Kyoichi really did come looking for Tsunade.
Tsunade was busy.
The matter of the Gedo Statue had already been brushed over—she had managed to fob it off on the old man. And the old man was treating Kyoichi almost too well. The moment he heard it had been Kyoichi's idea...
That was that.
She couldn't help but wonder—seriously now, who's the Hokage here, and who's the disciple?
The way things were going, Kyoichi seemed more like the true disciple than she did.
Fortunately, he was one of their own.
So Tsunade didn't really get angry, though every now and then she wished Kyoichi would cut back on his endless schemes.
And yet…
Her thoughts clearly didn't align with Kyoichi's.
He was here again.
Tsunade sighed.
"This time, what is it? Don't tell me it's another mess you want me to take the blame for."
"Ahem, nothing like that… Do you remember the village I mentioned before? I promised them that if they could keep themselves under control, they could join Konoha."
Kyoichi brought up another matter first.
Start with something small—
Keep things steady.
Tsunade thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes, I recall. Oh, and speaking of which, one of your disciples has been working under the daimyō. He even brought us a new clan."
"Oh?"
"The Iburi clan. They can dissolve into smoke, but it's unstable. Recently, they crossed paths with Asuma on a mission. Asuma suggested they come to Konoha to seek a solution."
At that, Tsunade chuckled, though she looked a little troubled.
"I'm starting to think you and your disciples have the same bad habit."
"That's Asuma's problem, what's it got to do with me?"
Kyoichi couldn't resist grumbling.
"No, no, no—you both think I'm omnipotent, don't you? But bloodline illnesses like that are the hardest to treat!"
This wasn't the first time Tsunade had wanted to complain.
But this time, she just couldn't hold it in.
Every problem gets dumped on Konoha. Seriously—
She was at a loss for words.
Kyoichi cleared his throat.
"I don't think that at all. Look at the illness in the Land of Rivers—I handled that one myself."
"Enough. You've got more to say, don't you? You wouldn't have come to me just for something this trivial. Speak."
Tsunade scolded him, half-distracted with her work.
"Actually, it's not a big deal. About the research on the Gedo Statue—I'd like to requisition some of the First Hokage's cells."
Bang!
The desk rattled violently several times. Luckily Tsunade hadn't used her monstrous strength. It cracked a little, but it could still hold out for now.
She drew a long breath.
Stay calm!
She'd only just replaced this desk a few days ago—
it had to last at least a little longer.
Several more deep breaths. She forced down her anger, doing her best to stay composed.
"Hashirama's cells are not to be touched lightly. If you can't convince me, I won't allow it. And you know… in terms of both bloodline and position, I do have that authority."
As the First Hokage's only living direct descendant—and the current Hokage—if Tsunade said no, no one could move them. Even if Kyoichi persuaded the Third Hokage, it wouldn't matter.
She was waiting for Kyoichi to press his case, but instead he just shrugged.
"Of course. That's exactly what I told Orochimaru. He said he'd explain it to you himself later. Oh, and I need to head to Amegakure again."
"You're going to Amegakure? Did something happen to Yahiko and the others?"
Tsunade immediately thought of Nagato, assuming one of his companions had run into trouble.
If that were the case, it really would be bad.
"Not that. Iwagakure and Sunagakure have both sent people toward the Land of Fire. Meanwhile, in northern River Country, Amegakure spotted traces of Roshi and Han. I'm going to meet them, discuss a possible alliance, and wait for Ōnoki's people to show up."
"Be careful, then."
Tsunade knew this was something that needed doing.
At least there was some good news.
For now, the Gedo Statue was in their hands. Even if Madara captured jinchūriki, he still couldn't seal the tailed beasts into the statue to convert their power for immediate use.
—Gedo Statue—
So…
She suspected Kyoichi was really going there to "borrow" a little something from Roshi and Han.
Something like…
Chakra.
Of course, Ōnoki couldn't exactly send people to Konoha—that would be a loss of face.
Meeting in Amegakure was just right.
After all…
Back in the day, Amegakure was the buffer zone between the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind. The circumstances might be different now, but—
As neutral ground for talks, it was still ideal.
Kyoichi was about to leave when Tsunade, after thinking for a moment, added,
"If they ask for some concessions, handle it as you see fit. It's not like we ever planned to annex Amegakure into the Land of Fire anyway."
"Got it."
Kyoichi waved, then disappeared with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
…
He already had a marker in Amegakure, so getting there barely cost any chakra at all.
At present, an Anbu squad of his was stationed directly in the village.
The squad was made up of Hyūga branch family members.
Technically, he could have teleported straight into the village, but that would've been inappropriate. So Kyoichi went to an outer marker instead, strolling in through the gates for all to see.
He wasn't even trying to keep it secret.
If Black Zetsu hadn't caused trouble yet, he wouldn't now.
Besides, Kyoichi had shadow clones stationed in the village, so he wasn't worried. Black Zetsu wouldn't get an opportunity. At the moment, it was probably too busy trying to rein in Madara—
or helping him with senior rehab.
In Amegakure.
He visited Hanzō first.
Before, Hanzō had felt like a man barely alive, one foot in the grave. But now…
Every meeting brought a different impression.
Last time, he'd been handling village affairs. This time, Hanzō was actively training, even practicing new jutsu. When Kyoichi arrived, he was studying medical ninjutsu.
Live and learn, right up to the end.
Of course…
Kyoichi was just passing through, mainly stopping by to check in with Yahiko and the others, to reassure them so they wouldn't overthink things.
And to have them reach out to the Sunagakure and Iwagakure squads.
As for Kyoichi himself…
Northern Land of River.
Roshi and Han were in disguise, traveling northeast.
The two had been deserters for a while now.
Since they hadn't caused much bloodshed, Ōnoki had been pretty laid-back about it. He'd issued a perfunctory wanted order, but hadn't even sent a pursuit squad. About as half-hearted as it gets.
Which left the two of them at loose ends.
With nothing to do, they had no sense of direction, no purpose.
Fortunately…
Roshi had made some money in the Land of Rivers. With food and shelter sorted, he started to remember his original ideals.
So—
"Where should we go now?"
"The Land of Waterfalls. The jinchūriki of the great nations aren't easy to deal with." Roshi answered.
Han had no objections and followed along.
But…
Before long, both of them stopped in their tracks.
There was a strange feeling in the air.
"If I were you two, I wouldn't head for the Land of Waterfalls."
"Who's there?"