Chapter 83 Tsunade Interferes In Village Affairs And Causes Koharu To Be Dissatisfied

"I'll give it a try."

It might not require the intervention of the Daming Mansion to convince Hanzo the Salamander, but the village must provide sufficient incentives.

Given the inclinations of the Third Hokage, it is highly likely that he will agree to this suggestion. At this period, the Third Hokage still possesses some courage, though the real challenge lies with the elders, especially Koharu, who is notoriously difficult to deal with.

"Senior, be prepared for rejection. There are many things that may not work out, even if Tsunade takes the lead," Shigeru cautioned Nara Luxin.

The greater your expectations, the greater your disappointment.

Nara Luxin stood up with a smile. "From the moment I conceived this idea, I was mentally prepared for rejection. Let's give it a try. If it succeeds, that's great. If not, we'll proceed slowly."

"You should rest well. I've noticed you've been very tired lately. Cultivation is important, but so is rest."

As the head of the Nara Clan, Nara was privy to all the village's secrets, so he wasn't curious about what Shigeru was doing or where he had been.

"Senior, take care," Shigeru said as he saw Nara Luxin off. Afterward, he took out a scroll, documented the conversation, and used a puppet to send the scroll to the village, leaving the rest to Tsunade.

Tsunade would not refuse Nara Luxin's proposal. The real challenge lay with the Hokage's office and the elders' group.

The scroll was dispatched in the middle of the night and arrived in Konoha by dawn. It was delivered to Tsunade without a hitch.

Upon reading the scroll, Tsunade sighed with exasperation, "Senior, you really know how to create challenges for me."

The proposal was sound, but gaining the support of the Third Hokage was not going to be easy. Tsunade knew she had to try.

Fortunately, both Nara Luxin and Shigeru were prepared for a possible rejection. Acceptance of the proposal would be ideal, but a rejection wouldn't be the end—it would just mean a slower approach.

The war would not end easily. There was much to do in the days to come.

When Tsunade arrived at the Hokage office building, she presented Nara Luxin's suggestion to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage frowned immediately: "Tsunade, to suppress the development of Rain Shinobi Village, we deliberately dragged them down, turning the Land of Rain into a battlefield for the three great nations. Our relationship with Rain Shinobi Village has deteriorated to a freezing point."

"Convincing Hanzo the Salamander will be very difficult."

"I understand," Tsunade replied. "It's difficult, but not impossible. If we can persuade Hanzo the Salamander to ally Rain Shinobi Village with Konoha, the battlefield dynamics in the Land of Rain will shift."

"I'll summon Koharu and the others for a discussion," the Third Hokage decided after pondering for a moment.

After receiving the notification, Koharu, Mito Monobu, and Akamichi Kaifeng arrived, joining Tsunade in the Hokage's office for the meeting.

"No, I refuse!" Koharu exclaimed as soon as she learned of Tsunade's purpose. "I'm not targeting anyone; I'm speaking from the village's perspective, for its benefit. Aligning with a party in the Land of Rain seems advantageous, but remember, more than three factions are contending in the Land of Rain."

"We'll pay a steep price to win over Rain Shinobi Village. What about Iwa Ninja Village?"

"If we join forces with Rain Shinobi Village, won't we provoke Iwa Ninja Village into allying with Sand Shinobi Village?"

Her argument made sense, and the Third Hokage and Mito Monobu nodded in agreement.

Akamichi pondered for a moment before speaking: "Iwa Ninja Village's primary concern is Yun Ninja Village, so..."

"Can you guarantee that Iwa Ninja Village and Sand Shinobi Village won't unite?" Koharu challenged. "If you can assure us of that, I'll agree to negotiate with Rain Shinobi Village on behalf of the elders."

"..."

How could anyone guarantee that? Akamichi felt like cursing her stubbornness.

Inter-village relations are volatile, especially during wartime. Konoha's intent to negotiate with Rain Shinobi Village might also be on Sand Shinobi Village and Iwa Ninja Village's minds. In fact, Sand Shinobi Village had already made overtures, which had been rejected.

Naturally, Konoha was unaware of this development.

To ally with Rain Shinobi Village, Konoha would need to persuade Hanzo and consider Iwa Ninja Village's reaction.

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If Iwa Ninja Village felt threatened and allied with Sand Shinobi Village, Konoha would face dire consequences.

Rain Shinobi Village couldn't match Iwa Ninja Village's might.

Even if Konoha successfully allied with Rain Shinobi Village, they would be vulnerable to a combined attack from Sand and Iwa Ninja Villages.

They weren't even aware that Chiyo had reached out to Iwa Ninja Village. But even if they had known, the Third Hokage and others wouldn't risk it.

They might even believe that Tsunade's suggestion had provoked an alliance between Iwa and Sand Ninja Villages against Konoha.

Tsunade anticipated this outcome.

She sighed, folding her arms. She had no more to say.

Negotiating an alliance during wartime is inherently risky. With enough support and incentives, Hanzo might agree. The chances were good. If not, the daimyo's assistance could be sought.

But Koharu was fixated on Iwa Ninja Village, blocking any progress.

Today's meeting was fruitless and a complete waste of time.

Fortunately, Tsunade was prepared mentally, so she wasn't too disappointed.

After the meeting, Tsunade and Akamichi were the first to leave.

"Hiruzen, what do you think Tsunade's intentions are?" Koharu complained. "She's been increasingly meddling in village affairs. The war situation is chaotic enough, and now she wants to ally with Rain Shinobi Village? If this antagonizes Iwa Ninja Village, the village will be at risk."

With control over the pharmaceutical department and Anbu, why should Tsunade be meddling in village politics? It seemed logical to Koharu.

But when a woman is being unreasonable, logic doesn't always prevail, so the Third Hokage chose to skip the argument.

"You make valid points, Koharu. Therefore, I also feel peace talks with Rain Shinobi Village aren't suitable. The war situation is fluid, and the current state benefits the village."

Many believed that the situation in the Land of Rain was advantageous for Konoha.

Iwa Ninja Village wasn't keen on the war, with a formidable adversary potentially threatening them from behind. Thus, their focus remained on Cloud Ninja Village.

Sand Shinobi Village was in conflict with Konoha, while Rain Shinobi Village was allied with Sand Shinobi Village.

Compared to Sand Shinobi Village's struggles, Konoha's situation wasn't as dire.

For now, this was the reality, so the leadership was unwilling to take risks. Even if they could persuade Rain Shinobi Village, they remained concerned about Iwa Ninja Village's reaction.

Leaving the Hokage office building, Akamichi sighed, "I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, but the monkey doesn't seem as brave as he once was. The elders' interference in the village is too severe."

"Who can blame but the old man for planting the seeds of his own troubles?" Tsunade retorted, curling her lips.

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