"Damn brat!"
In the Hokage's office, Danzo slammed his fist hard against the desk, scattering the documents across it onto the floor. His face was filled with barely concealed fury.
Clearly, in this arrogant man's eyes, his dignity had suffered a severe blow.
After serving as the Hokage's advisor for more than a decade, Danzo had long grown accustomed to having the final say and tolerating no opposition. But this time, Ye Ning had gotten the better of him and chewed him out to his face. How could someone with Danzo's temperament possibly put up with that?
And yet, Ye Ning's status meant Danzo had no way to vent his anger in front of him. He could only let it out in private, in front of the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage showed no reaction to Danzo's outburst. He simply puffed away at his pipe. The kind expression he usually wore had vanished, replaced by a pair of sharp eyes.
Only now did he look somewhat like the Shinobi Hero.
"The Daimyo really knows how to play his cards..."
The Third Hokage mused over it, only now realizing the Daimyo's purpose.
Leaving his only son in Konoha seemed like a reckless, foolish move. Konoha would only need to keep the boy under its control to control the Daimyo's actions. But in reality, Ye Ning's presence was like a shackle the Daimyo had fastened around Konoha.
Ye Ning was the Daimyo's only son. And given the Daimyo's debauched behavior in recent years, it was easy to foresee that Ye Ning would be his only child.
If anything happened to the future heir to the Daimyo's title in Konoha, who knew what the enraged Daimyo might do?
Would they lose a year's worth of funding?
No!
If anything happened to Ye Ning in Konoha, the village might lose all its future funding!
Even worse, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire might choose to support another ninja village instead.
It didn't sound very likely, but if his only son came to harm, the enraged Daimyo might really do something like that.
So not only would Ye Ning remain in Konoha, the village would have to ensure his safety!
As long as Ye Ning didn't go too far, they would have to let him do as he pleased!
Was he testing Konoha's limits, step by step?
The Third Hokage had no choice but to consider the worst.
Although the Daimyo had been very well-behaved in recent years and had readily supported Konoha's wars, that didn't mean he was just a useless figurehead.
The Third Hokage had no way of knowing whether the Daimyo was showing his fangs this time.
But Konoha had no choice but to go along with the Daimyo's wishes and protect Ye Ning, even if it left a bad taste in their mouths.
Just then, the Anbu Ninja assigned to keep watch suddenly appeared in the room and quietly reported:
"Lord Third Hokage, Ye Ning hasn't come out since entering the Senju Clan Grounds. It seems he went straight to see Lady Tsunade."
The Third Hokage rubbed his brow and waved for the Anbu Ninja to leave.
After the Anbu Ninja vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, the Third Hokage finally spoke:
"Danzo, keep your people in line. Don't try anything underhanded. If the Daimyo truly loses his temper, Konoha won't be able to bear the consequences! I'll also notify the heads of the major clans to avoid conflicts with Ye Ning as much as possible and do their best to meet his demands. Danzo, you know what the consequences would be!"
The Third Hokage wasn't worried about the major ninja clans or the other shinobi. A simple warning would be enough to keep them from provoking Ye Ning.
But he had to warn Danzo again and again.
Danzo was the one most likely to try something underhanded!
Danzo had only been venting in front of his old friend. Even he didn't dare pull anything behind the scenes right now.
But the Third Hokage's tone still irritated him.
"Hmph!"
Only then did the Third Hokage relax.
Danzo hadn't agreed outright, but the Third Hokage knew him well enough to understand that Danzo also grasped the stakes. That was as good as a promise.
In just that short time, quite a few empty liquor bottles had accumulated on the ground. Ye Ning stared at them, speechless.
Was this really drinking?
Wasn't she just chugging it?
The box of liquor had only just been brought over, and before they'd even exchanged a few words, Tsunade had already downed two bottles in a row.
Who drank like that?
After a few bottles, a flush spread across Tsunade's fair cheeks. Her eyes grew hazy as she leaned back on her hands and gazed at the sky, seeming unusually peaceful. The lingering sorrow in her eyes stirred a person's sympathy.
Compared to the version of her who kept pounding people in the chest with her little fists, Ye Ning preferred Tsunade like this.
Ye Ning hesitated, then spoke softly:
"On my way here, I passed a lot of houses in the Senju Clan Grounds. They seemed empty. Where did all the members of such a large clan go?"
"Some died, and some left. There aren't many of us left."
The words carried a heartbreaking meaning, but Tsunade spoke in an utterly calm tone.
"After Grandpa, Second Granduncle, and Grandma passed away one after another, along with the clan elders who'd lived through the Warring States Period, the Senju Clan found itself in an awkward position, with no one to carry on the legacy. We weren't lacking in numbers, but our influence in Konoha kept dwindling."
"To reclaim our influence in Konoha and secure greater benefits for the Senju Clan, the clan gradually split into two factions. One volunteered to head to the battlefield, serving as Konoha's vanguard in the hope that their achievements would help them regain power. The other wanted to follow the plan Second Granduncle had proposed and gradually withdraw from Konoha's leadership, disperse the clan, and assimilate completely into Konoha."
"Neither side could convince the other. In the end, the pro-war faction became Konoha's vanguard and headed to the battlefield in the Land of Rain. But the war there was far more grueling than anyone expected. The Senju Clan suffered heavy casualties, and even Nawaki died there."
"The other faction left the Senju Clan Grounds, just as Second Granduncle had said. Maybe they scattered throughout Konoha, or maybe they found somewhere no one could ever locate and went into seclusion. Even I don't know where they went."
"So only a handful of us are left in the entire Senju Clan, still looking after these homes."
Tsunade's account was utterly calm. Every so often, she tipped more liquor into her mouth, showing no sign of an emotional reaction.
But Ye Ning could sense the sorrow hidden beneath her calm words.
This was Tsunade's family, her clan.
How could she possibly feel nothing?
She was simply forcing herself to hold it together, using one drink after another to hide her grief.
Before you continue