Konoha: Tsunade, I am the Hokage

Chapter 103: Attack one village, then conquer another!

The large wooden room, though not equipped with many facilities, was more than enough to provide shelter from the wind and rain in the wild.

Jiraiya went inside and looked around, and then...

He belatedly realized what was happening and looked at Kyohiko in shock.

"That's not right!"

"How do you know Wood Release?"

"When...?"

Jiraiya was completely bewildered.

He was away from Konoha for a while, and it seemed like everything had suddenly changed; Kyohiko even knew Wood Release.

This is unlike the Second Hokage.

It seems to be moving closer to the style of the First Hokage!

Jiraiya was speechless, completely forgetting the important matter at hand.

Actually, Minato and the others were also very curious about how Kyohiko learned Wood Release...

and so.

All four of them looked over at the same time.

Kyohiko naturally brought out Tsunade to "certify" her, repeating Tsunade's speculation, which left Jiraiya with many emotions.

The power of the Senju clan is beyond doubt.

Although he doesn't have any obvious bloodline limits other than Wood Release, his naturally strong chakra and physique are impressive. Now that Kyohiko has awakened such power, they are genuinely happy for him.

"That's amazing!"

Jiraiya sighed.

Thousand Hands, Wood Release.

Decades later, it blooms again in the leaf, just like the leaves going through a cycle.

Maybe……

Just as Kyohiko said, there is no rule that anyone is necessarily the child of prophecy. It could be Nagato, it could be Kyohiko, or it could even be someone else.

but.

With the right guidance, each of them can bring about tremendous and positive changes to the ninja world.

Prophecy determines the future, but it cannot determine the process or the outcome.

Jiraiya patted Kyohiko on the shoulder, then sat down and pondered for a moment, roughly understanding how Kyohiko had obtained the crucial information.

"You used Wood Release to infiltrate and obtain information about this alliance?"

"Yes, and then..."

Jingyan gave a general account of the process.

Jiraiya nodded and praised them repeatedly. Both the tactics and the objectives were very clear, and he was equally amazed by the cooperation between Kyohiko and Kakashi.

One uses ninjutsu to clear obstacles and suppress enemies.

Another surprise attack, an assassination.

Excellent teamwork!

Minato and Kai's speed and power also attract a lot of attention.

Interlocking.

Even if he were to design it, he couldn't possibly plan it better than Kyohiko, and might even be worse.

after all--

His strength is far greater than that of Minato and Kyohiko now, and he doesn't need such a meticulous battle plan even when facing three elite squads.

In addition, there is...

"Kakashi, your Lightning Release: Rasengan is very powerful, and it activates your body very quickly, but you still need to work on your reaction and judgment."

Jiraiya gave this instruction.

In the current squad combat, it is certainly possible to achieve a safe assault by relying on the cover of Kyohiko and Minato.

but.

As ninjas, they couldn't guarantee that they would continue to carry out missions with this team configuration in the future; perhaps each person would be assigned to different missions.

For Kakashi...

How to ensure one's own safety while engaging in individual combat is the key issue at present.

I will continue to work hard.

Kakashi nodded.

"However, you are on the right track. Compared to swordsmanship and taijutsu, you are clearly more talented in ninjutsu."

Jiraiya remarked with a sigh.

Kakashi learns ninjutsu almost instantly, without needing much training.

Like a Rasengan whose properties change with fusion.

He, Minato, failed to do it.

but.

Kakashi did it!

Although he received some help from Kyohiko, his own talent and hard work were the most important factors.

"Okay, let's get down to business."

Jiraiya picked up the scroll of the alliance agreement. "This scroll is important, but our decision is equally important. It will determine the future of our relationship with Kusagakure."

What do you think?

He looked at the four people.

Kai glanced around, then silently moved back half a seat.

Don't ask me about this!

He adopted a listening attitude.

Seeing that neither Kyohiko nor Minato had spoken, Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "I think we should intimidate the Grass Village and make them wary so they won't act rashly."

"Where's the water gate?"

"I think we should ease our stance with Kusagakure to prevent them from siding with Iwagakure."

Minato Namikaze shared his thoughts.

Jiraiya didn't ask Kyohiko anything, but remained silent for a moment.

He just thought of...

Kakashi and Minato have very different styles in their attitudes.

The former was more influenced by Kyohiko, while the latter was more influenced by his former self and the ideals of the Third Hokage.

However, the current Jiraiya doesn't quite agree with Minato's views.

in particular.

During this time, Jiraiya spent a lot of time with Yahiko and the others, and gained a deeper understanding of the mindset of the small ninja village.

Unconditional forgiveness and compromise cannot bring mutual understanding to the Grass Village, because the survival methods of a small village and a small force determine the future decisions of the Grass Village.

"Teacher, do you have a different opinion?"

"I haven't decided yet. On one hand, since Kusagakure has already signed an alliance and is planning to intercept you instead of seeking peace and an alliance with Konoha, it's clear they've already made their decision."

Jiraiya explains.

He sighed softly, "It's probably pointless to try to ease tensions."

Minato Namikaze remained silent.

He had considered Jiraiya's situation to some extent, but apart from mitigating it, he couldn't find a better way to handle it.

"Kyohiko, what about you?"

"Never mind them. The problem now isn't between us and Kusagakure, but between us and Iwagakure and their allies."

Kyohiko replied.

He looked at Jiraiya: "Sensei, did you get any information about Sunagakure from over there?"

"No, they have no information about Sunagakure."

Jiraiya answered.

He paused for a moment and said, "This means that Sunagakure has not moved north, but most likely it is moving south or east, intending to attack us or Kirigakure."

"No, a peace negotiation with Kirigakure is more likely!"

Jiraiya quickly rejected his previous idea.

Kyohiko and Tsunade both had this suspicion, and Jiraiya could certainly have thought of it as well.

Minato Namikaze and Kakashi remained silent.

They understood Jiraiya and Kyohiko's considerations.

If the three powerful ninja villages were to unite and attack Konoha, even if they signaled to the Grass Village that they wanted to negotiate, the Grass Village might not accept their goodwill.

"This alliance does not explicitly state that war will be waged against Konoha. On the surface, it is a cooperation agreement between the two villages."

At this moment, Jiraiya began to understand Danzo's role.

People who follow the rules are often bullied; in many cases, it is only by breaking the rules that enemies are afraid.

Therefore, the greatest function of this alliance is...

"Teacher, I think we should make Konoha's stance clear and strike at the pro-war faction, including Asano Yu."

Jingyan made his stance clear.

After much deliberation, he felt he couldn't afford to be indecisive.

"Won't this be a bad thing?"

Jiraiya still hesitated.

"Thanks to the strength of the First Generation, we were able to establish ourselves in the most prosperous Land of Fire and obtain the most commissions and resources. To them, we are just a piece of meat. Once we show weakness, everyone will take a bite."

Hit a punch, lest a hundred punches come!

White Fang, Danzo...

To outsiders, Konoha at present is undoubtedly weak.

and so.

The leaves must reveal their power.

With his mind clear, Jingyan used a kunai to carve several names on the floor.

The Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Rain.

After that, the Land of Lightning.

"By attacking the Hidden Grass Village, we can stabilize the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Rain, and then the Hidden Cloud Village. We need to ascertain the attitude of the Hidden Cloud Village to prevent them from betraying the alliance."

Jingyan pointed to two places.

Defeat one, win over another, and keep two powerful smaller ninja villages in check...

This is all they can do for now.

Minato Namikaze pondered for a while, then nodded slightly: "I agree. Kirigakure has shown a hostile attitude towards us before, so it's impossible to win them over. As for Sunagakure..."

He didn't know much about it, so he looked at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Ever since the Third Kazekage took office, both Sunagakure and the Land of Wind have wanted to expand. Their consistent attitude means that reconciliation is impossible."

"Then let's go with Kyohiko's plan. I'll write it down. Minato will use the Flying Thunder God Technique to send him to Konoha!"

"yes!"

……

Konoha, Hokage Building.

It was late at night, but the office lights were still on.

During the day, they had just held a meeting, but ultimately didn't reach a very definite conclusion, and now—

"Lady Tsunade, this..."

Yamanaka Inoichi was greatly surprised.

Two rolls.

One document contained intelligence about the alliance, while the other contained the plans of the frontline squad. Both documents contained an astonishing amount of information.

Jingyan and his team actually managed to obtain crucial intelligence.

Furthermore, their plan was to directly launch a war against the pro-war faction in Kusagakure.

Isn't that too radical?

He almost thought that this was Danzo's decision.

The key point is that Jiraiya actually approved of it and wrote the document himself.

"Lord Jiraiya has considered many things, not just the relationship between us, Iwagakure, and Kusagakure."

Nara Shikaku carefully read through the document, let out a soft sigh, and showed admiration on his face. "Actually, their ideas are in line with your previous direction, and I agree with them."

He understood immediately.

This is not Jiraiya's idea!

Or rather, this isn't Jiraiya's usual style of thinking; it's more like Kyohiko's style, but it's similar to what he was thinking.

Tsunade nodded.

During the day, Shikaku did say that their current priority was to stabilize the situation in Kumogakure, rather than worrying about affecting unity.

pity……

Those two stubborn old men!

Shikaku said, "Hokage-sama, the current situation can no longer be eased by simply showing goodwill. Rather, we have already appeared weaker in the eyes of outsiders, so..."

Then, in a firm tone, she declared, "We're going to throw a punch!"

She slammed her fist on the table.

However, this time she didn't use superhuman strength; it was just a normal strike.

"I approve of the decisions made by Jiraiya, Minato, and Kyohiko, the three Jonin, and agree to execute the plan on the scroll. What about you?"

Tsunade looked at Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku.

Shikaku immediately raised his hand.

Hai raised his hand: "I agree, but, shouldn't we...?"

"Let's get it done first, then we'll hold a meeting to discuss it! Efficiency is the most important thing right now. If we wake them up, who knows how long the meeting will go on?"

Tsunade's tone was firm and left no room for refusal: "Inoichi, relay my order: the Anbu must quickly deliver the latest intelligence to Orochimaru in the west, and make sure he pays attention to the movements of Sunagakure."

"In addition, the ANBU ninjas should be wary of spies from the direction of Sunagakure and Kirigakure, and eliminate them immediately upon discovery."

Tsunade continued to give orders.

Yamanaka Inoichi's expression turned solemn, and he immediately stood still: "Yes!"

"Shikaku, I need your opinion regarding the northern front."

"Lord Hokage, I think..."

Shikaku pondered for a moment, "Send more elite teams to Kusagakure, and have Jiraiya-sama lead them to put pressure on Kusagakure. The ultimate goal is to force Asano Yu to step down or commit suicide to atone for his crimes."

This is an act to establish authority.

By having Jiraiya take action, Konoha's resolve can be demonstrated. By focusing the attack on Asano Yu, the scope of the strike can be narrowed, preventing Kusagakure from turning against Konoha and completely siding with Iwagakure.

"What about Kumogakure?"

"Let Minato and Kyohiko's team go there under the guise of an exchange, but we still need to send a few more teams to meet them. We still have an alliance with Kumogakure, so we can't directly escalate our attitude."

Nara Shikaku said.

Tsunade immediately laid out the plan: "Alright, you take Hizashi and the others with you. I'll leave the decisions and handling of the Kirigakure and Kumogakure directions to you."

"Lord Hokage, this..."

Nara Shikaku's face showed a deep look of surprise.

Let him decide what happens in the east?

That's incredibly trusting!

"I believe in your abilities. If things really do develop in a direction we don't want to see, I'll have the old man go and oversee things on your side."

Tsunade's thoughts raced.

If a war were to break out, Shikaku and the others would still be too young and lack the authority to lead so many ninjas.

Shikaku finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"yes!"

……

After resting for four hours in the north, Jingyan finally recovered his physical strength and energy, and only then did he have time to look at the messages he hadn't had time to examine closely last night.

Speed ​​is of the essence! You have obtained crucial intelligence about the threat to the village and have made the correct strategic decisions.

[Reward: Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique Upgrade]

Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

Previously, thanks to the guidance of Maruboshi Kosuke and Kyohiko's own hard work, he had already mastered the Water Dragon Bullet technique.

Although his power was considerable, Kyohiko failed to make further progress in terms of technique.

And now.

Reaching the "Master" level directly.

Jingyan integrated and reflected upon these experiences, and then a clear understanding dawned on him.

First of all--

Six mudras are reduced to just three.

Although it only involves omitting three seals, which might only take half a second in a battle, in a life-or-death struggle, half a second can make a big difference.

Secondly, the simpler the printing, the higher the likelihood of it being done with one hand.

not to mention.

This part about the omission of hand seals is also of great importance.

Even just this part alone makes the reward quite substantial.

In addition, there is Kyohiko's own direction of understanding the Water Dragon Bullet.

The master-level Water Dragon Bullet can perfectly integrate property change and form change, making it closer to the state of Hard Vortex Water Blade. After the Water Dragon dissipates, it can still release a concentrated Water Blade.

This is the second change.

It has undergone further improvements and innovations based on Jingyan's current improvements.

"This technique is absolutely a deadly weapon on the battlefield."

With its second transformation, the Water Dragon Bullet's power increases dramatically, especially when facing numerous enemies.

If we had mastered it yesterday, the casualties in Iwagakure would have been even greater.

Jingyan was very satisfied.

He was about to go out and try it when he opened the door and heard footsteps coming from the direction of Konoha in the dim light.

A few seconds later, a figure landed.

"You guys have it so easy."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke was surprised.

Building a wooden cabin like this in the wild is by no means an easy task, unless...

He carefully observed his surroundings, and then he couldn't help but be shocked.

There were no signs of logging in the surrounding area.

this means.

The wooden house in front of us was not built at all, but rather a product of some kind of ninjutsu.

"Wood Release?"

He stared intently at Kyohiko.

Jingyan nodded.

Then he smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone here is on our side. If there are any enemies, I will dispel the ninjutsu immediately."

"This, this, this..."

Shinnosuke Sarutobi was in a state of confusion.

Fortunately, Kyohiko had seen him in this condition many times before.

He quickly interrupted and reminded him.

"What message did the Hokage send you to deliver?"

"Oh, Jiraiya-sama will lead the elite squad that arrives later to complete the Kusagakure operation. You will then proceed to Kumogakure to communicate and exchange ideas with them."

Shinnosuke replied, "You and Minato are in charge."

"yes!"

Jingyan's expression turned serious.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke sighed and said, "Many people have just graduated and will face the test of war. It's really not the right time!"

"It's not time for them to go to the battlefield yet."

Jingyan shook his head.

How could Asma and his group, who had just graduated, be ready to go to the battlefield immediately?

In any case, you need to do various tasks to hone your skills and develop a sense of teamwork before you can talk about anything else.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke sighed slightly, then handed them the mission sheet and turned to leave.

He still has a lot of things to do in the secret service, so he can't leave for too long.

The next moment, Jiraiya and Minato opened the door and came out.

They had heard the commotion long ago.

"You guys go ahead, you've helped enough here."

Jiraiya smiled.

But then, his smile faded, and he patted Minato and Kyohiko on the shoulder instead.

"If war really breaks out, there will be many places where you might be needed, so no matter what the situation is in Kumogakure, you must come back alive."

"yes!"

(End of this chapter)