Hokage-sama, you wouldn't want the Konoha to be destroyed by the Uchiha Clan, would you?

The Land of Fire.

Hokage Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen waited anxiously in the Hokage Office, puffing out smoke as he chewed on a cigarette.

The billowing smoke obscured his face, making his gloomy features indistinct.

Perhaps due to the shock of his old Danzo's death, he has been smoking more and more frequently lately.

I feel uncomfortable all over if I don't smoke for even a few minutes.

Beside him, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the others also had rather gloomy expressions.

Tsunade has been at the Feudal Lord for quite some time now.

What exactly is the situation?

Nobody knows.

Judging by the time, today should be the day Tsunade returns.

Tsunade and the Feudal Lord are related; Princess Tsunade was personally appointed by the Feudal Lord.

Given this relationship, it's unlikely that the Feudal Lord would stand idly by.

Placing their hopes on Feudal Lord was a last resort.

However, Konoha currently lacks external intervention to eliminate the Uchiha Clan threat.

Too difficult.

Not long after, a member of the ANBU appeared to report.

"Lady Tsunade is back."

Sarutobi Hiruzen with joy, and he quickly pressed for more information.

Has Tsunade said how things are going?

"Lady Tsunade said the Feudal Lord agreed to provide assistance, but she doesn't know how it will be done."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Utatane Koharu exchanged glances, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.

What's the meaning?

The Feudal Lord will provide assistance.

But they didn't tell us how to provide assistance?

The Feudal Lord controls the resources and financial power of the Land of Fire, but the real military power lies with the ninja villages.

It's impossible for Feudal Lord to directly suppress the Uchiha Clan by force.

The only way to weaken the Uchiha Clan is through resources and political maneuvering.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also harbored this thought.

But now, Feudal Lord's ambiguous reply really left him somewhat baffled.

"Let's wait and see! If the Feudal Lord really intends to help, we should receive news soon."

Utatane Koharu said in a deep voice.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and nodded.

"That's the only way."

Internal strife within the Uchiha Clan is also detrimental to the Feudal Lord.

Whether out of consideration for Tsunade or for their own interests, the Feudal Lord had no reason to deceive them.

Now all we can do is wait.

Konoha Izakaya.

Tsunade was sitting cross-legged in front of a low table, gulping down a wine glass.

After a few bottles of wine, a flush appeared on Tsunade's cheeks.

"Lady Tsunade, you can't drink anymore."

Shizune tried to stop her, but Tsunade pushed her away.

"Mind your own business. Does my drinking bother you?"

Grabbing another bottle of sake from the low table, Tsunade gulped it down again.

Shizune watched anxiously, but there was nothing she could do.

She knew Tsunade's temper all too well.

It's virtually impossible to get her to persuade you.

After finishing the bottle of wine, Tsunade Teuchi a burp, picked up her chopsticks, and began eating the beef slices she had been drinking with the wine.

"I've done what I needed to do, and the old man can't say anything more."

With her mouth stuffed full of greasy meat slices, Tsunade, already half-drunk, mumbled something incoherently.

Shizune, her fingers trembled.

She knew that Tsunade had been under a lot of pressure returning to the village, and that her anxiety had finally eased after returning from the Feudal Lord.

With a sigh, Shizune ultimately refrained from offering further words of comfort.

Tsunade.

Perhaps because she was drunk, a thin line of water dripped from Tsunade as she drank.

Her clothes were soaked at the chest, making her enormous breasts faintly visible through the semi-transparent fabric.

"Where is Jiraiya? Didn't he go back to the village?"

Tsunade suddenly seemed to remember something and asked vaguely.

"It seems that Lord Jiraiya has been staying with Naruto the whole time."

Answer Shizune.

"Naruto? Minato's son...?"

Tsunade remained silent for a long while.

The master-disciple relationship in the Ninja World is a bond based on kinship and ties.

It's not just a simple master-disciple relationship.

It's perfectly normal for Jiraiya care about Naruto.

I heard that Uchiha Mirai seems to be very close to Naruto, and Naruto has taken him in as an older brother.

Tsunade chuckled.

One is Uchiha Clan, the other Naruto.

The thought of that scene is hilarious!

Her smile suddenly froze.

My return to Konoha this time is precisely because of the Uchiha Clan incident.

Perhaps in the old man's eyes, the fact that Uchiha Mirai and Naruto were getting too close was one of the reasons he hated the Uchiha Clan!

Waiting is not a pleasant thing.

Especially the waiting for the unknown.

Inside the Hokage Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen paced back and forth, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

He has already contacted Tsunade to confirm the Feudal Lord's reply.

It's almost certain that the Feudal Lord will intervene.

But why is there still no movement at all?

Should we send someone to inquire with the Feudal Lord?

Sarutobi Hiruzen silently.

However, he quickly gave up on the idea.

He knew the Feudal Lord's temper very well; sending ninjas to inquire rashly would only provoke his displeasure, and would be a losing proposition.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to lose his temper...

With a whoosh, an ANBU appeared before him and presented him with a scroll.

"Lord Hokage, this is a letter from a scout from Kumogakure!"

Kumogakure???

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed slightly.

What is the Kumogakure sending a message for at this time?

Could it be related to the incident with the Cloud Ninja envoy?

Wasn't that matter already over?

The Kumogakure accepted the loss without pursuing the matter further.

Moreover, that incident happened a long time ago.

Sarutobi Hiruzen cleared his mind of thoughts, picked up the scroll handed to him by the ANBU, and opened it with a hint of curiosity.

The very first sentence of the scroll left him frozen in place.

"Third Hokage, you wouldn't want Konoha to be destroyed by the Uchiha Clan, would you?"

What the heck???

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and continued reading.

The more he read, the more deeply moved he became.

He hadn't even finished reading it.

A hasty shout gave the order.

"Quickly! Bring Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura over here!"