Chapter 161: Kabuto Yakushi Walks into the Trap
As Tsunade spoke, the expressions of Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane instantly darkened.
The prestige of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had once been overwhelming. No one had ever dared to refuse an order he issued.
Now that Tsunade had invoked that matter as her justification, she had effectively cut off all retreat for the three of them.
For a moment, the entire Hokage's office fell into silence.
Click.
At that moment, a faint sound rang out as Jiraiya rubbed his stomach and jumped down from the wall.
Feeling Tsunade's gaze sweep over him, Jiraiya shrank his neck slightly, then cleared his throat and broke the heavy silence first.
"Everyone, aside from selecting the Hokage, there are many urgent matters that require our attention."
"Rather than arguing over something that won't yield results anytime soon, we might as well address the problems we can solve right now."
Jiraiya's voice reached Danzo and the other two, easing the previously frozen atmosphere by a few degrees.
A deep glint flashed in Jiraiya's eyes. He saw the situation before him more clearly than anyone else.
With Tsunade's personality, compromise was impossible. But the power held by Danzo and the other two was deeply entrenched within Konoha.
Even if the Hokage's faction was added in, at most it would only create a balance between the two sides.
No matter how tough Tsunade acted, this dispute had been meaningless from the very beginning.
The old man really left me with a difficult problem.
If Tsunade were chosen as Hokage, the resistance would be far smaller. After all, her identity spoke for itself, and even though she had been away from Konoha for a long time, her influence had never truly faded.
But he himself was ultimately of civilian origin. He might still have some reputation, but after being away from Konoha for so long, his former influence had likely dwindled to almost nothing.
At this time, competing with Danzo and the others for the Hokage's position placed him at a complete disadvantage.
Tsunade cast a subtle glance at Jiraiya. Though she still appeared angry on the surface, her heart was calm.
There were certain things Jiraiya was not in a convenient position to do, but with her status, she had no such concerns.
Now that the principal party in the argument had spoken, there was no need for the dispute to continue.
Just as everyone prepared to follow Jiraiya's lead and discuss other matters concerning Konoha, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air suddenly rang beside their ears.
Immediately after, a figure from the Anbu appeared inside the Hokage's office.
"My lords, we have just captured a spy on the outskirts of Konoha."
The Anbu member bowed respectfully to everyone present, his voice carrying a trace of unusual hesitation.
A spy?
Everyone present frowned at the same time. Such a trivial matter did not require direct notification.
Since the Anbu had appeared personally, this spy's identity was clearly out of the ordinary.
"Is there something special about this spy?" Jiraiya asked, looking at the Anbu member in confusion.
"Lord Jiraiya, the spy is Kabuto Yakushi, who was placed on Konoha's wanted list some time ago. He has connections with the rogue ninja Orochimaru, and it seems he allowed himself to be captured."
At that, the Anbu member stopped speaking.
Jiraiya raised his head and exchanged a glance with Tsunade.
Then he looked toward Danzo and the other two. Seeing their expressionless faces, he fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Bring Kabuto Yakushi here."
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya!"
The Anbu member nodded and vanished in a flash.
Not long after, Kabuto Yakushi was escorted into the Hokage's office by two Anbu members.
"You two may leave first," Tsunade said casually to the Anbu members.
The two exchanged a glance, clearly hesitant. They were obviously uneasy.
"With so many people here, do you think he can escape?" Tsunade's voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
Hearing her tone, the two Anbu members trembled and quickly disappeared.
"Orochimaru may be dead, but anyone who worked under that man shouldn't be foolish enough to walk into a trap."
Tsunade's cold gaze fixed on Kabuto Yakushi.
At the same time, everyone else in the Hokage's office also turned their eyes toward him, their faces flashing with chill intent.
After all, it was an indisputable fact that Orochimaru had led other villages in attacking Konoha. The only reason they remained calm now was because Orochimaru was supposedly dead.
In their eyes, Kabuto Yakushi was nothing more than a minor pawn.
Under the weight of everyone's gaze, a thin sheen of cold sweat appeared on Kabuto Yakushi's forehead. Nevertheless, he maintained a composed expression, adjusted his glasses, and spoke with a smile.
"Orochimaru-sama is not dead. And I came here to make a deal with all of you in Konoha."
At the mention that Orochimaru was not dead, the expressions of everyone present shifted.
A trace of surprise flashed in Jiraiya's eyes, though it also felt somewhat expected.
Orochimaru had far too many tricks up his sleeve. Even as a former teammate, Jiraiya had never fully understood him.
"A deal? You don't have the qualifications for that," Danzo said coldly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"The content of my deal is intelligence—intelligence extremely important to Konoha. If mishandled, Konoha could even be destroyed."
Kabuto Yakushi maintained his faint smile as he addressed the crowd.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he smiled lightly at Danzo.
"Before coming to Konoha, I performed a small operation on my own brain. If anyone tries to probe the memories in my mind, I'm afraid they won't obtain anything at all."
As his words fell, Danzo's expression instantly turned ashen.
Of everyone present, Danzo understood this former subordinate best.
Precisely because of that, he knew Kabuto Yakushi's words had been directed specifically at him.
Jiraiya frowned. Kabuto Yakushi did not appear to be lying, which meant the intelligence he mentioned was indeed crucial to Konoha.
Kabuto Yakushi's faint smile remained as he calmly observed the group. He was certain he would not have to wait long.
"Fine. But I will hear this intelligence first before deciding whether we make this deal."
After a long moment, Jiraiya was the first to speak.
It was a highly unfair condition, yet Kabuto Yakushi showed no surprise, as if he had already anticipated it.
"Very well. The content of this intelligence is—the First Mizukage, Yuto, has been resurrected."
Kabuto Yakushi nodded and slowly revealed the information.
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned. Danzo and the other two, who had been seated to the side, stood up abruptly.
"You must all be curious about this sudden war. Now, this news should resolve most of your confusion."
"This so-called war was orchestrated single-handedly by the former First Mizukage."
Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and spoke to the stunned crowd.
"That's not right. Based on the First Mizukage's conduct back then, if this were true, he would have wiped out Konoha in one fell swoop," Homura Mitokado said, staring closely at Kabuto Yakushi with suspicion in his voice.
"Rather than questioning the matter, you should think about why the First Mizukage, Yuto, would do such a thing."
Kabuto Yakushi shrugged and spoke helplessly.
Homura Mitokado's expression darkened. Though dissatisfied with Kabuto Yakushi's attitude, he knew that with intelligence of such importance, the other party would not likely deceive them.
If that were the case, then this war became far more thought-provoking.
None of the people present were fools. After only brief consideration, they had already pieced together most of the truth.
"He was testing Konoha!"
A look of shock flashed in Jiraiya's eyes, and even his voice trembled slightly.
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