Chapter 252 Slug Princess

The Orochimaru incident ended when the sun rose on the second day. In addition to the main culprit, more than a dozen accomplices were arrested. For a time, the village was outraged, and many people spontaneously came to Orochimaru's residence to cause damage. The Anbu ninja turned a blind eye to this. Anyway, the Hokage did not order it to be banned, so they would not do anything unnecessary.

At noon that day, Jiraiya received the news and hurried back to the village from Mount Myoboku. He did not bother to meet the familiar ninjas, and went directly to the Konoha Hospital to find Tsunade Senju to discuss countermeasures.

Tsunade was having lunch. Several exquisite dishes were placed on the table. As if in anticipation of Jiraiya's arrival, two sets of bowls and chopsticks were placed on the table.

"You're here," Tsunade greeted without even raising her eyelids, "You haven't eaten yet, sit down and eat together."

Jiraiya was not wearing Konoha's standard vest, but a loose-fitting casual uniform with a pair of wooden clogs on his feet. Seeing Tsunade so relaxed, he couldn't help but said anxiously: "It's already late, how can I have the mood to eat! You pack up and follow me to the Hokage's office to beg for mercy, at least to keep Orochimaru free!"

Tsunade was unmoved. She picked up the chopsticks gracefully and added a piece of tuna meat. She put it into her mouth and chewed it until it was swallowed. Then she said, "Don't be impatient. The old man has repeatedly warned us to be calm in times of crisis. You sit down and eat first. We haven't eaten together for a long time. It won't be too late to go after we finish eating."

Jiraiya had a gloomy face. After thinking again and again, he slowly sat down opposite Tsunade. However, he had no appetite when looking at the exquisite dishes. He took a gulp from the teacup and said, "Eat quickly. After you finish eating, we will go to the Hokage's office to beg for mercy!"

"What are you in such a hurry for!" Tsunade slapped the table with a slap on her hand, looking very angry: "When will you be able to control your impatience? Don't be impatient when encountering things, take care of yourself first!"

"For meals, all of them are your favorite dishes. I specially asked people to buy them from different restaurants."

Jiraiya had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and start eating, but he was still distracted and the delicious dishes became tasteless.

After the two finished their meal, someone came in and wanted to clean up. Tsunade waved her hand to signal him to leave, stood up and made a cup of tea for Jiraiya, and brought an ashtray, then sat down again and said, "You can talk now."

"Orochimaru is our close friend. Now that he is in trouble, we must mediate no matter what. You have the best relationship with Ye Shan, so think of a solution."

Their relationship is more than just good, they even sleep in the same bed, it can be said that you are in me and I am in you.

"Have you met anyone else before coming here?" Tsunade's question was completely different from the original, leaving Jiraiya confused.

"No, I came to you after leaving Myoboku Mountain. During that time, someone wanted to negotiate with me, but I sent him away." Jiraiya answered honestly.

"Then do you know what happened at the Jonin Conference held late at night?" Tsunade asked again.

"Nature knows nothing!"

"Alas!" Tsunade sighed and said, "You know nothing. Going to the Hokage's office to beg for mercy is asking for trouble. From this morning till now, many people have been killed. They all went to beg for mercy!"

Jiraiya touched his neck in annoyance and said with a sad face: "No matter what, Ye Shan's punishment is too severe. Orochimaru is the pillar of the village. He is destroying his own wall by doing this!"

"Call me Hokage-sama!"

"what?"

"What?" Tsunade raised her eyebrows and said, "Now that Hayama is in power, your relationship with him is definitely not good enough to call him by his name. Is it okay to call him Hokage?"

Jiraiya was dejected. Tsunade's words woke him up. The days when Sarutobi Hiruzen was in power were a thing of the past. They were no longer the three ninjas who could do whatever they wanted in the village. How could he not be dejected and sad?

"Hokage-sama's leadership ability is unparalleled, but the punishment for Orochimaru is too severe. He is imprisoned for life and deprived of his honor. I cannot agree with it."

"That's his own fault! Stealing the first generation cells for forbidden technique research and killing ninjas from the same village for human experiments, these two alone are enough to kill Orochimaru several times. Hayama was quite lenient by sparing his life."

Jiraiya was speechless. He was an indecisive person, especially when dealing with matters related to people around him. If it weren't for this, he would be the best candidate for Hokage. To put it bluntly, he was too kind-hearted. He always considered the other party in everything, even if he was the one who was wronged.

"I understand the truth, but I really can't stand watching my childhood friend suffer!"

"Do you remember that Orochimaru saved us countless times on the battlefield? That guy may be a little cold, but he's still a reliable partner." Jiraiya began to play the emotional card, trying to awaken the weak part of Tsunade's heart.

He knew very well that it would be absolutely futile for him to plead alone. He and the Hokage did not have a very good relationship. But Tsunade was different. As long as she nodded and spoke, Yeshan would more or less take her into consideration.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Tsunade asked with a frown.

"Know!"

Tsunade suddenly picked up the teacup, smashed it hard, and said loudly: "You know nothing! You have been wandering outside the village for so many years. How much time do you have to care about the development of the political situation!?"

"If you were interested in the politics of the village, why don't you hold any official position now?"

"I'm not cut out for this..." Jiraiya lowered his head guiltily and defended himself in a low voice.

"Excuses, all excuses!" Tsunade was shaking with anger, and angrily said, "It was fine that you were lazy when the old man was alive, but after Hayama became Hokage, you still did not change your bad habits. You only knew how to travel and collect materials all day long. Now that your companions are in prison, you want to come out and beg for mercy?"

"That bastard Orochimaru used my grandfather's cells for experiments, hoping to develop a way to immortality. You come to ask me to help you. Have you ever considered my feelings?!"

"That's my most beloved grandfather, the one who raised me up with just one mouthful of rice and one mouthful of soup! I wish I could kill Orochimaru with my own hands. Begging for mercy? Dream on!"

Jiraiya covered his face with his hands, as if he didn't dare to face Tsunade, and his voice became dull: "Orochimaru is not honest, but he is also temporarily bewildered. When he comes out, I will help you vent your anger."

"Tsunade, no matter what, Orochimaru is our closest friend. There's no reason to watch him become a cripple. Consider it a plea from me!"

Tsunade took a deep breath, calmed her agitated emotions, and slowly said: "You have not been in the village for a long time, so you don't know much about what is happening. Our new Hokage is a leader with lofty ambitions."

Jiraiya still covered his face and asked, "Aspirations are high?"

"Yes, Ye Shan is implementing reforms, and the location he has chosen is the Rain Country. Once the reforms are proven to be effective, they will sooner or later spread to the Fire Country, and by then the ninja world will undergo a major change."

Jiraiya was confused. He understood the word reform, but wasn't Hayama the Hokage of Konohagakure? Why did he go to the Land of Rain to reform?

“How to reform it specifically?”

"You don't need to worry about the specific measures, but once the reforms are effective, the daimyo and nobles will no longer exist, and the production relations will be completely different."

"Who will rule the world then? Does he want to take charge of both military and political affairs?"

Tsunade held her forehead and sighed, "When you have nothing to do, read the newspaper more often, especially the newspaper of the Ninjutsu Research Association. It publishes all the information about the reform, which will be very helpful for you to understand the reform."

"Come back to your senses. Don't indulge in meaningless things. Pay more attention to politics. Your beloved disciple has become a pioneer of reform, and you, as their master, are still in the dark. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if this gets out?"

Although Jiraiya was not interested in politics, he had a keen sense of smell and accurately grasped the key point: "Are you against reform?"

Tsunade was silent for a long time, and then said, "It's too radical. Hayama's idea is good, but everything happened too suddenly. Less than half a month after the end of the Ninja World War, the reform kicked off vigorously, and many ninjas were not prepared."

"That's not important. What's important is why you object?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade held the new teacup and sipped it. After a while, she replied, "It's not a clear-cut opposition, but more of a worry about the future."

"It takes time for a class to form. The fittest survive and the weakest are eliminated. The carriage of the times cannot tolerate the weak. But have you ever thought about why your grandfather and his people did not choose a new ruling model decades ago, but continued to let the daimyo nobles do whatever they want?"

Jiraiya scratched his head, unable to give an answer.

Tsunade didn't expect him to give an answer. She put down her teacup and leaned back in her chair, saying, "The rule of the daimyo nobles has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. They have complete ruling power. To this day, they are still synonymous with power, and ninjas are just vassals."

"Not everything in the world can be solved by force. Even though my grandfather is known as the God of Ninja, he is still helpless when facing the Daimyo class. Ninjas need to eat, and Ninja villages need to develop, which requires financial support. However, the means of production are in the hands of the Daimyo, which makes Ninjas naturally half a head shorter."

"Now that Ye Shan wants to use chakra to liberate productivity and control the actual means of production, it will inevitably lead to the relentless opposition of the old forces. You may not know this, but the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has issued an edict that the village will not get a penny next year."

Jiraiya was shocked. No matter how dumb he was, he knew what kind of situation the village would fall into if it lost the support of the daimyo. He couldn't help but worry: "Next year will be like a bone-pulling for Konoha! Hasn't Lord Hokage ever thought about taking it slow? The most taboo for politicians is to be impatient and take risks, otherwise they will most likely be doomed!"

Tsunade shook her head and said, "I have said these words many times, but Ye Shan didn't listen to a word I said. He seems to want to prove himself too much!"

"I don't think so," Jiraiya said, sitting upright, "I have met Hokage a lot. In my impression, he is a mature and steady young man. He always does things in an orderly manner, unlike the impatient and impetuous person who is eager for success."

"But he did it," Tsunade sighed, "The village has been brought to the edge of the cliff by him. Any mistake will be shattered, just like the cup just now."

"You don't seem to be telling the truth. Do we really need to hide anything from each other?"

Tsunade frowned, thought for a moment and said, "I like gambling, but I am still a conservative at heart. Konohagakure was founded by my grandfather, and the one village, one country system is a groundbreaking product. The Senju clan has paid too much for the village. If possible, I hope this system will continue instead of ending suddenly."

"Hayama becoming the Hokage broke the monopoly of the Senju clan on the position of Hokage. I have no reason to object. Because the Hokage is the Hokage of the village, not the Hokage of the Senju clan. It is normal for whoever has the ability and skill to become the Hokage."

"But I feel uneasy about his eagerness to overthrow the political system left by my grandfather. After all, this is one of the few traces that prove the existence of the Senju clan."

"Whenever it's late at night and everyone is asleep, I look at Ye Shan who is sleeping soundly, and I can't help but think, if he had behaved himself and fulfilled his duties as Hokage, and trained the next generation of successors, how great it would be to keep the village stable for another fifty years!"

Jiraiya remained silent. He had seen too many ways of the world and naturally understood what it meant to share the same bed but different dreams.

"Let's put these aside and talk about begging for mercy." Jiraiya didn't want to get involved in the vortex of political struggle, so he deliberately changed the subject and said, "You have another reason to speak up for Orochimaru. He is different from me. His students and former officials are spread all over every corner of the village. You need his strength."

Tsunade's face showed a look of pain and struggle. On one side was her confidant, and on the other was the property left by her family members. One can imagine how difficult it was for her to be caught in the middle.

"Everything will eventually be eliminated, but the one village, one country system has never reached that point. It should have continued to flourish for at least 50 years."

Tsunade shook off the tangled pain and said with determination: "You are right, even if Orochimaru stole my grandfather's cells for dirty research, I will still plead for him. Compared to physical blasphemy, grandfather should be more concerned about spiritual betrayal!"

"For the sake of the village, my grandfather resolutely gave up his friendship and chose to end Uchiha Madara's life with his own hands; for the sake of the village, the Senju clan went to the battlefield one after another, choosing a life as short as fireworks. The blessings that our ancestors shed their blood and sacrificed their lives for should not end in the hands of our generation. Even if Ye Shan succeeds in his reforms, the nature of the village will change drastically. Who will remember the Will of Fire by then?"

Tsunade stood up, looked down at Jiraiya, and said word by word: "This is a clash of ideologies. It can also be called a conflict between conservatives and radicals. But no matter how you describe it, it is a life-and-death struggle!"

"I plead for Orochimaru not because of our old friendship, but because we need his political resources. For this reason, I can ignore his shameful act of blaspheming my grandfather!"

Jiraiya sighed and looked at Tsunade with a serious expression, regretting why he came to ask her for help.

"You're still as stubborn as ever!"

"Is there any?"

"Yes, the eldest princess of Konoha, Tsunade Senju, has always been a stubborn person!"

"Call me Princess Slug, since my grandfather is no longer alive."