Tavern Speech

Konoha.

A luxurious and upscale tavern was packed to capacity in broad daylight, yet inside were solemn-looking ninjas, and even ninjas or merchants from other countries.

Without exception, everyone here is either rich or noble, and even the lowest-ranking Konoha Ninja here are at least Chunin level. The tavern's open doors seem to pose no threat whatsoever to any leaks of information.

Inside the luxurious tavern, Uchiha Yoru, dressed in opulent attire, held a red-covered copy of 'My Struggle' in one hand while delivering a passionate speech.

"What kind of world do we live in? Powerful ninjas, yet impoverished ninjas! Elderly ninjas suffer from poverty and hardship; they don't know how to produce, yet they choose to become tools like ninjas to protect their villages and families..."

"Among you are ninjas from other countries on missions, and merchants, but without exception, why is the war in the Shinobi World so persistent...? Why can't ordinary people live in peace, while merchants don't have to worry about being ambushed on the road..."

As Uchiha Yoru delivered his impassioned speech, many foreign ninjas who had come to hear him from afar were blushing with excitement as they took notes, as if they wanted to memorize everything he said and then go back and recite it word for word.

Even businessmen showed excitement and fervor. In this chaotic world, who in business doesn't live in fear, risking their lives? Many of them were not even graduates of the Ninja Academy, and some were disabled retired ninjas.

Merchants, while engaging in trade, also primarily transmit information, thus placing them in a rather awkward position.

As the main source of missions, they are loved by all the major ninja villages. At the same time, they are also resented because they pass on information and may even spy on their own villages. Needless to say, during wartime, money can move people's hearts.

Moreover, these merchants were all subordinate to nobles of various countries, or even Daimyo's Mansion. Therefore, their so-called enormous wealth was merely a representation; the true owners of wealth were always those in positions of power.

The ninjas escorting the merchant will respect him, while those intercepting him will prioritize assassinating him. They will only attempt to steal the goods if they contain something extremely valuable.

In a private room on the second floor of the tavern, a white-haired figure watched the young man's speech below with an increasingly solemn expression, and couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "This brat's ideas are too terrifying; he will only bring disaster!"

"Tsunade!"

This person was none other than Jiraiya, but he had disguised himself and blended into the tavern without being recognized. Meanwhile, Tsunade, who was sitting at the table exuding an aristocratic air, did not even raise an eyebrow, but calmly raised her wine glass.

"Lady Tsunade"

Shizune respectfully poured the wine, a scene that made Jiraiya's pupils shrink, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine and a headache. Tsunade had only been gone for a few years, how could she have changed so much!

In the past, although she was known as the Princess of the Land of Fire, she was more of a forthright and generous person, and perhaps a little short-tempered.

As a result, Tsunade is now completely different from before, her somewhat old-fashioned green robe replaced by a loose and exquisite kimono.

The white kimono was adorned with hexagonal plum blossoms, and the wide sleeves were trimmed with red thorns, also featuring hexagonal plum blossom patterns. A snow-white, fluffy shawl draped over her proud neck and shoulders.

Her long, golden hair flew in the wind, and her golden eyes shone brightly. If Tsunade was once dashing and heroic, now she exuded an aura of nobility.

She was like a noble empress, exuding a powerful aura, especially with her innate arrogance and aristocratic demeanor.

And on her feet, the old-fashioned black high heels were gone, replaced by a pair of Crystal fish-mouth platform heels stilettos, elegant and exuding nobility. The crystal ribbons on the high heels wrapped around her calves, adding a touch of luxury.

Tsunade calmly sipped her Tsunade, her expression unchanged, and said, "Jiraiya, calmness is the principle of a ninja. Besides, have you really brought any disasters over the years?"

At this point, Tsunade gave a disdainful sneer, looking at Jiraiya, and said, "It seems that those fools you mentioned who inherited the Will of Fire have been bringing disaster all along, haven't they?"

Tsunade's words Jiraiya speechless. Jiraiya awkwardly scratched his head, thinking that Tsunade was taking the opportunity to mock the village's past actions.

"Ahem, Tsunade, this time the old man is probably really unsure of what to do, otherwise he wouldn't have summoned the two of us back."

Jiraiya directly revealed the reason for his return, and Tsunade responded with a disdainful smile, "You can't clean up the mess you created, so you know to call for help? Was it really necessary to go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it have been easier to just let Orochimaru, the old man's most favored disciple, discipline his own student?"

"Cough cough!"

Although Tsunade has changed a lot, her temper hasn't changed at all. Jiraiya hadn't even drunk his sake yet, choked and coughed repeatedly, a wry smile on his face.

Tsunade hasn't changed at all. Bringing up Orochimaru at this time is just asking for trouble.

"Tsunade, I don't object to this kid having ambition; after all, it's not wrong for every Konoha Ninja to want to become Hokage. But you may not have read his books, but you've at least heard of them, right? And what about this kid's speech right now?"

"If this brat were to become Hokage, it would likely bring disaster to the entire Shinobi World, not just Konoha!"

When it came to serious matters, Jiraiya suppressed his unruly emotions and stared intently at Tsunade with a solemn expression.

However, Tsunade still maintained her aristocratic demeanor, calmly sipping her wine and elegantly eating her food, showing none of her former impulsive and confrontational nature, Jiraiya somewhat helpless.

"Tsunade, this is information from a few years after this brat became the Uchiha Clan Head. Just from these kinds of speeches, this brat has not only been invited to give speeches in Konoha, but also in several important towns in the Land of Fire, and even when he visits other countries."

"Do you know how fascinated ninjas from other countries, besides Konoha, are by this kid's crazy ideas?"

At this point, Jiraiya, and he said in a deep voice, enunciating each word clearly. "More than half of the ninjas in the Shinobi World, including those in the Rogue Ninja and mercenary ninja armies, are obsessed with his insane ideas. Tsunade, you should know what a terrifying statistic that is!"

"Furthermore, in the Land of Heaven, the Land of Bears, the Land of Stars, the Land of Rivers... and so on, these small countries have seen a surge of fanatical and fanatical individuals, acting almost like cult members."

"Only the four great nations are relatively stable, but the current situation in the Shinobi World, this kid's terrifying ambition, and the fact that the leaders of the Shinobi World nations are simply waiting for a civil war in Konoha —all of this could even become the fuse for the Fourth Shinobi World War Shinobi World."

Was Jiraiya spreading alarmist rumors? No! Otherwise, why would Tsunade have returned?

Jiraiya's words also caused a ripple on Tsunade's calm face. She glanced sideways through the gap in the private room at the handsome man below, who exuded a powerful personal charm and was giving a passionate speech.

This scene brought a complex look to her eyes. Finally, she turned her head and looked at Jiraiya's solemn expression, and couldn't help but reveal a self-deprecating smile.

"Jiraiya, just as you said, this brat has become too powerful to control. Just look at how popular he is, I'm afraid no one in Konoha can rival him. Moreover, this brat has the entire Uchiha Clan under his command, as well as the Hyuga Branch Family, Aburame, and Orochimaru's former crew."

"The tide has turned. The Fourth Hokage died, Third Hokage has returned to power, aiming to temporarily Hokage Position. But after all these years..."

At this point, Tsunade shook her head sarcastically and sneered, "The Third Hokage's personality has become more and more stubborn as he gets older, but his methods and courage have become increasingly worse. He still stubbornly believes that only he can save Konoha, and what has he done? He can't even handle a brat."

Jiraiya naturally understood what Tsunade meant, and he couldn't help but lower his head and fall silent.

In his youth, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was indeed hailed as Shinobi Hero. However, as he aged, he became arrogant and stubborn, resulting in this huge mess.

Most of the Jōnin in the village were already dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's regime, or rather, most of the Jōnin dissatisfied with the regime of the Hokage's high-ranking clan.

Good positions and good tasks are all prioritized for ninjas from the Hokage Faction, such as Sarutobi, Yamanaka, and Nara, before they can even get a turn, making it like a stagnant pool.

At first, it wasn't a big deal, but as time went on, the prejudices in people's hearts gradually accumulated, and the Third Hokage's regime began to show signs of disunity.

If it weren't for the faction within the Hokage's upper echelons holding considerable power, they would have been ousted long ago.

Even Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were often away from home, knew this, and they were even dissatisfied with it. Otherwise, in the original story, when the Third Hokage Chunin Ninja Exams, no one came to his rescue except for his own Anbu.

Guy, full of youthful passion, wanted to go, but Kakashi's words, "I believe in the Third Hokage," made him freeze in his tracks. Did Guy, a Jōnin, not understand? Even if he couldn't open all Eight Gates, he certainly had the ability to open six or seven gates and destroy the barrier.

The Root didn't come out, and neither did the two advisors; it was all very strange.

Even Jiraiya was strangely slacking off in the village, as if everyone had abandoned the Third Hokage at this moment, or rather, everyone had chosen to give this Third Hokage was known for the longest reign, a dignified end.

"Tsunade, the old man is indeed getting old." Thinking of this Jiraiya couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly, downing the sake in his cup in one gulp, but he still stated his reason.

"A clash between the old and new forces is inevitable. This brat's extreme ambition and the Third Hokage's stubbornness mean that neither side will back down, and the entire Shinobi World is watching Konoha!"

"Everyone is afraid that Konoha won't fight. They would love for Konoha to have a civil war if given the chance, so Tsunade is not exaggerating this time."

At this moment, Jiraiya said in a very solemn voice, "Once the Konoha civil war breaks out, do you think the Stone Ninja and Cloud Ninja, who have been constantly expanding their military power in recent years, will give up this opportunity? And the Sunagakure probably won't miss this opportunity either."

"So?" Faced with Jiraiya's serious mention of the topic, Tsunade smiled dismissively, toying with her wine cup in her delicate hand.

"Help those old fogies Third Hokage? And then suppress this brat? Start a civil war ahead of time? Or are you planning to drag me into this, using the name of the Sannin to join forces with those old fogies, using our power to intimidate them, and then using Danzo's dirty tricks to dismantle this brat's forces?"

"The same methods used to deal with those two idiots, White Fang Orochimaru."

Tsunade, who so bluntly and blatantly exposed the ugliness of politics, revealed a disdainful smile. She hated such methods, so she always preferred to solve problems with her fists. Perhaps her status did not allow her to do so, so she could only rely on violence to vent her dissatisfaction and anger.

"Cough cough!"

After being so bluntly confronted by Tsunade, Jiraiya's old face showed embarrassment. "Tsunade, we can only say that in private, please don't say it in front of this old man."

"What? A bunch of old fogies should have been buried long ago, but they're shamelessly clinging to their positions, still claiming it's for Konoha."

"Perhaps it was for Konoha before, but now!" Tsunade sneered disdainfully as she said this, a look of disgust appearing in her eyes.

Shizune, standing to the side, was so intimidated by their conversation that she lowered her head and obediently became the wine-pouring girl, not daring to join in.

Given Tsunade and Jiraiya's status, it's not a problem for them to say these things. They even have to tolerate Tsunade at the higher-ups and cursing them. But she can't.

"Lady Tsunade"

Seeing that the wine in her glass was only half full, Tsunade and showed her displeasure. Shizune, seeing this, couldn't help but show her habitual awkward smile, as if she were hinting at something.

Even Shizune didn't know that since Lady Tsunade Land of Whirlpools went through something a few years ago, her personality had changed drastically, and even her previous drinking habits had become more regular.

"Hmph! Is that enough for today? How stingy."

Tsunade gave a disgruntled snort, muttering curses through gritted teeth. But to Jiraiya's astonishment, Tsunade didn't ask for more wine. Instead, she gently sipped the half-cup of wine, as if it were her last drink for the day.

This scene surprised Jiraiya, who exclaimed in shock, "Tsunade, what's wrong with your head?! How could you do this?!"

However, before he could speak, he was met with Tsunade's cold gaze. In that instant, Jiraiya thought of that iron fist, and his expression froze. He even swallowed the rest of his words.

"Hehe, that's good, that's good, Tsunade."

Jiraiya smiled brightly, raised his glass as a gesture, and the two lightly clinked their glasses, creating a slightly tense atmosphere.

"Tsunade!"

Jiraiya, with his keen observation skills as a ninja, had already noticed something was amiss. The combination of events today made him want to ask for clarification. However, before he could finish speaking, Tsunade, as if knowing what he was going to ask, answered him in a calm tone.

"I found someone a bit younger, rich, but a little disobedient."

Tsunade waved her hand impatiently, saying that after all these years, she knew Jiraiya's feelings all too well, so she wanted to directly discourage him from his idea.

Upon hearing Jiraiya's body trembled almost imperceptibly, then his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. After a long while, he exclaimed in a comical manner, "Tsunade, you're an old cow eating young grass!"

"Jiraiya!"

Tsunade's angry voice rang out, and the relationship between the Sannin returned to what it was before, leaving only a white-haired, sorrowful, and lonely soul.

Shizune, upon hearing this, muttered to herself, "Sure enough, no wonder Lady Tsunade has changed so much in the past few years."

Cough cough, I'm feeling a bit better today. Just letting you know, I'll resume normal updates the day after tomorrow. Let me rest a little more tomorrow.