Chapter 122: To the Respected Tsunade-sama
Once the situation had eased somewhat, Shiromo began to explain these conjectures to Uchiha Hikari bit by bit.
Although Hikari trusted him, some things were better spoken plainly. If you could be open and honest, then just say them. There was no need to deliberately hide things and create the risk of misunderstandings out of thin air.
After listening to Shiromo's description, Hikari felt a lingering sense of fear.
No wonder Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, that pair of smiling tigers, two filthy great white sharks, had been able to exert such an enormous influence on Konoha, on the entire ninja world.
Hashirama's cells were truly terrifying.
Luckily, heaven had eyes and gave him that illness, letting him depart early.
Otherwise, if he had continued to wreak havoc among the living, all heterosexuals in the ninja world would have been wiped out. At that point, it would have been the extinction of humanity itself.
"Mm, I'll control the amount of chakra maintained inside my body."
Hikari nodded and promised.
"Actually, we could try the Yin Seal. It would be more convenient to extract chakra that way. I just don't know whether the Yin Seal can store that much chakra."
Shiromo suddenly thought of another method.
"It's a pity that Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation brought back Uzumaki Kushina, not Uzumaki Mito. Otherwise, she could teach you right now."
"But there's no rush. Uzumaki Mito had quite a high status, her remains should be preserved fairly well. When the time comes, we can just open the coffin and take a bit."
"Uzumaki Mito?"
Uchiha Hikari didn't have much fondness for the Uzumaki clan, which had allied itself with the Senju.
But when she thought of the pitiful Uzumaki Mito, stuck between two dead gay men and even having to marry one of them, she felt that the woman was actually quite tragic.
The absorption of chakra continued.
And as time passed, the rate gradually increased.
It had to increase, because this root system wasn't dead. It was alive, simultaneously absorbing the natural energy of the land and converting it into chakra.
If the absorption rate was too low, who knew how long it would take.
—
Land of Fire, Konohagakure Village.
Just as Shiromo had said earlier, he had White Zetsu ghostwrite a letter to Tsunade.
Now, it was being delivered to Tsunade in person by one of Orochimaru's spies who had remained in Konoha.
Tsunade had been wallowing in despondence and refusing to see anyone, but when Shizune said it was someone sent by Shiromo, she still couldn't help calling the person in.
"You're one of Orochimaru's spies, aren't you? He actually didn't withdraw everyone back then?"
Tsunade frowned as she looked at the Konoha forehead protector on the visitor's head.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
"In that case, he must already know what's going on in the village. What message did he have you bring? Are you here to mock me?"
Tsunade took a sip of alcohol and gave a self-deprecating smile.
The messenger ninja raised the letter with both hands and handed it to Shizune, who then passed it to Tsunade.
"I was entrusted by Shiromo, the strategist of Orochimaru-sama's organization, to deliver a letter to Tsunade-sama. I also have a few words to pass along."
"Oh? What does he want to say?"
Tsunade didn't open the letter, instead holding it in her hand and giving it a casual wave.
"The strategist learned of what happened in Konoha and feels the same pain as Tsunade-sama. Thus, he sent me here, first, to mourn the death of the Third Hokage; second, to offer congratulations to Konoha and to Tsunade-sama."
Congratulations?
Tsunade froze for a moment.
She lowered her head and glanced at her wine cup.
So who exactly was drunk here?
"I…"
When Tsunade looked up again, she found that the messenger ninja had already slipped away, leaving her momentarily speechless.
It seemed even the messenger knew how outrageous those words were, so he said them and ran.
As for congratulations, congratulating what? The only option now was to read the letter.
Tsunade sighed and opened the envelope.
"Hm?"
"Uh, Shizune, help me read it. I can't see clearly."
Tsunade squinted at it for a long while, but because she was drunk, everything felt blurry. She handed it to Shizune beside her.
"Alright."
Shizune transformed into a human reading machine and began to read the letter aloud.
"To the respected Tsunade-sama."
"Heh, quite polite."
Hearing the standard formal opening, Tsunade snorted.
"An old saying goes, 'large chest, no brain.' I believe this is pure slander. Tsunade-sama's battle of wits against madness has truly won my heartfelt admiration."
"..."
The second sentence made Tsunade's smile instantly stiffen.
This was way too full of sarcasm.
"Upon hearing that the Third Hokage has ascended to heaven on a dragon, I was plunged into immeasurable grief."
"And so I burned two hundred gentle catgirls, hoping that the Third may no longer be lonely in the Pure Land."
"Tsunade-sama, you don't need to blame yourself too much. Just cry a couple of times and that's enough, who knows whether the Third can even hear you? And it wasn't you who caused the Third Hokage's death; it was this chaotic age that killed him."
"Death is not terrifying. Death is a cool summer night, allowing one to sleep peacefully without worry."
"Unfortunately, the memorial I submitted to the Fire Daimyō, requesting the posthumous title of 'Strongest Hokage' for the Third, has already received a reply, and it was denied."
"However, aside from sorrow, I must also offer congratulations to Tsunade-sama."
"Tsunade-sama, you have already found the true way to oppose the Ōtsutsuki clan. This method is something that even I, who have long known of the Ōtsutsuki, never thought of. I cannot help but be utterly captivated by Tsunade-sama's wisdom."
"..."
Tsunade felt her head starting to ache.
In Shiromo's letters to her, it was always one sentence of normal human speech, followed by one sentence of utter madness.
As for that last part, it plunged Tsunade into confusion.
She had found a way to fight the Ōtsutsuki clan?
Why didn't she know about that herself?
"As the saying goes, things never go past three. The Ōtsutsuki may kill the Third Hokage, may kill another person, but they absolutely cannot kill a third person."
"?"
Tsunade slowly typed out a question mark in her mind.
What kind of logic was this?
Did Shiromo write this letter while drunk, just jotting down whatever sentence came to him in a dream?
"Even if it exceeds three, there is no need to fear. This is precisely the place where Tsunade-sama's peerless wisdom shines."
"What is most terrifying about the Ōtsutsuki clan is not their strength, but the fact that they possess the infinitely reviving Kāma."
"The Kāma only needs to be engraved upon a vessel. After decompression, the Ōtsutsuki clan can be reborn."
"To think that Tsunade-sama, without even knowing this information, could still make such a genius decision."
"As long as everyone in the ninja world cuts their own throats and ascends to heaven, then is brought back via Impure World Reincarnation, the Ōtsutsuki clan will have no vessels to place Kāma. It would be equivalent to all of us together sealing the Ōtsutsuki in the world of the living."
"Tsunade-sama, your scheme is truly awe-inspiring, surpassing both past and present."
"I presume that Tsunade-sama now intends for Konoha to take the lead and be the first to all ascend to heaven, which is why you chose not to inform me beforehand. I understand Tsunade-sama's painstaking intentions, and thus harbor no resentment."
Crack.
Tsunade's rage meter filled to the brim. She clenched her fist and slammed it against the wall, spiderweb cracks spreading across its surface.
"Is this guy a master of Yin–Yang Release or something? How can he be this good at sarcastic bullshit?"
Tsunade fumed helplessly. In the end, she slumped back down on the ground in defeat and looked at Shizune, who had been interrupted by her outburst earlier.
"Is there more?"
"No."
"No more? He didn't say whether he's coming or not?"
Tsunade started to panic.
If Shiromo wasn't coming, then surely they couldn't really do what the letter said, have all of Konoha slit their own throats and ascend to heaven just to seal the Ōtsutsuki in the world of the living, right?
(End of this chapter)