Inside the mysterious space.
Ryu took in all the commotion, arguments, and madness of the outside world, finding it all quite amusing.
He stretched, withdrawing his consciousness from the turmoil of the Ninja World.
"You guys make it sound so simple, all you know how to do is rush me!"
"Writing the script and having to direct it myself is truly exhausting."
Ryu yawned, picking up his exquisite fishing rod once more and skillfully casting the line into the shimmering lake.
"You'll just have to wait slowly. A little anxiety makes the emotions fuller. For now... I'll fish. My Tabby cat has been craving the fish in this lake for more than a day or two. Why aren't they biting?"
"System, exchange for another thousand fish and put them in the lake."
The Tabby cat beside him seemed to understand, letting out a "meow" by his feet, licking its paws, and continuing to stare at the lake's surface with expectant eyes.
The time was peaceful and quiet, forming a sharp contrast with the boiling chaos of the Ninja World.
Inside the Hokage Office.
Unlike Ryu's leisure, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in the midst of unprecedented torment.
Sasuke stood with Konoha again in the future, and Tsunade became the new Hokage. So, did Sasuke succeed in his revenge against the Konoha Leadership?
He didn't actually care much about personal honor, disgrace, or even life and death.
At his age, he cared more about the continuation and stability of the Village, and his reputation after he was gone.
"If I die, so be it..." A dark thought even flashed through his mind, wanting to leave himself a decent exit.
"Besides, if our deaths can trade for a Uchiha Sasuke like the one on the heavenly screen—one who stands at the peak of the Ninja World and feels a sense of belonging to Konoha—then this deal... might not be a loss."
But the problem was—the timing was completely wrong!
The current Sasuke was still a child who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy!
His strength was weak, his thoughts extremely immature, and his heart was filled with anger at being deceived and toyed with!
All the plans, all the dark calculations, had been exposed under the heavenly screen!
Uchiha Sasuke might not necessarily return to Konoha again!
What should be done next?
Forcefully control Sasuke?
Setting aside whether it would succeed, it would only further intensify the conflict and might even prematurely give birth to a monster that hated Konoha.
Besides, Itachi was still out there, and that man was a lunatic!
Let things take their course?
But the future path had already been exposed; no one could guarantee that Sasuke would still be able to grow up.
Internally, there was the issue of the Uchiha Orphan concerning the future; externally, the Four Great Shinobi Villages were watching like tigers, and there was a crisis of trust. Within the Village, hearts were drifting apart... Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like he was facing a tangled mess.
He rubbed his aching temples, his gaze sweeping across the office, finally settling on Tsunade, who stood with her arms crossed, her expression still as cold as frost.
A thought, like a bolt of lightning through the darkness, suddenly lit up.
That's it... perhaps... it's time to make a change.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, as if using up all his strength. His voice carried a hint of raspiness and an unprecedented solemnity as he spoke:
"Tsunade..."
The eyes in the office instantly focused on him.
Meeting Tsunade's sharp and distant gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke his earth-shattering decision one word at a time:
"You... should become the Fifth Hokage."
!!!
The air seemed to freeze.
Jiraiya's eyes widened abruptly.
Tsunade's expression changed drastically. Her signature short temper almost flared up immediately, tempting her to curse at this mess and refuse outright.
However, as the words reached her lips, she forced herself to stop.
She wasn't an ignorant little girl. Everything revealed by the heavenly screen, along with the visible crisis Konoha faced, were like heavy shackles placed upon her.
Only because she cared did she hesitate!
The playfulness on Jiraiya's face completely vanished. He looked at his aging teacher with a complex gaze, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible sighing: "Old Man... are you finally... willing to hand over the power in your hands?"
This sounded like a joke, but it was like a needle, accurately piercing the facade of self-comfort Hiruzen Sarutobi had always maintained.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned bitter. With a bit of grievance and helplessness, he asked in return: "In your hearts... am I really... someone so obsessed with power?"
Faced with this question, neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya answered immediately.
But their silence, and the "Is it not so?" default expression on their faces, had already given the most cruel answer.
Looking at the unconcealed distrust and distance in the eyes of his two most trusted disciples, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a piercing pain and deep frustration.
He had spent his whole life working for Konoha, making those difficult and even dirty decisions. Wasn't it all for the stability and continuation of the Village?
But why... why in the end, could even those closest to him not understand him?
Could it be that all his efforts and sacrifices, in the eyes of others, amounted to nothing more than greed for power?
He closed his eyes wearily. When he opened them again, they held only a heavy, almost pleading look:
"Tsunade... the current Konoha is already on the brink of collapse."
His voice was raspy and full of exhaustion.
"Internally, trust has crumbled, the various clans are in a state of panic, and the hatred of the Uchiha Orphan is like a time bomb."
"Externally, the Four Great Shinobi Villages are watching greedily, with suspicion and hostility rising like a tide."
"The current Konoha... needs a new pillar, someone who can reunite everyone!"
Saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tsunade with burning eyes: "And that person can only be you!"
"Your identity, your strength, your prestige... You are the granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of the Legendary Sannin!"
"Only if you stand up is it possible to stabilize the situation and lead Konoha through this crisis!"
"Heh." Tsunade let out a cold sneer, her words as sharp as a knife. "So you also know that Konoha is almost ruined by you old fogies? Now you know to come to me to clean up the mess?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked bitter, left speechless.
Just then, Jiraiya also spoke, his tone serious and earnest: "Tsunade, the Old Man is right. You and I both know the current situation very well. Presumably, according to the original trajectory of the heavenly screen, a crisis great enough to cause a collapse occurred in the future Konoha, which is why you had to return to inherit the position of Hokage. Now... it's just moving that process forward."
These words hit the deepest part of Tsunade's heart with precision.
She fell silent.
Because what Jiraiya said was exactly what she was thinking.
If the Village hadn't reached a point of life and death, she would never have come back to take over this position filled with painful memories and heavy responsibility.
The exhausted "Fifth Hokage Tsunade" on the heavenly screen, burdened with the survival of the entire Ninja World, was the best proof.
After escaping for so many years, in the end... is there still no escape?