Malphegor
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IUTT: Ch. 69
🕑 Added 2025-05-18 23:39:14 +0000 UTCUnlike everyone else in the courtyard who looked solemn, Shin, who had just returned, couldn't help but laugh after hearing Torifu's account.
"Just as I expected."
"You mean you already predicted this would happen?" Torifu asked in surprise.
"Mm," Before Shin could respond, Tsunade nodded first. "These past few days, we analyzed the situation and concluded that the Hokage wouldn't send reinforcements to the Land of Whirlpools. In fact, he might even try to secretly steal the fruits of the war."
She was furious too, to the point she didn't even call him "teacher" anymore.
"Do you have a plan?" Mito's eyes lit up as she looked at Shin. She knew very well that he was practically a genius. Since he had already made such a prediction, he surely had a plan in mind.
"I do," Shin nodded without hesitation.
"You really have a plan?" Torifu was stunned. "Don't tell me you can persuade Hiruzen to join the war?"
"I can't!" Shin shook his head. "His stance doesn't just represent himself. It represents four people. Unless the other three suddenly go crazy or all miraculously grow a conscience and convince Hiruzen together, otherwise, he'll never change his mind."
"Then what can you do?" Torifu pressed again. "You think you can mobilize the ninja forces behind Hiruzen's back?"
"Impossible," Shin firmly denied it. "Unless it's time to steal the credit, he would never allow a single soldier to set foot in the Land of Whirlpools."
"Then what's your so-called plan?" Torifu remained skeptical, having never dealt with Shin before.
"If other ninjas can't participate, there's still someone who can."
"Who?"
Shin pointed to Tsunade beside him. "She can."
"She's the granddaughter of the First Hokage and Mito-sama, and also related to Kushina. She's real family to the Uzumaki clan. If she goes to fight on behalf of her grandparents, who would say a word against it?"
"Uh… that might work. But, with just her alone..."
"Isn't there still me?" Shin interrupted Torifu.
"You think the two of you can turn the tide of battle? This is a multi-nation allied force! Even with you two, it's a guaranteed loss."
"Torifu, how about we make a bet? If I succeed, what will you do?"
"If you really can pull it off, then I… I…" Torifu stammered for a while, unable to come up with a solid answer. "I don't know. Just name your condition. If you can really do it, I'll support you however you need."
Torifu's mother-in-law was a ninja from Uzushio. Although not of the Uzumaki clan herself, she had many friends and relatives there, so he truly didn't want anything bad to happen to the Land of Whirlpools.
That was why, in the high-level meeting, he unusually insisted on sending reinforcements, and why he came to discuss things with Mito afterward.
Shin smiled slightly and said, "As a fellow high-ranking official of Konoha, it doesn't feel good being constantly excluded by the others, does it?"
"What do you mean?" Torifu frowned and asked. What did that have to do with anything?
"Even though you've been excluded, you're still part of the leadership. You must know more about what Hiruzen has done over the years than most people, right?"
"I don't like beating around the bush," Torifu said bluntly, still unsure of Shin's point.
"Then I'll get straight to it! Konoha needs change, a complete, top-to-bottom transformation. So if I succeed, I want you to fully support Tsunade when the time comes, to help her become Hokage."
"What?" Torifu raised his voice in shock.
But after glancing at Tsunade and Mito, his thoughts shifted. It might not be so unacceptable after all. After all, her status in Konoha was second to none. If there was anyone whose becoming Hokage would face the least opposition in Konoha, and would even be seen as completely natural, it would be Tsunade.
Just think about it: years later, when Naruto sought out Tsunade, who had been away from Konoha for twenty years, to return and take up the mantle of Hokage, she still received overwhelming support from the vast majority.
That kind of situation was almost unimaginable. If it were anyone else, leaving the village for twenty years, showing no concern for its survival, and ruthlessly turning away everyone who came to find them, they would've long since been labeled a missing-nin.
And then just walk back in and become Hokage?
Dream on.
That alone showed just how special her identity was.
Although her current prestige wasn't high enough yet, if she could shine brilliantly in the Land of Whirlpools, or even lead them to victory in the war, her reputation would rise to unprecedented heights.
From then on, the path she needed to take would become all the more natural and smooth.
By that time, as her prestige rose, the reputations of those like Hiruzen, who stood by and did nothing to help their closest ally, would likely take a major hit.
Hiruzen and the others had explained their inaction as being a matter of self-preservation: they feared Konoha would be attacked on multiple fronts and had no choice but to refrain from helping.
On the surface, that made sense. It was even understandable to the average villager in Konoha. But if the Land of Whirlpools managed to win the war under Tsunade's leadership alone, without a single ninja from the Hokage faction being dispatched, then Hiruzen's excuse would become a joke.
If a far weaker village like Uzushio could defeat a ninja coalition on their own, while Konoha didn't even act, what else could that be but a complete embarrassment? At that point, with just a little manipulation, it would be easy to solidify the narrative that Hiruzen not only abandoned an ally but was also weak and cowardly at heart.
Of course, this one incident wouldn't be enough to utterly ruin his reputation. But it was a start.
As Shin had rightly said: Over the years, Torifu had become more and more disillusioned with what Hiruzen and his allies had been doing, and this time, he was completely disappointed in them.
"I agree," Torifu finally said after much thought. "But I'm not holding out much hope. Just the two of you trying to defeat a coalition of ninja from multiple nations? That sounds like pure fantasy."
"Did you already forget what you just said yourself?" Shin reminded him.
"There is no real multinational coalition, just a disorganized group of forces, each fighting their own battles. They could turn on each other for even the pettiest gain. And as you pointed out, the number of ninjas they've mobilized isn't even that large. With the strength of the Land of Whirlpools, if we can divide and sow discord among them, then concentrate our superior forces to create local mismatches, fighting more with fewer, and strong against weak, and defeat them one by one, who says we're doomed to lose? Besides, I also have a secret weapon ready to use."
