The Elephant in the Room

"Secondly, the Inuzuka clan head, who serves as the breakthrough point, will unknowingly 'confess' to a great deal of 'evidence' that, under the pretext of archival secrecy, is held only by Root and the others."

"At the same time, the ninja clan leaders, having sensed a direct threat, will finally take action."

"However, with the situation still unclear, they will never be the first to involve themselves in either side. Instead, they will use channels such as the Jonin Council and high-level meetings to voice their dissatisfaction with the 'Inuzuka case' to Lord Third Hokage."

"Then, Lord Third will throw the conflict back onto your shoulders, Lord Tsunade."

Recalling what that young man had said days ago, Tsunade clasped her hands together. Seated at one of the head positions of the long table, she silently watched the ninja clan heads arguing endlessly in the conference room.

"We didn't do it, so we didn't do it!"

"How can you throw the head of a clan into prison without even investigating?"

"If rumors spread through the village again next time, will Lord Third be able to imprison the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans with a single sentence too?"

"That's right! This has gone too far!"

All the clan heads on the ninja clan side were now shouting indignantly.

Tsunade watched the scene with cold eyes.

Although everyone present understood that everything happening now was merely a conflict-shifting maneuver jointly launched by the Council of Elders,

they acted as though they had realized nothing, shouting for her dear teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to take responsibility and restore Inuzuka Gentai's innocence to the village.

Not one of them tried to direct their spearhead at any specific name.

The reason was simple.

The current Hokage Advisor Group was simply too powerful.

If they had to make a comparison, the Council of Elders was called a council of elders, but in truth, it was a cabinet.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to vote within this small cabinet before implementing certain decisions.

Konoha's ninja clans might have been prominent families, but they could barely be considered local powers. They were scattered and disorganized, unable to unite except on matters concerning bloodline limits and secret techniques.

Even the strongest among them, the Uchiha Clan, was merely slightly larger prey before the Hokage's faction, with no real threat to speak of.

The only person capable of confronting them head-on was Tsunade, who possessed the banner of "righteousness."

That was why, although these ninja clan heads appeared aggressive, they did not dare take any real responsibility.

Even these complaints were simply a way of demonstrating their neutral position between her and the Council of Elders, returning the most important "right of judgment" to Lord Third's hands.

When the time came, wouldn't Teacher Sarutobi only need to say, "Public sentiment is in an uproar," to have ample justification to easily force her to withdraw this proposal?

"Don't look at what they say. Look at what they do."

Tsunade lowered her head and looked at the upright tea stem floating in her cup, as well as the melancholy expression reflected on the water's surface. Suddenly, she felt like laughing.

This damned place really was no fun to stay in.

If that brat had not been around.

Just as the room's clamor continued without end and everyone jointly demanded that Lord Third give them an explanation,

Shimura Danzō's single eye suddenly swept toward Tsunade across the long table, and he spoke coldly.

"Tsunade, as the proposer of the 'Wartime Special Investigation Ordinance.'"

"Don't you have anything to say now?"

He had been the one to order the arrest, the one to release public opinion in advance and distort the ordinance, and the one to throw a ninja clan head into an interrogation room without reason.

Yet at this moment, Shimura Danzō behaved as though he were merely a professional "Hokage Advisor." Unable to tolerate Tsunade's "irresponsible" conduct, he righteously voiced his opinion.

Almost the instant he spoke, the uproar that had filled the conference room vanished without a trace.

Everyone quietly watched the two people seated on opposite sides of the long table.

"Opinion? What opinion?"

Tsunade sneered. "Do you mean my proposal to launch an economic inquiry into the 'Advisor Group'?"

She deliberately emphasized those three words.

However, everyone present seemed to have gone deaf for a second in unspoken agreement, as though they had heard nothing.

Tsunade ignored them and instead looked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated at the center.

"Lord Third Hokage, investigating corruption concerns the entire village."

"If no one dares to set an example, then who can dig those dirty things out to the very end?"

Shimura Danzō's eye twitched slightly.

After all, he was the dirtiest person in the room.

But—

This foolish woman, Tsunade, still did not understand Hiruzen well enough.

"I believe that in the face of war, affairs in the rear should be postponed for the time being." Sarutobi Hiruzen met his disciple's gaze without the slightest hesitation, his expression grave.

"Tsunade, the pressure at the front is immense."

"..."

Her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath.

Even Tsunade herself did not know how much willpower it took to forcibly suppress the anger and disappointment surging from the depths of her heart.

"Is that so."

She rose beneath everyone's gaze and looked deeply at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Before leaving, Tsunade's voice suddenly turned cold as she said calmly,

"Lord Third Hokage, you will regret this."

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze at her words. He felt as if he had heard that familiar line somewhere before, and an inexplicable unease rose within him.

Shimura Danzō, however, could not help but smile.

Pah. A defeated dog.

Bang.

The door shut.

Tsunade strode out of the office, still thinking about what Sahara Mizu had said back then.

"If Lord Tsunade continues to refuse to turn back until she hits a wall, as she always has, then Shimura Danzō and Lord Third Hokage will take turns using the same trick as last time in order to maintain stability at the front."

"Until the ninja clans can no longer endure it. Under mounting pressure, their stance will gradually shift toward the Council of Elders, and they will state their position at the Jonin Council, pressuring you. In the end, through an open and fair vote, they will abolish your proposal with an overwhelming majority."

"This is the simplest and most effective method."

"However, things are different now because of my appearance."

Even now, Tsunade remembered the clever, foxlike smile on Sahara Mizu's face when he said those words.

"Do you know about The Elephant in the Room?"

"In an already cramped room, there is clearly an enormous problem too great to ignore. Yet for all sorts of reasons, everyone develops an unusual tacit understanding and deliberately avoids it, pretending not to see it."

At that time, Sahara Mizu's voice had been like a devil's whisper.

"If you remain the lofty Konoha Princess, Princess Tsunade, then you can continue following that 'tacit understanding.'"

"But if you want to break the current deadlock and rush out of this room—then this quiet, aggrieved 'elephant' curled up inside it will become the strongest aid in your hand."

As though he had sensed the thoughts coming from afar, Sahara Mizu subconsciously turned toward the Hokage Building.

However, before he could come back to his senses, the auntie from the Disabled and Orphaned Children's Home enthusiastically called to him from beside him. "Sahara-kun, the previous act has finished. It's time for you to go on."

Only then did he turn back, politely thanking her with a gentle smile before striding toward the stage.

On this crudely assembled stage, there had just been a chorus performed by the orphans, a Manzai routine brought in from a theater, an acrobatic troupe hired from outside, and a dance performance hastily rehearsed by several young girls.

Yet the applause below was always scattered and sparse, as though no one was particularly interested.

Sahara Mizu stood on the stage and looked down at the audience.

Most of them were missing an arm or one or both legs, able to move only with wheelchairs or crutches. Some were wrapped from head to toe in bandages—those were people disfigured in the war.

Clearly, they were all ninjas disabled by the war.

Because multiple disabled care homes and orphanages throughout Konoha had been notified three days in advance, this open space beneath Hokage Rock, at the edge of the village, had gathered nearly half of Konoha's wounded and disabled ninjas and orphans today—several thousand people in total. If not for Lord Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo personally guaranteeing it, such a massive gathering likely could not even have been held.

Yet even after arriving, these people remained expressionless and moved with difficulty.

They endured incomparable suffering in both body and mind. Their powerful physiques as ninjas and their current destitute circumstances were worlds apart.

Konoha's strained funds and limited manpower meant that most of them, after giving everything for the village, still had to go hungry.

Some had even parted ways with their homes and relatives for various reasons—during already difficult times, few people were willing to take on such a heavy family burden for nothing. It was human nature.

Under this crushing pain, it seemed there was nothing left that could stir the interest of these people who had once burned so brightly.

Sahara Mizu silently took all of this in.

Slowly, he put on an appropriately solemn expression and walked onto the stage with dignity.

Just as his performance began, Tsunade, who had left the Hokage Building, arrived at the edge of the venue.

From far away, she could already hear Sahara Mizu's solemn, steady voice, rich with emotion, ringing out in the distance.

"Forty years ago, a great Konoha Ninja signed the 'Konoha Establishment Treaty.' Today, we gather beneath the witness of his Hokage Rock."

"That great ninja once said that after Konoha was founded, he hoped there would no longer be so many sacrifices, nor so many children losing their lives."

"That solemn declaration was like the light of a beacon, bringing hope to millions of people of the Warring States period suffering amid the unjust flames that ravaged life. Its arrival was like a joyful dawn, ending the long night of slaughter in the Warring States period and bringing more than a decade of peace to Konoha."

"Yet today, forty years later, we must face the tragic fact that Konoha's people and children are still fighting enemies on the battlefield."

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone!

It's a holiday today, and dinner and drinks ran a little late. The next chapter will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon.