Inside the Senju Clan's medical studio.
At noon, Uchiha Yoru returned here once again, as familiar with the place as ever.
"Kid, tell me, how did it feel to exceed your mission objectives?"
Tsunade lounged lazily in her office chair, a teasing smile on her face as she looked at the boy before her.
Looking at the IV tube that had just been inserted into his arm, Uchiha Yoru showed a flicker of stubbornness before ultimately falling silent.
Uchiha Yoru perfectly played the part of someone burdened with a mission, swallowing humiliation and enduring hardship.
"Captain Tsunade, the Uchiha may have made mistakes in the past, but now we only want to protect the village alongside everyone else, not be isolated."
In the end, Uchiha Yoru hoarsely explained his clan's situation once more.
In Tsunade's eyes, although this kid was her spy, he was also deeply devoted to his clan.
"Enough. That was all ancient history from decades ago. It's long since passed."
With her straightforward nature, Tsunade waved a hand and chuckled. The grudge between the Senju and the Uchiha had long scattered with the wind. After all, how many Senju were even left in Konoha Village now?
"Kid, don't you want to talk about the intelligence from those last two times?"
Under Tsunade's meaningful gaze, Uchiha Yoru revealed a resolute expression.
"Lady Tsunade, the battlefield in the Land of Rain cannot be delayed, and based on the previous two pieces of intelligence, neither can prove that the village's higher-ups were responsible.
"I'm sorry about Nawaki, but after investigating, it was an accident. As for what happened last night, Captain Tsunade, you should understand your own status even better."
In short, I, an Uchiha of the Will of Fire, absolutely refuse to believe the village could be so dark. There had to be bad people behind it.
Yet the more Uchiha Yoru spoke, the less conviction he seemed to have, as though even he did not believe his own words. Still, he forced himself to speak firmly in a low voice.
"Captain Tsunade, your influence is such that people in the village, even within the Uchiha Clan, have privately said that any man who marries you would have an enormous chance of becoming Hokage. Therefore, Jonin Dan Katō may have acted for personal reasons."
This explanation, riddled with holes, made him look exactly like a Will of Fire Zealot unwilling to believe the current Hokage leadership was dark, desperately trying to rationalize his faith.
"Personal reasons? An accident?"
Tsunade smiled faintly and gently crossed her slender, graceful legs, holding them elegantly in the air as a hint of tranquil beauty radiated from her.
Strands of sunlight from the window shone upon her golden hair. At that moment, Tsunade seemed to grow quiet.
Chakra was a mixture of spiritual and physical energy. Looking at the strong figures throughout the ninja world, nearly all of them possessed unwavering convictions. Once those convictions shattered, their strength would plummet.
As the saying went, going dark made one ten times stronger, while being redeemed weakened one by thirty percent. It was the same principle.
Therefore, Uchiha Yoru had never considered destroying someone else's beliefs. Compared to the difficulty of shattering faith,
he was better at making others begin to doubt themselves. Then, when their beliefs blurred and cracks appeared, he would quietly replace those beliefs with something they themselves believed in.
"Captain Tsunade, I believe in the Will of Fire, and I believe in the village even more!"
As if sensing the wavering in Tsunade's heart, Uchiha Yoru spoke with utter conviction.
In short, whether you wavered or not did not matter. I remained steadfast in the Will of Fire. By saying that, he gave people a subconscious suggestion: the other party had wavered, but he had not.
He did not even need to make any small moves. He only needed to reveal certain future events ahead of time. Heh.
The seed of doubt had already been planted. Sooner or later, it would grow into a towering tree.
That was the advantage of moving first. Knowing future intelligence yet failing to seek the greatest possible benefit for himself would be pure stupidity.
Ninjas fought with intelligence!
"Tch. Stubborn little Uchiha brat."
Seeing that the kid still wanted to persuade her, Tsunade could not help but sneer.
"What about your Uchiha, then? Didn't you just say you were ordered by your clan to make sacrifices when the critical moment came?"
Tsunade suddenly changed the subject, her light-brown eyes staring straight at him. At that moment, Uchiha Yoru took a deep breath.
Sure enough, Tsunade had become the future Fifth Generation for a reason. She was no simple-minded ninja. She could be testing him at any time.
But!
Acting? Pah!
The highest realm of being human was this: if you spent your entire life pretending to be a gentleman, then you were a true gentleman.
"Captain Tsunade, I..."
Uchiha Yoru's face flushed red, and struggle filled his eyes. For his clan and for the village, he swayed back and forth between both sides, like dancing atop an Exploding Tag at the center of a storm.
In Tsunade's eyes, this boy, who was the same age as her younger brother, was already shouldering so much for his clan and village at such a young age.
For a moment, Tsunade could not help but reveal a mocking smile.
The Evil Uchiha were willing to set aside their pride just to integrate into Konoha, while certain people standing high above had forgotten who had pushed them into their lofty positions.
After testing him and becoming even more certain of Uchiha Yoru's character, Tsunade suddenly changed her tone again.
"Yoru! From now on, you must be good and obedient. After all, the whole village—even the Uchiha Clan—is watching."
That teasing yet indulgent tone made Uchiha Yoru shudder. He looked at Tsunade, who was gazing at him sweetly like an older sister.
So big! So white!
But!
Driving the big car was far too dangerous right now, and it gave Uchiha Yoru a headache.
"Captain Tsunade, wasn't I just helping you block it?"
Uchiha Yoru spoke weakly. A big car might be nice to drive, but he needed to stay alive to do it.
"Last night was just a misunderstanding, and I've already reported it to the clan. The clan will provide funds for the Bloodline Disease, and those funds will be given to you, Captain.
"And according to the intelligence provided by the clan, Captain Tsunade, you love drinking and gambling. Most of the Senju Clan's assets were given to the village back then, so I can give you money."
Good heavens, Tsunade's face darkened with anger upon hearing that.
"Kid, what do you mean by that?!"
Was this brat actually looking down on her? She had not even complained that he was too young!
And what did he mean, loved drinking and gambling?
He was even trying to buy her off with money!
Was she that kind of person?
"Captain Tsunade! That's not what I meant, I..."
Uchiha Yoru looked embarrassed. Right now, moving between the Uchiha and Senju was already like dancing atop an Exploding Tag.
He did not want to drag the village's higher-ups into this as well.
His role was clear to him: the heir to the Will of Fire in Tsunade's eyes, a spy within the Uchiha Clan. At the same time, he was the bridge through which his clan gained the village's trust and communicated with it.
For now, that was enough. His small frame could not bear too much. Otherwise, he might one day die without even knowing why.
However, Tsunade merely lifted the tea on her desk and took a gentle sip.
"Kid, isn't this your chance to become a bridge between the clan and the village? The Senju may be weak now, but our voice in the village still carries enormous weight."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she toyed with the teacup in her hand. The Senju were too weak now—so weak that people had begun challenging their authority.
This time, she could use the Uchiha to warn those old timers in the village.
The Senju might be weak, but what if the Uchiha were added to the equation?
The Nawaki incident and the Jonin meeting had made Tsunade mature and transform rapidly. Facing the village's darkness earlier than she should have, she came to understand that its darkness was not only directed at enemies. It could also be directed at its own people—even herself!
In just twenty years, for ninjas who did not live particularly long lives to begin with, the village had nearly forgotten the Senju.
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