Hyuga Kazuma lowered his stance so much that Tsunade felt bad continuing to pick on him. She had originally planned to continue picking on him when Hyuga Kazuma and the others spoke back, using the Hyuga clan as an example to show the others from Konoha just how Kirito ranked within the Senju clan.
However, she didn't expect Hyuga Kazuma to be able to tolerate so much.
"Kirito, what do you think?"
Tsunade was still a little upset, so she decisively continued to stand up for Kirito and put the decision in his hands.
Hearing Tsunade's words, Hyuga Kazuma immediately looked at Kirito, his face showing a hint of nervousness.
He no longer dared to treat Kirito as an ordinary kid. Although the other party was young, his influence had already been great without him knowing it.
Moreover, he seemed to have a grudge against the Hyuga clan.
"Sister, let's just leave it at that. I wasn't hurt, and Chief Kazuma Hyuga has already promised to give me a satisfactory explanation, so I trust him."
Kirito had no intention of making a big deal out of it. Seeing that Tsunade was using a strong attitude to suppress the Hyuga clan, he decisively chose to let the matter rest, to make himself appear more generous.
The Senju clan was currently strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and it was really inadvisable to make enemies with a powerful clan like the Hyuga clan, which would not be conducive to Tsunade or Nawaki becoming Hokage in the future.
"Okay, then do as you wish. If you encounter this kind of thing in the future, don't do it yourself. Your sister is very strong, and the Senju clan is also your backing, so you must remember that."
Hearing this, Tsunade was very satisfied with Kirito's choice and revealed a happy smile as she spoke.
"Yes, sister."
Kirito answered obediently.
The Hyuga Kazuma and the other members of the Hyuga clan let out a sigh of relief.
They had long been accustomed to keeping a low profile, and even though the Senju clan was clearly in decline, they still did not want to make enemies with them.
There was no choice; the Senju clan still had Tsunade.
The strong Princess of Konoha had not only taught the Hyuga clan a lesson today, but also other ninja clans that had been sneaking around nearby, watching the place – the Senju clan still had the confidence to protect their own.
"Kirito, don't worry, the Hyūga clan will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation, and the Hyūga clan will always welcome you as a guest."
Hyuga Kazuma spoke gently to Kirito.
Afterwards, he signalled with his eyes for the branch family elders beside him to do something.
Without saying a word, the branch family elders fiercely aimed at Hyūga Ishi and slapped their palm in midair, and a powerful high-density chakra instantly spewed from the palm of their hand, transforming into a powerful chakra shockwave.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
In an instant, Hyūga Ishi was heavily hit and sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of blood before lying on the ground like a dead dog.
Next, the two Hyūga ninja from the branch family immediately appeared beside Hyūga Ishi and quickly took him away.
Tsunade coldly watched the Hyūga clan put on a show, and without saying a word, she quietly watched them perform.
"I apologize for the show, I bid you farewell,"
Hyuga Kazuma smiled at the two and then decisively excused himself, quickly leaving with the rest of the Hyuga clan.
"Let's go back too, Kirito. Don't wander off tonight,"
Tsunade said immediately after seeing that things had been settled.
"Yes, sister,"
Kirito answered obediently before grabbing Tsunade's outstretched hand and returning to the Senju Clan territory with her.
The onlookers nearby dispersed one after the other when they saw this.
"I didn't realize that Tsunade valued Kirito so highly. It seems that it will be very difficult to recruit Kirito into my squad. What a pity. If my squad had Kirito, even if we had to go on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines, it would be a piece of cake."
Orochimaru came out from behind a tree at the scene. He looked at the departing backs of Kirito and Tsunade and said with a face of regret.
Then, his gaze turned to the Hyuga clan's direction, revealing an interested look.
Then, a small white snake poked its head out of his sleeve, dropped to the ground, and quickly disappeared.
He had a feeling that the reason behind Hyūga Ishi's provocation of Kirito this time was not as simple as it seemed.
"Hanare? I didn't expect that this child from a branch family with little future would be valued by Kirito so highly. It seems that I need to cultivate her well in the future, and there might be unexpected gains,"
Orochimaru mused.
The main reason he took a fancy to Hanare was that Hanare had Byakugan and had already completed the eye opening process early, so her bloodline limits had great potential.
In Orochimaru'squad, the only one he actually took a fancy to was Minato, because Minato was the only one who successfully broke the seal technique Orochimaru had placed on the test paper, which was far more difficult than the level of a genin. Coupled with the fact that Minato was a civilian ninja, this made Orochimaru see a kindred spirit.
Compared to Hyuga Hanare and Akimichi Dōto, Minato is undoubtedly the most suitable person to inherit his mantle.
However, the disciple he most wants to obtain is still Kirito.
"Natural energy, how on earth did he do it?"
Orochimaru thought of Kirito and his improved sealing technique, the Adamantine Sealing Chain, and his heart could not help but fill with curiosity.
Natural energy, this kind of power he has been studying for quite some time, but unfortunately has not made any progress.
His physique seems to be unsuitable for cultivating this kind of energy, although he has found a way to guide it from nature, he himself cannot even perceive it, let alone use it freely.
On the contrary, that idiot Jiraiya has already been able to perceive natural energy, and has even begun to practice ninja techniques, which makes him quite frustrated.
He had been unable to find a way to manipulate natural energy for a long time, and as a result, shortly after returning to the village, he had actually found a clue to using natural energy from what Kirito had improved, the seal technique Adamantine Sealing Chain. This discovery really shocked him.
He had been conceited that he was very talented, but he had finally discovered that there were still mountains higher than his.
Compared to Kirito, who had completed the improvement of the Uzumaki clan's unique seal technique, Adamantine Sealing Chain, at the age of 8, and found a way to use natural energy, the various secret techniques he had previously developed were really not worth mentioning.
He had a hunch that if he got Kirito's help, the speed at which he studied a certain technique would definitely increase greatly.
"I wonder if Kirito is interested in immortality. Never mind, Kirito is still young and doesn't understand the meaning of life yet. I'll discuss this with him after he goes to war. Only those who have known death can know how beautiful life is..."
Orochimaru muttered, a trace of sadness in his eyes.
But soon, he hid this trace of sadness, regained his coldness, and headed towards his laboratory outside the village.
...
On the other side, Konoha Prison.
Protected by a group of elite ANBU shinobi, Sandaime passed through the heavy blockade inside the prison and continued deeper and deeper into the depths of the prison.
In no time, he finally arrived at the cell at the deepest part of the prison.
Here, he saw the people from the Root.
The two Root ninjas only nodded faintly when they saw him, without even a basic greeting, and there was a faint aura of chakra fluctuation emanating from their bodies, clearly preparing some sort of jutsu. If he made any sudden moves inside, they would strike even if he was the Hokage.
Sandaime was dissatisfied, but said nothing.
He knew the situation at the Root well.
These Root ninjas had all been brainwashed by Danzo or controlled with curse marks. The only person they were loyal to was Danzo himself, and they simply did not regard him, the Hokage, as their leader.
Therefore, the Root was in fact Danzo's personal armed forces, an armed force that operated outside the authority of Konoha.
Sandaime noticed this problem a long time ago, but since he had just taken power at the time and did not have enough control over Konoha, he needed this extra force of Danzo's to help him handle things that he was not comfortable doing in person, so he turned a blind eye.
Danzo had always done a good job completing the various tasks he was given, no matter how big, difficult or dirty they were, and he had been of great help.
His ability to quickly secure the throne of Hokage was inseparable from Danzo's silent efforts behind him.
Those were the days when he and Danzo were close, and he trusted Danzo implicitly, giving him a great deal of power and autonomy.
He just didn't know when his good friend started to change. He obeyed his orders outwardly but disobeyed them inwardly, and did many things under the guise of him and Konoha that he didn't know about.
When he reacted and tried to deal with Danzo, he suddenly discovered that the strength of the Root, led by Danzo, had grown to a terrifying level, and that many parts of Konoha had become somewhat dependent on the Root's help.
If he took action against Danzo, it would inevitably and immediately shake the delicate balance he had worked so hard to establish in Konoha.
He was therefore forced to temporarily suspend his plan to deal with Danzo, but began to impose restrictions on the Root, no longer sending personnel to the Root at will.
After that, his conflicts and disagreements with Danzo grew increasingly serious.
If it weren't for the war, Konoha would not need to use the Root, and he might have long since disbanded or eliminated this armed force that was outside of Konoha's power.
"It's too late to say anything. Fortunately, he made a fool of himself in front of Lord Mito, and now he's even more manageable than before."
Sandaime quickly thought about his current relationship with Danzo, and his eyes gradually became cold.
The reason he came to see Danzo today was to warn him.
The information that Hattori Masanari had given Konoha had been verified as correct, but he didn't know where that bastard Danzo had gotten the news from, and now he had actually sent the elite of the Root to the Land of Rain to search for Hattori Masanari everywhere.
Hattori Masanari had previously warned Konoha that the trade fair was not to be disturbed by anyone from the Root.
Now that Danzo had done so, he was simply touching his reverse scale.
Hattori Masanari's information is very important, and this transaction between Konoha and Hattori Masanari must be completed successfully. If Danzo dares to cause trouble and let Konoha miss the opportunity to defeat Sunagakure, he will definitely not forgive Danzo this time.
In order to let Danzo understand his determination, he specially came in person today.
"It's Hiruzen, since you're here, come in and talk, I've already made some tea."
Suddenly, Danzo's voice came from behind the cell door in front of him.
Sandaime frowned slightly at the sound of the voice, then without hesitation pushed open the cell door.
The next moment, an unfathomable darkness appeared before his eyes, and his old comrade, whom he had not seen for a long time, was now enveloped in darkness, only his eyes, which gleamed dangerously in the darkness, were visible.