Chapter 23: Tsunade: I Gave Him...
As the sun set in the west, the last secret vault had also been completely swept clean.
Tsunade mechanically followed behind Yu, her steps heavy. No matter how many unavoidable circumstances there were, she had ultimately become a traitor to Konoha. But what else could she have done? With his abilities, this monster before her could have found everything anyway.
"You've gotten what you wanted," her voice was bitter. "Time to fulfill your promise."
"Of course."
This time when Yu gripped her arm, Tsunade didn't struggle.
The spatial vortex spun as they instantly appeared outside the medical tent.
The Third's pale face came into view, with several medical ninja working desperately to save him.
Yu raised his hand in a hovering motion, invisible magnetic field fluctuations enveloping the old man's entire body. Fractured bones automatically mended, damaged organs regenerated rapidly, even aged cells regained their vitality.
"Cough... cough cough!"
Under everyone's shocked gazes, the Third Hokage suddenly opened his eyes, his clouded pupils gradually regaining clarity.
"So miraculous!"
Several temporarily summoned female medical ninja's eyes lit up—they'd never seen such exquisite healing methods. In just a few minutes, the dying Third had been restored to perfect health!
"Thank you so much!" The lead black-haired kunoichi bowed sincerely.
Yu smiled warmly: "You're welcome."
Behind him, Tsunade and other ninja who had witnessed the slaughter turned pale, cold sweat beading on their foreheads. These newcomers had no idea that this polite young man before them was the very culprit who had caused all this.
"Mmph..."
The Third struggled to prop himself up, his vision gradually focusing. When he clearly saw Yu's face, the old man's entire body stiffened as he reflexively tried to form hand seals.
Invisible magnetic lines instantly coiled around his entire body, pinning him firmly to the medical bed.
Yu's expression turned cold: "Is this how you treat your savior?"
Tsunade rushed to the bedside in a flash, pressing down on the Third's shoulders: "Old man, don't be rash! The misunderstanding has been cleared up!"
She was terrified the old man might anger Yu again, desperately making eye signals: "He... he promised not to attack Konoha anymore..."
The Third's tense body relaxed slightly, but wariness still filled his aged eyes: "What were his conditions?"
"I gave him..." Tsunade's words suddenly caught in her throat, her cheeks unnaturally flushing—how could she directly say she'd handed over all of Konoha's jutsu archives?
The Third keenly sensed something amiss: "All unrelated personnel, get out!"
The watching ninja quickly exited the tent, but they heard those four words "I gave him" crystal clear. Several young ninja exchanged meaningful looks as a bizarre theory took root in their minds.
Could Lady Tsunade have used that kind of method... to secure peace?
The tent quieted down. Yu leisurely crossed his arms, watching Tsunade with amusement—he was curious to see how this Konoha princess would explain herself.
After the last ninja left, Tsunade took a deep breath: "He wanted... all of Konoha's jutsu archives."
The Third's pupils contracted sharply.
"Also," her nails dug into her palms, "the Shimura and Sarutobi clans... must leave Konoha."
Yu added from the side: "Plus all jutsu, territories, and assets under both clans' names—"
"Everything belongs to the Uchiha."
"What?!"
The Third's eyes blazed with fury, his withered hands suddenly gripping the sheets! How could she agree to such outrageous demands!
The magnetic lines suddenly tightened with his struggles. Yu was somewhat displeased: "Old man..."
"Think about what you people did to the Uchiha..."
"Then think about your clan members."
The Third's body shuddered violently, his eyes gradually clearing.
He understood better than anyone that this youth's power had long exceeded reason. If truly angered, no one in Konoha could stop him.
For now, agreeing to his conditions seemed the best approach.
"...Fine."
The Third's eyes dimmed, his voice heavy: "We agree... but you must guarantee..."
"You won't harm innocent villagers."
Yu sneered, his eyes full of disdain: "Do you think I'm scum like Danzo?"
"Danzo..." The Third suddenly remembered the screams he'd vaguely heard while unconscious. "Where is Danzo?"
Tsunade's face instantly turned deathly pale as gruesome images flashed through her mind.
"Outside," Yu casually pointed toward the tent exit.
"Everywhere."
The Third's body went rigid.
Though they disagreed on principles, Danzo had been his comrade-in-arms for decades, contributing greatly to Konoha.
His withered fingers dug deep into the bed's edge as a flash of determination crossed the Third's eyes—perhaps he could...
"Oh, right."
Seeing the Third silently hanging his head, Yu couldn't help reminding him: "During treatment, I left a little something inside your body."
The youth smiled as he made an explosive gesture: "With just one thought from me, you'll die even more... freely than Danzo."
"You!" Tsunade was instantly furious. "You clearly promised me..."
"I did save his life." Yu spread his hands innocently. "But in case this old man tries to attack after recovering, I had to take some protective measures."
As if to confirm this statement, a strange, terrifying energy suddenly coursed through the Third. Then instantly returned to normal.
The Third's face turned ashen, his last thoughts of resistance completely crushed. Were these really methods a twelve-year-old could possess?
The magnetic lines withdrew with a "swish" as Yu lazily waved his hand: "Now, take these people and get lost."
He turned toward the tent exit, then seemed to remember something and looked back.
"I'm kindhearted—I'll allow you to take extra provisions."
With that, the tent flap gently fell.
Tsunade and the Third sat in wordless confrontation, the atmosphere heavy.
Just this morning the Third had been leisurely smoking in his office, yet by evening the entire Sarutobi clan would be expelled from Konoha...
Unable to bear seeing her teacher so despondent, Tsunade comforted: "Jiraiya and the others haven't returned yet. When they come back, maybe..."
"Jiraiya and the others..." The Third suddenly smiled bitterly. "Even if they rushed back, what could they do?"
That monster's displayed power had long transcended the ninja realm.
What ninjutsu, what taijutsu—before that dimension of power, everything was a joke. Even he as Hokage was helpless before him; no matter how many elite jonin came, they'd just be cannon fodder.
The Third tremblingly stood up, his withered palm pressing heavily on Tsunade's shoulder: "Konoha... I leave to you."
The old man walked out of the tent with hunched back, his figure particularly desolate in the twilight.
Since resistance was futile, at least... he had to ensure his clan members left alive.
"Hoooo—"
A low horn echoed above Konoha.
Members of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans formed a long line, carrying simple bundles as they slowly walked through the gates under countless complex gazes. They had once been Konoha's most prestigious families, now expelled like stray dogs.
The two clans' ninja gripped their kunai tightly, eyes full of unwillingness.
Yu floated in mid-air, his magnetic field perception sweeping over each departing wagon.
BANG!
Suddenly, a Shimura clan member trying to hide scrolls was overturned by invisible force, secret jutsu scrolls scattering across the ground.
"Next time," Yu's voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone's spine run cold, "you'll stay permanently."
At the rear of the convoy, several young ninja suddenly attacked, only to be ground into chunks by magnetic lines the instant they leaped.
After this bloody lesson, everyone held their breath and just kept their heads down, walking in silence.
Konoha's gates slowly closed behind them with a heavy, muffled sound.
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