After hearing Tsunade’s deductions, Yusuke still wore a faint smile.
He picked up a skewer of grilled meat, took a bite, and smiled.
“Those are all just your speculations, aren’t they, Princess Tsunade? You don’t have a shred of evidence.”
“I don’t have any evidence, but if I tell Old Man Sarutobi about all my suspicions, do you think you’ll still have an easy time?”
The corners of Tsunade’s lips curled into a smug smile, as if she had already seized the initiative.
“Hahaha, Princess Tsunade really does like to joke. Since you want to talk about this, I don’t mind keeping you company.”
Yusuke put down the skewer after taking only one bite and calmly said, “I’ll bet you won’t tell him.”
“Why?”
Tsunade’s expression changed slightly.
“First, you and the Third Hokage have absolutely no master-disciple bond left. To be honest, given your relationship with him now, even if he were about to be killed, I don’t think you’d necessarily save him.”
Yusuke raised his right index finger as he explained his first point.
Tsunade pressed her lips together but didn’t refute him.
Yusuke then raised his middle finger.
“Second, Konoha is currently in an extremely dangerous situation, plagued by both internal and external threats.
The Nine-Tails has escaped, White Fang is dead, and the other villages are watching like hungry tigers.
Konoha desperately needs powerful individuals capable of holding the situation together.
“To put it even more bluntly, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others simply don’t want to offend me right now.”
“Otherwise, Princess, why do you think I dared to beat Sarutobi Shinnosuke in front of so many people? Just because they insulted White Fang?”
Yusuke spread his hands.
“If that’s what you think, then you’re underestimating me far too much, aren’t you?” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Tsunade bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth and stared at Yusuke with a frown.
“Anything else?”
“Third, they never considered me one of their own in the first place, so naturally I have no need to maintain a good relationship with them.”
Yusuke raised his cup and took a small sip.
“Do you know how White Fang died? You think it was merely because he couldn’t withstand people’s criticism? An incident that serious happening without someone behind the scenes fanning the flames? Not even a ghost would believe that.”
“Originally, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, has already begun entering the period where his strength is gradually declining, so choosing the Fourth Hokage is only a matter of time. Among the Three Ninja, you, as a member of the Senju clan, are no longer trusted. Jiraiya has no desire to become Hokage, while Orochimaru has an extreme personality. None of you are suitable.”
Yusuke narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment before continuing.
“And no matter how you look at it, White Fang was the most suitable candidate.
“But how could Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, who took control of Konoha from the Senju clan, possibly feel at ease handing the position of Hokage to an ‘outsider’ who has neither blood ties nor a master-disciple relationship with them?”
Tsunade was left speechless.
Her right hand, gripping the wine cup, trembled slightly, as though she might crush it between her fingers at any moment.
“And my situation is the same as White Fang’s. I’m neither from the Sarutobi nor Shimura clan, and I have no master-disciple relationship with the Third Hokage. Do you really think he would consider me one of his own?”
By the end, Yusuke’s smile had grown even wider.
After hearing all of this, the smug Tsunade completely deflated.
Thinking about it carefully, even if she told Sarutobi Hiruzen everything she knew, what would she actually gain?
Could he bring her parents and younger brother back to life?
Or was she after the position of Hokage?
Between Yusuke’s words, Tsunade completely abandoned the idea of reporting him to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t gain anything and might only end up causing trouble for herself.
Seeing Tsunade looking so dejected, Yusuke almost burst out laughing.
Although she was already nearly thirty, just a few years ago Tsunade had still been a little princess protected inside an ivory tower.
It wasn’t until the Senju clan completely declined that she suddenly awakened and realized just how dark the shinobi world truly was.
Even so, her experience in dealing with people was still far too lacking.
Whenever her blood got hot, she would simply act without considering the consequences.
“Princess Tsunade, I assume you’ll soon be returning to the Sunagakure battlefield to fight the Sand Shinobi forces led by the Third Kazekage and Chiyo, right?”
Yusuke deliberately changed the subject.
“That clan head from the Kato clan is also part of Princess Tsunade’s unit, isn’t he?”
“…So what?”
After being repeatedly suppressed by Yusuke in their conversation, Tsunade answered with extreme displeasure.
“Nothing. I just wanted to remind Princess Tsunade that even though your clan has fallen into decline, you yourself are still a Kage-level powerhouse. Just because you’re getting older and want a man doesn’t mean you should choose someone carelessly.”
Yusuke smiled slyly.
“If you choose a weakling as your man, he could die in the middle of the war without you even knowing when it happened. Wouldn’t that make you a widow?”
“Brat! Can’t you just stop making my life miserable?”
As the princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade had a temper too, all right?
Seeing that this damn Yusuke had provoked her again and again, she finally couldn’t take it anymore.
She lunged straight at him, intending to punch him and teach the brat a lesson.