Chiyo gave a careful glance in Ringo Ameyuri's direction, her eyes flickering as she understood the reason for her presence here.
"I truly didn't expect that the Elder of Sunagakure would dare to come to Kirigakure all by herself."
Mei Terumi wore a faint smile on her face, raising an eyebrow.
Chiyo's expression remained calm as she sized up Mei Terumi, then shook her head and spoke:
"I thought the Mizukage of Kirigakure would be an old woman, just like me."
Mei Terumi froze for a moment, then clenched her fists, unable to stop several veins from bulging on her forehead.
This old woman's words were truly infuriating.
Beside her, Yuto found Mei Terumi's suppressed anger quite amusing.
"Coming to Kirigakure alone obviously doesn't mean you're here to die."
"I don't care what you're really here for. Save Ringo Ameyuri on that sickbed. Otherwise, you can stay here forever."
Yuto clearly had no time for pleasantries, speaking coldly to Chiyo.
Hearing Yuto's voice, Chiyo let out a soft sigh.
She had originally planned to pretend she didn't know him and wait for him to speak first.
Now, although Yuto had spoken first, Chiyo realized it would be more straightforward to speak up herself.
Besides, his tone left no room for negotiation.
Chiyo could act a bit high and mighty with Mei Terumi, but with Yuto, she didn't dare to do that.
"Chiyo of Sunagakure, I greet you, Lord Yuto."
Chiyo remained where she was, her expression solemn.
No matter what, she represented Sunagakure. If she was easily ordered around, it would be a disgrace to the sand shinobi.
Furthermore, this would definitely affect what she was about to do.
Seeing that Chiyo wasn't moving, Yuto raised an eyebrow slightly.
A terrifying pressure erupted from Yuto's body, instantly descending upon Chiyo.
"Do you really think you have room to bargain?"
Yuto's expression was cold, and his voice was even tinged with impatience.
Chiyo felt her body sink. Although the temperature was normal, she felt as if she were in a frozen wasteland.
Unconsciously, cold sweat was already beading on her forehead.
As time went on, the heavy pressure grew stronger and stronger.
Chiyo's body began to tremble, but deep in her eyes, there was still a determined gaze.
Seeing this, Yuto frowned slightly.
If he pushed his aura any further, Chiyo might get injured.
He didn't mind if Chiyo got hurt, but the longer Ringo Ameyuri's injuries dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would become.
That was not what Yuto wanted to see.
With a thought, the terrifying pressure instantly vanished.
"I hope your medical ninjutsu is enough to treat Ringo Ameyuri's injuries."
Yuto stared at Chiyo, speaking in a low voice.
Chiyo's stiff body relaxed slightly, and especially after hearing Yuto's words, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
Although Yuto hadn't spelled it out, his meaning was clear.
As long as she could treat Ringo Ameyuri's injuries, they could negotiate.
Of course, if she couldn't, Chiyo could easily imagine the consequences without him having to say anything.
Thinking of this, Chiyo lifted her foot and walked in Ringo Ameyuri's direction.
The words of the First Mizukage, Yuto, naturally could not be taken back.
A dense green light flickered around Might Guy's body.
The chakra of the Shinsu Senjutsu rapidly repaired the injuries on Might Guy's body through Tsunade's hands.
After a full half-hour, Tsunade finally raised her arms again.
Glancing at the still-unconscious Might Guy, Tsunade stood up with a solemn expression on her face and walked towards the door.
At that moment, the sound of the door opening softly echoed.
Lee and Tenten secretly opened the door and looked inside. When they saw Tsunade walking over, their faces both showed expressions of tension.
"Tsunade-sama!"
A respectful voice sounded from behind Lee and Tenten, making them jump.
"How is your recovery, Kakashi?"
Tsunade gave a slight smile to Lee and Tenten, then looked at Kakashi standing behind them.
"I just said my injuries were minor and nothing serious. How is Guy's condition?"
Kakashi asked with concern, while at the same time, Tenten and Lee also looked towards Tsunade.
"Grandfather's chakra has already repaired most of Guy's injuries. I just treated his external wounds."
Tunade said with a light laugh.
"Hashirama-sama was here?" Kakashi was stunned, and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
Tsunade nodded lightly without speaking, her eyes carrying a trace of solemnity. She looked past Kakashi and continued forward.
Until Tsunade disappeared from everyone's sight, Lee and Tenten finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurried towards Might Guy's sickbed.
Kakashi glanced in the direction Tsunade had left, his eyes flickering slightly.
Something like this happening, Konoha would not let it slide.
Especially with so many members of the Hyūga clan dead, even if Konoha didn't want to take action, Hiashi Hyūga would likely pressure the Konoha higher-ups.
Besides, this whole matter was a direct slap in the face to Hashirama Senju by both the First Mizukage, Yuto, and Madara Uchiha.
No matter how good Hashirama's temper was, he was probably extremely displeased right now.
Kakashi withdrew his gaze and walked towards Might Guy.
What happened next was probably something he wouldn't be able to participate in.
The Hokage's Office.
An atmosphere thick with tension filled the entire office.
"To have two of our ninja taken away within the Land of Fire—this matter cannot be left unresolved!"
Danzō cautiously glanced in Hashirama Senju's direction, his face filled with anger as he spoke in a low voice.
Hiashi Hyūga was also standing in the office with a silent expression.
Although he didn't speak, everyone knew that Hiashi was likely angrier than anyone else at this moment.
Nineteen Hyūga shinobi were lost in this pursuit, which could be called a devastating blow to the Hyūga clan.
Beside them, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were also stating their own opinions.
Jiraiya rubbed his temples, a look of helplessness on his face, as he looked at Hashirama Senju, who was currently sitting at the Hokage's desk as if in a daze.
Seeing Jiraiya's action, Danzō and the others' gazes also fell upon Hashirama Senju.
Everyone present understood that no matter what conclusion they reached, it ultimately depended on Hashirama Senju.
Although Hashirama seemed to be in a daze, he had long since fallen into deep thought.
In Hashirama's view, Madara taking Sasuke Uchiha away was not a problem.
After all, Sasuke was a member of the Uchiha clan, which was reason enough.
Besides, once the Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke's strength would definitely increase dramatically, which would be a considerable help for Madara.
The only thing that puzzled Hashirama was why Yuto would take people from the Hyūga clan.
Hashirama had already read Neji Hyūga's file and found nothing noteworthy.
The Byakugan of the Hyūga clan was good, but merely good; it was of no use to powerhouses at their level.
As for so-called talent, it was even more meaningless.
A soft coughing sound interrupted Hashirama's train of thought.
Hashirama looked up at Jiraiya in confusion. It was only then that he realized everyone's gaze was fixed on him.
"My apologies, I was lost in thought for a moment."
Hashirama scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
To be able to zone out while everyone was arguing so fiercely, Jiraiya was speechless.
The Hokage's office door was pushed open, and Tsunade strode in.
"Guy's condition should be stable now, right?"
Seeing Tsunade, Hashirama's eyes lit up as he spoke quickly.
"With Grandfather's chakra helping, Guy has no major problems, he'll just have to rest in bed for a while."
Tsunade said with a light laugh.
Hashirama patted his chest, looking relieved.
Tsunade couldn't help but roll her eyes, then her expression turned serious as she glanced at the officials in the office and then looked at Hashirama Senju:
"Grandfather, how do you plan to handle this matter?"
Hashirama was silent for a moment, a fighting glint flashing in his eyes.
"That guy, Madara, is alone. It might be difficult to find him in a short time."
"But Kirigakure can't escape. This is a perfect chance for that guy, Yuto, to test the new power I've acquired."
Hashirama clenched his fists, and a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from him, but it quickly vanished just as quickly.
Everyone in the office broke out in a cold sweat the instant this aura appeared.
Hashirama then returned to his simple-minded expression, looking at Tsunade and Jiraiya with a somewhat displeased tone:
"For such a long time, the Hokage hasn't been chosen. Before we deal with this matter, let's first decide on the Hokage."
Tsunade and Jiraiya were both stunned at the same time, their faces showing expressions of helplessness.
"Hashirama-sama, I recommend Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage. I'm really not good at handling administrative affairs."
Jiraiya stood up straight and said solemnly.
Tsunade's expression changed. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Jiraiya turn around, look at her with a dead-serious expression, and at the same time, cast a sideways glance in Danzō's direction.
Tsunade's lip twitched slightly. As a former classmate, even without Jiraiya saying anything, she understood what he was trying to convey.
In other words, if Tsunade didn't agree, Jiraiya would immediately recommend Danzō to be Hokage.
Seeing Jiraiya's dead-serious expression, Tsunade shot him a fierce glare and swallowed her words back down.
Seeing that Tsunade didn't object, Homura and Koharu, as elders, exchanged a glance and immediately spoke up in support of Tsunade becoming the new Hokage.
Hashirama looked at Tsunade, his face full of a strange expression.
"If there are no objections, then the position of Hokage will be settled for now."
"By the way, as for the Anbu and the Foundation, leave them to Jiraiya's control."
Hashirama glanced at Danzō and said flatly.
"Yes, Hashirama-sama."
Danzō's body trembled, and his back was instantly soaked through.
[
I'm going to skip the fancy pitch this time and just be straight with you.
Things are tough right now. The recent mass cancellations hit harder than I expected, and I'm genuinely struggling to keep my head above water financially. Translation is my main income — not a side hobby — and when a big wave of cancellations lands at once, it hurts in a very real way.
I know I can't compete with aggregator sites. They pump out chapters faster than I ever could, and I've made peace with that. What I can offer instead is consistency and care — a chapter that's actually readable, where the same technique doesn't get three different names in the same chapter and characters don't randomly switch personalities. Quality daily updates, not a firehose of machine-translated slop.
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Here's what you get: 30 advanced chapters right away, for the price that used to get you 20. That's not a marketing trick, it's me genuinely trying to make it worth your while because I need the help and I'd rather be honest about that than pretend otherwise.
There's also ongoing monthly chapters, bonus content, and — this one I actually love — you can suggest novels you want me to pick up next. If there's something you've been dying to read in English, drop it in the comments. I'm listening.
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]