Finally, after causing a ruckus in the Hokage's office, Naruto left satisfied, his face swollen like a pig's.
After his persistent efforts, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, finally agreed to his request. She temporarily withheld the order to arrest Sasuke, and instead allowed him to "lead" his fellow genin, including Shikamaru Nara, to rescue Sasuke and bring him back to Konoha.
Naruto, being so oblivious, completely forgot that Shikamaru was already a Chunin while he was just a Genin.
Naruto also ignored Tsunade's advice to be patient and listen to Shikamaru's suggestions. He naturally assumed he was the leader and eagerly went to call on the temporary teammates Tsunade had arranged.
He was determined to stop Sasuke from going down the wrong path. Even if it meant breaking Sasuke's arms and legs, he would bring Sasuke back today!
Behind Naruto, Tsunade watched his figure disappear, half of her fair face hidden in shadow, her eyes shifting and changing with a complex and unfathomable expression.
"You may all leave. I need to think this over by myself!"
After Naruto left, Tsunade remained silent for a while, then suddenly waved her hand to dismiss the Anbu members from the room. She even temporarily sent Shizune out, as there were some things Tsunade didn't want Shizune to be involved in.
After all the Anbu members had left, Tsunade raised her hand and set up a rudimentary warning and soundproof barrier before speaking, "Hakuun Yeshan."
"exist"
Suddenly, a sharp-looking ninja emerged from the shadows in the previously empty room. He was wearing a black, tight-fitting combat suit with a green Jonin chainmail, his hair tied in a ponytail, and a scar on his right lip.
He appeared before Tsunade in a flash, knelt respectfully on one knee, and stood quietly with his right hand on the ground, awaiting her instructions.
"Yayama, the original intention of secretly transferring you guys back from the border was to have you investigate some abnormal phenomena in Konoha. You've been stationed on the border for many years and aren't very familiar with some people in the village, so I'm at ease entrusting this task to you."
Looking at the shrewd and capable Shirakumo Hayama, Tsunade felt a surge of relief. Fortunately, she had secretly recalled several experts who had previously received her help in saving people from the border under the guise of a mission some time ago; otherwise, she would have had no usable personnel today.
Konoha's foundation is arguably the best in the ninja world. Even after Hiruzen Sarutobi and his gang wreaked havoc and really squeezed Konoha's fighting strength, how could they not find a single master?
Right now, everyone is just watching and waiting, unwilling to be the first to take the lead.
Tsunade could sense that Sarutobi-sensei and Danzo and those other old guys were definitely up to no good, and there was no hope of them intervening.
Although the other families in the village acted very friendly towards him, they always kept quiet about the Uchiha clan.
Moreover, it was indeed inappropriate for these families to send people to pursue the last surviving member of a Konoha bloodline clan; the younger generation's intervention could be attributed to their friendship as classmates.
When the older generation takes action, it's difficult to avoid being interpreted as coveting the Uchiha clan's bloodline. This is a taboo subject, and can only be done in private, not openly.
Thinking of this, Tsunade sighed silently. She had been Hokage for quite some time, but she still felt like she was in a fog in Konoha, and didn't feel like she was coming home.
Gathering her scattered thoughts, Tsunade stared at Hayama and continued, "I'm assigning you an A-rank mission: follow Naruto and the others. Unless their lives are in danger, you don't need to intervene at first. You'll be responsible for assessing the situation. If conditions allow, assist Naruto in retrieving Sasuke Uchiha."
After a pause, Tsunade's next words took on a cold tinge, "If the conditions don't allow you to bring him back, I will allow you to use any means necessary to ensure that Sasuke does not fall into the hands of any other ninja village."
Although she is a medical ninja, Tsunade fought her way through the bloodshed of the Fourth Shinobi World War and will never show mercy in crucial moments.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Baiyun Yeshan respectfully accepted the order and was about to head out to meet up with his companions to carry out the mission when Tsunade spoke up again.
"Yayama, wait a moment. I can sense that there are still big problems in this matter."
Tsunade frowned, feeling a little uneasy. She resisted the urge to take out the dice and compare scores with Hayama, pacing back and forth in thought, and finally said to Hayama, "Don't be in a hurry. Focus on hiding yourselves and carefully observe whether there are other forces causing trouble."
"Whether they're from inside or outside the village!"
Tsunade spoke these words with a solemn expression, emphasizing her voice.
After frowning and thinking for a while, Tsunade said to Hayama, "I will contact the representative of Sunagakure later and ask them to send reinforcements."
Some time ago, they sent someone to reiterate their alliance with Konoha. They're currently in Konoha, and coincidentally, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, Temari, and Kankuro from Sunagakure are also part of their delegation.
In reality, the Sand Village sent them as a gesture of sincerity. As Chiyo put it, the old woman even sent the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast; wasn't that a clear indication of their sincerity?
If you still refuse to believe the Sand Village under these circumstances, then just kill the One-Tailed Jinchuriki right here in Konoha. After all, tailed beasts don't truly die. At least the Kazekage family is lying there perfectly intact in Konoha.
Tsunade was having a headache dealing with the barefoot Sand Ninja. Killing the One-Tailed Beast wouldn't benefit Konoha. Besides, there were so many strange and unusual secret techniques in the ninja world; who knew if the One-Tailed Beast would suddenly unseal itself and unleash a Tailed Beast Bomb in the village when she was about to kill it?
Furthermore, sending out the One-Tailed Jinchuriki and others as reinforcements also liberates Konoha's fighting force. When they were in the village, Tsunade had to arrange dozens of Anbu ninjas to take turns keeping an eye on them from the outside.
Although Baiyun Yeshan was a little confused, he respectfully accepted the order and waited for a while before leaving when he found that there were no further instructions.
......
Fifty miles outside Konoha Village, Yakushi was speeding along, carrying a sealed wooden barrel on his back.
To avoid being detected by Konoha patrols, he initially concealed himself and dared not run fast. Now that he was quite far from Konoha, he could finally move freely.
With Kabuto's strength, he had already sensed an enemy following him, and the enemy's aura was chaotic and split into several streams. Kabuto was inwardly impressed by Konoha's local power; their tracking was incredibly fast.
Unfortunately, you arrived too late. I adjusted my glasses and passed by a calm figure.
He was a handsome young man, but unfortunately, he looked sickly and seemed to have a short life ahead of him. However, the burning fire in his eyes showed that he was no ordinary person.
The two exchanged a glance without speaking, but they already understood each other's meaning.
Kabuto smiled and charged forward, inwardly sighing. He wondered who was chasing him this time. Facing the life dance of the last bloodline of the Kaguya family, he hoped they would die a quick and painless death.
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