" The Kirigakure is now at the very center of the storm," Orochimaru said.
Snakes are naturally sensitive to danger and bloodshed, so Orochimaru changed his destination at the last minute. Instead of heading to the secret base at sea, he went directly to a dock in the Land of Water.
The ship Orochimaru 'borrowed' was an ordinary merchant ship, blending in unremarkable among the passing fleets. Only after disembarking with the crowd did Orochimaru explain:
"The Land of Land of Water is far inferior to the other four countries, and the sea is too treacherous. Therefore, in order to expand its own power, the Daimyo of the Land of Water strictly restricts the movement of Kirigakure ninja on land. As a result, the land of the Land of Water is much safer than the sea."
Apart from Tsunade, everyone else looked enlightened, even Naoki Senju was learning the inside story of the Land of Water for the first time.
However, there was one more thing that Naoki Senju was very curious about, so he took the opportunity to ask:
"So Kirigakure just agreed so easily? The samurai around the Daimyo of the Land of Water are no match for ninjas."
It seems that Five Great Shinobi Villages have been 'bullied' by the daimyo. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire interfered in the Konoha succession in Hokage; the Daimyo of the Land of Earth cut the military budget of Iwagakure; Sunagakure was even reduced to self-reliance, and now there's Kirigakure...
It seems that only the Kumogakure has never been 'bullied' by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. But considering the volatile tempers of the successive Raikage A, A... well, normally, who would dare to play these petty tricks with the Raikage? Wouldn't Raikage be afraid of a real 1v1 battle with him?
Others may not know, but the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was absolutely unwilling.
Orochimaru and Tsunade exchanged a glance, seemingly both seeing the helplessness and nostalgia in each other's eyes. It's good to be young; you have the courage and spirit to overturn the table at any time.
" Naoki, the situation you described does exist. For example, in the current Land of Rain, the leader of Amegakure, the Demigod of the Ninja World, Hanzo of the Salamander, destroyed the entire Daimyo's prefecture and took over, using Amegakure to govern the entire Land of Rain. But..."
Tsunade sighed with some regret and continued, "The entire Land of Rain is currently embroiled in years of war that has yet to end. The country's population has decreased by more than 40%. Therefore, sometimes powerful military force is not enough to govern a country. That is why the Five Great Shinobi Villages made concessions to the Daimyo."
Naoki Senju nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps the reason why Hanzo of the Hanzo of the Salamander was called a demigod was partly because he killed the Daimyo of the Land of Rain, because he did something that other ninjas wanted to do but dared not do.
"Alright." Tsunade gently patted Naoki's head and casually ruffled it. The silvery-white hair felt wonderful to the touch, and she couldn't help but fondle it.
"If you keep thinking about it, I'm afraid you'll just storm the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Those samurai are indeed nothing, but Konoha has left quite a few backup plans at the Daimyo's residence. Even if you have this idea, don't rush into it."
Tsunade's words were quite meaningful. Whether Konoha's so-called backup plan was to protect the Daimyo or to monitor him in case of any eventuality... perhaps only the Hokage himself knew the answer.
Naoki Senju nodded knowingly, indicating that he understood her hint. Tsunade arm around Naoki's shoulder with satisfaction and walked towards an izakaya on the dock.
"The seafood from the Land of Water is of the highest quality in the Shinobi World. Come on, eat whatever you want today, it's on me."
" Sister Tsunade, are you sure you still have money to treat us?"
"... It's my treat, so of course you'll pay. Do you think you can run away now?"
Naoki Senju, whose shoulders were tightly held, realized he had been careless and hadn't expected to be tricked by Tsunade.
As Shizune passed by, she even gave a very shy smile, a stark contrast to the female bully who treated people to a meal but didn't pay.
This caused Naoki Senju's gaze to involuntarily shift to Guren behind him... no, it should be called a money-printing machine. With his personal treasury dwindling, it was time to start harvesting the Shinobi World's resources...
Although Tsunade pay the bill, and it was Tsunade who treated him, Naoki Senju didn't mind too much. How much could he possibly eat in one meal at an izakaya?
After leaving the izakaya, Naoki Senju was bewildered... Does this mean that the more shy and quiet a girl is, the more she can eat, like that certain ramen king of Konoha?
Shizune's cheeks flushed red, seemingly a little embarrassed, and she apologized, " Lord Naoki, I'm sorry, did I accidentally eat too much...?"
"No, how could that be? It's just a whole bluefin tuna, five snow crabs, and countless sea urchins and Arctic surf clams..."
Naoki Senju finally understood why Shizune had smiled shyly earlier... He was still too young and didn't understand the wickedness of society and the scheming of people's hearts...
Tsunade, who already knew everything, was now laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. She kept patting Naoki Senju's back and said, as if adding insult to injury:
"Hahaha... Shizune has a big appetite to begin with, and because of seasickness, she barely ate anything on the ship. Let's consider this meal a celebration of Shizune's recovery."
Unwilling to accept Tsunade's constant mockery, Naoki pulled out his empty wallet, opened it to Tsunade's palm, handed it to her, and added:
"Yes, we should definitely celebrate. Sister Tsunade, your gambling debts are all gone, so the next period of time is perfect for helping Sister Tsunade quit gambling."
Tsunade was laughing heartily, froze, instinctively squeezing her wallet. It was empty, not even a single coin... So, the clown was me?
" Naoki, I was wrong. I promise I won't tease you again. Come with me to the casino later..." Tsunade hurriedly caught up with Naoki.
Since Naoki Senju appeared, Tsunade has never had to worry about gambling funds again, which has resulted in her savings never exceeding zero. If she wanted to go to a casino, she would probably have to go back to her old ways (selling Tonton ).
Shizune watched the two bickering in front of her and couldn't help but smile. Ever since Lord Naoki appeared, Lady Tsunade had stopped drowning her sorrows in alcohol...
Kabuto Yakushi and Guren looked at them with a hint of envy, but Kabuto Yakushi's envy was more deeply hidden. He had once had a similar experience, but now...
Orochimaru glanced at his two subordinates, fully aware of their thoughts, but somewhat dismissive.
Only eternal life is the sole truth; all so-called bonds will eventually vanish with life...
Kirigakure.
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, who had garnered immense attention from the outside world, wiped her bright red lips, appearing incredibly alluring and seductive, yet utterly out of place in her surroundings.
" Lord Mizukage! Are you alright?!"
With one Byakugan open and a few drops of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, Qing broke down the door and barged in, but after seeing the scene inside, he suppressed his churning stomach.
Inside the room lay a dozen or so unidentified ninjas lying haphazardly. Their clothes, accessories, and even their skin and flesh had been completely dissolved by the Boil Release, leaving them half-dead and writhing on the ground.
It's even more bloody than the Skinning Hell, one of the eighteen levels of hell in Buddhism!
"These ninjas are all 'our own people' from Kirigakure! It seems some people are very unwilling to see me ascend to the position of Mizukage. Heh, in that case... give the order to have the Anbu keep a close eye on those old guys. The future Kirigakure will absolutely not tolerate such parasites!"
Qing didn't even bother to hide her Byakugan before replying excitedly:
"Yes, Lord Mizukage!"