Chapter 74 – The Caged Bird Sells His Eyes, the Shinobi World Starts to Move
Aike, still staring down at the ceremony below, had no idea Nami and Carina were having a full-blown chest-size crisis behind him.
His mind was elsewhere.
The crew was all budding flowers—beautiful, but all the same age range.
Too uniform.
"As expected… we really need a mature, caring big-sister type to balance things out."
.........
Having accepted the hat, Tsunade now had to actually do the job.
The first thing she saw on her new desk was Jiraiya's "parting gift."
"You absolute bastard… you dragged me back just to dodge paperwork, didn't you?!"
Tsunade stared at three ceiling-high stacks of documents and felt a vein pop in her forehead.
She grabbed Jiraiya by the collar as he tried to ninja-vanish out the window.
"No you don't. You're helping, or this hat goes to whoever wants it!"
She dragged him to the former elders' seats and slammed a stack in front of him.
"Shikaku, Shizune—you two as well!"
First official order of the Fifth Hokage: everyone suffers together.
Shikaku just sighed—he'd been doing it alone anyway.
Shizune accepted her pile with a face of doom.
Tsunade, of course, kept the smallest stack for herself.
Meanwhile, across the shinobi world,
news exploded:
Senju Tsunade → Fifth Hokage
Third Hokage killed by Orochimaru
Nine-Tails jinchuriki + last Uchiha → defectors
Every village went into uproar.
Kumogakure – Raikage's Office
"Hmph. Konoha moves fast."
Fourth Raikage Ay tossed the scroll aside, frustration flashing across his face.
"Should we hit them while they're down?"
He looked to Darui and C.
C thought for a moment.
"Lord Raikage, the best window has already closed.
We got the intel too late. Tsunade's return + Jiraiya still there = their combat power is actually at its peak right now.
Hyuga, Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans suffered almost no losses in the chaos.
I strongly advise against attacking."
Darui: "Same here, boss."
Iwagakure
Third Tsuchikage Onoki was calmer.
Realizing the moment of maximum weakness had passed, he shelved war plans.
But he still issued one order:
"Watch Kumo closely. The second they mobilize, report immediately."
Kirigakure → too busy recovering from the Bloody Mist era. No ability to start anything.
Sunagakure → even worse off than Konoha.
Fourth Kazekage dead, most jonin either killed or imprisoned for the Collapse Plan.
Chiyo, currently in charge, hated Konoha but knew reality.
Priority: ransom their captured ninjas back.
But someone did move.
The moment "Nine-Tails jinchuriki + last Uchiha have defected" spread,
Akatsuki acted.
Uchiha Itachi personally accepted the mission.
Together with his partner Kisame Hoshigaki, he stepped into the Land of Fire.
.........
Fifth day since Aike's group arrived in the Naruto world.
Hyuga Neji finally made his choice.
"So—you're offering your Byakugan in exchange for freedom?"
Aike looked at the boy bowing deeply before him.
"Yes, my
lord.
It is the only thing I possess that might be worthy."
Neji's voice trembled, but his resolve was iron.
==============================================================
Support me and be 100 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/inkshield