Conspiracy

In an underground Root base, Danzo Shimura wore an expressionless face as he gave instructions to a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old shinobi.

"Shisui, have you truly made up your mind?"

"Yes, Elder Danzo. The Black Shadow Ninja poses far too great a threat to Konoha. I think Kotoamatsukami is the only thing that can stand against him now."

At the mention of Kotoamatsukami, a flicker of greed flashed through Danzo’s eyes.

What luck. The pressure from the Black Shadow Ninja last time actually gave the Uchiha clan another pair of Mangekyo Sharingan—and one with an ability as terrifying as Kotoamatsukami.

No rush… Let Shisui Uchiha try first. That Black Shadow Ninja also possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan… Even if Shisui Uchiha succeeds, he will surely expend a massive amount of ocular power. They’ll both come out crippled.

As for why he did not ambush Shisui Uchiha, take his Mangekyo Sharingan, and control Yota himself… Danzo Shimura knew his own limits. The Mangekyo Sharingan in his hands would likely not even display half the power it had in its original owner’s hands.

And he would have to use it against the Black Shadow Ninja. If anything went wrong, he would undoubtedly die. He still needed this useful body to revitalize Konoha—how could he take such a gamble?

Naturally, this sort of thing had to be left to the evil Uchiha. If it succeeded, he would get the credit; if something went wrong, it would be the Uchiha clan’s personal action. No matter how one looked at it, he was the winner!

Inside a Konoha tavern, Tsunade and Jiraiya had reunited as old friends and were drinking together.

At Jiraiya’s side was Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. The blond brat wore a thoroughly displeased expression. "Damn it, I actually got beaten flat by a girl! I’ll definitely win next time!"

Tsunade glanced at Uzumaki Naruto and asked lazily, "Is this your new student, Jiraiya? So you’re not planning to search for that so-called Child of Prophecy anymore?"

Jiraiya took a gloomy swig of wine. "Something like prophecy is meaningless… If it is destined to happen, then it makes no difference whether I search for the Child of Prophecy or not. And if prophecy can be changed, then I might as well focus on doing my best in the present!"

Tsunade froze slightly and looked at Jiraiya in surprise. "How strange. No matter how the old man tried to persuade you back then, you refused… Did something happen to you? Was it because of that shinobi named Yota?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. He was too embarrassed to admit that Yota had spoiled everything for him. When he later asked the Great Toad Sage, he had learned quite a few secrets from ancient times.

After that, Jiraiya no longer had much interest in looking for the Child of Prophecy. Just as Yota had said, if they wanted world peace, it would ultimately have to rely on the efforts of the shinobi world itself. Counting on a deus ex machina would either mean that everything would collapse once the person died, or that everyone would be indulging in a pipe dream.

Though Jiraiya said nothing, Tsunade could tell what had happened and burst into laughter. "You’re already this old, yet you got lectured by some teenager. That’s hilarious!"

Jiraiya, who had been feeling embarrassed and angry, looked at Tsunade laughing so hard her body trembled. He immediately swallowed. "So big—no, so white…"

With a loud thud, Jiraiya took a punch to the head, and a huge bump rose on his skull. Tsunade shouted furiously, "You’re already over forty, and you still haven’t changed!"

Jiraiya shook his head, which had nearly been given a concussion, and muttered, "You’re still the same as before too—a hot-tempered gambling addict…"

But after seeing Tsunade raise her fist again, Jiraiya immediately shut his mouth.

After all, Tsunade never knew how to hold back when she struck. Jiraiya had no desire to spend another day lying in the infirmary.

"But… I came back to the village, sure… Why did you come back too? Has your Hemophobia been cured?"

The wine cup in Tsunade’s hand paused slightly. "Well… you could say it has. Once you’ve seen enough, you stop caring."

Jiraiya gave Tsunade a slightly strange look but did not press the matter.

In truth, there was naturally a reason Tsunade had managed to move on. During this period, at Yota’s instruction, Orochimaru had been researching the Impure World Reincarnation, and he had once reincarnated Tsunade’s younger brother, Nawaki.

In the original story, Nawaki was not only Tsunade’s younger brother but also Orochimaru’s student, and the two had been quite close.

Nawaki’s death had also been one of the reasons Orochimaru embarked on the path of pursuing immortality.

The Impure World Reincarnation was known as a technique that fulfilled dreams. After speaking with Nawaki, Tsunade had finally let go of the burden in her heart.

"By the way, have you learned anything from that brat Yota lately? Just how strong is he now? And what exactly is he trying to do?" Jiraiya took another gulp of wine and asked.

Tsunade’s expression turned slightly serious. "How strong is he? Let me put it this way: even if my grandfather were resurrected now, he still wouldn’t be Yota’s match!"

Jiraiya’s expression changed slightly. "I knew that brat was strong, but I never expected that he had already…"

As he spoke, Jiraiya recalled Yota’s words about becoming the one who set the rules.

In that case, Yota really might be able to usher in a new era. Was Kirigakure the beginning of his actions?

"As for what he wants to do, tch! No matter how bad it gets, it can’t be worse than the world is now, can it?"

"Uh… Tsunade, isn’t that a bit…"

Tsunade snorted and turned her gaze toward Uzumaki Naruto. "I’ve heard plenty of villagers gossiping about the demon fox. What, you Toad Sage can’t even handle something this minor?"

Jiraiya gave a bitter smile. "They’re just ignorant villagers. There’s nothing I can do about them."

"Perhaps those villagers are ignorant, but the old man and the others aren’t idiots, are they? They just spread every bit of information around carelessly… If the Fourth Hokage knew about what was happening now… Hmph!"

Jiraiya fell silent for a long while before sighing. "From the sound of it, you seem to support that brat Yota’s ideas? He’s still considered Konoha’s enemy!"

"So what? Who among the Five Great Shinobi Villages doesn’t have a blood feud with the others? More importantly, that brat truly has the power to end this chaotic age!"

"When Konoha was founded, didn’t all the major shinobi clans of the Land of Fire fight until their brains were splattered everywhere? Especially our Senju and the Uchiha!"

"But when everyone faced the power of my grandfather and Madara Uchiha, didn’t they obediently choose to establish Konoha? Do you think they all truly did so willingly?"