SHIMMERING MIST : HATAKE SI (Naruto)

Part 26

Chapter 26

TSUNADE SENJU

After the discussion with Jiraiya, she had decided to grant the bastard his wish, though she had added conditions of her own.

And so, for this reason, she found herself leaning against the wall as she stood on the roof of the Hokage tower at the center of the village as her old teammate skimmed through the scroll she had handed him.

Konoha would retain the right to call him back in case of war, and his leave was only set to come into effect after the war. Moreover, the Land of Rice would sign a treaty with Konoha, essentially aligning their interests. There were other details in the deal as well, but from the way Orochimaru had reacted, he had probably expected this result.

"That was quite a quick decision, Tsunade-hime," he remarked as he closed the scroll and looked up at her. She gritted her teeth, losing her patience with the man.

"Don't make me regret this, Orochimaru. And if it wasn't already clear, if you ever betray Konoha or put the village in danger even unknowingly," she finished, and let go of her chakra, as she narrowed her gaze onto him.

"You will die. No matter where you hide or who you ally yourself with, you will die. Make no mistake about that!" she finished, and the bastard simply smiled and raised his hands.

"A threat..." but she cut him off.

"No, not a threat," and he narrowed his eyes at her as she clarified in a cold tone, focusing all her bloodlust and killing intent on the bastard.

"A promise!" she reminded him, and she saw him flinch slightly as she focused all that killing intent onto him, removing any notion of mercy from his mind.

"It is interesting to see this side of you, princess," he said with a chuckle.

"Though you shouldn't worry. I am satisfied with your terms. Plus, I never had any intention of betraying the village; the only thing I wanted was freedom, and this grants me that," he said as he waved the treaty scroll before he put it in his pocket.

She pulled back the killing intent and gave him a nod.

"Then I believe it is time for you to deliver on your end of the bargain. Tell me, how do you know that Ohashi is still alive?" she questioned as she stood straight up.

The bastard smiled, and his eyes widened.

"Ahh, yes, Ohashi Hatake, your little apprentice. Now I can see why you were so quick to make a deal," he said with a chuckle, and she gritted her teeth and spoke in a threatening tone.

"Orochimaru, if this is a ..."

"Have some patience, princess. I am getting to it," he said as he raised his hand in placating manner, making her stop.

"Now, I worked with Danzo for years and so am quite acutely aware of the skill level of his ninja, and truth be told, it is quite pathetic. Especially given the quantity of recruits his foundation churned out. The man's orthodox thinking destroyed a ninja's most valuable prowess, his creativity..."

"I am losing my patience! Get to the point, Orochimaru! How do you know that Ohashi is still alive," she cut in sharply. Though his incites about Danzo's operations were interesting, she had little interest in them at the moment.

"Patience Princess. Patience, I am getting to it," said Orochimaru," replied making her frustration worse as she narrowed her eyes.

"Now, as I was saying, Danzo's forces are more like mindless corpses, and while himself was once a powerhouse, his injuries had affected his prowess as a shinobi quite severely," and she nodded at the observation.