In the end, Tsunade and Jiraiya returned to Konoha and to the wooden house they had left so long ago.
Aside from being a bit deserted, it's still the same as before, and it seems that someone still cleans it regularly.
Seeing the familiar surroundings and room furnishings, Tsunade also somewhat moved by the scene.
"Lady Tsunade... we have a guest!"
Shizune, who was holding a piglet, weakly reminded her. Tsunade took a deep breath and glanced at the two people outside the yard out of the corner of her eye.
"Come in!"
After receiving permission, the two people at the door stepped in. These two were none other than Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. During the days that the Hokage position had been vacant, they had been handling all the affairs of the village.
Even so, they already have a lot of work piled up, and some important decisions still need the Hokage's approval.
After all, they were all quite old, but they were only greedy for the benefits that came with their positions and dared not Danzo.
The purpose of their visit was obvious, and their voices were heard only after everyone had taken their seats.
"Tsunade, welcome home!"
The two old men personally paid a visit, showing Tsunade considerable respect, after all, she is the granddaughter of the First Hokage and Second Hokage.
Tsunade merely nodded slightly at the two highly respected elders.
"Tsunade, now that you're back, we'll hold an inauguration ceremony for you in a couple of days!"
Utatane Koharu, spoke first. Although it was exhilarating to have complete power, the complicated work was a burden for them now. They preferred to occasionally step in and give orders.
Upon hearing this, Tsunade did not reply to them immediately, but instead inquired about the situation in the village.
"Danzo and his Root sect suffered the most severe losses and are now practically defunct!"
They have always looked down on each other's ways, and even after working together for decades, they only feel a sense of shared misfortune.
Moreover, without him, Konoha might even have more power.
"Besides the Root, the Anbu and other ninjas also suffered some losses..."
The two of them took turns talking and managed to explain most of the current situation in Konoha.
Half a day later, Tsunade had a general understanding of the village's situation, and Orochimaru's commotion had actually saved her a lot of trouble.
"How did the major families behave back then? And what is their attitude now?"
Although she was fully qualified to serve as the head of the family, she still needed to understand the background of these families. If anyone dared to act recklessly, she wouldn't hesitate to make an example of them and ignite the first fire after taking office.
"Since the Uchiha incident, the major clans have been behaving themselves, but they are still maintaining a wait-and-see attitude..."
This was a decision made jointly by Danzo and the Third Hokage, and now that both of them are dead, they have nothing to hide.
This kind of thing is a secret to outsiders, but the Hokage has the right to know, otherwise the work would be difficult to carry out!
News of Tsunade's return gradually spread throughout the village, with one kid in particular opposing Tsunade becoming the Fifth Hokage.
This person is Konohamaru. He is afraid that people will forget his grandfather, and he is also afraid that Tsunade will make some changes to the village after taking office.
So in the following days, while Tsunade was still getting familiar with the Hokage's duties, she started causing trouble everywhere.
However, Tsunade didn't hold it against him. On one hand, he was just a child, and on the other hand, saying anything would be useless; time would prove everything.
On the very day Tsunade took office as the Fifth Hokage, standing atop the Hokage Residence, Tsunade wore a Hokage hat and ancient blue robes.
Jiraiya, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu were also standing behind her.
Below the Hokage Residence stood numerous Konoha ninjas and members of various clans. With a wave of her hand, the Hokage's hat was removed!
"From this day forward, I will govern Konoha. I am the Fifth Hokage!"
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from below, and at that very moment, a stirring melody began to play from the loudspeakers outside the Hokage Residence.
The music was particularly loud, spreading throughout the entire village; it was a popular song from the Northern Lands called "Gradually Drawn to You."
The beautiful female voice was perfectly suited to the scene, and everyone present was deeply attracted by the graceful figure on the high platform.
The villagers' fervent gazes and the ninjas' expectant and envious eyes all indicated that this was a thriving scene, and the image was frozen in time!
After the music subsided Jiraiya and the two elders became puzzled.
"I didn't expect Tsunade to have arranged music; it was our oversight!"
In fact, Tsunade was also a little confused, and thought it was arranged by Jiraiya and others.
Next comes the fireworks and cannon salutes, which originated in the Northern Lands and are usually set off for weddings or other joyous occasions.
I don't know how a place that's mostly just clubs and private rooms can come up with so many different things, but times have changed, and they have to keep up with the times.
When they returned to the Hokage Broadcasting Room after completing the ceremony, they discovered a suspicious figure lurking in the room. It turned out to be Konohamaru, that troublemaker, causing a ruckus.
Jiraiya saw this and Jiraiya dragged him out. Luckily, he accidentally played a fitting song; otherwise, he would have ruined the day if the microphone had been controlled.
Everyone knew what he was up to, so they didn't blame him and just handed him over to Naruto.
Tsunade took action as soon as she took office. The first thing she did was appoint Jiraiya as the Anbu Captain, and coincidentally, his adopted son Jiraisui was also among them.
Secondly, the appointment of Nara Shikaku as Hokage Advisor was seen as a promotion for the Nara Clan.
Finally, considering the Third Hokage's sacrifice for Konoha, Asuma was appointed as the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force.
The remaining issues concern institutional reforms, such as education and healthcare.
These are internal actions, but there have also been external actions, such as repairing relations with Sunagakure and trying to deepen commercial ties with the Northern Lands.
While the important figures were making frequent moves, Sasuke was also shaken to his core by a piece of information.
On his way back to the Uchiha, a Kunai suddenly flew from behind him, but he dodged the attack by slightly shifting his body to the side.
When he turned around, there was no one behind him. When he looked back at the Kunai, he noticed the note hanging on Kunai. The contents of the note made his pupils dilate.
"Want to become stronger? Want power? Come alone to the Valley of the End on the night of the full moon!"
Only Orochimaru could say something so vulgar and blunt; he's practically ready to add, "If you're my brother, come and kill me."
Sasuke stepped forward and put the Kunai, then clutched the note tightly in his hand.
These days he can feel his physical abilities getting stronger and his Chakra level slowly increasing, which should be due to the injection Orochimaru gave him that day.
He should have been satisfied with all of this, but after seeing Naruto ride Gamabunta to fight against One-Tails Shukaku, he suddenly felt that his progress was still not enough.
On his way back to the village, he heard that Orochimaru had killed the Kazekage Rasa, the Third Hokage, and Danzo.
The opponent's displayed strength shocked him, and he paid even more attention to what Orochimaru had said.
It could be said that he had been waiting for Orochimaru's message these past few days, feeling both expectant and apprehensive. He looked forward to Orochimaru's arrival, but was also afraid that his performance in the Chunin Ninja Exams would not meet Orochimaru's approval.
Now that we finally have accurate information, it's a relief for him.
"Is there still a week until the full moon...?"
But just as he was eagerly awaiting the day, an uninvited guest came to his door first.