Yet, inexplicably, she felt a profound sense of powerlessness.
It was like punching cotton.
And Shizune, caught between the two, listened to their almost flirtatious banter.
Feeling Tsunade's warm embrace in front of her and Di Yan's undeniable restraint behind her.
Her heart, originally filled with fear and shame.
Strangely… felt a tiny bit calmer.
At least… at least she wasn't facing all of this alone.
At least… Lady Tsunade was still by her side.
This twisted shared predicament.
Instead, it diluted the extreme despair she felt when bearing it alone.
The atmosphere in the office became extremely bizarre and complex.
Anger, humiliation, helplessness… a hint of deformed dependency… all emotions intertwined.
A suffocating silence permeated the Hokage's office.
Tsunade forcibly suppressed her surging emotions.
Her once vibrant and resolute emerald eyes now held only weariness and a deep numbness.
She reached out, her movements somewhat stiff but undeniably pushing away Di Yan's hand, which was still wrapped around Shizune's waist.
Di Yan raised an eyebrow, not stopping her.
He merely watched her with interest.
Tsunade bent down, carefully and gently tidying Shizune's disheveled clothes, who was on the verge of breaking down.
She fastened the unbuttoned buttons.
She gently removed the scattered documents from beside her.
Her movements were light, carrying a nearly mournful tenderness.
Shizune allowed herself to be manipulated like a puppet on strings.
Only her body still trembled slightly, uncontrollably.
Tears flowed silently.
She dared not look up at Tsunade.
After doing all this, Tsunade straightened up, her gaze turning to Di Yan.
She deliberately avoided Shizune, who was trembling in his arms.
Her voice was calm, without a ripple, as if nothing had just happened, merely reporting the most ordinary official business:
"All Ninja under twenty-five in Konoha, excluding those stationed at the borders, have been fully assembled and registered."
"A total of… five thousand three hundred and twenty-seven people."
This number made even Di Yan, who had been wearing a playful smile, show a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes.
"Over five thousand people?"
Di Yan stroked his chin, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and understanding.
"Heh… sure enough, these long-established Ninja Clans, each of them hides things away."
"They actually cultivated so much power in secret."
"The so-called total military strength of Konoha in the past seems to have been greatly inflated."
His gaze sharpened: "But this is good too."
"Now, tear open the skins of all the major families, pull out all the private goods hidden inside, scramble them, and rearrange them."
"From now on, there will be no Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi… only My army."
"Everyone is the same, just a part on the Imperial weapon."
Speaking of this, Di Yan seemed quite pleased with himself.
He even stood up and walked in front of Tsunade.
He reached out to caress her cheek, but Tsunade slightly turned her head to avoid him.
His hand paused in mid-air, but he wasn't embarrassed.
Instead, he smiled, his smile carrying a nearly fanatical self-confidence:
"Tsunade, just watch."
"Your grandfather, Senju Hashirama, dreamed of Ninja World peace back then, establishing what he called 'One Country, One Village'."
"What was the result? Decades of suspicion, war, and even greater inequality."
"But I!"
His voice rose, with an air of proclamation, "will use absolute power and will to break down all family barriers and crush all old orders!"
"I will create a truly unified world, with only one voice, and absolute equality!"
"The dream he couldn't achieve will, in My hands, become reality in another way!"
His words were full of 蠱惑力.
As if depicting a grand blueprint.
Tsunade was visibly stunned.
Her grandfather's vision?
Ninja World peace?
She imagined Konoha without the major Ninja Clans… hadn't the Senju Clan completely integrated into Konoha, upholding Senju Hashirama's vision?
But after the Senju Clan, which other clan did the same?
Although this guy's methods were violent, she had to admit.
To a certain extent, he achieved what even Senju Hashirama couldn't.
Tsunade suddenly felt lost.
Was he the one who was right?
... 80 Multi-level marketing brainwashing; diligently practicing Flying Thunder God Technique.
Di Yan's transformation of Konoha did not stop due to superficial submission.
On the contrary, it was proceeding in a deeper, more systematic way.
In the camp on the edge of the Forest of Death, which had been designated a forbidden zone, it was in full swing.
This camp implemented a completely closed, high-pressure military management system.
It was fundamentally different from Konoha's previous training model, which emphasized squad flexibility and individual ability development.
High walls, strict guards, uniform routines, and harsh discipline… became the new normal here.
The core of the training.
Was placed on team-based collective combat capabilities.
Individual heroism was severely suppressed.
Replaced by an emphasis on absolute obedience, coordinated cooperation, and immediate execution of orders.
Ninja were divided into different companies and battalions.
They underwent large-scale formation drills, combined Ninjutsu releases, and unconditional command obedience training.
Any behavior that attempted to highlight the individual would be severely punished.
While excellent team performance would receive collective commendation.
This model was systematically erasing their individual characteristics as "Ninja".
Forging them into standardized, replaceable "screws" in the Imperial army.
However, more terrifying than military training was the ideological reshaping.
The black-clad Ninja brought by Di Yan served as "instructors".
They regularly organized large-scale "ideological exchange meetings".
In form, it even seemed somewhat "democratic" and "introspective".
They would have the young Ninja sit together.
They were encouraged, or rather, forced to "speak enthusiastically".
The content usually included 597: "speaking about one's strengths and weaknesses", "speaking about good and bad deeds one has done", "how to proceed in the future", etc… This process, in a certain corner of Blue Star, where Di Yan originated.
Has a more widely known name… multi-level marketing brainwashing.
Initially, these proud young Ninja naturally resisted intensely.
Awkward silences, quietness, and insincere words were the norm.
But the black-clad "instructors" were highly skilled at manipulating atmosphere and psychology.
They would exploit the young people's emotional richness and ease of empathy.
Carefully designing the segments.
Sometimes, "plants" would be arranged to be the first to make "heartfelt" confessions or declarations of loyalty.
Tearfully recounting their "enlightenment".
Sometimes, they would seize upon loopholes or emotional fluctuations in someone's words.
To conduct collective "help", which was actually pressure and criticism.
Sometimes, they would give small favors or public praise to those who "performed well".
Gradually, under the combined effect of conformity, environmental pressure, and fear of future uncertainty.
Some people began to waver.
When the first Ninja truly opened his heart.
Spoke of his deepest vulnerabilities or "mistakes", and received the "forgiveness" and "acceptance" of the "collective".
A crack appeared in the dam.
Emotions are contagious.
Once someone started, that false atmosphere of "frankness" and "resonance" would spread like a plague.
More and more people began to lower their guard and pour out their hearts in this designed environment.
Then, under the guidance of the "instructors".
They attributed all of this to "reflection" on the old order and "gratitude" and "loyalty" to the new order.
A subtle, extremely dangerous transformation.
Was quietly happening deep within the hearts of these five thousand young Ninja.
Their way of thinking, values, and objects of loyalty.