That night, when Cao Ya visited the ninja clan, the three ninjas met in a private room of an izakaya.

They didn't bring anyone else with them; Jingyin and Dou didn't come along either.

Jiraiya was the most enthusiastic, preparing food and drinks, including grilled pork belly, which smelled delicious.

He poured a glass of wine for all three of them. Tsunade held the glass gently but did not drink it immediately.

She suddenly laughed and said in an odd tone:

"Is this the first time in years that we've all gotten together to eat?

Orochimaru seemed to have some special feelings as well; he was quite different from usual today.

This was something that everyone in the R&D department had more or less noticed.

That's understandable; who can truly ignore a partner with whom they've entrusted their life and death?

"The meat is ready! Come on, let's have a drink!" Jiraiya said excitedly, distributing the grilled meat to the three of them.

Of the three, Orochimaru and Tsunade were deeply moved and had mixed feelings about today's events, but the happiest of all was undoubtedly Jiraiya.

Heaven knows how many nights he had longed to relive that scene.

The one who misses the past the most is none other than Jiraiya.

"What's the point of these small cups? Tell the boss to bring a few big cups." Tsunade said boldly, asking for a cup the size of a bowl, filling it with wine, and drinking heartily.

Jiraiya's attempts to dissuade her were unsuccessful; instead, Tsunade fed him twice, leaving him somewhat dizzy.

Orochimaru remained calm and drank heavily as well, but showed no reaction, which piqued Jiraiya's curiosity.

Tsunade was also surprised:

"Orochimaru, your alcohol tolerance has improved."

Orochimaru curled his tongue, barely chewed, and swallowed a piece of fragrant roasted meat, then laughed:

"Do you think my R&D department is a joke?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a glance, both taken aback.

Tsunade said speechlessly:

"Don't tell me your R&D department does this kind of research all day?"

Orochimaru shook his head and corrected him:

"This isn't my R&D department, it's Konoha's... well, it's not really a problem to say it's the Fifth Hokage's."

Tsunade seemed to have sobered up. She tapped her index finger lightly on the table and said thoughtfully:

"You seem to trust Godai a lot. You used to treat your teacher like that... but you haven't been like that since, have you?"

Orochimaru said softly:

"Who isn't?"

He was saying that none of the three legendary Sannin, who were teachers of the Third Hokage, were disappointed in each other later on.

Many things shouldn't be thought about too deeply, otherwise you'll inevitably start to doubt certain people.

Jiraiya downed his drink in one gulp, slammed the cup down with a loud thud, let out a burp, and said:

"Don't mention it, the old man is gone, there's no point in talking about it now."

After a slight silence, it was true that three generations of people had died, all because of Orochimaru, their disciple. Was he complaining now?

Tsunade said with dissatisfaction:

"Orochimaru, you still haven't given me a straight answer."

I'd like to ask about Orochimaru's true attitude towards the Fifth Hokage.

Putting everything else aside, Tsunade trusts Orochimaru's judgment.

Orochimaru carefully considered his words:

"From the perspective of ordinary people and small ninja clans, the Fifth Hokage's actions were excellent and should be followed. As for the major ninja clans..."

He gave a cold laugh:

"The Five Dynasties also granted them power, but of course there were limitations. As long as those guys don't cause trouble, the Five Dynasties shouldn't touch them."

Tsunade suddenly asked:

"What if the great ninja clan is dissatisfied with its current power?"

Orochimaru remained calm and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage's methods are far more ruthless than you think! No one in the entire Hidden Leaf Village understands this better than I do."

Jiraiya was quite surprised. Orochimaru and the Fifth Hokage were so close? How come I didn't know?

"Don't look at me like that. I'm actually in charge of the R&D department, but the nominal head has always been the Fifth Hokage," Orochimaru said in a deep voice. "Of all the departments in Konoha, the R&D department is the only one that the Fifth Hokage is nominally in charge of. He attaches great importance to the R&D department, and many of my studies were completed in collaboration with the Fifth Hokage."

He paused for a moment, then said with a hint of surprise:

"I didn't expect that Wudai's R&D talent was no less than mine. Many of the ideas were first conceived by Wudai."

Tsunade poured herself a glass of wine, ate some grilled meat, and said:

"So, you've decided to support the fifth generation?"

Orochimaru shrugged and smiled, and Jiraiya and Tsunade instantly understood.

Orochimaru didn't try to persuade his two friends; they were both grown up and had their own ideas.

However, Orochimaru had a lot of contact with Cao Ya and had done research together, so he understood Cao Ya. Moreover, immortality was an important project they were researching together, so Orochimaru would never betray Cao Ya.

Cao Ya grasped Orochimaru's true desire.

Abolish the daimyo, abolish the aristocracy... true equality...

Konoha has indeed improved... We can gather here today... I can feel the equal treatment shown to all the younger ones... The Fifth Hokage, perhaps he wasn't the child of prophecy, but this kind of life is good enough...

Jiraiya was silent for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter, laughing heartily, seemingly very happy, his face full of joy.

Tsunade glanced sideways and shouted:

"Jiraiya, have you gone mad?"

Jiraiya waved his hand, drinking as he laughed:

"No, I've just made a decision."

They didn't say what the decision was, because they didn't want to influence Tsunade.

His decision was completely evident from his expression.

Tsunade paused for a moment, a few thoughts swirling in her mind.

Do Orochimaru and Jiraiya both choose to support the Fifth Hokage?

What's my choice?

******

******

Another barbecue restaurant.

To welcome Shizune back, Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, Anko Mitarashi, and others booked two tables and served a large amount of pork belly, along with both strong and low-alcohol liquor.

As she grilled the meat, Kurenai joked:

"Shizune, you've learned a lot from Lady Tsunade, haven't you? Lady Tsunade will definitely be the head of the medical department, and then you'll be the vice-head."

Silent wasn't shy at all; she turned the tables and teased him instead:

"How can anyone compare to Kurenai Yuhi, the club president of the Illusion Club?"

Kurenai Yuhi is the head of the Illusion Club, while the Kurama family members are the vice-heads.

In fact, Cao Ya's most satisfactory choice was Uchiha Itachi, but it is clear that Uchiha Itachi will not be coming back.

After all, the blood debt of the entire Uchiha clan is partly attributed to the Third Hokage and Danzo, partly to Obito Uchiha, and the rest to Itachi Uchiha.

Although Sasuke is the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan and currently hates Itachi, he will most likely choose to forgive Itachi after learning the truth.

But can Itachi forgive himself in his heart?

After Cao Ya became Hokage, Itachi infiltrated Konoha and had a conversation with him about Sasuke and Akatsuki, but not about Itachi himself.

Itachi could never forgive himself.

Death, the Pure Land, is the only destination for the weasel.

What sins did those Uchiha people, the old, the young, the women and children, commit that deserved to die?

After that conversation, Itachi was well aware of Cao Ya's attitude, but Cao Ya no longer cared about him.

Konoha and Sasuke were the only things Itachi couldn't let go of.

In Itachi's mind, Konoha should come before Sasuke.