Avengers of the Whirlpool Family.

Chapter 256 Necessary Decision

Hearing this last sentence.

Shikaku's heart was finally at ease. His own Hokage was still very rational and knew what to do and what not to do. In Shikaku's opinion, this response was the most appropriate one. It was strong yet restrained. The dominant power seemed to have been handed over, but in fact it was still in his own hands.

We, Konoha, haven't even fired the first shot yet, can't we show our sincerity?
"What about the reply to the Hidden Cloud Village?"

Shikaku asked with a questioning look.

"You decide, Lu Jiu. The key is this: if it's not something we did, we will not take any responsibility. Also, pass the news to the three elders. Ahem... the advisory elders. It's necessary to let them know about this kind of thing."

Tsunade said with a light cough.

Although Tsunade has always disliked those three old guys, they are still the high-ranking officials in the village after all. What's more, even if she doesn't say it, people will know it after a short while. After all, they have served as high-ranking elders in the village for decades. Even though Tsunade has taken back a lot of power in the past six months and does not indulge these three elders like her teacher, their status and prestige are still there.

not to mention.

Tsunade still needs these three old guys in many places, and some necessary procedural issues can be handled according to the established rules.

"Yes, Lord Wudai."

After Lu Jiu suddenly lowered his head in response, he turned around and strode away.

"Shizune, you should also notify the reconnaissance and intelligence teams immediately. During this period of time, you should pay extra attention to the movements of various countries, not just the Hidden Cloud Village. Also, you should go to the medical team in person and arrange for the necessary medical personnel to be sent to the northern border in advance. We still need to make some advance preparations in advance."

Tsunade turned her head and said to Shizune who was standing beside her.

"Yes, I understand, Lady Tsunade, don't worry!"

Shizune also nodded solemnly.

Then he took a step and left quickly.

After the two of them left, Tsunade rested her hands on the table, a slightly annoyed look on her face.

Ever since she took office as Hokage, there has not been a single moment of true peace in the entire ninja world.

Inside the village and outside the village.

The problem is either erupting or on the way to erupting.

Tsunade really felt tired.

The situation of the Hidden Leaf Village in this life is much more troublesome than in the original work, although it seems that the only difference is Menma's defection.

But just this one difference is enough to make Tsunade feel extremely headache and difficult.

"Now that you're here, why are you still outside? Come in and tell me. Do you think Menma and Orochimaru did it? Did the Six-Tails Jinchuriki really fall into their hands?"

After a long silence.

Tsunade suddenly raised her head, looked at the floor-to-ceiling window on the left, and spoke in a light tone.

"Haha, your perception is still so sharp, Tsunade."

The slightly rough words that were left behind.

"whoosh"

A white figure flashed.

He appeared directly in this office.

None of the Anbu members who were on guard nearby could discover it in advance, and the moment the figure appeared, they all felt a chill in their hearts, but it was only for a second.

When I saw the familiar face of the person coming.

The tense nerves of these Anbu members also relaxed.

Because this is the pride of their Konoha.

Lord Jiraiya, who is famous in the ninja world.

"Is it Menma and Orochimaru? We are not 100% sure. According to the intelligence we gathered before, the Kumogakure should have fought a battle with the Six-Tails Jinchuriki first. It is hard to say what the result was, but judging from the reaction of the Hidden Cloud Village, all the Kumogakure ninjas sent out should have met with accidents. Menma arrived at such a delicate time. It is not certain that he fell into their hands, but there is a high probability that there is a certain connection."

Jiraiya frowned and then sighed softly.

It took less than two days to return to the village.

There had been information isolation and bias in the past, which led to errors in some intelligence judgments.

But back in the village.

Combining what I have discovered with some information vaguely revealed by Danzo, it is enough to clarify part of the development of the situation. Now with the pressure from the Hidden Cloud Village, some things are obvious even without evidence.

However, on the issue of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki.

A question mark still needs to be put.

After all, this is not a problem that can be easily determined.

Of course, at this time, Jiraiya and Tsunade had no idea that they were not only blamed for the death of the Cloud Ninja, but also for the loss of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki. The Mist Ninjas also put the blame on their own village, the Hidden Leaf Village.

Who made Konoha still maintain the title of the first country in the ninja world! ?
"Damn Orochimaru!"

An indignant expression suddenly appeared on Tsunade's face.

Why should Konoha be blamed when it is most likely Orochimaru's fault?!

"And that bastard Menma, is he really that strong now!? Is there no possibility of turning back? Jiraiya?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, forced herself to calm herself, and said to Jiraiya with a burning gaze.

Even if other problems are troublesome, they are still within the controllable range.

The problem of facial numbness is a big problem that can never be avoided.

Ever since Menma's identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage was exposed, Konoha has been in a state of partial morale shaken for a long time. Some things can be concealed forever if they are not exposed, but once they are exposed, there are too many points that can be combined.

And unlike Naruto, he is actually more like Kushina.

If Menma inherited Minato's blond hair, he would be a smaller version of Minato. The only difference is that compared to Minato, Menma's face is more angular and his eyes appear colder. Of course, this is also largely related to his different personalities.

In short.

Menma is now Konoha's number one problem.

You can't really kill the opponent, right?
But if we continue to indulge Menma, it seems that it will not work at all. Now the number of Konoha ninjas who have died at Menma's hands is not a small number!
To put it bluntly, after the Chunin Exam, if Menma was willing to turn back immediately, Tsunade could still suppress him. Menma's identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage also has a strong foundation.

But as time went on, especially with Menma's brutal attack on the Konoha ninjas, this possibility became lower and lower, until it was zero.

Tsunade herself actually doesn't have any special feelings towards Mamoru. If she were to simply start from her own perspective and her identity as the Hokage, she would decisively give the order to bring the Nine-Tails back at all costs.

As for the noodle?

Maybe she would feel a little sorry for Minato and Kushina, but she had to consider the village first.

This is the ninja village built by his grandfather himself.

Tsunade is 100% determined to protect the future of this village! But she can not care, Jiraiya and Naruto can not care, and because Tsunade cares about their attitudes, so in the matter of Menma, Tsunade seems to be a little restrained.

"I suspect Menma may have fully mastered the power of the Kyuubi."

After being silent for a while, Jiraiya spoke slowly with a hint of bitterness.

"Impossible! With the Eight Trigrams Seal in place, how could that guy possibly fully master the Nine-Tails' chakra? Not to mention that the Nine-Tails guy isn't that easy to surrender, didn't Minato give you the key to the seal? What can Menma use to break the seal?"

Tsunade's beautiful eyes narrowed, and she subconsciously shook her head and replied.

Although Tsunade herself is not proficient in sealing techniques, as a medical ninja, she has some understanding of some sealing techniques, or it should be said that some medical techniques are related to sealing techniques.

The Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique performed by Minato was one of the highest masterpieces created by their Konohagakure Village after absorbing the essence of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques. It was a technique that could even perfectly suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Not to mention Menma, even if it was Orochimaru, Tsunade didn't think she could find a way to crack it so easily.

If the sealing technique is not released, it is impossible to use the power of the tailed beast perfectly.

Not to mention that the Nine-Tailed Fox has always been a representative of violence and non-cooperation.

The first two Jinchūriki of their own ninja village had never reached an agreement with the Nine-Tails.

Tsunade didn't believe that Menma, who was only 13 years old, could do this easily.

"I also thought it was impossible before, but in that battle, Menma's use of the Nine-Tails' chakra became more smooth and natural. Even when all six tails appeared, he was still able to maintain his sanity and did not enter the half-tailed beast form. If it wasn't for the Nine-Tails' cooperation, I can't think of any other reason."

Jiraiya said with a soft sigh.

This was also Jiraiya's biggest discovery in that battle.

With over half of the power of the tailed beasts, under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to maintain sanity without the cooperation of the tailed beasts.

And it is also natural to enter the half-tailed beast mode.

On the battlefield of the past.

Jiraiya is the top fighter of Konoha.

I have witnessed many scenes of other ninja villages' tailed beasts showing off their power. Even if the Nine-Tails is a little special, it still belongs to the sequence of tailed beasts, right?
There can't be anything special, right?

"If that's the case, Jiraiya, I must say that we must make a decision. If we allow the situation to continue to deteriorate, it will definitely be a heavy blow to Konoha. You should understand this!"

Tsunade took a deep breath and said to Jiraiya with a very determined look.

Different from the shamelessness of Konoha F4.

Jiraiya and Tsunade still have a little conscience.

Both of them were still very clear that in terms of the right and wrong of the matter, Menma was the right side. It was Konoha that was sorry for Menma and for Minato and Kushina, not Menma who was sorry for Konoha.

But again, this is not a simple question of right or wrong, but a question of choosing a stance.

If Menma was still staying in the Hidden Leaf Village.

If you are willing to fight for Konoha, the remaining problems can be solved.

Even if it's just to settle the accounts of the past.

It's not impossible.

The premise is that the stance cannot be distorted.

But it’s different now. Menma has defected and killed more than a dozen Konoha ninjas. This is a well-known fact, and the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse.

As the Kage of a village, Tsunade is determined to protect this village.

It is absolutely impossible to accept that one day in the future, the village will be destroyed by Menma.

Menma has already shown such a resolute attitude, there is no way Tsunade can continue to delay.

"this..."

Jiraiya was also at the moment of hearing Tsunade's words.

His expression changed involuntarily. He certainly knew very well what was the most correct approach. He still retained a glimmer of hope before, because Jiraiya had never seen such a resolute scene as Menma.

But after experiencing this collision.

Menma looked like he would kill him without any hesitation.

And what happened in the Valley of the End before forced Jiraiya to admit that Menma had become a deadly threat to Konoha.

If they still can't make up their minds, sooner or later, disaster will befall their Hidden Leaf Village.

This is definitely not a joke.

It's something that could actually happen.

"Jiraiya..."

Seeing that Jiraiya was still so hesitant, Tsunade couldn't help but continue.

But the words are not finished yet.

"I understand what you mean, Tsunade. Leave it to me. Don't worry, if everything really reaches an irreversible point, I will personally end this mistake!"

Jiraiya took a deep breath, nodded heavily, and spoke with an unprecedented resolute tone.

"If you can't bear it, then let me handle it, Jiraiya. After all, he is Minato's son."

"No, it is precisely because he is Minato's child that I need to bear this responsibility. Don't worry, Tsunade, I am the Toad Sage of Myoboku Mountain!"

It also seemed that one could see the worry hidden behind Tsunade's beautiful eyes.

Jiraiya laughed and pretended to be nonchalant, speaking in a very heroic manner.

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya steadily, wanting to say something, but in the end she swallowed the words back.

Just as Jiraiya knew her very well.

Tsunade also knows Jiraiya very well.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Jiraiya!"

Tsunade looked directly at Jiraiya and spoke word for word.

"Well, don't worry. I will investigate Orochimaru and the Mist Ninja. I will tell you immediately if there is any situation. As for the Cloud Ninja, if they restrain themselves a little, the Fourth Raikage may not dare to start a war."

Jiraiya nodded and said, looking at Tsunade, speaking in a very serious tone.

"Yeah, I understand."

Tsunade also nodded slightly.

(End of this chapter)