"Sorry, customers. You had to see something unpleasant right after arriving in Konoha…"
Teuchi, who had also witnessed the scene just now, sighed apologetically and spoke to the two whose expressions had yet to settle.
"It is not that serious."
Nagato shook his head. Then, very naturally, he asked with curiosity, "However, can matters like this be discussed openly in public? I remember that Uchiha clan should be considered one of Konoha's prestigious clans, right? Is it all right for so many people to hear their internal affairs?"
"You do not need to worry about the Uchiha clan over something like that, young man."
Another Konoha shinobi eating inside Ichiraku Ramen turned around with his bowl in hand and spoke with some schadenfreude.
"The matter of Shisui Uchiha defecting to Kirigakure and even becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen has already spread everywhere in the village these past few days. As long as someone in the village has not been out on a mission, they basically know the Uchiha clan is going to embarrass itself badly this time…"
"But isn't something like that very strange?"
Shisui Uchiha, the person at the center of the topic, was silent for a moment before speaking quietly.
"Although I do not understand shinobi matters very well, intelligence of such importance would usually be treated as classified, right? How did it become something everyone knows?"
"Important people have their own ways of thinking."
The Konoha shinobi shrugged. While taking a satisfied sip of the rich and fragrant ramen broth, he spoke unclearly.
"In any case, the Uchiha clan has never been popular in the village. It is rare to see them run headfirst into a wall and suffer. Is there any need to care about the reason behind it?"
"Sigh. Great clans have great-clan troubles too…"
Teuchi shook his head and returned to the kitchen to continue working.
Shisui Uchiha and Nagato looked at each other, quickly lowered their heads, finished what was in front of them, paid the bill, and disappeared from Ichiraku Ramen.
…
"Someone is using your matter to stir up Konoha's waters, Shisui."
On the outskirts of Konoha, inside an abandoned training ground Shisui Uchiha had once used for his own training, Nagato leaned against a large tree whose bark was covered in shuriken and kunai marks.
Looking at Shisui Uchiha's solemn face, he folded his arms and spoke.
"It seems Root really is planning to launch a strong assault on Konoha…"
Shisui Uchiha unconsciously clenched his fists.
"And the time they intend to act should already be very close. Otherwise, they would not release this news on such a large scale at this time and use the Uchiha clan's matter to conceal their true objective."
"A troublesome and bold enemy."
Nagato sighed and looked at Shisui Uchiha's distressed expression.
"Also, because of the turmoil caused by this matter, it will not be convenient for us to move openly inside Konoha anymore. It would be bad if we were treated as spies spreading the news…
"Although I have never met Jiraiya-sensei's other disciple, since he received such high praise from Jiraiya-sensei, he obviously will not allow the situation to continue developing like this."
"No. This might not necessarily be a bad thing."
Shisui Uchiha lowered his head and thought for a while, then said in a deep voice, "Although Root used my matter to scheme against the Uchiha clan and made them the focus of everyone's attention in Konoha right now, as long as we do not touch anything related to this disturbance, they will not include the two of us when calculating the Konoha combat strength they need to deal with.
"When they officially launch a strong assault on Konoha and try to seize Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan and other things, our sudden appearance will definitely catch them off guard and completely destroy their plan."
"…I thought you would want to help the Uchiha clan calm this storm."
Nagato looked at the resolute Shisui Uchiha and slowly nodded.
"It seems you are stronger than I expected."
"This storm concerning me is trouble the Uchiha clan cannot avoid. Even if I personally appear, it would be impossible to change the established fact of what has already happened."
Shisui Uchiha shook his head. His thoughts had never been clearer or broader.
"But I can think of a way to stop that suspected Obito Uchiha from pinning the blame for colluding with Root to attack Konoha on the Uchiha clan as well."
"A good idea."
Nagato nodded approvingly.
"Then next, we need to find a way to figure out the exact time Root will make its move, as well as what other valuable things they might take while seizing Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan…"
"We only need to investigate them one by one."
Shisui Uchiha narrowed his eyes.
The pupils in his eyes silently transformed into the shape of three-tomoe Sharingan, spinning rapidly.
"Kekkei Genkai, secret techniques, forbidden techniques, Tailed Beasts… The things worth making them mobilize on such a large scale are no more than these. We still have time to find and protect the most likely targets."
…
"In summary, I want to ask you to temporarily return to Konoha and help hold the fort for a while. Even if it is only from the shadows. Please, please~"
Inside a small tavern, the white-haired Jiraiya repeatedly clasped his hands toward the blonde woman sitting across from him and spoke with every kind of pleasant tone.
"When did you become so fond of making mountains out of molehills, Jiraiya?"
Tsunade drained the alcohol in her cup in one gulp.
A gorgeous flush appeared over the smooth skin of her face. She gently turned the small cup in her hand and said somewhat absent-mindedly, "Root or whatever… once they leave that guy Danzo's control, it will not take long before they fall into being just an ordinary missing-nin organization.
"Besides, aside from Minato and you, the village still has the old man and those two annoying Hokage advisors, doesn't it? With all five of you there, why would you need a useless person like me, who cannot even stand the sight of blood, to help?"
"Because this battle will happen inside Konoha itself, Tsunade."
Jiraiya sighed and spoke very humbly to the woman before him, who remained as young as she had been back then.
"How many years has it been since Konoha last saw a large-scale battle inside the village? If those Root lunatics are insane enough, maybe the entire village's population will become hostages they use to divide our energy and manpower…"
"So you want me to go back and serve as a medical-nin?"
Tsunade smiled bitterly and shook her head.
With a turn of her hand, she opened a bottle of red wine she had deliberately ordered earlier.
Then she poured the dark-red liquid into her cup. In front of Jiraiya, she stared at the liquid inside and let it sway gently.
"Ugh—"
It had only shaken a few times when the wineglass slipped from Tsunade's fingers and fell onto the table with a sharp crash, shattering to pieces.
Tsunade herself covered her mouth and chest, suddenly beginning to retch in distress.
Seeing this, Jiraiya hurriedly reached out to pat her back, trying to help her recover from the symptoms of her hemophobia.
"Cough, cough, cough… See?"
Tsunade, who had finally calmed down, turned her head and looked at Jiraiya with self-mockery.
"This is the me you see now. A useless person who can react even to red wine.
"Even like this, do you still need me to go back and help, Jiraiya?"
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