I am the most popular character in Naruto!

"Could it be that Lady Tsunade is afraid?"

In order to complete the task assigned by Chiaki, Shizune had no choice but to resort to a rather terrible tactic of provocation.

However, it is clear that this kind of provocation might be a bit childish for elementary school students, but it works just right for Tsunade.

"Afraid? Why would I be afraid?!"

Tsunade kicked the door to the Hokage's office open with one kick, "So what if I'm Hokage! My ancestors were Hokage, what's there to be afraid of!"

Swoosh

The door flew right over Hiruzen Sarutobi's head, smashed through the glass, and landed downstairs with a loud bang.

"?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was holding a scroll and frowning in deep thought, slowly typed a question mark and looked up at the person who had just arrived.

"...Um...old man, I'm back..."

After kicking down the door, Tsunade regretted it immediately and gave Hiruzen Sarutobi an awkward but polite smile. Shizune behind her had already disappeared, and she left excitedly, having successfully completed her mission.

"Oh... Tsunade."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, touched his balding head, and looked down at the scroll in his hand, which contained advice from Shikamaru.

"Strive to get Tsunade appointed Hokage, and restore the confidence of the people of Konoha in the upcoming great war..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at Tsunade, who was somewhat reserved around him after playing for a while, then looked down at the contents of the scroll and sighed.

Shikamaru, just tell me, how did Tsunade become Hokage...?

Help.

the next day.

News quickly spread that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was preparing to step down due to his advanced age.

Just when the people of Konoha were filled with fear and thought that Konoha was going to flee, the news that Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha and the older sister of the goddess of life, Senju Chiaki, would become the Fifth Hokage fell on Konoha like a bomb.

A few days later, the image of Tsunade donning the divine robe and straw hat and shattering the railing with a single step was deeply imprinted in the minds of the people of Konoha.

At the same time, she also evoked memories of those who remembered the infamous reputation of "Princess Konoha".

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was a ninja hero and a highly respected ninjutsu expert. Although he held a very high position in the hearts of the people, he could not ignite their passion.

The powerful performance of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, ignited the passion of the people of Konoha.

As the saying goes, what the superiors do, the subordinates follow. In a country or a village, the actions of the most powerful person will directly influence the actions of everyone else.

If the authorities are strong, the people below can stand up straight; if the authorities are weak, the people below can only submit. It is a relative process.

"I! Tsunade! Will definitely lead Konoha forward!"

"Along the way, I'll slay gods and Buddhas alike!"

"Gentlemen! With me here! With Qianqiu here! You do not need to worry about your safety!"

"Because...we sisters can control life and death!"

Tsunade's words were like shot in the arm, hitting the heart of the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Konoha, which had been gripped by fear due to the Akatsuki's attack, has regained its fighting strength. The people and ninjas are united in their hatred of the enemy and have even begun to look forward to the Akatsuki's ninja attack.

Even after Tsunade turned and returned to the Hokage Building, the cheers continued for a long time.

"Sister, you're right."

A stunningly beautiful woman with long pink hair leaned against the sofa, while a petite girl with short brown hair busied herself making tea beside her.

"Chi-chan! Are you going to make fun of me too?"

Tsunade pounced on Chiaki with her claws outstretched and started tickling her. Chiaki giggled and begged for mercy, then floated into the air from the sofa.

"Honestly, Tsunade-neechan, you're already the Hokage, and you still act so unserious."

"Who wants to be Hokage? If it weren't for the old man saying it would be good for Konoha, I wouldn't have taken the job."

Tsunade tossed her straw hat onto the table in annoyance, then casually tossed herself onto the sofa. "Mirai, make me some tea too~"

"Yes~"

Mirai smiled sweetly and brought Tsunade a teacup.

Chiaki floated in the air, her feet hanging down naturally, and said with a smile, "Sister, you are willing to take on the position of Hokage for Konoha, which means you still care about Konoha. That's good."

"Don't say things like that, it's pointless."

Tsunade downed the tea in her cup in one gulp, looked up at Chiaki with envy, and said, "You're already a true goddess of life, while my strength hasn't improved an inch. It's really..."

"I actually think you'll improve after becoming Hokage, at least it'll be better than you gambling all the time in the Land of Hot Springs."

Chiaki mercilessly exposed Tsunade's lie, and Tsunade muttered, "That's not gambling, that's playing games!"

"Yes, yes, but you'll be Hokage soon, so you can't play around anymore."

Chiaki chuckled and said, "Minato and Kakashi will return to Konoha. They captured three prisoners and have entrusted them to you to arrange for their disposal."

"Jiraiya-sensei and Orochimaru will come to help me build up Konoha's defenses. I must say, Kurenai did a great job; you should give her some praise."

"Okay, okay... How about you become the Hokage?"

Tsunade looked at Chiaki with a fawning expression, "Look at Jiraiya and Orochimaru, those two guys have already surpassed Kage level. I should seriously try to break through too."

"Sister, you just need to follow the instructions I give you step by step to cultivate and you will be able to grow stronger."

Chiaki gave a serious smile, while Tsunade pouted, "Well... really... now that the kids are all grown up, they even dare to talk back to me."

"Wasn't it me who gave you the bath back then..."

"elder sister!"

Chiaki blushed slightly and said a coquettish remark to Tsunade, and the two started playfully bickering again.

Since Chiaki's return to Konoha, the village has entered a defensive mode. With the help of the three great figures—Otohime, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—Konoha's barrier team seems to have grown considerably.

Next, all we have to do is wait for the Akatsuki to attack!

Chapter 754 Nagato's Path of Shadow

"This world is cursed."

"Everything is an illusion."

The red-haired man looked up at the blue sky and white clouds that existed almost only in his memory, a clear and boundless sky.

The sunlight shone on him, warming his decaying body.

"Nagato, we're almost at Konoha."

The blue-haired woman beside him was extremely gentle, reaching out to brush the dust off the red-haired man's body.

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Nan."

The red-haired man, Nagato, said gently to Konan, "In this world, only you and I are left as family."

"……Um."

Konan looked at Nagato with worry. She opened her mouth, wanting to say those two names, but instead let out a deep sigh.

She had spoken to Nagato countless times, but Nagato would never accept it.

Perhaps it really shouldn't be accepted. Xiao Nan looked up at the sky. This blue sky and white clouds that only appeared in her memory were like their vague and beautiful past, which could not always appear in their lives.

They should have been able to enjoy such a life, but all of that has been destroyed.

The woman who gave the three men hope, the woman they regarded as their mother, has forgotten them and abandoned them.

Even though she had become a Kage-level expert, even though she had achieved the status of a Super Kage, she didn't come back to see the three of them.

Perhaps, in her heart, the three of them were not worth mentioning at all.

In search of the truth, or perhaps to prove themselves, Nagato and his two companions formed the Akatsuki organization, and the subsequent story unfolded exactly as it did in the original manga.

With the guidance of Qianqiu, their strength is even greater than in the original story.

However, precisely because of Chiaki's teachings and his lack of experience in fighting against evil people, Yahiko still died.

He died because of betrayal, and left this world in agony.

During Yahiko's time of suffering, Nagato repeatedly fantasized and begged for Chiaki to appear, but to no avail.

He even attempted to travel to Konoha to seek out Chiaki, but was stopped at the door by Konoha.

The reason is obvious: how could some unknown, shabby guy be worthy of an audience with Konoha's most revered Goddess of Life?

Keep in mind that there are dozens of such people every day.

Qianqiu has helped so many people that she can't even remember them all.

Moreover, Chiaki had been in seclusion and later even left Konoha altogether, making it even less likely that the Konoha ninjas would reveal her situation.

Therefore, from top to bottom, it was decided that Qianqiu would not meet with anyone.

It was precisely because of this that hatred truly took root in Nagato's heart.

If it weren't for Qianqiu, they really wouldn't have survived.

But it is precisely because of Qianqiu that they have to endure this pain.

In that case, let everyone experience pain, understand each other's feelings, and thus establish true peace!

This world is cursed, it is illusory, there will be no true peace, and people will never understand each other.

Nagato, who already harbored these thoughts, and Obito, who intended to destroy the world and create a new one, hit it off and expanded the Akatsuki organization to the extreme. They collected tailed beasts, developed new forbidden techniques, and created tailed beast weapons, attempting to obtain the power to instantly destroy a country.

Nagato believed that war would naturally disappear once humans had experienced pain and developed a fear of that pain.

Guide the world towards peace through painful means.

This is Nagato's Path of Shadow!

How many people arrived at the agreed location?

Nagato slowly closed his eyes. His body was covered with black metal rods used to suppress chakra. These black metal rods could make Nagato feel pain at all times, and also increase his perception of chakra in the world.

He was only one step away from becoming a super-shadow.