NARUTO: THE STRONGEST UZUMAKI

"What should we do?" Killua asked.

Tanaka knew deep down that he could be wrong; it might just be him overthinking. However, he wasn't going to sit idly by, hoping that the worst wouldn't happen.

"I'm going back to Uzushio. But before I return, I'll appoint two new 'commanders'." Tanaka said, "With me there, even if the worst happens, I should be able to handle it."

His confidence came from his strength and abilities.

And it wasn't about him killing them all, but rather, devastating them all. There's a difference.

In his mind, he had already visualized preventing the possible invasion and massacre of his homeland.

Another thing: the fact that he had basically thwarted the people from the Land of Sky—could that have been what kept Konoha from being preoccupied with them? Tanaka had thought about this... What if Konoha wasn't unwilling to help but was simply busy dealing with something problematic? What if it was the Land of Sky?

He might be giving Konoha a lot of credit, wanting to believe that deep down they still treated them as allies. But there's a chance it's something like this, and the other villages took advantage while Konoha was occupied—to attack Uzushiogakure.

Now, whether what he speculated is true or not; it's hard to tell. He might end up returning to the village, and nothing of the sort happens. But as the saying goes: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst...

In other words, if nothing bad happens, it's a good thing. And even if the worst does happen, he'll be ready to deal with it.

In a private room, Tanaka created a clone of 'Ace' and then removed the mask to transform into 'Sōsuke Aizen'.

This was a complex character. He wasn't confident in perfectly portraying him, but it would serve the purpose of improving his Genjutsu and Kenjutsu.

Clearing his throat, 'Aizen' spoke in his calm and controlled voice, "Power is everything in this world. Without it, you are just a victim."

Beside him, 'Ace' raised his left eyebrow, "Oh? Your expression, voice, and gestures are all in line. Although I think you could improve."

'Aizen' responded with a perfectly arched smile. Soon, he created a clone.

After doing this, 'Aizen' removed the mask, returning to his original appearance.

"I feel like I've been living as someone else these past few days, rather than myself..." Tanaka murmured.

"You're not wrong," Killua said with his hands behind his head.

Shaking his head with an awkward smile, Tanaka began the final preparations before heading to Uzushiogakure.

[2+3=5]

After arriving at the Leaf Village, Tsunade went straight to the Senju Clan.

There, she ignored the greetings of the staff and went directly to her grandmother's quarters.

Before she could knock, Mito's voice resonated, "You've arrived, Tsunade. Come in, I've been expecting you."

Swallowing what she was going to say, Tsunade simply slid open the door and entered the room.

In the room, she saw her grandmother sitting in front of a square wooden table with a brush in her hand.

What surprised her the most wasn't how calm and composed she was, but rather, the fact that her grandmother's hair seemed even whiter than before.

'It seems everything was true...'

Of course, she had somewhat confirmed it when she arrived in the village. The very atmosphere in the village was suffocating; many civilians were downcast, disoriented...

It was clear that something significant had happened, and seeing her grandmother's appearance, she then understood.

"Sit down, have some tea with me while we talk," Mito said without turning around, brushing the blank canvas on the table.

She had never seen her grandmother act like this, so she was a bit lost, but she ended up doing what her grandmother said. Despite being somewhat hot-headed, she wasn't going to lash out at her grandmother, who seemed to be suffering.

When she sat down, she picked up a clay cup and poured tea from the kettle.

After taking a sip and sitting in silence in front of her grandmother, she heard her speak before she could ask anything: "I assume you've already received the news of what happened, correct?"

"If Grandma Mito is talking about Danzo, that scoundrel, yes, I've heard." It was difficult to suppress her anger when talking about it, even while trying not to lose control.

"I see." Mito gently set the brush aside, picking up the blank paper she had finished writing on, and handed it to Tsunade: "Here, see for yourself. This is a summary of what Danzo did and some of Hiruzen's involvement."

Even though she didn't understand why her grandmother chose this way to convey the information to her, instead of simply telling her, she accepted it willingly and soon began to read.

As she read, her expression changed from anger to hatred. Her heart pounded uncontrollably.

"This... This is... How can it be? Sensei... Did Hiruzen really induce Danzo to kill my parents?" It was ridiculous just to imagine it.

She didn't want to believe it. Although she didn't agree with many of Hiruzen's actions, she still thought he was someone who wouldn't do something so wicked to his own people just to stay in power.

If Danzo made her feel anger and hatred, Hiruzen was even worse. Because he was her sensei, someone she trusted enough to not believe he would do anything to harm her or her family, especially the village...

But she was wrong. Behind that gentle mask was an ambitious man who was willing to do anything to get what he wanted and stay in power...

Suddenly, she felt a sinister aura in front of her. Looking ahead, she saw her grandmother's eyes looking like those of a beast. The aura around her was orange, and despite her attempt to mask it, her expression couldn't hide the hatred in her eyes.

"So, Tsunade," Mito asked, "Did your sensei really die?"

"I..." Tsunade felt a bit lost but quickly composed herself and denied it: "No, he didn't die. He was indeed ambushed by Danzo, but it seems even you didn't believe someone as tough as him would go down that easily..."

"Where is he?" Mito's voice sounded extremely cold, sending chills down Tsunade's spine.

"Hidden Waterfall Cave..."

As soon as she answered, Mito disappeared.

"So fast...!" Tsunade murmured.

However, she didn't stand still; she also left as quickly as possible, wanting to reach the Hidden Waterfall Cave.

[1-5=4]

Later, Tsunade arrived at the Hidden Waterfall Cave, but when she got there, she saw everything in disarray—not from a fight, but because the place had been evacuated.

"You've arrived," Mito's deep voice reached her ears. "Just like you, I also arrived a bit too late..."

The meaning of her words was simple to understand; she hadn't arrived in time to capture Hiruzen Sarutobi.

And it became obvious that the loyalty of the monkeys, which were Hiruzen's summoned beasts, was with Hiruzen and not Konoha.

As Tsunade approached her, she noticed that her grandmother seemed to have aged even more.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Mito coughed heavily, her face pale.

"Grandma!" Rushing to her, Tsunade helped her stand.

With a weak voice, Mito said, "It seems my end is near... Tsunade, I need to take a trip to my hometown and choose a new host for the Kyubi."

"This..." Tsunade bit her lower lip in pain.

Mito was her only living blood relative as an elder figure. Without her, she would only have Nawaki as family.

"I understand your pain, child, but time waits for no one," Mito sighed. "Unfortunately, I didn't manage to capture that wretch in time, but I must be content that I caught Danzo. And, my child, I hope you won't let him have an easy end. The Sand Village likes to use poison, right? Then use him to test your poisons and create antidotes. Didn't he love experimenting on our family? It's only fair to return the favor in kind."

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth..." Tsunade murmured. "I understand, Grandma. I won't let him have an easy end. I promise!"

"Mm, now let's return. I need to recover before going to Uzushio," Mito said.