Chapter 37 - 37: Acting as Bait

Danzo was very supportive of Hiruzen's idea of fishing, but he didn't have anyone available himself. The Root suffered heavy losses in Uzushiogakure and hasn't recovered since. After recovering somewhat, Root continuously gathered intelligence outside and incited conflicts between other Ninja villages. Konoha isn't afraid of war. A two-on-one fight isn't impossible, but a four-on-one would be unbearable for the current Konoha, so relations between the other villages must also be thrown into chaos. At this stage, if Danzo didn't focus on the Hokage position and instead concentrated on external forces, he would be a decent Ninja. Because of Danzo's personality, he gained the support of many war-loving Konoha people. "According to the information I've received, Kumogakure spies have been lurking around Kushina recently, likely intending to make a move on her." Hiruzen said, taking a puff from his pipe, his gaze deepening. "Perhaps we can use this to uncover all the Kumogakure spies in the village." Danzo looked deeply at Hiruzen and said, "I can lend you two Root squads. For now, I can't spare anything else." "Alright, I'll have Sakumo go with them." Hiruzen nodded noncommittally. Hiruzen was very satisfied with Sakumo. He always perfectly completed his missions, was powerful, and meticulous in his work—a Ninja that couldn't be more perfect. "Okay, by the way, give me another 10 million in funding. Research funds are running low." Danzo seemed to remember something and asked Hiruzen for more funding. Hiruzen frowned and said, "Danzo, war is about to begin, and Konoha needs money everywhere. Isn't 10 million too much?" "Hmph, too much? Not at all. After all, this is a Wood Release experiment. If it can be researched, how can 10 million compare?" Danzo snorted lightly. Is that how money is calculated? However, considering the current situation, Hiruzen ultimately chose to try anything to save a desperate situation. 10 million could still be squeezed out. The next day, Kazuki gathered early at the village gate, and by just before 7 AM, the Tsunade Squad had assembled. Seeing the rhombus mark on Tsunade's forehead that hadn't been there yesterday, a hint of surprise flashed in Kazuki's eyes. He hadn't expected Tsunade to have developed the Yin Seal. This was a huge improvement for Tsunade. It seemed that her strength had also been steadily developing over the past year. The destruction of Uzushiogakure, the sacrifice of Kagami, and the rising tensions between nations probably put considerable pressure on the people of Konoha. It was likely not just Tsunade, but also Jiraiya and Orochimaru who had gotten stronger during this time. He just didn't know if the three of them combined could defeat Hanzo. "Let's go!" Seeing the three of them in high spirits, Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, waving her hand and saying, "Stay close to me, and don't fall behind!" With that, she cast a glance at the corner and was the first to sprint quickly out of Konoha. Kazuki and the other two quickly followed suit. The Tsunade Squad's brazen departure from the village left the staff responsible for entry and exit registration at the village gate with a helpless bitter smile. Indeed, ordinary Ninja still needed to register when leaving the village, but some Ninja did not, and Tsunade was one of them. It wasn't Tsunade's Senju identity that granted her such privilege, but rather that in previous years, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had all worked in the Anbu. Even now, they had not left the Anbu ranks. When Anbu members leave the village, and the Anbu members gave them a gesture when leaving the village, these Ninja naturally found it difficult to stop them, and indeed, they couldn't. Shortly after Tsunade and her group left Konoha, three Anbu squads, led by a white-haired Ninja, exited Konoha through the Anbu's special passage, following closely behind Kazuki and his group. Tsunade led the way, but she ultimately controlled her speed. Seeing Kazuki following her in an orderly manner, seemingly still at ease, Tsunade nodded in satisfaction. This kid's speed and physique were both excellent. In terms of extreme speed bursts, Kazuki's speed might even surpass her own. Rinka was a Hyuga clansman herself and followed a taijutsu path, so her speed being great was within the realm of understanding. As for Kushina, her physique was also quite good, she even managed to keep up. It seemed that during this time, Kushina hadn't neglected other aspects of training besides researching Sealing Jutsu. It seemed that making them do so much manual labor was indeed helpful. Tsunade wasn't entirely trying to torment Kazuki and the others by giving them so many D-rank missions, it was also a form of training. Tsunade, intending to test the group, unconsciously picked up her pace. Gradually, Kushina, the youngest and without any special advantages, started to struggle, and her breathing became erratic. Next was Rinka. Surprisingly, Kazuki, theoretically the Uchiha with the weakest physique, didn't even have erratic breathing. It should be known that in terms of physique, Uchiha couldn't compare to Hyuga or Uzumaki. This made Tsunade sigh inwardly, calling him a prodigy. If she didn't know Kazuki's identity, she would have been tempted to suspect that Kazuki actually had Senju or Uzumaki blood. Having roughly determined their limits, Tsunade didn't continue to increase her speed. Instead, she lowered it to a level that everyone could accept. In a subterranean cavern in the Land of Rain, the aged Madara sat before the Gedo statue. Special tubes connected his back to the Gedo statue, which provided him with life force. Not far from him, Black Zetsu was eagerly awaiting, and there were also many White Zetsu in the room. Suddenly, a White Zetsu emerged from the ground and shouted in a peculiar tone, "Madara, the Uzumaki clan child has left Konoha." "So, she's finally left Konoha?" Madara's face showed a playful expression. "Tell the Kumo Ninja about this. If possible, help them abduct Kushina. Then, inform Konoha about it, aiming to make Mito personally take action." "Yes!" The White Zetsu quickly merged into the ground.