Orochimaru Really Is Better

Inside the Hokage's Office, as Minato gave the order, a burst of white smoke exploded, Taiichi vanished on the spot. It turned out that this was a Shadow Clone.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi a glance, both seeing a deep sense of helplessness in each other's eyes.

This master and apprentice pair, the elder and the younger, are both a handful.

About two thousand minutes later, Tsunade's impatient complaints and Taiichi's humble explanations came from the corridor outside the door, growing louder as they approached.

"I said, the hospital operating room just got vacant, and the backlog of documents is enough to bury a person! Is the Hokage Tower just bored out of their minds? They deliberately choose times like this to cause trouble!" Tsunade's voice pierced through the wooden door, filled with anger.

"Teacher, it'll only be a little while, really, it won't delay your approval of the documents—" Taiichi's persuasion seemed weak and powerless.

The office door was pushed open, and Tsunade strode in, a few strands of her blonde hair sticking up unruly. Taiichi followed behind her with a fawning smile.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's sharp gaze immediately fell on his disciple. Perhaps it was because he hadn't seen her for a few days, or perhaps the image in the crystal ball had become distorted, but now that the real person was standing in front of him, the Third Kazekage noticed that Tsunade's cheeks seemed to have become even thinner.

Despite his sharp eyes, straight back, and seemingly overflowing energy, the deep weariness between his brows made the old Hokage's heart skip a beat, and his brows furrowed tightly.

"Hokage-sama, Teacher Sarutobi," Tsunade stopped, her tone unusually composed and calm, "What brings you here? The hospital really needs someone."

She even bowed slightly, her movements so precise they were flawless.

Minato and Hiruzen Sarutobi simultaneously felt a chill run down their spines. This was highly unusual! When had Tsunade ever been so "humble and polite" to the Hokage?

Minato immediately turned his pleading gaze to the Third Kazekage —your disciple, please come!

Hiruzen Sarutobi tightened his grip on his pipe, forcing himself to speak, "Tsunade," he carefully chose his words, "Have you been acting a little off lately? Don't you realize it?"

"Huh?" Tsunade looked bewildered, even a little aggrieved at being questioned. "Wait a minute? I feel perfectly fine! I have a regular schedule, I don't drink a drop of alcohol, and I've almost forgotten which way the gambling den's door faces! Isn't this turning over a new leaf?"

She became more and more self-righteous as she spoke, finally putting her hands on her hips, raising her chin slightly, and displaying an awe-inspiring and righteous demeanor of "I dedicate my youth to Konoha".

An eerie silence fell over the office.

Abstaining from alcohol completely? Quitting gambling? Maintaining a regular sleep schedule?

Listen to this! Is this something Tsunade should be saying?

Hiruzen Sarutobi silent for a moment, not even noticing that his pipe had gone out.

After a long pause, as if he had made a great decision, he said with a pained expression, "Um— Tsunade, there are still some old, privately kept items in the teacher's wine cellar—all good stuff."

"How about you go pick out a few bottles? It'll be a reward for all your hard work these past few days?"

Every word felt like a piece of flesh torn from his heart. Upon hearing this, Minato and Taiichi turned to look at the Third Kazekage in astonishment, their eyes filled with disbelief.

For his apprentice, the old man was even willing to take out his most treasured possession—his most precious possession?

However, they truly are worthy of being master and disciple!

However----

"Teacher!" Tsunade's voice suddenly rose, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, filled with insulted anger, "What are you saying! Do you think I, Tsunade, am that kind of person?"

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage and a Jonin Konoha, it is my duty and calling to work diligently and dedicate myself to the development of the village! How could you insult my character and conscience with such vulgar things!

She was so angry that the few unruly blonde hairs on the top of her head stood up even higher.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was rendered speechless by the retort, his fingers trembling slightly as he held his pipe, a feeling of frustration washing over him that he had been given the cold shoulder.

"Senior Tsunade, you've misunderstood!"

Minato interjected at the opportune moment, his gentle smile helping the Third Kazekage out of the predicament, "What the Third Kazekage Hokage meant was that your treasured wines were stolen by Nine-Tails. Nine-Tails is the village's property, so the village should compensate for this loss. He was just too concerned and didn't express himself clearly enough."

He cleverly transformed "condolences" into "compensation," while quickly shifting the focus to Taiichi, "By the way, Taiichi, what about the Nine-Tails who caused the trouble? Has it apologized to Lady Tsunade yet?"

Taiichi reacted quickly, his face instantly filled with helplessness. "Don't even mention it! That guy knows he's committed grave sins, so he disappeared as soon as he got back from the mission. He hasn't been home for days; he's obviously too ashamed to show his face!"

He glanced at Tsunade furtively and noticed that her fists, hanging at her sides, had clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"Who, who cares about that wine!" Tsunade away, her tone still stiff, but a hint of unease betrayed her true feelings.

"Yes, yes, yes." Taiichi quickly seized the opportunity to steer the conversation back on track, "Everyone just sees how hard you've been working lately and feels sorry for you, so they want you to relax a bit and have some rest."

Tsunade a deep breath, surprisingly revealing a hint of "reflection": "Sigh, I know I've been too carefree in the past."

Upon hearing this, Minato, Hiruzen Sarutobi Taiichi eyelids twitch involuntarily.

"I just wanted to make a change; it's really not as complicated as you think."

"It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature?" Tsunade wants to "repent and start anew"? This is even more shocking than the Nine-Tails actively requesting to be sealed away!

Hiruzen Sarutobi, using every trick in the book to persuade her, said earnestly, "Tsunade, work requires a balance. How about this, while Taiichi is in the village, why don't you take a few days off? Just to catch your breath."

"A holiday—" Tsunade muttered softly, her face hesitant, as if weighing the pros and cons. Finally, a "bright idea" struck her. "That works! Since I'm staying in the village anyway, I can take the documents home to process! The efficiency is the same, and it saves me the trouble of going to the hospital!"

She felt she had found the perfect solution.

Although the voice was soft, everyone present was a top-tier ninja with exceptional perception. Even the Hiruzen Sarutobi heard it clearly.

Inside the office, the Third Kazekage and Fourth Hokage, along with Taiichi, all had a dark expression – a stark contrast to their extremes of alcoholism and gambling, jumping directly to the other extreme of bringing work home as 007?

This "change" is worse than no change at all!

"Ahem," Taiichi cleared his throat, seemingly casually reminding Minato, "Senior Disciple Brother Minato, I remember a couple of days ago I was assigned a reconnaissance mission? Something like the one Jiraiya- sensei did? I think Teacher Tsunade would be perfect for it, a good way to relax and unwind."

Minato was taken aback for a moment, then clapped his hands as if suddenly realizing something. "Right, right, right! Look at my memory!"

He immediately turned to Tsunade, his smile sincere, "There is indeed an important intelligence gathering mission in the field, and we haven't been able to find someone with the strength and experience to handle it. Your qualifications and abilities are top-notch in Konoha. Would you be willing to go through the trouble for the village again?"

Tsunade's eyes lit up noticeably, and she stretched her wrists and ankles. "Oh? There's such a mission? If the village needs it, I can't shirk my duty! I'll take it!"

She agreed readily, as if she hadn't been the one who had just declared that "the hospital can't function without people."

Minato acted swiftly, signing the Mission Scroll on the spot, stamping it with the bright red Hokage seal, and presenting it with both hands. "The mission is urgent and has been delayed for several days. Please, Lady Tsunade, set off as soon as possible."

"Don't worry!" Tsunade grabbed the scroll, waved casually at the two Hokage, and turned to leave.

Taiichi quickly bowed to Minato and the Third Kazekage Hokage and hurried after them.

The departure procedures were incredibly fast. Tsunade went home and only retrieved a lightweight Sealing Scroll before heading straight for the Konoha Gate, "escorted" by Taiichi.

Although she tried her best to keep a straight face throughout the journey, her light steps and slightly upturned lips had already revealed the joy in her heart.

Beneath the towering gates of Konoha, Taiichi looked at Tsunade, his voice earnest yet seemingly meaningful. "Teacher, this is all I can do to help. Please—when you're 'on duty,' remember to come back early."

"Then—" Tsunade blurted out, then suddenly realized her mistake and immediately straightened her face, "What are you saying! I'll naturally come back after the mission is complete!"

She patted Taiichi's shoulder twice, as if to cover something up, then her figure blurred as she activated her Body Flicker Technique, disappearing in a few leaps at the end of the road leading out of the village, leaving only a swift gust of wind.

Taiichi stood alone in Konoha Gate, gazing in the direction where his teacher had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time.

"Tsunade- Senior —is she gone?" A gentle, smiling voice sounded from his side. Minato's figure appeared silently, as if blending into the sunlight.

"Hmm," Taiichi said without turning around, a knowing smile playing on his lips, "They just left. With your speed, you can still catch up."

Minato chuckled and shook his head, "They're already gone, why chase after them? But you'll be in for a tough time with all the paperwork piling up at the hospital and school."

"It's alright," Taiichi said casually. "My strength has just made a slight breakthrough, so maintaining one more permanent Shadow Clone shouldn't be a problem."

Upon hearing this, Minato's eyes flashed with amazement. "Your rate of progress—I'm afraid those Celestial Being" will soon be no match for you."

"Ha!" Taiichi laughed loudly, his gaze sweeping across the vast sky, his ambition and fighting spirit undisguised. "That's why I've been sharpening my claws. If they dare to invade, I'll make sure they never return!"

A Fourth Hokage and a White Reaper stood at the gates of Konoha, chatting and laughing.

An invisible Chakra barrier opened naturally, isolating the two whispers from the outside world.

The passing villagers and ninjas only saw the two important figures standing side by side, but no one could hear a single word they said, only casting a respectful and curious glance at them.

Tsunade's departure was truly like a dragon returning to the sea, or a tiger entering the mountains. Apart from a Communication Hawk returning to Konoha every few days with a standard-formatted and meticulously worded mission briefing, proving that she was still "diligently carrying out her duties," there was no other news.

A whole week passed, Hiruzen Sarutobi, staring at the empty pigeon coop once again, finally realized what was going on. He slammed his hand on the table, sending cigarette ash flying everywhere. "Well, well! This little brat! From the very beginning, she was aiming to leave the village and have some fun."

Taiichi, that little rascal, definitely knows the ropes and is going along with it, offering her a way out.

During the last batch of missions at Minato, they probably figured it out too, so they simply backed down!

So they just fooled this old man! I was completely outmaneuvered by my apprentice and grand-apprentice!

To make matters worse, he also had to reluctantly clean up the mess his derelict disciple had made, extending the mission deadline and signing additional documents—he couldn't very well actually label Tsunade Rogue Ninja, could he?

The more the Third Kazekage thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated they became, feeling a throbbing pain in their temples.

Small ones are a headache, but big ones are even more troublesome!

He missed Orochimaru terribly at that moment. As long as there was enough funding and experimental materials, that guy could stay glued to the research institute and never leave. He was such a sweetheart!

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply in the Hokage Tower, while Minato and Taiichi had already embarked on another complex and delicate task—assisting the Hyuga Clan in improving the "Caged Bird."

Deep within the Hyuga Clan Compound, in a secret room shrouded by multiple Barrier, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to drip water.

This is the fourth day. Minato, Taiichi, Orochimaru, and Katsuya Otsutsuki come here every day after finishing their own work to the Hyuga Clan improve the Caged Bird.

However, progress was not as smooth as expected.

Curse Mark like the Caged Bird Seal, which is crucial to the inheritance of a family line, should theoretically have a lot of development data preserved.

The truth is, after several days of sorting, very little information could be found. It was said that all the information was lost, but how could such things be lost without a reason?

At this moment, all the elders of the Main Family, including Hyuga Hiashi, stood in front of Minato with shame on their faces.

"Hokage-sama, truly... we never imagined that so many of our clan's records were missing."

As the clan leader, Hiashi was naturally the only one who could shoulder this responsibility at this time.

Judging from his expression and the expressions of the elders, everyone understood that this matter really couldn't be blamed on them.

It can only be said that the Hyuga Main Family never thought they would modify the Caged Bird Seal one day. Rather than keeping those materials and risking the leakage of secrets, it was better to let them disappear into the dust of history.

"Hiashi, you don't need to blame yourself. After all, this has little to do with you. However, if this happens, the improvement of the Caged Bird will definitely be affected, and we, who were originally just assisting, will have to delve into the core development."

Minato was reasonable and wouldn't blame the Hyuga Clan for this, but he also stated his own request.

There's no other way. Even with available data, the Hyuga Clan still needs outside help. Now that the data is running out, if they continue as before, the research will take forever. To ensure progress, we have no choice but to involve them deeply.

"This----"

The elders of the Main Family present looked at each other, none of them wanting to make a decision that went against their ancestors' wishes.

Finally, it was on the behalf of the clan chief that Hiashi nodded in agreement to Minato's proposal, and the research officially got on track.

Just as the Konoha High Command was busy with "domestic affairs" and the Hyuga Clan was deeply embroiled in the delicate vortex of improving the "Caged Bird" technique, a shocking piece of information spread like wildfire throughout the Ninja World.

Konoha has "kidnapped" the Otsutsuki clan, a mysterious Ninja Clan Otsutsuki the moon, and is forcing them to join the Konoha.

The Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.

The Fourth Raikage, Ai, stood with his burly frame in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, his rough fingers gripping an intelligence scroll tightly, his bronze face a mixture of shock and absurdity.

"Are there really people living on the moon?"

Ai's dry, incredulous muttering broke the silence of the office.

The core of this intelligence is that Konoha "abducted" a Ninja Clan from the moon and forced them to join their ranks.

This was something all too familiar to him and even to the entire Kumogakure.

The Cloud Village are seasoned veterans at this kind of "absorbing" of other races' bloodlines and forcibly seizing them, so they are naturally extremely sensitive to the implications behind such methods.

But the intelligence report mentioned the origin of that Ninja Clan, and the moon that hung high in the sky, seemingly unreachable, which was the key to his profound shock.

This was a possibility that he, no, the entire Kumogakure, had never imagined. Someone actually lived in the heavens above?

"Could it be that those stories that are considered myths and legends are all true?" Ai's gaze was fixed on the moon in the sky, her thoughts churning.

As the hometown of the Kinkaku Ginkaku, who are said to be direct descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, Kumogakure boasts the most comprehensive collection of ancient legends in the Ninja World.

Those fragmented records in ancient books about the "Creator" Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Sage of Sage of Six Paths brothers, and the "Land of Moon" surged violently in his mind like pebbles thrown into a lake.

Those stories were so bizarre they resembled tales of eating, and for a long time they were considered mere myths. However, the information before us suggests that they may not be entirely fictional.

"Lord Raikage," the secretary Mabui's respectful voice rang out at the right moment, rousing Ai from his chaotic thoughts, who was still immersed in the great shock.

"This intelligence about Konoha —should we take action?"

Ai slowly turned around and slammed the scroll heavily onto the heavy desk, making a dull thud.

A bitter, almost self-deprecating smile appeared on his face, "Respond? Ha— Mabui, besides empty talk, what substantial actions can we Cloud Village take right now?"

He sighed heavily, his broad shoulders seeming to slump slightly.

Only by truly sitting in the position of Raikage can one deeply understand the true nature of Cloud Village's current outward strength but inner weakness.

The wounds of the Third Shinobi World War were far from healed, and sporadic skirmishes with Iwagakure on the border never ceased.

The enmity forged in that war was even deeper and more difficult to resolve than that for Konoha.

At this moment, Cloud Village simply lacks the strength and energy to take any strong action against the rising power of Konoha.

"Let's proceed according to the old rules." Ai's voice regained its usual decisiveness, but his tone betrayed a sense of helplessness. "Immediately consult with the other Three Great Shinobi Villages and discuss joint action."

Citing accusations of "disrupting peace in the Ninja World" and "bullying and plundering other clans," they delivered a joint diplomatic note to Konoha, pressuring them to "release" the abducted Ninja Clan.

He delivered this string of diplomatic phrases with practiced ease, each word carrying a familiar recipe and flavor.

Mabui respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Raikage." But a strange feeling welled up inside her.

This rhetoric—why does it sound so familiar? Upon closer inspection, isn't this the same template of condemnation that other ninja villages used when targeting similar actions by the Kumogakure? No wonder it sounds so familiar.

"Wait." Just as Mabui was about to turn and leave to carry out the order, Ai's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of cold inquiry, "There's one more thing. Investigate immediately! Utilize all our intelligence networks to find out where this news originally came from, who the source was, and who the first disseminator was!"

"Understood!" Mabui's expression hardened, and he accepted the order once again. Only after confirming that Raikage had no further instructions did he quickly leave the office to make arrangements.

The heavy office door closed, and silence returned to the room.

The Fourth Raikage A turned his gaze back to the bright moon outside the window, his thick brows furrowed, and a wary glint in his eyes.

He muttered to himself, "It seems—someone doesn't want peace in this Ninja World!"