"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune swallowed hard, her expression complex as she spoke to Tsunade. "It seems… that most of the people in the village are willing to support you. Even though you've been away from the village for such a long time, between Lord Hokage and you, they still chose you."
Shizune hesitated slightly. "Tsunade-sama, doesn't this feel a bit strange? Isn't it too unusual? After all, to many in the village, you're rather unfamiliar. They only know you as one of the Sannin—the granddaughter of the First Hokage."
"This isn't strange—it's perfectly normal," Tsunade replied calmly. "The reason is simple: the old man's actions have lost the people's hearts, while Keizumi's prestige now shines like the noonday sun."
Tsunade slowly exhaled, clicked her tongue, and said, "Actually, I'm just basking in that kid Keizumi's glory."
Shizune froze.
Tsunade explained, "Shizune, you've greatly underestimated how many shinobi clans stand on the side of Absolute Justice. The Ino–Shika–Chō, the Uchiha—these four clans will absolutely stand with Keizumi. Aside from them, the Hyūga Clan will also take the same side as Keizumi."
"Because the Hyūga have already been frightened by Keizumi. Even the branch family, who've gained vested interests, fear him deeply. Under such circumstances, they wouldn't dare stand together with the old man."
"In that sense, many of the clans that have previously suffered under Keizumi's 'cruel hand' will react just like the Hyūga. Out of fear in their hearts, they'll hurry to side with justice."
"As a result, when it comes to the shinobi clans' support, I've basically taken more than half of it. Even… ha!"
Tsunade suddenly laughed—not out of gloating, but with a trace of self-mockery toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Even some members of the Sarutobi Clan support me rather than the old man. His actions have long since completely broken his own clan's hearts."
"Although the Sarutobi shinobi all know that Keizumi and I are 'wearing the same pair of pants,' I'm still not Keizumi. So they hypnotize themselves into believing they're not supporting Keizumi, but one of the Sannin of Konoha."
"As for those clans that just follow the wind… seeing so many clans willing to support me, they'll naturally sway to my side as well."
Shizune was dumbfounded.
In that case, regarding the "support of the shinobi clans," wouldn't Lord Hokage be completely isolated?
At this point, the Hokage probably couldn't even command those clans anymore, right?
Hmm…
That Hokage might not even be able to command the ANBU now.
After all, his authority within the ANBU had dropped drastically not long ago.
"As for the civilians of Konoha…"
Tsunade spoke slowly. "For ordinary people, it makes no difference who becomes Hokage. To them, whoever takes the position is merely a topic of gossip, because the Hokage is far too distant from their lives. The only thing they hope for is that the new Hokage will be better than the old one."
"If Konoha were an ordinary village, without shinobi or with very few of them, then the voices of the civilians would naturally matter greatly. But Konoha is, after all, a shinobi village. The 'betrayal' of the clans alone is enough to leave the old man completely overwhelmed."
"It probably won't be long before the old man wants to meet me privately—to have a talk in secret."
Shizune asked blankly, "Tsunade-sama, you thought all of this yourself?"
She suddenly felt that Tsunade-sama had become somewhat unfamiliar—
As if, out of nowhere, this drunken, gambling woman had turned into a seasoned political veteran who understood all these strange matters.
Tsunade yawned and admitted carelessly, "How could that be? I wasn't born a Hokage—how could I know everything? All of this was what that kid Keizumi told me in private. I just remembered a small part of it."
After a pause, Tsunade looked out the window, her expression complicated. "Keizumi also said—if the old man asks to meet me in private, I should be careful, because there's a good chance he'll try to kill me."
Shizune was startled. "That's impossible, right? How could Lord Hokage do something so extreme? Maybe Keizumi said that because he has conflicts with Lord Hokage, so his assumptions about him naturally lean toward the more radical side?"
Tsunade nodded. "I also think the old man wouldn't bear murderous intent toward me—provided he can truly let go of everything he possesses."
"Forget it, let's not talk about such bothersome things."
Tsunade waved her hand, then slumped down helplessly with a groan. "I'm so tired! I'm already starting to regret saying all that big talk. I'm exhausted even before becoming Hokage—what's it going to be like once I actually become one?"
Shizune: "…"
She couldn't help but feel that Tsunade-sama seemed terribly unreliable. Could she really push the Third Hokage aside and become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha?
For some reason, Shizune felt uneasy.
…
Meanwhile—
Out at sea.
"The Kirigakure missing-nin Biwa Jūzō is on this ship! He probably hasn't noticed the three of us yet. If we work together to assassinate him, could we kill this former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Three Kirigakure shinobi disguised as ordinary sailors were secretly discussing this inside a cabin.
"It'll be difficult," one of them said with a frown. "You two are only chūnin. I'm a tokubetsu jōnin, but even with the three of us together, fighting a seasoned jōnin will be tough."
"Most likely we'll only be able to stall him. Once Biwa Jūzō realizes he can't take us down quickly, he'll probably choose to flee. If he decides to run, we won't be able to stop him."
Another spoke in a low voice. "Looks like we'll have to send out a summoning beast—let it hurry back to Kirigakure and report Biwa Jūzō's location so the village can dispatch ANBU to deal with him."
The other two agreed with the suggestion.
They immediately summoned a summoning beast—a strange fish with four limbs.
The three Kirigakure shinobi stuffed an intelligence scroll into the creature's mouth.
Then they opened the cabin window and tossed the fish into the sea below.
After finishing all this, the three finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as they got up and casually opened the door to walk out—
All three Kirigakure shinobi suddenly froze in place at the same time.
Their expressions changed instantly.
"Heh… long time no see. Back when I was still in Kirigakure, I might've met you only once—or maybe not at all. I probably don't even remember who you are. But you must recognize me, otherwise you wouldn't have summoned a beast to try and send intel back to the village."
Biwa Jūzō leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a cruel smile tugging at his lips as he stared coldly at the three Kirigakure shinobi before him.
"This merchant ship set sail from a port in the Land of Fire. Why would Kirigakure shinobi be in the Land of Fire? And besides, I can see it on you—the glaring crimson stench of sin."
Just then, a clear and melodious voice rang out from the other side.
Startled, the three Kirigakure shinobi turned sharply to look—only to see a young girl standing there, holding a ninja blade in her arms, quietly watching them.
In her crimson eyes spun three tomoe, and the Kirigakure shinobi cried out in their hearts—"The Uchiha Clan!!!"
They quickly turned toward the other direction—the only way out.
But there, crouched down, was a plump orange cat.
The orange cat was licking its paw and casually grooming the fur on its face.
Then, the orange cat spoke in human words: "Meow, this road is closed."
The three Kirigakure shinobi immediately realized they had been completely exposed.
Biwa Jūzō needed no introduction—one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the most troublesome kind of opponent in their eyes.
That Uchiha girl with the three-tomoe Sharingan didn't look easy to deal with either.
The only soft target seemed to be that talking cat!
"Run!!!"
As the same thought flashed through their minds, one of the Kirigakure shinobi gritted his teeth, shouted, and without hesitation drew a kunai, charging straight toward where Tachibana Jirō was.
"Move it! Fat cat!!!"
The Kirigakure shinobi's face was cold as he lifted his right leg, aiming to kick the orange cat blocking his way aside.
But just as his foot was about to land—
His eyes widened sharply.
Before him, the short orange cat suddenly swelled in size in the blink of an eye—its massive body filled the narrow ship corridor completely, and its narrowed feline eyes gleamed with killing intent.
Damn it—those two words flashed across the Kirigakure shinobi's mind.
The next instant, Tachibana Jirō's paw came crashing down!
The huge claw swept through the air with a howling gust, so fast that the Kirigakure shinobi only saw a blur before instinctively staggering backward.
But he was still too slow.
The sharp claws on that furry paw sliced across his face, easily tearing open fragile flesh and shearing off half his cheek—blood sprayed wildly in all directions!
The other two Kirigakure shinobi were horrified by the sight before them.
But for the blood mist shinobi who had walked out of the Bloody Mist Village, the word "surrender" simply did not exist in their vocabulary.
They clenched their teeth, pulled out their scrolls, and unleashed their ninja tools.
Yet in the next instant—
One of the Kirigakure shinobi suddenly froze, as though his eyes had seen something no one else could. In a panic, his expression twisted in terror as he swung his weapon wildly at the empty air.
Uchiha Izumi slowly stepped forward.
She drew her ninja blade from its sheath, and in the blink of an eye, sliced across his neck—his head cleanly severed!
It was clear.
The Kirigakure shinobi had turned so strange because he had fallen into her Sharingan genjutsu.
At that moment, Biwa Jūzō's Kubikiribōchō was already pressed against the neck of the last remaining Kirigakure shinobi. His cold voice echoed down the corridor. "Call back your summoning beast."
The Kirigakure shinobi clenched his teeth. "Biwa Jūzō! You, who betrayed the Bloody Mist Village, will one day pay the price in blood!"
Without hesitation, Biwa Jūzō severed his neck.
As the Kirigakure shinobi's head fell to the floor, Biwa Jūzō turned toward the calm figure watching from a short distance away—Uchiha Keizumi. He said, "There was no choice. They've been completely brainwashed, turned into blood mist shinobi with no emotion left. I'm afraid the people of Kirigakure will soon know our location."
"It doesn't matter," Uchiha Keizumi said indifferently. "The reason we killed them wasn't to stop them from sending intel back to Kirigakure, but to make them pay for the crimes they've committed."