"How is this going?" Tsunade asked, her brow slightly furrowed. She had been busy preparing for her work in the laboratory when she received the urgent notice. The moment she arrived, a wave of relief washed over her upon seeing that neither Kain nor Kushina was injured. The thought of either of them getting hurt was intolerable for her, especially since Kain was connected to her brother's hope for recovery, and Kushina was someone she cared about deeply.
"I was attacked by Cloud Shinobi spies, but I feel there's something more going on here. You can investigate it yourself," Kain replied, his face calm despite the turmoil brewing within him. Konoha's politics had reached a level of corruption that deeply unsettled him. He could bring benefits to Konoha, but it seemed the village couldn't help but plot against him. Even if he wielded immense power, he couldn't stop the insatiable greed that surrounded him.
"What happened?" Tsunade pressed, sensing Kain's growing disdain toward Konoha. She was eager to know the details. Surely, it couldn't have been just a straightforward spy attack.
"I won't say much more about it; you should look into it yourself, Tsunade-san." Kain shook his head. He then gently patted Kushina on the head and added, "Since you're here, please take Kushina with you. Let's go back."
"You bastard," Tsunade muttered, feeling a twinge of irritation at Kain's use of honorifics. This incident was not her fault; why was he blaming her?
"Then what do you suggest I do? I have no idea if there are more spies lurking in the village. Why don't you come with me to the Senju clan's land? I can arrange for your safety there," Tsunade proposed, her tone becoming more serious.
Before she could finish, Kushina eagerly nodded to Kain like a chick pecking for feed, urging him, "Yes, boss! Go to the Senju clan. Sister Tsunade will protect you!"
"No," Kain replied flatly. How could he trust Konoha after everything that had just happened? He'd rather return to the Marvel world and be at ease.
"If possible, Tsunade-san, could you please send me out of the village? I'd prefer to leave now, but it seems the security team needs to ask me questions first," Kain stated, a hint of urgency in his voice.
Tsunade frowned, her concern evident. "It would be dangerous to leave the village at this moment."
"I'll be safe, I assure you. If you can, Tsunade-san," Kain pleaded. He understood her worries; she would likely not cease her research on the Extremis virus. A businessman like him wouldn't let others' animosity dictate his decisions. Regardless of whether this incident involved Tsunade, he still needed her research on the Extremis virus combined with Hashirama's cells.
Kain's return now served as a statement to Konoha; he would no longer provide medicine exclusively to the village. Should the situation demand it, he would use the excuse of not wanting to be targeted again to justify supplying medication to other nations. For Kain, the drug trade was akin to gambling; Konoha had already broken the contract first, so he wouldn't feel guilty for doing the same.
"Of course, it's fine to arrange for you to leave the village, but right now… well, let me talk to them," Tsunade reluctantly agreed, though she cursed under her breath. Who could be behind this mess? Danzo, perhaps?
The explosion had also attracted Nanami, and Kain seized this opportunity to relay some important information to her. Unable to purchase the death row inmate himself, he instructed Nanami to inform Aya.
Once Tsunade spoke with the security team, they initially wanted to interrogate Kain about the Cloud Shinobi spy. However, Tsunade's insistence and her authority made them relent. After all, the body of the spy was in their possession, and they planned to hand it over to the interrogation squad for the Yamanaka clan to extract memories.
After gaining the necessary permissions from the security team, Tsunade led Kushina and Kain out of Konoha. They stepped into the forest, where Kain asked Tsunade and Kushina to return home. Once they were out of sight, he discreetly moved behind a tree and activated his system to return directly to the Marvel world.
"Kushina, tell me exactly what happened just now," Tsunade said solemnly on their way back. She needed to understand why Kain's attitude had shifted so dramatically. If she mishandled this situation, it could have serious repercussions for the reform of Konoha's medical system. Konoha had become heavily reliant on Kain's medicines, and the hospital had yet to analyze their components; a sudden disruption could be catastrophic.
"After our team disbanded, I went to the dessert shop to find the boss, and we didn't talk for long," Kushina recounted, sensing Tsunade's seriousness. She relayed everything, particularly the moment Kain had questioned Namikaze Minato. Upon reflection, she realized that there was something off about Minato's words. While she didn't want to suspect him, it seemed the real issue lay with that Anbu.
Kushina thought back: How could the Anbu possibly have had time to inform Minato? Was this Anbu simply incompetent or acting under orders? Who in Konoha could command the Anbu like this?
"Damn bastards!" Tsunade exclaimed angrily, her desire to confront those responsible intensifying. She wanted to storm the Hokage building immediately and demand answers from those behind this chaos.
"Kushina, I'll take you home first," she stated firmly. After dropping Kushina off, she planned to confront those old-timers and demand clarity.
"Miss Tsunade, will the boss come back?" Kushina asked uneasily. Kain's mood had shifted so drastically; she feared he wouldn't return to Konoha. If he left, she would lose the only friend she felt she could confide in.
"He will definitely come back. You don't need to worry about that," Tsunade reassured her. After dropping Kushina off, she hurried towards the Hokage building. On her way, she unexpectedly encountered Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, what are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, her expression shifting from annoyance to curiosity.
Orochimaru smiled, his demeanor relaxed. "I came because you left so suddenly in the middle of your work. The old man asked me to wait for you, so here I am."
"It really has something to do with them?" Tsunade's anger flared up again. The Extremis virus that Kain possessed was directly linked to Nawaki's health—those bastards!
"Do you want to stop me?" Tsunade demanded, her voice sharp.
"No, Tsunade. I'm on your side. If you need me, I can accompany you to meet the old man," Orochimaru quickly interjected, not wanting to provoke her ire. He had no desire to be on the receiving end of Tsunade's rage, especially since his body modification technique was still a work in progress.
"I hope you'll allow me to participate in the experimental research. I'm very curious about what you've mentioned, and Nawaki is my student. I want to help," he added earnestly.
Tsunade's anger began to simmer down a bit upon hearing Orochimaru's plea. She finally relented, saying, "Okay, I agree, but first, let's head to the Hokage building together!"
And with that, the two of them headed off, determined to uncover the truth behind the troubling events that had unfolded.
….
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