A Cruel Reality

Although it deviated a bit from what she had expected, and she even had to request backup in the end, overall, Sakura still managed to complete the mission.

And it was done very well; all important personnel and data were preserved.

"This trip has been incredibly fruitful!" Upon returning to Konoha, Tsunade personally inspected her spoils, her eyes seemingly gleaming with a subtle light.

No, Sakura dares to swear on her honor that her master's eyes did indeed light up instantly when he saw the string of numbers on the seized bankbook.

"Master wouldn't be thinking of embezzling this public money to pay off her gambling debts, would he...?" Sakura felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down her forehead.

She reached out to check herself and realized she wasn't sweating at all; it was just an illusion. Yes, an illusion, all an illusion!

Looking closer, Tsunade had indeed returned to her serious demeanor, accompanying the Intelligence Division in registering and classifying the books seized this time. The intelligence gathered in the underground intelligence market may not be accurate, but it still has high reference value. Some black markets even value reputation more than the regular market, so the information they have should not be ignored.

"Hmm... considering how much you've gained this time, I'll consider you passed the test~" After the assessment, Tsunade, in a good mood, joked with Sakura Haruno after returning to the Hokage's office.

"What? How can you say 'I passed'?!" Her adorable disciple, flustered by concern, failed to grasp Tsunade's teasing tone and hurriedly defended herself, "This mission, I killed over a hundred people, including several missing-nin, some of whom were almost Jonin level! This level of difficulty is good enough Jonin a Jonin exam! Completing a mission of this difficulty, how can you use the word 'pass'? It should be a perfect score!"

Seeing Tsunade's barely suppressed amusement, she realized that her master was doing this on purpose.

Sakura Haruno's eyes darted around, and she immediately realized another problem. "Speaking of which, Master, you didn't know all along that the information about this mission was wrong, did you? That's why you sent me on this mission!"

"Ha, how could that be!" Tsunade quickly denied, but Sakura detected a hint of guilt in her tone.

Under Sakura Haruno's relentless gaze, she finally admitted the truth. "Actually, it's just a suspicion that there's a problem. After all, we've rarely scouted that area, and information has always been scarce. If we send you there, and everything goes smoothly, it'll be a regular Special Jonin mission assessment. If the intelligence does differ from the actual situation, then there's probably a large base there. But with your abilities, there shouldn't be too much of a problem..."

Most importantly, this method saves manpower.

Otherwise, just to be on the safe side, she would also send two Anbu, or one elite Anbu with a high number, to carry out the mission.

Unlike Sakura Haruno, who is so convenient, she has enough strength to handle any situation while performing the assessment. She can be as good as an entire team by herself.

The Lord Fifth Hokage, who had unhesitatingly used his disciple as cheap labor, changed the subject without flinching at the girl's displeased gaze. "The spoils of this mission... are these all?"

Sakura was taken aback, not quite understanding what Tsunade meant...

When she looked again at Tsunade's raised eyebrows and meaningful gaze, she suddenly realized what was going on.

"That's all!" she said, somewhat amused and exasperated. How come the Lord Fifth Hokage seemed even poorer than her?

By the way, she should be considered a liability...

"That's a good idea!" Tsunade emphasized. "If you split it in half when we meet, I won't pursue your crime of hiding the proceeds from a mission!"

"No, there really isn't..."

The girl had no choice but to stretch out her hands, spread her fingers, and reveal her clean and neat light pink nails.

This time, she didn't use nail polish to conceal the miniature Sealing Jutsu technique; the previous techniques had already been removed by using Medical Ninjutsu to encourage nail growth.

"Ahem, well, it seems you really didn't do that... Great!" Tsunade was greatly disappointed; Sakura really hadn't kept anything secret... She said insincerely, "As expected of my disciple! Alright, it's time for your serious business--"

Just as she finished speaking, there was a sudden knock on the door, Ibiki's tall figure walked in.

He first nodded slightly to Sakura, then took out a document and handed it to Tsunade: "This is intelligence obtained by the Interrogation Department from several key personnel at the bounty agency. Please take a look."

Tsunade took the documents and said, "You've worked hard. The interrogation team should go back and rest. You've all been exhausted!"

He waved for Ibiki to leave.

She opened the file and began to read it carefully. The people at the bounty office knew Kakuzu fairly well, mainly Kakuzu would occasionally bring a corpse to the bounty office to exchange for money, and they would reveal some information during their casual conversations.

For example, Hidan is immortal.

The problem is that most of the intelligence had already been gathered by the Fourteenth Squad during that life-or-death battle...

Therefore, the only valuable thing here is some information about Akatsuki.

Tsunade quickly finished reviewing the report, circled it several times in red pen, put the document aside, and rubbed her temples.

"Is there any information about Akatsuki?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

Tsunade looked up at her, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "These things shouldn't be revealed to a Chunin, but it won't hurt to tell you. Akatsuki's immediate goal is still to lie low and accumulate strength. Their next plan is said to be implemented in about two years. Therefore, we won't be making any major moves against Akatsuki for the time being."

"Since Akatsuki is still gathering strength, why don't we take this opportunity to attack them?"

Tsunade, pondered for a moment, then held up two fingers and said, "One reason is that we are also in the stage of accumulating strength. Konoha is still too weak and hasn't provoked that organization's power..."

She stopped here.

"And what's the second reason?" the girl pressed.

"The second reason..." The Fifth Hokage's expression turned serious, and he said coldly, "All Five Great Shinobi Villages know it has problems, but none of us want to confront Akatsuki head-on and let other ninja villages reap the benefits. After all, Akatsuki has several 'Kage' level members..."

"Uh!" Sakura Haruno was taken aback; so that was the reason.

"Can't the Five Great Shinobi Villages unite as a whole and solve this problem together?" As soon as she said it, she realized she had asked a stupid question.

"There has never been a time when the Five Great Shinobi Villages united to deal with the same problem. The hatred between the ninja villages runs too deep. Being wary and hostile to each other is the norm for us. As for cooperation..." Tsunade sighed helplessly, "Perhaps only when Akatsuki has hurt each village badly, and everyone truly realizes that its threat is greater than the threat between the ninja villages, will all the villages unite!"

Sakura said with a gloomy face, "Does this mean that before Akatsuki jumps out and stirs up trouble, we can only watch them grow stronger like the other ninja villages? This is simply... the most foolish decision ever."

This is a classic game theory problem: everyone chooses the course of action that is most advantageous to them, and the result will inevitably be the worst possible outcome!

"You're quite right... Fortunately, we've maintained peace for over a decade, and the new generation of ninjas haven't developed any hatred towards each other. Perhaps I can try to get the Five Great Shinobi Villages to reach a consensus on the Akatsuki issue and work together to deal with this difficult problem, at least to share some intelligence. After all, this is not something a single ninja village can accomplish alone." Tsunade rubbed her temples. Only those who truly do things know how difficult it is, and she knew this would be an extremely challenging task.

The Five Great Shinobi Villages lack even basic trust; how can they possibly reach a consensus?

It's likely that Tsunade's suggestions will only be seen as a Konoha conspiracy. Before Akatsuki shows its true colors, no matter how much they claim, without concrete evidence, no one will believe them. Instead, they'll be wary of Konoha for issuing the warning, suspecting them of having ulterior motives...

This is the harsh reality of the Hokage world.

As Sakura's experience grows and her ninja rank advances, she gradually learns more about the cruelty and darkness behind the ninja world. While in Konoha, she can still feel the love and care among her comrades, but outside the village lies a bloody reality—the endless war Five Great Nations has left scars of blood and tears on most parts of the world.

The Land of Waves and the Land of Snow, without their interference, would probably be languishing in the world.

What's frightening is that, according to normal mission procedures, the rewards required to defeat high-level missions like those of Gato Kazahana Dōtō are absolutely unaffordable for the people of the Land of Waves and the Land of Snow. Instead, more often than not, Gato Kazahana Dōtō rely on their exploitation of the people to have the money to hire ninjas to protect them, enabling them to further exploit the populace...

This is the reality of the ninja world... The more ruthless someone is, the more comfortable they live.

Having grown accustomed to going with the flow and being shaped by the world rather than trying to change it, Sakura is now gradually becoming impatient with this cruel reality.

However, this world is one where only the strong have a voice... As insignificant as she is, she can only adapt to the world.

Even in the Land of Waves and the Land of Snow, she began to try to change the world and put her ideas into practice, but those were just remote and impoverished corners, ultimately not the mainstream of the world.

Her power... is still too weak.

There was a moment of silence between the master and his apprentice.

The relaxed atmosphere from just moments ago vanished, replaced by a heavy mood that filled the office.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's get back to the mission in the Land of Snow." Tsunade finally changed the subject.

(1/. Please subscribe~~ Please vote for me~~)

(Please subscribe!! We're only 200 short of 000 average subscribers...)