Chapter 238: Ikeizumi: "Tobi is a Complete Maniac!"
"The Bloody Mist Policy in the Hidden Mist Village wasn't like this many years ago."
As his feet touched the soil of the Land of Water, Jūzō Biwa said in a complicated tone: "The Bloody Mist Policy had a prototype in the Hidden Mist Village even before the Fourth Mizukage took office."
"But at that time, the village merely used that method to select more elite ninja, and this policy didn't affect the entire country."
"Nor did it cause the continuous purges and exterminations of the bloodline limit ninja of the Land of Water..."
Jūzō Biwa's voice paused here.
He looked up at the gloomy weather of the Land of Water, then glanced at the lifeless atmosphere of the Land of Water's port, looking at the weary port workers and fishermen whose eyes seemed to have lost their light.
He took a deep breath and continued: "But not long after the Fourth Mizukage took office, the Bloody Mist Policy was pushed to the extreme by him, becoming even more radical than before."
"It became so extreme that many of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist couldn't bear it. That's why most of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who didn't die in the Third Shinobi World War chose to defect."
"And the negative, extreme influence of the Bloody Mist Policy gradually spread from the Hidden Mist Village to the entire Land of Water. This caused the national strength of the Land of Water to rapidly decline, and the people gradually sank into misery."
"I once thought this was the evil deed of the Fourth Mizukage alone. Only now do I realize that a guy named Obito Uchiha was hiding behind the scenes."
Jūzō Biwa's fists had clenched at some point.
If he had been very satisfied with the current state of the Hidden Mist Village, indifferent to the Bloody Mist Policy, and turned a blind eye to all the decay in the Land of Water...
He wouldn't have chosen to defect, nor would he have chosen to join the Akatsuki organization.
It was precisely because Jūzō Biwa loved the Hidden Mist Village and the Land of Water.
That he couldn't stand the current demonized Bloody Mist Policy.
"Hoo " After letting out a heavy breath, Jūzō Biwa's eyes darkened: "Ikeizumi Uchiha, can I ask what the motivation of Obito Uchiha, who intentionally turned the Hidden Mist Village into this state, is? If he wanted to gain sufficient profit from the Hidden Mist Village, shouldn't a prosperous Land of Water yield more profit than a ruined one? I don't understand."
Ikeizumi Uchiha had already put away the necklace pendant.
He looked at the clearly depressing atmosphere of the port docks and slowly said: "You don't need to try to figure out Obito Uchiha's mindset with a normal person's thoughts. The purpose of everything he does is also very simple he wants to retaliate against the entire Hidden Mist Village."
Jūzō Biwa was stunned: "Retaliation?"
Ikeizumi Uchiha said: "Obito Uchiha's unrequited love, a Konoha female ninja named Rin Nohara, was implanted with the Three-Tails by a Hidden Mist ninja controlled by Madara Uchiha. The surface purpose was to have the Three-Tails return to Konoha and wreak havoc. Rin Nohara, unwilling to destroy Konoha herself, voluntarily allowed Kakashi Hatake to kill her."
"Obito Uchiha personally watched the girl he loved be killed by Kakashi. He resented Kakashi, resented Konoha, and at the same time, he also resented the Hidden Mist Village. In his eyes, the instigator of the tragedy of Rin Nohara's death was your Hidden Mist Village ninja."
"Therefore "
"This is his perceived revenge. He doesn't want to gain any profit from the Hidden Mist Village; he simply wants the Hidden Mist Village, and the Land of Water, to feel the pain he once felt."
The information revealed by Ikeizumi Uchiha left Jūzō Biwa dumbfounded.
Because it was too detailed, so detailed that it seemed as if Ikeizumi Uchiha had been a bystander to the event back then.
And...
Based on Jūzō Biwa's understanding of Ikeizumi Uchiha, he believed that the other party was not lying, and the truth might be exactly like this.
No.
What kind of maniac is this Obito Uchiha?
Doesn't he consider why the Hidden Mist Village would implant the Three-Tails into a Konoha ninja's body?
Isn't the Hidden Mist Village afraid that Konoha could turn the tables and control the Three-Tails?
One must know that Konoha Village has many Uchiha Clan ninja, and the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan is the natural enemy of the Tailed Beasts! Those Sharingan wielders were highly prominent during the Third Shinobi World War, which should have alerted the Hidden Mist Village!
How could the Hidden Mist Village take such a risk, inexplicably throwing a dangerous thing like the Three-Tails into Konoha? There's a certain probability that it would be a complete waste of effort, achieving nothing, and even potentially allowing Konoha Village to gain control of two Tailed Beasts!
No one with a brain would do such a thing, right!
Anyone with a brain could figure out that something is very wrong here!
Jūzō Biwa was momentarily bewildered. He expressed his incomprehension.
"The Shinobi World is truly dark." Ultimately, Jūzō Biwa could only utter such a sentence.
The various conspiracies and schemes that he found difficult to understand made Jūzō Biwa's scalp tingle.
The crucial thing was that these conspiracies seemed to be true.
He couldn't figure out why the real Madara Uchiha would plot so many conspiracies behind the scenes.
What was the purpose of him grooming Obito Uchiha?
What did he want to do to the entire Shinobi World?
Is Madara Uchiha this man who once rivaled the First Konoha Hokage still alive now?
"Meow, you'll get used to it." Kijirō squatted on Ikeizumi Uchiha's shoulder. It yawned and said: "Don't think that the mindset of a maniac like that is the same as that of an ordinary person like you. If that Obito Uchiha were a normal person, he wouldn't even think about opposing Ikeizumi-sama."
"But, meow "
Kijirō glanced at Jūzō Biwa and said: "Obito Uchiha only served to accelerate the decline of your Hidden Mist Village. If you attribute all the root causes to Obito Uchiha, it means you haven't truly realized where the problem lies, meow."
Kijirō's words silenced Jūzō Biwa.
Indeed, by consciously or unconsciously shifting all the blame onto Obito Uchiha, he seemed to be running away from something, denying that the Hidden Mist Village was rotten to the core from the very beginning.
A maniac like Obito Uchiha simply found an opportunity to exploit and make the root even rotten.
Thinking of this...
Jūzō Biwa could not refute.
Izumi pursed her lips and said: "Obito Uchiha, strictly speaking, is my father's killer. Because the Nine-Tails Attack years ago was caused by him releasing the Nine-Tails Fox."
"His retaliation against the Hidden Mist Village and Konoha is completely illogical. He is simply venting, simply antisocial, and his mind is probably somewhat disturbed."
"This kind of person is probably in the same category as Itachi Uchiha."
The girl gave Obito Uchiha this evaluation.
At least from her perspective, Obito Uchiha's actions were those of such a person.
Konoha Village.
Following Tsunade's command, "Shizune, show him out," Shizune could only brace herself and try to usher the Third Hokage-sama out.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained seated, not moving, causing cold sweat to break out on Shizune's forehead.
No way!
Is there really going to be a physical confrontation?
What should I do then? If I help Lady Tsunade fight the Hokage-sama, would I be considered a Konoha rogue ninja? But if the Hokage-sama is killed, would Lady Tsunade become the next Hokage-sama?
Just as Shizune couldn't stop her wild thoughts, with cold sweat pouring down her forehead and her anxiety reaching its peak.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been silent for a long time, finally slowly stood up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tsunade.
He didn't speak, but turned and walked towards the door.
When he reached the doorway.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his back to Tsunade, and his hoarse voice solemnly said: "Then let's compete, Tsunade. I cannot stand idly by and ignore your willfulness. Unless you can draw a clear line between yourself and Absolute Justice in front of me."
"Of course, this does not mean that I want you to become an enemy of Absolute Justice. But at the very least, you cannot govern Konoha with the ideals of Absolute Justice, and you certainly cannot allow Absolute Justice to replace the Will of Fire."
Having said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi left without looking back.
Tsunade's expression held a hint of complexity.
She rubbed her temples and sighed: "It seems the old man is not willing to admit defeat, nor is he willing to retreat. He's avoiding Ikeizumi like the plague. He's taking this seriously now. This is truly a final break!"
Shizune subtly swallowed: "Lady Tsunade, what should we do next?"
A look of seriousness flashed across Tsunade's face, and she said: "Since the old man has made this decision, how can I be afraid of him? If he wants to compete, then we'll compete, and we'll fight for a result."
"Shizune, tomorrow, you will go with me to visit the Konoha ninja who have a good relationship with the old man, and who also have a certain reputation and strength in the village."
Shizune quickly nodded: "Who should we visit first?"
Tsunade thought for a moment and gave an answer: "Kakashi Hatake!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also taking action.
He did not return to the Hokage Building, nor did he return to the Sarutobi Clan compound.
Instead, he found Jiraiya, who was trying to follow Naruto Uzumaki.
"Jiraiya!"
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi's smiling voice rang out behind Jiraiya, Jiraiya's entire body stiffened, and his expression became unnatural.
Jiraiya pretended not to hear, yawned, and walked in a certain direction with his wooden clogs, acting as if he wanted to return to the inn for an afternoon nap.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not give him a chance to slip away.
He blocked him directly.
On Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled old face, he forced a kindly smile: "Jiraiya, although you have been back in the village for some time, we, as master and disciple, haven't really had a good catch-up."
Jiraiya's mouth twitched subtly.
He scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh: "Hahaha! It's you, old man! I vaguely heard someone calling me just now, but the voice was too soft, so I thought I misheard "
Hiruzen Sarutobi then politely greeted Shima and Fukasaku on Jiraiya's shoulders with a smile.
Immediately after.
Under Jiraiya's somewhat strained expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi went straight to the point: "Jiraiya, you must have heard some rumors in the village recently, haven't you?"
Jiraiya awkwardly laughed: "I did hear that the enforcement procedures of the Konoha Military Police Force seem to have become very strict. If one is caught doing research in the women's bathhouse, they might end up in prison."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't mind Jiraiya's forced attempt to change the subject.
He brought the topic back himself: "You must have also heard that Tsunade wants to become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, haven't you, Jiraiya?"
Since the conversation had reached this point, Jiraiya knew that pretending to be clueless was useless.
Jiraiya took a deep breath and said helplessly: "Old man, don't drag me into these things. You should know I'm not interested in this kind of stuff. Moreover, this matter involves Tsunade. How could I possibly persuade her?"
Jiraiya's expression was complicated: "If you truly want to continue being the Hokage, then you better talk to her. She is your disciple, after all. If you adopt a good attitude, maybe she will listen to you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke: "I have already met with Tsunade."
Jiraiya: "..."
The current Jiraiya knew that he didn't need to ask about the outcome.
Since the old man had sought him out, it meant that the conversation between him and Tsunade must have ended very badly.
Perhaps they were on the verge of outright fighting.
Jiraiya pondered: "Perhaps you should allow the excellent young people in the village to take over Konoha. After all, you can't stay in the position of Hokage for several decades or a hundred years, can you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head: "I am not a person who is greedy for power, nor one who is obsessed with authority. I naturally have the intention of handing Konoha over to the younger generation."
"But "
"I should have my own choice about what kind of young person I hand it over to. In my eyes, a person who overly believes in Absolute Justice is not suitable to lead Konoha."
With that.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was solemn: "Jiraiya, I hope you openly support me and spread the news of your support throughout Konoha, so that everyone in the village knows. Because as one of the Sannin, you can rally many ninja to follow you."
"Or "
"You run for the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. If you become the Hokage of Konoha, I have no objection. I will then fully support you, allowing you to suppress Tsunade."
Jiraiya's mouth twitched.
He knew it. The old man coming to him at this juncture would definitely not be for anything good.
This would be extremely offensive.
If the offense was directed at people from other ninja villages, Jiraiya wouldn't care much, but the problem was that the offense would be directed at people from his own village.
What if the old man failed to defeat Tsunade in the end? Wouldn't he be in deep trouble and be purged by Tsunade?
Jiraiya didn't even want to think about how many bones he would break.
Tsunade could be quite petty sometimes!
And very vengeful!
"Hoo, old man." Jiraiya said: "I don't have the time to get involved in these things now. My focus is now on the entire Shinobi World. The Shinobi World needs a special transformation to return to the way it should be. And this transformation requires the Child of Prophecy from the Great Toad Sage's prophecy."
"That is what I must do. Until I have finished training the Child of Prophecy, I will not be distracted by other matters."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned: "Child of Prophecy? Great Toad Sage's prophecy? What does that mean?"
He truly had no knowledge of this matter.
Jiraiya could only briefly explain, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow furrow even more deeply. He even cast a probing and skeptical gaze upon Fukasaku and Shima.
"Jiraiya, are you sure this prophecy is reliable?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's deeply frowned query stunned Jiraiya.
Why doesn't even the old man trust the Great Toad Sage's prophecy?