"Kumogakure? What do you mean?"
Tsunade was taken aback and looked at Raijin in surprise.
"There's heavenly lightning at the top of Kumogakure's mountains. Using its power can speed up the process to some extent."
Raijin explained.
"Then why would I go all the way to Kumogakure? Can't you just help me?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes and looked at Raijin.
"Oh? Then I won't hold back."
Raijin raised an eyebrow, and golden-purple lightning suddenly crackled in his palm.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Tsunade instantly jumped back, putting some distance between them.
"I know how badly you want to get stronger. Don't worry, I'll make sure to help you properly."
Before Tsunade could react, a surge of powerful electricity rushed through her body.
A tingling sensation mixed with sharp pain spread through her, and her legs instantly gave out.
Raijin quickly reached out to support her, his energy shifting as a massive amount of life force flowed into Tsunade.
This was something that had been proven long ago—
When the body suffers a certain level of damage and then recovers using natural energy, it becomes even stronger.
"Mmm—"
Tsunade frowned. As the natural energy spread through her body, an overwhelming sense of relief hit her, making her let out some strange noises.
"Heh heh heh..."
Raijin chuckled and kept the process going for an entire day.
"Here's the situation: Konohagakure is under a lot of pressure right now, so we want to bring in some displaced refugees. This way, we can train more ninja in the long run."
In the negotiation room, Sarutobi Hiruzen carefully chose his words as he spoke to the two envoys from the Land of Fire's Daimyo.
Raijin had suggested that if things didn't work out, they could just go to war.
But the truth was, Raijin could say that because he didn't care about the Daimyo of the Land of Fire at all.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, however, didn't have that luxury.
Even though the Daimyo didn't allocate a huge budget to Konohagakure, it was still a decent amount—far more than what the Land of Wind provided to Sunagakure after the Second Great Ninja War.
If they could keep receiving that funding, then they definitely should.
Declaring war is easy. You could grab just anyone off the street or even summon a random beast to do it.
If it were really that simple, then what would be the point of doing it himself?
Even if Namikaze Minato wouldn't blame him for it, that old bastard Danzo would definitely use this as an opportunity to mock him.
After all these years, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew very well that Danzo was exactly the kind of person who would do something like that.
"Sorry, I don't quite understand what kind of pressure Konohagakure is facing right now. Are you worried that the smaller nations might unite and wage war against Konohagakure? I don't think that would put much pressure on you."
The envoy from the Land of Fire spoke to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"To be honest, the danger Konohagakure is facing right now is greater than ever before."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned serious.
"You should know that a few years ago, Konohagakure took the initiative to start the Third Shinobi War, completely destroying Sunagakure and Iwagakure in the process."
Without waiting for the envoy to respond, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued.
"Of course, that war brought great benefits to the Land of Fire. The Daimyo was very pleased."
The envoy nodded at Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.
When Sunagakure and Iwagakure fell, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire immediately sent troops to the Land of Wind.
As a result, both the Land of Wind's Daimyo and the Land of Earth's Daimyo ended up paying tribute.
Many ministers in the capital profited from this, so the entire Land of Fire praised Konohagakure's actions more than ever before.
"But back then, Konohagakure's real target wasn't Sunagakure or Iwagakure—it was something behind them."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded slightly, chuckled, and continued speaking to the envoy.
"And what exactly was so important that Konohagakure would go to such lengths?"
The envoy was momentarily stunned and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen in confusion.
"A being called Otsutsuki Isshiki."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke as he watched the envoy.
At this point, there was no need to keep this information hidden anymore. If it could buy them time to prepare, that would be for the best.
"Otsutsuki Isshiki? What's so special about him?"
The envoy asked Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"At first, we didn't think he was anything special either. But the more we learned, the more we uncovered a shocking truth."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew heavy.
"What truth?"
The envoy was caught off guard and pressed for an answer.
"Otsutsuki Isshiki isn't from this world. He belongs to the Otsutsuki clan. And according to intelligence reports, the Otsutsuki clan will soon arrive in the Shinobi world. That's why Konohagakure has to start preparing in advance."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the envoy.
"Hiruzen-sama, you must be joking. What you're saying is just too ridiculous."
The envoy pursed his lips, looking unconvinced, and spoke to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I have no reason to joke about something like this. If Konohagakure truly wanted to act, do you really think the Daimyo could stop us?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, speaking in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.
"Hiruzen-sama, please be serious."
The envoy's expression hardened as he spoke sternly to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But deep down, he knew Hiruzen was right.
If Konohagakure decided to take action, the Daimyo truly wouldn't be able to stop them.
But saying that out loud? That was another matter entirely. Did Konohagakure really plan to turn against the Daimyo?
"There's no need to talk about 'serious' or not—this is simply the truth, isn't it?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, his eyes carrying a knowing glint as he stared straight into the envoy's, seeing through his forced composure and into the fear beneath.
"But think about it—if Konohagakure really had any intention of acting against the Daimyo, wouldn't it have done so already?
Over the years, our cooperation with the Daimyo has been very smooth, and we'd like to keep it that way.
That's why Konohagakure has never hidden certain pieces of information from the Daimyo.
To be honest, I hadn't planned on sharing this intelligence with him.
If we could handle the pressure on our own, we wouldn't want to drag the Daimyo into it and make him worry as well.
But now, not only is Konohagakure bearing this burden alone, we also have to deal with the Daimyo's lack of understanding.
So, we had no choice but to inform you."
Seeing that the envoy was already sufficiently unsettled, Sarutobi Hiruzen softened his tone.
"Put yourself in our shoes for a moment.
Wouldn't it be better if we could just stay home, live in comfort, and pursue longevity instead of dealing with all this?
If we had the choice, who would willingly take on this mess?"
With a helpless shrug, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke to the envoy.
"You just said... immortality?"
The messenger was taken aback, catching the key word.
"Yeah, immortality."
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled and spoke to the messenger.
Would Sarutobi Hiruzen ever say something wrong? Honestly, even if he messed up a hand sign, he would never say the wrong thing.
After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen was known for being meticulous and never leaving any loose ends.
Bringing up immortality, such a sensitive topic, had a simple reason—before completely falling out with the Land of Fire's Daimyo, Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to squeeze as much money out of him as possible.
From Hiruzen's perspective, with Konohagakure's current situation and Uchiha Tatsumi's stance on Raijin and Madara, they wouldn't even last until next year's funding. If they could hold on until winter, that would already be impressive.
If he could get another big sum from the Daimyo now, the pressure on Tatsumi would ease up significantly.
By then, wouldn't Uchiha Tatsumi have to spend a fortune crafting a legendary sword as thanks? This was just how the world worked—favors had to be repaid.
"Could you explain this in more detail?"
The messenger quickly asked Hiruzen.
Immortality—if he could bring back a method for achieving it from Konohagakure to the Daimyo, it would be a major accomplishment.
"Of course. This technique was developed by my two disciples, Uchiha Raijin and Tsunade. Their original goal was to replicate the longevity of the Slug Sage, who has lived for over a thousand years.
After many people trained in it, it became clear that this technique not only grants greater power but also extends lifespan.
Right now, the two oldest seniors in Konohagakure, Senju Tobirama and Uzumaki Mito, are still actively contributing to the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled as he spoke to the messenger.
Immortality—the ultimate temptation even for the strongest ninjas. How could the Daimyo possibly resist?
"Can ordinary people learn this technique?"
The messenger asked eagerly.
"In theory, yes. But so far, there haven't been any successful cases. If the Daimyo wishes to learn it, it would be best if my teacher, Tobirama, leads some experiments first before passing it on. What do you think?"
Hiruzen looked at the messenger.
"Of course, since it's the Daimyo, we must take the safest approach."
The messenger nodded repeatedly.
"So, can we begin experimenting on this technique now?"
He pressed on.
Forget the Daimyo—even the nobles and ministers in the capital would be desperate for immortality.
"Right now... that might be difficult. As I mentioned earlier, Konohagakure is under a lot of pressure. My teacher Tobirama is currently leading the development of several new jutsu, so he won't have time to conduct such experiments in the short term."
Hiruzen sighed and gave the messenger a troubled look.
"Then, is there anything the Daimyo could do to help Konohagakure?"
The messenger asked directly.
He understood Hiruzen's implication—he just wanted some support from the Daimyo.
Ninjas were all the same.
As long as there was money, they would be willing to put their lives on the line.
This was nothing new.
And while the messenger didn't know what the Daimyo would decide, there was no harm in asking about Konohagakure's conditions in advance.
"Right now, what Konohagakure needs most is money and manpower. If the Daimyo can provide support in these areas, it would greatly ease the village's burden."
Hiruzen said with a grin.
When it came to asking for money, there was no need to worry about pride.
If the Daimyo really gave them a few hundred million ryo, Hiruzen wouldn't mind getting on his knees to bow twice.
And if the Daimyo helped bring in tens of thousands of people to assist Konohagakure, Hiruzen would make sure to return the favor in full.
He might even personally sneak into the Daimyo's mansion one night while he was sleeping and send him off from this cruel world without any pain.
"Konohagakure has been standing at the frontlines for the sake of the entire world. If the Daimyo learns about its struggles, he surely won't sit idly by.
I will report Konohagakure's latest developments, difficulties, and needs to the Daimyo as accurately as possible."
The messenger stood up and spoke to Hiruzen.
"Then I must trouble you to put in a few good words for Konohagakure. If the Daimyo is willing to provide support, I can guarantee that once an immortality technique suitable for ordinary people is developed, you will be the first to receive it."
Hiruzen stood up as well, smiling as he spoke.
It was all just talk anyway.
Even if the technique were to be completed tomorrow, Hiruzen would still dare to make this promise.
"That would be wonderful, Lord Hiruzen. I will do my best to convince the Daimyo to support Konohagakure as much as possible."
The envoy couldn't hide his smile.
"Thank you for your hard work. Stay in Konoha for the night and rest. Tomorrow, I'll send some ninja to escort you back."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he spoke to the two envoys in front of him.
"Oh? No need, no need. We'll leave right away. Konoha's matters are more important. How could we delay?"
The envoy quickly responded.
"No need to rush. You can leave tomorrow. We have ninja in the village who specialize in space-time jutsu. In just a moment, you'll be back with the Daimyo."
Hiruzen took the envoy's hand and chuckled.
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