Konoha's Teacher and Student

After the internal affairs official left, Minato Namikaze finally had a moment to greet Tsunade.

"Lord Tsunade, you're back," he said.

"Mhm, Minato, you seem in good spirits!"

Tsunade glanced at him, her gaze sweeping over him. Her brow furrowed, and she asked her teacher, "What's wrong with the village? Why does it feel like someone else's home!"

"This isn't the place to talk."

Hiruzen Sarutobi extinguished his pipe and waved to her and Orochimaru. "Let's talk at my home."

Tsunade paused, then let out a cold snort. She then turned to Minato Namikaze and asked, "Coming with us?"

Minato smiled. "No, there's been a lot of bandit activity on the border recently, and I need to handle it."

Tsunade nodded, not saying much more, and left with her teacher.

Shizune, holding Tonton, looked around timidly and followed closely behind.

Orochimaru licked his lips, chuckled softly, and followed like a shadow.

The Sarutobi clan's residence was just as it always was, ancient and tranquil.

As the group stepped into the courtyard, an old woman with white hair but a vigorous spirit emerged from the house.

It was Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife, Biwako Sarutobi.

"Tsunade? Orochimaru?"

Biwako's eyes flashed with surprise upon seeing them, her face full of affection.

"You two, finally decided to visit home."

She stepped forward, taking Tsunade's hand, and then looked Orochimaru up and down, muttering, "You've gotten thinner, both of you."

Faced with Biwako's warmth, Tsunade's expression softened slightly.

"Lord Biwako."

"Heh, you still know how to address me."

Biwako smiled and patted her hand, then glared at Orochimaru beside her. "What about you, lost your tongue?"

"Lord Biwako." Orochimaru bowed slightly, the coldness on his face dissipating considerably.

"Alright, alright, come in and sit. I'll make you some tea."

Biwako bustled about enthusiastically, as if they were still the brats who used to follow Hiruzen Sarutobi around.

"Biwako!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "You go prepare a meal first. We have something to discuss. The tea can wait."

The smile on Biwako's face faltered. She looked at her husband's serious expression, then at Tsunade and Orochimaru, and immediately understood.

She sighed and nodded. "I understand. You... talk it out."

In the study, Hiruzen Sarutobi personally poured tea for the two of them.

Without his Hokage title, he now seemed more like an elder worried about his juniors.

"Speak," Tsunade broke the silence first, getting straight to the point. "What happened while I was away? Why isn't that bastard Danzo here? With something this big happening, wouldn't he be jumping out to seek attention?"

"He's dead."

This answer made Tsunade's pupils contract sharply.

"Dead? Who killed him? Kumogakure, or Iwagakure?"

"Neither." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, his tone complex. "He died in the Land of Fire Capital. The new Daimyo ordered his execution for treason."

"What?!"

Tsunade shot up, her beautiful eyes fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi. "The Daimyo?! How dare he execute a Konoha elder advisor! What about Minato? Did he just stand by and watch?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a breath. "He intended to commit treason."

He began to recount the events of the past period.

Starting from the Daimyo Manor's decree to directly cut Konoha's financial budget by twenty percent.

He spoke of how Danzo secretly colluded, attempting to stage a coup, but was swiftly suppressed. Tsunade interjected.

"Then he deserved to die."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't refute her. Grief flickered in his eyes as he continued.

He said that after Danzo's death, the Daimyo used the Genius Cultivation Plan and the Guardians of the Twelve as bait to completely reshuffle Konoha's power structure.

Tsunade listened, her heart pounding.

Her expression shifted from initial anger to shock, and then to disbelief.

She couldn't fathom how the Daimyo, who was supposed to provide financial support, managed to directly reach into Konoha's heart.

This had broken the power dynamic established between ninja and nobles since the First Hokage founded the village!

"...So, all the geniuses in the village now, all future hopes, are nominally under the Daimyo's control?"

"Yes." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, a bitter expression on his face. "Not only that, but the restart of the Guardians of the Twelve has also caused the major clans to scramble for positions."

"Now, the will of the Daimyo Manor is unimpeded in Konoha."

Tsunade slowly sat down, her chest heaving.

She felt as if she had just experienced a ridiculous dream.

"Heh heh…"

Beside her, Orochimaru, who had been silent until now, suddenly let out a low chuckle. "Teacher Hiruzen, you seem to have forgotten the most interesting thing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shot him a glare.

Orochimaru, however, paid him no mind. He looked at Tsunade, who was still looking bewildered.

"Tsunade, do you know? While our great Lord Daimyo was consolidating Konoha, something particularly amusing happened."

"He issued an imperial decree to select consorts throughout the Land of Fire."

Tsunade's brow furrowed. "Select consorts? As expected, those nobles have nothing else on their minds but power and women! Is he trying to get his hands on our Konoha's Kekkei Genkai?"

This was almost her first reaction.

"Exactly!"

Tsunade's answer immediately caused Orochimaru to clap his hands and laugh heartily, a rare display of genuine amusement. "Everyone in Konoha thought the same as you!"

"Especially the Uchiha and the Hyuga!"

"On the Uchiha side, Fugaku's wife personally took charge, grooming her own sister like an offering, just waiting to send her to the Daimyo's bed, dreaming of one person's ascension leading to the entire clan's prosperity."

"The Hyuga clan had it even worse. At first, they refused outright, but when the Daimyo Manor investigated them on tax issues, they were almost stripped of their entire fortune. In the end, they dejectedly handed over the list of geniuses from their entire clan…"

"Do you know what the funniest part is?"

Orochimaru leaned closer, lowering his voice, his face full of schadenfreude.

"In the end, everyone discovered that the Lord Daimyo had never mentioned wanting their women from beginning to end!"

"What he wanted was simply their loyalty!"

"Selecting consorts is one thing, and the Genius Cultivation Plan is another; they are completely unrelated matters!"

"Hahaha… Imagine the scene, the entire Konoha, all the clans who considered themselves clever, like monkeys, being played for fools!"

"It's truly hilarious!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru, who was laughing uncontrollably, and suddenly realized how long it had been since he had seen him smile.

He still smiled the same way he did as a child.

Tsunade was stunned after listening.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Absurd!

It was too absurd!

The village had become the subject of such a huge joke over something like this?

"However…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang out again, a smile appearing on his face.

That smile held a hint of relief.

"Although the village has become like this, perhaps it's a good thing for ordinary people."

"After the Daimyo's ascension, he abolished all war taxes and provided substantial compensation to civilians injured or disabled during the war."

"The prices in the village now are much lower than during the war, and many formerly impoverished families can now live stable lives."

Tsunade was taken aback.

She looked at the genuine joy on her teacher's face, her heart filled with a mix of emotions.

She suddenly felt that the teacher before her had become incredibly unfamiliar.

After a long while, she finally found her voice.

"Where is Jiraiya? Still on the border?"

"Yes, he is." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Our peace treaty with Kumogakure hasn't been officially signed yet, so we can't leave that area unguarded."

Tsunade nodded and said no more.

In the study, silence fell once more.

The master and disciple, who once talked about everything, were now speechless in each other's presence.