Chapter 46: The Petty Kahn

That night, the ninja on duty at the Hokage building heard angry shouts coming from the Hokage’s office. But the commotion didn’t last long before it suddenly stopped, as if a soundproof barrier had been activated. In the end, people saw Tsunade leaving the Hokage building with fury written all over her face, with Orochimaru trailing behind.

“Tsunade, don’t be angry. Master Sarutobi is just being cautious. If it were me, I’d probably probe a little too when faced with an unknown and uncontrollable existence. That’s the instinct of a predator. It’s just that the other party didn’t show Master Sarutobi any overwhelming strength that couldn’t be resisted,” Orochimaru said.

Tsunade’s anger flared again at his words. She snapped, “Orochimaru, whose side are you on, exactly?”

“Of course I’m on yours, Tsunade. I was just speaking up for you in the Hokage’s office, wasn’t I?” Orochimaru replied, taking a step back and waving his hand. There was little point in continuing to argue politics with Tsunade now; his real aim was to participate in the research.

“So, when does the research begin? I’ll clear my missions in the village in advance.”

“I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait,” Tsunade said, casting a sidelong glance at Orochimaru. “And don’t think I’m lying to you—I truly don’t know. The serum for the Desolation Virus, the research equipment, and the death row test subjects all have to be arranged by Karn. All we provide are the venue and personnel. But after what just happened, he no longer feels safe and has already left the village overnight…”

Orochimaru’s expression froze at her words. Only now did he realize their collaborator had already left Konoha, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment towards Master Sarutobi. “That’s truly bad news…”

Tsunade said bitterly, “No one is more anxious about this than I am. I’d already promised Nawaki, and now this happens.”

“I’m afraid this will be a problem for Konoha as well, Tsunade.” A thought crossed Orochimaru’s mind, and he spoke of what Karn’s business signified. “Back then, Master Sarutobi agreed with him that large quantities of medicine would only be sold to Konoha. But after this incident…”

Exclusive sales to Konoha would be out of the question. Soon, other ninja villages would have access to these medicines as well. In times of war, this would greatly compensate for the lack of medical ninja.

This only added to Tsunade’s irritation. All of this was the result of those fools meddling as they pleased. They clearly understood Karn’s value, yet acted so recklessly.

“When he returns and the experiments begin, I’ll let you know, Orochimaru.”

With a wave of her hand, Tsunade strode off toward the Senju compound. Let those scheming types worry about medicine; she was done with it for now. Karn had never wronged her—in fact, she often troubled him, and this time she was the one benefiting from the Desolation Virus project.

Yet, in the end, Karn had been targeted and nearly endangered by her own side within the village—and worse, he’d found out they had been plotting against him. Now Tsunade didn’t even know how to respond to him. Karn was a cautious man by nature… No matter how she turned it over in her mind, it was still the fault of those incompetent fools.

After returning to the Senju residence, Tsunade saw that Kushina and Granny Mito were still awake. She asked, “Kushina, why are you still up? And you, Granny, at your age…”

Kushina anxiously interrupted, “Tsunade-sis, will the boss… will he come back?”

“He definitely will. If that’s all you’re worried about, go get some rest,” Tsunade answered her with assurance and gently sent her upstairs to sleep. Kushina too was a victim of tonight’s events—she shouldn’t get further involved.

Once Kushina had left, Tsunade sighed and turned to Uzumaki Mito. “Granny, could you warn those bastards? They’ve already started plotting against Kushina…”

Uzumaki Mito fell silent for a while after hearing Tsunade’s words, then slowly said, “Tsunade, I’m afraid I don’t have much time left. From now on, whether it’s Nawaki or Kushina, you’ll have to take care of them. And if there’s no hope for Nawaki’s recovery, don’t blame yourself too much—don’t let it consume you.”

Though her status was high, she had little time left. If this had happened a few years earlier, Uzumaki Mito would have gone to the Hokage building herself without Tsunade’s urging.

But now, it was no longer possible. Politics could corrupt even the purest of hearts—in the end, even a prodigy like Tobirama Senju couldn’t escape its taint. Uzumaki Mito remembered clearly how, before his death, Hashirama had repeatedly warned Tobirama not to target the Uchiha clan. Yet, after nearly twenty years as Hokage, Tobirama’s trust in the Uchiha eroded. In the end, he trusted his own judgment over Hashirama’s dying request.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the same. No matter what Uzumaki Mito said, no matter what promises he made, it was useless. The moment she died, Sarutobi Hiruzen would trust his own judgment. Then, the only one left who could protect Kushina and Nawaki would be Tsunade.

Tsunade fell silent as well. She understood her grandmother’s predicament, and she herself lacked the standing she needed. She would have to complete the medical reform and gain control of the Medical Corps before her voice would carry any weight in the village.

“I understand, Granny.”

Tsunade made a silent vow in her heart. Tonight, she’d put the greater good first at the Hokage building, but once she held some power, she would never again compromise with those old men. What is right is right, what is wrong is wrong.

For now, all Tsunade could do was hope Karn would return soon, so she could at least get the Desolation Virus experiments underway.

…

Back in the Marvel world, Karn finally allowed himself to relax for a moment. It was his first time killing someone—and not just anyone, but a ninja—yet his mental state hardly changed. He left Konoha overnight simply because he didn’t want to stay there any longer.

This time, it was only because the Cloud spy lacked intel on him and didn’t understand the power of modern firearms. In the Hokage world, guns existed, but they were still quite primitive. It would take decades before they advanced to the level of modern weaponry.

This time, Konoha had miscalculated. But now that information had been gathered, who could say what would happen the next time?

From now on, Karn would avoid staying overnight in Konoha unless absolutely necessary—unless it was at the Senju or Uchiha compounds.

“Those old fools, using the Cloud spy to test me…”

All Karn had wanted was to conduct his business honestly and earn the resources he needed. But after being plotted against by those old men, he found he couldn’t let it go without retaliation.

“The Uchiha clan… I’ll try to make contact with them when I return.”

He wasn’t confident about befriending the Uchiha. Other than his pharmaceuticals, he had nothing they needed. And a great clan like theirs was self-sufficient, with their own medical ninja. They might lack enough medical ninja on the battlefield, but in peacetime, there was never any shortage for their own.

Karn would have to try his best; if money wasn’t enough, he could aim for reputation. Every Uchiha had a weak spot somewhere. But the Uchiha were not short-sighted. As long as Karn formed a rapport with them, it would be a thorn in Sarutobi Hiruzen and his allies’ sides.

For now, though, Karn needed to relax and then prepare the Desolation Virus serum and research equipment.