"Lady Tsunade, I don't understand."
Shikaku Nara understood perfectly, but he could only say he didn't understand.
The others remained silent, like Hyuga Hiashi, who didn't know what to say. His elder brother wasn't here, so how could he make a decision?
Members of the branch family were not qualified to make decisions.
Hyuga Hiashi was all too aware of this. Even though his elder brother treated him exceptionally well, the system of main and branch families in the Hyuga clan was immutable; no one could change it.
With the Hyuga clan not taking a stance, other ninja clans also played dumb. Only Nara Shikaku couldn't avoid it and had to bite the bullet, but he claimed not to understand.
Clearly, if you, Tsunade, want to do something, you need to explain it clearly, otherwise, it's difficult for us to express our opinions.
Of course, even if we did express them, it wouldn't mean much.
Nara Shikaku didn't think Tsunade would be that crazy.
But if the Hokage were to step down...
What would become of Konoha?
The future was hard to say.
Tsunade snorted coldly and slowly said, "Don't understand? Shikaku, are you sure you don't understand?"
The Nara clan has always been known for its intelligence. You, Nara Shikaku, are known as Konoha's smartest brain, Konoha's think tank. And now you're telling me you don't understand?
When you say that, I really want to laugh.
And who do you think would believe it?
Would anyone believe it?
I certainly don't think so, so are you really going to answer my question like that? Nara Shikaku, you need to think carefully before answering this question.
"Lady Tsunade, please be more explicit." Nara Shikaku bowed slightly, sighing inwardly, but still gave this reply.
There was no other way. Tsunade couldn't be offended, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Hokage, even more so. I can only adapt to the situation.
If there really was no other choice, then I could only firmly stand with Tsunade.
And was this wrong? Supporting Tsunade, that's not wrong.
The true inheritor of Konoha's Will of Fire.
You can't say that the granddaughter of the First Hokage doesn't possess the Will of Fire, can you? That's impossible, she's the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the princess of the Senju clan.
Her influence, her status and position, are flawless, without a single blemish. Is there anyone else in Konoha who possesses more legitimacy than Lady Tsunade?
No, there really isn't.
The First and Second Hokage were both her grandfathers. With her status, who would dare to question her?
Tsunade's gaze was deep as she looked at everyone in the tent, slowly saying, "In this war, Konoha suffered heavy casualties. We lost many excellent ninjas. While there were certainly factors of decision-making errors from the higher-ups, the person who should bear the most responsibility for this is still the Hokage, because the Hokage is the ultimate decision-maker, and his recklessness led to such great losses for Konoha."
That was clear enough.
At this point, the many Jonin in the tent understood what Tsunade meant. So, this was about forcing the Third Hokage to step down?
If that were the case, it would be insubordination, seizing the position of Hokage.
Nara Shikaku's mood was extremely complex now. Tsunade's intention seemed inevitable, so how should he choose? Also, what was Tsunade planning to do with these words? Was she going to cause trouble as soon as they returned, or was she going to use them to rally the ninjas outside and threaten the village... If so, a civil war would be unavoidable.
First, on the battlefield in the Land of Frost, Konoha had at least a thousand ninjas stationed, and later, many elites were continuously reinforced, totaling at least three thousand people.
Although most were Chunin and Genin, there were definitely not few Jonin, and elite members from various ninja clans were present. For example, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had sent out all their elites.
Nara Shikaku himself, Akimichi Choza of the Akimichi clan, and Yamanaka Inoichi of the Yamanaka clan, were all current clan heads, and their value was extraordinary.
If they were to be coerced by Tsunade and become one of the forces threatening the village, this... would definitely not be a good thing, especially since their families were all in the village.
Lady Tsunade shouldn't be that radical.
Nara Shikaku didn't think it would come to that.
"Alright, you don't need to think so much. My intention is that I will be the Fourth Hokage." Tsunade knew that the Jonin in the tent now had their own thoughts and worries, so she got straight to the point.
What should be done?
I, Tsunade, will take the position of the Fourth Hokage. Who agrees, and who opposes?
Tsunade becoming the Fourth Hokage, to oppose or not to oppose? Nara Shikaku didn't know, and neither did the others, especially Hyuga Hiashi, who truly hadn't expected such a situation.
He hadn't expected a Jonin meeting to turn into a meeting about rebellion?
"Lady Tsunade, we don't oppose you becoming Hokage, but this requires following proper procedures." Nara Shikaku thought for a moment before speaking.
"I know, but I want to tell you all that the Hokage must be replaced. The remnants of the old era are no longer suitable for the new era."
Tsunade spoke these words with extreme solemnity, and this represented her extremely firm resolve... "Lady Tsunade, we understand."
Nara Shikaku was helpless. Seeing Tsunade's intention, it was impossible to change, so he could only express his understanding.
But understanding is one thing, what about doing something?
Sorry, we can't do it.
Tsunade, of course, understood. They were just expressing understanding, but there was no talk of support, so she continued speaking.
"Now, withdraw to the Land of Fire's territory, garrison at the border, and await further orders. Bai Mu and I will return to Konoha first. Minato is already thoroughly checking all strongholds to ensure there are no Cloud ninjas. All forces must withdraw to the Land of Fire's territory within three days."
Three days?
And she wants us to stay at the border?
This means she doesn't want us to return.
Nara Shikaku quickly processed the information and understood Tsunade's intentions, but the question was, should they do this?
"Lady Tsunade, is this appropriate?"
He still wanted to try and argue.
This was Nara Shikaku's stance.
However, Tsunade didn't give him the chance, saying firmly, "That's how it will be."
After speaking, she stood up and left. Bai Mu hadn't said a word the whole time, just followed behind her, but his scarlet Sharingan gave Nara Shikaku and the others immense pressure.
"Shikaku, what should we do?"
After Tsunade and Bai Mu left, Yamanaka Inoichi finally spoke up.
Nara Shikaku was very helpless, but after some thought, he found a reason.
"It's a troubled time, but we are powerless, and Lady Tsunade asking us to garrison 5.5 at the border is also to prevent any subsequent actions from the Cloud. You know we captured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and a Tailed Beast is a village's strategic weapon, so we must be on guard."
As soon as he said this, the Jonin from other ninja clans immediately echoed in unison, "That's right."
...Meanwhile, in Tsunade's tent.
"Tell me, when are we going back?"
As soon as she returned, she immediately asked Bai Mu when they would return.
She said that the main Konoha forces would withdraw to the Land of Fire and garrison at the border within three days, but these few days would be enough for the village to react.
Clearly, the news would inevitably spread back, so what Bai Mu planned to do next was crucial, and she had to understand the situation.
Even if she didn't know everything, she should at least know something, right?
Don't let me know nothing at all.
This is unreasonable!