The rune lamps in the Hokage's office shone brightly in the dead of night. Tsunade slammed the dice onto the sandalwood table for the fifth time, the crisp clinking breaking the stagnant air. Her face was filled with frustration and helplessness. "I say, are we just going to sit here like this? The Third Hokage has been missing for almost three years now, and the intelligence reports from the Anbu are piling up every day!"
Orochimaru didn't even look up, his pale fingers gripping the edge of the scroll, a cold and calm glint in his eyes. "Impulsiveness won't solve anything." He slowly unfurled the intelligence report, his icy voice carrying a strange excitement, "Look at this data. Sunagakure's iron ore transactions have increased tenfold in the last three months, and Kumogakure's research funding has skyrocketed. This isn't a good sign; they're both sparing no effort in developing their military."
Jiraiya suddenly shoved the half-finished manuscript into his robes, revealing half of the draft of " Icha Icha Paradise " underneath. He chuckled awkwardly, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing. "Oh dear, young people are so impatient. If you ask me, the right thing to do is clean up the mess in the Land of Fire first. Those nobles are causing trouble in the capital; we need to think of a way to deal with that..."
"That's right, let's protect our home first?" Hiruko suddenly pressed the Senbon launcher that was being tested. The metallic clang made everyone shudder. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Those noble lords of the Land of Fire hold money, provisions, and connections. They don't take us seriously at all! Once the nobles feel they've grown strong enough, the first thing they'll do is attack Konoha!" As he spoke, the runes on his forehead Cursed Seal faintly, as if they were about to unleash a powerful force at any moment.
Hiyori Hyuga silently arranged a stack of intelligence reports by date, Hiyori Hyuga said softly, " Hiruko is right, but Jiraiya's concerns are not without merit. The Land of Fire is the foundation of Konoha. No matter how the Shinobi World world changes now, as long as we protect the Land of Fire..." He suddenly stopped. A night breeze blew in from outside the window, making the copper bells on the eaves ring softly, as if reminding them that the outside world was already turbulent.
Tsunade grabbed the dice and slammed them onto the map. The dice rolled across the map, seemingly mocking their helplessness. "Stop with this vague nonsense! If you ask me, let's just take the initiative! Take down those nobles' strongholds and unify the Shinobi World! Young people should have the heart to save the world. Didn't my grandfather do just that?" Her eyes gleamed with determination and resolve, as if she had already made up her mind.
"Unifying the Shinobi World isn't that simple." Orochimaru finally raised his head, his snake-like eyes gleaming coldly in the dim light. " Tsunade, do you know what this means? The foundations of each nation, the power accumulated by generations of nobles, and those mysterious demons and monsters—you should know that we haven't even dealt with one Moryo yet... Konoha can't even manage to manage its own nobles right now."
Jiraiya stroked his chin thoughtfully, a hint of worry in his eyes. "I think we should first stabilize the nobles of the Land of Fire, establish a system of oversight among the common people, and weaken the privileges of the nobles. Once we've completely submerged the power of the Land of Fire nobles in the vast ocean of commoners, then we can gradually conquer the Shinobi World. After all, internal stability must precede external defense."
Hiruko suddenly sneered, a hint of disdain in his voice. "Wait? Wait until they have a knife to their throats before reacting? Our Anbu indicates that the nobles of the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning have begun a secret alliance. Every day we delay, we become more dangerous!"
Hiyori Hyuga flipped through the latest secret report, her voice tinged with a hint of helplessness. "Indeed, many unfamiliar ninjas and samurai have recently appeared in the capital. They are likely private armies kept by the nobles. However, without evidence of their rebellion, sending troops to wipe them out rashly might give other countries a pretext to escalate a full-scale war."
Tsunade loosened her collar in frustration, her eyes filled with anxiety. "So what do you suggest we do? Wait for the enemy to grow stronger, and then sit and wait to be killed?"
Orochimaru slowly rolled up the scroll, a profound look in his eyes. "Perhaps we can take a two-pronged approach. On the surface, we can feign relations with the nobles of various countries, while secretly supporting the common people. At the same time, we can strengthen Konoha's military, especially its technological research." He glanced meaningfully at Hiruko, "I heard you're already researching new ninja tools."
Hiruko coldly, a hint of arrogance flashing in his eyes. "Hmph, just a small test. If I had enough resources, creating a weapon that would make the entire Shinobi World tremble wouldn't be difficult."
Jiraiya hurriedly waved his hand, his tone tinged with worry. "Calm down, calm down! Weapons, used well, are a shield; used poorly, they're poison. Let's start with political means, for example..."
"Political tactics?" Tsunade scoffed, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "Do you think those aristocratic old foxes will reason with you? If the Lord First hadn't subdued Madara, where would Konoha be?"
Hiyori Hyuga said softly, "But times have changed. Countries are now developing technology, and the sheer force of ninjas is no longer enough."
The arguments rose and fell, but the Konoha outside the window was eerily quiet. Moonlight spilled onto the streets, casting silhouettes of patrolling ninjas. No one noticed that a pair of eyes were peering through the paper window, observing the heated discussion. Meanwhile, in more distant places, secret messages from the Noble Alliance were being passed between nations, and an even greater storm was brewing in the darkness.
Tian Zhiyun returned to Konoha. Standing on the familiar streets, the familiar sights and smells filled her with immense warmth and peace. A tenderness flickered in her eyes, as if all her weariness had vanished in that instant.
"Welcome home, Shiun." A familiar voice rang in her ears.
Tian Zhiyun turned around and saw Tian Yueqing standing behind her. A smile appeared on her face, "You're finally back. We haven't heard from you for the past two years, and we've all been very worried about you."
Tian Zhiyun smiled slightly, her voice tinged with emotion. "I'm back, Sister Yueqing. Thank you for your concern. I've been through a lot this time, but unfortunately, I couldn't Rotation." A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, but it quickly returned to its firmness.
Tian Yueqing, her voice tinged with seriousness. " Shiun, you don't know, your performance in Sunagakure shocked us all. Sunagakure actually offered to let Konoha take over Sunagakure; this is simply unprecedented."
Tian Zhiyun frowned slightly, her voice tinged with doubt. "Why? How could Sunagakure make such a decision?"
Tian Yueqing sighed, her voice tinged with helplessness. "It's all because of you. You, the Hokage's wife Tian Zhiyun, single-handedly crippled half of the Sunagakure with a single ultimate move, even threatening them and plunging the entire Sunagakure into fear. For a great nation to humbly beg to be taken over is something that surprised all of us. We simply didn't want that barren land and left it to govern itself."
Tian Zhiyun smiled slightly, her voice carrying a hint of determination. "I just did what I was supposed to do. Besides, I was just looking for Tsubasa in the Land of Wind. They were the ones who came to attack me first, and since they lost, they naturally had to help me out. I asked them to help me find Tsubasa. That's not unreasonable at all! Sister Yueqing, tell me what has happened over the years!"
Tian Yueqing nodded, her voice tinged with admiration. "Ever since Tian Uguisu and Tian Yukihime, those two killing gods, directly occupied the Land of Water and the Land of Earth, Tian Muyan even occupied the moon... later we even assisted the Land of Countries in destroying the Land of Tea and the Land of Artisans. Our Konoha's leadership has also changed. A new Hokage Kagami Uchiha, has been elected, and our Ten Family has decided to withdraw from the core of Konoha's power."
Tian Zhiyun stared in shock, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Are Sister Ying and Yukihime that powerful? Does that mean the Land of Fire has already conquered half the world?"
Tian Yueqing sighed, "Since becoming the Mizukage and Tsuchikage, neither of them has shown any intention of returning to Konoha. Flying Swallow has quite a few complaints about this! Let's go home quickly. You should go see your children! You've been away from home for several years."
After parting ways with Tian Yueqing, Tian Zhiyun stood on the familiar streets of Konoha, gazing at the sky, silently thinking: no matter how time and space change, this is her home, where her family and children are. She must protect this land and everyone around her, even if countless unknown variables and challenges await her in the Mirai.
" Shiun, you're back!" A familiar voice rang in her ears, carrying a hint of tenderness and relief.
Tian Zhiyun turned her head and saw her mother-in-law, Senju Ga, with her children, Tenka and Tenka. The children ran towards her, their faces filled with joy. "Mother, you're finally back!"
Tian Zhiyun smiled slightly, opened her arms, and hugged her two children tightly. A tear glistened in her eyes. "I'm back, my children. Mom will always protect you from now on."
Tenka and Tenka hugged her tightly, a look of happiness on their faces. "We missed you so much, Mom."
Tian Zhiyun gently stroked the children's hair, her voice tender as she said, "Mommy misses you all too. From now on, Mommy will always be by your side."
Senju Ga stood to the side, a hint of relief on her face. "Seeing our family reunited, I'm relieved." (Shiun)