Shisui truly had not expected to encounter someone who might be the target so quickly.
From his earlier contact with the Yugakure shinobi, he knew the street ahead was one of the town's entertainment districts.
The whole area was packed with every kind of business imaginable. Hot spring inns, pleasure houses, gambling dens, card rooms—everything was there.
A girl who looked very young had just run into that street.
Her hair color also matched the description.
That made Shisui feel that perhaps he really had found their target.
He turned his head and looked at Itachi.
For a moment, he suddenly felt that bringing this younger clansman along had unexpectedly brought him luck.
However, "suspected target" still meant they needed more time to confirm her identity.
So Shisui simply took Itachi to a nearby place and sat down, while the other Anbu members began carrying out their own assignments.
No one criticized Shisui for openly slacking off.
After all, the people Shisui had brought this time were all members of his direct squad.
He had also been in Anbu for nearly ten years. His strength and reputation were both extremely high.
Besides, he had brought a new recruit along this time. Clearly, he intended to teach that recruit properly.
So the team members had no complaints.
Back when each of them had first joined the squad, Shisui had personally guided them for a while too.
In their eyes, this tradition was perfectly normal, even though Shisui was now a squad commander.
"The Land of Hot Water has really developed well."
Sitting inside a tavern, Shisui looked around and smiled.
"It's still behind the Land of Fire, of course, and it definitely can't compare to Konoha. But compared to the last time I came here, it's improved far more than I expected."
"What was it like when you came here last time, Brother Shisui?"
Itachi could also see how lively the surroundings were, but he had never been to the Land of Hot Water before.
He was already thirteen now, and he had been carrying out missions since graduating from the Academy at six.
But most of his missions had been limited to the Land of Fire.
The rare distant mission had only taken him to relatively safe places like the Land of Rivers.
Of course, part of that was because the Uchiha had secretly asked for it.
The Land of Hot Water had received Konoha's support plan years ago, but assignments here were basically long-term missions.
In simple terms, once you went, no one knew when you would return to Konoha.
Fugaku Uchiha had no desire to let his son leave for years and not come back.
He still hoped Itachi could enter Anbu.
Because of that, Itachi had never visited the Land of Hot Water, so naturally, he did not know what it had been like before.
"Call me Captain. There is no Brother Shisui here."
Shisui shook his head and first corrected Itachi with a serious expression.
Then he looked at the street outside and slowly spoke.
"The Land of Hot Water used to seem fairly decent. Its main cities weren't too bad either. After all, this country survived on tourism.
"But outside those cities, many places could only be described as miserable.
"It was caught between Konoha and Kumogakure. Any small conflict between the two sides could cause damage here that the locals could never undo.
"And even the cities that seemed prosperous were only shiny on the surface.
"Behind that shine, everything was a mess. Gangs, rich merchants, local power brokers—none of them cared who lived or died as long as their own profits were protected."
"How could it become like that?"
Itachi was hearing this kind of thing for the first time. It felt unfamiliar and shocking.
He had lived in the Land of Fire for so many years that he had long grown used to its peace and stability.
Yes, the Land of Fire also had gangs and dishonest merchants.
But those people became mission targets for Konoha every year.
Every so often, shinobi would be sent to deal with them.
To put it bluntly, the only reason they still existed was because Konoha had no intention of wiping them out completely.
Of course, only jonin knew some of those details. Most shinobi were not aware of such things.
But in the Land of Fire, people like that could not create any real trouble.
Konoha could crush them whenever it wanted.
Itachi truly had not expected those same powerless groups to become such a serious problem in the Land of Hot Water.
It overturned part of his understanding of the world.
And he still had too many questions.
He really did not understand how things had developed that way.
"Captain, didn't the Land of Hot Water have Yugakure? Did they do nothing?
"And didn't the residents know they could request missions?"
"That question is actually easy to understand. First, you need to understand what a shinobi village really is."
Shisui sighed softly.
After so many years in Anbu, he had been forced to study many things.
His perspective was completely different from the Shisui of the original timeline.
Although he could still be foolish sometimes, overall, he had truly changed.
Perhaps his strength was not necessarily higher, but his perspective and thinking had gone far beyond what he once had.
"A shinobi village develops in two main ways.
"The first is by accepting missions, completing them, and earning payment.
"Then it uses that payment to train shinobi in the village, allowing them to take on more difficult and more profitable missions. That creates a healthy cycle.
"The second is through subsidies. A village uses those funds to continue training shinobi and heavily develop its infrastructure.
"But subsidies are never simple.
"The people giving you money need something in return. And once you accept that money, you naturally have to pay a price.
"Take Konoha, for example. We receive subsidies from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
"In exchange, we protect the Land of Fire, while also protecting the Daimyo's safety and property.
"But the Land of Hot Water has no daimyo. Yet Yugakure was still built.
"So where do you think their money came from?"
Shisui spoke slowly.
Itachi was clever. After listening carefully for a while, realization dawned on him.
"Yugakure's money came from the wealthy merchants. So the people they protected were those merchants' interests, not the Land of Hot Water itself.
"But Captain, there's still one thing I don't understand.
"According to what you said, Yugakure was restricted by those merchants.
"This may sound disrespectful, but in Konoha, one thing is also true—the Daimyo does not really restrict us.
"Yugakure was still a shinobi village. Why would they…"
"Do you think the old Yugakure could compare to Konoha?"
Shisui sighed helplessly at his younger clansman's question.
Itachi was smart, yes, but his view of the world was still too narrow.
It seemed coming to Anbu was the right choice.
The days ahead would be cruel, but that was still better than knowing nothing.
"If those wealthy merchants could hire Yugakure, they could also hire stronger shinobi willing to do anything for money.
"Investing in Yugakure was only a way to control the Land of Hot Water more easily.
"After all, a local force is much better at helping them extract benefits than an outside one."
Shisui paused there.
He saw the Anbu team members walking toward him.
Then he spoke meaningfully.
"You're still young. There's a lot you need to learn. Settle down in Anbu and study properly. It will benefit you."
Itachi nodded seriously, then answered with equal seriousness.
"I understand, Captain!"
…
"Damn it. They wouldn't even let me write an IOU. Do they really think I can't pay them back?"
Tsunade stormed out of a gambling house with a dark expression.
She felt like she was about to explode from anger.
She was currently buried under a mountain of debt.
Because of that, she had no choice but to use her sealing techniques to make herself look like a little girl and avoid her creditors.
She still had the basic ethics of a shinobi.
She had never considered using force to refuse repayment.
But because of that, she had been forced to live a life of hiding and running.
Although, in her own way, she still enjoyed it.
She had been in the Land of Hot Water for a while now.
If possible, she honestly would not have come here.
Because she had heard that everything in the Land of Hot Water had basically been rebuilt with Konoha's help.
Unfortunately, her reputation in other small countries was already terrible.
The Land of Hot Water was one of the few places she had not visited before.
So even if she did not want to come, it had eventually become her only option.
What left her desperate was that all the entertainment businesses in this place had been reorganized.
The result was that these places would not allow anyone to gamble on credit.
The first thing they checked when someone entered was whether that person had enough money to play.
If you failed that check, then sorry—go back where you came from.
That level of regulation almost made Tsunade cough blood.
She was not completely penniless, but she definitely could not afford to play big.
And the whole reason she came to gambling houses was to play big.
Now that path had been cut off entirely.
It made her furious, but there was nothing she could do.
"Still, I have to admit, the Land of Hot Water really has improved."
Tsunade was annoyed, but she had to acknowledge the change.
She had come to the Land of Hot Water during the war.
She knew exactly how chaotic this place had once been.
But now, everything had changed.
Even if that change had cost many people their lives, she understood that if Konoha wanted to take control of this place and reform everything, some people had to be removed.
And had those deaths not brought enormous change to the Land of Hot Water?
Although Tsunade had left Konoha for many reasons and had always refused to return, she still admitted that Konoha was doing very well now.
The junior from her clan had done extremely well.
She had always known that some people in her clan were quietly working to revive it.
But she had never helped them.
She had not even contacted them.
Now, they had succeeded.
They had changed everything in Konoha.
Tsunade was sincerely happy for them.
But at the same time, she felt deeply embarrassed.
She had made no contribution.
And when Konoha had been in trouble, she had done nothing.
Because of that, she had heard that Konoha's higher-ups—especially the newly appointed Fifth Hokage—were very dissatisfied with her.
Not just her.
Jiraiya was the same.
She had met Jiraiya before, and he had told her the Fifth Hokage had given him a mission.
Track Orochimaru until Orochimaru's problem was resolved.
The meaning of that mission was obvious.
And the Fifth Hokage had made no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction.
He was telling Jiraiya, and perhaps telling her as well, that since they did not want to return to Konoha, they did not need to come back.
The mission had been issued by Hikaru, and how the mission was defined was also up to Hikaru.
That meant even if Jiraiya completed the mission, if the Hokage did not allow him to return, he still could not return.
Only when that Hokage wanted him back would he be allowed back.
Such a forceful attitude, such an uncompromising way of handling things, made Tsunade unhappy.
But she also understood that even if she wanted to return to Konoha now, it was probably impossible.
"I never thought I'd end up without a home."
Every time she thought of that, Tsunade could only smile bitterly.
Now that she had come to the Land of Hot Water, seeing Konoha-uniformed shinobi on the streets from time to time stirred complicated emotions in her heart.
"Hm?"
As she walked, Tsunade suddenly frowned.
She was still a top-tier shinobi.
Even without powerful sensory abilities, she had the caution a shinobi should have.
She naturally noticed someone was following her.
That made her frown inwardly.
She did not think she had provoked anyone recently.
After all, she had been away from Konoha for so long.
Could it be one of her creditors hired shinobi?
She could tell the people following her were shinobi.
If they were not shinobi, she would not have only noticed them now.
"What a pain. I wonder what kind of people they are."
Tsunade muttered inwardly, then immediately made a countermeasure.
She did not like being followed.
So naturally, she had to do something.
She cleverly found a corner and slipped into it using the blind spot.
Then she used the Body Flicker Technique to leave her original position and circle behind them.
Running into the corner gave others a chance to surround her.
But if she slipped out and waited for them instead, then she would be the one surrounding them.
However, after waiting there for quite a while, Tsunade realized those people had no intention of following her in.
That confused her.
Had she sensed wrong?
The thought appeared for only a moment before she rejected it.
As a shinobi, she would not be wrong about something like this.
That could only prove one thing.
The people tracking her were far more capable than she had imagined.
That immediately put Tsunade on alert.
She turned and prepared to leave.
But at that moment, she realized the area around her had already been quietly blocked off by people who looked like ordinary civilians.
"Who are you?"
Tsunade frowned.
Terrifying chakra suddenly burst from her seemingly small body.
"Stop playing tricks. Let me guess—you're Anbu, aren't you?"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Shisui stepped out of the shadows with Itachi beside him.
He was not wearing a mask because there was no need.
"As expected of Tsunade-sama. We are indeed Anbu."
"And which Anbu are you?"
Tsunade became even more wary when she heard that.
Anbu had never been easy people to deal with.
Shisui replied calmly and slowly.
Only when he spoke did a trace of pride enter his voice.
"We are Konoha Anbu."
…
Hikaru sat in his office, bored, flipping through the report in his hand.
Although Mito Uzumaki's damn perception had exposed a few things, it had almost no effect on him.
Still, the incident reminded him that he needed to be a little more careful.
Even if he personally did not care much about tailed beast power, to ordinary people, tailed beasts were not something they could take lightly.
No jinchuriki in any village lived easily.
After tailed beasts were repeatedly exaggerated through propaganda, the image of "tailed beasts as death and disaster" became deeply rooted in people's minds.
The purpose was simple.
Aside from the fact that tailed beasts were indeed terrifying, there was another reason: deterrence.
Ever since Hashirama had divided the tailed beasts among the great villages, they had essentially become strategic weapons.
And the value of a strategic weapon was not only in its use.
Its true value lay in deterrence.
There was a saying from Hikaru's previous life: a nuclear weapon was most powerful not after launch, but while sitting on the launch platform.
Tailed beasts worked the same way.
After years of exaggerated propaganda, even shinobi feared tailed beasts deeply.
Once war broke out, both sides would worry whether the other might use a tailed beast.
Through that kind of deterrence, war would not easily spiral completely out of control.
No matter how intense the fighting became, once it reached a certain point, it could still be resolved through negotiation.
Because everyone feared pushing the other side too far and forcing them to drop a tailed beast onto the battlefield, causing irreversible losses.
One could say that tailed beast warfare was a form of war everyone feared and least wanted to accept.
That was why all villages that possessed tailed beasts had silently worked together to exaggerate the threat they represented.
Unfortunately, that approach harmed the tailed beasts.
It also brought terrible misfortune to the jinchuriki in their own villages.
The tailed beasts being feared was at least understandable.
From ancient times, tailed beasts had carried the names of fear and disaster.
But the jinchuriki were truly unlucky.
Tailed beasts were terrifying, and a tailed beast was sealed inside you.
So if you went berserk one day, wouldn't everyone around you suffer?
Because of that, hating jinchuriki had almost become the "correct" thing to do.
Villages with poor sealing techniques had nothing to say.
But even villages with good sealing techniques were dragged into the same mindset.
There was really no way to explain it.
Villagers did not understand whether a seal was good or bad.
They did not care about the difference either.
They only knew there was a tailed beast inside you.
So they treated you as the tailed beast's incarnation.
Just look at Naruto in the original story.
After his identity as the Nine-Tails jinchuriki was exposed, his life became miserable.
Almost everyone placed the destruction caused by the Nine-Tails onto that poor child.
Of course, part of that was because Konoha deliberately exposed and spread information about Naruto to redirect attention and help the village recover.
But without the long-standing fear and prejudice against tailed beasts, Naruto would not have been so unlucky.
And Naruto's life was merely a small reflection of what every jinchuriki experienced.
Even Killer Bee had been ostracized plenty as a child.
Hikaru now carried the power of five tailed beasts inside him.
If that was exposed, the impact would be absurdly huge.
One tailed beast was already explosive.
Five tailed beasts inside Hikaru would be like transporting a massive nuclear bomb into Moscow in the eyes of ordinary people.
Of course, if Washington had the same population as Moscow, perhaps Washington would be the more fitting comparison.
Hikaru's current identity was no longer the same as before.
So he had more things to pay attention to.
The five "nuclear bombs" inside him absolutely could not be exposed.
Still, being reminded was one thing.
Being annoyed with Mito Uzumaki was another.
Perhaps because she had indeed been very old when she died, and because Hiruzen Sarutobi had treated her with deep respect when he was Hokage, she had unconsciously acted like an elder after seeing Hikaru's young appearance and sensing the tailed beast power inside him.
Even though Hikaru knew she had not truly done anything wrong, everyone had secrets.
Even if this secret looked terrifying to her, to Hikaru, it was not that serious.
So when it came to fully reviving her, Hikaru directly put her case on hold.
After all, Hikaru had promised Kakashi that once they found Obito's remains, he would help revive him.
The order was already set.
Hikaru was not afraid of explaining himself.
After leaving, Mito seemed to have had a deeper conversation with Hashirama.
That conversation also made her understand that although she had not exactly made a mistake, she had still offended the new Hokage in some sense.
She also learned that this new Hokage was indeed more terrifying in strength than Hashirama.
His governing style was also even more forceful than Tobirama's.
That made her sigh at Hikaru's strength, but it also made her happy.
After learning that the Senju Clan had declined, seeing it rise again now naturally pleased her.
The Uzumaki Clan had also fallen, and this Fifth Hokage had brought its descendants back years ago.
That made her sincerely grateful to him.
Unfortunately, in her moment of urgency, she had still offended him.
"Forget it. No point thinking about her."
Hikaru gently put down the report and shook his head, unwilling to dwell on it.
"She annoyed me, but this also let me see Hashirama's change. That's good news.
"Reviving her would only be for Hashirama's sake anyway.
"After this incident, I doubt she'll dare act carelessly again. Annoying her a little is enough.
"I don't plan to ruin my relationship with Hashirama.
"After all, there are far too many places where I can use Hashirama and Tobirama."
Hashirama almost came as a package deal with Tobirama.
Hikaru did not want their relationship to stiffen.
Besides, those two had contributed far too much to Konoha.
And after spending so many years together, they had developed a personal bond as well.
Hikaru did not want to make things ugly over a minor issue.
He tilted his head slightly and looked elsewhere.
Although it was daytime, he could still sense the moon's position through chakra.
He had not gone to the moon in quite a long time.
Now that his eyes had almost fully adapted, he felt it was about time to make another trip.
"Besides, recently I've been feeling uneasy, like something is about to happen.
"Those two may not be as strong as me, but their existence still allows them to do many things.
"For example, they can protect the people who must be protected…"
…
"Are you joking? Does Senju Hikaru think that just because he's Hokage, he can make us leave whenever he wants and return whenever he wants?"
Inside a hotel in the Land of Hot Water, Tsunade stared coldly at Shisui and the others.
At this moment, she was truly furious.
When she heard that Shisui and his team had come from Konoha, she already had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Shisui directly stated that he had come to find Tsunade and bring her back.
Tsunade knew her guess had been right.
But guessing right did not mean she was willing to return.
With Konoha's current situation, and with Hikaru's attitude, even if she wanted to go back, she knew she probably would not have a comfortable life there.
So even when facing the request, she hesitated.
But when she deliberately refused, Shisui told her without hesitation that this was not an invitation.
It was a demand.
Hikaru was ordering her to return to Konoha.
She had no valid reason to refuse.
Hearing that immediately set Tsunade off.
She knew this Hokage from her own clan was very forceful.
And he had every right to be.
With his immense strength and young age, it was normal for him to be sharp and aggressive.
But acting this forcefully toward her?
Tsunade was not going to accept that.
The First Hokage was her grandfather.
The Third Hokage was her teacher.
The Fourth Hokage could even be considered half her disciple.
And by clan seniority, she was above Hikaru.
Inside Konoha, yes, Hikaru was now Hokage.
But she had once been one of the Sannin.
When she was bleeding and risking her life for Konoha, Hikaru might not even have been weaned yet.
And she was not Jiraiya.
She had never had much fondness for the Hokage position itself.
Trying to make her submit?
Dream on.
"Tsunade-sama, please calm down."
Shisui's expression was not pleasant either, but he suppressed his anger and looked at her calmly.
"Hikaru-sama is our Hokage. As a Konoha shinobi, you should show him proper respect, Tsunade-sama."
"Respect him?"
Tsunade sneered at Shisui.
Then she shook her head disdainfully.
"I've seen more Hokage than you have, brat.
"Even Senju Hikaru is just a kid in my eyes.
"I admit he has done well. I admit he is strong. But that does not mean he can pressure me however he likes."
"Tsunade-sama, I am warning you again. Please show the Hokage the respect he deserves."
Shisui's expression turned colder.
Even the chakra inside him began to stir.
Not only him.
Every Anbu member who had come with him began circulating chakra.
They were all old Anbu members.
Naturally, they had accepted Hikaru's attitude toward the Sannin.
And they themselves worshipped Hikaru deeply.
In Anbu, Hikaru's meaning was not limited to being Hokage.
He was Anbu's pride.
He was Anbu's greatest commander.
There was no Anbu member who did not respect Hikaru.
And now Tsunade was showing no respect for Hikaru in front of them.
Anbu was the Hokage's direct force.
They were responsible for protecting the Hokage's authority and interests.
And considering the reputation Hikaru had left in Anbu, they would naturally defend him.
In other words, insulting Hikaru in front of Anbu was no different from lighting a fuse beside a pile of explosives.
"What? You want to fight?"
Tsunade saw their reaction, and the sneer on her face deepened.
The anger in her heart was almost impossible to suppress now.
"Then try me. I'm curious to see how well Konoha's Anbu, the so-called elite among elites, actually perform.
"And whether you respect the Hokage is your business. Don't drag me into it so easily.
"I understand what the Hokage is better than any of you.
"Because the Hokage title is nothing but a curse!
"My two grandfathers carried that title, and both died in battle.
"My teacher survived, but I know how much he sacrificed for that position.
"Forget him for now. My little brother dreamed of becoming Hokage since he was young, and he died while chasing that dream.
"My lover also wanted to become Hokage, and he died on the battlefield too.
"Even your Fourth Hokage—have you already forgotten him?
"He may not have died, but because he carried the Hokage title, he had to retire and hide away somewhere to recover.
"Do you really think the Hokage is some glorious position?
"Let me tell you, even if Senju Hikaru stood right in front of me, I'd say the same thing.
"The Hokage title is a curse.
"There is nothing great about it.
"And everyone who becomes Hokage is doomed to die early!"
"That's enough!"
At that moment, Shisui could no longer endure it.
He stood up abruptly and glared at Tsunade.
His scarlet Sharingan appeared in an instant.
Three black tomoe slowly rotated in his eyes.
Even more strangely, their rotation gradually began to accelerate.
Shisui had been taught by Uchiha Shin since childhood.
His attachment to and yearning for the Hokage was beyond imagination.
After entering Anbu, although he had not directly followed Hikaru, it was no exaggeration to say that he had grown up watching Hikaru's legend unfold.
When he saw Hikaru become Hokage, it was as if he had seen an Anbu shinobi's dream of becoming Hokage come true before his eyes.
And as Hikaru's reforms continued, Konoha grew stronger, while the lands around Konoha became more peaceful.
His worship and respect for Hikaru only became stronger.
In his heart, Hikaru was not merely the Fifth Hokage.
Hikaru was the Hokage.
Now Tsunade had said such things in front of him, and her words were this extreme.
This was no longer merely lighting the fuse.
Rage had completely wrapped around Shisui's heart.
Even if he knew he was no match for her, he was already ready to act without hesitation.
"If only I were stronger, I could defeat this person who insulted Hokage-sama.
"If I had greater power, I could definitely restore Hokage-sama's dignity!"
As that thought rose in his mind, the three tomoe in his eyes spun faster and faster.
His chakra also grew stronger and stronger…
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