"Speak clearly. You know I hate riddles the most." Tsunade gritted her teeth and angrily shouted.
Ryun fell silent upon hearing this. He had already spoken so clearly, yet the result was either people thinking he was joking or thinking he was speaking in riddles. Did he really have to spell it out completely, or even tear off all pretenses completely, for them to be satisfied.
"Sister Tsunade, do not get angry so easily. Getting angry often makes you age faster. It's rare for you to visit me here, so let's not talk about official business today."
"Come, come, have some tea."
As he spoke, Ryun once again offered a cup of tea to her.
"Little sister doesn't want to bother you either, but you need to tell me what that tree is for, and whether it is, as Jiraiya said, a demon tree that brings chaos to the ninja world." Tsunade sighed.
She knew that being hard on Ryun was useless. This wasn't the first time the two had dealt with each other.
"Of course not."
Ryun denied it very clearly.
If this tree were in anyone else's hands, Ryun would consider it a demon tree. But now, this tree belonged to Otogakure. Although he couldn't control it temporarily, the ownership was indeed in his hands. How could he possibly think it was a demon tree.
"I can tell you clearly that the existence of this tree can bring lasting peace to the world. As for how, I cannot tell you yet."
As soon as Ryun said this, everyone present was stunned.
"I believe in Ryun's character." Might Dai proactively stood up to vouch for his little brother.
"Alright. Sister believes you. But I just hope you don't lose yourself in the excessive pursuit of power." Tsunade ultimately chose to believe him.
She knew clearly that Ryun had been obsessed with power since he was young.
She didn't know if that obsessive youth was still the same after all these years. He now had a wife and children. Tsunade thought this younger brother probably wouldn't 'fall into demonhood'.
"One last question. Is the red moon also related to this tree? And are there any dangers associated with it." This was part of their mission. She needed to ask clearly to report back to Konoha.
"It is related, but it does not hinder any existence. At most, the initial appearance of the phenomenon startled all living beings. But once you get used to it, it's nothing special. It's also possible the red moon phenomenon might disappear after a while."
Ryun did not take the red moon seriously. The Otsutsuki on the moon might have some plans, but he didn't care.
"Alright."
After that, the atmosphere became noticeably more pleasant. The group chatted casually about past events, and did not mention the towering divine tree again.
Ryun played host and treated the group and his teacher to a lavish meal of wine and meat. After getting their answers, the Konoha group subsequently left Otogakure.
Compared to the envoys from Konoha, the envoys sent by the other four great ninja villages didn't even qualify to meet Ryun. Orochimaru, the Sound Shadow, found some excuses and sent them all back.
"Teacher, I think what Ryun said at the time might be true. He truly harbors the intention to eliminate the ninja of all nations."
On the way back to the village, Minato lowered his voice and spoke seriously to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's expression changed upon hearing this, followed by a long silence.
A long time later, Jiraiya slowed his pace and confided his thoughts to his disciple. "I also don't think he was joking. But what can we do."
"Do you remember his words? Even if Konoha knows his purpose, so what? Would they dare declare war on Otogakure."
"Minato, if you were the Hokage, and you knew Ryun's purpose, what decision would you make."
Jiraiya said many things in succession, but each sentence posed a huge problem. Minato was immediately stumped by these questions.
Master and disciple traveled on the road with heavy hearts in silence. Only when they saw their own village did Minato stop and answer with an extremely serious attitude.
"Teacher, Ryun's thinking is too extreme. We should stop him."
"But none of us are his match. He single handedly subdued the entire Akatsuki organization in Sunset Valley. Now, with the help of Akatsuki and Amegakure, Otogakure's strength has reached a higher level. Even Konoha cannot stop his advance." Jiraiya sighed and stated this fact.
"I know. We must call upon the nations of the ninja world. The nations must unite. Only then can we stop Ryun from destroying the ninja world." Minato said with a firm expression.
"Unite the ninja nations to stop him. Have you forgotten the foolish decision the old man made back then."
The Five Kage had fought Ryun before. The decision Sarutobi Hiruzen made back then left Konoha in a bad position with everyone. Were they going to repeat the same mistake now.
"This time is different." Minato retorted, frowning.
"It's mostly the same. Konoha is once again in a dilemma. Waiting for death means being destroyed. Uniting the nations to fight back offers little chance of victory. It's a lose lose situation." Jiraiya said, closing his eyes.
"That guy clearly guaranteed that the tree would bring lasting peace to the world. Who knows if it's true or false." Jiraiya suddenly brought this up. This was actually a sliver of hope born from despair.
"Ryun's two statements are contradictory. He both wants to use that tree to eliminate the ninja of all nations, and says that tree will bring lasting peace to the world."
Minato didn't understand what Ryun was trying to express.
"Sigh. What contradiction? In his eyes, ninja are the source of the world's chaos. He wants to use the tree to destroy the ninja world created by the Sage of Six Paths by eliminating the ninja of all nations, and then use absolute power to guide the world towards peace anew."
Jiraiya truly possessed great wisdom. He easily guessed Ryun's thoughts through those two statements.
Ninja do not represent all of humanity. The ninja world is only a part of the world. There was no contradiction in Ryun's words. It was just that Minato's perspective wasn't as broad as theirs, so he couldn't understand the true meaning within.
"So that's it."
Minato couldn't help but exclaim.
"Teacher, since you already knew, why didn't you explain it clearly earlier."
"Explain what? So what if we understand? Isn't the problem still the same problem? Stop him or let him be. We are always faced with this choice."
Jiraiya sighed helplessly again.
"Stopping him means going to war with Otogakure. If the Fourth Great Ninja War starts, this scarred ninja world, even if not shattered by Uchiha Ryun, would be nearly destroyed."
"Rather than both sides being destroyed, letting the world ignite with endless war once more, it might be better to follow Tsunade and Old Dai's example, and try to believe him. Perhaps he truly can bring lasting peace."
Jiraiya's words plunged Minato into a long silence once again.
"You go report the mission to the Fourth Hokage. You can say whatever you think. I support your decision." After throwing this big problem to Minato, Jiraiya decisively used the Body Flicker Technique.
"Hey. How can you all be like this." The good tempered Minato was rarely angry.
Tsunade and Old Dai shoved the troublesome task of reporting the mission onto him and his teacher, and now Jiraiya shoved the trouble onto his disciple. The key point was that Minato truly couldn't make a decision.
His mind was in chaos right now. He hadn't figured out whether to explain these matters to the Hokage or not. If he made the wrong choice, it could instantly lead to great chaos in the world and immense suffering for the people. Minato truly did not dare make a decision lightly.
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