Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 90 Together? 23

Aokiji explained, "Think twice before you act. Your behavior just now was far too reckless. You hit someone, that's true, you vented your anger, but have you considered that to outsiders, you'll appear to have struck first? Outsiders will have a preconceived notion, and no matter how you explain yourself, you won't be able to change the fact that you used violence. And these two, father and son, can seize this opportunity to turn the tables and claim we've wronged them."

Tsunade opened her mouth, but hesitated, feeling very frustrated.

Aokiji continued his lecture: "And you say they poisoned them, where's the evidence?"

Tsunade retorted, unconvinced, "Isn't the evidence in the medicine they made?"

Aokiji shook his head: "These things are just our side of the story. Besides, have you considered this: what if the Daimyo and his group have something to hide?"

"Daimyo?"

Aokiji sneered: "Maybe they're just the daimyo's black glove. The final interpretation is in their hands. How will you manage them then? The identity of a Konoha ninja—that, to put it bluntly, is interference in politics."

After saying that, he also explained the meaning of the black gloves to Tsunade so that she could understand them better.

Tsunade may be young, but she's not stupid. After hearing Aokiji's words, her worldview was instantly refreshed, and she was in a bad mood.

Aokiji sighed, "Not everyone is as selfless as your grandfather; most ordinary people have selfish desires."

Tsunade stomped her foot, biting her lip in frustration: "This is infuriating! So what do you suggest we do?"

Aokiji made a throat-slitting motion.

Tsunade's eyes widened; she couldn't believe Aokiji was so ruthless.

Aokiji said calmly, "This is the simplest and most direct method."

Tsunade, drawing inferences from this, said, "If we follow your explanation, these people have vested interests with the daimyo behind them. Even if we kill them, it won't solve anything; a new one will just emerge soon. What's the point of doing that?"

Aokiji exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! You've already learned to apply what you've learned to other situations. It seems my teaching wasn't in vain. Killing these people is indeed only a temporary solution, but it's satisfying."

Tsunade felt inexplicably sad: "Isn't there a way to solve this once and for all?"

"Yes, it's very simple, but also very difficult. All it takes is for a single force to emerge, unify the entire world, and establish a sound system."

"That process will probably give rise to many wars."

"Use war to stop war, use killing to stop killing. Humans are inherently perverse; if you don't inflict pain on them, they won't behave."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade murmured and repeated the sentence.

Aokiji, worried that he wouldn't understand, gave an example: "Look at Jiraiya, he was just like that. He tried to peep at you while you were bathing, failed, got caught red-handed, and almost got beaten to death, right? He spent several weeks in the hospital. Do you think he'd dare to peep at you while you're bathing now?"

Tsunade blushed: "That's a strange analogy."

Aokiji shrugged: "But even using this method, there are still big problems."

"What's the problem?"

"Even if a regime is unified, human strength is ultimately limited. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable. Even if ancestors are virtuous, it is difficult to guarantee that descendants will be virtuous. You must have read some stories about how the arrogance and debauchery of descendants ultimately led to the destruction of a country."

Tsunade nodded.

"The more ignorant a person is, the more inexplicable their self-confidence becomes; conversely, the more a person knows, the more powerless they sometimes feel."

At this point, Aokiji grinned and said, "Since there's nothing I can do to change it anyway, I'll just settle for the status quo."

Tsunade: "..."

Aokiji added, "Oh, by the way, don't tell anyone else what I'm telling you."

"If you're so afraid of others finding out, why are you telling me all this?"

Aokiji replied without much thought, "After all, you're my friend, so it's my duty to remind you."

"Is it just because we're friends...?"

Tsunade lowered her head slightly, her eyes darting around aimlessly, her clear pupils glancing around. She put her hands behind her back, her two index fingers intertwining, and murmured to herself in a voice only she could hear.

Aokiji couldn't understand what she was mumbling, so he couldn't help but ask, "What did you say?"

"N-nothing."

Tsunade turned her face away embarrassedly, her eyes darting around, before making a perfunctory remark: "What did you mean by saying you were tricked?"

Aokiji shrugged and said, "What else could it mean? I just hope you'll be more careful in the future, so you don't get scammed and lose money without even realizing it. Especially since you're the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and you have the power of Wood Release hidden within you, I bet many people covet your body."

Tsunade brandished her fist and snorted, "Anyone who dares to stare at my body, I'll punch them to pieces."

Aokiji rubbed his forehead and sighed, "I've talked to you so much, but I feel like I've wasted my breath. Why are you still so blunt? I don't think you're brainless. After all, you don't have any breasts."

Tsunade was happy to hear Aokiji's concern for her; if only that last sentence hadn't come true.

Then, in an instant, her temper flared up, her hands trembled with anger, she blew her hair, glared, and the veins on her forehead bulged, exuding a murderous aura.

Upon seeing this, Aokiji immediately realized that he had spoken carelessly and gotten himself into trouble.

He thought that Tsunade would definitely make him suffer, and he had even prepared a defensive posture.

Unexpectedly, the other person closed their eyes, took two deep breaths, and their chest remained completely still at a near 90-degree angle, miraculously calming down.

Tsunade gave a haughty snort, tossed her head, and swayed her slender waist, as if to say, "This girl won't bother with you."

Aokiji was stunned, terrified, thinking Tsunade was about to beat him up again.

Why doesn't he hit himself?

For some reason, he felt that Tsunade's behavior had been somewhat off lately, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Perhaps it's because I've been playing the fool for too long that my thinking and logic are unconsciously developing in a certain direction.

However, he is not, after all, the male protagonist of the Qidian eunuch genre who doesn't know the beauty of women.

He might be slow to react the first or second time, but by the third time he would sense that something was wrong.

Just as she was about to think it over, a irritable voice came from ahead, filled with Tsunade's extreme impatience:

"Aokiji, what are you standing there for? Go and kill those two bastards!"

Tsunade is not bloodthirsty, but that doesn't mean she's a saint.

Aokiji, his thoughts interrupted, quickly caught up.

It was a classic case of overwhelming force, and things went very smoothly. In the dead of night, Tsunade watched the show while Aokiji took matters into his own hands and finished off the two men.

"Dying like this is too good for you."

Aokiji looked at the two dead men with their eyes wide open, his eyes filled with disdain.

After that, Tsunade stayed there for a while, prepared the antidote, and cured everyone's illnesses, winning a lot of goodwill from the people.

After the mission was over, Tsunade waved goodbye to everyone and left. She didn't go back immediately, but went to an inn, opened the room with her key, and saw Aokiji sleeping on the bed.

Hearing someone enter the room, Aokiji opened his eyes and said without much surprise, "The mission is complete."

"It's over. Now, just one last step." Tsunade glanced around and saw that the room was filled with large bags, all containing the ill-gotten gains that the two father-son pairs had taken from the patients.

Aokiji looked pained: "Was it really necessary to go this far?"

"I'm just returning this money and valuables to their rightful owners." Tsunade nodded solemnly. "By the way, don't you dare get any funny ideas."

"Damn it, what kind of person do you take me for, Aokiji?"

Aokiji's words lacked conviction; well, he did indeed understand the wicked intentions.

But in the end, he managed to suppress his anger with strong moral principles.

As night fell, Aokiji and Tsunade, carrying sacks filled with money, passed by the patients' families, going from house to house and showering them with cash, becoming a Naruto version of Robin Hood.

Aokiji looked distressed after throwing away the money. He felt extremely morally satisfied, but what good was it? He had lost money.

"So, are you going to... go back to Konoha with me?"

After her act of chivalry, Tsunade placed her hands behind her back, her left hand gripping her right wrist, and one foot awkwardly rubbing against the ground, her clear, bright eyes filled with a hint of hope.

P.S.: The next chapter will be updated later, I'm currently writing it...

(End of this chapter)