Chapter 103: This Woman Is a Lost Cause!
Chapter 103: This Woman Is a Lost Cause!
"Hagoromo Clan. Uchiha Clan. Allies? What is this about?"
Hearing new information about Sasuke and Hagoromo Gengetsu, which he had been obsessively pondering, Naruto couldn't help but get his brain working after a long period of inactivity.
Nearby, Tsunade had clenched her fists.
Upon hearing Ōnoki’s implication that Konoha had been too harsh with Sasuke, causing him to become a traitor, Tsunade, who never tolerated injustice, was about to slam her hand on the table to speak her mind.
"Please wait a moment, Hokage-sama."
The meeting host, Mitsukage, halted Tsunade.
He wasn't worried that Tsunade might smash the desk with her hand but because a samurai had hurried to his side and whispered something in his ear, causing his expression to change.
"What’s the matter?" Since it was someone else’s event, Tsunade gave Mitsukage some leeway.
Mitsukage looked at Tsunade and said, "Just now, a Konoha ninja arrived, claiming to have a very important letter for you, Hokage-sama."
Upon hearing this, both Tsunade and Shizune’s expressions changed.
Only a few high-ranking officials from the Five Great Shinobi Countries knew the location of the Five Kage Summit.
The fact that Konoha had sent a ninja with a letter while the Hokage was attending the summit was clear to them all.
"Konoha is in serious trouble?" The others present also quickly realized this, their eyes flashing with concern.
Without hesitation, Tsunade asked Shizune and Naruto to stay, quickly left the meeting room, and met the hurried Konoha ninja outside.
“Hokage-sama!” The messenger immediately handed over a sealed letter.
Tsunade opened it and read it quickly, her brow furrowing deeply.
Indeed, something had gone wrong! The Root base had been destroyed, Elder Danzo Shimura was dead; the Forbidden Scroll's chamber had been breached; and there had been a riot in Konoha’s high-security prison.
The last two were not as severe.
The Forbidden Scroll was still intact, and the prisoners in the high-security prison had not escaped.
What truly had the greatest impact was the destruction of Root.
Although Tsunade did not like Danzo Shimura’s extreme methods and was wary of the Root organization, which had always been out of the Hokage's control, she knew well that Root was a sharp weapon for Konoha, both for internal and external matters.
After the Fourth Shinobi World War, all the other ninja villages had strongly demanded that Konoha disband Root, which was a clear example.
Now, with Danzo dead and the Root base destroyed, even if some Root ninjas were still on missions outside, they would be useless.
This meant that a significant military force supporting Konoha had been completely wiped out.
Furthermore, when Tsunade saw that the letter pointed to Hagoromo Gengetsu as the primary suspect behind these events, she couldn’t help but clutch the letter tightly, then looked up at the Konoha ninja and asked, "What is the current situation in Konoha?"
The Konoha ninja replied, "Under the instructions of the two Elders, Konoha Village has raised its alert level, and no enemies have appeared since then. Before I departed, the village was stable."
Tsunade nodded. "You can go and rest now."
Afterward, Tsunade stayed outside for a while longer before returning to the Five Kage Summit room.
As soon as she sat down, Ōnoki asked curiously, "What happened, Tsunade?"
Hearing this, everyone else immediately turned to listen.
Tsunade did not withhold any information.
Such a major event would soon be known by the other villages anyway.
She stated directly, "The Root organization in Konoha has been destroyed, and the culprit is most likely Hagoromo Gengetsu."
In an instant!
It was as if a thunderclap had struck the hearts of the Four Kage and their guards.
Their first thought was whether the Hokage had misspoken.
But when they saw Tsunade’s calm face and her unwavering stance, they realized that something truly significant had happened.
In the ensuing moments, shock, panic, and even joy and excitement flickered in everyone’s eyes.
What was Root?
The principle of “if you can’t deal with foreigners, how can you deal with your own” did not apply to Root.
On the contrary, “if you can deal with your own, you can definitely make foreigners scream” was the true doctrine of Root.
After all, if they were this ruthless to their own people, it was needless to say how they treated outsiders.
Although the act of Hagoromo Gengetsu annihilating Root was shocking and frightening, it was praised by everyone present, including the Sand ninja who had recently allied with Konoha.
Good riddance!!
Hagoromo Gengetsu had done them a favor by removing the looming threat that Konoha had been hanging over them.
If only there could be a few more such actions against Konoha.
Some couldn't help but think.
Therefore, when Tsunade decisively supported the Raikage’s proposal and also suggested a plan for a joint military force of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, the reaction in the room showed a slight shift.
The sun gradually moved from the east to the west.
On this day, after spending most of their time in the interrogation room, Sakura and Ino finally concluded their questioning and emerged from inside safely.
One was a prospective Hokage’s direct disciple, and the other was the daughter of the Yamanaka clan’s leader. Although they had had considerable contact with the "Souke" doctor, the investigation revealed that it was mostly related to medical and daily conversations, so the Anbu had not given them too much trouble.
Returning to the sunlight, Sakura and Ino exchanged a look and, after a bitter smile, saw the residual shock, regret, and unspoken feelings on each other’s faces.
After a long silence, Sakura finally couldn’t help but say, "I really didn’t expect that Dr. Souke would be him?"
Earlier, she had learned from the Anbu that Dr. Souke was very likely Hagoromo Gengetsu.
She couldn’t imagine that the person she had been seeking for Sasuke had come to Konoha and had even interacted with her for such a long time.
Thinking back to their first meeting where she could hardly lift her head in front of him and recalling the previous moments when he taught her at the Konoha hospital, Sakura’s expression was very complex.
It was as if the arch-villain boss she knew suddenly appeared beside her, treating and helping her very politely, creating a stark contrast but also bringing a hint of secret joy.
Thinking this, Sakura shook her head vigorously, determined not to let the "Hagoromo" enchantment affect her perception.
She should focus more on Sasuke.
Oh right!
Where was Sasuke?
Since Hagoromo Gengetsu was here before, where did Sasuke, who followed him, go? Could he have been abandoned?
Sakura immediately wanted to share her worries with Ino.
However, at this moment, Ino also finally came to her senses and grabbed Sakura’s hand, excitedly exclaiming:
"I actually met the real Hagoromo Gengetsu! Oh my gosh! I actually talked about his deeds in front of him! Sakura, was I really foolish at that time?"
‘This woman is a lost cause!’
Seeing Ino in such a lovesick state and fearing that her behavior might attract unwanted attention from nearby Anbu, Sakura decided to ignore everything else and quickly dragged Ino away.
She certainly didn’t want to experience another interrogation room visit.
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