Chapter 115: Confessing to Tsunade, Orochimaru's Intentions

*Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining 20 senzu beans.*

Three days passed in a row.

Aizen and Tsunade spent these days in a routine where "Chika stayed inside, and Shizune stayed outside."

Thanks to Aizen’s hard work, Tsunade's face became more radiant, and her overall energy was rejuvenated.

But poor Shizune had a hard time—every night, she was forced to eavesdrop, leaving her looking utterly exhausted.

It wasn't until the fourth day, after Aizen finally finished his "task," that Shizune could get a proper night's sleep.

Meanwhile, Aizen’s departure date was approaching.

That night...

"What's wrong? Normally you can't get enough, and now you're stopping on your own? That’s not like you," Tsunade remarked, a bit unsatisfied. She found herself completely addicted to this younger man.

Sometimes, she even thought that continuing like this wouldn’t be so bad.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Aizen suddenly said, and the room fell silent.

Tsunade was quiet for a moment, then leaned into his chest. "Where are you going?"

"The Chunin Exams are in a few days. I need to go back to Konoha," Aizen replied frankly.

"You're a Konoha ninja too?"

They say women become forgetful when they’re pregnant, but Tsunade was way past just three years of it.

At this moment, she felt a mix of surprise, joy, and embarrassment.

Surprised that such a skilled young ninja had come from Konoha.

Happy that since he was from Konoha, there’d be no need to worry about his origins anymore.

And the embarrassment, of course, came from the difference in their ages and ranks.

Though her youthful appearance due to the transformation jutsu made the thirty-year age gap almost negligible, if anyone in the village, especially the older folks, found out, it would still be a bit shameful.

But Aizen's next words shattered her fantasy: "I used to be."

Tsunade was startled. "You're a rogue ninja?"

Aizen nodded slowly without denying it.

Silence filled the air once again. After a long pause, Tsunade stared into his bright brown eyes and suddenly asked, "Why?"

"White Fang committed suicide, the Sannin left, the Fourth Hokage and his wife died in battle, and to sign a peace treaty with the Hidden Cloud Village, they sacrificed Hizashi of the Hyuga clan. The Uchiha clan was wiped out. Konoha’s talent has withered away. Other than Kakashi and the relatively unknown Might Guy, the village barely has any noteworthy ninjas left. All that’s left is Sarutobi Hiruzen boasting about himself, calling himself the 'strongest Hokage in history.' Why do you think that is?"

Instead of answering, Aizen asked her a question.

"Tch, it’s those old fools again," Tsunade muttered, quickly understanding the underlying message. "So, what are you planning to do in Konoha?"

"I'm going to witness Sarutobi Hiruzen's death," Aizen answered calmly.

"Witness? Only witness?" Even though she was Sarutobi Hiruzen’s student, Tsunade couldn’t hide a trace of sympathy when hearing someone talk about killing him.

"Yes, just witness. Originally, I had planned to kill a few people, but for your sake, I might choose to hold back," Aizen replied indifferently.

"Can you tell me who's planning to kill the Third?" Tsunade continued to ask.

"You know him. He's one of the Sannin, like you—Orochimaru. This time, he's collaborating with the Sand Village to launch an attack on Konoha. They're calling it the 'Konoha Crush Plan,'" Aizen said seriously.

"That bastard... I'm going back with you," Tsunade said as she got up, but Aizen gently pushed her back down. "I’d advise against it. In a way, Orochimaru is trying to save Konoha by extreme means, to break the current deadlock that’s left the village on the decline."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.

Aizen sighed. "Although that guy is filled with malice, greed, and has no regard for human life, not to mention he's a pervert worse than I am, he's bisexual—he’ll go after anyone, man or woman, as long as he’s interested. He’s always looking for ways to control people.”

"But as someone who’s also one of the Sannin, you really don’t understand Orochimaru."

"Let me put it this way—first, there's the Sand Village. Because of the alliance treaty between Konoha and the Sand Village, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has entrusted more missions to Konoha, leaving the Sand Village with a drastically reduced income. They've had to cut military spending as a result."

"This has caused the Sand ninjas to resent Konoha, and if things continue like this, war is inevitable."

"And as for Konoha? Over the years, the Third Hokage has done nothing but make foolish decisions. He keeps compromising externally, sacrificing Konoha’s ninjas in the name of so-called peace. If that was all, it would just make him a weak Hokage at worst."

"But he's also incredibly selfish. He’s been draining Konoha’s resources to nourish the Sarutobi clan and nurture the parasites that have weakened the village. That’s the main reason why Konoha has fallen from being the strongest ninja village to what it is now."

"The Uchiha clan being wiped out was just one visible symptom of that process."

Hearing this, Tsunade couldn’t help but be puzzled. "But the Sarutobi clan was wiped out five years ago along with the Shimura and Uchiha clans, wasn’t it?"

"Of course. That’s because I was the one who wiped out both the Sarutobi and Shimura clans," Aizen said with a smile.

"You..." A storm of emotions surged in Tsunade’s heart.

If it had been anyone else or any other time, she might’ve reacted violently and sent them flying with her monstrous strength.

But this was the father of her child, her husband, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

Tsunade hesitated and asked, "So... you wiped out the Sarutobi and Shimura clans to rid Konoha of the parasites you mentioned?"

"I thought you'd flip out and deny everything right away," Aizen looked at her in surprise.

"Cut the nonsense and answer me," Tsunade pouted.

Aizen shook his head. "Not entirely. At that time, the Third Hokage and Danzo had forced the Uchiha clan into a corner, practically pushing them into rebellion. The Uchiha were also a clan of lunatics—hardly any of them had a normal mindset."

"The Third Hokage and Danzo played a good cop, bad cop routine. They were trying to figure out how to eliminate the Uchiha without weakening Konoha or causing the other clans to feel threatened."

"So, with the Third’s tacit approval, Danzo picked two people and collaborated with outsiders to wipe out the Uchiha clan."

Tsunade was shocked. "Are you saying... you were one of those two people?"