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Jiraiya immediately became anxious upon hearing this. "Tsunade! Please, you must reconsider! Didn't you already realize that everything that Uzumaki said before was just to slander us!?"
"Mr. Jiraiya, please don't twist the concept. Uzumaki never lie. We merely brought up things you've done and stated them again. If you hadn't done these things, you naturally wouldn't have revealed weaknesses for me to exploit."
Tsunade remained silent for a moment, then still shook her head.
"I-is that so..." Jiraiya managed to utter with difficulty.
Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed herself, Tsunade then asked Jiraiya, "What do you plan to do next?"
"Me? Heh, well, there's no way I'm going to be Hokage." Jiraiya shook his head, then immediately smiled confidently. "However, Tsunade! I won't give up! For the sake of the village, I will definitely take you back!" Jiraiya, of course, also possessed the spirit of never giving up.
Tsunade gave a wry smile and shook her head. "A man who's too persistent isn't very likable."
Wu Jie interjected from the side, "Indeed, Mr. Jiraiya is quite annoying. Since you've already failed, just hurry back. Besides, I think the matter of whether you become Hokage or not is probably no longer up to you."
Jiraiya chuckled lightly. "What, can you actually force me to become Hokage?"
Wu Jie also laughed. "Perhaps, I truly can. So please listen carefully, Mr. Jiraiya. If you don't return to take up the Hokage position, I will find a way to support Danzo's rise to power. That old man is even more ruthless than I am. All Konoha shinobi are merely disposable tools in his eyes. Once he becomes Hokage, I'm afraid the first thing you'll do every morning when you wake up is to check that incredibly long list of casualties."
Since your destiny can be manipulated by the Great Toad Sage, why can't it be manipulated by me?
Jiraiya's expression changed instantly. He certainly knew what kind of person Danzo was. He had left the village initially under the pretext of pursuing Orochimaru after his defection, but after that, he had almost no further contact with Konoha. Part of the reason was naturally because he was searching the world for the Child of Prophecy, but another part was because he could no longer tolerate the Third Hokage constantly shielding Danzo Shimura, who harmed the village and his comrades!
So Jiraiya immediately retorted, "Danzo can't possibly become Hokage through the Jonin vote!"
Wu Jie smiled faintly. "Mr. Jiraiya, you must understand, this is wartime! Danzo's methods would be seen as strong during wartime. And in terms of power, authority, money, and intellect, within the current Konoha, besides you, no one can suppress Danzo. As long as you abandon your responsibility, the next Hokage will inevitably be Danzo Shimura!"
Even in the original timeline, when the Fifth Hokage Tsunade was critically injured and in a coma, Danzo became Acting Hokage. At that point, he was only a collective Jonin vote away from becoming the true Hokage.
Wu Jie continued, "You've placed the hope of saving the ninja world on others. Are you now going to place the hope of saving Konoha on others as well, Mr. Jiraiya? Please, be a man. Stop thinking of handing off difficult matters to others. Go and bear the responsibility you ought to bear."
Jiraiya was instantly speechless.
Tsunade felt a twinge of sympathy but ultimately just shook her head and sighed softly.
At this moment, Orochimaru spoke with a faint smile, "The outcome is decided, Jiraiya. It seems this Hokage position can only be yours. To think the loser would end up becoming Hokage... imagining it carefully, it's rather frustrating."
Jiraiya immediately retorted, "I don't see any frustration on your part!"
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Wu Jie's lips. This scene inexplicably gave him a sense of déja vu, like losing and having to marry Sakura. Sakura, I hope you won't have to pay off a mortgage in this lifetime.
"Hehe." Orochimaru looked at Wu Jie and said to him, "It seems now that you gathered us together to make it more convenient to defeat us. Jiraiya is already out. I'm very curious what methods you've prepared for me. After all, I'm not like that naive fellow Jiraiya, to be fettered by so many meaningless things."
Wu Jie nodded. "I am, of course, aware of Mr. Orochimaru's moral standards. However, I have always firmly believed in one principle: anyone can be bought. The only difference is that what buys them isn't necessarily money. Beliefs, ideals, or certain most important existences – all things can become bargaining chips."
"But before that, I want to clarify one thing to you. The ninjutsu that sealed your hands is called the 'Reaper Death Seal'. You might think it's the Fourth Hokage's jutsu, but it's actually a secret technique of the Uzumaki clan, taught by Kushina Uzumaki to the Fourth Hokage, who then taught it to the Third Hokage."
"Moreover, the Reaper Death Seal specifically targets the soul. Meaning, no matter how hard you work on your physical body, you absolutely cannot heal your hands, because what you've lost is part of your soul. And the only scroll capable of undoing this seal is in my hands. Mr. Orochimaru, we can discuss the details of our transaction privately later." Wu Jie dangled the Reaper Death Seal Release scroll in front of Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, and a smile appeared on his lips. "It seems you have indeed persuaded me." His goal was to heal his hands; whom he traded with was irrelevant to him.
After speaking, Orochimaru looked at Tsunade again. "Sorry, Tsunade, I'm withdrawing as well. Consider our previous deal void."
Tsunade 'hmphed'. "Well, I wasn't planning on healing you in the first place anyway." Although she tried hard to appear indifferent, a slightly disappointed look still flickered between her brows.
Wu Jie also smiled at Tsunade at this point. "Well then, Tsunade-sama, it seems I am the only competitor left now."
Tsunade shook her head and said helplessly, "What are you still competing for? I've already rejected Jiraiya. Hasn't your objective already been achieved?"
Wu Jie added, "To be precise, my previous objective was achieved. But as you know, people are fickle. So now I have a new goal. I hope to formally invite you to join our cause."
Tsunade almost thought she had misheard. She looked at Wu Jie with an incredulous expression. "Huh? Don't tell me you want me to follow you and start a Shinobi World War."
Wu Jie shook his head. "I'm not that confident."
Wu Jie took out the letter of appointment given to him by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and, at the same time, smiled at everyone, saying, "Before I explain to Tsunade-sama, I have an announcement to make to all of you. That is... we are actually already the Daimyo and Princess of the Land of Whirlpools."
"Huh!?" Everyone looked at Wu Jie and Karin² in shock. They had never imagined that matters between shinobi would actually involve a Daimyo. Then, if Jiraiya had truly attacked Wu Jie, how would that be counted? As an attack on a Daimyo?
Jiraiya was instantly stunned and asked, "How did you manage that!?"
"After the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, that land became ownerless. The neighboring Land of Fire took over the area and renamed it the Land of Waves. However, it had suffered very severe damage, and reconstruction required a lot of money. The nobles who took it over didn't want to foot the bill, so the Land of Waves was not rebuilt. The impoverished Land of Waves naturally couldn't contribute much in taxes either. So, I spent a little money and bought it back. Unlike that half-breed brat,³ we are orthodox descendants of the former Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, Ashina Uzumaki. We have the right of inheritance." I say we do, and we do. Anyway, the family register was burned to ashes long ago. Whose hair is redder than ours?
As for the price of buying back the Land of Waves, they only spent 35 million Ryo. This was practically no different from being given it for free. Even if the Land of Waves collected hardly any taxes, it was still the territory of a country; it was impossible to buy it for just that price. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire did this partly to strengthen the Daimyo faction's power. After all, once one became a Daimyo, even if only to protect one's own interests, Wu Jie would have to exert effort to maintain the rule of this class.
In his previous life, there was a basketball player who, as a player, slammed the table demanding salary increases from the owners. But after he became an owner himself, he slammed the table demanding salary cuts from the players. What determines a person's attitude is always their own position. The dragonslayer eventually becoming the dragon – that's the principle.
Wu Jie looked at Tsunade and continued, "In any case, there's no need for us to tell such easily exposed lies, so please don't doubt our identities."
Tsunade snorted lightly. "Why are you saying this now? Are you expecting me to bow to you, this 'Lord'?"
"If you are willing, I wouldn't refuse. However, what I want to say to you is... I hope to invite you to the Land of Whirlpools, to become the Land of Whirlpools', Acting Head of State!"
"Acting Head of State!?" Tsunade frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Simply put, it means managing the entire Land of Whirlpools on our behalf. You know what we are about to do. Once we change the name of the Land of Waves back to the Land of Whirlpools, countless conspiracies and retaliations will occur in that land. Therefore, I need someone sufficiently powerful and with high prestige to protect that land."
Tsunade shook her head, expressing little interest. "Why should I go protect a strange place? If I really wanted to do something, I might as well just go back to Konoha."
Jiraiya perked up at these words.
However, Wu Jie immediately said, "Please hear me out first. Unlike Jiraiya, that man who only knows how to pester relentlessly, I completely respect your thoughts. If you are still unwilling after hearing me out, then I will not bring this matter up again."
Setting other things aside, Wu Jie's statement of respecting her attitude made her feel quite comfortable, so she nodded. "Then go ahead and speak. Speaking of which, you were just saying that you believe anyone can be bought. Does that mean you've already prepared something to buy me with?"
Wu Jie nodded with a smile. "Of course. But please allow me to start from the beginning."
"Then I'm all ears." Tsunade's curiosity was also piqued. After all, Wu Jie had directly taken care of Jiraiya and Orochimaru with just two moves.