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"Are there any other suitable candidates?" Tsunade asked.
Shisui was indeed a perfect choice, but he was already dead. It wasn't like they could dig him back out of the ground, right? Even if they used the "Impure World Reincarnation" technique, a reanimated shinobi couldn't join the upper echelons of Konoha's leadership.
"Itachi… in ten years."
Midorima added silently in his heart, 'If he's even still alive by then.'
Like Kimimaro, Itachi also suffered from an incurable illness.
He wondered if it had something to do with their Kekkei Genkai.
"I knew there was a reason you set the timeline at ten years," Tsunade grumbled.
Midorima shook his head helplessly. The ten-to-twenty-year timeframe he had outlined wasn't really about Itachi at all.
"But what about now?"
Midorima sighed. "There's one… somewhat unsuitable candidate. But aside from him, there's literally no one else—not even another 'unsuitable' option."
"Who?"
"Jiraiya." Midorima spoke the name.
"Him? Who even knows where he is right now?" Tsunade frowned.
She hadn't been in contact with Jiraiya for years.
Sure, he might return to Konoha once in a blue moon, but she had never gone back.
"I might have a lead." Midorima pointed at himself with his thumb. "But it's just a lead. Whether you can actually find him or not depends on you."
"What kind of lead?"
"Publishing houses."
"…Hah?"
Even if Midorima had said "bounty exchange offices," Tsunade wouldn't have been this surprised. But publishing houses? What did they have to do with anything?
"Seems like… Jiraiya published some not-so-popular books before," Midorima said.
"I remember." Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "Honestly, I'd almost forgotten about that book until you mentioned it. But what does that have to do with publishing houses?"
"You clearly don't understand the terror of editors. They're practically demons—any author who dares to delay, skip, or outright abandon their drafts will be hunted down, locked in a dark room, and not released until the deadline. Yes, they're that terrifying." Midorima spoke with utmost seriousness.
The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja had been a flop, but Make-Out Paradise was a massive hit. That kind of transformation had to involve an editor's influence.
Of course, it also had a lot to do with Jiraiya's own diligence. Otherwise, shifting from an uplifting story to something bordering on 18+ wouldn't have been easy.
In any case, one thing was certain—Jiraiya did have connections with publishing houses.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she struggled to process this bizarre revelation.
These two had that kind of relationship!?
"Hey… why don't you join Konoha?" Tsunade suddenly suggested.
"Huh?"
"Someone like you—being labeled a missing-nin by Kirigakure is such a waste." She sounded completely serious.
"I'll remain a missing-nin until the day I die. Don't even think about poaching me." Midorima flatly refused.
He wasn't stupid.
Sure, Konoha was more humane than other villages, but they would never fully trust a missing-nin from another village.
Rather than dealing with suspicion and distrust, he'd much rather stay free and do things his own way.
Tsunade looked slightly disappointed, but if she were honest with herself, she wouldn't join another village if she were a missing-nin either.
The more she thought about it, the more regretful she felt.
"Still, even if Jiraiya is one of the few options left, summoning him back might still make the Uchiha clan feel like they're being targeted. The next steps are crucial—pull out the elite members of the Uchiha clan and assign them to other departments, giving them important responsibilities while preventing them from frequently gathering. At the same time, reward them for their contributions in recent missions, offering more tangible benefits."
Tsunade shook her head. "They'll just push for more. Small conflicts might be manageable, but major ones won't be resolved this way."
"You're missing the point. The goal of these measures is buying time. With you, the Third Hokage, and Jiraiya in the higher-ups, even if others resent it, you three can delay the inevitable clash. While the leadership keeps them occupied, you also need to divert the Uchiha clan's attention—keep them too busy to focus on anything else."
"How?" Tsunade leaned in, knowing Midorima was getting to the core of the issue.
"Create a powerful enemy. It could be real or fabricated, but it must make the Uchiha clan feel either furious or afraid. When people face uncertainty, they instinctively band together. With a formidable threat looming, even if there are dissenters within the Uchiha, their voices will be temporarily silenced. This is another way to stall for time. If the Uchiha perform well during this period, it might even accelerate the path to 'reconciliation.'"
The ideal candidates for this role would be "Madara Uchiha" or the Akatsuki. Danzo would've been another option, but he'd already been captured.
Still, Midorima wasn't about to suggest those. Otherwise, Tsunade might think he was trying to manipulate Konoha into dealing with the Akatsuki.
(Even if that was kind of what he wanted.)
Tsunade frowned, deep in thought. After a long moment, she nodded. It was a feasible plan.
Konoha had always been most united during the three Great Shinobi Wars.
No matter the clan, mission completion took priority. In other words, when faced with a powerful enemy, even if there were grudges between them, they would set them aside temporarily to face a common threat.
"From the way you're talking, there's more, isn't there?" Tsunade asked.
"Of course. Next comes education. All the hostility in Konoha exists among the adults—children only have likes and dislikes, not full-blown hatred. If they grow up knowing their classmates are their future comrades on the battlefield, then even if they drift apart as adults, they won't become enemies. In that regard, Konoha's education system has failed miserably. You need to seriously rethink how to improve this. And this will determine whether the Uchiha clan becomes Konoha's 'cancer' or not. From the time they enter the academy to when they become full-fledged shinobi, it takes ten to twenty years."
Now Tsunade understood why Midorima had set the timeline at ten years.
It sounded simple in theory, but execution would be incredibly difficult.
Since Konoha's founding, the village had been at near-constant war. Even children under ten could end up on the battlefield. Witnessing life and death at such a young age forced them to mature too quickly.
Ten or twenty years… some shinobi didn't even live to see twenty.
"Finally, wait for Itachi or Sasuke to grow up and become the Uchiha clan's leader. The clansmen who grew up alongside them will also change their attitudes toward Konoha. That's when you extend an olive branch."
Midorima's throat felt dry from talking so much.
Honestly, "education" was the most critical part, but he knew Konoha wouldn't be able to pull it off. Otherwise, after decades of existence, the village wouldn't be in this mess to begin with.
Anyone could spin grand plans. Even those novelists who swore up and down they had a solid outline before writing would eventually veer so far off track that not even ten oxen could drag them back.
If writing a novel was this hard, how much more difficult was governing a village?
Still, Midorima was certain—if Tsunade truly followed this approach, there was a chance the Uchiha clan could be saved.
But so what? Even if it worked, it would take decades.
"Midorima, I promise you—Konoha will never become your enemy." Tsunade took a deep breath, her voice solemn. "If possible, I hope we can be allies."
"I hope that day comes too." Midorima's eyes narrowed slightly.
Regardless, Tsunade's determination to resolve the Uchiha situation was genuine. And outside the village, there were still two Uchiha left.
What kind of impact those two would have on the clan—and on Konoha—no one could say.