I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 232 Tavern Speech

Leaf.

A luxurious and upscale tavern was packed to capacity in broad daylight, yet inside were solemn-looking ninjas, and even ninjas or merchants from other countries.

Without exception, everyone here is either rich or noble, and even the lowest-ranking Konoha ninja here are at least Chunin level. The tavern's open doors seem to pose no threat whatsoever to any leaks of information.

Inside the luxurious tavern, Uchiha Yoru, dressed in opulent attire, held a red-covered copy of "My Struggle" in one hand while delivering a passionate speech.

"What kind of world do we live in? Powerful ninjas, yet impoverished ninjas! Elderly ninjas suffer from poverty and hardship. They don't know how to produce, but to protect their village! To protect their families! They chose to become tools like ninjas..."

"Among you are ninjas from other countries on missions, and merchants, but without exception, why is the war in the ninja world so persistent...? Civilians cannot live in peace, while merchants do not have to worry about being ambushed on the road..."

As Uchiha Yoru delivered his impassioned speech, many foreign ninjas who had come to hear him from afar were blushing with excitement as they took notes, as if they wanted to memorize everything he said and then go back and recite it word for word.

Even businessmen showed excitement and fervor. In this chaotic world, who in business doesn't live in fear and risk their lives? Many of them were not even graduates of ninja academies, and some were disabled retired ninjas.

Merchants, while engaging in trade, also primarily transmit information, thus placing them in a rather awkward position.

As the main source of missions, they are loved by all the major ninja villages. At the same time, they are also hated because they pass on information and may even spy on their own villages. Needless to say, during wartime, money can move people's hearts.

Moreover, these merchants were all subordinate to nobles of various countries, or even powerful prefectures. So, their so-called enormous wealth was merely a representation; the true wealth always belonged to those in power.

The ninjas escorting the merchant will respect him, while those intercepting him will prioritize assassinating him. They will only attempt to steal the goods if they contain something extremely valuable.

In a private room on the second floor of the tavern, a white-haired figure watched the young man's speech below with an increasingly solemn expression, and couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "This brat's ideas are terrifying; he will only bring disaster!"

"Tsunade!"

This person was none other than Jiraiya, but he had disguised himself and blended into the tavern without being recognized. Meanwhile, Tsunade, who was sitting at the table exuding an aristocratic air, did not even raise an eyebrow, but calmly raised her wine glass.

"Lady Tsunade."

Shizune respectfully poured wine for him. Jiraiya's pupils contracted at the sight, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine and a headache. Tsunade had only been gone for a few years, how could she have changed so much!

How should I put it before? Although she was known as the princess of the Land of Fire, she was more of a bold and forthright person, and at most a bit short-tempered.

As a result, Tsunade is now completely different from before, her somewhat old-fashioned green robe replaced by a loose and exquisite kimono.

The white kimono was adorned with hexagonal plum blossoms, and the wide sleeves were trimmed with red thorns, also featuring hexagonal plum blossom patterns. A snow-white, fluffy shawl draped over her proud neck and shoulders.

Her long, flowing blonde hair and bright golden eyes made her look even more aristocratic than before.

She was like a noble empress, exuding a powerful aura, especially with her innate arrogance and aristocratic demeanor.

And on her feet, the old-fashioned black high heels were gone, replaced by a pair of crystal peep-toe sky-high heels, elegant and exuding nobility. The crystal ribbons on the high heels wrapped around her calves, adding a touch of luxury.

Tsunade calmly sipped her sake, her expression unchanged, and said, "Jiraiya, calmness is the standard for a ninja. Besides, have you really brought any disasters as you claim over the years?"

At this point, Tsunade let out a disdainful sneer, looking at Jiraiya with a mocking expression, and said, "It seems that those idiots you mentioned who inherited the Will of Fire have been bringing disaster all along, haven't they?"

Tsunade's words left Jiraiya speechless. Jiraiya awkwardly scratched his head, thinking that Tsunade was taking the opportunity to mock the village's past actions.

"Ahem, Tsunade, this time the old man is probably really at a loss, otherwise he wouldn't have summoned the two of us back."

Jiraiya directly revealed the reason for his return, and Tsunade scoffed, "You can't clean up the mess you made, so you know to call for help. Is it really necessary to go through all this trouble? Isn't it the simplest thing to let Orochimaru, the old man's most favored disciple, discipline his own student?"

"Ahem!"

Although Tsunade has changed a lot, her temper hasn't changed at all. Jiraiya choked on his drink before he could even finish it, coughing repeatedly, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

Tsunade hasn't changed at all. Bringing up Orochimaru at this time is just asking for trouble.

"Tsunade, I don't object to this kid having ambition. After all, it's not wrong for every Konoha ninja to want to become Hokage. But you may not have read this kid's books, but you've at least heard of them, right? And look at this kid's speech right now."

"If this brat were to become Hokage, it would likely bring disaster to the entire ninja world, not just Konoha!"

When it came to serious matters, Jiraiya suppressed his unruly emotions and stared intently at Tsunade with a serious expression.

However, Tsunade still maintained her aristocratic demeanor, calmly sipping her wine and elegantly eating her food, showing none of her former impulsive and confrontational nature, which left Jiraiya somewhat helpless.

"Tsunade, this is information from a few years after this kid became the Uchiha clan leader. Just from these kinds of speeches, this kid has not only been invited to give speeches in Konoha, but also in several important towns in the Land of Fire, and even when he visited other countries."

"Do you know how fascinated ninjas from other countries, besides Konoha, are by this kid's insane ideas?"

At this point, Jiraiya's expression became unusually grave, and he said in a deep voice, enunciating each word clearly: "More than half of the ninjas in the ninja world, including those who are roaming the land and those who are hired ninjas, are insanely obsessed with his ideas. Tsunade, you should know what a terrifying statistic that is!"

"And in the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of Bears, the Kingdom of Stars, the Kingdom of Rivers... and so on, many fanatical zealots have emerged in these small countries, just like cultists."

"Only the four great nations are relatively stable, but the current situation in the ninja world, this kid's terrifying ambition, and the fact that the leaders of the various ninja nations are simply waiting for a civil war in Konoha, all of this could even become the fuse for the Fourth Shinobi World War."

Was Jiraiya spreading alarmist rumors? No! Otherwise, why would Tsunade have returned?

Jiraiya's words also caused a ripple on Tsunade's calm face. She glanced sideways at the handsome man below, who exuded a powerful personal charm and was giving a passionate speech, through the gap in the private room.

This scene brought a complex look to her eyes. Finally, she turned her head and looked at Jiraiya's solemn expression, and couldn't help but reveal a self-deprecating smile.

"Jiraiya, just as you said, this brat has become too big to handle. Just look at how popular he is, I'm afraid no one in Konoha can rival him. Moreover, this brat has the entire Uchiha clan under his command, as well as the Hyuga branch family, Aburame, and Orochimaru's former crew."

"The situation has become irreversible. The Fourth Hokage died and the Third Hokage returned to the scene, aiming to temporarily assume the position of Hokage. But after all these years..."

At this point, Tsunade shook her head sarcastically and sneered, "The Third Hokage's personality has become more and more stubborn as he gets older, but his methods and courage have become worse and worse. He still stubbornly believes that only he can save Konoha, but what has he done? He can't even handle a kid."

Jiraiya naturally understood what Tsunade meant, and he couldn't help but lower his head and fall silent.

In his youth, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was indeed a ninja hero. However, as he aged, he became arrogant and stubborn, resulting in this huge mess.

Most of the Jonin in the village were already dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's regime, or rather, most of the Jonin in the village were dissatisfied with the regime of the Hokage's high-ranking clan.

Good positions and good tasks are all given priority to ninjas from the Hokage lineage, such as Sarutobi, Yamanaka, and Nara, before they can get their turn, making it like a stagnant pool.

At first, there was nothing wrong, but as time went on, the prejudices in people's hearts gradually accumulated, and the Third Hokage's regime began to become somewhat disaffected.

If it weren't for the faction of the Hokage's higher-ups holding the reins of power, they would have been removed from office long ago.

Even Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were often away from home, knew this, and they were even dissatisfied with it. Otherwise, in the original story, when the Third Hokage was trapped in the barrier during the Chunin Exams, no one came to his rescue except for his own ANBU.

Guy, full of youthful passion, wanted to go, but Kakashi's words, "I believe in the Third Hokage," made him freeze in his tracks. Did Guy, a Jonin, not understand? Even if he couldn't open all eight gates, he certainly had the ability to open six or seven gates and destroy the barrier.

The root didn't come out, and neither did the two advisors; it was all very strange.

Even Jiraiya was strangely slacking off in the village, as if everyone had abandoned the Third Hokage at this moment, or rather, everyone had chosen to give this Third Hokage, who was known for the longest reign, a dignified end.

"Tsunade, the old man is indeed getting old." Thinking of this, Jiraiya couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly, downing the sake in his cup in one gulp, but he still gave his reasons.

"A clash between the old and new forces is inevitable. This brat's extreme ambition and the Third Hokage's stubbornness mean neither side will back down, and the entire ninja world is watching Konoha!"

"Everyone is afraid that Konoha will not fight. Given the chance, they would love for Konoha to have a civil war. So Tsunade is not exaggerating this time."

At this moment, Jiraiya said in a very solemn voice, "Once the Konoha civil war breaks out, do you think the Iwa and Kumo ninja, who have been constantly expanding their military power in recent years, will give up this opportunity? And the Sunagakure village probably won't miss this opportunity either."

"So?" Faced with Jiraiya's serious mention of the topic, Tsunade smiled dismissively, toying with her wine cup in her delicate hand.

"Help those old fogies like the Third Hokage? And then suppress this brat? Start a civil war ahead of time? Or are you planning to drag me into this, join forces with those old fogies in the name of the Sannin, use our power to intimidate them, and then use Danzo's dirty tricks to dismantle this brat's forces?"

"The same methods used to deal with those two idiots, White Fang and Orochimaru."

Tsunade, who so bluntly and nakedly exposed the ugliness of politics, revealed a disdainful smile. She hated such methods, so she always preferred to solve problems with her fists. Perhaps her status did not allow her to do so, so she could only rely on violence to vent her dissatisfaction and anger.

"Ahem!"

After being so bluntly confronted by Tsunade, Jiraiya's old face showed embarrassment. "Tsunade, we can only say this in private, please don't say it in front of this old man."

"What? A bunch of old fogies should have been buried long ago, but they're shamelessly clinging to their positions and refusing to leave, all while claiming it's for Konoha."

"Perhaps it was for Konoha before, but now!" Tsunade sneered disdainfully as she said this, a look of disgust appearing in her eyes.

Shizune, standing to the side, was so frightened by their conversation that she lowered her head and obediently acted as a wine-pouring girl, not daring to join in.

Given Tsunade and Jiraiya's status, it's not a problem for them to say these things. They even have to tolerate Tsunade pointing her finger at the higher-ups and cursing them. But she can't.

"Lady Tsunade."

Seeing that the wine in the glass was only half full, Tsunade immediately turned her head and showed her dissatisfaction. When Shizune saw this, she couldn't help but show her habitual awkward smile, as if she was implying something.

Even Shizune didn't know that since Tsunade from the Land of Whirlpools went through something a few years ago, her personality had changed drastically, and even her previous drinking habits had become more regular.

"Hmph! Is that enough for today? How stingy of you."

Tsunade snorted in dissatisfaction, muttering and cursing through gritted teeth. But under Jiraiya's astonished gaze, Tsunade did not ask for more wine. Instead, she gently sipped the half-cup of wine, as if it were the last sip of the day.

This scene took even Jiraiya by surprise, and he exclaimed in shock, "Tsunade, what's wrong with your brain?! How could you do this?!"

However, before he could speak, he was met with Tsunade's cold gaze. In that instant, Jiraiya thought of that iron fist, and his expression froze. He even swallowed the rest of his words.

"Hehe, that's good, that's good, Tsunade."

Jiraiya smiled brightly, raised his glass as a gesture, and the two lightly clinked their glasses, creating a somewhat tense atmosphere.

"Tsunade!"

Jiraiya, with his keen observation skills as a ninja, had already noticed something was amiss. The combination of events today made him want to ask for clarification. However, before he could finish speaking, Tsunade, as if knowing what he was going to ask, answered him in a calm tone.

"I found someone a bit younger, rich, but a little disobedient."

Tsunade waved her hand impatiently, saying that after so many years, how could she not know Jiraiya's feelings? Therefore, she wanted to directly dispel his idea.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's body trembled almost imperceptibly, then his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. After a long while, he exclaimed in a comical tone, "Tsunade, you're an old cow eating young grass!"

"Jiraiya!"

Tsunade's angry voice rang out, and the relationship between the three Sannin returned to what it was before, leaving only a white-haired, sorrowful, and lonely soul.

Shizune, upon hearing this, muttered to herself, "Sure enough, no wonder Lady Tsunade has changed so much in the past few years."

Cough cough, I'm feeling a bit better today. Just letting you know, I'll resume normal updates the day after tomorrow. Let me rest a little more tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)