https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1056-Embracing-the-Dark-Side-An-Unavoidable-Path-/13463570/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1058-The-Villagers-Complaints-and-Departure-/13463572/
Chapter 1057: What Feud, What Grudge?
Chapter 1057: What Feud, What Grudge?
Boom!!
A massive explosion erupted without warning from two hundred meters away at the Akimichi Clan grounds.
The raging fire and the violent winds that tore through everything left the Konoha ninjas gathered at the Nara Clan ruins with no time to react. They could only try to defend themselves.
"Wind Style: Gale Wall!"
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Triple Rashomon!"
...
One defensive jutsu after another was cast.
The ninjas gathered here were all elite Konoha shinobi, not asleep, so they managed to react in time.
Especially the Triple Rashomon, which directly blocked the sweeping shockwave.
The onlookers from other villages were lucky.
Thanks to the Konoha guards, they had no chance to get close and thus were not affected much.
However, they were all dumbfounded.
"What feud, what grudge is this?"
"So terrifying!"
"There was an explosion?"
"So dangerous, we should be more careful too!"
...
Whispers spread among them.
They never expected a second explosion.
This was Konoha, after all!
The strongest ninja village in the Ninja World—well, at least the 'former' strongest. Now, it had been bombed twice. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, who would believe it?
As a result, everyone was on high alert, fearing they might be caught off guard.
Tang Ping, standing not far from the explosion, completely ignored the shock and debris. He looked at the people hiding behind their defenses and was more satisfied with Ino.
Good!
Well done!
If there hadn’t been this second explosion, Tsunade’s plan would have been hard to carry out.
Asuma had been about to send Anbu to search the village. That would have definitely led to the discovery of someone escaping, and the airship wouldn’t have had a chance to leave.
There would have been no backup, but Tsunade’s plan didn’t include any.
So, this second explosion was crucial.
Now, no one could be sure if there would be a third. The most urgent task was to eliminate this threat, not to do anything else.
At the same time, this explosion cleared Tsunade of suspicion.
After all, she was right there, and it was impossible for her to have done this herself.
At least not personally.
Suspicion, of course, was unavoidable.
Who wouldn’t suspect her, given that the Blazing Sun Kingdom was behind her?
Everyone knew that the Blazing Sun Kingdom was deeply involved in this incident.
After all, Konoha’s only remaining enemy was the Blazing Sun Kingdom.
Even the Cloud and Rock Villages, their deadliest enemies, only hoped for Konoha’s success and would never attack them.
The supplies supporting Asuma included contributions from these two major ninja villages.
Not to mention the Daimyo and nobles, who were the most concerned about Konoha.
If the Blazing Sun Kingdom ruled the Ninja World, they would be the ones to suffer the most. So, the perpetrator could not have been them.
In the entire Ninja World, the only force that could and would target Konoha was the Blazing Sun Kingdom.
And the incident happened at the Nara Clan grounds, which was practically a brazen act of defiance.
Only Tang Ping, who controlled the Blazing Sun Kingdom, would do something like this. Even without evidence, everyone assumed it was the Blazing Sun Kingdom.
And Tsunade was definitely involved, even if she didn’t act personally.
"Tsunade, you...!"
Asuma, standing behind the Triple Rashomon, looked at Tsunade beside him, not even calling her 'Lady' anymore.
He never expected her to go this far.
Losing the Hokage competition and then pulling this within a day?
"What’s wrong?"
Tsunade’s face was one of ‘confusion,’ as if she had no idea what Asuma meant.
But in reality, she knew exactly why he was angry.
She had no choice.
Bringing so many people into the Blazing Sun Kingdom was no small feat.
In the past, it would have been a great achievement because the Blazing Sun Kingdom desperately needed talented and potential individuals. Bringing back so many would have been a significant contribution.
But now?
The Blazing Sun Kingdom had controlled the training pace, fearing that too many trainees would lead to internal competition, which could become a source of internal conflict.
So, bringing these people back would not be a merit but a burden.
While her and Tobirama Senju’s influence might have persuaded Tang Ping to agree, it would have cost her a favor.
But by conveniently eliminating the Nara Clan and weakening Konoha, she had earned a merit. This made bringing these people into the Blazing Sun Kingdom a non-issue.
One could say that Tsunade's emotional intelligence and capabilities are indeed outstanding. If it weren't for this, Tang Ping wouldn't have given her such an opportunity.
After all, he is now a divine being and, having resolved the Six Paths, is in a position to do whatever he pleases. Yet, he still chooses to give Tsunade some face, all because of her abilities and the research prowess of Tobirama Senju.
Without these, even if she were part of the Konohagakure lineage, he wouldn't extend her this courtesy.
However, giving her face is one thing; he hasn't promised to abandon his grudges.
This is why he drags his feet in various ways.
Konohagakure is as good as his; even Jesus couldn't save it, he says so himself.
Looking at Tsunade's innocent face, Asuma's mind raced, and he ultimately decided not to confront her directly.
Because confronting her directly would not be in his favor.
Tsunade is no ordinary person. Even as the Sixth Hokage, he cannot act against her arbitrarily, especially without evidence. So, he turned and ordered:
"Everyone, stand down. Anbu, immediately investigate if there are any more threats in the village..."
He knew that now was not the time for civil war.
Even if he could capture Tsunade, it would cause tremendous damage to the village and hinder the elimination of threats.
So, even though he was aware that this incident was related to Tsunade, he couldn't directly confront her.
Under Asuma's arrangements, Konohagakure began to operate like a war machine.
It must be said that neither Asuma nor Shikamaru are fools.
But in their calculations, they overlooked Tsunade's true objective: to buy time.
As long as she could delay until dawn, the airship would be able to fly hundreds of kilometers away, out of Konohagakure's reach.
The airship created by the Heavenly Guardian Tower is not like those of other forces, which are dependent on the weather.
With a chakra core, it can fly at a decent speed in the sky, regardless of wind direction.
Other forces' airships would be unable to fly quickly without favorable winds.
Tsunade only needed to wait until dawn to slip away.
Without the burden of others, she and Shizune would have a much easier time.
As for the Yamanaka Clan?
They would remain in Konohagakure.
The Yamanaka Clan is not an ordinary ninja clan, located in the heart of the village, making it impossible to withdraw easily.
Moreover, even if Ino became the Clan Head, it doesn't mean that the entire clan would sincerely submit to her.
If the Yamanaka Clan were to retreat, there's a high chance that someone would immediately betray them.
So the Yamanaka Clan would have to stay behind and wait to surrender when the Blazing Sun Kingdom breached Konohagakure.
Ino wasn't worried about being suspected.
She was 'ordered' to go undercover in the Blazing Sun Kingdom and is now simply returning.
Tsunade's mentor, Koharu, vouched for her, leaving no room for doubt.
After all, she had been executing Root missions all along. It was only upon discovering that the Blazing Sun Kingdom was unstoppable and had to choose between Konohagakure and her clan that she betrayed.
This is why she was able to smoothly ascend to the position of Clan Head.
If they truly suspected her of being a Blazing Sun Kingdom agent, they wouldn't let her get away, let alone allow her to take a leadership role.
Ino's position was secure.
The Blazing Sun Kingdom knew she was 'one of them,' and even if she wasn't before, she would be now, given the choice between her clan and Konohagakure.
Konohagakure wouldn't suspect Ino either.
After all, she was their own 'spy.' What was there to suspect?
Because of this, even the Nara Clan's elder only felt something was off and decided to observe for a while rather than suspect Ino of being a spy.
"Trouble!" Shikamaru suddenly remembered something and said to Asuma, "Send someone to check on the Yamanaka Clan!"
After all, since the Blazing Sun Kingdom had already targeted the Akimichi Clan, it wouldn't make sense for them to overlook the Yamanaka Clan.
Whoosh!
Asuma instantly disappeared and headed straight to the Yamanaka Clan.
His urgency was natural, given that Ino was also his 'disciple,' and this was a chance to prove something.
Prove what?
Of course, to prove whether Ino was a problem.
Even though she seemed fine, Asuma was still uneasy.
It must be said that his darkened state made him much stronger, and in his previous state, he would never have suspected his own disciple.
(End of Chapter)
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