Gento understood Tsunade's reason for coming to Hidden Gento Village right away.
He had already learned through the Anbu that Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage.
Now, the Land of Fire was being besieged by three great nations at the same time; Hidden Leaf Village was suffering defeat after defeat, the frontlines were collapsing, and panic was spreading through the rear.
Even with a powerful fighter like Jiraiya helping, they still could not reverse the overwhelming disadvantage in military strength.
Tsunade had only just taken over this disastrous mess, and the people she could actually rely on were pitifully few.
Therefore, she could only seek aid from him.
Frankly speaking, Gento naturally did not wish to see Hidden Leaf Village destroyed.
After all, the village's younger generation; Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, Tenten...
In a few more years, they would all grow into graceful young women.
In his eyes, they were all budding flowers waiting for him to pluck.
Of course he could not allow the other great nations to uproot Hidden Leaf Village entirely.
Thus, he had to help Tsunade.
But!
He had also coveted Tsunade's body for a very long time.
She was the princess of the Senju clan, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the strongest medical ninja in the Shinobi World, and one of the legendary Sannin!
With that mature and voluptuous figure of hers and that fiery, domineering personality, what man would not want to conquer her?
That said, given Tsunade's personality, obtaining her body would probably not be easy.
The Lust Pills could only guarantee that the target would have a single romantic encounter with him. They did not possess the powerful mind-control effects of Kotoamatsukami...
He needed to plan this carefully.
Gento made his decision.
He could help Hidden Leaf Village, but he could not help too easily.
Otherwise, the Uchiha would seem too cheap, and he, Gento Uchiha, would appear too easy to talk to.
He first had to leave her hanging for a while, make her anxious, make her take the initiative to speak first. Only then could he seize the upper hand during negotiations.
So, he said to the Anbu:
"Go tell Tsunade that I'm busy right now and don't have time to meet her."
"However..."
A thought crossed Gento's mind, and he continued:
"As compensation, you may invite her to experience the hot springs within the Uchiha clan grounds."
"My private clan head hot spring may be lent to her for use."
The Anbu immediately replied:
"Yes, sir!"
After giving the order, Gento turned and left the office, heading toward the prison where Hidan was being held.
Hidan's prison treatment was nowhere near as luxurious as Yugito Nii's special accommodations.
He was imprisoned in the deepest underground cell, surrounded by thick rock walls covered in runes that sealed chakra.
The ninja responsible for guarding the prison only provided him with the bare minimum amount of food each day, and even that was rationed.
As a result, Hidan could only barely maintain his life while enduring the torment of hunger every single day.
Gento walked along the dim corridor until he reached the deepest section, stopping before an iron door.
Through the palm-sized window in the iron door, he saw Hidan inside.
After years of imprisonment, Hidan had changed significantly.
His silver-gray long hair, once styled into a flashy slicked-back look, had become disheveled, greasy strands hanging loosely over his shoulders.
His face was covered in filth, with messy stubble, sunken eye sockets, and protruding cheekbones.
His clothes had long since become tattered, exposing a skeletal body covered in scars left behind from self-harm.
Some scars were old while others were new, yet all had already healed because of his immortal body, leaving behind only faint traces.
Curled up atop a pile of straw in the corner, his eyes were unfocused as he muttered to himself, as though praying to the Jashin or venting endless resentment.
Hearing footsteps, Hidan did not raise his head. He merely moved his lips weakly, assuming the food delivery had arrived again.
"Today's meal... just leave it at the door..."
Gento did not answer and instead reached out to push the iron door.
The iron door emitted a harsh creaking sound.
Only then did Hidan lift his eyelids. Those eyes that were once crazed and bloodthirsty were now dim and lifeless.
When he weakly looked toward the doorway and clearly saw the face of the visitor, his entire body suddenly trembled.
The previously vacant pupils instantly burst with life!
As if electrocuted, he sprang up from the straw pile and crawled toward the iron door with both hands and feet, clutching the doorframe as his voice trembled.
"Y-you finally came!"
Gento looked at this once arrogant cultist, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
Hidan's voice was filled with urgency and pleading.
"I'm willing to cooperate with you! Really!"
"I'm willing to cooperate!"
"Please, don't lock me up anymore!"
"This damned place really isn't fit for human habitation!"
"I tried killing myself countless times, but this damned body won't even let me die!"
Clutching the iron bars, his eyes were full of despair.
"I never imagined you people would imprison me for so many years just to torture me!"
"Do you know how I've lived all these years?"
"No daylight, no sunlight, not even a single person to talk to!"
"I'd rather die than stay in this place any longer!"
Hearing this, Gento coughed to hide his embarrassment.
To be honest, he really had forgotten about Hidan.
After capturing him back then, he had casually thrown him into prison, originally intending only to grind down his temperament a little.
Who would have thought that afterward, he would never remember him again.
If Konan had not mentioned Kakuzu today, he probably would have continued forgetting about him.
Though of course, he could not admit such a thing.
At the very least, he could not show weakness in front of others.
"Ahem... good that you understand!"
"I intentionally imprisoned you for all these years!"
"It was all to make you properly reflect on yourself."
"But since you're willing to submit... it's not impossible to negotiate."
Hidan's eyes burst with ecstatic light, his voice becoming even more urgent.
"Please let me out!"
"Don't you want me to kill people for you?"
"I can kill anyone for you!"
"Whether it's a Feudal Lord, a Hokage, or any other Kage, just say the name and I'll immediately offer them as a sacrifice to Lord Jashin!"
Gento nodded, his tone calm and unhurried.
"I can let you out, but there's one condition."
"I agree!"
Before even hearing Gento's demand, Hidan hurriedly nodded.
"I agree to everything!"
It seemed that Hidan truly had been tormented badly over these years.
Gento continued:
"You'll leave the Land of Hot Water and resume taking assassination bounties, doing the same things you used to do before."
"Afterward, a mysterious organization called Akatsuki will contact you and invite you to join them."
"You are to join them and act as my spy from within."
"If there are future operations, I'll tell you how to cooperate."
Hidan froze for a moment before rapidly nodding.
"Okay! Okay! I agree to everything!"
"As long as you let me leave this damned place, anything is fine!"
With a wave of his hand, Gento released the sealing jutsu at the prison entrance, and the iron door fully opened.
Hidan cautiously took a step forward. Seeing that Gento did not stop him, he took another step.
He walked out of the prison cell and stood in the corridor, taking a deep breath. His eyes had actually become somewhat moist.
He turned back to glance at the prison cell that had confined him for years, his eyes filled with lingering fear and relief.
After taking a few steps, he stopped again, turning back to look at Gento carefully.
"You... you're really letting me leave?"
Seeing the disbelief written all over his face, Gento found it somewhat amusing and nodded.
"As long as you act according to my instructions."
"Of course, you can also choose to betray me."
"However... you know very well what methods I'm capable of."
Hidan recalled those endless years without daylight, the despair of attempting suicide countless times only to remain unable to die, and instantly felt a chill run down his spine.
He shuddered and bowed deeply toward Gento, his voice filled with sincerity.
"I will definitely complete the mission! Don't worry, when I, Hidan, give my word, I keep it!"
After speaking, he turned and ran, moving at incredible speed as though afraid Gento might change his mind.
Gento watched his departing figure, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
After settling Hidan's matter, he leisurely returned to the palace.
...
As night fell, Gento calculated the time.
Tsunade and Shizune should already be inside the hot spring by now.
Even if he could not 'eat' them right now, merely taking a look was still good enough.
"Activate real-time feed."
With a thought, a live image of the Desire Hot Springs immediately appeared within his mind.
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