After a long time, the Third Hokage broke the silence. He took a puff of his pipe and said slowly, "If Ryou has learned Senjutsu, he would be the second coming of the First Hokage."
"(☉д⊙)."
Everyone was shocked once again, realizing that Ryou still had massive room for improvement.
His eyes hadn't yet become Mangekyo, and he hadn't learned the First Hokage's Senjutsu.
If he were allowed to continue improving, what would happen?
They estimated that before they even faced Madara, they would be finished off by Madara's pawn—Ryou.
Danzo suddenly cried out, "This is bad! Tsunade is now Uchiha Ryou's wife, and she has the Scroll of Shikkotsu Forest in her possession!"
Everyone made the connection: if Ryou used Tsunade to learn the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest, then stacking Senjutsu with Wood Release...
That would truly be the First Hokage resurrected!
Jiraiya said, "I believe in Tsunade. She still has the Will of Fire in her heart; she would never do anything to betray the Village."
Danzo cursed at Jiraiya, "Jiraiya, Tsunade's surname is already Uchiha and you still believe in her? You really are a hopeless romantic!"
Minato also stepped forward to support his teacher. "Elder Danzo, I also believe in Lady Tsunade. She has always been passive and would never sell out the interests of the Village."
Danzo roared directly, "Idiots! Even if Tsunade can subjectively maintain her bottom line, what about objectively? Can she resist Uchiha Genjutsu?"
"..."
Both Jiraiya and Minato fell silent.
Danzo then said to the Third Hokage, "Hiruzen, we must find a way to kill Tsunade! We must stop Uchiha Ryou from going to Shikkotsu Forest to learn Senjutsu!"
"Danzo, do you want to trap me into being dishonorable and unjust?"
The Third Hokage gripped his tobacco pouch as if he were about to whack Danzo on the head.
Fortunately, Homura and Koharu held him back.
The nature of Tsunade's situation was different from Ryou's; the sweat she shed was redder than theirs.
It wasn't just about bloodline; Tsunade's contributions to Konoha were among the very best.
During the Second Great Shinobi War and the Third Great Shinobi War, Konoha's ability to maintain an advantage over other Shinobi Villages was all thanks to Tsunade's superb Medical Ninjutsu.
Because of Tsunade's superb Medical Ninjutsu, she could save anyone as long as the injury wasn't fatal.
Moreover, Tsunade was the Princess of Konoha, the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the Second Hokage, and the Eldest Miss of the Senju Clan.
If the Third Hokage were to issue an assassination order against Tsunade, the Senju Clan and a vast number of civilian Shinobi—anyone who had been treated by Tsunade—would come to fight the Third Hokage to the death.
Because the Will of Fire couldn't restore people, but Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu truly saved their lives.
One was an ethereal concept that even the higher-ups might not follow.
The other was a tangible debt of life-saving; everyone knew which one was worth fighting for!
Danzo was displeased in his heart, blaming that damned Ryou for being too virtuous.
If he had killed more of their people, Hiruzen would know how great his threat was.
If he learned Senjutsu, the Shinobi Allied Forces would have to face the Sengoku Twin Stars: Madara and Hashirama.
What would the Shinobi Allied Forces use to fight them?
Were they going to drown them with spit?
"Sarutobi is witless and indecisive. It seems this Shinobi World still needs to be saved by me, Danzo!"
The Third Hokage ignored Danzo's idiotic suggestion and said to Shisui, "Shisui, ignore the rest for now. Tell us the intelligence on Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan first!"
"Yes!"
...
On the streets of Konoha.
Killer Bee was wandering the streets of Konoha with a skewer of Fish Balls alongside Yugito.
Kumogakure had arrived earlier than the other Villages, and Konoha had arranged for the Kumogakure delegation to stay at the embassy.
Killer Bee couldn't sit still; he had long wanted to see Konoha, the most vibrant of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Coming out to see it, it truly lived up to its reputation.
It was already night, but the brightly lit Konoha was even more bustling.
The Snack Street and the Izakayas merged into a warm glow, with strings of lanterns illuminating the stone paths in patches of light and shadow.
Various aromas wafted from the stalls, mixing together and making it hard for people to keep their pace fast.
Killer Bee had originally thought he and Yugito would be special, being foreign visitors after all.
But looking around, they weren't special at all.
There were many people from other countries here: lords and nobles from small nations, and Killer Bee even saw quite a few rogue Shinobi wearing scratched-out headbands.
Yugito, holding a skewer of Dango, said with some envy, "Bee-senpai, Konoha is truly thriving!"
Killer Bee hopped as he replied, "The Land of Fire is the center of the Shinobi World~ Konoha is the number one Shinobi Village Of course it's lively~"
Kumogakure was located atop high mountains; although the atmosphere in the Village was good, commerce on the peaks could never be as prosperous as Konoha's.
Killer Bee passed by a Music Store and became very interested in the music albums inside. "Yugito~ I'm going to buy some Land of Fire rap albums~ Do you want to come along~"
Yugito shook her head. "No, I still can't appreciate rap!"
"Then go explore on your own~ Honestly~ Yugito I think if you miss rap, you're missing out on life~"
Killer Bee still wanted to use rap to convince Yugito, but she had already run far away.
Killer Bee shook his head. "People who don't understand rap have no soul~ Fool, ya fool~!"
Killer Bee then turned and entered the Music Store.
Yugito walked alone on the streets of Konoha, but she wasn't truly alone.
Hidden around her were Shinobi from the Kumogakure delegation and members of the Konoha Anbu.
Yugito was, after all, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and Madara's goal was the Tailed Beasts.
Two Tailed Beasts had already been obtained by Madara's side.
They had to be on guard against Madara's spies discovering the Jinchuriki's whereabouts.
Suddenly, Yugito passed a somewhat bustling ramen shop—Ichiraku Ramen.
A rich aroma of bone broth mixed with fresh scents swirled in the air; Yugito followed the smell and went inside.
Once inside, the ramen shop wasn't very large, but it was packed with people: Genin who had just finished training, Shinobi tired from a day's mission, foreign travelers...
Here, everyone was just an ordinary person waiting for a bowl of ramen.
Yugito suddenly focused her attention on a woman with hair as bright as fire; she felt a sense of kinship from this person.
It was Kushina along with Obito and their group.
Tobi, inside Obito's body, asked curiously, "Obito, is ramen something that people 'pull' out of themselves?"
Obito was in the middle of eating and almost vomited at Tobi's words.
Fortunately, Tobi's words were only heard by Obito; otherwise, Teuchi, the master of Ichiraku Ramen, would have whacked him with a Rolling Pin.
Obito cursed Tobi in a low voice, "Tobi, damn you, I'm eating! Don't say such disgusting things to me!"
Tobi was still curious. "Obito, you haven't answered me yet! Is ramen 'pulled' out by the ramen master?"
"Tobi, f*** you!"