boyutpedia Chapter 105 The Storm is Brewing: Tsunade's Changing Mindset
Chapter 105 The Storm is Brewing: Tsunade's Changing Mindset
Chapter 105 The Storm is Brewing: Tsunade's Changing Mindset
Looking at Tsunade, who was leaning back on the sofa with her arms crossed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, clutching his chest, and said in a gentle tone, "Tsuna... next time you can use your hand to knock on the door."
He felt he needed to go to the hospital to check his heart and blood pressure soon; he had lost count of how many times he had been frightened like this since Tsunade returned from outside.
"Tch, enough nonsense." Tsunade grabbed the teapot, poured herself a cup of tea, and scoffed disdainfully, "Old man, haven't you lived long enough?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.
Indeed, the First Hokage died before the age of fifty due to old injuries he had accumulated in his early years.
His teacher, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, also sacrificed himself during the mission to cover their team.
Only he, the Third Hokage, who is now over fifty, is still sitting upright in the Hokage's office.
Looking at it this way... he is indeed the longest-lived Hokage in history.
"Cough, cough, cough." Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed and said helplessly, "Tsuna, it's not that I wanted to live this long, but these things are not something I can decide..."
He turned to look at the Fire Shadow Rock outside the window, stroked his pipe, and said in a hoarse voice, "When the village needs this old man, I will naturally... dedicate myself to the utmost."
"Heh." Tsunade downed the tea in her cup in one gulp, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "I'm not here to discuss the Will of Fire with you. I'm here to inform you of something."
"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered, and he forced a smile, but then reached out and covered his wallet. "What is it?"
'
He will not lend money again.
Tsunade is a bottomless pit when it comes to spending money. It wasn't a big deal when she came back once every year or two, but recently she's been staying in the village and coming to the Hokage's office to borrow money every few days, which has almost depleted his funds. As a result, his subordinates in the Anbu have to eat more salted vegetables.
"I'm not borrowing money this time."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Why does this old man always think of himself as so materialistic?
"Hmm..." Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, looking very troubled: "Tsuna, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I really don't have any money right now."
'
"There seems to be some unusual activity in Kumogakure lately, and Iwagakure is also acting strangely."
"To find out what exactly happened, this kind of intelligence requires funding."
"Are those brutes from Kumogakure going to make a move too...?" Tsunade frowned subconsciously.
During the Third Shinobi World War, the main battlefield was located in the Land of Rain, at the intersection of Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure, in the area where Amegakure was headed by Hanzo, the demigod of the shinobi world.
Because of its remote location from the main battle zone, Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) always adopted a conservative strategy, sending only a small number of ninjas to participate in that war.
While the three major ninja villages of Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure were locked in fierce battles for several years, Kumogakure was quietly building up its strength.
Today, the strength of Kumogakure is beginning to show signs of surpassing that of other ninja villages.
These are things that people would talk about in the tavern, and even though Tsunade is not in Konoha for many years, she still hears a lot about them.
Now, combined with the information given by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade has a feeling that the ninja world is about to become unstable again, with a storm brewing.
but..
What does this have to do with her being the instructor of Class 5?
She no longer cares about what will happen to Konoha, nor about what other villages want to do.
All she wanted was for her students to grow up smoothly.
"What does this have to do with me?" Tsunade waved her hand. "Who's talking to you about this? I'm not here today to discuss the state of the ninja world. I just want to inform you of something."
Seeing that Tsunade's attention remained undiminished, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only nod helplessly: "Okay, go ahead, what is it?"
It seems that Gangshu is definitely going to ask for money.
If all else fails, we'll have to put the Dark Guard under even more pressure, letting them take on more missions in their spare time to give back to the village.
I just hope Tsunade doesn't ask for too much...
I came here to tell you...
'
Getting down to business, Tsunade coughed and straightened her expression: "I'm preparing to continue instructing Team 5."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face immediately relaxed.
He gave a kind smile and stroked his goatee: "Oh, it really isn't about borrowing money..."
'
But then, his hand jerked violently, almost pulling his beard off.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened, and he sat up from his chair, asking in surprise, "You've decided to stay in the village?"
Tsunade shook her head: "I won't keep them."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back down. "Then you..."
"I just think they all have some potential." Tsunade glanced at the slightly disappointed Hiruzen Sarutobi and said leisurely, "So I've decided to continue mentoring them for a while longer. Once they're capable of standing on their own, I'll naturally leave."
"This 'capable of handling things independently'," Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, noticing Tsunade's choice of words, and cautiously asked, "to what extent do you mean?"
His question was actually a test to see what level Tsunade thought these three students could reach.
Tsunade lowered her head and pondered for a few seconds, without giving an immediate answer.
But her hesitation wasn't about giving an answer.
In fact, she felt that Uchiha Ike's current power was no different from hers.
Even the only thing I lacked—practical experience—I've started to make up for in the last few days.
Add to that his incredible resilience... Uchiha Ike is probably already beyond the level of a Jonin.
The problem is that he had promised Uchiha Ike that he wouldn't reveal his information.
How could I betray someone who called her sister, teacher, and adult?
With that thought in mind, Tsunade stopped hesitating and said, "Jonin."
"Jonin?" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, tapping his fingers on the table as he slowly revealed his thoughts: "I think Sakumo's son, Kakashi, won't stop at just Jonin."
Tsunade was taken aback upon hearing this.
She had only thought of Uchiha Ike and had inadvertently forgotten about her students, Kurenai Yuhi and Kakashi.
"And what about the other two?" Hiruzen Sarutobi, oblivious to Tsunade's strange micro-expression, continued, "What do you think of Kurenai Yuhi and that kid named Uchiha Ike?"
Tsunade replied without hesitation, "The same applies."
"Is that so?" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly. "It seems you have high hopes for them..."
'
Tsunade turned her head away and snorted, "I'm just afraid they'll die outside the village before they even reach adulthood."
"Don't worry." Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes crinkled slightly, and a smile appeared on his face. "It's not wartime now, they'll all grow up smoothly."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow: "The village isn't necessarily that safe either."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile froze instantly.
He understood that Tsunade was referring to her younger brother, Nawaki, who had died in the woods outside the village.
"This old man..."
'
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say that this matter had nothing to do with him, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
No matter how you explain it, Tsunade has already lost the most important person in her life.
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed, covered his mouth, and slowly rose from his chair. He opened a cabinet beside him and took out a cloth bag. "Since you've decided to continue as the instructor of Team 5, you can handle the expenses that were originally going to be given to the regular teachers of Team 5. Tsuna, you must train them well into capable ninjas..."
'
This was the only compensation he could offer.
"Give it to me!"
But Tsunade's lips curled up, and without listening to a word, she grabbed the bag.
Upon opening the bag and confirming it was full of banknotes, Tsunade grinned and waved the bag in her hand: "Old man, I'll forgive you this time."
After saying that, Tsunade got up from the sofa and walked out of the Hokage's room, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi behind without finishing his sentence.
"Please forgive me...?"
'
Watching Tsunade's departing figure, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a bitter smile, put his pipe to his lips, and started puffing away.
After a while, a few confused murmurs echoed in the silent Hokage room.
"Xiao Gang doesn't seem as heartbroken as he used to be?"