Shinobi World Situation

Konoha.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a pipe dangling from his lips, showed a rare hint of relief after seeing an urgent intelligence report. He had been quite restless lately.

"Tsunade, so you still care about Konoha after all."

The intelligence report stated that Princess Tsunade, Sannin traveling to the Land of Water under the guise of an envoy from the Land of Fire.

The Third Princess Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was already familiar with Tsunade's decisive and efficient personality. Instead of being dissatisfied, he nodded with a satisfied smile.

"That certainly suits your character. I hope your mission to the Land of Water will bring peace, and I also hope Shinnosuke will return safely."

As if emboldened by this good news, Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself, seemingly sensing that his son was about to return.

However, at this time Hiruzen Sarutobi was unaware that, just as he had suspected, his son, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, was on his way back, but with news that brought both joy and sorrow.

Although Konoha and Kirigakure are not heavily involved in the battle in the Land of Land of Whirlpools, it is still a skirmish between two major powers, which is equivalent to a small-country level conflict for a major power.

The Land of Water.

The elegant and graceful Princess Tsunade was dazzling at the banquet held by the Daimyo of the Land of Water, almost the most radiant presence. However, the moment she entered her luxurious residence after the banquet, the noble and elegant smile on her face vanished instantly, leaving only a cold glint in her eyes.

"Lady Tsunade?"

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Shizune asked nervously, but Tsunade coldly replied, "Shizune, you stay outside."

"Yes!"

Although she didn't know what had happened, Shizune, as Tsunade's assistant, had long been used to following orders, not to mention that she was also a ninja.

After Shizune left, Tsunade gazed indifferently at the window and said, "Come out."

A figure slowly appeared; it was a Mist Ninja from the delegation sent by the Kirigakure Genji at the banquet.

As the figure entered, it was obvious that Shizune outside the door had also heard the commotion, but Tsunade calmly said to the Outer Path, "Shizune, go downstairs and keep a close watch. Don't let anyone step in."

"Yes!"

As the footsteps faded away, the Mist Ninja removed her mask, revealing her true face—it was none other than Mei Terumi from the Land of Land of Whirlpools.

"Your Konoha's conspiracy!"

At this moment Mei Terumi revealed her emerald green eyes, which were filled with frost, and she spoke through gritted teeth, while Tsunade remained silent, but in her heart she was already hating those old guys in the village to death.

Unbelievable! These old guys are incredibly audacious.

"On the way here, Ao's Byakugan it clearly: the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, has another type of Chakra besides his own and the Tailed Beast's."

Faced with Mei Terumi's questioning, Princess Tsunade was representing Konoha this time. Although she was already 80% convinced, she wasn't going to be naive enough to admit it.

Princess Tsunade gave a mocking sneer, "How would I know what the third type of Chakra is? As for that brat's talk about the Mangekyō Sharingan, humph! Who would believe such nonsense?"

"What evidence do you have to prove that the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure was controlled by the Mangekyo? Besides, if the Uchiha Clan of Konoha had the Mangekyo, the Nine-Tails' Rampage would never have happened!"

At this point, Princess Tsunade coldly turned the tables, saying, "I now suspect that your Kirigakure secretly stole our Konoha's Sharingan for research, after all, you've already obtained the Byakugan!"

"You!"

Facing Tsunade at her peak, the now-naive Mei Terumi was clearly no match, and was immediately silenced, glaring angrily at her opponent.

Politics has no bottom line; what can you do if I don't admit it?

Moreover, the two now represent their respective positions, not their personalities.

Mei Terumi took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and gave a cold laugh as she slowly took out a scroll from her bosom.

"Princess Tsunade, this is a letter from our Mist Ninja Genji, and there's also the Mangekyo Sharingan I haven't mentioned."

Mei Terumi's last words made Tsunade understand their meaning.

Upon opening the scroll and seeing the letter from the most senior Genji of Kirigakure, Kirigakure's Tsunade contracted, but her expression remained unchanged as she calmly and slowly put the scroll away.

"I will convey your message to the village; as for how to proceed, that's up to you."

Looking at Tsunade, Mei Terumi fell silent. She truly hadn't expected that her village would be manipulated by someone else's conspiracy. Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, was actually controlled by someone else. They even had reason to suspect that it had already begun during the time of the Third Mizukage.

After all, there are policies within the Blood Mist, and increasingly stringent policies targeting Kekkei Genkai ninjas.

"If what he says is true, then the old fogies of Konoha are plotting something far beyond the entire Shinobi World."

Mei Terumi's final words represented her personal opinion, and then she fell silent as her body slowly dissolved into a pool of clear water.

Water Clone!

With the other person gone, Tsunade, now alone in the luxurious palace, no longer concealed her anger. She slammed her fist on the table, shattering the stone table instantly.

"Damn a bunch of old geezers, aren't they afraid of stuffing themselves to death?!"

Such audacity wasn't Tsunade's objection to such ambition; her anger stemmed from the fact that Konoha was unaware of its own strength.

Even if Konoha were to possess the strength of Second Shinobi War, let alone at its peak, she could still accept such a conspiracy within the Shinobi World.

However, Konoha is currently riddled with problems. Not to mention the failure of the plan, even if the plan were to be leaked now, Konoha might not be able to withstand the backlash.

"That Danzo has completely lost his mind, and that old man Third Hokage too, they're acting too recklessly."

Tsunade was throbbing with pain.

Mei Terumi did not tell the village's Genji about the Mangekyo, so the only thing the Kirigakure currently knows is that the Mizukage has been manipulated.

Genji's letter was also very simple. He simply told Tsunade that there was a force in the Land of Water Mizukage's regime. They wanted a place to live Land of Water as a pretext for a counterattack.

It gives the impression of betraying their own village's interests, yet it's also revealed to Tsunade that they hope to develop in the Land Konoha Land of Whirlpools without affecting Konoha's interests.

"In other words, Kirigakure only knows that the Mizukage has been manipulated, but the Fourth Mizukage currently wields considerable power, and they need to accumulate strength."

With her Tsunade narrowed, Kirigakure Genji. Ordinary ninjas could be trained and mass-produced, but Kekkei Genkai ninjas were different.

The Kekkei Genkai ninjas have produced the most geniuses, and they are currently the only force we can rely on.

The Mist Ninja wants to overthrow the Mizukage's regime, but they need the help of the Konoha.

"They're all a bunch of old guys."

Having seen through the intentions of the Kirigakure Genji, Tsunade cursed inwardly. It was obvious that he wanted to convey a message to the village through her: the Mist Ninja were about to fight amongst themselves.

At that time, Konoha will definitely choose to sit back and watch the tigers fight, and may even agree to let this anti-government force reside in the Land of Whirlpools.

They're all old foxes.

"Shizune."

Having figured this out, Tsunade gave a cold snort of annoyance, deciding she didn't want to get involved in these messy affairs anymore. Whether Kirigakure knew about it or not, this internal strife had severely weakened the village, which would actually benefit Konoha.

"Lady Tsunade"

Shizune hurriedly entered and bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle. Seeing Shizune's respectful Shizune, Tsunade dismissively and said, "Prepare yourselves. We'll be paying our respects to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire in a few days."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Although Shizune was respectful, she was filled with doubt. It seemed that Lady Tsunade was different, not as dejected as before.

Konoha Sannin Tsunade of Konoha, was sent to the Land of Water, which naturally did not escape the notice of other villages. After all, this time it was all done openly. However, Tsunade's actions this time also aroused suspicion from some people.

For example, at this moment, at the Root of the Konoha.

"Tsunade!"

Looking at the intelligence report in his hand, in the dark, secret room, Shimura Danzō revealed his single, sinister eye, which was filled with rage.

"Tsunade, are you trying to take the Hokage Position?!"

In Shimura Danzō's eyes, Tsunade's actions were a way of building momentum and creating a buzz for herself, a clear attempt to seize the Hokage.

He didn't take Shin'nosuke Sarutobi seriously, but the Sannin were formidable. Especially Tsunade, with her personal prestige, background, and even strength.

Sannin may be the strongest and most difficult to deal with among the Orochimaru, but when it comes to the chances of winning the Hokage, Tsunade is almost certainly superior to Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

The First Hokage and the Second Hokage were both her grandfathers, the Senju Clan was the founder of Konoha, and the current Third Hokage is her teacher.

If Tsunade wants to rise to power, almost no one can stop her.

"I will not admit defeat! Once I obtain Uchiha Fugaku Mangekyo, no one in Konoha will be able to stop me!"

Under the pressure from Tsunade, Shimura Danzō's eyes burned with ambition, and he became even more determined in his plans. He even hoped that Uchiha Fugaku would actually possess the Mangekyo.

Only in this way could he have the opportunity to fulfill his ambitions.

Hokage Office.

With a thud, the wooden pipe that he always carried fell to the floor, but this time no one picked it up, letting the burning tobacco splatter and gradually die out.

"Shinnosuke!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the intelligence report in his hand, two lines of painful tears streamed down his cloudy old eyes. He hadn't expected the intelligence to arrive so quickly, but instead of the good news he had imagined, it brought only lamentation.

A hoarse, sorrowful voice emanated from Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth as he slumped into a chair, utterly dejected, as if all his strength had been drained.

As the bright sunlight streamed in, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was also known as the "Hero of Shinobi Hero," seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

Beneath his completely white hair, only an unfolded intelligence scroll sat on the table.

Shin'nosuke Sarutobi rescued; the enemy was the Kumogakure, but he remained unconscious. On his way back, they were ambushed, suspected to be due to a leak of information.

"Investigate! Investigate for me! Who is it?!"

However, at that moment, an Anbu appeared in the office, respectfully handing over the intelligence report, and said in a deep voice, "Hokage-sama, breaking news."

Upon opening the other intelligence report, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, stared blankly, his eyes trembling as he looked at the report in his hand. He never expected it to turn out this way.

The intelligence report clearly states that among the group traveling together, one member of the Anbu was dissatisfied with Orochimaru's actions and was even more furious about the rumors circulating that Shin'nosuke Sarutobi wanted to become the Fifth Hokage.

This person secretly leaked information, attracting an ambush from enemy ninjas. He believed that Shin'nosuke Sarutobi was completely unqualified to become Hokage, whether in terms of strength, Prestige, or magnanimity, which led to all of this.

"How could it be! It was I who killed my own son!"

The Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, trembled and tears welled in his eyes. He had never imagined that all of this was caused by him.

If he hadn't rejected Orochimaru and chosen Shinnosuke, whom he trusted most at the moment, he wouldn't have been so confident that there would be no problem, completely disregarding human nature.

No matter who among the Sannin became Hokage, no one would say anything; that's what's called Prestige. But it's different with Shin'nosuke Sarutobi. Even with a group of high-ranking officials pushing him up, the people below would still look down on him from the bottom of their hearts.

Even Uchiha Yoru was probably baffled by this; he hadn't expected something so unexpected.

Some things are simply unpredictable. As for when the Third Hokage's eldest son and daughter-in-law died in the original work, it's unknown, but perhaps it's related to this person.

The island of the Land of Whirlpools, the Konoha Base.

"Night."

"Brother Yoru."

After Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui arrived at the camp, the three met again.

Looking at the two of them, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, but seeing Kakashi's somewhat remorseful expression, he couldn't help but comfort him.

"Kakashi, don't worry. Ume Sarutobi only fueled the Teacher Orochimaru incident last time, causing such great losses to the village. She deserves to die."

"As for Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, don't worry. Although I'm dissatisfied with the corruption in the village, I would never easily lay a hand on someone from my own village. He'll be fine."

Uchiha Yoru then recounted the events to the two men, completely pinning the Shin'nosuke Sarutobi's actions on the Kumogakure, thus clearing them of suspicion.

Upon hearing this, Hatake Kakashi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much lighter in his guilt. As for Ume Sarutobi, she certainly deserved what she got.

Uchiha Shisui, standing to the side, frowned slightly upon hearing this, and pondered silently as he looked at his Brother Yoru, who had a relaxed smile on his face.

Brother Yoru is too merciful. If Kakashi were to eliminate Shin'nosuke Sarutobi during this opportunity, Kakashi would never be able to leave the crew. It seems I need to become a sharp blade in Brother Yoru's hand from now on.

Only in this way can the stubborn corruption in Konoha be completely eradicated.

If Uchiha Yoru knew what Shisui was thinking, he would probably just laugh it off.

People are different. Kakashi isn't the kind of person who will submit to you if you have something on him. On the contrary, if you treat him sincerely and let Kakashi see for himself who is right and who is wrong.

All he needed to do was give Kakashi a push to make that choice.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, starting tomorrow, Jinli will resume its regular updates, with two chapters daily. Thank you all for your support during this time.