Chapter 166: Tsunade, the One Everyone Wants (1 & 2 Update)
"Sensei."
Hoshikawa walked behind Tsunade. "Although Root has been dissolved, given Shimura Danzō's nature, he probably won't give up easily."
In the original story, Root was also dissolved.
The order was given by Hiruzen Sarutobi after the Uchiha Clan massacre.
Root was dissolved, but its members were not. They joined the ANBU yet remained loyal to Shimura Danzō.
One could only say it was half-dissolved.
Although inconvenient, Danzō could still cause trouble through them.
In fact, his actions in the original story proved this point.
"I know."
Tsunade snorted. "Even when he had Root, he couldn't do anything to me. All the more so now that he doesn't."
"It's a pity that Shimura Danzō didn't receive any punishment." Hoshikawa shook his head.
"The old man and he have been friends for decades. To go this far is already rare," Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.
"It seems we'll only be able to deal with him completely when Sensei becomes Hokage," Hoshikawa mused.
Hearing this, Tsunade immediately stopped and turned to face him.
Hoshikawa walked on, only to find a delicate face inches from his own.
If not for his subconscious reaction, he would have kissed her.
He looked down, clearly seeing Tsunade's slightly flushed, soft lips.
But now, he wished he could slap himself. Why did you react so quickly?
Tsunade's heart fluttered. Face to face, Hoshikawa looked even more impeccably handsome.
Though she had been angry, she subconsciously took half a step back.
"Brat, stop mentioning me becoming Hokage in front of me!" Tsunade glared at him.
"Yes, Sensei." Hoshikawa said seriously.
Tsunade's mouth twitched slightly.
This brat was always like this.
He agreed readily, but his actions were completely different, making him seem extremely rebellious.
"You better mean that!" Tsunade reached out, squeezed Hoshikawa's face, and said fiercely.
Too aggressive!
As Tsunade moved, her clothing seemed to register the heaviest possible protest.
"I promise to be obedient!" Hoshikawa quickly said.
"..."
For some reason, the more compliant he was, the more irritated Tsunade felt.
She let out a cold snort, released him, and continued walking.
"Sensei, are we going to the casino?" Hoshikawa quickly caught up, taking her hand.
"Yes!" Tsunade said with a menacing look.
As for being held hand, she was already used to it and didn't pay it much mind.
"If I lose today, I'll give you extra training!" Tsunade threatened, clenching her other hand into a fist.
"A guaranteed win!" Hoshikawa said with a smile.
While the two were dominating the gambling den, the news of Root's dissolution spread through the Leaf Village's high ranks at an astonishing speed.
Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Clan Head, great news!" Uchiha Yashiro ran up, visibly excited.
"As the Vice-Captain of the Leaf Military Police Force, is shouting and running acceptable behavior?" Uchiha Fugaku frowned, seeing his subordinate so uncharacteristically flustered for the first time.
"My apologies, Clan Head, I'm just too happy!" Although rebuked, Yashiro's excitement was unconcealable.
"What is it?" Fugaku couldn't help but feel curious.
Yashiro's behavior was too abnormal.
He hadn't been this excited even when he first awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
"I just received news... Root has been dissolved!" Yashiro unconsciously raised his voice.
"What?" Fugaku's eyes widened. "How is that possible? Is it fake news?"
It wasn't that he didn't believe it.
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage, Shimura Danzō and his Root organization had held significant power for over a decade.
Telling him that Root was dissolved naturally sounded like a fantasy.
"It's true!"
The smile on Yashiro's face was unstoppable. "The Root members monitoring us Uchiha have all completely vanished!"
"W-What exactly happened?" Fugaku couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know the specifics." Yashiro paused. "But from what I've gathered, it has something to do with Lady Tsunade."
Fugaku's heart stirred.
Root dissolved immediately after Tsunade's return. It was hard not to connect the dots.
Given the decades-long friendship between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, there were only a few people in the entire Leaf Village who could make him order Root's dissolution.
And Tsunade was exactly the most probable person.
"From now on, our Uchiha Clan is completely free of restrictions!" Yashiro said, clenching his fist.
"Excellent! Our Uchiha Clan is about to usher in the biggest opportunity for development!" Fugaku's spirits lifted, and he felt immensely invigorated.
Since Shimura Danzō took charge of Root, he had continuously targeted the Uchiha for over ten years, leading to constant setbacks for them.
And as the Hokage's advisor, backed by the Hokage, the Uchiha Clan was powerless against him.
Now that Root was dissolved, the Uchiha Clan had lost its biggest adversary.
Furthermore, they had highly valued ninjas like Shisui Uchiha and Obito Uchiha.
Just thinking about it, Fugaku felt that the position of Hokage-after-the-next was already within the Uchiha Clan's grasp.
As for the next Hokage, he knew they couldn't compete with Tsunade.
Besides, Tsunade had helped them so much that it wouldn't be right to try and snatch it from her.
Hyūga Clan Compound.
Hyūga Hiashi sat at a tea table, slowly sipping his tea.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded.
A young man who bore a striking resemblance to him entered—it was his younger brother, Hyūga Hizashi.
"Root has been dissolved!" Hizashi said, getting straight to the point.
"Cough cough!"
Hiashi was directly choked by his tea and began to cough uncontrollably.
He looked at Hizashi in shock, almost thinking he had misheard.
"What is the situation?" Hiashi wiped the tea from the corner of his mouth.
"I don't know," Hizashi shook his head. "But it was likely Lady Tsunade's doing."
"It must be something Shimura Danzō did in the Land of Rain," Hiashi immediately deduced.
"But regardless of what he did, dissolving Root is surprising," Hizashi said, looking puzzled.
Given the close relationship between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, he had always thought that Root would only be dissolved if Danzō committed treason.
"It seems the Hokage has already chosen the next Hokage," Hiashi said thoughtfully.
"That is indeed the only explanation," Hizashi's heart stirred, and he agreed.
"The Hyūga Clan has maintained stability for over a thousand years not only through strength but also through foresight," Hiashi instructed. "Pass down the order: if anyone encounters Lady Tsunade, they must do their utmost to assist her."
The Hyūga Clan had always been a strong supporter of the Hokage.
Their motto was essentially, whoever is winning, that's who we help.
"Yes." Hizashi nodded.
Similar conversations were taking place in the mid-level ninja clans such as the Ino-Shika-Chō, Aburame, and Inuzuka.
Compared to the Hyūga Clan, they hated Shimura Danzō and Root even more.
The reason was simple: the geniuses within their clans were constantly being quasi-forced to join Root.
And since Root brainwashed its members, these ninjas effectively severed their ties with their clans.
In the original story, named Root members like Ryūma Aburame, Torune Aburame, and Fū Yamanaka all met this fate.
The news of Root's dissolution, combined with the news of Tsunade's return, was instantly linked.
Anyone with foresight now regarded her as the next Hokage.
She had the strength, the status, the influence, and most importantly, a decent character.
No one would dislike a Hokage like that.
As Hoshikawa had said, she was the one everyone wanted.
Outside the Casino.
"The Leaf Village is the best!" Tsunade exclaimed happily, holding the money she had just won.
"Didn't you just get ten million Ryo?" Hoshikawa glanced at the money she was holding. "This hundred thousand Ryo isn't even a fraction of the mission reward."
A guaranteed-win version!
"That's different!" Tsunade scoffed. "Money won is more pleasurable!"
"Alright, fine." Hoshikawa couldn't quite understand.
The two returned home.
"Lady Tsunade."
The ANBU ninja, Haru, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward and handed over two Ninjutsu scrolls.
"Thank you for your trouble, Haru." Tsunade casually passed the scrolls to Hoshikawa.
"It's my duty." Haru bowed slightly, then vanished.
"You have good taste," Tsunade opened the door and stood in the entryway. "In a way, these two Ninjutsu are very suitable for Kurenai and Rin."
"Of course," Hoshikawa put away the scrolls. "The advice I give is definitely sound!"
"Don't get cocky here!" Tsunade took off her shoes, kicked him lightly on the leg, and said, "I'm hungry, go cook!"
"Yes, Sensei." Hoshikawa glanced at her bare feet and walked into the kitchen.
After dinner, he returned home.
"Uncle Shinku, you're back early today?" Hoshikawa opened the door and asked, surprised to see Shinku Yūhi.
"I heard you all returned to the village," Shinku Yūhi replied.
"Hoshikawa!" Kurenai Yūhi sat on the sofa, waving at him.
Unusually, she was not barefoot today, but wearing white socks.
Her legs swung back and forth, resembling twin popsicles.
"This is for you." Hoshikawa handed her the Ninjutsu scroll.
"What is this?" Shinku Yūhi asked curiously.
"It's a reward from the Hokage," Kurenai said with a proud look. "Hoshikawa helped me choose the Jutsu."
"..."
Shinku Yūhi's mouth twitched. "What kind of Jutsu could a brat like him choose? Don't tell me you've been tricked!"
"How could I be?" Kurenai pouted. "It's the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. Hoshikawa said it can help me defeat the Uchiha."
"The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, you say?" Shinku Yūhi was shocked. "That's a Jutsu of the Second Hokage!"
"See?" Kurenai, seeing his reaction, was even more convinced. It must be incredibly powerful.
"You brat, you stumbled into the right choice for once," Shinku Yūhi cleared his throat, trying to sound firm.
A new day.
Hoshikawa woke up early as usual and trained his body according to the practice method of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
After running for two hours, he arrived at Tsunade's house, where he again saw the ANBU ninja from yesterday, Haru.
"Sensei isn't awake yet. What do you need her for?" Hoshikawa walked up to her, looking at her frog mask.
"The Hokage ordered me to deliver intelligence to Lady Tsunade," Haru replied.
"You can tell me," Hoshikawa said casually. "I'll pass it on to her."
"Five thousand Hidden Sand ninjas, led by Pakura, have departed and are expected to arrive in the Land of Frost in three days." Haru paused. "At the same time, Lord Minato has led the Leaf Village ninjas to retreat back to the Land of Fire."
"I see." Hoshikawa's heart tightened.
This undoubtedly marked the official start of the Third Great Ninja War.
In the original story, the Third Great Ninja War lasted for many years.
While the most intense battles were concentrated over two years, the official end spanned at least five or six years.
The symbolic end was marked by the kidnapping of Hinata Hyūga and the subsequent death of Hizashi Hyūga.
The premise for that event was a truce between the Hidden Cloud and Leaf Villages, with an envoy sent to the Leaf for peace talks.
The head of the envoy then attempted to kidnap the three-year-old Hinata Hyūga in the middle of the night. After being killed, the Cloud Village accused the Leaf, demanding the killer be handed over.
The Leaf Village, unwilling to restart the war, acquiesced by sending Hizashi Hyūga to die in his brother's place.
"Excuse me." Haru said this and turned to leave.
"Hoshikawa!" Just then, Nohara Rin's voice called out.
"Perfect timing." Hoshikawa handed her the Ninjutsu scroll. "This is the Spirit Transformation Technique."
"That... why did you choose this for me?" Rin asked, lacking confidence. "I'm worried I won't be able to learn it."
"The Spirit Transformation Technique is a rare Soul Jutsu," Hoshikawa explained. "It allows your soul to leave your body and attack an enemy's spiritual world, regardless of distance."
"No wonder!" Rin's eyes lit up, understanding why he chose this Ninjutsu.
"And it's not just for attacking." Hoshikawa smiled. "It can also control the enemy's body, transmit information to teammates, and even transfer chakra."
"That powerful?" Rin looked surprised.
If she could truly master it, she would become an all-purpose support ninja, helping Hoshikawa and Kurenai greatly.
"It is an S-Rank Ninjutsu, after all." Hoshikawa patted her head. "As for whether you can learn it, you'll only know after you put in the effort."
"Mhm." Rin lowered her head, allowing him to pat her.
"Keep up the good work!" Hoshikawa encouraged her.
"Thank you." Rin smiled shyly.
"Come in." Hoshikawa withdrew his hand and opened the door.
Tsunade was still sleeping. He called out to her once and then headed to the kitchen.
Rin sat on the sofa, picking up the Spirit Transformation Technique and beginning to read it.
However, many parts were incomprehensible.
Mainly because it involved the soul, a topic she had absolutely no prior knowledge of.
Fortunately, Tsunade understood it. After waking up, she began to guide her.
It wasn't long before Kurenai arrived and quickly joined them.
Naturally, she was studying the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
Tsunade was also knowledgeable about that to some extent.
"Dinner time." Hoshikawa walked out of the room, looking at the three beauties—one large and two small—and said with a smile.
At the dinner table, he relayed Haru's message.
"While the Hidden Sand Village isn't as strong as the Hidden Cloud Village, they won't settle the score quickly. Once they have, it will be the Leaf Village's turn to enter the stage," Tsunade said gravely. "You three should use this time to quickly improve yourselves."
"Yes," the three of them said in unison.
.......................
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