Outside the meeting hall, no one had approached except Hiroki Hyuga and Hidenaga White Zetsu.
To eliminate all the royal ministers at once, Hidenaga White Zetsu had already ordered the removal of anyone assigned to guard or protect him.
As for the minor regional officials who weren't qualified to meet with the Daimyo, the two had no intention of killing them.
As long as the decrees kept flowing, the country could continue functioning without direct oversight.
After a while, a faint smell of blood drifted out.
Then, they began to hear the occasional scream.
Hiroki activated his Byakugan. He saw people collapsing one after another inside the meeting hall, blood splattering onto the surrounding walls.
Tsunade's coat hem was speckled with dark red bloodstains.
Eventually, only Tsunade remained alive among those present.
With a loud creak, the white door was forcefully pushed open, and Tsunade stepped out.
She looked completely drained, appearing weak and lifeless, her facial expression flickering between light and shadow.
"Who killed them," Hiroki asked, "you or Kaguya?"
He wanted to know whether Tsunade had taken action herself or if Kaguya had manipulated her into committing the act.
Tsunade lowered her head, offering no response.
Her stomach churned violently. The moment she stepped outside and took a breath of fresh air, her body revolted — she doubled over, vomiting uncontrollably.
Her reaction was even more intense than that of a ninja killing someone for the first time.
From the corner of her eye, Tsunade noticed dozens of strange humanoid creatures emerging from the ground—pure white, covered in spikes, with grotesque appearances.
Then, the group entered the meeting hall.
They wiped away all the bloodstains and placed their hands on the corpses, transforming into exact replicas of the dead.
Immediately afterward, the ground seemed to soften, and the bodies gradually sank downward. Occasionally, white hands shot up from beneath, pulling them further underground.
All of this happened within just a few minutes.
Their disguises appeared flawless, nothing like the Transformation Jutsu used by ordinary ninjas.
Tsunade found it unbelievable.
In half her lifetime, she'd never seen such bizarre creatures.
Yet today, she had encountered an entire swarm of them.
Instantly, countless emotions surged within Tsunade.
She understood now: since these beings dared to expose themselves like this, they definitely wouldn't allow her any chance to leak this information.
"Tsunade, are you okay now?"
The newly-appointed royal ministers stepped out of the meeting hall, standing behind Hiroki Hyuga and Hidenaga White Zetsu, glancing toward Tsunade.
Tsunade shook her head slightly, wiping her mouth with a tissue, her face expressionless.
She still needed some time to adjust to what had just happened.
"Tsunade, I'll give you two choices," he said. "First, become the tutor for the Hyuga family. Second, remain here in the Country of Hot Springs, expanding the Daimyo's territory."
After a brief silence, Tsunade replied, "I'll choose option two."
Staying in Konoha meant anything she did might bring Hiruzen Sarutobi calling for a 'talk.' Here, at least, she retained limited freedom.
"Fine." Hiroki Hyuga nodded.
"Can I return to Konoha now? How should I go back? There's unfinished business waiting for me there."
Tsunade looked desolate, as if drained of all vitality. Her voice was barely a whisper, and her entire being seemed devastated, with a deep, broken sadness etched between her brows.
Upon hearing her voice, Hiroki Hyuga stiffened slightly. Unable to help himself, he turned his head and studied her for a moment, an unfamiliar emotion flickering through his heart.
Tsunade watched him in silence.
After a brief pause, he called out, "White Zetsu."
A new White Zetsu rose up from the ground.
"He will take you back."
Before her astonished gaze, the sharp spines on White Zetsu opened and wrapped around her. Tsunade didn't resist at all—not once during the whole thing.
Watching them leave, Hiroki murmured softly, "Has your heart utterly died?"
"Hm? Feeling sorry for her?" Kaguya's voice came forth.
"Just wondering—if forcing people into things they don't want to do, isn't that a bit too much?"
"Too much?" Kaguya sneered coldly. "I've given her something she dreamed of achieving but could never attain in her entire life. Just asking her to pay this small price—do you think that's too much? Asking her to serve me—do you think that's too much?"
"Just a passing thought," Hiroki said. "Nothing more—don't overthink it, Kaguya."
"Hiroki Hyuga! What are you thinking then? If you truly felt that way, why did you choose her in the first place? You've already made your choice—don't regret it now."
"Hmm, what's wrong with you today, Kaguya?" Hiroki asked, sensing something off about her behavior.
"It's *you* who's acting strange today—you were perfectly fine yesterday..." Pausing momentarily, Kaguya added coldly, "...Don't ever wear that expression again."
That pitying look...
"..."
Something was definitely wrong.
Hiroki couldn't understand why she suddenly got angry.
Still, he immediately separated his consciousness from his body and arrived at Kaguya Palace, intending to mend things between them.
"Kaguya, is something wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"
Kaguya slightly furrowed her brow and stared at him without speaking; her gaze was extremely oppressive.
Suddenly, he felt his own body go out of control, flying toward Kaguya.
Cradling Hiroki in her arms, Kaguya used one hand to lift his chin, gently sliding her long fingernails slowly across his cheek. In a cold tone, she said, "Hiroki Hyuga, if you dare betray me, I will kill you."
"I definitely won't betray you," Hiroki immediately replied, wrapping his arms around her.
"You'd better not." Kaguya's tone returned to its usual calmness.
In an instant, Kaguya pushed him away.
...
No sooner had a flicker of worry surfaced in the darkness than bright light flooded back into her eyes. White Zetsu opened his body and stepped out. Tsunade looked ahead.
Familiar scenery, familiar courtyard.
She had already returned to the Senju estate.
A woman who looked exactly like her grinned eerily and waved before diving underground, vanishing before Tsunade's very eyes.
Stunned at first, realization soon dawned on her.
So they had arranged someone to impersonate her beforehand—that's why they acted so brazenly.
Tsunade stepped into the living room.
"Tsunade-sama, that smell of blood on you... I thought you were just practicing ninjutsu all along. What happened?"
Shizune turned her gaze to her, her brows furrowing with growing concern.
Tsunade gazed at her silently for a long moment.
The future was unpredictable, and she might not even be able to guarantee her own safety. Should she keep dragging Shizune along in her nomadic life?
"Tsunade-sama, why are you staring at me like that?"
"Shizune, no matter what I do in the future, will you still follow me?"
Caught off guard by the question, Shizune still answered without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing.
"Of course I will."
Tsunade let out a deep sigh. "Then we're leaving Konoha."
"Now?"
"Yes."
"Alright, just wait a moment while I pack my things."
"Okay."
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