Gento smiled upon hearing this.
"What can the current Hidden Leaf Village still offer the Uchiha?"
"Money?"
"Hidden Leaf Village has suffered defeat after defeat. The Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire is probably already preparing to cut off Hidden Leaf Village's financial support."
"And with the war ongoing, Hidden Leaf Village no longer has income from mission commissions. How much could possibly remain in the treasury?"
He paused before continuing:
"An alliance?"
"Hidden Leaf Village is famous for going back on its word."
"Hidden Eddy Village of the Uzumaki clan signed an alliance with Hidden Leaf Village. Not only did they provide Hidden Leaf Village with powerful sealing techniques, but they even married the princess of the Land of Whirlpools to Hashirama as his wife."
"Even so, when the Land of Whirlpools faced a joint assault from the great ninja villages, Hidden Leaf Village did not send a single soldier."
"The Uchiha joined Hidden Leaf Village and devoted countless years to it, only to be discarded by the Hokage once their usefulness ended."
He stared directly into Tsunade's eyes.
"Princess Tsunade, tell me, should I really feel safe signing an alliance with Hidden Leaf Village?"
Tsunade was momentarily speechless.
She wanted to refute him, yet realized that every single word Gento had spoken was true.
Suddenly, she felt somewhat powerless.
Hidden Leaf Village's credibility had long since been exhausted by the Hokages who came after the First.
The trust established by Hashirama had already been partially consumed by Tobirama, while Hiruzen, after remaining in office for decades, had thoroughly squandered Hidden Leaf Village's reputation.
Now that she was the Fifth Hokage, what did she have left to restore it?
What could she possibly use to seek aid?
Standing behind her, Shizune wanted to say something, but she also did not know how to speak.
The reception room immediately fell silent.
Gento picked up his teacup and leisurely took a sip.
After setting down the cup, however, his tone suddenly shifted.
"However, it's not impossible for the Uchiha to help."
"But you must agree to one condition."
The moment Tsunade heard there was still room for negotiation, she immediately lifted her head.
"What condition?"
A meaningful smile rose at the corners of Gento's lips.
"You must become my woman and bear a child for me!"
"What?!"
Tsunade froze for an instant before flying into a furious rage.
She abruptly stood up and slammed her palm onto the table.
Her face turned red with anger, her eyes blazing with fury, while her chest heaved beneath her clothes.
Her voice rose several degrees.
"You…! Do you even realize what you're saying?!"
Beside her, Shizune frowned and could not help but rebuke him.
"This request is far too insulting!"
"Lady Tsunade is the Fifth Hokage and the granddaughter of the First Hokage. How could you..."
"You can't do it?"
The smile on Gento's face suddenly vanished, his expression turning ice-cold.
Interrupting Shizune's words, his voice carried not the slightest warmth.
"My identity is that of the Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water! In terms of status, I stand above her!"
"If you can't agree to it, then the two of you may leave."
Tsunade's fists clenched so tightly that cracking sounds rang out.
She stared fixedly at Gento, her eyes filled with fury and humiliation.
She opened her mouth, wanting to curse him, wanting to flip the table, wanting to punch this hateful man straight into the air!
Even so, she endured it.
She was the Fifth Hokage.
Behind her stood the countless civilians of the Land of Fire, the ninja fighting desperately on the frontlines, and the children still growing up in the academy.
She could not act recklessly.
"Hmph! Shizune, we're leaving!"
With a wave of her hand, she turned and strode toward the exit.
Shizune hurriedly followed behind her.
Before leaving, she even turned back to glare at Gento, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction.
Watching their departing figures, Gento's lips curled into a smile as he slowly sat back down in his chair and continued drinking tea.
He knew Tsunade would return.
...
Outside the imperial residence.
"Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade, please slow down..."
"That bastard! Perverted scumbag! Shameless bastard!"
Tsunade gritted her teeth.
"He actually dared to make such a disgraceful demand of me!"
Just as Tsunade and Shizune stepped out of the palace gates, a figure suddenly appeared before them.
The man wore the uniform of the Hidden Leaf Village Anbu and an animal mask, while his silver-white hair was especially eye-catching.
Dropping to one knee, he said:
"Lady Tsunade!"
This Anbu was none other than Kakashi Hatake.
The instant Tsunade saw Kakashi, the anger in her heart immediately subsided, replaced by a bad premonition.
Frowning, she asked:
"Kakashi? Why are you here?"
Kakashi reported:
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya was injured while fighting the A-B of Hidden Cloud Village."
"Although the village's medical ninja are already treating him, morale in the village is unstable right now, and they need you to return and stabilize the situation."
Tsunade's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
"Jiraiya..."
She murmured softly.
Although that idiot spent all day acting carefree and only knew how to peep at women's baths...
She knew exactly how strong that man truly was.
If even he had been injured, just how disastrous must the frontline situation be?
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, anxiety, worry, and anger intertwining together.
She clenched her hands tightly but did not immediately return with Kakashi.
Taking a deep breath, she turned around and once again walked toward Gento's palace.
Seeing this, Shizune cried out in alarm:
"Lady Tsunade! You're going back again?"
Without turning her head, Tsunade replied:
"I'm going to talk with that brat again!"
Shizune immediately followed after her, only to be stopped by an Anbu at the entrance.
"My apologies, but Lord Feudal Lord has invited only Lady Tsunade inside."
Shizune bit her lip and could only remain outside the door.
Inside the reception room, Gento was leaning back in his chair, casually playing with the Lust Gourd hanging from his waist.
When he saw Tsunade push open the door and enter, he raised an eyebrow.
An expected smile appeared at the corners of his lips, but he said nothing, merely gesturing for her to sit.
Tsunade did not sit.
She walked to the opposite side of the table and planted both hands upon it, leaning her body forward as she glared down at him.
Those light-brown eyes were filled with anger.
"Gento Uchiha, I'll say this one more time. There is absolutely no way I will agree to become your woman, and even less chance that I'll bear a child for you!"
"Change the condition. Money, ninjutsu, supplies, even Hidden Leaf Village's military support. As long as it's something I can do, we can negotiate."
Leaning back in his chair, Gento met her gaze directly.
He was neither overwhelmed by her imposing aura nor affected by her anger. He merely smiled faintly.
"Princess Tsunade, do you think I'm merely coveting your beauty?"
Tsunade let out a cold snort.
"Isn't that exactly the case?"
Gento shook his head.
"No. I, Gento Uchiha, am not lustful at all."
"I've never liked touching women in my entire life."
"I have no interest in women."
"The reason I'm doing this is naturally for another purpose."
"Back then, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju joined forces to establish Hidden Leaf Village. The two of them were the strongest ninja of their era. They admired each other, trusted each other, and Hashirama was even willing to hand the Hokage position over to Madara."
"The two of them were once incredibly close."
"But what was the final result?"
"In the end, they became bitter enemies and fought to the death at the Valley of the End. Madara Uchiha died, and not long afterward, Hashirama also passed away in sorrow."
Turning to look at Tsunade, he asked:
"Why did close friends who once trusted each other end up reaching such a point?"
"Because there was never an unbreakable bond between them."
"Things like trust are far too fragile. When interests align, people can fight side by side. But once interests conflict, turning against each other is faster than flipping a page."
Tsunade's lips moved slightly, but she could not refute him.
Gento continued:
"Only a union through bloodline can truly guarantee that both sides' interests are permanently bound together."
"If Hashirama and Madara had been of opposite sexes back then and produced descendants together, allowing the bloodlines of the two clans to merge, would everything that happened afterward still have occurred?"
Tsunade's breathing faltered slightly.
Gento continued:
"What I want is not a one-night affair, but a bond of shared interests."
"A bond that truly ties the Uchiha and the Senju, Hidden Gento Village and Hidden Leaf Village, together."
Hearing this, Tsunade still seemed somewhat unwilling.
"In truth, I could also make the decision to have some suitable kunoichi from Hidden Leaf Village's other clans..."
However, Gento interrupted her right away.
"No. I only want you!"
---
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