Life is Like Going to the Toilet

"My younger self... so that's how it is. It was Jiraiya-sensei's philosophy all along."

Perhaps because she was recalling those beautiful memories, a gentle smile bloomed on Konan's face.

As for Naruto Uzumaki... strictly speaking, he had already fulfilled his promise; after all, he had only pledged "peace" as the ending of the story.

Just like the romance novels written by Jiraiya-sensei, the ending is fixed at the moment of marriage. As for whether the life following that sunrise would be a mess of trivialities, he didn't see it, so he wouldn't concern himself with it.

Just as Hyuga Kiyonari said in the log.

[No one can order a ninja who became the strongest in the world at sixteen to do things he does not wish to do.]

At least... the strongest in this world is a naive idealist. From a certain perspective, Jiraiya-sensei's teachings were quite successful.

"Sigh."

Konan let out a helpless sigh. So... should she let Nagato see this log?

After thinking for a while, she reached her answer.

No.

Because the Mysterious Masked Man is still alive.

Without finding a way to definitively kill him, if she let Nagato know the contents of this log, he would certainly go to kill the current Naruto Uzumaki. But if that happened, and they failed in the future, there would be no one left to stop that masked man.

Every action of the Akatsuki was built on one premise: that they firmly believed the power of the Rinnegan was unrivaled.

But now, the myth that the Rinnegan was invincible had shattered—at least, it had shattered for her.

The path Yahiko walked failed, and the path Nagato walked also failed. Even after the Mysterious Masked Man took control of the Akatsuki and used his hidden power to ignite the Fourth Shinobi World War, he still failed.

The path pursued through force will inevitably encounter even stronger obstacles of force.

Peace, and what comes after peace... is there really no way?

Konan flipped through the pages of the log, only to find that the content stopped abruptly. There was no follow-up, yet it didn't feel finished either. It was like...

"A serialized novel."

Konan closed the log and placed it in her desk, but after a brief hesitation, she took it back out and tucked it under her pillow.

This room was not safe. This log... it would be better to keep it on her person.

The next morning.

As soon as Tsunade stepped into the Uchiha compound, she sensed that the atmosphere was wrong. The Uchiha clan had become quite hostile toward outsiders entering their territory. If things continued to develop this way... it was no wonder Fugaku had reached out to her.

"Lady Tsunade."

Fugaku Uchiha waited before his residence with his family. Tsunade's gaze swept over them, lingering for a brief moment on Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha.

So it was the same group from that day; what a coincidence.

"No need for such formalities." Tsunade waved a hand and walked straight into the residence.

Fugaku led Tsunade into the reception room. Sasuke watched the closing door, his face filled with a mix of confusion and resentment.

"Brother," he couldn't help but ask Itachi beside him, "who is she? Even Father had to come out to greet her personally... he didn't even do that when the Hokage came."

He explained in a low voice: "Because Father does this out of his own respect—out of our respect—for Lady Tsunade herself."

Inside the reception room, Fugaku and Tsunade sat opposite each other. Mikoto Uchiha served the freshly brewed tea and then departed.

"Clan Head Fugaku, I apologize for the sudden visit." Tsunade got straight to the point.

"Let's skip the pleasantries and keep it brief. Last night, the Anbu should have notified all the major clans; I am here precisely for that reason."

"Of course!" A flash of excitement crossed Fugaku's eyes. "Konoha has never been one to be slaughtered at will. Since Kumogakure dares to provoke us, we must naturally strike back!"

War was Konoha's business, but Tsunade had visited the Uchiha clan privately; the deep meaning behind this was self-evident.

She wanted to use this opportunity to give the Uchiha a hand. Since that was the case, the Uchiha must not let her down.

He paused, his tone becoming more fervent: "Lady Tsunade, the Uchiha clan is willing to serve the village and serve you. We can provide one hundred and fifty elite ninjas for the war, including thirty jonin who have awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. If that is not enough, we can increase the numbers."

"That won't be necessary." Tsunade's tone was extremely calm.

Fugaku was stunned: "Hm?"

"I said, there is no need for the Uchiha to send so many ninjas." Tsunade repeated, "Reduce your numbers to one-third. It would be best to draft a plan and divide these one hundred and fifty ninjas into three batches."

Fugaku Uchiha had not expected such a response. In his projections, Tsunade should have gladly accepted the Uchiha's support, perhaps even feeling grateful or appreciative of his generosity.

But she had refused.

Fugaku suppressed the doubt in his heart and tried to persuade her again: "Lady Tsunade, if I may speak frankly, when facing a powerful enemy like Kumogakure, we should commit as many elite troops as possible. The Uchiha clan is willing to..."

"I know the Uchiha clan is willing." Tsunade interrupted him again, her eyes turning sharp. "But this unit is mine. You will do as I say."

"But if we don't distinguish ourselves in battle, how can the Uchiha—!"

Fugaku's emotions surged, a sincere thought slipping out before he forcibly cut it off. He shouldn't have been so uncomposed. But... the hope was right before his eyes; why was Tsunade snuffing it out?

The Uchiha had been ostracized by the Konoha high command for too long, and the resentment of the clansmen was growing heavier by the day. In his view, this war was the perfect opportunity. As long as they earned military merit, the Uchiha's return to the center of power would no longer be a reflection in the water, and the position of Hokage would no longer be out of reach!

Tsunade did not offer much explanation; at the same time, her display of such dominance was also born from the hope that the first batch of Uchiha to join the war would be a bit more obedient.

The proposal put forward by Hyuga Kiyonari actually shared a similar essence to the way her granduncle had dissolved the Senju Clan back in the day. By forcibly integrating and smelting ninjas from different family backgrounds into this unit, the only thing that would ultimately bind them together would be one thing.

Konoha, their shared home.

Therefore, Tsunade had even kept the Third Hokage in the dark; if the truth of the plan were to leak, it would inevitably stir up suspicion and resistance from the various clans.

After all... the Senju Clan was already gone. No one knew if this unit would eventually lead to the same outcome.

Tsunade suddenly let out a laugh and said with keen interest, "Clan Head Fugaku, my student once said something quite interesting."

Fugaku had no idea what she was up to, so he simply replied, "What is it?"

"He said, 'Life is like going to the restroom; good enough is good enough.' So..."

Tsunade blinked, using a single sentence to conclude the meeting.

"I will have Shisui Uchiha transferred to serve as my deputy."