Hyuga Mio showed a faint smile. Tsunade's hostility seemed to hit soft cotton.
"Mio has become more and more beautiful!"
Jiraiya looked at her, a woman completely different from the violent Tsunade and the cool, quiet Orochimaru, with a gentle, dignified, and beautiful demeanor.
"Jiraiya, you're still as unreliable as ever."
Hyuga Mio scrutinized Jiraiya and said with a smile.
"Un… unreliable? I've grown a lot too!"
Jiraiya said, greatly disheartened.
"Are you referring to your methods of peeping into women's bathhouses?"
Hyuga Mio knew of Jiraiya's glorious deeds.
"Of course not!"
Jiraiya's face turned red, and he said frantically, "I'm talking about my growth in appearance and psychology!"
"Where's Hikari?"
Orochimaru didn't see Uchiha Hikari. From her understanding of Uchiha Hikari, she should have run over immediately upon learning of her return.
"Hikari is training at the practice ground over there."
Hyuga Mio looked in the direction of the open space. After Orochimaru went to the battlefield, Uchiha Hikari often went to that open space to train, besides reading.
Hikari, is that the Uchiha Hikari that Orochimaru and Tsunade mentioned?
A girl from the Uchiha Clan who wandered outside, I wonder what she'll be like.
Jiraiya thought with anticipation, very interested in the Uchiha Clan girl he was about to meet.
Hokage Building, Command Center.
"Yangyan Village… just because of this, they want to attack Konoha?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt it was incredible. He really hadn't expected such a surprise waiting for him right after returning to Konoha and dealing with compensation and funeral matters.
He had heard of Yangyan Village; it was a small Ninja Village deep in the mountains of the Mountain Country, and its Ninja were skilled at setting traps.
"Hiruzen, we cannot be soft on the matter of Yangyan Village. This is a special period. If we turn a blind eye to what Yangyan Village has done, other small Ninja Villages will follow suit to increase their own value."
Utatane Koharu said assertively. If it were peacetime, it might be acceptable, but now it was wartime, and Konoha had to establish its authority.
"I understand. Then this operation against Yangyan Village…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a thoughtful expression, considering suitable candidates.
"Hiruzen, then I…"
Danzo Shimura's words were cut short when he heard Hiruzen Sarutobi say, "Then let Sakumo Hatake lead people to handle the matter of Yangyan Village."
"Danzo, what were you going to say?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have heard Danzo Shimura trying to say something.
"Nothing."
Danzo Shimura's face was dark, and he didn't want to speak anymore.
The matter of Yangyan Village was thus decided.
Danzo Shimura didn't want to speak, but Hiruzen Sarutobi still had something to say.
"Danzo, I heard about Orochimaru's latest research achievement. Can it be used in the Village? Are there any side effects?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was most concerned about the issue of side effects. As long as the side effects were not too severe, those Ninja in the Village who had lost limbs and become disabled on the battlefield for Konoha would have a chance to become Ninja again and fight for Konoha. Even if they didn't want to be Ninja, they could contribute to the Village's development once their limbs were intact.
Furthermore, since they became disabled for Konoha, if the side effects were within a controllable range, then Konoha would fund their return to normal.
"Side effects? If the newly grown limbs are not perfectly coordinated with the other limbs, and that counts as a side effect, then I believe the Limb Regeneration Technique can already be widely applied. But Orochimaru hasn't given me an answer yet; she went to the battlefield."
Danzo Shimura looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi reproachfully, as if sending Orochimaru to the battlefield was an enormous sin.
"I'm also thinking about the future. I want Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage."
When Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, he took a deep drag from his cigarette. From his expression and actions, the three could tell that, needless to say, Orochimaru had no interest in becoming Hokage.
"Let's talk about the Limb Regeneration Technique."
Danzo Shimura believed this topic couldn't continue. What if it came back to him? It was wartime; the Hokage should be the one with the headache. What did it have to do with him, the Hokage Assistant Shimura Danzo?
He was good at fighting on the battlefield and killing enemies, but asking him for strategies?
Better not. If he caused losses, he'd be blamed again.
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