The Day the Army Marches, Tsunade Shall Be Made Hokage

When Hiruko heard that Orochimaru had no interest in his Chimera Technique, and instead placed great importance on that despicable villain Ryobu's forbidden technique, he was so angry he clenched his fists.

Hiruko was greedy for eternal life too, but at the current stage, he still wanted fame. He wanted to sit at the same table as the Sannin, and he did not have Orochimaru's obsession with life.

"Orochimaru, didn't you say that kid Ryobu blew himself up? Can you still find him?"

Orochimaru gave an evil smile. "Blew himself up? He fooled all of us. He isn't dead. He's alive and well."

Hiruko shook his head. "Impossible. The Sannin and Minato were all right there. What trick could Ryobu have pulled?"

Orochimaru mocked Hiruko. "Hiruko, aren't you a Jonin, after all? How did you get sneak-attacked by a Chunin like Ryobu?"

Hiruko grew anxious. "That was because—"

A backstab like that had nothing to do with strength. The more certain someone was of victory, the easier it was to fall into another person's trap.

A person's inner heart was not a blank sheet of paper with everything written on it.

If one wanted to guard against something like that, the only way was to trust no one, but Hiruko needed Ryobu's technology and funding.

Hiruko needed Ryobu, and Ryobu needed him as well.

The only thing Hiruko had done wrong was not acting as quickly as Ryobu.

"Damn it. If I got another chance, I'd definitely kill him first."

Orochimaru let out a cold laugh. Someone like Hiruko could not accomplish anything, and that would not change even if he got another chance.

"All right, we're here!"

Orochimaru brought Hiruko to Shen Wubi Bridge, the place where Ryobu had blown himself up back then.

Orochimaru stood at the spot where Ryobu had jumped off the cliff, stroking his chin as he analyzed.

Ryobu's defection had been full of doubts to begin with.

First, how had he escaped from the Uchiha's strict watch?

At that time, even if Ryobu had cured his Kekkei-genkai Illness and recovered his health, the members of the Uchiha Police Force were at least Chunin, and there had to have been at least three or four Jonin guarding him.

Second, how had he escaped the Anbu and the Root Members' pursuit for three days and three nights?

The Anbu were not necessarily all Jonin, but they were definitely all elites of the village.

Even if Ryobu was a Jonin, he could not have escaped for three days and three nights.

Third, why had he run toward Shen Wubi Bridge in the Land of Grass? He fled north instead of south. Did he think the northern sun was more dazzling?

Or had he been colluding with Stone Village or Grass Village, planning to offer his forbidden technique to an enemy country?

Orochimaru thought of the brief moment of stagnation when he had been just about to take Ryobu down. Before this, he had not cared at all, believing it was an oversight from exhaustion after chasing him for too long.

But now that he thought back on it, there had been an invisible hand in the shadows controlling Ryobu's defection.

"Who could it be?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

"Who? Orochimaru, what are you talking about?"

Hiruko was puzzled.

Orochimaru shook his head. "If that is truly the case, then there will definitely be traces nearby. Hiruko, let's go down and look."

"Look for what?"

"Don't worry about what we're looking for. Just follow along and search."

"Orochimaru, I'm not strong enough right now. If something unexpected really happens, I won't be of any use."

Orochimaru looked at Hiruko and responded, "What do you mean?"

Hiruko smiled. "My Chimera Technique can devour Kekkei Genkai, but there aren't any powerful bloodlines around. I want your White Snake Cells."

"Heh heh. My White Snake Cells. So that was what you were after. Fine. I'll give them to you."

Orochimaru agreed to Hiruko's request.

After all, Hiruko was already a dead person, a Reanimation Body. No matter how he struggled, wasn't he still Orochimaru's puppet?

As he spoke, Orochimaru and Hiruko jumped down from Shen Wubi Bridge, heading toward the canyon and great river below.

Before long, Jiraiya arrived at Shen Wubi Bridge. He was somewhat puzzled. "Why did Orochimaru come to the Land of Grass? Could it be that he still hasn't given up on Ryobu's forbidden technique?"

"Orochimaru, you really are becoming harder and harder to feel at ease about."

Leaf Hospital, Director's Office.

Warm sunlight filtered through the window lattice. Tsunade frowned as she held a pen, reviewing Leaf Hospital's cash flow.

It had been a long time since Tsunade last went to the Hokage's Office.

She could not simply tell the Third Hokage, "I want to become the next Hokage," and have the Third Hokage step aside for her. The Hokage had to be elected.

Tsunade had first become the director of Leaf Hospital, and the Third Hokage was naturally more than happy with that. With Tsunade's abilities, it was impossible to leave her idle.

Now, the fighting at the Mist Village Frontline was not intense. Minato alone was enough, and Leaf Hospital suited her better.

After taking office at Leaf Hospital, Tsunade actively pushed reforms, lowering the prices of a large number of special medicines for ninja and personally treating some incurable diseases that had once been impossible to cure. Her reputation among the ninja grew even better.

There were just a few scattered rumors in the village, saying that Tsunade had also participated in developing Liao Wu's Technique, and that Liao Wu's evil arts had been researched based on Tsunade's Ninjutsu Data.

So... Tsunade had done it too!

As for these rumors that were clearly slandering Tsunade, most ninja chose not to listen—not listening, just a turtle chanting scripture. The Senju Family Member used One Second Six Rods and harshly taught a lesson to a batch of villains who had spread the rumors.

Shizune knocked and came in, saying to Tsunade, "Lord Tsunade, are you really not going to do anything about the rumors in the village? Some villagers have already started talking."

Without even raising her head, Tsunade said, "Why bother? The innocent will prove themselves innocent."

In Liao Wu's matter, Tsunade was not exactly spotless either. She had known and not reported it, and it had even involved Advanced Ninjutsu Data enough to draw the attention of the Village High Command.

No matter how one put it... Tsunade was a suspect in Liao Wu's affair!

But Tsunade felt that the rumors were not so simple behind the scenes. Her taking office at Leaf Hospital so actively gave certain people the impression that she wanted to force her way into that house, that she wanted to sit in that position.

Back then, White Fang had half a Hokage sleeve sewn onto his clothes and had also been regarded as a Hokage Candidate, but in the end, under the village's gossip and slander, he had chosen to cut open his own stomach and kill himself.

This was political mudslinging.

Some people did not want Tsunade to be elected as the Fourth Hokage.

Tsunade's advantages were far too great.

As long as she let word out, the village would basically be filled with voices of support. Maybe the moment she stepped onto the bridge, the Senju Family Member would drape the Hokage Robe over her shoulders.

"On the day the army marches out, Tsunade shall be made Hokage."

What election? They could just mutiny, directly blasting that old Sarutobi man down from power.

In the eyes of the Senju, the old monkey the Third Hokage was merely a transitional regent. Now that their lord had come of age, the Sarutobi should return power to his lord.

Shizune puffed up her cheeks, a little indignant. Lord Tsunade was truly kind-hearted. If she had Lord Tsunade's monstrous strength, she would go out and hammer flat every single person who spoke ill of her.

Tsunade suddenly put down her pen, looked at the report on her desk, and gave a cold laugh. "I've finally caught this great tiger of Leaf Hospital!"

"Shizune, go call the Vice Director here for me!"

"Yes!"

After Tsunade took office, she discovered that Leaf Hospital had a massive funding shortfall. She had been investigating it all this time, and finally, she had found the person behind it.

Leaf Hospital's Vice Director—Nagayama Minoru.

At first, Tsunade had found it strange that no one had investigated after Liao Wu had sold fake medicine in Leaf Hospital for so long. It turned out that it wasn't that no one had investigated, but that Leaf Hospital had an even greater darkness.

The hospital's high command had not wanted Liao Wu's matter to strip Leaf Hospital down to its underwear.

Tsunade looked at Nagayama Minoru's file. He had not been born from a ninja clan, nor was he a high-level ninja. He was just an ordinary civilian.

It was just that he worked steadily and had earned the affection of many colleagues. How had such a person embezzled so much money? What had he taken all that money for?

Shizune's anxious voice came over. "This is bad! Lord Tsunade, the Vice Director committed suicide."

"What—"

Tsunade's pupils shrank. She immediately rushed out of her office.