"Damn it!"
Tsunade clenched her fists.
She wasn't truly unaware of these things, nor did she disregard them or fail to consider them.
But deep down, I still harbor a sliver of wishful thinking about human nature and certain individuals.
When news of the Uchiha clan's massacre reached Tanabata Town...
Tsunade, already disheartened, grew even more disgusted with the Konoha leadership.
She took a deep breath.
Looking at myself and that reassuring young man on the large black-framed screen.
He sighed silently.
Truly regain your youth...
Revenge...Revival...
"Lady Tsunade..." Shizune stepped forward, her pretty face full of worry and concern.
"Walk!"
"Take Naruto away now!"
"I personally trained him; he's still Naruto... I'd be satisfied if he were even half as good as the black-rimmed Naruto!"
Tsunade's eyes reddened.
It's better to be proactive than passive!
Silently staring wide-eyed.
Taken aback, his hands tightened in surprise.
Dolphin: "..."
"Not entirely correct!"
"Grandpa is so smart... he must have a backup plan."
"You are the best proof!"
Finally, Tsunade had an idea.
[Then he said, somewhat excitedly.]
[He stared intently at Naruto.]
It's as if they're saying, "Finally, we've gained the upper hand."
Upon hearing this, Naruto was also taken aback.
But thinking about it, it makes sense.
[Of course, besides preparing for the decisive blow later, the purpose of bringing this up was also to ignite Tsunade's fighting spirit.]
As for hemophobia... ultimately, it's a psychological disorder.
When the mind is clear, the medicine works.
[Silent's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly.]
"The Second Hokage definitely has a backup plan."
"Some direct descendants were left behind... However, in doing so, most of the Senju clan members... became sacrifices to protect the direct descendants..."
[The perspective from which one views the issue is clearly different when silent.]
Tsunade's raised eyebrows immediately furrowed.
Besides feeling powerless, anger was also welling up inside me.
[ton ton ton—]
So, they didn't even need the cup anymore.
[They raised the bottle and started chugging.]
After letting out a burp, a faint blush crept onto Tsunade's pretty face.
"You lecherous brat, just say what you want to say."
"So indecisive."
Naruto: "..."
The drinks didn't seem very good.
However, this was not unexpected for Naruto.
After all, Tsunade had been suppressing her feelings for far too long.
Naruto shook his head and said, "Be mentally prepared."
"In a situation of constant warfare."
"Even though the Senju clan merged with Konoha, they were still found. That's not a difficult task for them."
"The Senju clan exists in name only."
"The Uchiha clan has fallen from grace."
"The losses of other ninja clans have also increased year by year."
"That way... more resources will be available."
"The Sarutobi clan naturally ate their fill."
Tsunade gritted her teeth, opened another bottle of wine, and without saying a word, pulled Naruto to her side.
[gesturing for him to continue, without stopping.]
[Sit quietly and upright.]
These words... seem like something she shouldn't be able to hear.
But he continued to sit there.
She was very worried about Tsunade.
At this moment, Tsunade already had the answer in her heart, but she couldn't convince herself, so she could only let Naruto convince her.
[After Naruto's meticulous analysis...]
Even Shizune, who didn't know the full story, guessed quite a bit.
[And what about Tsunade herself, who experienced it firsthand?]
"As I said before."
"Tsunade's identity... is very special."
"If you want to become Hokage, those old... guys can't object."
"And once you become Hokage, many things will be exposed to you."
"Therefore, you absolutely cannot become Hokage."
"You can't even have such thoughts."
"Later on, it naturally evolved into the inability to stay in Konoha and the inability to possess strong abilities."
[Pause pause pause—]
A large gulp of wine went down his throat.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
[Her hand rested on Naruto's shoulder.]
"So...everything...was planned, a conspiracy specifically targeting us?"
"Yes." Now that things have come to this, Naruto no longer needs to offer any reasonable speculation.
There's no need to take any certification exams.
What he said is the truth.
[It's not true, but it's also true.]
"Was Rope Tree's death... also like this?"
Tsunade paused for a moment.
"Yes," Naruto answered without hesitation.
Tsunade lowered her eyes.
Fog was visibly appearing.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
"The death of Nawaki was problematic in itself."
"Perhaps he should have lived longer."
"But... what made them so eager to act... is probably that Nawaki has the idea of becoming Hokage."
[boom--]
These words were like a bolt from the blue for Tsunade.
[To become... Hokage...]
"Among them, I felt a sense of familiarity, just like the night the Uchiha clan was massacred... There was a shadow of the Anbu, but not much; more than that, there was Shimura Danzo."
["Danzo!"]
[Bang--]
Tsunade slammed her fist on the table.
"That old man... he's been obsessed with becoming Hokage because he didn't make it back then."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
[I see. ]
That makes sense now.
In other words, motivation.
[Tick-tock—]
[Just thinking about it.]
Suddenly, Naruto felt a dampness on the back of his hand.
Looking up, I saw that Tsunade's tears were streaming down her face like a broken dam.
[He shook his head and sighed softly.]
Kushina didn't blame her, which is actually quite normal.
Because Tsunade's suffering was no less than anyone else's.
[Even the silent one's eyes reddened.]
Seeing Tsunade in such distress, she felt a pang of empathy.
Naruto gently raised his hand and wiped away her tears.
"This is just the beginning, Tsunade-neechan."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade stared at him, somewhat lost in thought.
At that moment, Tsunade seemed to realize Naruto's intentions.
But these emotions were quickly suppressed by other feelings.
Should I use myself?
Okay, as long as you can help me... I'll use it however I want!
"The death of Nawaki... Tsunade-neechan, hold off for a moment, we'll talk about it later."
"Let's talk about what happens next."
"The death of Nawaki must have been a huge blow to you."
"At the same time, it's to distract from the grief, and also to prevent others from suffering this pain."
"You've dedicated yourself entirely to the medical profession."
"In that respect, their plan succeeded."
"And... if Danzo is solely focused on getting the Hokage position..." Naruto paused for a long time before saying this.
Several questions also arose in my mind.
[Is this old man really that carefree?]
[Is he still confident enough to keep Danzo in check?]
[This also conveniently utilizes Danzo's weakness, allowing us to do some dirty things for him that he, in his position, wants to do but can't.]
That's about it.
Even if Danzo guessed it, he would pretend not to know, because... there really was a chance.
["So."]
"Tsunade-neechan...feel free to speculate further."
"As far as I know... back then, when you were fully dedicated to your medical career, someone appeared."