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TUS Chapter 253: Tsunade’s Resolve
🕑 Added 2024-12-31 00:04:58 +0000 UTCItachi's expression darkened. Sasuke's current situation had him in a state of unease.
Sasuke's desire for strength was evident, and just then, Orochimaru had appeared, offering power as bait.
He remembered Funan's recent proposal: to turn Sasuke into a Jinchuriki.
"Sasuke!" Itachi called out to him with a stern expression. "Why? Why do you desire so much power?"
"I..." Sasuke was a little confused when asked this question again.
He didn't want to be surpassed by Naruto. He wanted to surpass Naruto! He wanted to be like his brother, his father, and Funan.
Those were all valid reasons.
But…
When he tried to express his thoughts, the words got stuck in his throat.
He felt that none of those reasons explained his obsession with power.
Funan looked at him with a deep gaze, noticing something strange.
Sasuke's desire for strength was unusual.
Orochimaru's sudden appearance during the Chunin Exams.
Itachi's doubts about him.
It all seemed as if someone was pulling the strings, guiding every event toward a specific purpose.
“How interesting…” Funan muttered to himself. “It’s as if an invisible hand is trying to return everything in this world to its original course.”
"The will of the world? If so…"
"So the main objective would be to eliminate me, a foreign element."
Funan smiled, then looked at Itachi. "Well, Itachi, let's leave this for later. We have more important matters at hand now."
"Understood." Itachi looked at Funan and felt guilty.
Seeing Sasuke's desire for power made him question whether he had misjudged the proposal to make him a Jinchuriki.
"Funan-aniki, shall we suspend the Chunin Exams?"
"No!"
"Don't!"
As soon as Itachi finished speaking, Naruto and Sasuke took the lead in opposing.
"Shut up!" Itachi glared at the two and said: "Do you have the right to speak here?"
Sakura quickly pulled Naruto and Sasuke. The two were indignant, but didn't say much.
Itachi looked away at Funan.
"A mere Orochimaru is not a sufficient reason to cancel the chunin exams." Funan commented calmly. "Besides, on this occasion, the other four Kage will also be present."
Itachi didn't add anything else.
"I'll take care of organizing a team to pursue Orochimaru immediately."
"No need." Funan replied with a smile after thinking about it for a few seconds. "Orochimaru is very good at hiding his identity. Who knows who he might turn into? If we become obsessed with searching for him, we'll only force him to assume more identities."
"This..." Itachi looked at Funan strangely. He had the feeling that Funan already had some other plan in mind.
"Understood."
Funan turned her attention back to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. "Will you three continue with the exam, or would you like to leave now?"
Sakura looked at Naruto and Sasuke, seeking their opinion. Personally, she was more inclined to give up.
But before she could say anything, Naruto raised his fist and shouted: "I'm definitely going to be a chunin! This is just the beginning! I'm going to become Hokage and surpass all the previous Hokage!"
"Idiot!" Sasuke sneered and said: "The next Hokage must be me!"
"Okay." Funan didn't insist further. "If that's your decision, then I wish you luck."
With that, Funan and Itachi walked away.
"Huh? Huh?" Sakura's eyes widened.
For a moment, Sakura felt the ground shake beneath her feet. With tears welling up in her eyes, Sakura could only sigh in resignation.
Not only during Orochimaru's attack, even in normal fights, she always ended up being irrelevant.
"Alright, let's get going again!" Naruto shouted, full of energy. "This time we'll finish the mission and pass the exam!"
Sasuke nodded slightly.
The appearance of Orochimaru and Funan had lit the fire in their hearts.
However, Sasuke glanced sideways at Naruto, who was still full of energy, and his thoughts became complicated.
That idiot had already recovered.
So this is the ability of a Jinchuriki?
…
"Hokage-sama, what are you going to do about Orochimaru?" Itachi couldn't help but ask.
"Itachi, what do you think is the purpose of Orochimaru coming to Konoha this time?"
"Purpose?" Itachi frowned and said: "Isn't it Sasuke?"
"Really?" Funan asked back. “If I really wanted Sasuke, why would I necessarily come to Konoha? Sasuke isn’t always in the village.”
“A few days ago, Sasuke and Naruto, along with Kakashi, left the village for a mission, right?”
"Do you think that just for Sasuke it's worth Orochimaru risking his life by entering Konoha?"
"This..." Itachi was stunned.
“Itachi, when you worry too much, you lose clarity.”
"Yes!" Itachi lowered his head and said: "Then you tell me, what is Orochimaru's purpose..."
Funan smiled and said: “We can figure it out step by step...”
“First, his goal must be something that can only be achieved in Konoha.”
“This point alone rules out many possibilities.”
“Second, his purpose is important enough to require his personal presence, or perhaps he is the only one with the ability to carry it out. Perhaps he has even brought all of his subordinates, indicating a large-scale operation.”
“With this, the range of possibilities is considerably reduced.”
Itachi frowned even more.
“Inside Konoha.”
“Someone with great power who never leaves the village…”
“Or some particular object…”
As Funan spoke, Itachi's mind began to visualize different people and things, evaluating each possibility.
Suddenly, an idea illuminated his mind.
“Hokage-sama, could it be that Orochimaru’s target is you?”
Funan paused, then said calmly: "Why do you have such an idea?"
"You are the Hokage." Itachi said, "If Orochimaru wants to deal with you, where is the best place?"
"The Hokage is undoubtedly the strongest in Konoha, but also the weakest, because you need to protect the safety of the villagers of Konoha. Once you enter a combat state, you will be restricted."
The more Itachi spoke, the more he felt that his guess was correct.
Itachi associated this with the impending meeting of the five Kage and felt a growing dread.
“Hokage-sama, if Orochimaru were to attack Konoha right now, what would the other Kage do?”
“Right now…”
“This is the perfect time to attack you and Konoha!”
Funan smiled faintly and said: "That makes sense, but this is just a possibility, don't worry too much."
Itachi said in a deep voice: "As long as there is such a possibility, we can't ignore it!"
Funan waved his hand, his expression calm.
“If it really happens, it will be a good opportunity to wipe them all out at once.”
"Perhaps, the shinobi world will be unified by this, and there will be no more wars in the entire shinobi world."
...
On the surface, Konoha continued to function as normal. But in the shadows, the jonin were on high alert.
Of course the most excited of all was Jiraiya.
When he heard the news, Jiraiya, who was hugging some women and drinking, let out a scream that scared the ladies, causing them to fall to the ground.
Immediately, Jiraiya rushed out like a whirlwind, exclaiming: “He’s back! He’s really back! My brother, my companion, Jiraiya is here to welcome you!”
The ladies stared at his back blankly, and suddenly, one of them screamed.
"This bastard, he hasn't paid yet!"
The other women were still stunned.
“I know him, he’s one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I know it too, but I know more that he just left without paying.”
"As long as he is still in Konoha... um, where does he live in Konoha?"
"How do I know, he is a ninja, but do you know where he works and where he lives?"
“What do we do now?”
“How am I supposed to know?”
The last comment was loaded with frustration.
“He tricked us! That useless old pervert!”
...
Tsunade looked gloomy.
After listening to Shizune's report, she strode out of the hospital.
Soon, she came to the Hokage's office.
[Bang!]
The door was opened roughly, and Tsunade walked in.
"Tsunade!" Funan said unhappily. "Do you need me to teach you what the word courtesy means?"
"Don't forget, I am the Hokage!"
Tsunade ignored his comment and got to the point: "Is Orochimaru back?"
"Yes! What? Do you have an idea? I thought the first person to come to me would be Jiraiya."
Tsunade, as if she hadn't heard his comment, continued: "I got the news that he might come for you."
Funan looked up, visibly surprised. "I don't know who told you that, but..."
Tsunade interrupted him again and said: "I know Orochimaru, he might really come for you, and killing the Hokage in Konoha is also in line with his temperament."
Tsunade's expression was a little scary. "I'm going to kill him!"
Funan looked at Tsunade in surprise and said: "Really? I didn't know you admired me so much."
[Bang!]
Tsunade slammed the table hard and leaned forward.
"Listen to me carefully, Uchiha Funan. It's not that I hold you in high regard. On the contrary, I deeply dislike you, not because you are an Uchiha, but because I simply cannot stand someone like you. But I also know that, at this moment, Konoha cannot afford to lose you."
After being forced to return to Konoha by Funan, she witnessed the changes that had occurred in the village.
To her surprise, she was delighted.
If she had a choice, why would she have left Konoha, the place where she grew up?
The answer was simple: first, she was forced to leave; second, she couldn't stand the Konoha ruled by Hiruzen.
Now Konoha has undergone earth-shaking changes.
Tsunade began to participate in the reconstruction of this new Konoha and enjoy every moment.
Over time, this renewed Konoha began to heal her wounds, becoming a new emotional pillar for her.
Even her hemophobia began to disappear.
But despite everything, Tsunade understood well that Konoha still faced extreme dangers.
The rapid development of the village had attracted the attention of the other four great shinobi villages, and their attitude towards Konoha was evident.
If something were to happen to Funan at this moment, Hiruzen would surely swoop in to regain power again.
In the shadows, there was also Danzo who continued to plot to regain control of Konoha.
Tsunade would never allow Konoha to return to its former state.
Never!
She was determined to eliminate any threat.
With a fierce glare, Tsunade fixed her eyes on Funan and spoke, word for word: "Hand over to me all the information you have on Orochimaru. I will deal with him personally."
