Chapter 412

Of course, it was to continue being a ninja and then complete missions for the village.

Tsunade didn't know why Mizunuki Ryosuke would ask this.

Facing Tsunade’s confusion, Mizunuki Ryosuke was not surprised, but showed a smile.

"Little silly, the way of survival for a ninja is missions."

"But have you ever thought about what the end of a ninja is?"

Mizunuki Ryosuke stared at Tsunade’s amber-like beautiful eyes, a brilliant color flashing in his eyes that made Tsunade feel somewhat strange.

Looking at the brilliance in Mizunuki Ryosuke’s eyes, the confusion in Tsunade’s heart remained undiminished.

For Tsunade, who was still young at this moment, Mizunuki Ryosuke’s question hit her heart directly, making her somewhat sluggish.

What is the end of a ninja?

Yeah, right now in the war, her goal is to defeat the Rain Ninjas, but what if she defeats the Rain Ninjas? What should she do then?

Missions?

Missions are just a way of survival; what is her goal in completing missions?

The most fundamental reward for missions is money.

Just a little money...

Tsunade, who had not yet fallen into the abyss of gambling, was the Senju Princess at this time; she was not short of money at all.

Since childhood, whether it was the members of the Senju clan or Sarutobi Hiruzen, they had taught Tsunade to shoulder the "responsibility" on her shoulders.

For this, she resolutely became a ninja, but after Mizunuki Ryosuke’s question, Tsunade was a bit confused; it seemed that her reason for becoming a ninja was so empty.

She became a ninja to "become a ninja," never thinking about why she should become a ninja, and even less understanding what the so-called end of a ninja was.

Could it be that the end of a ninja is to become the Hokage? Or to inherit the title of "Kage"?

After all, the ninja world is vast, but there are only five Kages; for the vast majority of ninjas, becoming the Kage of a country is an unattainable height.

But suddenly, she felt that this answer didn't seem right.

Whether it is the Hokage or the Mizukage, it is just a status in the ninja world; it does not transcend the scope of a ninja. They are still "ninjas."

Whether it was the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, or the Third Hokage, or the Fourth Mizukage in front of her, they all had a sufficiently close relationship with Tsunade.

She had already come into contact with enough "Kages," and it seemed that these "Kages" had not reached the end either.

Even someone as strong as Senju Hashirama had always been pursuing and exploring...

So for them, what is the so-called "end"?

Seeing Tsunade fall into confusion, Mizunuki Ryosuke did not choose to continue teasing her, but directly opened up to guide her.

"Ninjas are humans, not gods."

"Empty missions are just the way ninjas survive."

"And the true things pursued in the heart are the 'end' that ninjas crave."

"Even someone as strong as Lord Hashirama, who had the title of 'God of Shinobi,' once chased this end for a lifetime."

"Little Tsunade, what about you? What is your 'Ninja Way'?"

Mizunuki Ryosuke took a deep look at Tsunade beside him; his words also left Tsunade stunned in place for a long time.

Yeah, whether it was the war in front of her or the missions after the war ended, they were ultimately just means for ninjas to survive.

What is important is the meaning contained behind the war, and the reason why Tsunade was standing on this battlefield at this moment.

So, what exactly is the end of a ninja?

After some thought, Tsunade quickly reached a conclusion.

She understood the "end" of a ninja, and at this moment, she also knew her own "Ninja Way."

"It is protection!"

"This is both my Ninja Way and my end!"

Tsunade said firmly, her delicate face full of determination; her eyes radiated an astonishing light, and the aura of the Senju Princess was immediately revealed.

At this moment, Tsunade suddenly remembered Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.

"Protection is also the 'end' of Grandfather and Second Grandfather, right?"

Tsunade said to herself inwardly, her eyes carrying a bit of nostalgia.

Seeing this, Mizunuki Ryosuke’s face carried both a hint of pleasure and a hint of complexity and emotion.

He probably understood why Tsunade would be devastated in the original work.

For a ninja whose Ninja Way is "protection," losing what one protects is probably the biggest blow.

And what Tsunade protected in the original work was nothing more than those few things.

The responsibility of the Senju clan, the younger brother she depended on for survival, the lover she leaned on, and the deep and heavy friendship...

And these, looking at the original work, Tsunade lost them all in the end.

Thinking of this, Mizunuki Ryosuke felt a bit of pain in his heart; he looked at Tsunade beside him with love, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

In this life, he would never let Tsunade repeat the same mistakes!

And if he wanted to prevent Tsunade from walking the old path and change everything in the future, he could only start from Tsunade’s "belief" at this moment.

Without a doubt, Tsunade’s current beliefs were all inherited from Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, which is what Leaf ninjas often call the "Will of Fire."

It was also because of this belief that the tragedy of Tsunade occurred.

So he wanted to add some "private goods" to Tsunade’s concept of "protection."

Thinking of this, Mizunuki Ryosuke’s action of stroking Tsunade’s hair softened a bit more; he spoke again, this time with a hint of deep meaning in his deep, dark pupils.

"But Little Tsunade, is protection really the true 'end'?"

"Just like being as strong as Lord Hashirama, can one really protect everything?"

"Furthermore, relying solely on your own strength, how much can you 'protect'?"

Speaking of this, Mizunuki Ryosuke’s tone already carried a bit of emotion; he wanted to guide and change Tsunade’s concepts, which was correct, but weren't these words also his own true thoughts?

Protection always has limits; even if a person is strong, how much can one protect with their own strength?

Senju Hashirama’s example had already explained everything; he both succeeded and failed.

What he succeeded in was that he seemed to have briefly pursued a false "end"; what he failed in was that he couldn't protect everything.

As soon as these words were spoken, Tsunade fell into confusion again.

This was actually very normal; whenever people are at a certain stage, they only consider the problems of that stage, and very few people have the foresight to think about what will happen in the next stage and what they should do.

What Mizunuki Ryosuke asked was clearly above such shallow things as "Ninja Way"; this was something Tsunade could not understand at this stage.

Regarding Tsunade’s confusion, Mizunuki Ryosuke was naturally very clear, so he spoke again to guide her.

"Little Tsunade, do you remember the reason I told you when I first met you and you asked me why I saved you?"

Hearing this, a flash of reminiscence crossed Tsunade’s eyes; of course, she remembered...

"You said it was for 'peace'."

Tsunade answered directly.

For this answer, Mizunuki Ryosuke nodded with a smile.

Once, to dispel Tsunade’s doubts and explain his motive for "hero saving the beauty," Mizunuki Ryosuke had used this concept to explain it to Tsunade.

Although these words were to gain Tsunade’s trust, in reality, they were not lies.

"Actually..."

"The end of protection is 'peace'."

Mizunuki Ryosuke’s tone was full of emotion.

Whether it was Senju Hashirama’s gentleness and tailed beast deterrence, Uchiha Madara’s violent conquest and the Eye of the Moon, or Mizunuki Ryosuke’s absolute control plan.

These three paths seem to be completely contradictory, but in reality, they all lead to the same destination.

They are all for "protection," all for "peace."

Even the most extreme Uchiha Madara, who initially joined forces with Senju Hashirama to form the Leaf and subdue the tailed beasts, was just to unify the ninja world and realize the ideal of "peace."

And the reason Madara pursued peace was also to protect his younger brother and clan members.

It was only later that Uchiha Izuna died in battle, coupled with the betrayal of the clan and the behind-the-scenes manipulation of Black Zetsu, that the Uchiha went down the wrong path.

Even so, it cannot be denied that the end point Madara ultimately pursued was still protection and peace.

It was just a sick and twisted "protection" and "peace" like the "Eye of the Moon" plan.

By the same token, Mizunuki Ryosuke wanting to bring the ninja world under his absolute control was also to nip all dangers in the bud and protect himself and those around him.

And such absolute control also achieved the goal of peace.

How can permanent "protection" be achieved? The answer is still peace.