Escape From Konoha

In the same room, the three of them sat around the radio.

The contents of the conversation in the Daming Mansion of the Land of Fire fell on their ears word for word.

It is estimated that the Kages who were talking there would not have thought that among them there would be a person who shared the same goals with the Kingdom of Ghosts.

They would never have thought that the chaos within the Kingdom of Water actually had nothing to do with the Kingdom of Demons. Behind everything, Yagura, the fourth generation Mizukage, was leading the behind the scenes.

As long as people think that the chaos in the Water Kingdom is controlled by the Ghost Kingdom behind the scenes, then, in the eyes of outsiders, the relationship between the Water Kingdom and the Ghost Kingdom will be like water and fire, with no possibility of reconciliation.

"December... Shiraishi-kun, what should we do now? There is a gap of several months from the time we originally scheduled. Do you want to continue to wait? Or is it up to us to instigate it?"

Ayane glanced at Shiraishi, hoping that he would come up with an idea.

After discussion among the four Kage, the time to enter the Ghost Country has been officially set as December, which is at least three months different from the time they originally planned.

In the initial budget, war might come in April or May, or even later, in June or July.

But now the time was directly postponed to December. For a while, Ayane didn't know whether this was bad news or good news.

In fact, facing the possible risks of war, the Kingdom of Ghosts is now fully prepared, and there is no need to wait until the end of this year to launch operations.

For them, this extra time is completely 'wasted'.

"We cannot initiate this war... Forget it, just wait a few more months. Even if the time is postponed to December, generally speaking, it will not affect subsequent plans."

Shiraishi also felt a little helpless about the outcome of the Four Shadows meeting.

But the initiative in this matter was not in their hands. All he could do was communicate with Yagura, interfere with the judgment of the other three Kages, and roughly determine the time.

However, Tsunade's rebuttal and threats made the other two people also have strong fears. Otherwise, no matter how eloquent Tsunade was, Onoki would not choose a compromise plan and set the time in December.

Although the two factors of winter and the end of the year can effectively reduce the enemy's vigilance, the most important thing is that Tsunade's words attracted the attention of the Tsuchikage and Kazekage.

"So, what are you going to do when Tsunade arrives? Judging from her words, she seems to be very repelled by this war."

Liuli asked sharply.

"The plan remains as usual. As long as she appears on the battlefield, she is an enemy. There is nothing to say about it. All obstacles blocking the road ahead must be crushed without any hesitation. Just like she cannot betray Konoha. , I can’t sacrifice my own life for her.”

After Bai Shi said this, he closed his eyes directly and expressed his attitude.

From the moment Tsunade chose Konoha, Shiraishi had understood that there was no possibility of relaxation between himself and Tsunade.

But Tsunade still held onto the illusion that the two sides could continue to be reconciled...but this was just an unrealistic illusion, and the facts proved it.

At the moment when the fantasy is shattered, people finally have to face the bloody facts.

The request for cooperation, which was not even a paper agreement at the beginning, now seems to be worse than a piece of waste paper and has no binding force at all.

"Then, it will be up to me or Ayane to take care of her."

Seeing Shiraishi's complicated mood, Liuli decided for him.

Ayane nodded and agreed with Liuli, or she could be the villain herself.

In any case, there has always been a teacher-student relationship between Shiraishi and Tsunade, and killing teachers is not a good name.

And regarding this point, some people may use it to criticize Shiraishi. Such things must be avoided.

"Well, if it really comes to that, then it's up to you."

Shiraishi closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, making slight noises from his mouth, giving people a feeling of depression.

◎

Back in Konoha, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

On the way back, Tsunade's face was always cold, and her whole body was filled with a terrifying cold current that was about to burst out, making those close to her feel endlessly cold.

It wasn't until she stepped into the main entrance of Konoha Village that she restrained the cold expression on her face, making her appearance look the same as usual.

But no matter how hard she conceals it, the chill emanating from her body will still make people passing by her shiver unnaturally.

No one in the accompanying ANBU dared to disturb her. Everyone could see that Tsunade was in a very bad mood and was almost on the verge of going berserk.

Back in the familiar office, Tsunade sat on the office chair without saying a word, filling the entire room with a freezing cold air that could freeze people into ice sculptures.

"Hokage-sama, regarding..."

Knowing that Tsunade was in a bad mood, Shikaku still gave Tsunade a tentative greeting in the name of work.

"Shikaku, go and summon the advisors immediately, as well as the clan leaders of the major ninja clans. A high-level meeting will be held in the large conference room on the third floor in half an hour. Everyone must be present and no one is allowed to be absent."

Before Shikaku could say anything, Tsunade was the first to issue the order.

After being stunned for a moment, Shikaku nodded, said 'Yes, Hokage-sama', and then walked out of the office to complete this matter for Tsunade.

After Shikaku left, Tsunade finally seemed to be relieved. The stiff expression on her face eased, and she leaned her head on the office chair to let her body and brain relax a little.

The meeting between the Four Shadows in the Daming Mansion caught her off guard, and since she didn't receive any information beforehand, it could be said that she was caught off guard by the Daiming and her own people in the village.

Just like a fool, he and three other actors conducted a military operation against the Kingdom of Ghosts in Daming Mansion.

Now that I come back and think about it carefully, it makes Tsunade feel like she is in another world.

But unfortunately, this is not a dream.

But what really happened.

In December of this year, four major countries, the Kingdom of Fire, the Kingdom of Wind, the Kingdom of Earth, and the Kingdom of Water, will form an alliance and march towards the Kingdom of Ghosts.

This is undoubtedly a sign that the Fourth Ninja War has begun.

Can it be stopped?

It was not that Tsunade had not thought about sending this news to Shiraishi in advance so that he could be on guard so as not to be caught off guard by the Alliance Army.

After all, under the joint attack of the four-nation alliance, even the Kingdom of Ghosts would be unable to withstand such a ferocious offensive.

And once the four-nation alliance gains an advantage, the last Kingdom of Thunder will definitely take advantage of the situation and will not let go of such an opportunity.

But...she is the Hokage of Konoha, and if she leaks this information, it will cause countless innocent sacrifices of Konoha ninjas...Obviously, she cannot do this.

He could not become an enemy of the Demon Country, nor could he betray Konoha.

At this moment, Tsunade felt in a dilemma.

"Is this the only way it can end?"

Tsunade was in a daze, feeling that the agreement she had made with Shiraishi was ridiculous.

Even as Hokage, there are many things he can't do about.

Under the premise of the current division of power, she, the Hokage, can only command Konoha in name only, but when encountering real major events, she still needs the approval of the ninja clan.

Sarutobi-sensei... Even if you leave, you really pose a problem for me. Tsunade thought bitterly.

Without the Uchiha incident, Konoha's current power would not be so dispersed, nor would it arouse a violent reaction from the ninja clan, making them realize that if they did not gain more power, they would become the next Uchiha.

The root of the disaster has already been laid.

How easy is it to collect them one by one now?

Thinking of the complex structure of Konoha now, Tsunade felt overwhelmed for a moment.

The script had already been designed, and Tsunade didn't know what to fill in next.

It feels like wherever you go next, it will be a dead end.

Is there really any hope for this village to change from within?

The internal structure is so rigid and difficult to rotate. Is it necessary for a strong external force to break this balance?

Once this idea came about, it was like a seed that took root in Tsunade's heart and began to sprout.

"You're back, Tsunade, why are you in a bad mood? Are you here alone in a daze?"

An unpleasant teasing voice sounded.

Tsunade didn't need to look to know which nasty guy was coming.

She sat upright in the office chair and turned her head towards the window. A man in his fifties with white hair appeared here, with a signature smile that was not particularly serious on his face.

It was Jiraiya.

Seeing this guy coming, Tsunade suddenly felt an unknown fire in her heart.

Especially this smiling face, I really want to punch it.

"Jiraiya, you dare to appear in front of me. Don't you think I will do anything to you?"

Tsunade's face was as cold as frost, and a gloomy look flashed in her brown eyes.

"Uh...how do you see it?"

Seeing Jiraiya acting stupid, Tsunade was furious.

"I have already been to the Daming Mansion. Do you need me to tell you exactly what happened there? Or do you think that I, the Hokage, am just a show-off?"

No, maybe in the eyes of some people in Konoha, she, the Hokage, is indeed just a decoration.

"Ahem, Tsunade, don't be angry first. I also have my own difficulties. This is actually an arrangement made by the old man a long time ago and has nothing to do with me. I also became a disciple of the old man during the Chunin Examination last year. I learned something there, but I don’t know any more than you do in this regard.”

Jiraiya also knew that there was no point in continuing to hide it, so he complained to Tsunade and replied with a wry smile.

"Sarutobi-sensei?"

"Yes, he is worried that you will be emotional, so he has already planned to tell you this in person when you go to Daming Mansion to report on your work after you become Hokage."

The only thing I didn't expect was that Danzo would take the opportunity to cause trouble along the way, causing problems in the arrangement.

Moreover, I also died in the chaos, so I couldn't explain the cause and effect to Tsunade in person.

"But, you shouldn't take any initiative on such a big matter. Especially the war with the Kingdom of Ghosts, you can't hide it from me!"

Tsunade's tone still sounded like she was still angry, and her voice couldn't help but become louder.

"There is no turning back when the bow is fired. The matter has reached this point and it is impossible to stop. If you still feel uneasy, I will shoulder Sarutobi-sensei's share. Just give me a good beating to vent your anger."

"If hitting you can solve the problem, I won't be stingy with my fists."

The truth is, even beating this idiot now won't change anything.

Tsunade sat alone sulking, her brow furrowed.

"You must have collected a lot of intelligence outside these years. You should know that the Kingdom of Ghosts has been secretly and deliberately provoking wars between small countries in the past few years, and now it has extended its hands into the interior of big countries... If this behavior is not If we try to stop it, it will turn into a huge disaster sooner or later. Attacking the country of ghosts is for the sake of world peace."

Jiraiya's face suddenly turned serious.

"The Kingdom of Ghosts is not the cause and effect of war. Even if the Kingdom of Ghosts is eliminated, war will still exist!"

Tsunade said firmly.

"It is not to destroy the country of ghosts, but to destroy their chief culprit. Moreover, if that time comes, the Son of Prophecy will need to appear to stop the war in the world. All we can do is to believe in the Son of Prophecy as much as possible. A critical force that changes the world.”

Jiraiya stated his opinion.

But in Tsunade's opinion, his suggestion was too childish.

"...In the past, you always believed in yourself. Even if you lived like a fool and was left far behind by Orochimaru, you could still be optimistic and stick to your own will to strive for improvement."

Tsunade heard Jiraiya's words and looked at Jiraiya with complicated eyes.

When did he become like this?

"You are wrong, Tsunade. I have never changed from beginning to end. I just used my own eyes to see that there is too much misery in this world... and I can't do anything about those things. Moreover, I have found the Son of Prophecy, which means that I am using my own way and my own will to make this world a better place!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other, there was only determination in their eyes, not confusion.

"Do you really think so?"

"That's right. I have traveled to every corner of the world, where people have been devastated by war, innocent children are suffering from cold and hunger, lonely and weak old people are wailing, and young, fresh and beautiful lives have been lost in the struggle... All disasters are caused by war. From that time on, I vowed to change the world and eliminate war from human history! My ideal has never changed!"

As a witness to the two great ninja wars, Jiraiya has witnessed countless miseries and pains.

Seeing his friends, partners, and division commanders leaving him one by one, he hated war from the bottom of his heart.

Now that I have finally found real hope in despair, how can I let go so easily?

"How do you plan to eliminate it?"

Tsunade sighed.

"Let people identify with each other and understand each other. As long as you find the corresponding tips, you can avoid all wars. This is exactly what your grandfather, the first Hokage, pursued, and that's why Konoha exists now."

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade with burning eyes, without giving in at all.

"Tsunade, now your student has gone astray. I have tried to persuade him many times in the past, but he was indifferent and continued to stir up wars all over the ninja world. To this end, he used his Power has killed many people... I have been to the battlefields of those small countries and saw their pain and struggle. Eliminating the evil leader of the Demon Country will usher in a new peace for the ninja world. I hope you can do this. Please stand with me and support my decision."

Seeing Jiraiya's sincere request for herself, Tsunade didn't know how to answer for a while.

Although he, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru are listed as three ninjas, in the eyes of outsiders, the three of them are one, and they advance and retreat together no matter when and where they are.

However, looking at it now, the three of them represent three completely different paths.

The reason why they are called Sannin is just because their life paths happened to intersect at a certain stage, and they met and got to know each other.

But in the end, it is inevitable that they will turn their backs on each other, part ways, and go on their own journeys.

"Jiraiya."

Hearing Tsunade's emotionless words, Jiraiya's body trembled slightly, he raised his head and looked into Tsunade's serious eyes.

Just listen to Tsunade's clear but not loud voice echoing in the room:

"I am the Hokage of Konoha. I can only promise you one thing, that is, I will not betray Konoha!"

◎

In the large conference room on the third floor.

Tsunade summoned the advisory group and the heads of the major ninja clans to participate in this high-level meeting.

As one of the Sannin, Jiraiya was also lucky enough to be on the sidelines and had the right to participate.

In fact, very few people in Konoha know about the Four Kingdoms Alliance and their joint military operations against the Kingdom of Demons.

Apart from the deceased Third Hokage, only two members of the advisory group were initially aware of the news, the root leader Shimura Danzo and the Jonin squad leader Nara Shikaku. As a Sannin, Jiraiya made the final announcement after the plan was initially drawn up.

In other words, except for the above people, the representatives of the major ninja clans knew nothing about this matter.

It wasn't until Tsunade and the other three shadow generals agreed on the general process that they began to notify the leaders of the ninja clan.

This is a highly confidential high-level military meeting.

The people who come here are all powerful jounin in the village, and they have a high status in the village and are the leader of the ninja clan. Although some people here are not well-known, there is no denying their importance to Konoha.

The heads of more than a dozen ninja clans including Hinata, Sarutobi, Inuzuka, Yamazaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Shimura gathered here.

Among them, the Shimura clan is the weakest, but considering that the Shimura clan was once a powerful ninja clan in Konoha and contributed a lot of young adults during the previous Ninja World War, it still has a place here. .

In addition, those small ninja clans that are affiliated with other ninja clans are temporarily not eligible to get seats here.

Including the top management headed by the Hokage, there were about twenty people gathered in the conference room.

Everyone sat in their own seats without a smile, saying nothing, waiting for Tsunade to speak first.

Especially the members of the advisory group, Koharu and Mito Kabuto, felt as if they were sitting on a pincushion when they saw Tsunade sitting there with a calm expression on her face.

According to their initial expectations, after Tsunade came back, she would be the first to get angry at the two of them, scold them for concealing the affairs of the Four Nations Alliance, and then convene a high-level meeting in anger.

However, now instead of getting angry at the two of them and looking for trouble for them, the first thing Tsunade did after coming back was to hold a high-level meeting, giving them a sense of panic that their position was disrupted.

Tsunade naturally had no time to pay attention to the thoughts of the two advisors. After seeing everyone seated, she said directly:

"We are convening a high-level meeting here. There are two things that need to be informed to you. The first thing is that the former senior elder Shimura Danzo was suspected of attacking the previous third generation Hokage. He has been deprived of his elder status and imprisoned in a heavy prison. He will be punished during his sentence without the possibility of parole. For this reason, when one of the senior elders is missing, it is now necessary to select a highly respected jounin from the village to succeed the Danzo elder. After two advisors and I worked together in the past After repeated discussions, it was decided that this senior elder position would be left to the head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi Jounin."

Everyone present had more or less heard about this decision.

When Tsunade returned as the Fifth Hokage, there were rumors that Hinata Hizatsu was about to take up the position of senior elder.

Now this rumor has been confirmed.

Regarding Tsunade's decision, the two advisors nodded. As advisors, they also supported this decision.

Letting Hinata Hiashi take this position has been discussed for a long time, and it is time to formally confirm it.

The man sitting on the seat of the Sarutobi clan frowned and stood up from his seat, attracting the attention of the others.

"Hokage-sama, I think this matter needs to be discussed in the long term. In the previous elder vote, our Sarutobi clan is not inferior to the Hyuga clan. Why did Hokage-sama only give up the position of the senior elder to the Hyuga clan?"

In response to the questions from the men of the Sarutobi clan, Hizu sat there with a calm expression, as if he was not the one who was brought in.

Tsunade turned to look at the man from the Sarutobi clan. She did not feel unhappy because of his doubts, and her tone was always calm: "About this matter, the advisors and I have the same idea. That is, in the Anbu today, Sarutobi is still The clan has retained several important positions, such as the positions of a squad leader and six squad leaders. If the Sarutobi clan is allowed to obtain the elder seat, it will be unfair to the rest of the ninja clan, and it will also have an adverse impact on the balance of the village... Of course, if you, the Sarutobi clan, are willing to give up your positions in the ANBU, I can give you both a chance to compete fairly again."

The man from the Sarutobi clan snorted and sat back down.

Obviously, Tsunade's proposal made him very dissatisfied, and the other party was deliberately targeting the Sarutobi clan. But in a place like this, he couldn't blame Tsunade for anything.

The ANBU seat was something that the Sarutobi clan could not lose under any circumstances. It was an important channel to enter the core of the village.

The Sarutobi clan has no shortage of land, population, connections, funds, resources, and reputation. The most precious thing is access to the core of the village.

"If there are no objections, then this matter is settled. Next, I will inform you of the second matter——"

When Tsunade said this, she paused for a moment, glanced around the room, and took in everyone's expressions before solemnly announcing:

"——That is, in December of this year, we, the Fire Nation, together with the six major nations including the Wind Nation, Earth Nation, and Water Nation, will form an alliance to launch a war against the Ghost Nation!"