Chapter 102: Politics

Tsunade sat at the dinner table with her family as she ate her food with a smile on her face.

The table now accommodated 7 people, with Kuna and Ashina joining the family as they moved in a little while after the Chunin Exams.

The final new member was Tsunade's younger brother Nawaki, with him joining the family a few months after the Chunin Exams, with Ayako having a smooth pregnancy which she claimed was more straightforward than her one with Tsunade.

The family had become more reminiscent of Tsunade's childhood as the home once again felt full of life and never dull.

Tsunade loved the new atmosphere as it gave her a sense of calm and a place of belonging, but when the thought of the war came to her mind, the smile slightly faded from her face.

Everyone at the table noticed that something seemed to be wrong with her, though everyone decided to wait until after dinner.

After they all finished eating, Ayako put Nawaki to bed and then returned to the table.

Tsunade knew that her family would most likely realize her strangeness, so she decided to be blunt with her words.

"The 2nd Great Shinobi War is likely to break out soon, with the only reason it hasn't yet is that it currently lacks a spark."

Everyone at the table could only become downcasted at the thought of another war breaking out.

Mito simply sighed as she thought 'Perhaps we may never see true peace Hashi. I keep trying to hope for it to happen but it seems another generation will have to face the terrors that is war.'

"No matter how the war turns out, I will ensure all of you are protected." Tsunade said while staring at her family with a determined glint in her eyes.

Everyone smiled at her comment and decided it was best to leave things on a positive note, with all of them going to bed afterward.

~

The next morning came quickly, with Tsuande quickly getting dressed as she went to the Conference Room in the Hokage Building for the Jonin Meeting.

She arrived at the building and saw a large amount of elite shinobi gathered in the room.

The current Konoha could be split into multiple different factions, with the Jonin being split as well.

First, there was the older generation, with them being the shinobi who had either been born during the Sengoku Period or were alive during the reigns of the 1st and 2nd Hokages.

Though they wished for the betterment of the Village, their older ways and beliefs made them sometimes oppose Hiruzen's rule.

The second group was the moderates, otherwise known as the supporters of Hiruzen.

They included the current Jonin Commander, Kagami, the heads of various departments, and the leaders of some of the Clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

They more often than not agreed with Hiruzen on matters, with them often coming to the viewpoint that it's in the best interest of the Village.

And with Hiruzen's strength supporting them, they often faced little opposition when passing any new legislature.

The third group was pretty much the Hawks of the Village, with them choosing more extreme and morally questionable methods when dealing with situations.

This group was made up of the current ANBU Commander Danzo, Hamura, and many of the more battle-ready shinobi.

They often opposed Hiruzen's viewpoint, though they could only block his options by joining forces with the older generation or some of the outliers.

Speaking of the outliers, these included the heads of the 4 Great Clans, with them being the Uzumaki, Senju, Hyuga, and Uchiha.

They usually weighed how any new legislature or rules may affect their clans before making any major decisions.

However, a new group appeared that began to shake this seemingly calm political balance.

This group is made of the new generation created by Tsunade, with it more often than not being led by Orochimaru.

They agreed with each of the factions on different topics, making them an unstable factor when determining and anticipating how a type of legislature might play out.

It was when Tsunade entered the room that Hiruzen finally signaled for the meeting to start as he prepared to give the positions and roles of the shinobi who will be battling on the front line.

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