Chapter 228: Konoha Is Sick, and the Only Cure Is Cutting Out the Rot

"Stop with the nonsense!" Tsunade gritted her teeth and slammed the table again. "Destroy the whole village? Then I might as well say I'm going to destroy the world! Anyway, I'll handle this."

"..."

You're that confident I won't do something drastic, Tsunade?

"Handle what, exactly?" Takuya put down his chopsticks, took a sip of his soup, and spoke with a hint of frustration. "If this could've been fixed, it would've been dealt with ages ago. Instead, it's just been one thing after another."

"Those old geezers are always using their age and experience as an excuse, going on about 'everything for the village.'"

"Like targeting people from the village is somehow supposed to make it better?"

"..."

Tsunade knew he wasn't wrong, which only made her more frustrated as she ruffled her hair in thought. "So nothing works, huh? Fine, then. You tell me, how do we fix this? We can't exactly just kill them off."

"Of course not. We're civilized people, after all. Resorting to violence wouldn't look good."

"..."

Civilized people? Takuya, you of all people have the nerve to say that? The ninja from the Sand and Rain villages are terrified of you. How many of them have you killed? And now you're calling yourself civilized?

Tsunade decided to sit back and see what brilliant idea Takuya had.

"Why do you think I'm being targeted?" Takuya suddenly asked.

Tsunade didn't even need to think. "Because of the Uchiha. You've got Uchiha blood in you. If it wasn't for that, you'd be one of the village's rising stars, someone they'd prioritize for training. In fact, the old man did want to train you up—but you refused."

"Train me to be the next Kagami Uchiha?" Takuya couldn't help but laugh.

What was the point of being groomed as the next Kagami Uchiha? They'd just be making him into another tool to spy on the Uchiha.

Like I'd ever agree to that.

No way.

If it came to that, I'd rather side with the Uchiha. At least as long as they haven't been wiped out yet, the higher-ups wouldn't dare to touch me.

"I'd rather throw my lot in with the Uchiha than become another Kagami Uchiha."

This kid is really burning bridges with the higher-ups, Tsunade thought, slapping her forehead.

What a mess. Honestly, old man, why did you ever let those old fools run wild like this?

"Alright, just get to the point already. Stop bringing up the Uchiha—it's giving me a headache."

Watching her rub her temples, Takuya thought for a moment. "Tsunade, do you want a quick fix, or are you aiming for a permanent solution?"

"Let's hear both."

Tsunade didn't have any brilliant ideas of her own, so she was willing to hear Takuya out. After all, he was at the heart of the issue, and she trusted him.

"The quick fix is simple. Just go storm into the Hokage's office and make a scene."

Given her status and position, if Tsunade went and caused an uproar at the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage would have no choice but to rein in those old men a bit.

But that was only treating the symptoms, not the cause.

Yes, making a scene would make the Third Hokage back off for a while. After all, if it escalated, and she brought it up to the daimyo, the Third Hokage would be in serious trouble.

The Third Hokage wasn't like Danzō—he still had enough respect for the daimyo to avoid causing a full-blown scandal.

Unlike Danzō, who could make the daimyo tremble with just a glare.

The Third Hokage didn't want things to blow up, especially not with the war between Konoha and the Sand Village at a critical stage. If things got too chaotic now, it would be bad for everyone.

"And what about a permanent solution?" Tsunade asked. If Takuya's idea had merit, why not give it a shot?

"It's easy—just steal your brother's dream."

Takuya spread his hands with a grin.

Becoming Hokage was a long and difficult journey for most people, but Tsunade was different. She had a natural advantage. All she had to do was say she wanted to be the Fourth Hokage, and it wouldn't matter if Nawaki or even someone like Minato tried to stand in her way—there wouldn't be any contest. Even Orochimaru wouldn't stand a chance.

"You've got to be kidding me. Me, Hokage?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. Before she could say anything more, Takuya cut her off.

"Of course, I know that's impossible for you. Being Hokage is too hard, and it's way too much work. With your lazy personality, you'd never last."

"..."

Lazy? Me?

Tsunade had never imagined anyone would describe her that way.

Growing up surrounded by praise, Tsunade was stunned by the sudden and blunt assessment.

Sure, maybe she was a little lazy, but 'lazy enough to pick at her feet'? Where did that even come from?

Was that something you said to a woman? Especially a beautiful woman?

The table creaked ominously, cracks forming under Tsunade's immense strength.

Takuya calmly gathered up his cup and chopsticks, asking, "Can you honestly say you don't sit around picking at your feet?"

Can you?

"Little brat!!" Tsunade exploded. "What's wrong with picking at your feet? Everyone does it! Just because I do it, I'm not allowed to?"

"And another thing—'lazy enough to pick at my feet'! Is that really how you describe a woman?"

Takuya gave her an appraising look and replied, "It's not something you'd say to a girl, sure. But you're a grown woman now. Why are you still pretending to be some young kid? You know how old you are, don't you?"

You're in your twenties. Stop acting like a teenager.

"TAKUYA YAGAMI!!!"

Tsunade's piercing scream echoed across the village, startling even the Anbu on duty.

"That sounded like Lady Tsunade… coming from Takuya Yagami's place."

"It's from over there, huh? Let's check somewhere else. No need to get involved—Lady Tsunade can handle it herself."

Sure, it was the middle of the night, and disturbing the peace wasn't exactly allowed.

But it mattered who was causing the disturbance, and why.

The Anbu thought it was best to stay far away. Just from the sound of her voice, they could tell Tsunade was furious.

Anyone who tried getting involved now would only end up regretting it.

"Ahem, my bad. I shouldn't have called you old." Takuya coughed and rubbed his face.

Women were all the same—mention their age, and they explode.

"You're still talking!" Tsunade glared at him.

Takuya waved the white flag. "Alright, alright. You're young. Full of youth and vitality. Happy now?"

After a bit of back-and-forth, Tsunade finally calmed down and started thinking.

Takuya didn't rush her, instead heading back into the kitchen to clean up.

When he returned, Tsunade looked up at him and asked, "Do I really need to become the Fourth Hokage to change all of this?"

"If you want to make a lasting change, that's the only way."

Takuya got serious, laying out his reasoning for Tsunade. "You already know the village's stance toward the Uchiha."

"I do."

"My grandfather had a lot of issues with the Uchiha, and after Madara Uchiha's attack, it only got worse."

"And aside from Madara, have the Uchiha ever actually done anything to hurt the village?"

"Uh…" Tsunade paused for a moment and then shook her head. "No, not really."

"Then why do you think the higher-ups are still targeting them?"

"Because…"

"Power?"

Tsunade wasn't naïve. She knew the realities of the situation, but it wasn't something she liked to dwell on.

Her teacher, the Third Hokage, was part of the higher-ups. And their stance toward the Uchiha was inherited from her great-uncle, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

They weren't the ones who started this—it all came from Tobirama.

"Exactly. It's all about power."

Were the Uchiha being treated unfairly? Absolutely. Though they had a reputation for being overly emotional, the clan had done little to harm the village.

But that didn't matter to the higher-ups. What had started as a cautious attitude toward the Uchiha under Tobirama had evolved into outright persecution.

It was all about securing their grip on power, uniting the village under their control.

"In other words, Konoha is sick. And the only way to cure it is to cut out the rot."

"And to do that, someone new has to take the reins."

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