Mito Steps In

Tianqi looked up at Danzo without saying a word. He just kept staring at him.

Seeing Tianqi silently staring back at him, Danzo grew even more arrogant.

"Heh. Uchiha Tianqi, I told you long ago not to let yourself fall into my hands. If you did, I'd make you regret it. And look at you now—you've delivered yourself right to me." Danzo smiled. This was the happiest he had been in years.

"You're probably still hoping Sarutobi will save you, aren't you? Don't bother. The council of elders will never let you off. We're going to hand you over to the Land of Earth and let them give you a proper beating." Danzo kept rambling on.

Seeing that Danzo wouldn't stop, Tianqi finally snapped. "Danzo, are you done yet? You've had your fun mocking me. Don't push it."

"Hahaha! Uchiha Tianqi, you're a prisoner now. What dignity could you possibly have left? I'm not just here to laugh at you—I'm going to teach you a lesson. Open the cell!" Danzo ordered the guard.

"B-But, Lord Danzo, please don't make things difficult for us. We can't open this cell without Lord Hokage's permission," the guard explained awkwardly. Danzo was an elder on the council, so he didn't want to speak too harshly to him.

"I'm an elder. If I tell you to open it, then open it. You know what'll happen if you offend me." Danzo glared threateningly at the guard. He hated anyone bringing up the Hokage in front of him. Not becoming Hokage was the greatest regret of his life, and no one was allowed to mention it.

"B-But... all right. Just this once." In the end, the guard reluctantly opened the cell. He really didn't want to offend that scheming old bastard, Danzo.

"Weren't you so cocky and arrogant before? Go on, keep it up! Look at you now, sitting there like a criminal. Just looking at you makes me sick. Ptooey!" Danzo stepped into the cell and immediately began mocking him.

"Holy crap! You really think you can just walk all over me?" Hearing Danzo's insults, Tianqi finally lost his temper. He unleashed his strength, and the chains restraining him snapped.

Smack!

Tianqi broke free of the chains and slapped Danzo across the face.

Danzo hadn't expected Tianqi to suddenly lash out. Caught completely off guard, he went flying from the slap, spinning through the air several times before crashing into the cell door. The door shattered, and Danzo was knocked unconscious.

The guard stared in shock as Danzo went flying.

"Ptooey! A nobody like you thinks you can humiliate me? Remember what I told you before? Every time I see you, I'll beat you up. Did you think I was joking?" Tianqi spat at the unconscious Danzo.

"This cell's broken. I'm moving to the one next door." Tianqi said this to the ninja, then went straight to the neighboring cell and lay down.

"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and shut the door before I escape." Tianqi glanced at the still-dazed ninja.

"Ah! Right, I'm coming." The guard went over and shut the door, then carried the unconscious Danzo out.

"What kind of prisoner is that? I've been a guard for years, and I've never seen anyone like him. He breaks out of his cell, but instead of running away, he moves into another one and lets himself get locked up again. What a weirdo." Muttering to himself, he carried Danzo to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi was speaking with the Uchiha Elder.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tianqi didn't even take part in the coup within his own clan for the sake of the village. He led us away from the Uchiha, and every day he helps the village by taking on all kinds of missions. After everything he's done, don't tell me you haven't noticed." The Elder spoke furiously to Sarutobi. He no longer had any respect for the Hokage.

"Elder, I know what Tianqi and your people have done for the village. But this time, he went too far. I only ordered that he be locked up. That's already the lightest punishment possible. Please understand my predicament." Sarutobi Hiruzen knew the Elder was right. Tianqi had indeed done a great deal for the village.

All these years, Tianqi had taken on all kinds of missions without asking for anything in return. He had even left the Uchiha and fully cooperated with Sarutobi's work. Tianqi had done everything perfectly. But when Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the document the Tsuchikage had sent demanding an explanation, he felt a headache coming on.

"Hmph! Tianqi only attacked Iwagakure. It's not as if they're good people. Attacking them now will serve as a warning and keep them from growing stronger and causing trouble for Konoha later. I don't think Tianqi did anything wrong." The Elder continued to defend Tianqi. He knew how serious it was to attack a major ninja village without permission. Tianqi couldn't be allowed to suffer for it. He would never let anything happen to him.

"Elder, you can't put it that way. If Tianqi had done this during a war, he wouldn't be a criminal—he'd be a hero. But the problem is, this is peacetime. What he did was..."

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish, two more people pushed open the door and entered.

"Was what, Monkey? Why don't you tell me? I'd like to hear what's going on." The newcomers were none other than Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade.

Mito hadn't wanted to get involved in village affairs, but Tsunade had begged her over and over. She had also realized that Tsunade had fallen for Tianqi, so for her granddaughter's happiness, she decided to give it a try.

"Lady Mito, what brings you here? Please, have a seat." Seeing the First Hokage's wife and the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately stood and offered her his seat.

"Monkey, what exactly happened with Tianqi? Little Tsunade didn't explain it clearly, so I don't quite understand. Tell me about it." Mito sat down, nodded to the Uchiha Elder, and spoke.

"It happened like this..." Sarutobi recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

"If that's the case, just compensate the Land of Earth for its losses. Why make things so complicated?" After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's explanation, Mito understood the situation.

"That's what I thought too, but the council of elders keeps blocking me. They insist on handing Tianqi over. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place," Sarutobi Hiruzen said helplessly.

"Monkey, you have to remember that you're the Hokage, not them. The council of elders is there to offer advice, not to order you around. They have no right to veto your decisions."

"Then it's settled—we'll pay compensation. If the council of elders has anything to say, they can come tell me themselves. I'd like to see whether you're the Hokage or they are." Mito slapped the table and made the decision for Sarutobi.

"Well, that works. With Lady Mito dealing with the council of elders, things will be easier for me too." The members of the council had once been his teammates, so Sarutobi couldn't simply ignore what they said. But Uzumaki Mito was different. She was not only the First Hokage's wife, but also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. No one could ignore her words.

"Lady Mito, what should we do about Tianqi, who's locked up? Should we release him?" Sarutobi passed the question of Tianqi's imprisonment to Mito as well.

The Elder also turned his gaze to Mito. He wanted to see how Hashirama Senju's wife would deal with Tianqi.

"That little rascal?"

"His strength has certainly improved. He even dared to take on the Land of Earth by himself. But he really did cause far too much trouble this time. He can't keep acting so recklessly. Let him stay locked up for a while and think it over before we let him out," Uzumaki Mito said after a moment's thought.

"No, Grandma Mito! Just let Tianqi out." Hearing that Tianqi would still be locked up, Tsunade shook Mito's hand and pleaded.