"Due to the ' Kirigakure 'Bloody Mist policy, some of Kirigakure's bloodline clans have been completely wiped out. This is a rare opportunity to find the surviving Kekkei Genkai ninjas."
Orochimaru's act of helping them out earned him a grateful look from Naoki Senju.
Tsunade's suspicious gaze swept over Orochimaru and Naoki, but she couldn't detect any sign of collusion. After giving Naoki Senju a warning look, Tsunade returned to the cabin. Shizune was feeling seasick on her first voyage and needed Tsunade's help.
The small boat sailed slowly through the thick fog, with the ever-dutiful Kabuto Yakushi serving as both helmsman and sailor, while Guren, watching from the sidelines, showed no intention of helping.
The destination this time was Orochimaru's sea base, but Kirigakure's defenses were more thorough than expected. After dealing with two waves of Kirigakure patrolling the Anbu, Naoki Senju was responsible for bringing the Anbu Ninja back, while Orochimaru was responsible for applying the Cursed Seal sealing talisman package to make it look as if no invasion had occurred.
"It seems that Kirigakure attaches great importance to this succession ceremony of the Fifth Mizukage. The level of security they're handling is comparable to that during the Fourth Shinobi World War."
Orochimaru showed no sign of tension, leisurely confirming the direction of the voyage from the bow of the ship.
"Yes, it's been a long time since we've seen martial law of this magnitude. But the Kirigakure has maintained this level of strength for over a decade under the ' Bloody Mist ' policy; they're truly not to be underestimated." Tsunade, who had just emerged from the cabin, picked up the conversation.
Tsunade is now clearly viewing the issue from the perspective of the Fifth Hokage, directly considering Kirigakure as a potential future enemy.
" Sister Tsunade, why are you out so soon? Is Sister Shizune feeling any better?" Naoki Senju asked with concern.
Tsunade rolled her eyes in annoyance and said with some dissatisfaction:
"I'm the number one medical-nin in the Shinobi World. What's so difficult about seasickness? Unlike you, you haven't even mastered Medical Ninjutsu yet."
Yes, even though Naoki Senju can learn other Ninjutsu in one go, he still hasn't mastered the most basic Medical Ninjutsu. In Tsunade's words, his killing intent is too strong, and he can't even achieve the minimum requirement of 'benevolence' for practicing Medical Ninjutsu.
In a sense, Tsunade was really unsuitable for teaching disciples. One failed to learn the Yin Seal and the Superhuman Strength Ninjutsu, and the other couldn't even learn basic Medical Ninjutsu. Perhaps the more unreliable the teacher was, the more unreliable the disciples were.
Naoki Senju was also troubled by this. His Chakra control was precise enough, but injured birds and fish, after being treated by him, often died even more painfully, with their eyes wide open in disbelief...
A legendary medical-nin, known as the " King of Hell " among medical-nin, with a 100% accident rate.
"Haha, Sister Tsunade, I'm going to check on Sister Shizune first..." Unable to resist, Naoki Senju hurriedly ran towards the cabin.
Tsunade shook her head somewhat helplessly, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips. A genius with flaws is more real; a performance that is too perfect is just too distant.
Noticing Orochimaru's increasingly chilling aura beside her, Tsunade's mood worsened.
After thinking for a moment, Tsunade still asked, " Orochimaru, if you have the opportunity in the future, would you still be willing to return to Konoha? I can make the decision about what happened before, and we can forget about it."
Orochimaru gave Tsunade a serious look, his face, which had been maintaining an eerie fake smile, now showing a rare, faint, genuine smile.
"As expected of the future Fifth Hokage, he truly... can cover up Konoha with a single hand. But may I refuse?"
"Why?"
"No reason why." Orochimaru walked to the edge of the ship's side, stretched out his right hand, which transformed into a colorful snake, and easily scooped an unlucky fish out of the sea. He watched the fish struggle desperately after being taken out of the ocean, and then threw it back into the sea. The unlucky fish, having survived the ordeal, frantically thrashed its tail fin and hurriedly moved away from the 'strange fish' floating on the sea surface.
"Perhaps, like this fish, true freedom can only be found by leaving this ship. I've been doing very well since leaving Konoha, whether it's researching Ninjutsu or learning forbidden techniques, and I don't have to care about those power struggles."
"On the contrary, Tsunade, are you really prepared to bear all of this? And not because of Naoki's expectations, or the responsibility of the Senju Clan?"
Orochimaru's questioning did not shake Tsunade in the slightest; some things, once decided, cannot be changed.
"Alright, but if you need help in the future, you can go to Jiraiya first. He'll definitely be happy to return to Konoha. If that doesn't work either, then come find me in Sound Ninja Village."
" The Sound Ninja Village..." Tsunade carefully analyzed the information Orochimaru revealed, and only after realizing she had never heard of this ninja village before did she suddenly understand:
"You've decided to establish your own ninja village!"
Orochimaru didn't answer, but it didn't matter anymore; he had essentially tacitly accepted Tsunade's guess.
"Establishing a ninja village... that's fine too." Tsunade completely gave up on the idea of bringing Orochimaru back. If Orochimaru really had the resources to establish a ninja village, it would definitely be better than returning to Konoha to be a laborer.
"I wish you success in establishing the Sound Ninja Village."
Orochimaru smiled knowingly and offered his blessings, "I also wish you a speedy rise to the Fifth Hokage. If you need any manual labor, I can help you bring Jiraiya back to Konoha."
"Forget it, he's already a huge problem. I don't have time to go to the women's bathhouse to bail him out."
Far away in the Land of Hot Water, a white-haired old lecher, who was flanking two hostesses, suddenly sneezed, startling the heavily made-up hostesses. He then approached them with a beaming smile.
"The guest has caught a chill; quickly have some wine to warm him up."
Jiraiya boldly accepted the sake cup and drank it all in one gulp. After several cups of sake, the alcohol took effect, and he began to get tipsy. Then, he excitedly spent the money he had just received from the Icha Icha Paradise" manuscript, saying:
"Come on, let the music continue, let the dancing continue, tonight we won't leave until we're drunk!"
The small tavern instantly became bustling with noise, and this scene had happened countless times before.
Thanks for the invitation. I'm currently in the Shinobi World, but I've already lost contact with someone after trying to seduce them.
Meanwhile, the Land of Water was receiving wave after wave of uninvited guests...
The Masked Man wearing an orange Spiral Mask swiftly traversed the border of the Land of Water. Beside him, a lush green pitcher plant also moved rapidly underground, occasionally exchanging a few words with the Masked Man.
On the other side of the Land of Water, a man covered in bandages and carrying a giant sword was leading a 'girl' wearing a Kirigakure and a Anbu, skillfully avoiding the Kirigakure Anbu's security barrier as they approached the Kirigakure from their memories.
The end of the " Bloody Mist " policy, the new Fifth Mizukage taking over Kirigakure, Kirigakure reopening to the outside world and accepting missions... all of these things are affecting the nerves of too many people.
Some people may not be able to attend in person, but their henchmen are already there, just waiting for the show to begin.