In Naruto, build the strongest Hidden Mist Village.

Chapter 171 Choice Two

"So you're just going to surrender to Kirigakure like this? Jiraiya, don't forget we're Konoha."

Inside the Hokage's office, still stained with dark red blood, only Tsunade and Jiraiya remained.

The two stood side by side, looking at the scenery outside the window. Just as Jiraiya sighed, as if he was about to accept Kirigakure's conditions, Tsunade quickly spoke up to stop him.

"What can I do, Tsunade?"

Jiraiya suddenly understood where the old man's deep-seated sense of helplessness towards him came from.

Now, he feels a similar way about Tsunade.

They don't want to accept or bear the responsibilities of Hokage, yet they still want to interfere with their own thoughts.

"You can also unite the remaining ninja clans and civilians, allowing Konoha to maintain its independence. If we persevere for a while, we can eventually lead Konoha to a brighter future."

"However, if it were me, I wouldn't be able to have a tough conversation with those ninja clans in Konoha. After all, I'm just a commoner ninja, and my strength alone wouldn't be taken seriously by them."

Tsunade suddenly fell silent.

"So, your idea is still for me to become Hokage and use the power of the Senju clan to make the other ninja clans in Konoha obey my orders?"

"Yes."

Jiraiya became serious.

"At present, only if you become Hokage will it be the best choice for Konoha."

Tsunade took a deep breath.

I don't think I want to live that kind of life.

But when she looked out the window and saw the dire situation in Konoha Village, she hesitated.

When she saw the serious look in her familiar old friend's eyes, Tsunade, knowing that her best choice now was to become Hokage, nodded.

"Then I'll..."

"Become my Hokage assistant, and then integrate the power of the Senju clan so that the power of Konoha can once again be concentrated in my hands."

"Hey?"

Tsunade was stunned, not understanding why such a sudden turn of events had occurred.

She looked at Jiraiya with a questioning gaze, and the latter immediately spoke up to explain.

"Tsunade, I just want to know if you have any intention of staying in Konoha to help me."

"As for how Konoha should proceed in the future, I have already made my decision."

Tsunade's brow furrowed even deeper.

Did Jiraiya, like himself, know that Konoha had reached its final moment and wanted to fight with all his might?
Jiraiya quickly gave her an answer she could hardly have imagined.

"Tell me, who in the entire Hidden Leaf Village can stand up to Kaguya Naoki?"

Tsunade fell silent, thinking of the man who roamed the sky and beat the Nine-Tails like a pet.

The man who was almost like her grandfather made her feel no desire to fight against him.

Tsunade shook her head.

"So, Jiraiya, just because we can never defeat it, we have to force ourselves to obey its orders in the future?"

"If that's the case, then anyone can be the leader of Konoha. After all, Kaguya Naoki just wants an obedient puppet. Whether we do it or not makes no difference."

"Only a part."

Jiraiya became serious.

"You know Nagato, right? He's the disciple I recruited in the Land of Rain."

"know."

“You have always regarded the disciple with the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths as a true child of prophecy and have been raising him.”

Tsunade suddenly realized.

"Is it because he joined Kirigakure that you believe Kirigakure is the future and want to join them?"

"It's only a part of it."

Jiraiya smiled.

"Actually, what really prompted me to make this decision was the answer to the future that I saw tonight."

"Until tonight, I still firmly stand in Konoha's camp, because Konoha is still an option on the road ahead."

"However, since tonight, Konoha, caught between two great powers, has no option to continue."

"Kaguya Naoki will not allow it, Iwagakure and Kumogakure will not allow it, and neither will the Konoha ninja clans."

Tsunade fell silent, knowing that this was the truth.

"So, now that the old man and Danzo are all dead tonight, and Konoha will never have a place in the future, I can pursue another option."

"What choice?"

Tsunade had a vague idea, but Jiraiya continued on.

"If Konoha joins Kirigakure's side, then the whole world will have other options."

"With the help of Kirigakure, the entire world will be brought under the rule of Kaguya Naoki."

"Then, if all the ninjas in the world were transformed into the like those of Kirigakure, I think the world would be at least much better off than it is now."

Tsunade opened her mouth as if to speak.

Even if they wanted to dissuade Jiraiya, Konoha should still come first.

She wanted to intervene.

But this is Jiraiya's path.

This is the path Jiraiya chose, and as one of his closest companions, I naturally cannot stop him.

Just like how neither she nor Jiraiya ever stopped Orochimaru back then.

However, even Jiraiya, the man most likely to pull Konoha back from the crisis, chooses to give up.

Does this mean Konoha is truly beyond saving?

Tsunade gave a bitter smile; she wanted to find other answers.

but.

The pragmatic ninja clans of Konoha would definitely choose to side with Kirigakure when Konoha is in its most dangerous moment.

Even then, they could still say it was for the continuation of Konoha.

Of course, many ordinary people in Konoha still firmly support the Hokage.

That's just a disorganized bunch, unlikely to achieve anything significant.

Of course, most importantly, next to Konoha, there is a village called Kirigakure, and in that village, there is a ninja named Kaguya Naoki.

Everyone felt their hearts tremble at the mention of that name.

That was a powerful figure, almost like his grandfather, capable of changing the entire world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing both political and social order).

Now, he wants to mold the world into the way he desires, and who can stop him?
Tsunade couldn't help but sigh.

The only good thing is that Konoha can still temporarily preserve its existing system.

This is already the best result.

Hopeless.

"Jiraiya, now that you've made your decision, tell everyone. Everyone's waiting."

"You support me?"

"perhaps?"

Tsunade shook her head.

"However, I still want to go to Kirigakure to see what kind of life there is that makes you so fascinated."

"Let's go take a look together this time," Jiraiya said with a smile.
-
"Has a true agreement been reached?"

As Fugaku Uchiha saw Shisui Uchiha come into the house with his eldest son, he knew that the time had come to make a decision.

"Of course, Father."

“We have made our decision, and I think you need to look at the person behind me.”

Uchiha Itachi revealed Kaguya Naoki behind him, and Uchiha Fugaku immediately stood up.

"Lord Naoki".

His bowing looked quite practiced and unobscure.

The qualities of a patriarch of a great clan were fully demonstrated at this moment.

When Kaguya Naoki appeared here, Itachi Uchiha's choice was already predetermined.

"We will remain in Konoha."

"Hey?"

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly looked up in a panic at his eldest son.

How could anyone make such a decision in front of this blood-type butcher who has killed countless people?

Even if he possessed those eyes, he would have absolutely no chance of defeating the person in front of him!

"Father, let me explain."

Uchiha Itachi was about to say something.

Uchiha Fugaku suddenly spoke.

"No need for explanation, just listen to what this esteemed person has to say to me."

All eyes turned to Kaguya Naoki.

The latter only hesitated for a moment.

"Send some ninjas to Kirigakure; I need them. As for you, do your job well."

"I'll leave the rest to Itachi to explain to you."

Just as Fugaku Uchiha was about to say something, he discovered that Naoki Kaguya had already disappeared.

A hint of resentment crept into his heart.

As the most powerful Uchiha clan in the world, it is extremely rude of Kaguya Naoki to simply ignore him like this.

Uchiha Itachi drew the ninja sword from behind him.

"Father, I have been taken in by Lord Naoki as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

Fugaku Uchiha immediately smiled.

Even though they were far apart, he knew that under Kaguya Naoki's rule, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist held a special significance.

As expected of Kaguya Naoki.

They certainly have good judgment. They know that the Uchiha are the most powerful clan in Konoha, and they know to offer the highest price first.

and many more.

Why did he stay in Konoha but join the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?

Just as Fugaku Uchiha showed a puzzled expression, Itachi Uchiha began to explain.

Half an hour later, this statement reappeared at the Uchiha clan meeting, immediately garnering the support of the entire Uchiha clan, even more so than last year.
-
Although the Hyuga clan returned to Konoha once again, they were now labeled as Kirigakure.

When the young master of the Uchiha clan became one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the Uchiha, wearing the Konoha headband, began to fantasize about the Uchiha clan becoming the Mizukage.

When Tsunade ultimately chose silence, allowing Jiraiya to ascend to the position of Hokage and become the Fifth Hokage, and forging a puppet pact of mutual support with Kirigakure, she began to quietly heal her wounds while preparing to unify the world as soon as possible.

When Iwagakure and Kumogakure finally realized that the world had reached its final stage, they began to cooperate closely and search the entire ninja world for talent who did not want the world to be completely shrouded in the iron curtain of Kirigakure.

While Obito Uchiha was waiting for the right opportunity to escape the White Zetsu's surveillance, he went to Kirigakure to see if Rin was there, and also to make a decision about his future. He was also thinking about how to bring the Gedo Mazo with him so that this terrifying thing would not threaten the faction he might be in the future.

When the Akatsuki organization fully joined Kirigakure and began to work towards unifying the ninja world.

The days filled with bloodlust and cold, raw blood gradually passed.

A life full of vitality and hope is on the horizon.

We are now enjoying a rare period of peace.

This was also the time when the political situation in Konoha gradually stabilized.

"Everything has stabilized."

"Now I know just how tired the old man and the others were back then."

"However, I do know why the old men still wanted to compete for the Hokage position even at that age."

Standing atop the Hokage Rock, which had been successfully rebuilt after the Hidden Mist sent out to instruct the Konoha ninja in construction, and looking down at the large-scale reconstruction work underway, with increasing laughter and cheers carried on the wind, he couldn't help but sigh.

"It's this kind of scene that makes people feel genuinely happy. Perhaps the old man and the others are so immersed in this feeling that they don't want to leave their positions as Hokage."

"Although I don't know what they're thinking, it's definitely not what you said, Jiraiya."

The one who spoke beside him was a young woman who, despite her advanced age, still looked like a beautiful girl in her late teens. Coupled with her two enormous breasts, she was quite the object of his fantasies.

"Now is not the time to talk about those things. I'm going to Kirigakure right away to see what it's like there. You need to do your best to accomplish something, instead of becoming Hokage and just sitting here at the Hokage Rock, looking down at the ground and making yourself happy all day."

As he spoke, his tone gradually became serious, his fists clenched, and a layer of frost appeared on his face.

At the same time, the two enormous mountains trembled.

Jiraiya blushed slightly at first, then coughed lightly a few times as if nothing had happened.

"You know I'm not that kind of person. When you come back, Konoha will be completely transformed."

"You should take good notes and record what you see in the fog for reference."

"of course."

Tsunade crossed her arms and added another sentence.

"If the Hidden Mist doesn't meet my expectations, I won't write a single word."

"On the contrary, you must handle the affairs of the village well and make sure that no unrest occurs."

"Like the Uchiha?"

Jiraiya mentioned a name that has recently become very popular in the village.

Uchiha.

"Tsk, Uchiha..."

Tsunade's brows immediately furrowed deeply.

Seeing Tsunade's expression, Jiraiya's originally bright and cheerful expression suddenly darkened considerably, clearly indicating that he was thinking about the Uchiha clan's recent actions.

He pressed his temples and looked helplessly toward the Hyuga clan's territory, which was not far from the Uchiha clan.

"The Hyuga clan was clearly the puppet clan whose life force was completely controlled by Kaguya Naoki, so why did the Uchiha clan go to even greater lengths than the Hyuga clan in maintaining Kaguya Naoki's rule?"

"They're just going to Kirigakure for a visit and to learn, but the Uchiha clan wants to bring their entire clan along. So many three-tomoe wisps and future geniuses, what are these guys up to?!"

"A bunch of bastards."

Tsunade clenched her fist.

"I really want to twist their heads off one by one!"

"Tsunade."

Now it was Jiraiya's turn to try and persuade him.

“The time hasn’t come yet, but we’ve still made a decision, haven’t we? Although I can’t quite get used to the Uchiha’s way of doing things.”

"Can"

(End of this chapter)