Chapter 161: Give Me a Tsunade Pill
The familiar room.
The familiar sunlight.
The same two people.
"You can tell me now."
Her breath was slightly hurried as she leaned against Hakken. Another round of Genjutsu resistance had just ended. Ignoring her own condition, Konan quickly asked,
"Should I cover it up with the Fire Cloud robe?"
None of that mattered anymore. What needed to be known, what needed to be seen—this man already knew it all. And this Genjutsu? She couldn't resist it at all. It had no effect on anyone else, but when she was near this man, it turned into a relentless, juicer-like frenzy. A terrifying Genjutsu.
As agreed, every day after it ended, this man would reveal some secrets about the hidden truths behind the Akatsuki organization. He had mentioned before that Yahiko's death was a conspiracy! What had really happened? As for this situation... just consider it part of the deal.
Gritting her teeth, Konan leaned against Hakken again.
"It is indeed a conspiracy. I have no reason to deceive a foolish woman," Hakken responded indifferently.
"Speaking of which, this is connected to Konoha's past."
"Initially, Hanzō of the Salamander genuinely supported the idea of uniting with Akatsuki to strengthen their bargaining power with the great nations. That was until someone found him."
"Danzo Shimura."
Running his hand over Konan’s pale back as her breaths grew more labored, Hakken tilted his head.
"He told Hanzō that if Akatsuki's growth continued unchecked, his days as the leader of Amegakure would be numbered."
"So, during negotiations, he captured you. The outcome ultimately drove Yahiko to his death, and the original Akatsuki organization fell apart."
Danzo Shimura!
So it was him!
Konan’s body trembled as she clutched the quilt tightly. Ever since Hakken Yoru had told her about the conspiracy behind Yahiko's death the previous night, she'd been reflecting on it.
After all, Akatsuki and Amegakure had shared common goals, so an alliance wasn't impossible. And then there was Hanzō of the Salamander—an ambitious, powerful leader of Amegakure. Why would he resort to such underhanded schemes against Akatsuki? That feeling of unease made Konan's mind spin.
Now, the truth was clear.
Indeed, the man before her had no reason to deceive her. After all, she now belonged entirely to him. Deceiving a mere plaything would hold no value.
"But I've already avenged you."
He glanced calmly at Konan before continuing,
"As I said, that was the old Konoha."
"The instigator of this incident is dead—he’s been tied to the pillar of shame next to Konoha’s Wall of Honor."
Was it revenge?
Konan shook her head slowly. Yahiko was already dead. After that event, Nagato's personality had changed drastically. Akatsuki had also transformed, its original mission of mutual understanding replaced by a new doctrine: only by sharing in equal suffering could the world avoid war and find peace.
Revenge—it's easy to say, but the aftermath is unimaginable. Even if Nagato were still alive and found out, he wouldn't change his path.
"What else?"
She now knew about the conspiracy behind Yahiko's death, but surely there were more hidden truths behind Akatsuki.
"You know the rules," Hakken raised an eyebrow before leaning back, placing his hands behind his head, and closing his eyes.
Are you even human? Konan clenched her fists in frustration, but eventually leaned back against him in resignation.
The sun had risen high.
"Nagato’s eyes aren’t his own."
The man dropped another cryptic statement before leaving indifferently, leaving Konan feeling exhausted. Seems like finding out whose eyes they are will have to wait until tomorrow. That bastard, always talking nonsense.
Sighing, Konan struggled to stand and walked toward the bathroom.
...
Konoha Training Grounds.
The newly recruited ANBU reserves were undergoing their final trials under the supervision of Shisui and Kakashi. Over two hundred elite ANBU operatives were ready for deployment. The mission was simple: reclaim small ninja villages and infiltrate smaller nations. Submit, or be forced to submit!
Hakken wasn't driven by such ruthlessness. He couldn’t destroy all the minor nations—such an idea was both impossible and unrealistic. Reform had to be gradual. The key was to let them experience the changes brought about by integration. This was the true purpose of testing the ANBU reserves’ abilities.
At the edge of the training grounds, Hakken, as always, swung his blade through the air, strike after strike. He was getting closer to the power needed to split the world in half. Over the years, he'd either actively or passively dispersed some of his efforts, but overall, his template unlocking progress (chej) hadn't slowed. And from his long daily routine of swinging his blade, he’d accumulated plenty of “slash points.”
With the points he'd gathered, he could easily exchange them for powerful gear. But for Hakken, such things didn’t matter. His system's existence and years of growth had already sealed his fate—he was destined to be a madman charging into battle, blade in hand. The King of Normal Attacks.
"Ken-san."
A figure landed before Hakken. It was nostalgic—he hadn’t trained with Ken-san in a long time.
The ANBU was expanding. As a member of the Night Owl Team, Ken-san had his own duties—training juniors and evaluating promising talents. He loved this work.
But today, Ken-san had called him over for something else.
That idiot's grown up, huh.
Hakken looked at Itachi’s face, about to speak, but froze.
"Damn, I knew I forgot something."
Rolling his eyes, he thrust his Zanpakutō into the ground and pointed a finger at Itachi's forehead.
"Wait here for me."
Here we go again.
Rubbing his forehead, Itachi let out a wry smile. But even this finger-pointing gesture, he had learned to mimic.
“Give me a Tsunade pill.”
Using Body Flicker Technique, Hakken arrived at the Konoha Medical Division. He kicked open the door to the head of the Medical Corps’ office and found Tsunade immersed in paperwork.
Ever since Tsunade had messed up his plans that day, the two hadn’t spoken much.
It might have been his imagination, but he thought the old woman was actually blushing.
Startled?
Well, given where she had been staring when he emerged from the hot springs, Hakken figured blushing was completely normal.
However, the so-called “Tsunade-pill” wasn’t her son or anything like that. It was a drug—one with remarkably clear effects. It dramatically expanded chakra pathways in a short amount of time. This was one of Tsunade’s accomplishments after returning to Konoha.
With this drug, she had forcibly carved her name onto the Wall of Honor, a move that sent Hiruzen Sarutobi into a bit of a self-imposed retreat.
Expanding the meridians meant a greater amount of chakra could flow at once, significantly increasing the power of ninjutsu.
Taking one during battle showed remarkable results, drastically improving a ninja’s chances of survival.
Of course, there were side effects—weakness for a few days was inevitable.
“You want to take a Tsunade Pill?” The luxury car girl froze, clearly puzzled.
As an experienced medic, she knew full well how abnormal Hakken’s physique was. He’d never need something like that under normal circumstances.
After thinking for a moment, Tsunade decided not to probe further. She stood, pulled out a bottle of small blue pills, and shook it slightly.
“You can have one, but there’s a condition.”
A dangerous smile spread across her face as she leaned in slowly toward Hakken.
“Want to borrow my seed? Fine. Get ready and contact me later.”
“I’ve got stuff to do. Gotta go.” Hakken snatched the bottle and turned to leave.
“Remember to shower afterward.”
The door slammed behind him.
Left in the room, Tsunade stood frozen for a moment, confused.
A long while later, a roar echoed from the Konoha Medical Department, carrying far into the distance.
“Borrow my ass!”