I, Konoha’s Sage of Life-Chapter 406: Don’t Pick a Fight with the Senju for No Reason

Chapter 406: Chapter 406: Don’t Pick a Fight with the Senju for No Reason
Yahiko was completely out of it from the alcohol.
This was one of the rare times he’d truly let himself go.
And yet...
Thinking back on the whole chain of events, none of it had been his own choice—
The moment he saw Tsunade, he’d planned to turn around and leave. Instead, he’d been forcibly kept by Kyoichi, dragged back inside, and made to drink. From there, things spiraled completely out of control.
By the time Konan brought Yahiko back to their place, her own mind was already mostly clear.
It was obvious now—
Yahiko hadn’t just happened to pass by. Someone had deliberately called him over.
What on earth had she been doing?
Drinking with Tsunade—forget the fact that she rarely drank at all, even if she did, how could she possibly be a match for the other woman?
Hadn’t she seen it clearly? Those two were completely fine.
The gap in physical constitution was right there.
Why pick a fight with a Senju for no reason? Had she lost her mind?
Konan sighed. Even she couldn’t quite understand herself anymore. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt—so much so that she almost couldn’t bring herself to face Kyoichi again.
Still...
She had to go back.
She couldn’t just leave the two of them in Amegakure and walk away. Sure, it wouldn’t really be a problem, but it felt wrong—like a failure of hospitality. And besides, there were still things she wanted to ask.
When Konan stepped back out of the house, she was completely calm again.
Competing with Tsunade was pointless. All it brought was humiliation—of course, that realization had something to do with finally admitting she simply couldn’t beat her.
If she could win, or at least drink Tsunade under the table, she wouldn’t be this composed and resigned. She’d still be at the izakaya right now, locked in a drinking war that wouldn’t end until one of them collapsed.
In the end, it all came down to one thing:
She wasn’t strong enough.
Of course, Konan would never say that out loud.
Leaving the house, she found Kyoichi and Tsunade again. The two of them were strolling through Amegakure, shopping and sightseeing, looking perfectly at ease together. She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should approach.
But in the end—
Kyoichi turned and noticed her.
She took a deep breath, put on a smile, and walked over.
"I’m really sorry you had to see such an unbecoming side of me earlier."
"At your age, you really shouldn’t be carrying so much weight on your shoulders," Tsunade said, unusually serious. "A lot of things don’t stop functioning just because you step away for a moment. Getting drunk once in a while does more good than harm."
There hadn’t actually been any real hostility between her and Konan earlier—more teasing than anything else.
After all, Tsunade had been Hokage before. Her heart wasn’t that small-minded. And they’d even lived under the same roof once—there was no real rift or resentment between them.
If Konan liked Kyoichi...
Didn’t that just prove how outstanding he was?
Nothing to be upset about.
Konan felt a wave of shame and lowered her head. "Thank you for your guidance."
"It’s not guidance—just a few words from someone who’s been around longer," Tsunade replied. "The shinobi world is small, yet also vast. Unless you become strong enough, it’s impossible to truly maintain a perfect peace."
Tsunade knew that Yahiko had his own ideals and ambitions.
In fact...
Among Jiraiya’s disciples, the one she genuinely admired the most was Yahiko.
Hardworking. Smart. Idealistic.
Even in an environment as bad as it could possibly get, he still held onto his convictions and pushed forward toward his goal.
Compared to that—
Nagato lacked initiative.
As for Konan...
That went without saying.
Minato, on the other hand, was also quite good—but his starting point was far higher than Yahiko’s. Backed by a towering power like Konoha, even as a civilian-born ninja, resources were always within reach.
The difficulty of their paths simply wasn’t comparable.
Konan smiled faintly. "We haven’t really done much either. Amegakure has more and more capable people now. If it were still like it was years ago... maybe in a few more years, we could also become hands-off leaders like you and Kyoichi."
"That day will come," Kyoichi nodded.
Everyone was improving, but Konoha’s growth was unquestionably the fastest. Right behind it was Amegakure, positioned at the heart of the Three Great Nations.
In a few more years, the strength of the Small Nations Alliance would only continue to grow.
It still wouldn’t compare to the great powers, but restraining the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth wouldn’t be a problem at all. As for Takigakure and the others—that was another force altogether.
The two weren’t the same.
After wandering around for a while, Konan finally asked, "Kyoichi... after you and Tsunade-hime left Konoha, who’s in charge now?"
"You don’t need to worry. It’s Minato," Kyoichi replied. "He’s also Jiraiya’s disciple—you should be familiar with him."
"Minato-sama..."
Konan paused.
She knew Minato’s strength and character—he was a good man, unlikely to cause problems. Still, as a civilian-born ninja, pushing his own policies in Konoha wouldn’t be easy.
But since Kyoichi and Tsunade were only traveling, no one in Konoha would dare challenge Minato outright.
That thought put her at ease.
Konan had many things she wanted to say to Kyoichi, but when the words reached her lips, she felt there was no real need.
Some things didn’t need to be spoken.
Besides—
Amegakure couldn’t function without her right now.
The school needed her.
Yahiko needed her help.
If she were to leave, it definitely wouldn’t be now.
After a proper meal together, Kyoichi and Tsunade bade Konan farewell, leaving without waiting for Yahiko to wake up.
The changes in Amegakure had far exceeded Tsunade’s expectations.
She could feel it—the rules of the entire shinobi world were no longer what they used to be. In the future, constant fighting and killing might truly become the lowest and least desirable option.
Still...
For now, it was too early to say.
She wanted to go take a look at the Land of Wind next.
With the river’s course altered, the greatest beneficiary was the Land of Wind.
The northern region, once nothing but desert, had seen significant environmental improvement after the river diversion and the breaking of the mountains. Green vegetation was gradually appearing, and the land no longer looked so desolate.
At the same time—
Sunagakure had relocated because of it.
Kyoichi and Tsunade didn’t stay long in the Land of Wind.
Sunagakure wasn’t like Amegakure. You couldn’t say they were friends with Konoha—if anything, both sides wished the other would just drop dead. The current peace existed only because circumstances demanded it.
But—
"If Sunagakure wants to make a move in the future, it won’t be so easy anymore. And if they want to fight, it won’t be against Konoha..."
Tsunade understood.
Right now, the deepest conflict was actually between the Land of Wind and the Small Nations Alliance.
They benefited from each other, yet also had to guard against one another—forming a mutual restraint. But if the northern Land of Earth were to invade, they could quickly unite against it.
Meanwhile, to the east, the Land of Lightning stood separated by yet another group of powers.
The current shinobi world was a delicate, intricate balance.
"The survival strategies of small nations that actually work are completely different from ours," Kyoichi said calmly. "What I’m more curious about is the west—beyond the Land of Snow. What kind of place is it, really?"
He continued walking forward.
The system of the Land of Snow was clearly on a different path from the shinobi world. It leaned far closer to future-style scientific ninja tools—and those couldn’t possibly have been developed overnight.
If Kazahana Dōtō were truly that clever, would he really need to go chasing some so-called treasure?
Chakra armor.
That was what Kyoichi needed to understand on this trip to the Land of Snow—whether Kazahana Dōtō had conceived it himself, or acquired it from somewhere else.
That distinction was crucial.