*Chapter 163: Never Easy to Die*

After Uchiha Raijin attacked and left Konoha, the entire Shinobi world underwent massive changes.

Konoha lost a famous ninja and a powerful ninja clan.

Even the heads of various renowned clans disappeared without a trace.

The four major shinobi villages, which had been eyeing Konoha like a piece of juicy meat, could no longer hold back.

Cloud Village began causing various skirmishes along the border with Konoha, sometimes even engaging in full-scale battles.

The atmosphere in the shinobi world was already tense, and it seemed inevitable that a major conflict with Konoha would soon erupt.

All that was missing was a spark, and the moment that spark appeared, it would ignite the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

Konoha had been coveted for a long time, and they had been salivating over it for quite a while.

"Have you found any trace of the Uchiha clan?"

Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, with a pipe in his mouth, looked noticeably more aged.

In just a few short months, matters within Konoha had become more complicated.

Now, Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer trusted anyone else to manage Konoha’s affairs.

As a result, most of the responsibilities had fallen onto his own shoulders.

"Not yet, but it seems Uchiha Fugaku has found some traces. He was reportedly active in the Land of Earth recently but has since disappeared again."

"Uchiha Fugaku has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Capturing him won’t be easy. We underestimated him before."

Danzō, sitting next to Sarutobi Hiruzen, had a different appearance. His face was glowing with health, as if he had been rejuvenated. His aura was even more formidable than before.

After seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen in this state, Danzō began taking care of himself.

He spent a large sum of money with Orochimaru to ensure he could maintain his peak condition for a longer period.

Danzō wanted to ensure that once the Third Hokage stepped down, he, as the Fifth Hokage, could stay in power for at least twenty years.

After all, everyone in Konoha knew that the Uchiha rebellion had been a severe blow to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The continuous skirmishes with the surrounding four nations had taken a toll on him, wearing down both his body and spirit.

Moreover, Konoha still lacked a suitable successor, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen severely strained both physically and mentally.

“Whew…”

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke and picked up the scroll on the table, reading it intently.

No news of Uchiha Raijin meant no progress. What he needed was information about Uchiha Raijin.

After the Uchiha clan left with the heads of various other clans, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the pressure.

Konoha no longer had a leader. Previously, by eliminating some of the Fourth Hokage’s men, he had reduced Konoha's military strength significantly.

Now, with Raijin taking away even more of their strength, Konoha was emptier than ever.

Jiraiya alone was holding the front line, and Sarutobi Hiruzen feared that he wouldn’t be able to hold out.

"If necessary, we could let Orochimaru return."

Danzō smirked slyly at Sarutobi Hiruzen as he suggested this.

Orochimaru, the rogue ninja of Konoha, had been branded a human experimentation fiend.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen was forced to bring Orochimaru back due to pressure, it would overturn his previous stance.

Hehe, Danzō thought, if he could just stir up some trouble, he might be able to push Sarutobi Hiruzen out of the Hokage position.

"It's not that desperate yet!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at his old colleague. He could easily guess what Danzō was scheming.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was very aware that Danzō had been itching for this for a long time.

But after the incident with the Uchiha clan, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt increasingly powerless.

He was finding it harder to keep Danzō in check. It was only a matter of time before Danzō would take over.

Before that happened, Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to find someone capable of succeeding him in Konoha.

"Konoha should be able to survive this war."

Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared calm, but his eyebrows were furrowed in concern.

In his heart, he was anything but calm. He was just hoping that Jiraiya would scare off the other four nations.

After all, Jiraiya's Sage Mode was quite intimidating. If they could avoid this war, Konoha would rise from the ashes even stronger.

"Whoosh"

Raijin stepped out of the Kamui space and looked around at the forest.

This was the Land of Springs. He had previously arranged some business here, but it had already been sold off.

He hadn’t expected that after all this time, this would be the first place he’d return to.

Raijin didn’t hesitate. He opened the Kamui space, and a line of people gradually emerged.

The ninjas, upon recognizing the familiar surroundings, immediately vanished into the landscape to gather information.

The only ones left were the pirates and marines from the Grand Line, who were curious about this new world.

Sengoku’s expression remained unchanged as he fiddled with the Den Den Mushi in his pocket, but he noticed it had lost signal.

It seemed they were too far from Marineford, so the signal was weak.

He decided to wait until they left to determine their location and see if anyone could be sent to find them.

"So, this is where the shinobi live?"

Whitebeard looked around with some curiosity, taking in the surroundings.

It didn’t seem much different from the sea, except that the trees were a bit thicker.

But such trees weren’t unusual in the world. There were also some primeval forests out at sea.

"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, doesn't seem like much!"

Charlotte Linlin laughed, finding nothing particularly different.

"How could this place compare to the sea? We’re just hidden deep within it."

"You’re free to move around as you wish. If I decide to leave, I’ll contact you."

"Oh, and unless necessary, don’t provoke the Five Great Nations. They do have some strength."

Raijin smiled as he addressed the group in front of him.

He had given them some advice, but whether they chose to heed it was up to them. Raijin wouldn’t interfere.

---

*It seems that among the Five Kage, there are still some decent people.*

Someone like Ōnoki would likely suffer losses if they encountered these guys.

"By the way, you can leave in batches to avoid running into each other," Raijin said after some thought to the group in front of him.

The hatred between these people was strong, and he feared that they might cause trouble among themselves before even creating chaos in the shinobi world.

If they couldn’t help him divert attention, it would be a problem!

"Let me go first. Staying with these sea scum makes me nauseous," Sengoku said, making no effort to hide his disdain for the pirates in front of him.

He turned and left in one direction, taking Kuzan, Issho, and Tsunade with him.

Tsunade was a local, so she was well-acquainted with the shinobi world.

They didn’t need Raijin to guide them; they could find what they were looking for on their own.

But Sengoku was here to scout the area and still wasn’t sure where he should go.

"Gurararara, Marco, let’s go too! Let’s check out the new island and see if we can recruit a few sons."

"It looks like some great adventures await us here!"

Whitebeard laughed heartily, wielding his naginata as he walked off in another direction.

He feared no one, not even if Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were after him.

Someone like Kaido wouldn’t have the guts to ambush him.

"Hmph!"

Kaido said nothing, transforming into a dragon and disappearing into the sky with King.

No one knew where they went, but they were still somewhere in the shinobi world.

With most of the group gone, Charlotte Linlin didn’t stick around either.

Soon, nearly everyone had dispersed.

Meanwhile, the shinobi sent to gather information had returned.

They confirmed their presence near a small town in the Land of Springs.

"There’s also another stronghold nearby. Let’s temporarily set the contact point there."

"Clan Chief Nara, you should have no trouble returning to Konoha to gather information, right?"

"I hope you can send back news about Konoha as quickly as possible."

Raijin looked at Nara Shikaku and asked.

"No problem."

Nara Shikaku nodded, confident that he could handle the task.

He was the only clan leader who had come, as Akimichi Chōza and Yamanaka Inoichi hadn’t joined him.

Raijin probably felt a bit uneasy about them, but Shikaku didn’t say anything.

The Ino-Shika-Chō trio had always been united, and Shikaku felt that he alone was more than enough.

Once he returned, he could use his influence to pull the others along.

With a group of seven or eight people, Shikaku vanished at lightning speed.

Next, the Inuzuka and Aburame clans also spoke up, planning to check on the status of their clans.

But due to the straightforward nature of the Inuzuka clan, Raijin entrusted the entire task to the Aburame clan.

The Aburame clan’s abilities were sufficient, so the Inuzuka clan was to stay behind and report back.

People gradually dispersed, spreading out in all directions.

"Kakashi, you’re going to have to push yourself. You’ve been away from the shinobi world for a long time!"

"I’m afraid the fighting will start up again soon, so focus on gathering information."

Raijin felt that Konoha was in for a beating.

But whether or not they could withstand it remained to be seen.

That would have to be observed carefully!

"Understood!"

Kakashi nodded, signaling his team to disappear quickly.

There was no need to worry about communication; the Den Den Mushi wasn’t exclusive to the pirate world.

Even in the shinobi world, they could use it, though only for local communication.

Unless this Den Den Mushi could transcend worlds and connect to the pirate world.

But the Den Den Mushi didn’t have that capability.

A day later, unrest began to stir in the shinobi world.

"Lord Hokage, a burly man appeared near our Konoha border and has already killed three groups of bandits on his way here. Should we…"

A shinobi quickly reported to the Hokage’s office.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was engrossed in the scroll he was reading, didn’t seem to care much about this matter.

Those sitting nearby, including Koharu Utatane, noticed that Hiruzen was distracted and instructed the shinobi to stand by.

What had distracted Hiruzen was the appearance of Tsunade. The Tsunade they had been longing for, whom Raijin had taken, had suddenly appeared in the Land of Fire.

"Hiruzen, I’m afraid Tsunade’s appearance is a trap set by Uchiha Raijin."

"Tsunade was taken by Uchiha Raijin for so long. How could she suddenly reappear in the Land of Fire?"

Homura Mitokado quickly voiced his concern, sensing something was off.

He knew that Hiruzen was looking for a successor, but Tsunade’s stance was unclear.

If she had been released after being used by Uchiha Raijin, why hadn’t she reported back to Konoha immediately?

"I understand."

Hiruzen nodded calmly, though the appearance of Tsunade gave him hope.

But how could he not be suspicious?

"Let Jiraiya make contact with Tsunade and see if there’s anything suspicious about her."

After a moment of thought, Hiruzen said.

Having Jiraiya approach her was the best option, especially since he had Sage Mode.

Even if something was off with Tsunade, Jiraiya could easily retreat and avoid getting killed.

Hiruzen, however, couldn’t afford to leave Konoha so easily; he was the village’s pillar and couldn’t be lost so easily.

(End of Chapter)