direct hit from her.
After scaring him off, Tsunade got up and quietly walked to the next room. She suddenly threw the door open.
Shizune was crouched by the wall, clearly eavesdropping. When the door opened, she barely had time to turn her head—she didn't even have time to adjust her posture.
"Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing by the wall?" Tsunade gave her an exasperated look. "Do you really think I'd be at a disadvantage? Stop worrying so much!"
"I'm sorry… Tsunade-sama…" Shizune blushed in embarrassment. She was naturally reserved, but in front of the person she respected most, her shyness was overwhelming.
"I really can't deal with you." Tsunade pushed Shizune into bed. "Sleep. From now on, if you see those people, just punch them. Don't waste time talking."
"O-Okay…" Shizune mumbled pitifully.
But if I don't talk, how am I supposed to get paid?
She didn't dare say it out loud, though. Tsunade had no concept of finances. Every time Shizune told her their money came from bank interest, Tsunade actually believed it.
To this day, Tsunade still thought she was rich.
Shizune didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. If not for some kind soul constantly sending them money, their savings would've run dry long ago.
But it wasn't a big deal. After all, Tsunade had been living off her past reputation for years. The fact that she had made it this far was proof of how profitable being one of the Sannin was.
In a way, she really was the wealthiest woman in the shinobi world. She had simply stopped earning money and was now only spending it.
"Tsunade-sama… do you really hate the village that much?"
Tsunade paused while tucking in Shizune, then silently pulled the blanket over her face.
"Kids shouldn't meddle in adult affairs."
"But I'm not a child anymore."
"That's a funny joke."
Under Tsunade's authoritative "suppression," the exhausted Shizune finally fell asleep.
Tsunade tucked her in properly and left the room.
She wasn't sleepy at all. She stepped onto the inn's balcony to get some fresh air.
It was already late at night. The capital's night was just as quiet as Konoha's.
The only movement came from the twinkling stars above, as if reminding her that the world hadn't stopped.
At this moment, she really wanted a drink.
She returned to her room, opened the minibar, and found a sealed bottle of liquor and a glass.
That was the nice thing about inns in the capital—they had everything.
Satisfied, she took the bottle and glass and returned to the balcony, enjoying her drink in peace.
---
In the northern border of the Land of Iron, a squad of Kumo ninjas was moving swiftly through the forest.
They weren't the only ones—many similar teams operated in the area. Though also fighting on foreign ground, the Kumo ninjas had a much smaller operational range compared to Suna. However, they didn't mind this too much.
What really concerned them was the thing flying above them.
A giant bird.
Despite years of conflict with the Iwa ninjas, this was the first time the Kumo ninjas had seen such a thing.
Luckily, there was only one. If these things became widespread, their advantage over Iwa would shrink significantly.
"Where's the Storm Release unit? Aren't they in position yet?" someone asked.
"They've been in position for days now."
"Then why haven't they shot it down?"
"Who says they haven't tried? But they just can't hit it—it flies too high..."
After a brief discussion, the entire squad found the situation frustrating.
Because of that flying thing, Kumo ninjas were now hesitant to move in open areas, fearing they'd become easy targets.
Especially after the Third Tsuchikage himself took to the skies on that thing—wherever he went, he left nothing but scorched earth behind.
Like plowing a field.
At that moment, high above the squad, a massive white clay bird spread its wings.
Its rider had already spotted the Kumo ninjas below.
"Sensei, since you can make things lighter, why don't you bring along a sensory ninja?" Deidara asked as he finished releasing a batch of clay insects, looking at Ōnoki with curiosity.
"Deidara, tell me, when your explosive clay flies far away, how do you precisely control its detonation?"
"Of course, by sensing my chakra's range," Deidara answered, looking puzzled. "Sensei, are you tired or something?"
"…"
So, you already have a sensory ability yourself. Why would I need another sensory ninja?
Am I really that boring to be around?
Do you even understand what 'teacher-student connection' means?
Besides, that fancy Explosion Release technique you're so proud of? I spent countless sleepless nights helping you perfect it just so you could enjoy flying and bombing people!
"Enough chatter. Find the enemy and blow them up."
"Got it, Sensei. Ah... found them!"
Deidara formed a hand seal and excitedly shouted.
A series of explosions erupted below, sending fire and smoke billowing into the sky.
The white clay bird didn't even pause, soaring past the blast zone in search of the next target.
Below, the battlefield was in ruins.
Craters littered the ground, scorched earth blackened by flames. Broken trees and body parts lay scattered everywhere.
Some were still burning.
Suddenly, a swirling vortex appeared in the air.
Obito emerged from it.
Right now, he was using the identity of Tobiyama.
One glance was enough to tell him the squad was likely wiped out. The explosion's range was massive.
Iwa had developed some impressive jutsu.
Obito could feel his research instincts kicking in again.
Suppressing his urges, he began searching the battlefield.
No surprises—everyone was dead.
The bodies were beyond recognition, but he made sure to collect the heads. He counted them—no more, no less.
To build the image of a "war hero," just killing enemies wasn't enough. He needed to show loyalty, discipline, and silent dedication.
Keeping the village's secrets safe was a key part of that.
For a ninja, dying didn't necessarily mean the information was secure. But bringing the heads back home significantly reduced the risk of leaks.
And it also ensured proper burials.
Obito had no intention of fighting the bird overhead—that would expose his Sharingan.
That was a surprise he still needed to keep hidden.
He had planned it out—at some dramatic life-or-death moment, under the watchful eyes of many, he would "awaken" his Sharingan.
For now, even his use of Wood Release was carefully guarded by the Kumo ninjas.
Kumo was terrified of giving Konoha any excuse to come after them again—almost like they had developed an obsession over it.
As for Masashi, Kumo was genuinely afraid of him causing trouble. Within the village, he was seen as pure evil and cruelty.
But even that didn't compare to the face Obito was using now.
After some time, he had finally figured out who Muzo was.
He was once the most feared Konoha ninja in Kumo's history. A powerful Senju warrior from the village's founding days. He was ultimately surrounded and killed by the First Raikage and nearly every named jonin in the village, taking advantage of Konoha's weakened state.
Even then, he still dragged many down with him, devastated the Land of Frost, and destroyed all fortifications along the coastal passage, bringing the flames of war to the Land of Lightning itself.
A true monster.
According to Kumo's records, Muzo wasn't as strong as Masashi, but he had no limits in war.
The remaining elderly veterans from the First Great Ninja War still got sick just looking at his face.
Obito felt this face suited him well—after all, he had no bottom line either.
After collecting the heads, he left the battlefield.
On the way, he encountered a few Iwa ninjas squads. Naturally, he helped himself to their heads as well.
Obito no longer relied on Kamui for everything. Over the years, through fundamental training and enhancements from White Zetsu's cells, he had mastered all chakra natures.
Though "all" needed an asterisk—some were passive, some active.
But at least he had fully mastered the five elemental releases.
To further integrate into Kumo, he even learned the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
This jutsu required a specific physique, and the constant chakra output caused excruciating pain—but neither of these things was a problem for him.
Technically, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode was a full-fledged taijutsu system developed by the Raikage's family. They even shared a simplified version with the village—to unite people and identify talent.
Obito had mastered the Lightning Body Flicker the fastest.
He had to—since he couldn't use Kamui in Kumo, he had to rely on Body Flicker to avoid people.
He had even tried sleeping while hanging from a tree as practice. But even that didn't stop Kumo's kunoichi—they actually found it exciting!
The kunoichi were way too aggressive!
Obito decided—when he finally made his move, he'd string up all the Kumo kunoichi first.
They were way too dangerous.
After wearing a mask for so many years, he now realized the thing he needed most was a strong belt.
Finally, the silhouette of the Kumo ninjas camp appeared in the distance.
He became cautious.
Placing the bag of heads on the ground, he checked his clothing carefully to ensure there were no loose details. Then he put on the appropriate expression—oh, no need to fake that, his usual deadpan face worked just fine.
After all, his character was supposed to be cold on the outside but warm on the inside—a man of few words but a kind heart.
... Why did that sound a little weird?
Shaking off that silly thought, he picked up the bag and strode toward the camp.