Please Kill Me with This Sword

She couldn't remember anything about what happened yesterday, but that person shouldn't have done that. After thinking for a while, Ino put her bath towel back on and opened the door.

She saw the neatly folded clothes on the sofa and the breakfast kept warm on the table, but Naruto was gone.

Today seemed to be the day of High-level Meeting. Standing by the door, Ino suddenly felt a pang of regret. If she had woken up earlier, she might have been able to say a few words to him.

The living room was quiet, except for the dripping sound of the thermos. She went to the sofa, changed into her completely dry clothes, and put on a skirt. She found the toothbrush and cup she had used last time on the bathroom sink, and the faucet was running.

After emerging from the bathroom, Ino glanced at the balcony and saw the dazzling, warm sunlight, with Naruto's clothes fluttering in the wind. It was as if all the small things had been neatly arranged, waiting for her in an orderly fashion.

When she went to get breakfast, she saw the note on the table.

[Note: I've put the bathwater in the freezer. (*——*)]

(*——*)!!!

Looking at that incredibly rough smiling face, Ino's warmth vanished, her fists clenched tightly, as if that guy's smirk was reappearing before her eyes.

"Uzumaki!!! Naruto!!!"

"Ah!!!"

"Naruto Uzumaki, how do you explain releasing the Tailed Beast in the center of the village on August 24th?"

Danzo's voice was no different from that of an ordinary old man, except that he habitually emphasized the last word. As a result, every sentence sounded like a command, and his deep voice made it clear to everyone present.

The curtains in the conference room were all drawn back, Hokage Position was facing the sun, so much so that the high-ranking officials sitting at the long table seemed to be sitting in the light, and their faces could not be seen at all.

Naruto, who was called out, stood to Tsunade's left, while her secretary Shizune stood to Tsunade's right.

Apart from Tsunade, no other high-ranking members are allowed to bring anyone into the meeting room. All meeting minutes must be taken by Shizune alone, Shizune has the right to stop the meeting if the arguments become too heated.

Because the trash talk from higher-ups also needs to be recorded. But generally speaking, such instances of poor manners are relatively rare.

At 10:30, the meeting had been going on for half an hour.

It wasn't until Danzo spoke that the discussion officially began. On that day, Root Ninja replaced the Anbu and went to the center of the Nine-Tails' appearance, only to be intercepted by Kakashi.

Danzo asked a question, requiring Naruto to provide an explanation.

Tsunade placed her hands on the table, her face expressionless as she surveyed the crowd. Her eyes flickered slightly, but she neither spoke immediately nor showed any intention of ignoring Danzo.

She was thinking, openly and honestly considering how to defend herself in front of a group of high-ranking officials.

A long silence fell over the room as everyone awaited Tsunade's voice, keeping pace with the meeting's rhythm. Because she was the Kage of this village, the princess revered by all.

No one seemed impatient; it was as if they had long been used to it. The two veteran advisors tactically drank water, and even Danzo began to close his eyes and rest.

Tsunade turned the High-level Meeting into a round-robin format that everyone had to follow. The constant threat of Tsunade abandoning her responsibilities and running away created immense pressure on the high-level members.

True authority doesn't come from oneself, but from the ability to control all people and things. When the entire village's morale is low and they desperately need a powerful princess like Tsunade to step forward, the higher-ups are put on the defensive.

While they were forcing Tsunade to take a stand, they were also being coerced by Tsunade.

Tsunade tapped the table lightly, a sign that she was about to speak. After two taps, she looked around at everyone and began to speak.

"According to Konohagakure's limited records, every time the Nine-Tails appears, it causes enormous damage to the village. But that time, the village was not destroyed."

"And on that day, Itachi Uchiha invaded the village. Their target was the Nine-Tails. Given that, could we preliminarily conclude that the Nine-Tails seen by the Anbu Ninja might not be real?"

"Not only the Anbu ninjas, but the head of the Yamanaka Clan also saw it," said Utatane Koharu was wearing a white cloth draped over her shoulders, in a serious tone.

The old man's aged eyes turned to a middle-aged man in the corner of the long table, and he squinted, gesturing for him to speak.

Looking at the flamboyant young man who had abducted his daughter, Inoichi Yamanaka felt a mix of emotions. The old father's mind had long since been detached from the thrilling High-level Meeting.

He was considering whether to send a message to Jiraiya, the godfather of the Shinobi World, and ask him to teach his overly impetuous disciple a lesson.

Looking up, he suddenly realized that the old consultant Utatane Koharu, was staring at him. He broke out in a cold sweat, gasped, and his mind went blank.

Huh? Why is the consultant looking at me? What should I say?

"Ahem." Inoichi Yamanaka coughed and cleared his throat, saying, "I still think Lord Tsunade is right."

He had no idea what Tsunade had said, but he didn't care at all; the Ino- Ino-Shika-Cho were die-hard fans of the Hokage. It didn't matter who became Hokage, as long as it wasn't Danzo.

I think Lord Tsunade's words are absolutely right. They're perfectly reasonable, every single one is insightful—truly a wise saying! Anyway, what the leader says isn't important; what matters is that the leader said it.

"I'm asking if you saw Nine-Tails appear in the center of the village on August 24th?" Utatane Koharu asked again, her brows furrowed and her voice hoarse.

On August 24th, he recalled that scene in the torrential rain.

Heaven and earth were dark, the eight directions were shrouded in darkness, and the plains became rivers.

"No, I didn't see anything." Inoichi Yamanaka shook his head. "It was raining too hard that day. I only saw Itachi Uchiha escape from Konohagakure."

"I already said, there's nothing there." Tsunade shrugged.

"Fifth Hokage, the truth can never be hidden." Danzo interrupted calmly, "On that day, it wasn't just ninjas who saw the Nine-Tails' figure, but also the villagers."

Tsunade remained silent. Danzo, his Danzo still wrapped in bandages, turned his gaze to Naruto, who was standing there, and asked again.

"Naruto Uzumaki, how do you explain releasing the Tailed Beast without authorization?"

Tsunade tapped the table twice but didn't speak. Instead, she turned and glanced at Naruto. This was a signal that he could speak now and answer on his own.

Tsunade's earlier roguish questioning was merely a ploy to drag the advisor into the mess and elicit two questions. It was all a setup for the final moment, where she chose to have Naruto speak.

Naruto nodded after receiving the signal.

All eyes were on him, but Naruto couldn't see their faces because they were sitting in the light.

Naruto didn't say anything, but instead drew an Uchigatana and slammed it into the large conference table with a thud.

"Danzo, please kill me with this sword." He said, staring at Danzo's blurred face.