Orochimaru refused to say his reason even when Ryo continuously asked. With Korinâs permission, he took Korinâs Chakra and sealed it in a scroll. Before he handed out the scroll to Orochimaru, Ryo asked, âUncle Snake, you know that Korin is not an ordinary Bijuu, right?â
Orochimaru nodded. Ryo had told him everything about Korin.
âKorin is a Juubi. Her Chakra is strictly a natural Chakra with my Spiritual Strength.â Ryo reminded.
Orochimaru took Korinâs Chakra. He excitedly licked his lips and said, âRelax! All I need is this power.â
âWell, thatâs it then. Iâll leave with Tsunade-sama.â
âUn!â
Tsunade was about to burst with excitement when she heard she could finally leave Orochimaruâs base. Only God knew what had happened to her in the past few days.
âBoy, weâre going to Konoha, right?â Tsunade asked Ryo.
âYes, is there any problem?â
âNope, I just want to tell Lain and Rin if weâre ready to leave.â
âAlright, Tsunade-sama. Iâll leave it to you!â
Shortly after, Tsunade returned with Lain and Rin. Tsunade glanced at Namikaze Minato. She frowned, âWhy isnât Minato leaving with us?â
âItâs not the right time for Minato nii-san to return to the village. For now, he will stay in Orochimaruâs base.â Ryo explained.
âAlso, everyone thought the Yondaime had dead for 10 years. The village will be in chaos if he returns now.â
âWeâre ready? Letâs go!â
âWait, youâre good with space and time Ninjutsu like Minato, right? Are you going to teleport us back to Konoha?â
Ryo nodded. That was his plan.
âBoy, thatâs fine. But you should teleport us to the village border. Weâll walk back to the village.â
âWhy?â Shishui asked in surprise.
âOf course, to let the villagers know, Iâm back! Let the elders and children talk about my return.â Tsunade glanced at Shishui.
âIs Tsunade-sama trying to deter someone?â
She nodded and said, âBoy, youâre asking my help because you know Iâm well respected in Konoha, right? In terms of strength, I think Iâm not a match for your Eternal Mangekyou. Even with my Mokuton, Iâm still a medical Ninja. You wanted me to return to the village to use my prestige and identity to do something, right? In that case, why should we return is secret. If we walked our way in, everyone would know that Iâm back. That would make life easier.â
Ryo was stunned. Then he asked Tsunade, âTsunade-sama, arenât you going to ask me what I want to do?â
âNo, I donât think it will be necessary. I know youâre close with Minato. He grew up on my watch. I know exactly what kind of person he is. If he chooses to believe you, then I will too.â
Ryo was deeply touched, he bowed to Tsunade, âThank you for trusting me, Tsunade-sama!â
âWell, letâs get to Konoha! You can tell me about what you and Minato planned there!â
âOkay!â Ryo told everyone to hold his shoulder, then teleported everyone to Konohaâs border.
Tsunade opened her eyes and observed the surrounding area. With slight envy, she said, âWow! Time and Space Ninjutsu is really convenient!â
âSensei, please walk with Tsunade-sama. I canât reveal my identity for now, so Iâll return to the village first.â
Shishui âdiedâ during the Uchiha Clan incident. Yamanaka Ryo and Hatake Sakumo didnât announce his existence for some reason.
âBoy, what did you plan to do with Sakumo-senpai? Tsk tsk⦠first Minato, now Uchiha Shishui?â
âWeâre just being careful. Although the current Ninja World looks peaceful, in fact, itâs not. Many people can threaten the village.â
âOkay, forget it. Just tell me what did you want to do with my help?â
Ryo laughed, âTsunade-sama, weâreâ¦â
Ryo told Tsunade about Minatoâs idea to abolish the Hyuga Clan Main Familyâs control over the Branch Family. After listening to it, Tsunade frowned. âBoy, the Senju clan has always been kind to Hyuga. But I donât think kindness is enough to extinguish the Branch Familyâs hatred. You know that the Branch Family was enslaved for hundreds of years, right? Their hatred had passed down through generations. Itâs not a matter which can be easily resolved.â
âI understand. I have thought about the possibilities as well. But Minato nii-san thought the Branch Family is also a member of our village. They deserved every right to be Konoha residents, just like the Main Family. Soâ¦â
âIn this case, we should carefully plan our next action. Otherwise, I will not bear the responsibility when the village descends into chaos!â
âTsunade-sama, please rest assured. I will bear all the consequences.â
âGood, now letâs get going!â After finished speaking, Tsunade took the lead and walked towards Konoha. As she previously stated, she didnât intend to hide her arrival. Most Ninjas guarding the border didnât know Tsunade. But they knew about Yamanaka Ryo, so she must be an important person to make Ryo walked behind her. After recognizing her physical characteristic, they immediately sent a message to the village.
Hatake Sakumo smiled after he received the message. He said to the Anbu next to him, âSend someone to announce Tsunadeâs arrival to the villagers.â
The Anbu was stunned, âHokage-sama⦠By âTsunadeâ you mean Tsunade-sama, one of the Sannin?â
âOf course! Who else?! Go and tell the villagers. Oh, right! Tell the Saindaime personally.â
âYes, Hogake-sama!â After speaking, the Anbu Ninja immediately left.
In less than an hour, everyone in the village knew about Tsunadeâs arrival. The older generations of the villagers and Ninja gathered at the village entrance.
âââ
Sarutobi Clanâs Residence, home of the Sandaime.
Knowing Tsunadeâs return to the village, Saindaime shed tears from the corner of his eyes.
The three children, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, all grew up together and experienced countless devotion among the three of them. To Sandaime, he felt closer to them, even closer than his own children.