Chapter 164: Maybe We Should Recall Orochimaru

"I believe Tsunade must have already become a traitor!"

At this moment, the gloomy old man sitting across from Koharu Utatane spoke up, his face partially covered by bandages.

There was no warmth emanating from this man; just a glance at him made one feel as if they were being pulled into darkness. Only Danzo could possess such an aura in the Shinobi World.

"Danzo, don't speak recklessly without evidence. Anyone could betray the Leaf, but Tsunade is the one person who never would."

"Tsunade has the blood of Lord Hashirama running through her veins. She couldn't possibly betray the Leaf and become a lapdog for Reijin."

"Besides, if we want to find out about Uchiha Reijin's whereabouts, the only way is through Tsunade."

"Therefore, we must make efforts to approach and win over Tsunade," Koharu quickly interjected.

Tsunade's importance in the Leaf Village was undeniable. If Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to step down, Tsunade would be the first choice, with even seventy percent of the village likely supporting her to succeed as Hokage.

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi was getting older, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to maintain control over the Leaf. The next step was to quickly choose a candidate to succeed the position of Hokage.

The advisors did not want any more surprises, especially with Danzo around.

Danzo was already difficult to manage even with the third Hokage’s control; without it, the advisors feared they might not even retain their positions.

"Hmph! Tsunade will definitely become a traitor. Instead of wasting time on her, you'd be better off recalling Orochimaru."

"If you think I'm wrong, then I'll leave this matter to you and stay out of it."

Danzo sneered as he supported himself with his cane and walked out, his disdain for the other elders obvious.

These elders were out of touch with the times and would soon be eliminated by the Shinobi World. They still entertained the idea of bringing Tsunade back to succeed as Hokage—how did such an idea even come about?

In the Hokage’s office, Koharu and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances. They felt that dealing with Danzo was already challenging enough, and now he was proposing something as drastic as this with Tsunade.

Tsunade was, after all, the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, and had inherited all of the Senju clan’s assets in the Leaf. If Tsunade returned, it was uncertain who might be ousted from their positions.

Even though Danzo had held a high position in the Leaf for many years, he did not have the strong foundation that the Senju clan had.

"Send word to Jiraiya! Have him contact Tsunade!"

"As for Orochimaru, cancel the Shinobi World's bounty on him for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply, recognizing that the lack of viable candidates for Hokage was a major problem for the Leaf.

Originally, someone like Kakashi would have been a good candidate, possessing both a brilliant mind and strong capabilities, and being a member of the Hokage's lineage. But Kakashi had also gone missing, adding to Hiruzen's mounting pressure and diminishing control over the Leaf.

Figures like Danzo were already slipping beyond his grasp.

A Nara clan ninja stood in the forest, looking around cautiously before using a sensory jutsu to scan the surroundings. After confirming that no one was following him, the ninja slowly entered a cave.

The dark cave suddenly brightened with the light of a torch, which the Nara clan ninja held as he carefully moved forward, feeling the walls.

"Daiga!"

A voice called out from the darkness, and Daiga quickly pointed the torch toward it, illuminating Shikaku Nara’s face. The two scars on Shikaku’s face looked especially menacing in the dim light.

"Lord Shikaku!"

Nara Daiga immediately knelt on the ground, bowing his head in respect.

He hadn't expected Lord Shikaku to return. He had received a message earlier, thinking it was another clan member with important secrets to discuss.

"How has the Leaf been during my absence?"

Shikaku Nara's sharp gaze focused on the young man in front of him. His choice to seek out his own clan first had its advantages—the Nara clan was intelligent, knowing their limits and understanding when to advance or retreat.

"The state of the Leaf, I don’t know, but the Nara clan has been struggling. After you left, the Third Hokage placed me as the head of the clan."

"Due to the Uchiha incident, the Third Hokage has become increasingly distrustful of the major clans in the Leaf and has started restructuring them."

"He cut off the Nara clan's annual funding for medicinal herbs and other resources, and sent some of our clan members to the front lines."

"It's not just our clan—all the major clans have lost a lot, and now everyone is on edge."

"The Third Hokage only trusts his own clan now. Everything that was taken away from us has been given to the Sarutobi clan."

"He's likely building up the Sarutobi clan’s forces, creating a behemoth."

Nara Daiga spoke with a bitter expression.

They hadn’t even been involved in the destruction of the Uchiha clan, yet the clan’s assets had already been absorbed by the Leaf. There was no doubt in his mind that these would end up in the Sarutobi clan’s pockets.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was old now and more reluctant to let go of power. After the blow from the Uchiha incident, he no longer trusted any of the major clans in the Leaf, fearing they might become the next Uchiha.

The Leaf was now full of rot and exuded a stench that made one want to vomit. The Nara clan had also been pushed to the village’s margins.

"Has it really come to this...?"

A sharp glint appeared in Shikaku Nara’s eyes.

The older one gets, the more they fear. Hiruzen Sarutobi once had complete control over the Leaf, but that power had gradually waned. In this crisis, he began tightening his grip on the village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had turned into the Leaf's evil dragon! Someone must become the hero who challenges him.

However, the two founding clans of the Leaf had fallen silent: one had disappeared, and the other had become a rogue shinobi.

Even if they wanted to act against Hiruzen Sarutobi now, they no longer had the chance. On the surface, the Leaf seemed fine, but internally, it had already rotted beyond repair.

If Tsunade or Jiraiya took over now, there might still be a chance to steer the Leaf back on track.

However, it seems that Sarutobi Hiruzen still doesn’t want to let go of power.

He has Jiraiya active on the front lines, cutting off information about Konoha. Lady Tsunade can’t return to Konoha now either.

The village is full of poisonous people; even if they are nurtured, in the end, they will only grow into more poisonous creatures.

"Lord Shikaku, are you planning to return to Konoha?"

Nara Takara looked at Nara Shikaku’s expression and hesitated before speaking. To be honest, now is not a good time to return to Konoha!

Right now, Nara Takara would rather have Nara Shikaku's branch live outside the village than return to Konoha.

After all, Konoha can really be considered a dragon's lair or a tiger's den—it's beyond imagination.

If the people who were taken away by Uchiha Reijin, like Nara Shikaku and the others, return, it will be a nightmare. At that point, the only thing waiting for them will be endless torture.

Even the Nara Clan will be implicated. It would be better to let their clan live outside and preserve some of their bloodline, avoiding becoming a thorn in the side of the Sarutobi clan. This would at least reduce a lot of trouble.

"No! I don't plan to return!"

Nara Shikaku noticed the concern on Nara Takara's face and sighed slightly.

Konoha has become such a place now—everyone is on edge! Even the major clans are afraid of getting involved in anything.

But... aren’t the major clans now just like the Uchiha Clan before?

What Sarutobi Hiruzen is doing now is essentially planning to destroy the entire village of Konoha.

"I plan to take you all with me and leave. Konoha is no longer a place where we can live."

"Konoha is about to make a move against our clans, so you need to think carefully about this."

Nara Shikaku had almost figured out Konoha's situation; he just needed to investigate more thoroughly later.

Konoha is too complicated now. Without thorough investigation, it would be difficult to enter the village.

"Leave? Lord Shikaku, are things going well for you over there?"

Nara Takara hesitated. He didn’t expect Nara Shikaku to propose not returning but instead leaving together. In the past, Nara Takara might have been uncertain about this decision.

After all, the Nara Clan held a significant position in Konoha, and they were highly regarded by the Hokage.

But now, the Nara Clan... Honestly, it’s a serious problem whether they can continue to thrive and survive in Konoha.

As the current head of the Nara Clan, Nara Takara had to figure out a way to protect his clan!

Dying for Konoha just isn’t worth it anymore.

"It’s going well, but I can’t give you too many details! But I can assure you that our Nara Clan will have a much better life after leaving Konoha."

"If you’re willing to leave, convert all the cash into gold, don’t sell the medicinal herbs, and take them all with you."

"Also, bring along people from the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans. This place is no longer our stage."

"Only by standing with Uchiha Reijin do we have a place. Konoha has rotted."

Nara Shikaku trusted Nara Takara enough to reveal some information.

As for what decision Nara Takara will make, that’s up to him.

After all, Nara Shikaku was no longer the head of the Nara Clan, and the fate of the clan had been passed on to another.

In Shikaku’s view, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the Nara Clan; it’s just that the Nara Clan has traditionally trained for war and combat strategies from a young age, which is why they stand out.

If civilian children received the same training, most would reach a similar level.

Now that Shikaku has chosen to stand by Reijin, he must think for him!

Their fates are now completely tied to Reijin's.

"Understood!"

Nara Takara saw Nara Shikaku's intention. He sighed slightly, thinking that if Shikaku wanted to take back the position of clan leader, he wouldn’t resist much.

After all, being the head of the clan had shown him how much weight they carried.

Now he was under immense pressure and honestly wanted to quit.

But Shikaku had given him the choice, making him realize that the position of clan leader would remain his.

Damn! Nara Shikaku is too cunning.

He hasn’t even married yet, and all this pressure will stunt his growth.

"Go then, and if you make up your mind, come find me!"

Nara Shikaku's figure slowly disappeared into the darkness of the cave!

Only Nara Takara remained, sighing endlessly.

Who would have thought all the bad luck would fall on him?

In the Land of Fire, Tsumugi Street!

Tsunade had returned to the shinobi world after a long time. She took all the Navy’s possessions and headed straight to the gambling halls.

Meanwhile, Sengoku was soaking in the hot springs, his face relaxed and content.

This trip turned out to be a perfect decision, like a vacation funded by public money.

The scenery here is quite nice, even more peaceful than the sea.

"Sengoku-san, it seems that the Den Den Mushi can’t connect to the Navy. There might be something here that disrupts its signal."

"This island of shinobi truly lives up to its reputation. It’s no wonder it remained undiscovered for so many years. There must be plenty of mysterious techniques here."

"Only Uchiha Reijin might know how to get here."

Aokiji was half-submerged in the hot springs, feeling an unusual lack of weakness.

The next moment, he fully submerged himself in the water. Although he felt some doubts, he didn’t voice them.

He had soaked in hot springs on the sea before, but just submerging himself halfway left him feeling weak.

The side effects of the Devil Fruit were already kicking in, but here, even after fully submerging himself, he felt fine. Could there be something wrong with the water here?

Maybe this isn’t a natural hot spring, but one without the effects of seawater.

"Ah, the World Government’s plans have fallen through. Let’s focus on gathering information here."

"Later, you can explore the edges of this island. I want to see what kind of techniques are at play here."

Sengoku let out a long sigh. Fortunately, he had brought Aokiji along.

If he had come alone, he would’ve been exhausted.

He just needed to follow Tsunade; she was on her way to find the so-called Slug Sage.

He wanted to see what kind of creature could be called a sage.

"Yes."

Kuzan glanced at Sengoku, then put on his eye mask and nodded.

Rank has its privileges. Now a Navy Admiral has become an errand boy.

"Two of you, it seems a powerful individual is approaching."

The previously silent Fujitora suddenly spoke.

Sengoku and Kuzan immediately became alert. They knew that Fujitora’s Observation Haki was strong enough to sense threats even in outer space!

"Who is it?"

Sengoku asked immediately.

Could it be that some pirates had found them and were here to cause trouble?

These people never have good intentions, so they expected them to show up.

Was it Kaido or Whitebeard?

"It seems to be an acquaintance of Miss Tsunade, coming to find her."

Fujitora said softly.

(End of chapter)