Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 291 The Fourth Hokage

Tsunade's expression was a mix of anger and regret. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was simply furious, unsure whether he was angry at the order given to the Konoha leadership or at the harm the Hyuga clan had caused to the village.

Orochimaru chuckled, a hint of sarcasm in his voice: "Oh? It seems you still have some expectations for Konoha. Too bad, the Konoha of today is no longer the Konoha of the past."

Tsunade remained silent, her eyes flickering with hesitation and struggle, as if she were undergoing a fierce internal battle. At the same time, Jiraiya's expression turned furious. His eyes widened, and his voice was filled with intense righteous indignation: "How could the Hyuga clan do such a thing! They killed thousands of Konoha ninja and even destroyed half of the village! Those were their comrades, and the place they once lived in! How could they treat their own home so cruelly? Sure enough, the Hyuga clan has long harbored resentment towards the village, which is why they used such a cruel method to retaliate."

Orochimaru shrugged and said dismissively, "Maybe, but reality is often crueler than we imagine. No one can predict what the future of Konoha will hold."

Tsunade fell into deep thought. She knew Orochimaru was right. Konoha was facing unprecedented challenges and crises. If they couldn't adjust their strategies and strengthen unity in time, they would likely struggle to overcome this crisis. But at the same time, she firmly believed that as long as Konoha could rediscover its original aspirations and unite its strength, it would surely overcome the difficulties and achieve new glory.

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with a gaze full of doubt and incomprehension, as if she were looking at a complete stranger. She knew Jiraiya's understanding of politics was limited, but she never imagined he would say such a thing. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Jiraiya, you're such an idiot!" Yet, she was secretly relieved that Jiraiya had a clear understanding of himself and knew that he was not a suitable candidate to be Hokage.

Tsunade began to ponder whether returning to the village could truly change the current situation. Her heart was filled with doubt and unease. Those old fogies held considerable power; were they truly willing to relinquish it and reunite the village? It seemed like a distant dream.

Tsunade realized that truly changing the village would require facing immense challenges and difficulties. She needed sufficient determination, wisdom, and courage to overcome all obstacles. But at that moment, she felt her power was so insignificant, and she couldn't be sure if she could do it.

Tsunade looked at Orochimaru again, finally understanding his intentions and feeling a pang of sadness for him. She had found it strange when Jiraiya recounted Orochimaru's attack on Konoha and the killing of their teacher. Orochimaru was a man with a strong purpose in everything he did. This attack on Konoha, while seemingly causing losses for Konoha, actually resulted in far greater losses for Sunagakure. Konoha appeared to have suffered no major losses except for the death of the Third Hokage and some of his loyal followers. Furthermore, the capture of Sunagakure's Jinchuriki would allow Konoha to extract substantial compensation. Orochimaru had also killed the Fourth Kazekage, plunging Sunagakure into chaos and strengthening the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure. In short, Orochimaru's actions in Konoha had nothing to do with securing a better future for the village.

Tsunade felt no sorrow at the death of her teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Over the years, she had sensed the decline of Konoha. She even felt that if things continued this way, Konoha could very well go from being the strongest ninja village in the world to a small, insignificant one. If faced with another war, it might even be destroyed. Her reluctance to return to Konoha stemmed from her fear of watching it weaken to the point of being destroyed by another country.

Orochimaru watched Tsunade with amusement, knowing she understood the purpose of his actions. However, this was the last time; whatever the deep ties between Konoha and the past, they were severed completely with this operation. Seeing that Tsunade was highly likely to inherit the Hokage position, Orochimaru considered his work for Konoha complete.

Orochimaru knew perfectly well that Hyuga Kanan had only shown leniency out of respect for him, as half of Konoha had been destroyed. Otherwise, given Kanan's cold and indifferent nature, the complete annihilation of Konoha would have been entirely justified given his repeated provocations. He was well aware of the incompetent high-ranking officials of Konoha and Shimura Danzo—typical figures of great ambition but little talent, utterly arrogant and self-important. Immersed in the peace of Konoha for years, they had forgotten the survival principles of the ninja world.

Orochimaru held Jiraiya, a person centered on Konoha, in utter contempt. However, it was precisely Jiraiya's personality that ensured Konoha's future development, giving the village the time and opportunity to rise again. Therefore, even if Orochimaru looked down on Jiraiya, he was still essential to Konoha's survival.

Orochimaru had achieved his goal in meeting Tsunade. As a former Konoha ninja burdened with the guilt of murdering his master, he had no desire to continue his entanglement with Tsunade. After all, he could never go back to the way things were. Tsunade was about to assume the Hokage position, shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting Konoha. Orochimaru knew that further involvement with her at this time would only bring trouble to both of them. Therefore, he decided not to linger and quietly depart. Although a trace of lingering affection remained, he understood that this was perhaps the best choice. He only hoped that Tsunade could lead Konoha to new glory and bring a glimmer of life to this land.

Orochimaru stood up and walked outside. He stopped at the doorway and, without turning back, said in a cold tone, "Don't harass Hyuga Kanan anymore, or Konoha will be completely wiped out from the ninja world. This is my final advice, and Tsunade hopes you understand it clearly." He then strode away from the tavern with Kabuto Yakushi, their figures gradually disappearing into the dark streets of the town.

"Tsunade!" Inside the tavern, Jiraiya glared angrily at Tsunade. Just moments before, he had been about to take down Orochimaru, but Tsunade had stopped him, leaving him only able to watch helplessly as Orochimaru disappeared into the darkness.

Jiraiya couldn't understand why Tsunade was stopping him from apprehending the traitor who had killed his teacher and harmed Konoha. What he found even more incomprehensible was that Tsunade looked at Orochimaru's departing figure with a face full of guilt.

He carefully observed Tsunade's expression and noticed a deep sense of guilt in her eyes regarding Orochimaru's departure. This puzzled and confused Jiraiya; even the departure of a close comrade shouldn't elicit such an expression.

Jiraiya felt that Tsunade had changed; she was no longer the Tsunade who would sacrifice her life for Konoha. The current Tsunade valued camaraderie too much, even forgetting the pain and losses suffered by Konoha.

Therefore, Jiraiya was filled with anger towards Tsunade, believing that she was too biased towards Orochimaru and neglected the interests of Konoha. He could not accept Tsunade's actions, and his anger was hard to quell.

Tsunade completely ignored Jiraiya's anger, as if he didn't exist, and simply watched Orochimaru's figure disappear into the darkness. Only after Orochimaru was completely gone did she sit back down at the table, pick up her wine cup, and take a large gulp. At this moment, Tsunade's heart was unusually heavy, filled with contradictions and self-reproach. She couldn't help but recall the past, especially the days she spent with Orochimaru.

She clearly remembered that although Orochimaru had always been a cold-blooded and extremely cruel person, now, when he learned that Konoha was facing its greatest survival crisis, he stood up without hesitation, bearing the infamy for the village's future development. This shocked Tsunade immensely, because she knew that after being declared a rogue ninja by Konoha, Orochimaru had little affection for the village, one could even say he had no attachment to it. Yet now, he had made such a decision, stirring up complex emotions within Tsunade.

At the same time, Tsunade began to reflect on her actions. She realized that although she had always appeared to care about Konoha and its people, she had actually been shirking her responsibilities and avoiding facing reality. In contrast, Orochimaru, seemingly cold-hearted, had stepped forward at a crucial moment, demonstrating his bond with Konoha through his actions. Tsunade felt deeply ashamed, realizing she was neither as brave nor as resolute as Orochimaru.

What Tsunade found most unacceptable was that she discovered she actually admired Orochimaru. Although she had always hated Orochimaru's coldness and cruelty, at this moment, she had to admit that his courage and determination were admirable. Tsunade fell into deep self-doubt, unsure how to confront her inner conflict.

At the same time, Tsunade saw Orochimaru's final look very clearly. It was Orochimaru completely severing his ties with Konoha and with them. With his final reminder, he was also completely separating himself from the village.

A surge of boundless courage welled up within Tsunade. She absolutely refused to accept that her feelings for Konoha were inferior to those for Orochimaru, whom Konoha had declared a rogue ninja. He had paved the way for her; now, all he needed was for her to inherit the Hokage title, completely change Konoha's current situation, and fight for a brighter future for the village. Orochimaru's visit was her final chance to muster that courage.

"Orochimaru, as expected, you are the smartest and most sensitive among us. Even at the last moment, you didn't forget to come and inspire my courage, so that I could inherit the Hokage title and completely change Konoha Village." A hint of shame flashed in Tsunade's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a burning light.

"Shizune, let's go back to Konoha. I will become the Fifth Hokage!" Tsunade put down her wine glass and spoke to the bewildered Shizune beside her, completely ignoring Jiraiya.