Chapter 78: The True Side of Tsunade—I

How many relatives who once aspired to become Hokage ended up dying in mysterious, unexplained ways?

Tsunade is far smarter than Jiraiya; naturally, she sensed the problem—even without evidence, she was certain it had to be connected to Hiruzen Sarutobi and others.

Unfortunately, Tsunade also knew well that even if she found proof, it would mean nothing.

After all, the Senju clan no longer exists, and she has no power to constrain the Third Hokage.

Rather than end up being manipulated herself, it’s better to find a way out early—and her fear of blood was simply an excuse allowing both sides to save face.

Tsunade knew her master didn’t need a Hokage who could lead Konoha to greater strength, but a obedient puppet.

Who else could be more suitable than Jiraiya’s disciple—a commoner with no background except empty reputation?

Jiraiya was one of the Legendary Sannin, and he had remained devoted to Tsunade all along.

But perhaps only when Jiraiya died did Tsunade feel a fleeting stir of emotion toward him—and even that small feeling was mostly just years of friendship.

Despite Tsunade’s immense strength, fundamentally, her ideal partner had never included Jiraiya from the start.

How could Jiraiya’s seemingly carefree, yet truly evasive nature ever stir Tsunade’s heart?

Jiraiya himself disliked power and had few loyal supporters; his disciple was destined to be a lonely man, incapable of defeating the four old bastards like Hiruzen Sarutobi.

His eyes brightened; Luo Fu inwardly admitted he had misjudged Tsunade.

Don’t forget: although Tsunade is indeed the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, she is also a princess of the Land of Fire.

Even if this princess title is mostly nominal, having the status means she must have interacted with the Land of Fire’s politicians; with her intelligence, she inevitably learned something from them—she isn’t merely a mindless tool-ninja.

Since Tsunade had already shown him her true self, Luo Fu had no objection to having a genuine conversation with her.

“It seems Tsunade-sama has already guessed the reason behind the Senju clan’s downfall?” Luo Fu didn’t wait for her to speak, but shifted the topic directly: “The two great clans that founded Konoha—the Senju vanished entirely within a short time after the Second Hokage’s death and the Third Hokage’s ascension. So, Tsunade-sama, how long do Itachi think the Uchiha clan will last?”

Tsunade sneered at Luo Fu: “I didn’t expect the Uchiha clan would produce someone as clever as Itachi—but Itachi, an Uchiha, trying to manipulate me, a Senju, isn’t that a bit too delusional?”

“If we focus only on the Senju and Uchiha clans, yes, our conversation does sound absurd. But if we look at Konoha—or even the entire ninja world—what do Itachi think, Tsunade-sama? How long can Konoha endure if Hiruzen Sarutobi and others continue acting like this? The Konoha founded by the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara won’t last much longer.”

“What do Itachi mean?” Tsunade asked, confused. “Even fools can see that although this ninja world war hasn’t fully ended, the Five Great Nations can’t fight any longer—what remains is merely the aftermath.”

“This ninja world war is indeed nearing its end, but how do Itachi think Konoha’s performance compares to the First and Second Ninja World Wars?”

Frowning, after a moment of silence, Tsunade replied with a touch of weariness: “I understand your meaning. Indeed, from the First Ninja World War until now, Konoha’s performance has deteriorated with each war—worse each time.”

Beneath the surface of Konoha’s victories in every ninja world war lay the reality of its continuous decline.

In the First Ninja World War, although the Second Hokage, Hashirama Senju, died, Konoha’s overwhelming strength dominated all four hidden villages from start to finish.

By the Second Ninja World War, Konoha still produced powerful figures like the Legendary Sannin and the White Fang, but at this point, Konoha had already begun showing signs of decline—it no longer held the overwhelming dominance it had over the four hidden villages during the First War.

By this Third Ninja World War, Konoha’s condition had become even worse.

Among the Legendary Sannin, only Orochimaru could command a battlefield; Tsunade had left, Jiraiya appeared intermittently, and the White Fang had already been murdered by high-level conspiracies before the war even began.

This war produced only one golden flash: Minato Namikaze.

Beyond him, not a single decisive Kage-level strength emerged.

Even adding Luo Fu, there were only two such figures—simply from the dwindling number of powerful individuals, one could clearly feel Konoha’s irreversible decline.

In the First Ninja World War, Konoha fought all four hidden villages alone. In the Second, the four hidden villages began fighting among themselves while jointly targeting Konoha.

By this war, it had become a complete free-for-all—Konoha faced less pressure each time, yet its displayed strength grew weaker with each conflict.

Tsunade’s intelligence continually reshaped Luo Fu’s perception.

He looked at her with approval and said: “Tsunade-sama, during the First and Second Ninja World Wars, the Senju clan vanished. Countless ninja families who once allied with Konoha also rapidly declined. In this war, the Uchiha were deliberately sent to the Water Country battlefield, where fire release is suppressed. Do Itachi think the Uchiha clan can survive another war? If the Uchiha are gone, how long can Konoha hold on?”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Tsunade slammed her fist on the table, annoyed. “Kid, if Itachi think I’ll help the Uchiha fight against the old monkey, I’ll tell Itachi right now—it’s impossible!”

“Even if Konoha is destroyed?” Luo Fu regarded her with a sly smile.

Luo Fu could sense that, to some extent, Tsunade was deeply influenced by Hashirama Senju’s ideals.

After all, compared to her legendary grandfather, the God of Shinobi Hashirama Senju, Tsunade had interacted far more with her grandfather’s younger brother, the Second Hokage.

And Hashirama Senju? He was the man who dared make the Senju clan abandon its name and merge entirely into the village!

In a world without supernatural power, Hashirama Senju’s decision to abandon a thousand-year family legacy and integrate into common society would indeed be admirable.

But this isn’t such a world.

In the ninja world, a single powerful individual’s strength is beyond the reach of hundreds or even thousands of weaklings.

At the level of Hashirama Senju or Uchiha Madara, numbers become almost meaningless.

Under these circumstances, the power derived from a strong bloodline is the true key to an organization’s strength—yet Hashirama Senju deliberately abandoned this.

At first glance, Hashirama Senju’s decision seemed foolish, but considering his genius, his reasoning isn’t hard to understand.

Although Hashirama Senju was Hashirama Senju’s younger brother and possessed Senju blood, beyond the massive chakra and superhuman physique granted by his kekkei genkai,

he had little advantage over ordinary people—he never awakened the Wood Release; his strength came entirely from his own genius, developing one forbidden technique after another.

These forbidden techniques developed by Hashirama Senju later became Konoha’s decisive trump cards.

In the First and Second Ninja World Wars, Konoha’s legacy still lingered—no need to elaborate—but in this war, Minato Namikaze’s Flying Thunder God Technique was created by Hashirama Senju.

The Impure World Reincarnation, which plunged the entire ninja world into chaos during the Fourth Ninja World War, was also his invention.

Hashirama Senju was the true embodiment of turning wisdom into power—he relied not on a powerful kekkei genkai.

But others were different.

Hashirama Senju’s existence was an irreplicable miracle; his ideal—that other ninja could become strong through their own genius—was rarer than phoenix feathers.

Merging the Senju clan into Konoha’s commoners became a complete failure—it destroyed the Senju clan and pushed Konoha onto an irreversible path of decline.

Hashirama Senju was a truly great-hearted man—but he failed to recognize reality.

Tsunade, influenced by Hashirama Senju, cared most about Konoha as a whole, not the Senju clan—this philosophy was inherited by the Uchiha Shisui line, who valued the village above the clan.

Uchiha Shisui even earned the reputation of having a Hokage mindset since childhood.

This wasn’t sarcasm—it was fact.

Aside from the Third Hokage, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, killed his closest friend and brother Uchiha Madara for the village; the Second Hokage, Hashirama Senju, abandoned his clan for the village.

Yet the one who sat on the Hokage throne longest—Hiruzen Sarutobi—was a man who truly lacked a Hokage mindset.

And Tsunade, to some extent, fully inherited the ideals of the First and Second Hokages.

The decline of her clan, the machinations of the high-ups—Tsunade could endure all of it.

But Konoha’s destruction? That was something Tsunade could never accept.

“The old monkey may be… selfish,” Tsunade said half-heartedly, “but he knows that without Konoha, his power will vanish.”

“Is this the Hokage mindset?” Luo Fu sneered. “Tsunade-sama, I must admit—Itachi truly inherited the ideals of the First and Second Hokages.”

“Are Itachi mocking me?” Tsunade clearly sensed the sarcasm in his tone.

Luo Fu shook his head and explained: “No, this is praise. In my view, only someone who truly possesses a Hokage mindset deserves to be Hokage—but the Hokage’s seat is occupied by a man who lacks it entirely.”

Tsunade sighed heavily, irritated: “Isn’t the Fourth Hokage already in place now? Maybe… maybe things will improve.”

“Itachi actually expect a fool who’s been manipulated by a con artist?” Luo Fu widened his eyes in disbelief.

Tsunade’s face instantly darkened as she swung a punch at Luo Fu.

“I’ve had enough of Itachi.”

As expected, the instant Tsunade moved, Luo Fu’s body vanished into the Kamui dimension.

Her punch missed; Tsunade scoffed. “Mangekyo—annoying ability. Since Itachi have those eyes, unless the old monkey has completely lost his mind, he won’t dare touch the Uchiha lightly.”

Luo Fu had to admit—Tsunade was absolutely right.

Theoretically, if the Uchiha clan truly produced a Mangekyo user, the Konoha F4 wouldn’t have the courage to carry out the Uchiha massacre.

But unfortunately, the Uchiha were full of idiots.

Before the massacre, the Uchiha clan’s strength had truly reached its peak.

With Uchiha Fugaku included, three Mangekyo Sharingan users emerged in a short time.

Yet among the three, Uchiha Shisui foolishly revealed his ability to the Third and others, nearly committing suicide by offering his Tsukuyomi Mangekyo to Danzo Shimura.

The other Mangekyo user, Uchiha Shisui, turned around and became the executioner who destroyed the Uchiha clan.

The last Mangekyo user, Uchiha Fugaku, wasn’t even a qualified clan head—he was weak when he should’ve been firm, firm when he should’ve been weak, and on the night of the massacre, he willingly offered his neck to Uchiha Shisui and died at his hands.

In the Uchiha clan, awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan made one an elite jōnin; awakening the Mangekyo still granted a place among Kage-level Qiangzhe .

Obito, with just one Kamui, carried his power from start to finish; Uchiha Shisui was infamous throughout the ninja world.

Three Mangekyo, plus numerous three-tomoe jōnin—and yet the Uchiha clan destroyed itself so easily that even Luo Fu felt disdain for this mentally ill clan.

Unfortunately, the truths Luo Fu knew couldn’t be told to Senju Tsunade.

Anyone with a normal mind, upon learning the full story of the Uchiha massacre, would laugh until they cried.

At least Luo Fu now bore the Uchiha name!

He chuckled bitterly: “The Will of Fire really is a wonderful thing, Tsunade-sama. What do Itachi think would happen if I used my Mangekyo to directly confront the Third and others?”

Tsunade’s face instantly paled.

Her eyes turned hostile as she glared at Luo Fu: “Kid, do Itachi know what Itachi’re saying?”

“It seems Tsunade-sama realizes that one Mangekyo can’t change Konoha,” Luo Fu’s expression darkened as he said solemnly: “Senju Tsunade, I’ll tell Itachi this—I, like the Third, have no Hokage mindset. In fact, unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, who clings to expanding the Hatake clan, I don’t even care about the Uchiha clan. Whether it’s Konoha or the Uchiha clan—if they block my path, they become my enemies.”

“Are Itachi going to become a missing-nin?” Tsunade leapt to her feet.

Ignoring Tsunade’s threat entirely, Luo Fu smiled strangely: “Senju Tsunade, haven’t Itachi noticed how different I am from a normal Konoha ninja?”

Tsunade paused, narrowed her eyes, studied Luo Fu—and suddenly froze.

“Where’s your forehead protector?”

The moment she spoke, Tsunade finally realized why she’d felt something off about Luo Fu earlier.

This man didn’t even have a forehead protector—or any insignia at all.

Neither the Uchiha clan crest nor the Konoha forehead protector appeared on him.

Without sensing his chakra, no one would believe he was a ninja.

Even Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—all wore their forehead protectors prominently on their foreheads during the Second Ninja World War.

Only after earning the title of the Three Sannin did he gradually develop his own distinct symbol, no longer relying on his forehead protector to signify his identity.

For example, Jiraiya’s oil-stained forehead protector and Tsunade’s gambling robe are both unique markers of their identities.

Only Luo Fu acted as if he cared nothing at all for the identity of a ninja.

Even among missing-nin, none would discard their forehead protectors; instead, they would slash one line across it to mark their transformation.

At this moment, Tsunade finally began to believe that Luo Fu and the ninjas she knew were entirely different in mindset.

He truly did not care for the village—even the Uchiha clan or the very identity of a ninja meant nothing to him.

In Tsunade’s heart, an inexplicable premonition arose out of nowhere.

This deeply hidden Uchiha before her might become an unprecedented anomaly in the ninja world.

“It seems Itachi understand,” Luo Fu chuckled lightly. “Human beings, as individuals, ultimately need to live within a collective. The weaker the human, the more they rely on the collective for protection—family, village, even nation—all arose from this. But when a weak sheep transforms into a ferocious beast, it no longer needs to heed the collective; instead, the collective must now fear the transformed beast!”

“Tch,” Tsunade scoffed. “Of course Itachi’re an Uchiha—none of Itachi are normal once Itachi awaken that eye!”

“Itachi underestimate me, Tsunade,” Luo Fu’s expression darkened. “Itachi must know that everyone in the ninja world believes I abandoned the development of my kekkei genkai and focused solely on swordsmanship. Do Itachi really think I’ve become a mentally broken Uchiha just because I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?”

“If your mind were normal, Itachi wouldn’t have said what Itachi just did.”

Luo Fu sighed softly. “Tsunade, do Itachi know what kind of power Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha truly possessed? Do Itachi believe Konoha was truly built by the combined strength of all the ninja clans gathering together?”

Luo Fu sneered. “At the beginning, Konoha’s other clans either sought protection or surrendered after defeat! The true foundation of Konoha was not the Will of Fire—it was power. The invincible strength of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha! Whether it was Hashirama’s Wood Release or Madara’s Sharingan, both possessed the power to crush the world! The village, the Will of Fire—they were merely byproducts of their ideals.”

“Itachi’re not trying to tell me that my grandfather and Madara Uchiha could do it, and so can Itachi, are Itachi?” Tsunade looked at Luo Fu with pity in her eyes. “Your mind really is broken. If Itachi don’t mind, I could examine your brain—your Uchiha Mangekyo awakening seems to have hit Itachi too hard. Remember, even Madara Uchiha himself died in my grandfather’s hands.”

“But now, there is no second Hashirama Senju,” Luo Fu replied, his gaze utterly calm, as if he hadn’t noticed the sarcasm in Tsunade’s tone.

“But there is a first Tsunade!” Tsunade shot back.

Luo Fu laughed. “Senju? Does the Senju clan still exist?”

“I am here. The Senju still exist,” Tsunade answered firmly.

“I thought the current Hokage of Konoha was the Golden Flash, not Tsunade-hime. Yet here Itachi are, Tsunade-hime, who abandoned Konoha for so long, ready to fight me to the death for the village?”

This biting sarcasm left Tsunade frozen in place.

Her mood suddenly sank. Tsunade spoke with heavy defeat. “Itachi’re right—I was being sentimental. But—”

She shifted tone, her voice now resolute. “My grandfather once fought Madara Uchiha to the death for the village. How Itachi Uchiha and the old monkey and the rest of them fight among yourselves is none of my concern. But if anyone threatens the village, I will fight to protect it at any cost.”

“Your vision is too narrow,” Luo Fu waved his hand. “Do Itachi really think Madara Uchiha fought Hashirama Senju to destroy Konoha?”

Tsunade said nothing.

Luo Fu continued without concern. “In truth, Madara Uchiha had long seen the darkness within the village—that’s why he fought Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End. But unfortunately, Madara, who understood the truth, lost in power to Hashirama. While Hashirama, after founding the village, came to revere it above all else, Madara spent his life searching for a true path to peace for the ninja world.”

“So Itachi’re telling me Madara was right and my grandfather was wrong?” Tsunade sneered at Luo Fu.

Luo Fu’s expression turned strange. He shook his head. “I only want Itachi to understand that for true Qiangzhe , their understanding can easily determine the life or death of countless weaklings.”

The patterns of his Mangekyo Sharingan spun within his eyes.

Tsunade’s vision blurred. The next moment, she found herself standing in the middle of an endless ocean.

Floating across the vast sea were countless ships, forming a fleet.

Among them, one ship bore the Konoha emblem.

“What are Itachi playing at?” Tsunade knew she was caught in a genjutsu, but since she felt no danger, she did not disrupt her chakra to break free.

“Simple. I merely want Itachi to see the tragedy of reality.”

Luo Fu’s voice drifted across the ocean, yet his figure never appeared in Tsunade’s sight.

“Tsunade, do Itachi see this fleet bearing the Konoha flag? Several powerful clans gathered together to form the fleet called Konoha. At first, the Senju clan, with the strongest ship, became its master. But when the strongest ship sank into the sea, the second strongest took its place as captain.”

As Luo Fu spoke, the largest ship in the fleet slowly sank beneath the waves, and leadership passed to another vessel.

“The second captain developed a series of new weapons and led the fleet to victory in war. He believed that in naval battles, ship size and armor didn’t matter—only novel weapons did. To strengthen the other ships, he unhesitatingly dismantled his own, donating its materials freely to upgrade the rest.”

Before her eyes, the massive Senju ship disintegrated—its deck, anchors, and masts all became materials to reinforce other vessels.

Yet Tsunade saw clearly: the moment Hashirama Senju dismantled his own clan, dissolving it entirely into Konoha.

“After the second captain died, strangely, the third captain was merely the leader of a weak ship within the fleet. He possessed neither the strength of the first nor the wisdom of the second. To preserve the fleet’s existence and his own position, he began weakening the other ships and strengthening his own.”

One by one, ships were dismantled, their materials used to enhance the third captain’s vessel. That ship visibly grew stronger.

The scene rapidly shifted. After countless naval battles, the Konoha fleet visibly shrank in number—but the third captain’s ship had become a bloated, colossal behemoth.

“In this fleet called Konoha, the captain was unquestionably the strongest. But one day, they faced a far stronger enemy. The bloated, yet decisive-powerless ship of the third captain was easily destroyed.”

Compared to earlier battles, artillery shells—like a dimensional strike—destroyed the third captain’s ship in moments.

The few remaining ships were also swallowed by the endless sea under the bombardment.

“Why are Itachi showing me this?” Tsunade felt a strange unease rising within her.

The scene instantly changed. The ocean vanished. Tsunade, stunned, found herself standing in the middle of Konoha village.

But then, suddenly, a figure shrouded in radiant light appeared in the sky and unleashed overwhelming power.

In an instant, the entire Konoha village was flattened.

Even though she knew it was all a genjutsu, Tsunade’s heart surged with unprecedented rage.

“Uchiha Luo Fu, what are Itachi doing? Are Itachi threatening me?” Tsunade glared at Luo Fu.

Had she not tested him several times and found she couldn’t harm him—and had she not been trapped in his genjutsu—she would have already fought him to the death.

“Do Itachi think I showed Itachi Konoha being destroyed to insult Itachi or provoke Itachi?” Luo Fu’s expression remained calm. “Tsunade, do Itachi truly understand the ninja world?”

“I don’t want to hear your stories, and I don’t want to watch your theatrics,” Tsunade breathed deeply. “I’ll tell Itachi this: even if Itachi have that eye, if Itachi dare destroy the village, I will never let Itachi live!”

“Why do Itachi assume I am the one who will destroy the village?”

The scene before her suddenly shifted.

Soon, a colossal Wood Release Buddha statue and a towering chakra giant appeared in Tsunade’s vision. Their battle was like a mythic clash between gods and demons, altering the very landscape.

“Do Itachi know? This is the power of Hashirama Senju and the Shinobi of the Warring World, Madara Uchiha.”

At Luo Fu’s voice beside her, Tsunade involuntarily whispered, “This… this is my grandfather’s power?”

“Correct. Isn’t it powerful?” Luo Fu continued. “But in the ninja world, there exist beings stronger than Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.”

The scene’s time seemed to reverse.

Soon, a figure with a Rinnegan, horns on his head, and a strange mark on his forehead appeared before Tsunade.

“Who is this?” Tsunade asked, confused. “Rinnegan? Is this the Sage of Six Paths?”

“Correct. He is Hagoromo Otsutsuki—the common ancestor of both the Senju and Uchiha clans!”

“Itachi’re saying the Senju and Uchiha clans share a common ancestor?” Tsunade’s shock now surpassed even seeing the Sage of Six Paths in the genjutsu.

After all, the Senju and Uchiha had been mortal enemies for a thousand years, locked in endless bloodshed and hatred.

Yet now, Luo Fu told her they were relatives.

Luo Fu did not answer. Instead, he manipulated the genjutsu space to reveal another figure—with Byakugan eyes.

Not getting the answer she wanted, Tsunade suppressed her curiosity and glanced at the figure with Byakugan eyes, wondering, “Who is this?”

“They weren’t just brothers—they shared the same mother!”

A shadow, vast enough to cover the entire world, emerged.

It was a figure whose hair stretched several times its height, yet its immense shadow made Tsunade unable to discern its form.

“Enough!” Tsunade shouted. “Stop using these cheap tricks to deceive me. Everything in this genjutsu is under your control. Show me real proof I can believe.”

Luo Fu’s lips curled. “Itachi want proof? Fine!”

Tsunade gasped in shock. “Itachi… Itachi actually have proof?”

“Indeed, I have a way to prove all of this. But are Itachi certain Itachi wish to accept the true reality? I must warn Itachi—once Itachi accept it, there is no going back.”

Tsunade lowered her eyes and remained silent for several minutes before speaking. “I want to see if the proof Itachi offer can truly confirm all this.”

Her vision blurred violently. Suddenly, she found herself no longer in Luo Fu’s strange genjutsu—but back in the real world, inside the tavern.

(End of Chapter)