On the other side of the battlefield, Arisa Kujo, Erina, and Hisako Arato had already returned to Konoha ahead of schedule.
"Is that so? Thank you for the intelligence you've sent back."
Tsunade personally received the three of them, learning the latest developments from the front lines directly from their report.
She strongly agreed with Victor's plan to infiltrate the Land of Lightning alone and destroy the Hidden Cloud Village. Decades ago, her grandfather had possessed the power to accomplish unification, yet he'd chosen not to pursue it. He'd believed that continuing the war would only result in more casualties.
As his granddaughter, Tsunade had once thought his approach made sense. But perhaps it was her time in the chat group, or maybe just the wisdom that came with age and experience. Either way, her perspective had changed. The innocent idealism of her youth had long since faded.
Since the path to unification would inevitably be paved with death, she'd rather those deaths be the enemy's.
Reining in her thoughts, Tsunade addressed the three women. "Anyway, you've all worked hard. Go get some rest. I'll notify you when Victor returns."
"Um... could you spare us some money?" Arisa asked, rubbing her hands together somewhat sheepishly.
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Sure, but what do you need it for?"
Before Arisa could answer, Erina jumped in to explain. "We'd like to explore the village. After all, we're quite curious about this world you come from."
"Just in case we see something we'd like to buy, we thought we'd ask to borrow some funds from you."
"I see. That's easy enough!"
Tsunade turned to Shizune beside her. "Give these friends some spending money."
"No problem."
Shizune was equally generous, directly handing over five hundred thousand ryō.
"I hope you enjoy your time in Konoha Village."
"Thank you!"
The three women left the Hokage's office hand in hand, chattering excitedly about what they might discover.
The moment they departed, an ANBU ninja materialized in the office.
"Report to the Hokage, a written order has arrived from the daimyo's mansion!"
"The daimyo's order?"
Both Tsunade and Shizune frowned at the news.
An hour later, Victor returned to Konoha Village as well.
He sensed the three women's presence on the streets below, but rather than seeking them out immediately, he made his way to the Hokage's office first.
When Tsunade saw Victor, the tension in her expression eased slightly.
"You're back. Does that mean the Hidden Cloud Village has been destroyed?"
Victor nodded. "From this moment forward, the Hidden Cloud Village no longer exists in this world."
"But judging from your expression, is it possible that Innakawa's battle isn't going well?"
Tsunade shook her head. "No, the Sunagakure and our forces joined together successfully to repel the Mist Village's ninja army. It was a decisive victory."
"In that case, why do you look so unhappy?"
"See for yourself."
Rather than answer, Tsunade handed the daimyo's handwritten order directly to Victor.
He scanned it, and his expression immediately turned cold.
"These damn parasites really do love meddling in things that don't concern them."
The Konoha army had fought desperately on the front lines, finally repelling the enemy and preparing for a counteroffensive. And these useless daimyo had the audacity to order them to stop.
Tsunade spoke in a low voice. "The daimyo probably knows I'm planning to unify the ninja world, which directly threatens his interests. That's why he wants to stop me."
The daimyo had ruled various countries for so long for several reasons, the false divine mandate they'd claimed thousands of years ago, yes, but most importantly, their control over money.
But where did that money come from?
War profiteering, of course.
Once Tsunade completed unification, how could they continue lining their pockets from endless conflict?
Victor tossed the handwritten letter into the trash. "Since the daimyo wants to obstruct the great cause of unification, then we'll simply kill him as well."
"What?!"
Both Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened in shock.
"The daimyo is a symbol of the country. If we kill him, the entire world will condemn us."
Victor's voice dripped with disdain. "A symbol of the country? They have no strength and no brains. They're nothing but waste. I'd be embarrassed to call them mascots who eat for free. So what if the world condemns us?"
"Trash like this should be swept into the garbage dump of history!"
"As for being condemned by the world? That's even more ridiculous. People only care about whether they can put food on the table. Who gives a damn about the life and death of some royal family?"
"As long as you complete the unification and ensure that everyone has enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, they won't care what treasonous acts you committed along the way."
Indeed, there was no refuting that logic.
While regicide might be condemned in the present, history was written by the victors. As long as you could give the people a good life, today's sin would become tomorrow's merit.
Thinking this through, Tsunade's delicate features gradually hardened with cold resolve and killing intent.
"Then we'll kill them."
Victor smiled with satisfaction.
"Need my help?"
Tsunade shook her head. "No, I'll have my own people handle this one."
Only when her own forces took action could they demonstrate their determination for reform.
"Shizune, summon Kakashi, Guy, and Aburame Shibi to my office."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune's figure flickered and instantly vanished from the Hokage's office.
Tsunade changed the subject. "By the way, your three girlfriends are shopping in the village."
Victor nodded. "Then I'll take my leave. If you need any other assistance, feel free to call me anytime."
After leaving the Hokage building, Victor locked onto the three women's auras and instantly appeared at their side.
What surprised him was that Arisa and the others were currently sitting in Ichiraku Ramen.
"Victor, you're here too!"
Arisa was the first to notice his arrival, patting the chair beside her enthusiastically.
"Come sit here!"
Victor didn't refuse. The moment he sat down, Arisa immediately hugged his arm.
"What brought you here?"
Erina explained, "We heard from you before that Ichiraku Ramen here was pretty good, so we decided to come try it."
"What I said was that it's good by this world's standards, but it may be far from what you're capable of making. Don't get your hopes too high."
After all, Naruto wasn't a food anime.
No matter how delicious the ramen here might be, it was probably garbage compared to what Erina could create with her God Tongue.
"Is that so?"
Erina was beginning to regret the decision.
Though possessing the God Tongue gave her an extraordinary sense of taste, the downside was that it made tolerating subpar food extremely difficult.
Unfortunately, before she could change her mind, Teuchi had already brought the ramen to the three women.
Helpless, she could only accept it with a forced smile.
"Boss, give me a bowl of your signature ramen."
"Right away... Hey? Isn't this Master Victor?"
When Teuchi saw it was Victor, a bright smile immediately spread across his face.
"I didn't expect Master Victor would visit our humble shop today. It's truly an honor!"
Victor was somewhat surprised. "You remember me?"
"Of course!"
Teuchi's eyes, which had been perpetually narrowed, finally opened a crack.
Unfortunately, they weren't the Rinnegan.
"Didn't you come to my shop for a meal last time when you brought Lady Tsunade back to the village? You even ate more than a dozen bowls! I remember customers like you very clearly!"
Right, that had happened.
If Teuchi hadn't mentioned it, Victor would have completely forgotten about that visit.