Naruto: Escape From Konoha

Chapter 21: Avoid Distractions

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"The war is over."

The Hokage Building stood in the shadow of the rocky cliffs.

The third Hokage, Sarutobi, along with his advisors Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and the leader of the Root, Shimura Danzo, gathered here.

Turning away from the conference table, Koharu gazed out the window at the beautiful sunset and sighed, a relaxed expression on her face. It was evident that she was in a good mood.

After a brief silence in the conference room, another advisor, Homura, spoke up. "Although the war has ended, there are still urgent issues that need to be resolved. Additionally, Jiraiya has not returned yet. At this critical moment for Konoha, when everything is waiting to be concluded, as a Jōnin of the village, he should not act according to his own will."

Mutterings of dissatisfaction towards Jiraiya could be heard from Koharu.

After the War in the Land Of Rain, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were bestowed the title of "Sannin" by Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, as an honorary recognition in the shinobi world.

However, only Orochimaru and Tsunade returned. Jiraiya was currently staying in the Amegakure, as he had taken in three orphans from there.

Koharu turned her head and continued, "Indeed, Hiruzen, as a Konoha Jōnin, he disregarded orders, took in orphans from Amegakure, and has been absent from the village for a considerable period. This seriously violates the village's rules."

Allowing such ninjas to roam freely would undermine the credibility of the village's rules.

However, at present, Konoha had not sent any ninja to dissuade Jiraiya, nor had they announced him as a rebel.

As a disciple of the Hokage, only the Hokage himself could issue an arrest order.

The Hokage twirled the pipe in his hand and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, Jiraiya is an exceptional ninja who embodies the will of fire. He understands the importance."

Homura and Koharu frowned, unconvinced by Hiruzen's words.

He added, "Jiraiya also wrote to me earlier, saying that this would improve Konoha's relationship with Amegakure and earn a favor from Hanzo."

Upon hearing this, Homura's dissatisfaction grew even more. He knew that Hiruzen, being Jiraiya's teacher, he would be unable to bring himself to punish him and was making excuses.

"Hiruzen, you are too lenient with your students, and you claim that now is not the time for anger. He is a Konoha ninja, not a ninja of the Amegakure"

Although Konoha emerged as the final victor in the Land Of Rain War, the victory was not without difficulties.

The crucial point was that while Konoha defeated Amegakure, they failed to defeat Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure.

During the final battle of the Ame, Hundreds of Konoha ninjas who followed Orochimaru and Jiraiya were killed. In the end, only Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were spared by Hanzo and were given the name "Sannin."

Now, the animosity between Konoha and Amegakure can be described as intense.

If Hanzo hadn't shown appreciation or had been cautious enough to kill Jiraiya outright, Konoha wouldn't have been able to protect him.

All Hanzo needed to do was frame Jiraiya for "stealing vital information from other countries" and expose it to the ninja world.

Other Ninja villages would gladly see Konoha weakened and lend support to Hanzo, and Konoha would find itself isolated.

"If anything happens, as Hokage, I will take responsibility."

Hiruzen said this, abruptly putting an end to Homura and Koharu's desire to punish Jiraiya.

"Danzo, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Homura didn't believe that Hiruzen could truly bear such responsibility; he was merely showing favoritism towards his own disciple.

So he turned his attention to the leader of the Root, Danzi.

Since Danzo's arrival, he had remained silent, sitting quietly on the side. However, Homura and Koharu had to acknowledge the suggestion put forth by Danzo.

"Didn't Hiruzen already address it? If something goes wrong with Jiraiya, he will take responsibility. He is Konoha's Hokage. Besides, I have other matters to attend to at the Root, so I will take my leave."

Danzo stood up from his seat and left the conference room, not willing to stay any longer.

He, too, couldn't change what Hiruzen had decided. Such is the power of the Hokage.

Regardless, if something were to happen to Jiraiya, he could openly say the hokage was responsible. So why worry?

Homura and Koharu exchanged glances, not expecting Danzo to depart so easily.

"Since Danzo does not object, let it be regarding Jiraiya. Hiruzen, you should also pay closer attention to the training of medical ninjas. Konoha is in urgent need of excellent medical ninjas like Tsunade."

Realizing that there was no room for further action, Homira and Koharu followed Danzo's lead and left. Before departing, they reminded Hiruzen to prioritize the training of medical ninjas.

Hiruzen shook his head; these three individuals always seemed eager to provoke him.

However, considering Jiraiya's recent stay in the Amegakure and his adoption of orphans, Hiruzen, as his teacher, felt that it was impulsive and reckless. It didn't align with the behavior expected of a ninja.

Guilt-ridden or driven by other reasons, Hiruzen remained unaware. But if Jiraiya were forcibly brought back, something unpleasant might occur.

As long as he could be of use in a critical moment, Hiruzen had no choice but to turn a blind eye to this frequently out-of-sync disciple. He would write a letter to Jiraiya, advising him to prioritize his own safety and to be wary of the three orphans from the Land of Rain in case of danger.

This led to the most pressing questions:

- The training of medical ninjas.

- Restricting the growth of the Root.

These were the headaches faced by Hiruzen as the Hokage.

Especially the latter issue— the Root. As a branch of the Anbu, it had now become a personal organization controlled solely by high-level elders. Even the Hokage himself couldn't penetrate their ranks, and they grew increasingly mysterious.

The original purpose of establishing the Root was to handle covert missions that couldn't be officially carried out under the Anbu's name, directly accountable to the Hokage. It was meant to be a subdivision of the Anbu under Danzo's control.

However, it had unexpectedly evolved to its present state, with its roots deeply embedded, surpassing the secrecy even within the Hokage's Anbu. The ninjas there had severed their emotions and become Danzo's personal armed force.

What was needed now was balance... How could the village find equilibrium?

Hiruzen fell deep into thought.

During the war, everyone temporarily set aside their prejudices and united against the outside world. But after the war, the true complexities emerged.

....

The following day.

Ninja Academy, Medical Ninjutsu Experimental Class

The instructor who arrived for class today was not the Anbu medical Jōnin as expected, but a female ninja with a somewhat unfamiliar appearance.

She wore the standard Konoha Jōnin uniform, with pale golden double ponytails tied behind her head, giving her a bold aura.

"I'm a Konoha Jònin by the name Tsunade, and I will be your medical ninjutsu teacher henceforth."

As she walked to the front podium, she introduced herself to the students in the classroom.

Whispers filled the room; the students were not entirely unfamiliar with Tsunade.

In Konoha, she was one of the most renowned Jōnin, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, a disciple of the third Hokage, and the village's top medical Jōnin.

She had made significant achievements in the War with Ame and was honored with the title of Sannin by Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure.

However, it was unexpected that she would replace the original Anbu Jōnin, who was skilled in medical ninjutsu, and become their new teacher.

Nonetheless, this sparked curiosity and excitement among the students. Compared to the mysterious Anbu who wore animal masks all the time, Tsunade was a young and beautiful woman with ample bosom. It was like having your dream teacher.

For instance, during class, they could enjoy watching an exciting ball game for free.

Shiraishi sat in the corner of the classroom, secretly observing... ahem, carefully observing Tsunade's every move.

As expected of a Jōnin and the granddaughter of the first Hokage, her every action was flawless.

It seemed that there was still a considerable gap between himself and a Jōnin.

Shiraishi gained a more intuitive understanding of what it meant to be a Jōnin.

When class ended, Ruri was waiting for him outside.

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was slowly descending in the west, casting a beautiful sunset in the distance.

Tsunade came out of the classroom, carrying a textbook in her hands. She noticed Shiraishi and Ruri and was slightly surprised.

Of course, her attention wasn't on the ordinary student Shiraishi, but on Ruri.

The Uchiha emblem on the other party's attire was quite conspicuous, allowing Tsunade to immediately recognize that Ruri was from the Uchiha clan.

"Who are you?" Tsunade seemed intrigued.

A Uchiha ninja waiting here alongside a civilian was quite unusual.

Before taking charge of this class, Tsunade had read the profiles of all the students in Shiraishi's class.

Even when she first arrived to teach, she had researched basic information about Shiraishi.

"Civilian, both parents deceased."

Tsunade's mind quickly connected the dots.

"Tsunade, I am Uchiha Ruri."

In the face of Tsunade's Jōnin status, Ruri behaved neither humble nor arrogant.

After all, she was going to become a Jōnin herself, sooner or later, with power and status.

Moreover, Tsunade's identity was highly sensitive; as the direct-line princess of the Senju clan, she was, to some extent, the mortal enemy of the Uchiha, to which Ruri belonged.

If Tsunade wanted to make things difficult for her, Ruri would never sit here and await her fate.

Tsunade simply nodded, not saying much and not making things difficult for the young Ruri, even though she hailed from the Uchiha clan.

After inquiring about Ruri's name, Tsunade left the hallway.

"Why is Jōnin Tsunade here?"

Ruri asked Shiraishi, wondering why a Jōnin like Tsunade would be present.

"The previous teacher was replaced. Now Tsunade-sensei is responsible for teaching the students in the first experimental class about medical ninjutsu."

Shiraishi replied casually.

"I see. It seems that the village is putting great effort into training medical ninjas."

"Yeah, I was quite honored when I found out beforehand."

Looking at the smile on Shiraishi's face, Ruri couldn't help but feel speechless.

Why didn't she see any signs of being honored from this guy?

Men are such hypocrites.

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