"Attack Konoha in three days?"
Jiraiya shot up to his feet.
Whether it was from drinking too much, or being too angry, his old face flushed red, and he cursed, "What kind of idiot dares to attack Konoha, f*ck it, whoever comes, I'll cut one down..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Sasuke and the other two following the sound, each holding an ice pop.
Jiraiya forced down the anger in his heart, slapped the Anbu member's arm.
"Go back and report."
After saying this, he thought of Ryosuke beside him, "Sorry, I have to go first. Didn't drink enough tonight. Next time it's on me, we'll drink to the full."
Ryosuke didn't answer.
He was holding two photographs.
The first photo was of a collapsed school.
Dozens of boarding children, in their sleep, became sacrifices under artillery fire, one by one small corpses lying in the ruins.
The second photo was of a hospital.
Also full of tragic casualties.
The reason for attacking hospitals was precisely to prevent the wounded from getting treatment, to let them, in despair, die bit by bit in misery.
"As expected, what you hear and what you see are two different things."
Ryosuke closed his eyes.
Just now when listening to Jiraiya describe the air raids, he had no real concept in his heart.
Only when truly seeing the tragedy, then realizing this had happened just thirty minutes ago, only a hundred kilometers away, the reality of it hit him head-on.
Ryosuke had made up his mind.
"I'll go with you."
He stood up, took out bills from his chest and placed them on the table. In Jiraiya's stunned gaze, he strode out of Ichiraku Ramen.
Seeing Jiraiya still frozen, Ryosuke turned his head back and said, "Don't worry, I won't make it hard for Tsunade. I have no plans of being a 'world policeman.' Before Tsunade formally asks me for help, I won't act. It's just that…"
Ryosuke looked at the photos on the table and whispered, "Face, if it's lost, can still be taken back."
"But when people die, they're really dead."
———
Inside the Hokage building's conference room sat many people.
First was the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
Advisors Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sat beside her.
Further down were the representatives of the Hyuga, Akimichi, Nara and other great clans. Yamanaka Inoichi, who had just gone home to lie down and rest, was sitting there with a lifeless expression.
Then came the village's top-ranked strong ones, Kakashi, Might Guy, and others.
Seeing Ryosuke enter, Kakashi, Guy, Asuma and the rest smiled and nodded in greeting. Those unfamiliar with Ryosuke, however, showed various expressions.
Killing Danzo, cutting down a daimyo, stirring up the Water Country's reform riots, overturning Ryuchi Cave, crushing Kumogakure… too many deeds. For an ordinary ninja, having just one of those would be enough to shake the world.
In many people's eyes, Ryosuke's threat to Konoha was far greater than the Air Ninja Corps' attack three days later.
Those "many people" included advisors Homura and Koharu.
The two old advisors drooped their faces, full of displeasure.
They had originally wanted to summon Sarutobi Hiruzen too.
Though Hiruzen had retired and was old, he still had some fuel left in the tank, and could be counted as one of the village's top-tier fighters.
But Tsunade rejected their proposal.
The situation hadn't yet reached the point where Hiruzen needed to "burn himself out."
Having been refused, the two advisors were already upset. Now seeing Ryosuke, an outsider, coming and going as he pleased in Konoha's secret internal meeting, their anger flared up.
They didn't dare clash head-on with Ryosuke, who carried the name of "madman," so they mocked Tsunade instead.
Homura said in a low voice, "Lady Tsunade, am I mistaken? We are in the Hokage building, discussing secret strategies, not in some tavern gathering, right?"
Koharu snorted coldly, "Exactly, every seat here is extremely important. Not just any idle person can casually sit down."
The already irritable Tsunade, hearing the advisors' sarcastic words, in the past would've slammed the table and cursed them out.
But now she was Hokage. She could only suppress her anger, just as she was about to try persuading the two advisors, suddenly,
Bang!
Jiraiya dragged a chair over and slammed it in front of Ryosuke, glaring at the advisors.
"My seat, Ryosuke will sit. I'll stand. How about that?!"
Everyone in the room looked at Jiraiya's flushed face, smelled the alcohol on him, and their gazes flickered between Ryosuke, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the two advisors.
They didn't know Jiraiya personally, but they understood politics.
Were those really drunken words?
Or was it… the original Team of the Third Hokage, throwing down a challenge to the old advisors and management?
Only Ryosuke and Tsunade knew, there weren't that many twists and turns inside.
Jiraiya had simply seen too much death and injury. Seeing people wanting to invade Konoha, his temper flared. Even if it were the Third Hokage sitting there, he would've still retorted.
Ryosuke patted Jiraiya's shoulder, shook his head slightly, signaling he didn't need to get so worked up. Then he looked at Tsunade, gently tapped the chair back.
"May I sit down?"
If Tsunade refused, it would mean she still insisted Konoha solve things on its own, without Ryosuke's help.
She looked at Ryosuke. In her tired eyes flickered a trace of relief.
"Please, sit."
"Thank you."
"It's me who should thank you."
Though Tsunade didn't say it, Ryosuke read that sentence in her eyes.
A medical ninja who once had hemophobia, seeing so many innocent injuries, if it weren't for bearing the responsibility of "Hokage," she would've already personally gone to ask Ryosuke for help.
The short commotion ended. The ninjas in the room began discussing countermeasures against the Air Ninja Corps' challenge.
Some said to expand reconnaissance range, some said to spend the three days producing anti-air weapons, others said to gather manpower and use the time for war mobilization.
All those present were elite ninja. From midnight until the next morning, with collective brainstorming, the tactics gradually took shape.
On their faces, tension slowly transformed into hatred toward the invaders. Fighting spirit surged in waves, each of them itching for the enemy to appear right now so they could tear them apart with their bare hands.
The only one who looked more and more strange as he listened was Ryosuke.
He looked around the room, sighed lightly, and muttered under his breath, "No, but you ninjas… are you really this rule-abiding? They say three days, so it's three days?"
Ryosuke felt like he was watching a drama, two countries arranging a duel, upright and honorable, just one step short of letting the defeated leader be released back after capture.
He shook his head and stretched his hand out to Jiraiya.
"Give me the poster from before."
Jiraiya fished out the crumpled surrender poster from his pocket and handed it over. Seeing Ryosuke get up to leave, he asked, "You gonna wipe your ass with it? I've got toilet paper, this thing's rough on the butt. I used it for a while to save money, let me tell you..."
"That's something you don't need to share."
Ryosuke quickly raised his hand to stop him.
He was going to buy breakfast. He really didn't want to hear about Jiraiya's bowel history.
No one cared that Ryosuke left. He strolled out of the Hokage building, to a nearby breakfast stall. It was still early, the stall had just been set up.
Ryosuke ordered a few rice balls, some fried tempura. After ordering, he asked, "About how long will it take?"
The stall owner said, "Sorry, customer, the oil isn't hot yet. Probably twenty minutes before it's ready."
"Then twenty minutes. I'll come back to get it."
"Alright then, don't go far, I'll make it right away."
Ryosuke nodded, pulled out bills from his chest and handed them over, "Don't worry, I won't go far. Just doing a bit of morning exercise, then I'll come back."
"Customer, do you like it fried crispier, or..."
Before finishing, the stall owner looked up.
'But where did the customer go?'
Only the faint roll of thunder echoed in the sky.
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