Chapter 470

After Jiraiya left, Tsunade was still tirelessly thinking.

Unlike a hero like Jiraiya who was in a solitary state, Tsunade’s status destined that she could not think with the mindset of an ordinary person when facing such events with political overtones.

After all, she had family and a series of other issues behind her, which could be described as "pulling one hair and moving the whole body."

But after careful thought, Tsunade still came to no conclusion.

"Forget it, whatever."

"I'll let Ryosuke help me think about it..."

Thinking back and forth, Tsunade only felt a stinging pain in her head.

After all, although she wasn't a political idiot like Jiraiya, she was still relatively repulsed by political struggles and conspiracies in her heart.

"No, that won't do!"

But as soon as this thought appeared in her mind, it was extinguished by Tsunade.

Although she now had a solid shoulder like Mizunuki Ryosuke to rely on, she couldn't rely on him for everything.

Because what she wanted to be was a white poplar tree that could support Mizunuki Ryosuke together, not a dodder vine parasitic on him.

"If it were Ryosuke, what would he do?"

In the end, Tsunade had to change her way of thinking, trying to use Mizunuki Ryosuke’s mindset to help her figure it all out.

"What made the Old Man change his mind? What exactly has happened recently?"

"Could it be the Sand Village side, Hatake Sakumo, the Sand Village..."

Suddenly, a sharp light burst from Tsunade’s eyes; she had figured out the general crux of the matter.

"So that's it."

Tsunade said quietly in her heart, sighing with some helplessness.

"As expected, is this the real Teacher Sarutobi?"

Tsunade’s eyes flickered, and she was deeply convinced of all this.

She certainly wouldn't be naive enough to think that Sarutobi Hiruzen did all this for the sake of the three of them.

Political interests were everything; the so-called teacher-student relationship was insignificant in the face of political interests.

"Sigh."

In the end, Tsunade could only sigh.

Even if she was unwilling, what could she do? The one holding the power was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen; even she couldn't openly defy the Hokage’s decision.

Thinking of this, Tsunade remembered Mizunuki Ryosuke’s words.

The desire in her heart to become Hokage became increasingly strong.

"Only by becoming Hokage can I prevent these many tragedies from happening."

"Only in this way can I help Ryosuke and achieve true peace in the ninja world."

Unknowingly, Tsunade’s inner awakening had already changed.

Afterward, Tsunade stopped sitting still and turned to study the Salamander poison provided by Jiraiya, striving to find a way to crack it as soon as possible.

Just like that, with a dramatic result that neither side had expected.

The Rain Ninjas and the Leaf Village unexpectedly both planned to launch a decisive battle to completely determine the winner.

At this moment, the situation in the Land of Rain was like the calm before the storm; one second it might be calm, and the next second a torrential rain might pour down.

Do not think that such a large-scale decisive battle can just happen whenever one says so.

Before the war, relevant arrangements, tactical planning, and personnel deployment all required time.

Taking advantage of this gap, both sides fell into a rare, brief period of peace.

On the other side, after Mizunuki Ryosuke received the news from Tsunade and confirmed that the Leaf Village and the Rain Ninjas would have a decisive battle in a few days.

He also gradually began to take action.

Before that, he first "taught" the restless little maid a lesson until she couldn't stand straight, then left the Mist Village’s stronghold and headed toward where Hanzo of the Salamander was.

Using the Magic Mirror Illusion, he once again effortlessly bypassed the Rain Ninjas’ layers of control and arrived at the courtyard where Hanzo of the Salamander was staying.

At this moment, Hanzo of the Salamander was sitting in the room, eyes closed and motionless.

With the great battle imminent, Mizunuki Ryosuke knew that Hanzo of the Salamander was adjusting his state.

After all, for a powerhouse of Hanzo of the Salamander’s level, his state during battle had a huge impact on the outcome.

And the moment Mizunuki Ryosuke appeared, Hanzo of the Salamander opened his eyes.

Looking at this "old friend" before him, Hanzo of the Salamander’s expression appeared somewhat cold.

"Lord Mizukage, you come uninvited; what advice do you have?"

Hanzo of the Salamander spoke to Mizunuki Ryosuke in a detached voice, his tone not very polite.

Even though Hanzo of the Salamander was very wary of this unfathomable Fourth Mizukage, he knew very well that things had reached this point, and there was no point in playing games with Mizunuki Ryosuke anymore.

The Mist Village could not possibly send a single soldier to help the Rain Ninjas.

Most importantly, the fact that the Mist Village had dropped the ball at a critical moment earlier still left Hanzo of the Salamander feeling somewhat resentful.

As the war report from the Land of Lightning spread throughout the ninja world, although Hanzo of the Salamander also knew that Mizunuki Ryosuke had his reasons for refusing to further expand supplies for the Rain Ninjas that day.

But this matter still inevitably made him hold a grudge; if it weren't for this, why would he have rashly led his army to launch a night raid on the Leaf Village?

If it weren't for the night raid on the Leaf Village leading to the loss of troops and generals, why would he be so passive?

Of course, this was based on the premise that Hanzo of the Salamander did not know that the "expert" behind the Leaf Village was Mizunuki Ryosuke.

If he knew that the many setbacks the Rain Ninjas had suffered were all Mizunuki Ryosuke’s handiwork, he would probably be so angry he’d pass out.

"I wouldn't dare offer advice; it’s just that things are about to be settled, so I’ve come to remind Leader Hanzo of one thing."

"You must not forget the bet we made in the Rain Village."

Mizunuki Ryosuke smiled, his voice still carrying his usual elegance.

"Hmph!!!"

"What’s the rush? Does Lord Mizukage think I’m destined to lose?"

Hanzo of the Salamander seemed somewhat exasperated; he narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a look of dissatisfaction.

In the past, when the two sides had just established a cooperative relationship, Mizunuki Ryosuke had proposed a bet to Hanzo of the Salamander.

At that time, Hanzo of the Salamander naturally agreed to it fully; at this very moment, as the result of this bet was about to be settled, Mizunuki Ryosuke chose to bring it up again.

Although Hanzo of the Salamander’s attitude was not good, Mizunuki Ryosuke didn't care, because he had already figured Hanzo of the Salamander out.

"Leader Hanzo, regarding victory or defeat, I don't think it’s my place to comment."

"As for what the final outcome of this battle will be for the Rain Ninjas, I don't think anyone knows better than you."

Mizunuki Ryosuke also said leisurely, his tone still gentle.

"You!!!"

Hearing this, Hanzo of the Salamander clenched his fists, his eyes becoming increasingly unkind.

How could Hanzo of the Salamander not know that the most likely outcome for the Rain Ninjas next was more losses than wins?

If things went wrong, he himself might not have a good ending either.

"Actually, I didn't come here to mock you, Leader Hanzo."

"I just wanted to ask one thing."

"Do you still want to win now?"

Mizunuki Ryosuke stared into Hanzo of the Salamander’s eyes without any avoidance, asking a question that surprised Hanzo of the Salamander extremely.