Escape From Konoha

Country of tea, hotel.

In the room where the heater was placed, Tsunade sneezed without warning.

"Are you cold, Tsunade-sama?"

Shizune, who was reading a medical book, heard Tsunade's sneeze, and immediately raised his head to ask.

Next to her, there was a pink piglet sleeping soundly. Its name was Dodo. It was a ninja pig she adopted. It had a very sensitive sense of smell, which was not weaker than the ninja dogs trained by the Inuzuka clan.

"Ah, it's okay, maybe someone misses me too much."

Tsunade rubbed his nose subconsciously, but he didn't feel any discomfort in his nose, so he responded to Shizune.

Afterwards, she once again focused on the various books in front of her. They were all the intelligence materials she had collected from many countries in the ninja world over the past few months, scanning and analyzing them.

The more he looked at it, the heavier Tsunade's heart became.

"Mute."

After a long time, Tsunade called Shizune.

"What's the matter, Tsunade-sama?"

Looking away from the medical book again, Shizune glanced at Tsunade in confusion.

"What kind of person do you think Baishi is?"

Tsunade asked.

"Eh? Why did you mention Senior Brother Shiraishi at this time?"

Shizune felt even more confused.

"Isn't it too boring? I just find something to talk about."

Tsunade rearranged the books in front of her and said with a smile.

"Is that so? However, if you suddenly ask me what kind of person Senior Brother Baishi is...well, I always feel that it is a bit difficult to explain."

If it was Shiraishi during Konoha, she would be able to explain why.

At that time, Shiraishi was undoubtedly an outstanding medical ninja and an excellent medical ninjutsu assistant. Under Tsunade, he was also conscientious in his work and was loved by many students. And he always takes the trouble to teach students after class. He does not treat them differently because of their weaker talents, but chooses to treat them equally.

Therefore, during the Third Ninja War in Konoha, countless outstanding medical ninjas emerged, resulting in a decrease in the sacrifice rate, and Shiraishi was also indispensable. Even if the other party defected to Konoha later, this achievement cannot be erased.

The strength of medical ninjas does not lie in their strength, but in their logistics. Each additional medical ninja saves the village from losing many ninjas. Because of this, today's medical ninjas are not as ignored as they were in the past, and their status is increasing year by year. There are more and more students applying for the medical ninja major in the school.

As for Shiraishi later, Shizune didn't know how to evaluate him.

In terms of attitude, he was not indifferent towards her and Tsunade. Because of Tsunade, Jiraiya was spared, even though he had the intention of making a deal with Konoha.

But after all, they already belong to two different camps.

As an enemy, it should be a very troublesome existence.

In particular, he has created various medical industries in the Kingdom of Ghosts. The soundness of its medical system is not weaker than that of Konoha, and even surpasses Konoha Village in some aspects, such as medical research. After all, it is not an easy task to set up branch pharmacies in various countries in the pharmaceutical industry.

At least Konoha couldn't do that.

As far as medical ninjas are concerned, as an enemy, Shizune also admires Shiraishi very much.

He achieved the ultimate dream that many medical ninjas want to achieve.

If Tsunade proposed the original idea of ​​medical reform, then Shiraishi, Tsunade's disciple, was the one who further improved this system. The medical system of the Kingdom of Ghosts not only benefits its own people, but also reduces the mortality rate of people in various countries.

It is precisely because of this that the medical industry in the Kingdom of Oni can open branches in various countries. This is a success brought about by hard power, and it is not all due to opportunism during the Third Ninja War.

Tsunade also probably understood Shizune's thoughts. Like Shizune, her perception of Shiraishi also went from initial appreciation and trust, to later confusion and resentment, and finally to helplessness and complexity.

But unlike Shizune, a pure medical ninja, the most terrifying thing about Shiraishi is not that he has perfected the medical system of the Demon Country.

"The Kingdom of Ghosts has many things that Konoha and even the Kingdom of Fire lack. If Konoha and the Kingdom of Fire do not make changes in the future, they will decline sooner or later."

Being conservative is not necessarily a bad thing, but being completely conservative is tantamount to giving up hope for the future.

Just like the balanced hand policy her teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi was accustomed to using.

Use the power of the Hokage to balance the interests of various ninja clans, and at the same time promote Danzo and form a root to steal some of the achievements of the ninja clan and further stabilize the situation within Konoha.

The original intention at the beginning was good, but the problem is that this kind of policy leads to the expansion of the roots and at the same time creates obstacles for new reforms.

Uchiha...Tsunade sighed.

She didn't know how Uchiha Itachi felt about destroying her family.

It is precisely because of this conservative and unwilling to change trend that Konoha Uchiha is coming to an end.

If everyone is conservative, then the structure of the ninja world will naturally not change.

The five major countries will always be the five major nations, and they will still be aloof.

The key is that at this moment, the Kingdom of Ghosts has made changes, and its influence has begun to radiate to surrounding countries.

She didn't know what the end point of the final transformation of the Ghost Country would be, but from the current perspective, there was no doubt that the Ghost Country would become stronger.

"Why do Tsunade-sama think so? I think the Kingdom of Ghosts still has a long way to go to catch up with the Kingdom of Fire."

Shizune looked at Tsunade in surprise.

The Kingdom of Fire has been in decline recently, but it shouldn't be that easy for the Kingdom of Ghosts to catch up with the Kingdom of Fire.

"Indeed, in terms of foundation, the Fire Country is not weak. The problem is..."

Tsunade smiled bitterly.

The problem is that more than 90% of the wealth in the Land of Fire is concentrated in the hands of daimyo and nobles, hoarded without knowing what to do with it.

Most of the rest was given to Konoha for development funds.

In the end, what is left belongs to the common people.

Wealth cannot be circulated and people cannot become rich.

Tsunade, who has been to the Kingdom of Ghosts, really feels that the transportation in the Kingdom of Fire is very inconvenient, and the planning of towns and the domestic response to banditry are also careless. At least Konoha receives many C-level missions to eliminate bandits in the Land of Fire every year, which is very problematic.

Some of those robbers were people from other countries who had fled into the Fire Country, and some were desperate Fire Country people who could only make a living by robbing.

These days, Tsunade has not chosen to continue to study medical ninjutsu. On the one hand, her medical ninjutsu is already at the top level in the ninja world. It is impossible to make any major breakthroughs in a short time. On the other hand, she wanted to use more basic things to understand the changes in the Kingdom of Ghosts, and to think about the future of the Kingdom of Fire and Konoha, and what should be the appropriate way forward.

Therefore, the various information she collected were related to each country's industrial chain, economy, tax system, agricultural policy, military planning, national defense intensity, crackdown on gang-related industries, scientific research technology, and diplomatic aspects.

Using these aspects as a breakthrough, she vaguely felt that the Kingdom of Ghosts was a very scary country.

On the premise that it surpasses the great powers in these fields, the fact that the Kingdom of Ghosts has become so powerful is not an accident or luck, but a matter of course.

It would be strange for such a country not to become stronger.

It is clear that the Country of Fire has a larger population, a wider land, and a stronger foundation than the Country of Ghosts, but in all aspects it seems to have insufficient stamina to deal with the Country of Ghosts. This is the problem.

Because power cannot be concentrated, whether it is human power, economic power, or military power to ensure national security, it is in a very serious state of fragmentation.

In the case of Konoha, Konoha ninjas represent the most powerful military force in the Land of Fire. The scope of screening ninjas is only in Konoha Village.

The Kingdom of Ghosts is different. Schools have been established in every town to test which ones are good at technology and which ones are suitable for ninjas.

Screen talents from across the country.

In terms of talent reserves, although the Ghost Kingdom is not large in size, it has fully operationalized its national machinery. In terms of various talent reserves, it is probably not inferior to the five major countries.

But the problem is that the territory and population of the Ghost Country cannot be compared with the five major countries.

If the Kingdom of Ghosts uses every bit of the country's power on the blade without wasting it, then the Kingdom of Fire may only use less than 30% of its power on the blade.

The rest of the power is concentrated and preserved by the upper levels, and is not open to the middle and lower levels.

The more she thought about it, the more Tsunade felt a headache.

Ultimately, it comes down to the system, the attitude of the upper class towards the middle class and the lower class.

It's just that the structure of the five major countries has not changed for hundreds of years. Do those big names and nobles really have the courage to touch that uncertain future interest?

At this question, Tsunade was already scared and doubtful about the answer to this question.

"Shizune, go out and order dinner for me and come back. I want to write a letter back to Konoha."

Tsunade said.

"Okay, Tsunade-sama."

Shizune looked at the time and saw that it was indeed almost time for dinner. Without hesitation, she opened the door and went to the front desk of the hotel to order a meal.

"Anyway, let's first explain to Sarutobi-sensei the current problems in Konoha."

As for how to change it, Tsunade couldn't think of a good way.

But there is no shortage of smart people in Konoha, and maybe they can come up with a solution to the problem.

After all, she is a medical ninja, and she knows all these things just because she is a high-level official in Konoha and knows more information and can look at problems from a higher position. It does not mean how high her political consciousness is.

If it weren't for the emergence of a weird country like the Ghost Country, Tsunade felt that it would be impossible for her to think about this kind of problem in her life.

She was also a human before considering the career of a ninja.

The prosperity of ninjas is not equal to the prosperity and progress of human beings.

With "people" as the core, let the upper-level fully understand the role of taking the lead and promoting the development of the human era...

"It is the narrowest view to simply define this kid as a war-born terrorist."

Tsunade sighed.

She knew that the international public opinion towards Baishi has always been mostly derogatory.

Especially in the land of fire and the land of wind, public opinion is used to render him as a heinous war madman.

This is also promoted in Konoha Village.

No matter how much hatred or hostility you have, if you cannot understand the other person's thoughts and motives for doing these things, then what you see will always be only superficial things.

Initiating a war is not the ultimate goal, but just a means that must be sacrificed in order to achieve the goal.

Perhaps, this kind of sacrifice is the one with the smallest price.

Tsunade knew that when the situation between the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Fire was so tense, her positive view of Shiraishi might arouse criticism from some people in the Leaf Village, and might even be used by Danzo. Use public opinion to attack her and accuse her of colluding with foreign enemies.

Tsunade did not give in to this.

She was just telling the truth. She had done everything she could do so far, and it was good that she had a clear conscience.

She believed that as the Hokage of Konoha Village, he would definitely understand after her reminder.

This anxiety about how to develop the future of Konoha has always existed in the heart of her teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi. Otherwise, we would not always adopt a conservative balancing policy to convince ourselves of every action.

However, what Konoha needs now is not conservatism, but more openness.

Unlike the medical reform she proposed last time, if she wants to change this time, the resistance will be stronger than ever.

In fact, all the nobles of the Fire Country, including the daimyo who also have a good relationship with her, will stand on the opposite side of her and become her enemy.

Just as Tsunade started writing the letter, Shizune also returned from outside.

Unlike when she went out alone, when she came back, there was someone behind her.

"Tsunade-sama, long time no see."

Seeing the unexpected person, Tsunade raised her head with a slightly startled expression.

Sarutobi Asma.

The person who came back with Shizune was none other than her teacher's second son, Sarutobi Asuma.

In terms of relationship, the other party can be regarded as her 'little junior brother'.

"Asma?"

"it's me."

Asuma bowed respectfully and then sat down.

"Speaking of which, I did hear that you and Mr. Sarutobi had certain differences in ideas, and then you left Konoha. I thought you still insisted on going to the Daming Mansion to form a new twelve guardian ninjas. scholar."

Tsunade said, quite surprised to see Asuma.

"I was ignorant when I was young, so I was inevitably impulsive in doing things. However, I don't regret being a daimyo's lackey. Because I have increased my knowledge, seen a different world, and made many friends."

Asma responded.

"Then have you finally found your way back?"

Tsunade laughed jokingly.

"If this is the case, I will not leave Konoha again and go out in the name of tourism."

Asuma smiled bitterly.

"Then what are you..."

"I just happened to pass by and saw Miss Shizune, so I guessed that Lady Tsunade was here."

Asuma explained.

Shizune also nodded, indicating that this was the case.

Tsunade nodded.

Even though it was an accident, I still felt happy seeing the young juniors.

"As for the Twelve Guardian Ninjas... Because there were some problems before, I may not serve in the Daming Mansion anymore. As for my father, I still disagree with his various attitudes towards things. In fact, I know, Whether it is you or Jiraiya-sama, leaving Konoha in the name of traveling and gathering intelligence is actually the result of disappointment in my father and the inevitable result."

Asuma said regretfully.

"It seems that the old boy has grown up a bit. Between Mr. Sarutobi and Jiraiya, I do have many differences of opinion. No, rather, in terms of dealing with things, Mr. Sarutobi and I, and Jiraiya, there are always differences of opinion.”

Fortunately for the teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya was frustrated and wanted to pursue what he thought was the son of the prophecy to save the world.

But regarding the matter of Shiraishi, Tsunade knew that Jiraiya had always hoped to make Shiraishi correct his evil ways and rejected all of Shiraishi's methods.

He believes that the existence of Shiraishi will pose a threat to the peace of the ninja world, and hopes that the other party will stop and stop using force to threaten others.

This is based on the position of Konoha and the Fire Nation, and is understandable.

However, Shiraishi is no longer a Konoha ninja.

Since he is a high-level official in the Kingdom of Ghosts, it is natural for him to plan other countries for the benefit of his own country.

Therefore, Tsunade's resentment is resentment against Shiraishi for betraying her trust, not resentment over the other party's use of force to intimidate other countries.

However, when getting along with Jiraiya, Tsunade did not point this out, and never mentioned Shiraishi-related matters in front of Jiraiya, but just kept silent to fool him.

Otherwise, if the quarrel continues, she and Jiraiya might not even be friends anymore.

Just like teachers Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo.

They are comrades fighting side by side, but at the same time they are fearful and hostile to each other, wishing that the other side would fall immediately.

"This is the first time I've heard of this. I thought the Sannin had always had a good relationship."

Asuma was surprised.

"If the relationship can really be maintained, I also hope that, but Orochimaru's defection, doesn't it just mean that the Sannin may have different ideas in terms of philosophy? Most of the time, people are individual creatures after all, and they only consider their own Profit. I am not surprised at all that Orochimaru studied forbidden arts for the sake of immortality. This is an obsession he has had since he was a child, a reverence for life."

Surprisingly, Orochimaru would study the civilians and ninjas of his own village, thus becoming a rebel ninja.

This is something Tsunade can't understand.

Maybe it was because he wanted to completely cut off everything from Konoha that he used this extreme method.

Asuma thought about it, and it seemed that was indeed the case.

"Speaking of which, I haven't asked you to come out and relax. Do you have any insights?"

Tsunade asked with interest.

She has always had expectations for the young people in the village.

Such as Nara Shikaku and other intellectuals.

When Minato came to power, the other party was the most active young man who wanted to make a big difference.

However, after Minato's sacrifice, he fell silent and his personality became off-line and lazy. Recently, there seem to be rumors that he has been re-activated by Konoha's top management.

Excellent young ninjas like Asuma are what Tsunade has always valued.

The future of Konoha will ultimately depend on Asuma's generation.

"In terms of perception, it was only when I was in the Ghost Country that my senses were different. In other countries, there seems to be no difference."

Asuma thought for a moment and answered in the affirmative.

Of course, the difference here is not the so-called difference in humanities or seasonal scenery, but the difference in national consciousness, as well as the improvement system for the grassroots, which is also very different.

It made Asuma think a lot.

"Really? Indeed, people with rebellious thinking like you are more likely to notice this."

Tsunade was not surprised.

Tsunade was not surprised that Asuma had such an idea.

As the inheritor of the Will of Fire, questioning the legitimacy of Hokage's existence is a deviant idea.

It was also because of this kind of thinking that Asuma had ideological differences with his father Hiruzen, which led to Asuma's rebellious behavior in his youth.

"Why, Tsunade-sama, do you also feel the difference in that country?"

Asma asked.

"I first went there, about seven or eight years ago. At that time, I just thought the reforms in the Kingdom of Ghosts were interesting and there were a lot of things I could learn from. Then I went there a few months ago, and more changes happened there. , so I did a little research.”

Tsunade has nothing to hide and has a showdown with Asuma.

Asuma nodded. A few months ago, during the war between the Kingdom of Demons and the Kingdom of Wind, Konoha's elite team was also severely damaged, and the Sannin Jiraiya was arrested. At that time, Tsunade must have entered the Kingdom of Demons. It's been a round.

Seeing Asuma thinking about the problem, Tsunade smiled and said, "I'll give you these things for reference."

"?"

Asuma looked at the intelligence documents Tsunade pushed over and sorted them into a pile.

"This is?"

"This is some information that I have recently collected while traveling around various countries. Some of it is from the Kingdom of Demons and some from other countries. It is my personal opinion. And I plan to write these things down briefly and give them to Sarutobi-sensei. disposal."

Tsunade smiled.

"Although I don't know what Tsunade-sama is planning, I think my father...may not approve it easily."

A father is better than a son, and Asuma was very aware of his father Hiruzen Sarutobi's stubbornness in certain aspects and his firm stance towards the will of fire.

In Asuma's view, that was completely an antique thought that didn't know how to adapt and adapt to the times.

Except during the Second Ninja War, after Tsunade proposed medical reform, Konoha's internal policies have not improved at all, and they have continued to follow the one created by the Nidaime Hokage.

Whether it's good or bad, execute them all.

This has resulted in bloated and inconvenient functions in some departments.

For example, over the past twenty or thirty years, the functions of the Uchiha Guard and ANBU have overlapped. The roots have grown under the protection of ANBU, and as a result, the authority of ANBU has been threatened.

Asuma, who was born into a Hokage family, learned many things.

Moreover, he believed that the one-country-one-village system originally had serious segmentation problems in terms of leadership.

The rivalry between the powers of the Daimyo and the Hokage.

Compared to the daimyo who rule the entire Fire Country, the part that Hokage rules is just the tip of the iceberg of the Fire Country.

This made Asuma question the Hokage's status. Only by maintaining the supreme power of the Daimyo can the Fire Nation become truly powerful.

Unfortunately, his deviant ideas were not supported in Konoha Village. Instead, because of his identity as the son of the Hokage, he was often looked at with sexual eyes, and he had a quarrel with his father over this.

"Just do your best to obey fate."

Tsunade seemed to have some concerns and finally said this.

"Thank you very much. Last time I left the Kingdom of Ghosts in a hurry, I didn't have time to understand much. I will take Tsunade-sama's opinions seriously."

Asuma responded solemnly.

"It doesn't have to be so formal. It would be nice if it helps you."

Tsunade also has her own sense of compassion.

If he could get Asuma, the son of the Hokage, into his camp, he might be able to make some plans for the future.

Asuma's identity is destined to have an unusual influence in the village of Konoha.

Her teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi is old after all. If Konoha needs to change in the future, then young people like Asuma will be the absolute new force.

After chatting for a while, Asma stood up and left.

"I always feel that it will be very hard to sit on the position of Hokage."

Shizune looked at Asuma's leaving figure and suddenly said with emotion.

"Why do you say that?"

Tsunade asked curiously.

"Because whether it is official business or family affairs, everything needs to be perfect in order to better lead the village and become a benchmark. But if there are differences in ideas with the family, the Hokage will definitely have a headache."

Shizune said.

"That's true, but we can only learn from the experience of our predecessors, but we cannot completely copy their methods. In this regard, the Fire Country and Konoha have begun to lag behind. We just don't know that there are people inside Konoha now. How many people can see this?"

Tsunade had a worried look on her face.

Even after seeing this, it is still unknown how many people are willing to change, and whether the upper management is willing to let go of their own interests and transfer them to the middle and grassroots levels.

Destroying someone's wealth is like killing one's parents.

"Tsunade-sama, are we going back to Konoha for the New Year this time?"

Shizune looked at Tsunade expectantly.

Tsunade glanced at Shizune and asked, "How much money do we still have?"

"It's all been spent, and I still owe a lot of debt."

Shizune said helplessly.

Although the Raikage-sama took most of the responsibility, Tsunade's gambling skills were really 'horrible' and they were still in debt.

"It seems that we are at the end of our rope."

Tsunade shook her head.

"Yes."

Mute nodded affirmatively.

"Then during the Chinese New Year this year, let's go to Shigu Forest for some time to eat. It just so happens that I have some medical ninjutsu that I need to ask the living dragon for help."

"Is it a living slug?"

Shizune nodded. Although it was a bit regretful that she couldn't go back to Konoha to celebrate the New Year, it didn't seem like a bad thing to go to the Shimogun Forest to celebrate the New Year.

Huobi's accomplishments in medical ninjutsu have benefited her a lot every time. As a medical ninja, there is nothing happier than this.