66 Mingcha Street, Konoha Village – Rinjin's Home
In the tatami-floored living room, Tsunade sat slumped at a low table, her body sprawled over it as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Only in front of Rinjin could she let her guard down, crying without caring about her image or dignity.
At this moment, her emotions had completely collapsed. She was crying so hard that she could barely breathe, her sobs punctuated by snot bubbles.
Unfazed by the mess, Rinjin grabbed a towel, dampened it with water, and gently wiped her face.
After that, he rinsed the towel in the water basin and carefully wiped down her hair.
It took him quite a while to clean up after her. Once he was done, he laid out a blanket for Tsunade and even changed her shoes.
"Take a bath. Relax a little. If you keep crying like this, your eyes will be ruined," Rinjin said gently as he sat cross-legged across the table, his voice calm and soothing.
Tsunade, however, didn't respond. She sat there like a lifeless doll, her soul seemingly absent.
Seeing this, Rinjin sighed deeply. Clapping his hands together, he conjured a shadow clone.
"Brother, go bring Liyi over," he instructed.
The shadow clone nodded and disappeared immediately.
Moments later, it reappeared, holding Liyi by the back of her turtle-print pajamas. The young girl, her eyes still heavy with sleep, dangled from the clone's grasp.
"Brother, today's my day off~" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"Day off my ass!" Rinjin barked, flicking her forehead with his fingers. He then gestured toward Tsunade with exaggerated motions of his eyes.
Following his gaze, Liyi turned to look at Tsunade.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively shrank back, staring at Rinjin with a look of horror.
"Brother! What did you do?!" she exclaimed.
"..."
Rinjin's face darkened instantly. Suppressing the urge to roll up his sleeves and pummel her into a pig-headed mess, he lowered his voice and growled, "I didn't do anything!
...
But if you keep looking at me like that, I'll turn you into a salamander head!"
At his words, Liyi shrank back further, muttering under her breath.
"Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki, has died.
You better behave yourself now—no more jokes! Think about how Tsunade used to care for the three of us so tenderly."
Hearing this, the extra expressions on Liyi's face disappeared instantly. Her delicate brows furrowed deeply.
"How did he die? Was it Konoha's fault?
Was it political infighting or an accident?
Should we mobilize our forces to crush them and avenge Tsunade-sensei?!"
Seeing the mix of rage and excitement in Liyi's eyes, Rinjin felt a pang of guilt toward her late mother.
This kid—had she grown up crooked, or was this just her natural disposition?
The fact that she could immediately consider political intrigue showed she had a sharp mind. Her role as the leader of Amegakure wasn't for nothing.
But this "crush them" approach—what was that supposed to mean?
If they were going to act, they needed to investigate first!
They hadn't even confronted Danzo yet. How could they act without knowing anything?
Shaking his head, Rinjin grabbed Liyi by the ear and whispered, "We're not discussing this for now. Tsunade just returned from a mission only to hear this devastating news.
Take her to the small hot spring in the back and help her relax."
Liyi nodded gravely, her expression serious. She stood up and helped Tsunade to her feet, leading her out of the living room.
This wasn't just Rinjin's home—it was hers too, so she knew her way around perfectly.
While Liyi was helping Tsunade bathe, Rinjin busied himself with laying out bedding.
It was late autumn, and the weather was getting colder. Bedding was a necessity.
And so, the heartbroken Tsunade found herself receiving an unprecedented level of care:
The leader of Amegakure gave her a bath, while the Daimyō of the Land of Rain made her bed.
After some time, Liyi, her face flushed red from the steam, carried the now-sleeping Tsunade into the bedroom.
She gently placed the exhausted woman onto the bed, tucked her in, and quietly left the room with Rinjin, closing the door behind them.
"Brother, what's going on? How could Nawaki just... be gone?" Liyi asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
She wasn't close to Nawaki, so his death didn't affect her emotionally.
But seeing Tsunade reduced to such a state made her blood boil with anger.
Rinjin shook his head slightly in response.
He felt there was something suspicious about Nawaki's death.
Moreover, analyzing the situation purely from the perspective of those who stood to gain from it wouldn't suffice.
If they did that, suspects ranged from Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo Shimura to practically every major clan in the village.
First of all, with Nawaki gone, the most promising candidate for the Fourth Hokage was eliminated.
This was no small matter. After Hashirama Senju's death, the Senju clan had dispersed throughout the village.
Far from diminishing their influence, this had turned them into the most powerful hidden force in Konoha.
This power had once helped Hiruzen Sarutobi consolidate his rule. Now, it could just as easily topple him.
Nawaki's death marked the fracturing of this power.
For someone like Sarutobi, who already had a firm grip on power, this was a huge boon.
Even if he faced some pressure from the remaining Senju, it wouldn't amount to much.
A forty-year-old Hokage in his prime wasn't someone you could just replace.
The same logic applied to the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. The Senju losing their cohesion was just as beneficial to them.
In other words, the fall of an old power meant a feast for the surrounding forces.
But that was just the power behind Nawaki.
On the surface, he had been a strong contender for the Hokage position.
Orochimaru, Hiruzen's most outstanding disciple, was a strong candidate. But under the tradition of Hokage succession, Nawaki's chances of becoming Hokage were incredibly high.
In contrast, someone like Dan Katō, who loudly proclaimed his desire to become Hokage, could only shout into the void.
This was an implicit form of exclusion.
The disciples of the Hokage received more resources, more opportunities to shine, and thus were more likely to gain fame and fortune.
This model was deeply tied to the Will of Fire, the founding principle of the village.
The Will of Fire emphasized inheritance and contribution to the village.
To inspire others to contribute, you had to give them power—at least enough to participate in the Hokage election.
This meant the village had to maintain at least the appearance of democracy.
On the surface, this democracy allowed for a broader range of Hokage candidates, emphasizing willpower and reputation over sheer strength.
Nawaki's death changed everything.
It meant Jiraiya's three disciples and Orochimaru's three disciples all had a shot at the title.
These candidates were fiercely contested by the major clans back in the day.
As for Tsunade's three female students, they weren't even on the radar.
By this logic, many Konoha clans had motives to act.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Were there smart people in Konoha? Of course. In a village this large, there were bound to be quick thinkers.
Now imagine if one of these smart people shared the above analysis with the remaining Senju. What would happen then?
The Senju, having lost their young leader, might make a desperate move.
Could the Hokage withstand it? Could the other clans?
By this reasoning, there were even more suspects.
Black Zetsu and a certain Uchiha elder came to mind.
After all, who else but these two would know Konoha so well and want to see it weakened?
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Rinjin felt a headache coming on.
There were just too many suspects, and it was impossible to rule out the possibility that Nawaki had simply been unlucky.
The boy had been tied to too many things.
Some people are born in Rome, only to find that Constantinople has fallen to the Turks.
Sighing deeply, Rinjin muttered to himself.
"No wonder Minato was the only one fit to be the Fourth Hokage. He's probably the only guy who could dodge all these unseen arrows."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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