Alright, you're really good at shirking responsibility, and the person you found is impeccable; one could say she's the most suitable.
However, Hyuga Reijin knew that he should only comment briefly and not think about truly interfering in the Uchiha clan's affairs, as that would be courting death.
Besides, Uchiha Baimu was clearly not someone to mess with. Regardless of whether he truly killed the Third Mizukage, since Lady Tsunade vouched for it, it couldn't be false.
So, such a powerful person, and such a young powerful person, a genius of the Uchiha clan, and the new clan leader… well, it's best not to offend him. And if you do offend him, you're just asking for trouble.
"You're right."
Hyuga Reijin replied.
He wasn't foolish to begin with; he was just wary of the village's higher-ups, wondering what would happen if he didn't make a move at this time and was later held accountable?
After all, the rift between the village and the Uchiha was common knowledge, especially within the current Konoha factions, where the Hokage's faction had many grievances against the Uchiha.
Among them, the higher-ups led by the Third Hokage, their attitude towards the Uchiha, most ninja clans understood. And among them, Danzō, that absolute hawk, was the vanguard against the Uchiha.
But since the Nara clan isn't doing much, and with Lady Tsunade, such an important figure, still in the camp, what can we small fries do?
If we really need to take responsibility, we have to look to Lady Tsunade. We are powerless… Baimu has now returned to the tent.
Tsunade's tent, that is.
Tsunade was still asleep, but she would wake up soon.
Esdeath and Alice Lize were both there, and when they saw Baimu return, smiles appeared on their faces.
Among them, Esdeath went straight to the point: "Did the plan change directly? We all heard the commotion, but we knew you could handle it, and you told us to watch that woman Tsunade, so we didn't go over there. So, has the plan changed again?"
Baimu shrugged and said indifferently, "Plans can't keep up with changes. Someone always wants to court death, so I just granted their wish."
Hearing this, Esdeath pondered, then asked with a smile, "Oh, so you mean Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, is dead?"
Baimu, hearing this, shook his head and replied softly, "No, but he is no longer the clan leader. I am the new clan leader!"
Esdeath immediately showed an "I knew it" expression, while Alice Lize shook her head and said, "It seems there's another unforeseen change."
What's going on?
There are always changes; this is unreasonable!
After all, you were just saying to take things slow according to the plan, not to rush, and then in a moment, you became the clan leader, and the former clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, became the ex-clan leader… Ugh, it's impossible not to complain about this.
"It's not a change; it's just that Uchiha Fugaku insisted on courting death. Actually, I didn't want him to step down, but he kept going on about the Mangekyō Sharingan…"
Baimu smiled faintly, sighed wistfully, and said softly, "Alas, do I not know better than you? Since he insisted on being so verbose, I had no choice but to send him packing."
It was Uchiha Fugaku who wanted to step down, so I sent him packing. Originally, he could have continued to be the clan leader, but he just didn't want to, so I had no choice but to send him down. It's that simple.
"So, what's next?"
Neither Esdeath nor Alice Lize believed that Baimu would fail, so their focus was on the subsequent plan.
Since he had already taken the stage early, it meant he couldn't hide anymore and had to truly get involved in the open and secret struggles within the village, especially political struggles, which could no longer be avoided.
With such a forceful entrance, could those old geezers still sit still?
Baimu said indifferently, "Once Tsunade wakes up and the people from the village arrive, we can return to Konoha."
Esdeath had no objections to this; it was fine as long as Baimu arranged it. However, Alice Lize frowned and said, "Honestly, I'm not very optimistic about your plan. No matter how high Tsunade's status is, it's not enough to let two outsiders into Konoha, especially when these outsiders have an extraordinary relationship with the Uchiha. Do you think Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, and these people can be at ease?"
It's not that I have any objections to you, but this matter is very difficult to succeed. We are outsiders, and outsiders who have a close relationship with you, an Uchiha. Do you think the higher-ups of Konoha can be at ease?
"Konoha is Konoha, and the Konoha higher-ups are the higher-ups. They are not the same." Baimu said nonchalantly, very casually.
Alice Lize, hearing this, was still not reassured and had to continue, "I think you are still blindly overconfident."
"Before, I didn't want to be too ostentatious because I wanted to take things slow, but now it's unavoidable. Tsunade's matter has already exposed me to the eyes of the higher-ups, and Uchiha Fugaku insisted on competing with me and lecturing me, so I definitely had to make him step down. Moreover, Mina and the others are a bit too radical right now. Even if I didn't act, they would have launched an armed coup."
Baimu understood Uchiha Mina and the other young hotheads. One could say they had reached the point of launching a coup. Even if he didn't act, they would eventually move to depose Uchiha Fugaku as clan leader.
"You cultivated them, so naturally they're so radical. But I don't think it's a bad thing." Esdeath believed these were all elites cultivated by Baimu, and wasn't this a good thing?
If you ask me, it's a good thing, and I absolutely support it. There's nothing wrong with it at all!
Baimu was too lazy to argue with Esdeath. Anyway, there was nothing wrong with this matter.
Honestly, the problem, all things considered, wasn't big.
It is what it is.
Clan leader is clan leader.
I can handle it.
"Alright, wait for Tsunade to wake up. And I think people from Konoha should be arriving soon; their rank should be quite high." Baimu said casually, reminding Esdeath and the others not to dwell on these matters. Once people arrive, they can go back, and everything else doesn't matter.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Esdeath was very perfunctory, her attitude quite casual.
Alice Lize, however, was very serious and said in a deep voice, "I don't think Tsunade will completely go along with you, and you envision participating in the main battlefields, especially the battle against Iwagakure in the Land of Grass. Will Konoha's higher-ups agree to that?"
If Baimu wanted to continue gaining military achievements, he would have to go to various battlefields, whether it was the battle against Sunagakure in the Land of Rivers, or the battle against Iwagakure in the Land of Grass, or even the battle against Kumogakure in the Land of Frost.
She paused, then continued, "Also, how will you deal with that Uchiha Shisui?"
"Him?"
Baimu pouted, then said with disdain, "Don't worry about him. And compared to that guy Uchiha Itachi, Shisui's values can still be turned around; he won't completely side with the Konoha higher-ups. Moreover, what Shisui wants is for the clan and the village to coexist, not the extreme idea of destroying the clan for the village. He's very different from Uchiha Itachi. What's more, what I'm doing now is ending the war, and he's eager for me to do so, so you don't need to worry about Uchiha Shisui…"
"Alice, what's wrong with you? I'm not even this worried. I really don't know what you're afraid of." Esdeath couldn't hold back anymore and interrupted Baimu before he could finish, directly addressing Alice Lize's overly cautious behavior.
Alice Lize naturally wouldn't be outdone. She had a thorough understanding of the intelligence of this world, and with Baimu often analyzing and discussing things with her, she certainly had her unique insights, so she dismissed Esdeath's words.
She immediately retorted, "Hmph, don't you know about the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha?"
Esdeath pouted and said disdainfully, "What conflict? Isn't it just Sarutobi Hiruzen and his group targeting the Uchiha? Moreover, with our strength, solving the Five Great Nations isn't a problem. Why are you so indecisive? Baimu's actions have always been about overwhelming force, and I prefer that style. Now, I don't know if it's because of your influence or what, but he's become a bit too focused on plans."
Seeing this, Bai Mu immediately spoke up to stop them.
"Alright, I won't be affected. I won't charge in recklessly, nor will I be fixated on any plan. I always do what feels right and won't be constrained by any particular method. You can rest assured about that."
Why argue?
Such things are meaningless. All of you, shut up!
And because of Bai Mu's resolute attitude, forcefully demanding that they stop arguing, even though Alice Liese and Esdeath still didn't get along, they could only obediently comply... Time passed, and it was the next day.
Tsunade's digestion time was a bit long, but the effect was no different. This wasn't about the length of time, but simply varied from person to person.
The moment Tsunade woke up, she immediately rolled over and instinctively observed her surroundings.
With just a glance, she saw Bai Mu, Esdeath, and Alice Liese.
"You've been guarding me all this time?" She was a little confused and asked subconsciously.
"You're overthinking it. We just woke up not long ago. We're not here to guard you," Esdeath said, indicating that Tsunade was overthinking things and it was impossible.
"It's good that you're awake. Congratulations, your strength has improved," Alice Liese was a bit more polite than Esdeath, congratulating Tsunade on becoming stronger.
Tsunade: "..."
Their attitude seemed a bit strange.
Never mind, I can't worry about that now. I'd better observe myself more.
For Tsunade, the changes within her body were clear, especially the changes in her chakra. This level of chakra probably didn't belong to her grandfather, Hashirama Senju.
Also, the power of Wood Release... Tsunade didn't hesitate, clasping her hands together to perform Wood Release, but just as she was about to succeed, Bai Mu directly interrupted her, not allowing her to successfully cast it.
"I know you're excited, but do you think it's appropriate to use Wood Release right now?"
The power of Wood Release held extraordinary significance for Konoha.
Although Bai Mu could understand Tsunade's feelings.
But you definitely can't use it now.
Because it's really not appropriate.
"Not appropriate."
Tsunade calmed down, realizing that Bai Mu was not wrong. Using Wood Release in this environment was indeed inappropriate and could easily cause problems.
However, even now there are problems. You, Uchiha Baimu, are in the same tent as me. Won't there be rumors? Damn it, what exactly are you doing?
"Wait, you and I are in the same tent. Is that appropriate?"
Tsunade thought of this and was displeased, questioning him.
"I just arrived," Bai Mu replied without changing his expression.
"Yes, we've been guarding here the whole time, and he just arrived," Esdeath immediately chimed in, smiling as she spoke.
Although Alice Liese didn't speak, her expression already explained everything, meaning that what was said was correct, and that was indeed the case.
However, Tsunade didn't believe it. You are all on the same side, how could I not know what's going on?
Although she didn't care much about these rumors, considering certain people within the village, Tsunade obviously didn't want these misunderstandings to spread.
If someone spread rumors that she was an old cow eating young grass or something... Wait, it seems like I wouldn't be at a disadvantage!
Never mind, these aren't important.
Tsunade refocused her attention on herself, muttering, "I feel like I'm terrifyingly strong now..."
The increase in chakra, the awakening of Wood Release, and the same healing ability as her grandfather, Hashirama Senju—all of these undoubtedly made Tsunade a bit conceited.
But after the conceit, what followed was fear of Bai Mu.
The power Bai Mu had bestowed upon her alone had such an exaggerated effect, so what level had Bai Mu's power reached?
And what about the Six Paths Sage, the Six Paths Sage's brother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, and others she had seen in Bai Mu's genjutsu space before? How strong must they be?
Just thinking about it made Tsunade anxious and uneasy. She had to learn more and figure out the truth.
"Tell me, what are you going to do next? Also, what are your plans regarding that Otsutsuki?"
"I am now the Uchiha clan head." Bai Mu didn't directly answer Tsunade's question, but instead dropped a bombshell.
Tsunade: "???"
What the hell?
In just one day, you became the Uchiha clan head?
Wait, would Fugaku Uchiha agree to that? What happened to him? Did he abdicate... No, that's impossible, absolutely impossible!
Tsunade knew very well that the position of clan head couldn't just be given up casually, and Fugaku Uchiha was clearly not the kind of person to abdicate. So, it was clear.
It was probably man-made; Uchiha Bai Mu had overthrown him. In other words, this guy directly launched a coup, and in such an extremely sensitive location as the front line, during a particularly sensitive period... Good heavens, you've truly left me speechless.
Realizing what was going on, Tsunade's mood at this moment could be described as extremely complex. She never expected that one moment Bai Mu would tell her about reform, and the next he would take over the position of Uchiha clan head.
In other words, Bai Mu was going to directly stage internal Uchiha reforms? The problem was, she was still a bit hesitant, and did they really need to implement reforms?
It wasn't just the reform of Konoha, but the reform of the entire ninja world. This was incredibly difficult, not something that could be achieved by simply crushing opponents with power. There would certainly be many dissenters. Would they really have to kill so many people then?